Jinxia County City.
The clerk at Xingchun Medicine Hall clearly saw the man’s fierce birthmark and was so frightened that he stumbled twice before running back into the hall. “Master, this is terrible! That strange man who visited Huasheng Hall and Shanci Residence on Front Street has come to our place. What should we do?!”
The physician sitting in the hall exhaled gently and said, “Since he’s here, let him be at ease. Let things take their course.”
The clerk moved away from the door, and the strange man stepped inside with a single stride.
This strange man was Meng Rui. In order to save his younger sister’s life, Meng Rui had resolved to search throughout the Great World Realm for divine physicians and miraculous healers. Today, he had come to Jinxia County to seek medical treatment and medicine.
Meng Rui was just about to speak when the physician spoke first. “Sir, are you trying to save your younger sister?”
Meng Rui was startled and looked back toward Front Street where he had come from. The information between the various medicine halls was apparently quite well-connected.
“Your younger sister’s body is completely drained of blood, with no pulse and no heartbeat?” the physician continued.
Meng Rui made a sound of affirmation.
“You’ve already been to Huasheng Hall and Shanci Residence, so you should know that unless Bian Que is reincarnated or Hua Tuo returns to this world, there is probably no one in this world who can save your younger sister.” The physician spoke bluntly. A flash of painful emotion crossed Meng Rui’s eyes. He suddenly took a large step forward to stand before the physician and asked in a slightly trembling voice, “Doctor, have you ever heard of a divine medicine that can bring people back from the dead?”
“Divine medicine! This—I’ve never heard of such a thing.” The physician, intimidated by Meng Rui’s fierce appearance, turned his face away and dared not look any longer.
Meng Rui expressed his thanks and had just turned to leave when suddenly a group of constables in dark robes surged through the medicine hall entrance. The lead constable rushed up to Meng Rui with an excited expression. “This humble officer, Tu Jinxiong of Jinxia County, greets Lord Meng. I trust my lord has been well!”
Meng Rui sized up this Tu Jinxiong—broad eyebrows, large eyes, with a full beard covering his face. He did seem somewhat familiar, yet Meng Rui couldn’t recall where he had seen him. Tu Jinxiong readily explained, “Lord Meng perhaps doesn’t remember me. Two years ago, I followed Lord Xuan Yuanshan on official duties and was later transferred to Jinxia County by the Six Fans Gate.”
“I remember now.” Meng Rui broke into a smile. “Tu Jinxiong, the capable assistant to the Iron Catcher.”
“That’s right, that’s Tu. I never imagined that after all these years, I would meet Lord Meng again here in Jinxia.” Tu Jinxiong was somewhat emotional, his full beard trembling incessantly. Meng Rui glanced at the numerous constables behind him and smiled. “Are you heading out to handle a case?”
Tu Jinxiong’s face reddened, and he laughed awkwardly. “It is, I suppose. Actually it’s… a minor case.”
Meng Rui saw that Tu Jinxiong was stammering and hesitant, so he didn’t press further. Afraid that Meng Rui might misunderstand, Tu Jinxiong was quite straightforward in explaining. “Squire Huang’s family in Jinxia County had a golden canary die. We don’t know if it was scratched to death by a cat or how it died. Magistrate Wang ordered me to go take a look. That’s what this is about, sigh!”
This duty was truly rather absurd—to mobilize forces over a single golden canary and bring an entire squad of constables along. Meng Rui thought to himself that even if this Jinxia County magistrate wasn’t a complete wine sack and rice bag, he couldn’t be far from it.
Tu Jinxiong was following orders and truly had no choice. He coughed dryly twice and said, “However, it is rather strange. Over the past half month, quite a few valuable pet birds have died in the city, and they all belong to prominent households.”
While Tu Jinxiong was speaking, two yamen runners suddenly came running from the far end of the long street. One of them rushed up to Tu Jinxiong with an anxious, pale face and said, “Chief Tu, there’s been a death!”
“What! Where?” Tu Jinxiong’s eyebrows shot up as he demanded.
“Floating in the Qin River.”
“Let’s go quickly!” Tu Jinxiong righteously abandoned the trip to Squire Huang’s house and rushed toward the Qin River outside the city.
Three li outside Jinxia City, on the banks of the Qin River.
The coroner instructed people to fish out the deceased, and the corpse was tossed onto the shore. The deceased’s face was incomplete, with a large hole in the middle—no one knew what had pierced through it—making the features impossible to identify. There was also a fist-sized hole in the front of the chest. The deceased wore a tattered yellow robe, and in his bosom was a pure white jade horse.
Tu Jinxiong and Meng Rui arrived. The coroner said to Tu Jinxiong, “Chief, the deceased’s face and front chest have severe penetrating wounds, as if he collided head-on with a massive sharp object. Additionally, there are several inconspicuous minor wounds, perhaps scratched by driftwood while in the river.”
Tu Jinxiong nodded slightly, and the coroner went about his business. Tu Jinxiong stared at the deceased’s clothing, then looked at the pure white jade horse, his face full of doubt. “The deceased is dressed in poverty, but why would he have such a valuable white jade horse on his person?”
Meng Rui stood to the side, looking upstream along the rapid current. “The upper reaches of the Qin River are filled with jagged strange rocks, and there are also quite a few cliff edges.”
Tu Jinxiong grasped Meng Rui’s meaning, and his eyes lit up. “That’s it! The deceased fell from a cliff and was subsequently stabbed to death by the chaotic rocks.”
“I’ll take people to the upper reaches immediately.” Tu Jinxiong looked up at the Qin River with a contemplative expression. Suddenly, two people rushed out from the gathered crowd—one old, one young. Tu Jinxiong was just about to have someone pull them away when he tilted his head and recognized the young man’s face. This youth was someone Tu Jinxiong actually knew—he was the young master of the Gong Family, the foremost merchant house in Jinxia County—Gong Le.
Gong Le grabbed at the corpse’s tattered clothing, his demeanor distraught as he shouted, “These are Achuan’s clothes—Achuan, wake up, wake up!”
“What happened to you? Who harmed you!”
Meng Rui turned his face to glance at Gong Le, seemingly lost in thought. Tu Jinxiong frowned and asked, “Young Master Gong, do you know the deceased?”
Gong Le’s pale cheeks were filled with an expression of desolate grief that left Tu Jinxiong somewhat dazed. Gong Le pressed his lips tightly together and answered, “He is my friend, Meng Chuan.”
“Meng Chuan?”
Tu Jinxiong sighed and offered Gong Le a few words of comfort. Yet Gong Le seemed not to have heard a single one. His eyes stared fixedly at the unrecognizable corpse as he murmured in an extremely low voice, “I will avenge you, Achuan.”
Meng Rui was startled and stared at the youth called Gong Le. After quite a while, he finally shifted his gaze to the rapid upper reaches of the Qin River. The truth was hidden somewhere in a corner there.
The scene was cleaned up, and the corpse was transported back to the black room at the county yamen. Tu Jinxiong inquired from Gong Le about Meng Chuan’s address—a small village called Yin Village. He arranged for people to go to Yin Village while he himself rushed to the upper reaches of the Qin River.
Tu Jinxiong truly lived up to his years of following Xuan Yuanshan. He arranged all matters meticulously and in perfect order. He earnestly requested that Meng Rui stay and help. Meng Rui thought it over and tentatively agreed for the time being.
At the end of the Hour of You, as the sky grew dark, Meng Rui returned to Floating Cloud Temple.
There weren’t many Daoists in the temple, making it seem rather cold and desolate. Meng Rui passed through the front hall and courtyard. A side chamber in the back swayed with dim yellow lamplight, the glow shining upon Meng Rui’s scarred face, bringing forth a trace of warmth.
Meng Rui arrived at the side chamber. Inside, the chamber was quite spacious, with a red coffin placed in the center. Niu Sao was carefully wiping every edge and corner of the red coffin with a dry cloth. As if sensing someone’s presence, Niu Sao suddenly stood up and asked coldly, “Who?”
Niu Sao crossed her hands before her lower abdomen—precisely the opening stance of the Flying Swallow Palm of Mount Hua. The Flying Swallow Palm was taught to Niu Sao by Meng Rui, because she said she wanted to protect the red coffin. Meng Rui immediately spoke out. “Niu Sao, it’s me.”
“Young Master, you’ve returned.” Niu Sao withdrew her palm stance and continued wiping the red coffin.
“Mm.”
“Is it cold outside? You should wear an additional outer garment.” Niu Sao said with concern.
A long-absent sense of warmth touched Meng Rui’s heart. He smiled and said, “It’s no trouble.”
“She’s still sleeping. I don’t know when she’ll sleep until.” Niu Sao sat beside the red coffin, gently stroking the coffin wood, as if talking to herself yet also seeming to ask Meng Rui.
“It will be soon, Niu Sao. Rest assured, I will definitely make her wake up.”
Niu Sao said nothing more. Night slowly devoured everything in this remote temple.