Liangqiu is dead, Liangqiu Siyan.
Mu Wan had a high fever and lay in bed for more than five days. Seeing that the weather was getting hotter and hotter, the flowers were blooming and the vegetation was growing, but she had no chance to go out and enjoy it. Shanhai was afraid that something would happen to her head because she rarely woke up. Mu Wan spent most of the time clamoring to go back, and sometimes it seemed like she had already gone back in her dreams. Most of those dreams could tell the happy ending of a false alarm. For a small part of the time, she didn't react at all, she just shed tears quietly from her closed eyes, sliding down her hot cheeks.
In fact, on the sixth day, her fever began to subside. The innkeeper was worried that it was tuberculosis or other plagues and he was afraid of infecting other guests. Fortunately, things improved and he didn't let the store clerk rush them away.
They read the letter several times. From reading between the lines, I can confirm that it was indeed written by Chi Li, as well as the greetings from Mo Liang and Xiao. The letter did not mention her mother's reaction, saying only that it was "nothing serious." It seems that her mother also knew about her son's death and became seriously ill because of it. The first letter ended by saying that it was "best" for her to come back. Her mother wanted to see her, but the old man also said it herself, and it didn't matter if she couldn't come back.
Siyan is dead. Mu Wan's brother died.
This is a sad story. Everyone thought that the ice between the siblings had begun to melt. But I never imagined that a mountain torrent would break through the embankments and sweep away everything, leaving nothing behind. This accident took away countless possibilities from them.
Or... it wasn't an accident.
The obituary was very simple, with another person's handwriting on the back, and judging from the tone, it was Mo Liang's special note. They could almost imagine that after Chi Li, who didn't want Mu Wan to worry too much, packed the letter, Mo Liang quietly took out the obituary and added a lot of slightly scrawled instructions at the back. According to his character, he might be more willing to tell the truth. Chi Li may have believed that Mu Wan would come back and said nothing more, but Mo Liang didn't think so.
In that remote and impoverished place, Siyan did not die of an infectious disease or a rebel army who resisted - rather, it was impossible to give birth to an armed force in that kind of place. The way he died seemed reasonable, but upon closer inspection, it was very unreasonable.
He died by assassination.
Siyan's "home" there was a simple thatched hut, no more luxurious than those of the villagers. Even this hut is where he works. The inside is very simple, with pots, pans, firewood, rice, oil, and salt for one person, and no broken silver at all. He sent them all to his mother. The possibility of suicide needs to be ruled out. Firstly, there is no suicide note, and secondly, there is no motive for suicide at the moment - after all, he has lived in this deserted land for many years, and is actually in harmony with the local "unruly people".
His body was discovered during the day, when the villagers discovered that he had not inspected the planted spring wheat as usual. At first, people just thought he was unwell. It was not until noon that the people at the granary said that he would come to see him, but he did not show up, so they asked to go to his house to take a look. When I went there, I found that the person was already cold and fell to the ground. There was coagulated blood all over the ground.
There was a table in the room, but it was just brought stones, as were two stools. There were two glasses of water on the table. Only the part where he fell down had most of the water. The other side should have been untouched. Since no one was seen during the day yesterday, this person should be a "traveler" who "passed by" and visited at night. Siyan even entertained him briefly. The candlestick had been moved and was originally placed in the center of the table, showing signs of old age and residual wax. When the murderer left, he placed the candlestick on the table and blew it out. The half candle did not indicate how long the murderer stayed. The room wasn't very messy, but there were still signs of being rummaged through, probably because he didn't have much.
A stack of official documents from his own hand, a wrapped seal, a folded imperial appointment certificate, a few letters to and from his mother, an inkstone, some ink stones, two old writing brushes, a candlestick, and three and a half candles , a fire folding bag, a winter quilt, a winter coat, a gown, a pair of rag shoes and straw sandals, a pair of bowls and chopsticks, a pot, a kitchen knife, a frying spoon, a bunch of knotted copper plates for daily use, a A basin, a scoop, and a bucket for water.
This is all his possessions, all of them.
The last thing to talk about is his wound. He was stabbed through the heart from behind and died instantly.
According to Mo Liang, although this person did not leave any evidence at the scene, he was "full of loopholes." The murderer could have wiped Siyan's neck, leaving only a thin wound that cut off the artery, and let him bleed to death. In this way, people would not be able to tell what kind of murder weapon he used. Mo Liang said that they all believed that an outsider committed the crime, but the motive was unknown. Because in such a poor place, there is absolutely no such fast and sharp knife.
In fact, the wound was only thin on one side and thick on the other, so the murder weapon was a knife. A weapon that can completely pierce a person must be a long knife, not a dagger. The wound was straight through, so it was a straight knife.
None of them knew whether Mu Wan had read these notes carefully. But in Shan Hai's eyes, this killer is not stupid.
But arrogance.
He doesn't care at all.
Mo Liang scribbled one last sentence, "Everything is fine, don't think about it." He probably thought Mu Wan would not come back. But who of the two understands Mu Wan better? We don’t know the answer yet.
The only thing they knew was the description of the wound, which made the three of them think of an old acquaintance at the same time. The technique is also similar - wasn't Yan Muxue also stabbed in the heart with a straight knife? Just from the front. It's hard to say it's because they can't find a reason. What connection does Mu Wan's matter have with her brother? If someone wants to trick her into returning to Xueyan Valley, there is no need to go to such a wild place. In that kind of place, there is no talk of stealing wealth, and there is no reason for court fighting. Siyan's character shouldn't make enemies, at least in a place like that, who can he make enemies with? He just had some conflicts with some stubborn local guys. After all, he is still an "official" and no one knows how to wield a knife or a gun.
He died and the villagers were sad. Everyone is sad.
"When we were chatting before, she said that if we had the chance, she would take us to meet her brother," Dai Luan said.
"When she gets better, we'll leave immediately." Shi Wuqi said.
Shanhai and Aluan looked at him, and then at Miss Qi beside him. Shanhai asked hesitantly:
"where to?"
"Xueyan Valley." His tone was matter-of-fact, "Will she go back?"
"Yes...but the soul-returning fragrance..."
"There's no rush. I've been waiting for so long, no more than a day or two." Shi Wuqi shrugged nonchalantly, folded the two pieces of paper in half and stuffed them back into the envelope, "Didn't I fail to go with you last time? And does that girl also live nearby? If there is still a chance, we should go and clarify it. I heard that Aluan said that she makes a fan, and if time permits, I can give some advice. And that strange incense burner , didn’t we say at the beginning that if we really had no clue, we would ask Yun Waijing? Although I remember Aluan said he was very unreliable.”
"Ahaha... I can't say it's completely unreliable."
If Mu Wan knew his plan, he would be very moved, right?
But they can't say that, because everything is unknown. When will she truly recover and what decision will she make? No one can make up her mind for her.
"Go north in Xueyan Valley, and further north..." Shanhaidao said, "There is a place called Cuipingtan. There used to be a human village there, but now it is the territory of monsters. I heard about it decades ago. Yes, the monsters living there were not harmonious and they drove away the humans. At that time, Cuipingtan was rich in Luoshen sand."
Luoshen sand is also one of the materials for soul-returning incense. Dai Luan said it sounded like some kind of animal feces. After all, Luming Sand and Moong Moon Sand come from bats and hares. But they were not sure, because there were so few things that required Roselle sand, and everyone was not impressed.
"It probably came from some kind of monster. When I was running the Weeping Corpse House, a monster used it to pay off debts, and it was eventually circulated. If I knew it had such a use, I would naturally keep it." Shi Wuqi said.
Today is the seventh day. Mu Wan's fever has gone away, but he is still sleeping. Shi Wuqi went to the street to listen to the scattered information about the world again, while Shanhai went to the pharmacy to buy medicine that was about to run out. Dai Luan borrowed the small stove in the backyard and burned the medicine there. The scent of medicine drifted up the wall and entered the slit window.
The familiar smell of medicine entered Mu Wan's nose. She opened her eyes once, but quickly closed them. This kind of half-dream and half-awake state is the most annoying. It always gives people the illusion that they will never wake up if they fall asleep, but if they just open their eyes, they will have a terrible headache. She just saw a ray of sunlight pouring in through the cracked window, which happened to fall on her arms, making her slightly hot. Close your eyes and you will see a green world stretching as far as the eye can see.
It seemed like a vast grassland with many beautiful flowers growing and water. There was a man standing on the shore, showing his back. Judging from the thick texture of the lead-gray hair, it should be Lord Shuoyue. On this early morning, the sun is high in the sky on the right.
Is it the function of the Demon Sealing Blade? But didn't Lord Shuangyue say that he couldn't sense the traces of the Demon-Sealing Blade? Or is this hallucination something Demon-Sealing Blade showed her about some kind of connection between herself and Lord Shuangyue?
The Demon-Sealing Blade was placed beside her pillow, and she could see it by turning her head slightly.
The breeze blew by, and Lord Shuangyue was still standing on the shore. Mu Wan tried to shout loudly, but he did not look back.
"This is your knife!"
Mu Wan in the dream was waving wildly, trying to attract the attention of the only living creature. But Mr. Shuangyue didn't seem to hear it and stood still. This made her a little confused. She tightened her grip on the Demon-Sealing Blade and tried to walk that way.
Suddenly, she seemed to hear a thunderclap, which shocked her so much that she couldn't move.
It's not an exact sound, it's just a feeling, a warning. Mu Wan suddenly froze and couldn't move, as if he was being pressed down on the bed by a ghost in a dream. But the scenery in front of them changed drastically. All the scenery was clearly still there, but it was covered with a layer of blood, and the sky turned red. The silhouettes of Shigetsuki-kun and those plants turned into black silhouettes.
In the blink of an eye, everything returned to its original state. And when she takes another step, it will turn into such a terrifying scene again. But she felt that she could not retreat and had no way out, so she faced the inexplicable huge pressure and walked forward step by step, holding the knife. The picture began to tremble, distort, and eventually shake into afterimages, confusing the entire scene into a white dot in front of the eyes.
At that moment, Lord Shuangyue seemed to have turned around, or he might not have turned around.
Mu Wan rolled down from the bed, holding the Demon Sealing Blade in his hand. Sweat soaked her, and there was a water stain on the ground when she fell. Dai Luan, who brought the medicine, happened to encounter this scene. Before she could put down the medicine, Mu Wan used his hands and feet to get close to her with his weak body, which scared her so much that she almost dropped the medicine bowl.
"Quick, let's go to the north...cough, cough, let's go to the north."
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