The group escorted Chen Yu back to the craftsmen’s camp. Bao Zhu pitied his disability and injuries, letting him ride the donkey. When they reached the camp, they discovered the craftsmen still hadn’t listened to advice and had dug up the coffin again.
After removing the coffin nails, the kind-faced, round-cheeked craftsman took out something wrapped in white silk from inside. Seeing them arrive, he unwrapped the silk layers one by one, revealing inside the exact same Seven Treasures glazed lacquer box as the one from the Treasure Tower.
Holding the lacquer box, he said resolutely to Wei Xun: “Old Chen is just a cripple who couldn’t accomplish this great deed. The lacquer box was made by me, Zhao Faming, with my own hands. My name is even written on the bottom – I’m an accomplice.”
So this person was the “Faming” on the lacquer box. Upon hearing this, Bao Zhu couldn’t help but greatly admire his courage.
Craftsmen signing their work served a completely different purpose from scholars and artists signing their calligraphy, paintings, and poetry. Literary signatures were for fame and commemoration, while craftsmen’s signatures were prepared for when poor quality work needed accountability later. If one dared to be careless with imperially commissioned items, the entire group would lose their heads.
Seeing Zhao Faming confess without being asked, Chen Yu frantically slapped his thigh: “What does he know?! I paid to commission this box – it has nothing to do with him!”
After lacquer craftsman Zhao Faming confessed, a thin man with a long face came forward: “Third Zhao is being too arrogant. Could you alone accomplish the gold and silver inlay technique? Without me, goldsmith Feng Da, you could at most carve some flowers on the lacquer surface.”
Then a short old man said: “I’m a carpenter. I carved out the wooden core of this lacquer box.”
Next, a squint-eyed young man said: “I’m a painter. The flying celestials offering treasures pattern inside the box was painted by my own hand.”
Then a slender-waisted, yellow-faced woman said: “I’m a weaver. The lotus throne precious flower brocade inside the lacquer box was embroidered by me stitch by stitch.”
The Changzhou craftsmen came forward one by one, saying they were accomplices with stone carver Chen Yu and wanted to surrender together with him. The pearl theft case had implicated multiple lives, and these people felt guilty and couldn’t eat or sleep peacefully. After much consideration, they decided to turn themselves in.
Zhao Faming said with tears in his eyes: “Ying Niang was a child we all watched grow up as neighbors. After she was unfortunately murdered, we also watched Old Chen go mad pursuing the murderer every day. We really couldn’t bear to see it, so we joined him in devising the treasure-switching scheme. Originally after switching it out, we should have burned this lacquer box to cover our tracks, but… but after working through many sleepless months to create this thing, we really couldn’t bear to destroy it, so we hid it in the coffin for burial.”
Bao Zhu and Wei Xun exchanged glances, finally understanding why Chen Yu would rather offer up the night pearl and surrender to the law than have them continue investigating what was hidden in the coffin. He wasn’t afraid of death at all – he was afraid the pearl theft case would implicate these kind-hearted colleagues.
A lacquer box only seven inches in size that could be held in one hand actually required so many craftsmen working together to create. Bao Zhu could finally intuitively feel how much manpower went into those palace items named “Thousand-Worker Mirror” and “Ten-Thousand-Worker Bed.” When her mother Noble Consort Xue was still alive, just for daily lacquerware alone, there were three hundred craftsmen in Chang’an’s official workshops creating items specifically for her.
She was moved by these craftsmen’s solidarity and loyalty, that they could make such sacrifices for their companions.
Wei Xun said: “I already told you – I’m not an official, just a customer who came to commission a lacquer box. However, I don’t have money on me, so I’ll bring something later to barter with you.”
Hearing this, the craftsmen looked at each other in confusion, unable to make heads or tails of it.
Wei Xun looked toward Bao Zhu and said slowly: “I’ll handle some business and be right back. You and Old Yang wait here.”
Bao Zhu had long seen through his phrase “be right back,” saying: “Even if I forbid it, you’ll still insist on going, won’t you?”
Wei Xun raised his neck and nodded stubbornly and rebelliously.
Bao Zhu thought that in small matters he was casual and easygoing, willing to follow orders, but when it came to matters of life and death that touched his principles, this person always went his own way and did as he pleased. At this moment, his whole body emanated an intimidating cold aura that kept others at bay – he was no longer hiding his killing intent.
Bao Lang was brutal and cruel, utterly insane. Not only had he instructed Wu Zhiyuan to imprison her and Yang Xingjian, he had also tortured Shisan Lang under interrogation, killed Ying Niang to steal her family heirloom, and in Lower Gui County alone, at least a dozen innocent people had been arrested, tortured, and died. How could there be any justice if such an evil person continued to live in this world?
Villains that the law cannot punish should naturally be eliminated by knights-errant that the law cannot constrain.
Thinking this, Bao Zhu said: “Go then, just be extremely careful.”
Huo Qi Lang interjected: “Since the young lady is worried, I can go help Senior Brother and watch the excitement while I’m at it.”
Wei Xun sneered: “How optimistic of you. Payment isn’t taken for free – you stay here and protect her. Not a single hair can be missing.”
Yang Xingjian’s drunkenness gradually faded as he looked around in bewilderment, feeling something was amiss, repeatedly asking: “What’s happening? What is he going to do? Do you all know something?”
Wei Xun turned and left without anyone answering Yang Xingjian’s questions.
The courtyard in front of the county office’s main hall was covered in bloodstains everywhere, surrounded by deathly silence, with only some dead snake carcasses and human limbs severed by sabers left behind.
Bao Lang gradually awakened from the dizziness brought on by his madness. Opening his eyes, he felt himself lying face-down in a pool of cold, sticky blood, still gripping his blade. Earlier, when he saw those white snakes writhing in the courtyard, he had been extremely terrified, suddenly losing his reason and wildly slashing at everything before him without discrimination. After raging for a long while, he suddenly blacked out and fainted.
He slowly climbed up using his blade for support, discovering he wasn’t injured and was still in the county office.
Before Bao Lang’s eyes appeared that hallucination again: the Weituo Buddha statue glaring with fury, the small white snake coiled around the vajra staring at him with those jewel-like crystal-clear red pupils, day and night, even haunting his dreams relentlessly, just like that snow-white woman collapsed in the bright red pool of blood, gazing at him with bewildered red eyes.
Was she human or snake? Now he could no longer distinguish. White and blood-red intertwined and wound together, overwhelming and covering him completely, never to be erased again. Perhaps she truly was a demon, and the dead snake demon’s revenge was approaching with some unstoppable momentum, crushing down like an avalanche.
He looked down at his blood-stained hands, feeling that the splendid future and wealth and honor he had sought his entire life were slowly slipping through his fingers. No matter how tightly he grasped or how viciously he slashed, he couldn’t stop it.
“Finally awake. You kept me waiting.”
A cold voice suddenly reached his ears. From the shadows cast by the main hall building, a figure in blue robes silently stepped from the darkness into the moonlight.
Bao Lang’s heart jumped as he immediately gripped his blade handle, shifting his stance and raising his blade in a defensive position with both hands.
Had this person been standing there all along? Why hadn’t he noticed earlier?
He saw the man dressed in blue robes, with a thin build and pale complexion. Under the cold moonlight, his elongated shadow was blurred and faint, the entire figure seeming to float in a mirage. Bao Lang rubbed his eyes, and in his confused state of mind, momentarily suspected this blue-robed figure was a ghost messenger from the underworld.
“Letting you die unknowingly in your dreams would be too merciful, so I waited until now. Someone else is waiting for me, so let’s finish this quickly.”
The blue-robed figure urged while drawing from his waist belt an eight-inch-long dagger.
Seeing the blade reflecting moonlight, Bao Lang gradually became clear-headed: this was the long-sought but never-found great bandit, the Blue-Robed Guest.
The blue-robed figure walked toward him at a leisurely pace.
A cruel smile appeared at Bao Lang’s lips as he gripped his blade with both hands, positioning himself for a slashing stance. If it was human, it could be killed. Regardless of martial skill, weapons had always followed the principle that an inch longer gave an inch of advantage, while an inch shorter brought an inch of danger. Trying to fight his two-foot-six-inch refined steel saber with that dining-knife-sized dagger seemed far too naive.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt his vision sink downward, rapidly descending until it rested on the floor tiles. The blue-robed figure’s torn boots were right before his face, standing in front of him. What was happening? Bao Lang’s mind formed a final question, but no one would answer it. His vision gradually blurred and darkened until it was pitch black. He died without ever seeing clearly what had occurred.
The headless corpse spurted a fountain of hot blood, then knelt and collapsed to the ground.
Wei Xun bent down to grab Bao Lang’s topknot, picking up the head from the ground. Seeing the dead man’s face still wore a bewildered expression, he sneered coldly. He flicked his dagger, sending blood droplets flying. The blade flashed coldly without any remaining blood before he sheathed it. After patiently waiting for the head’s hot blood to drain completely, he placed it in the leather pouch he carried.
Bao Zhu felt anxious, waiting until dawn was breaking without seeing Wei Xun’s shadow. Recalling Chen Yu’s account of how Bao Lang had cleaved Ying Niang in two with a single blow made her even more restless. Thinking that Wei Xun had only recovered from illness a few days ago and his hand injury hadn’t fully healed, she regretted not taking weapons to provide backup.
She couldn’t help asking Huo Qi Lang: “Why is it taking so long?”
Huo Qi tossed and played with the dice he carried, saying carelessly: “Brother Wei might be hungry and stopped for breakfast along the way, causing some delay. Have you tried the willow leaf bread at that shop near the Sun family restaurant? The noodle leaves are snow-white and lovely, smooth and chewy, with truly excellent flavor.”
Bao Zhu’s face darkened as she snatched the dice from him and casually threw them into a bowl. The dice spun and stopped, showing all sixes – a perfect full moon.
She said coldly: “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll treat you to a taste of the riding whip.”
Huo Qi Lang was amazed by her incredible luck and saw she was truly angry. His heart trembled as he thought to himself: this young lady has such a charming and lovely appearance, so why is her aura so terrifying when she’s angry? Someone who could subdue the Blue-Robed Guest was indeed no ordinary person.
Huo Qi put away his joking manner and said seriously: “Miss, you really needn’t worry. When I said I’d go help earlier, I was just teasing. Senior Brother has already mastered the highest level of the Mysterious Qi Innate Skill – Mirage Tower Step’s Maze and Shadow Evasion, treading on pure emptiness. Even ten more Bao Langs wouldn’t be his match. Though he likes lurking on rooftops, when killing he always fights head-on and never lets enemies die from behind. If he’s not here now, he’s probably waiting for the other party to wake up before acting. For such a villain, not killing him face-to-face would be too merciful.”
Bao Zhu didn’t understand what she was saying, but Huo Qi was indeed not lying. As soon as she finished speaking, Wei Xun’s figure appeared at the end of the street. He held a lotus leaf package in his right hand and carried a leather pouch in his left, walking over relaxed and at ease.
Bao Zhu immediately felt relieved, thinking she had worried for nothing while he remained unhurried and calm. Stamping her foot urgently: “You’re so slow! You kept me waiting!”
Wei Xun handed her the steaming lotus leaf package, smiling: “It’s mutton filling. The steamed bun shop had a long line, so I really did wait a while.”
Huo Qi Lang spread his hands with a “told you so” helpless expression.
He really had gone to buy breakfast! Bao Zhu had no mood to eat steamed buns at this moment, busy looking at the heavy leather pouch in his hand.
After speaking with Bao Zhu first, Wei Xun then put away his smile and came before the Changzhou craftsmen. He opened the rope tying the pouch mouth and turned the bag upside down, shaking it. A bloody human head rolled onto the ground.
“One human head weighing nine catties and eight taels, to trade for the lacquer box.”
All the craftsmen were startled and quickly stepped back. Yang Xingjian was even more shocked, hurriedly jumping up to block Bao Zhu’s view to prevent her from being frightened.
Only stone carver Chen Yu opened his eyes wide and pounced forward like a hungry tiger, holding the head in both hands to examine it carefully. After seeing the face clearly, he suddenly cried and laughed in mad joy: “Heaven has opened its eyes! Heaven has opened its eyes! Ying Niang’s great revenge is repaid! I can die without regret!”
Only then did everyone realize it was Bao Lang’s head. Wei Xun’s “bartering” referred to the villain’s skull.
The stone carver spat viciously at the head twice, glaring at Bao Lang’s clouded eyes with hatred, wishing he could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.
Lacquer craftsman Zhao Faming hurriedly presented the Seven Treasures glazed lacquer box with both hands, both grateful and amazed: “A righteous man with chivalrous spirit! Could you be divine soldiers sent by heaven?!”
Wei Xun said seriously: “Only this is worthy of you Changzhou craftsmen’s righteousness. All the people implicated in the pearl theft case died by this man’s hand – it has nothing to do with you all.” So saying, he accepted the lacquer box without demur.
Chen Yu suddenly threw the head to the ground, wiped his hands on his clothes, and called out: “Benefactor, please wait!” He then limped quickly to the nearest tent.
Bao Zhu hurriedly asked about the process. Wei Xun only said it was ordinary and unremarkable, with nothing worth mentioning. Waiting in line for steamed buns was more troublesome, advising her to eat while they were hot.
After a moment, the stone carver limped back again, his trouser leg stained with a large patch of blood, clutching a round pearl in his hand. He had just gone to cut the flesh and retrieve the pearl. He repeatedly wiped away the fresh blood with his sleeve, opened the lacquer box lid, and tremblingly placed the pearl inside, saying excitedly: “The ancients mocked the Zheng people for buying the casket and returning the pearl. How could I let my benefactor leave with just an empty box? Only this way is worthy of my benefactor’s righteous deed!”
Everyone was astonished. Wei Xun advised: “Don’t be impulsive – this is your family’s hereditary treasure.”
Chen Yu’s face was streaked with tears as he cried: “Ying Niang was my only family. After she died, I no longer have a home. Since I have no home, what use is a family heirloom?!”
Wei Xun declined again. After lacquer craftsman Zhao Faming consulted with the other craftsmen for a few words, he came forward: “Please don’t refuse, righteous one. This night pearl has carried away too many lives. Perhaps we common folk have thin fortune and light fate, destined in life to be unable to bear such treasure.”
Chen Yu wanted to thank Wei Xun for avenging his daughter, having nothing else to repay him with besides this pearl. The others’ meaning was clear – as humble ordinary people, they truly had no power to resist the various greed and covetousness brought by the night pearl.
Yang Xingjian also said: “Both the night pearl and lacquer box are important case evidence. Having them continue to possess these would be dangerous instead – who knows when they might encounter a search and be unable to explain.”
He was now completely sober and had broken out in a cold sweat. Wei Xun’s “be right back” had directly taken a regional commander official’s head, then swaggered back with it, even casually buying steamed buns for the princess along the way. Whether this was brazen fearlessness or habitual routine was unclear.
Since the deed was done, standing from the position of sympathizing with the craftsmen’s plight, Yang Xingjian also felt it more appropriate for Wei Xun to take these two items.
Unable to refuse further, Wei Xun accepted the lacquer box containing the night pearl. Huo Qi Lang saw there was wealth to be gained and was so happy his eyebrows danced. After Bao Zhu personally saw the pearl, she pondered silently, looking thoughtful.
Next was how to handle Bao Lang’s head. Chen Yu wanted to cut off his great enemy’s nose and ears, dismembering him completely to vent his anger. The craftsmen felt that fake grave was still empty, so they might as well put it directly in the coffin for burial.
After careful consideration, Yang Xingjian said: “The pearl theft case hasn’t been closed yet, and Bao Lang who was handling the case has already been separated from his head. This matter certainly cannot be concluded. Better to place the head where officials can find it, to prevent them from continuing searches everywhere and expanding the impact.”
Wei Xun smiled: “In that case, I do have a suitable good place.” So saying, he put the head back in the leather pouch and tied up the rope.
Looking back to see Bao Zhu still holding that package of steamed buns in a daze without even opening the lotus leaves, he asked: “Don’t want steamed buns? Then when I return, let’s go eat noodles together.”