Radiant Blade of the Wilderness

Chapter 270: Lessons from ”Predecessors”

Ding Songyan and Wang Zhou met Director Hong at the Chengtian Prefecture yamen.

He was just coming out with a man who also wore the Martial Prohibition Bureau’s uniform.

The man looked to be in his forties or fifties, short, with a monkey-like posture, perfectly round eyes, a red nose, and a pointed, beak-like mouth. A ruff of long hair circled his neck, the backs of both hands bore distinct markings, and a green sash with a golden seal hung at his waist.

”Hero Wang, Young Hero Ding, this is Deputy Chief Luo of our Bureau,” Director Hong Zhengyang said, introducing them to Wang Zhou and Ding Songyan.

Every Deputy Chief of the Martial Prohibition Bureau was a perfected Dharma Realm powerhouse. An ordinary Grandmaster could only be a Director, unless they had some unique learning that earned him other compensation.

So this is Luo Feng... After a month in the capital, Ding Songyan had a rough picture of the Bureau’s Deputy Chiefs.

Luo Feng was a perfected Dharma Realm master not yet sixty, an Elder of the Bright Thunder School. His martial arts descended from Zuzi, and he cultivated the Wicked Punishment Decree. His school could tell good from evil in people, worked closely with the Ministry of Justice and the Bureau, and most of its members served the court.

Ding Songyan’s mind quickly called up the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas’s description of Zuzi.

”Zuzi is shaped like a macaque with a mane, an ox’s tail, patterned forearms, and horse hooves. It cries out when it sees people. The result of consuming it? Grants thunderous might, the power to punish evil, and the shouting and breathing powers of the Heng and Ha gate guardians.”

Deputy Chief Luo was very stern, with an air of authority that made one tremble in body and mind, as if the thunder of heaven were gathered in a human being.

After they exchanged greetings, he said to Wang Zhou, ”Hero Wang, I’d be grateful if you would check whether any of them is a Demon Seed Two-Faced.”

The Deputy Chief paused, then added, ”None of them has committed any great evil.”

Wang Zhou agreed, and led by Director Hong, went with Ding Songyan into a side room.

It held a simple jail cell with more than ten people inside: monks in gray robes, gang members with thuggish faces, women wrapped in furs, and pretty young women in round-collared short jackets and thick cotton skirts.

They all cringed and trembled as though badly frightened and still caught in terror. A few of them couldn’t help shaking at the sight of Director Hong, as if remembering the taste of the torture tools.

A yellowish candle flame lit in Ding Songyan’s eyes, with points of starlight deep within.

At the same time, he entered the Celestial Heart state.

He looked them over one by one, from the monks of Shilin Temple to the courtesan Cheng Yuping of the Golden Orchid pleasure boat, whom Director Hong had mentioned.

Courtesan Cheng of the Golden Orchid? I think the assassination attempt on Liu Cheng happened when he went to see her too. The attacker was Sun Feiyang of the Accumulated Evil Way, and the Two-Faced are closely tied to the Accumulated Evil Way... Isn’t that a little too convenient? And did both father and son have to go through the same thing? ”Beasts lack propriety, and so father and son share a mate...” Ding Songyan studied Cheng Yuping carefully a few more times but saw no sign that she was a Demon Seed Two-Faced and found no falsehood on her.

Cheng Yuping’s face was pale and she looked at a loss, like a songbird frightened half to death, so pitiful that it tugged at the heart. She barely reacted to Ding Songyan’s gaze and only instinctively lowered her head.

Not her? Ding Songyan filed Courtesan Cheng away in his memory, planning to find a chance to listen in on her inner thoughts.

He certainly couldn’t do it now. Director Hong was beside him and Deputy Chief Luo was outside, and he would be too likely to expose his own secrets. If the matter wasn’t urgent, there was no need to take that risk.

Ding Songyan withdrew his gaze and shook his head at Wang Zhou, almost imperceptibly.

No Demon Seed Two-Faced.

As for a pure Two-Faced, there was no need for a Brightnight Sect member to use Candle-Star Pupils to tell. Just pull at the back of the head to confirm.

But Ding Songyan was no longer sure that trick really worked.

Evil Beyond Measure Sun Feiyang had once mentioned that the Heart Demon Scripture helped Two-Faced control their own selfishness, treachery, and evil the way one controlled an inner demon. If they could control it, did that mean a Two-Faced who cultivated the Heart Demon Scripture could hide the second face, the real face?

Perhaps the Demon Seed’s ability to hide a second face was inspired by the Heart Demon Scripture.

Ding Songyan ruled out a pure Two-Faced mainly because infecting and converting a Dharma Realm Grandmaster like Hu Chaohui would take a pure Two-Faced three to six months. That didn’t fit the fact that Hu Chaohui had suddenly become Two-Faced. Even if a Dharma Realm-level Two-Faced could shorten the time, it wouldn’t be by much, and ten days to half a month would still be needed, which would leave a great many traces and clues.

The simplest point was that many people had had contact with Hu Chaohui, but very few had been in contact with him every day for ten days to half a month.

As for whether a pure Two-Faced who had cultivated the Heart Demon Scripture to the Dharma Realm could infect Hu Chaohui quickly, Ding Songyan couldn’t judge for now.

The Heart Demon Scripture... Hu Chaohui developed an inner demon from that nightmare of the Celestial Thearch, and a Two-Faced who cultivated the Heart Demon Scripture took advantage of it and converted him fast?

How long does it take a Demon Seed Two-Faced to infect someone with the power of the seed? Sigh, I have to say it again: every Demon Seed Two-Faced I’ve met before, I killed too fast and didn’t question deeply enough...

From his deductions, Ding Songyan had two directions, but so far he had not found a single clue.

He and Grand Elder Wang Zhou reported the results to Luo Feng and Hong Zhengyang. Neither Bureau official showed disappointment, as if they had expected it, since the Brightnight Sect’s Grandmaster at near the perfected Dharma Realm was no longer alive anyway.

Back on Lotus Whisper Street, where Prince Kang’s estate stood, Ding Songyan said to Wang Zhou, ”Master Granduncle, I’m going to the Cheap Wine Shop to ask Twelfth Madam Luo for advice.”

Wang Zhou, who knew Luo Mingyin was a Heaven-Man, nodded and warned the younger man to watch his words and conduct and never to get on a Supreme Master’s bad side.

Does getting glared at by Twelfth Madam every single day count as being on her bad side? Ding Songyan muttered silently and headed toward Tiger Tail Alley.

At the Cheap Wine Shop, he spotted Ge Heng eating in a corner at a glance: a bowl of glistening braised pork, a plate of cabbage fried in lard cracklings, and a heaping bowl of white rice, appetizing just to look at.

After a decade of great harvests, nobody goes hungry, and even peddlers and errand-runners can have white rice now and then. This is the Jianwu Emperor’s ”benevolence,” and also his ”reality”... Ding Songyan deliberately passed by Ge Heng, and the banknote and paper in his hand fell naturally into the man’s lap.

He had written the latter last night.

Ge Heng did not even look up and went on eating. Only when he finished, brushing rice grains off himself, did he casually pocket the two items and unfold them discreetly to look.

The first was a hundred-tael banknote from Liheng Bank, every coin of it honest.

The second bore two lines of writing: ”Find a way to learn about the Ghost Yu Way’s third attempt on Jiang Lanting. Don’t be reckless. Protect yourself.

”Fifty taels is payment for the last information. Fifty taels is the deposit for this. If you obtain useful information, another hundred to follow.”

Ge Heng, who had learned last night that Young Master Brightstream had been attacked by the Ghost Yu Way, was startled and pleased.

Young Hero Ding is so generous!

No wonder orthodox heroes have a reputation for being free with their money.

The lunch hour hadn’t started, and there were still plenty of empty tables, but Ding Songyan chose to sit in the back courtyard and wait for Seventh Yu to bring the dishes he had ordered.

Twelfth Madam wasn’t there. According to the accounting girl, the shopkeeper had suddenly taken an interest in heading to the lively market outside the Kitchen King Order’s headquarters two hours ago.

With no one to talk to, Ding Songyan let his thoughts wander.

With a ’supervisor’ killed, the Ghost Yu Way should be reorganizing its ’bookkeeper’ line in the Flame Capital to avoid further exposure. Without intelligence to work with, and with Fourth Jiang being a direct disciple of the Yin-Yang Order, they probably won’t charge in blindly. The third attempt looks like it will wait a while...

Ge Heng actually dares to tail Lí Yao, a Dharma Realm Grandmaster. Even though Lí Yao is of the military’s Yanwei School and isn’t good at tailing and tracking, and Ge Heng cultivates the Dimmed Heaven and Earth Chapter, it’s still a gamble...

How exactly was Hu Chaohui infected? None of those who’d been in contact with him lately is Two-Faced... Could someone have slipped in beside him at night and completed the conversion quickly?

Impossible. No matter how addicted to wine and women Hu Chaohui was, he was a perfected Dharma Realm Grandmaster. Anyone coming near would be noticed and met with resistance. Even I couldn’t enter within four meters of him without a sound, and hiding underground doesn’t count since it can’t affect what’s above.

Surely a Two-Faced Supreme Master didn’t act personally? Has the Demon Sovereign arrived?

After going back and forth and ruling out one impossibility after another, Ding Songyan suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

None of those who had contacted Hu Chaohui was Two-Faced, but what if it wasn’t a person?

In a novel he had read in his last life, the detective traced the killer only to realize at the very end he had been looking in the wrong direction. The killer wasn’t a person at all but a dog.

That wasn’t impossible in the Great Wilderness either. There really were yao here!

Even if it wasn’t a yao, Ding Songyan had never confirmed whether a Demon Seed could be implanted in cats, dogs, and the like.

Ding Songyan’s thoughts gradually settled. He waited patiently until Seventh Yu brought the food, ate his fill, and then went to the Liu residence on Hidden River Lane.

White cloth hung everywhere in the Liu household, giving it a solemn look.

Liu Cheng, in mourning clothes, wore a look of grief the moment he saw Ding Songyan.

”Brother Ding, my godfather was killed by the Two-Faced. I’ll never rest until I’ve settled the score with them!”

”My condolences, Gang Leader Liu.” Ding Songyan matched his performance.

After a few pleasantries, Ding Songyan asked openly, ”Have you looked into who had contact with Gang Leader Hu lately?”

”The Martial Prohibition Bureau is investigating,” Liu Cheng said gravely. ”We’re gathering information too.”

Ding Songyan nodded.

”Among those people, who keeps cats, dogs, or the like?”

Liu Cheng’s expression shifted slightly.

”Courtesan Cheng Yuping. Some time ago she picked up a snow-white cat that’s gentle and affectionate. She loves it and takes it everywhere.”

”Even to Gang Leader Hu’s?” Ding Songyan perked up.

What good cat enjoys being taken out for a stroll?

One in ten thousand, at best!

”I don’t know,” Liu Cheng could not answer with certainty.

...

The Golden Orchid pleasure boat on the Hengbo River.

Cheng Yuping, released by the Martial Prohibition Bureau, had barely stepped into her room when she asked the maid, ”Where’s Zhouxue?”

The maid said fearfully, ”Last night, when the boat docked, it jumped out on its own and I don’t know where it went.”

Cheng Yuping first felt dizzy and anxious, then the feeling eased, replaced by the thought, ”Look at all that has happened to me. Why worry about an animal?”

She let out a breath.

”Go look for it. If you can’t find it, never mind.”

Hearing this, the maid quietly let out a breath of relief.

On the north shore of the Hengbo River, in a grove of trees.

A snow-white cat ran nimbly to a certain spot and slowly stopped.

A hand that seemed cast from cyan jade reached out and stroked its head.

Suddenly a second face grew on the back of the white cat’s head, just as cute, but its emerald-green eyes were full of fierce malice.