Ink Burns

Chapter 81 The Cuckoo's Cry

Under the veil, Xue Xiao smiled very relaxedly, the murderous intent in his eyes had long disappeared.

If Shanyue looked more carefully, she would definitely be able to see a hint of well-intentioned observation in Xue Xiao's eyes.

Xue Xiao was observing the mountain moon.

The closer the distance, the more distortion there will be.

When eyes are too close to each other, one can only see a small part and ignore the whole - this distance is enough to make people ignore the cold and aloof temperament of the girl in front of them, and be dazzled by the large patches of pale skin.

Shan Yue was still waiting for his answer, frowning to urge him.

Xue Xiao was at ease, with his head slightly hunched. He was too tall, and hiding in the closet, he could only bend his neck and look at Shan Yue at eye level with a submissive attitude.

He did not seem panicked. He leisurely looked at the environment outside the house through the gap in the partition.

"Your method of killing is too despicable."

Xue Xiao said casually.

To reassure Shanyue, he slowly raised his right hand from the girl's delicate neck, knelt on the inner wall of the closet with his elbows, and his broad shoulders cast a dark shadow like a mountain.

"Have the medicine residues in the outer hall been poured out?" Xue Xiao turned his head and stared straight into the eyes of the girl in front of him: "Have the acupuncture points on Liu Hezhou's body been covered?"

Shan Yue raised his chin and lowered his eyelids: "I don't know what you are talking about."

Xue Xiao raised his eyebrows slightly: "The thirteen herbs in Dr. Cheng's tonic are all commonly used herbs, even the slightly toxic strychnine is avoided, but these thirteen herbs are not a complete prescription, right?"

Shan Yue looked at Xue Xiao calmly.

"The complete prescription of Dr. Cheng should contain fourteen herbs - plus the Luo Han root, which Liu Hezhou often smokes."

Common people smoke leaf tobacco, and they roll the strong and flavorful "dingnaoke" which comes from Guizhou and Yunnan. The dignitaries add a pinch of tobacco - monk fruit root - to their pipes to balance the stimulation of the tobacco, soften the taste, and enhance the sweetness of the smoke.

It just so happens that monk fruit root is a powerful medicine.

"The white aconite and Xanthium sibiricum in the prescription, combined with the root of monk fruit, make the whole prescription more powerful and conflict with each other. Then, with the acupuncture at Guanyuan, Dazhui and Yingxiang, the Qi in the body will flow backwards and return to its original state for a few days. When excited, blood will rush to the brain most easily, causing sudden collapse."

Xue Xiao's voice was very low, and it was not known whether it was because of the veil or because it was inherently low and hoarse, like the sound of the lowest string of a guqin.

“If someone wants to investigate, you and Doctor Cheng will not be able to escape.” Xue Xiao laughed in a deep voice.

Shan Yue pursed her lips tightly.

This person guessed the cause of his death based on the medicine residue that had not been cleaned up outside and the needle holes exposed by Liu Hezhou.
He is not the painter of "Qingfeng", who is he? Why did he steal the Liu family's contact list? Is it the powerful family in the capital who wants to eliminate Liu Hezhou? Is it Liu Hezhou's boss? Maybe he has nothing to do with "Qingfeng" and is just Liu Hezhou's enemy?

Shan Yue had no idea of his true identity.

Xue Xiao, however, was calm and composed, like an experienced expert: "Fortunately, Liu Huan is stupid and selfish. He is hiding his selfish motives and is not prepared to thoroughly investigate the cause of his father's death. After all, having a stroke is not a glorious thing."

The dark shadow covering Shan Yue's shoulders slowly leaned back.

Shan Yuefang came to his senses and suddenly found his right hand empty. He looked again and found that the list that he had been holding tightly in his hand to threaten the man in black had returned to his hand without him knowing when!

Give someone a taste of your own medicine.
This man in black didn't even glance at me!
Shanyue was filled with hatred!

Xue Xiao untied the ribbon that bound the volume with one hand, and the butterfly that was faintly visible on the cover finally spread its wings completely.

Xue Xiao's voice sank: "Okay, the teaching is over."

Xue Xiao took the initiative and leaned over to Shan Yue's ear again, whispering softly, "Miss, can you tell me what this butterfly means?"

He doesn't know "Qingfeng".

Shan Yue controlled his expression and blinked.

He is someone from outside of "Qingfeng"!
He is checking "Qing Feng"!
All the information was connected at once: he knew from some unknown way that "Qing Feng" had painters scattered across the three prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River. He pretended to be one of them and entered the Liu Mansion to investigate matters secretly, but he did not know of the existence of "Qing Feng"!

According to Liu Hezhou, "Qingfeng" is an old tree that exists in the officialdom of Jiangnan. It has luxuriant branches and leaves, and well-developed roots. It has been hidden underground in Jiangnan for decades since its inception. Officials and businessmen have exchanged what they have, formed cliques and factions, and formed a force that is capable of countering the imperial power.

The larger the system, the more secrets must be kept.

The Qing Feng clan had strict rules. If anyone exposed the existence of the Qing Feng clan, the entire clan would be destroyed! Of course, someone would come up with a high-sounding crime to justify the destruction.

This person spoke the most orthodox Mandarin, with no accent from anywhere, but now, Shanyue could tell that he was not from Jiangnan. Who would secretly investigate Jiangnan? !
Shan Yue suppressed the surging emotions in his chest.

Shan Yue looked towards the north.

North Zhili.

imperial power!

This is the person sent from Ziluan Palace!

"If I tell you, can I get away with it?" Shanyue could no longer sense the other party's murderous intent, but she needed a promise.

"Okay." The other party nodded without hesitation.

"This is 'Qingfeng'." Shanyue whispered, revealing everything she knew. In just a few words, she said it all: neither Duan nor Liu Hezhou could reveal more to her now.

"Five levels. Officials and businessmen are united in submitting petitions and reporting to the emperor. Officials protect each other." The other party softly repeated Shan Yue's words, raised his eyes and asked, "Who is the 'Qing Feng' at the top?"

Shanyue was speechless: she didn’t even know who Liu Hezhou’s superior was.

After the other party asked this question, he realized that his expectations were too high. He paused and then asked, "What about the capital? Do you know which mansions the 'Green Phoenix' has infiltrated?"

Shan Yue raised an eyebrow: "I don't know about other things, but the Xue family, the prince's guardian, should be among the 'Qingfeng'. I just don't know if it is in the hunting range of the 'Qingfeng' or if they are already in the sequence of the 'Qingfeng'."

The other party asked: "Xue family? How do you know?"

"Because I am Qingfeng's backup choice for the eldest son of the Xue family."

Just a few simple words, like thunder in a well.

The other party narrowed his eyes slightly, and his voice was lower than the lowest string of the guqin, with a hint of disbelief: "What did you say?"

The number of people coming and going outside the house gradually faded, the sky gradually darkened, the candlelight was dimming, and the lamp core was exploding. No one had cared about Liu Hezhou's body outside, and the stewards all went about their duties and surrounded the new head of the Liu family.

The candlelight was unobstructed and slanted into the partition wardrobe, like a clear frosty spring.

Shanyue boasted that she had experienced life and death for eight years and had seen through all kinds of things in the world. Even the most difficult thing to understand, such as human beings, she could appreciate a little.

But now, she completely couldn't understand the meaning of the other person's eyes.

Shan Yue stopped talking quickly and never mentioned what he had just said.

Xue Xiao, however, slowly placed his hands on the inner wall behind Shan Yue, as if he was thinking about something. It was unknown what he was thinking about, but after a long time he smiled softly.

When I looked up again, all my emotions had calmed down.

There was absolutely no one outside.

Xue Xiao extended his index finger and pointed at the body lying on the ground: "If a person hangs himself to death, after suffocation, the toes will naturally droop down to the ground. If a person dies first and is then hanged on a beam, the toes will be facing the person, far from the ground."

Xue Xiaowei pushed open the wardrobe door, squeezed out sideways, turned around, and warned Shan Yue: "Next time you kill someone, remember this."

If it weren't for the wrong occasion, Shanyue would actually want to laugh: It was as if she was going to meet him again the next time she killed someone!
Xue Xiao tiptoed along the ground like a hawk, and left a message in a light voice: "When you hear two short and one long cuckoo calls, just run from the closet to a safe place."

Then I saw a figure in black clothes quickly jumping from the red lacquered wooden pillar to the beam of the house, and then I disappeared, and even the candlelight did not flicker at all.

Shanyue half-crouched in the wardrobe, holding his breath and watching the black shadow disappear from his sight. After a long time, he slowly exhaled, and then he heard two short sounds and one long sound.

The cuckoo's cries are heartbreaking, but in the Liu family's mansion with white flags hanging, these calls are not abrupt.

Shanyue found the right moment, bent down and ran quickly.

I didn't run into anyone along the way.

After running to Qinsang's courtyard, Shanyue quickly closed the door. Then he heard three cries of the cuckoo harvesting wheat not far away.

Is he telling her: He's gone?

Shanyue raised his head and took a deep breath with difficulty. After his chest was finally filled, he slowly exhaled.

(End of this chapter)