A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 284 Entering Langshan (5)

"Excluding north and south, consider east and west."

Song Shuyu, who hadn't spoken for a while, suddenly interjected.

But his gaze was fixed in the opposite direction, leaving only a glimpse of the back of Mu Qingcheng's head.

Unfortunately, Jiang Zhan was leading the way and happened to be in Song Shuyu's line of sight. He felt a chill on his neck and secretly looked back. The official's face was frosty, but Master Mu was completely unaware. He was busy studying and discussing the map with Lu Shaoqing.

Jiang Zhan suddenly felt like the emperor wasn't in a hurry, but the eunuch was. He coughed twice and deliberately raised his voice, saying, "Master Mu, the lord said he's considering the eastern and western routes!"

"Yes, I heard you." Mu Qingcheng replied casually, without even raising her head, her gaze shifting back and forth between the map and the parchment scroll.

Jiang Zhan's lips twitched. This Master Mu wasn't just carefree; he was genuinely clueless about romance!
However, his good intentions didn't bring him any benefit whatsoever. Even Song Shuyu gave him a cold glare as a warning, so he could only turn away sheepishly and dare not meddle in other people's business anymore.

"grown ups!"

Mu Qingcheng, however, suddenly spoke up, saying to Song Shuyu, "The east entrance has a lake, which corresponds to the Floating Path; the west entrance has a cliff, and if there are hanging coffins on the cliff, it corresponds to the illustration on the parchment scroll. Lu Shaoqing's suggestion is that we split into two groups and investigate the east and west entrances respectively. What do you think, sir?"

Song Shuyu turned to the side, not even glancing at her, and said only, "Master Mu can make the decision."

Seeing his still awkward expression, Mu Qingcheng sighed inwardly. Why hadn't he calmed down yet? He wasn't usually such a petty person. Oh well, now wasn't the right time. She'd think of a way to coax him back when she had some free time.

"My lord, I will proceed to the west entrance, and Junior Minister Lu will proceed to the east entrance. Send signal flares immediately upon receiving news from either side."

After the report was completed, Mu Qingcheng made arrangements in an orderly manner: "Officer Duan, you know a lot about the terrain, you will be with Lu Shaoqing; Officer Jiang, you will be with me."

"Yes!" the two constables replied in unison.

Lu Xun nodded slightly, "We don't know how far apart the east and west are right now. Let's make a trip there to verify whether the floating birds and egrets are just words on the surface of the poem."

“The west side has many cliffs, making it difficult to travel, and almost no one goes there, which obviously fits the secluded nature of Shenmo Village.” Mu Qingcheng agreed wholeheartedly. “Although I prefer the west entrance, the white egrets floating around must have their reasons. Perhaps there is some connection between the east and west entrances?”

Lu Xun instructed, "Master Mu, please be extremely careful. If anything unusual happens, send someone over immediately."

"Yes. Young Master Lu has just recovered from his illness, so please take good care of yourself. If you encounter any danger, do not be reckless. Send a signal flare to let me know immediately. Try not to use your internal energy, so as not to aggravate your heart condition." Mu Qingcheng also gave earnest advice, and her concern was very obvious.

Upon seeing this, all the constables showed expressions of surprise. Wasn't Master Mu close to their superior? When did it become Young Master Lu?

Song Shuyu lashed the horse's tail with his whip and galloped off toward the western side of the Great Wilderness Mountain!

"grown ups!"

Jiang Zhan exclaimed in surprise and immediately led a squad of constables to give chase on horseback!

Mu Qingcheng was stunned for a moment before she realized that she seemed to have angered Song Shuyu again!
Lu Xun sighed deeply, "I'm leaving."

After speaking, he turned his horse around and headed east!

Duan Qianzhong bowed to Mu Qingcheng in farewell, and then led his men away!

Left alone, Mu Qingcheng watched with a heavy heart as Song Shuyu's figure almost disappeared from sight. She cracked her whip and hurriedly gave chase!

After walking three or four miles, we arrived at the entrance to Xishan.

Surprisingly, the cliff face, which stretched for hundreds of feet, was covered with countless coffins. Jiang Zhan roughly counted them and found that there were more than fifty hanging coffins!

Song Shuyu instructed, "Scatter the men and have them look around."

"Yes, sir!" Jiang Zhan accepted the order.

The sound of horse hooves came from far away.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Mu Qingcheng had caught up with them.

However, Song Shuyu only glanced at it before quickly looking away. His handsome face was tense, his thin lips were pressed tightly together, and his aura remained low and intimidating.

Jiang Zhan, being pragmatic, quickly led his men to carry out their mission, staying away from these two troublemakers.

Mu Qingcheng approached, dismounted, and tied the horse to a nearby tree trunk. Then, he carefully examined his surroundings and took out the parchment scroll for comparison.

The man beside her stood tall and straight, motionless, as if he didn't see her at all, his eyes fixed straight ahead, silent and still.

Mu Qingcheng frowned. Had she stirred up a hornet's nest? Was it necessary for him to give her such a hard time, both in public and in private?

Thinking about it this way, Mu Qingcheng also got angry. She took the water bottle off the horse's back, tilted her head back and took a big gulp, and then leaped up into the tree.

From a high vantage point, one can see far and wide, and get a complete view.

Below the cliff, the open space is about five or six zhang wide, but it is not flat. The opposite side of the cliff is full of trees, mostly elm trees, interspersed with many poplar and camphor trees.

The hanging coffins on the cliff face are scattered at varying heights and sizes, ranging from old, weathered coffins to new ones with unblemished paint. Their shapes also differ, including boat-shaped and rectangular ones.

Mu Qingcheng looked again at the parchment scroll in her hand. Which tree was depicted on it? There was a triangular mark on the tree... Could it be...?

With a thought, she flew down and called out, "Captain Jiang!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhan rushed over. "Master Mu, what are your orders?"

"If you find any trees marked while you are searching for clues, report back immediately!"

"Yes!"

As Jiang Zhan left, he couldn't resist his burning curiosity and stole another glance at Song Shuyu. Seeing that Song Shuyu's expression hadn't improved at all, he sighed and left.

Mu Qingcheng had no time to deal with Song Shuyu. He was prone to anger, so let him be angry as long as he wanted; he would eventually calm down.

However, the parchment in his hand was suddenly snatched away roughly by a large hand!

Mu Qingcheng glanced at her empty hands, then turned to the man beside her. Her lips twitched slightly, and she said in a deliberately cold voice, "If you want to see it, sir, just let me know, and I will offer it to you. Why bother robbing me?"

Song Shuyu remained silent, staring at the parchment scroll for a long while before speaking coldly, "If Master Mu is dissatisfied with me, he may go to see Lu Shaoqing." Hearing this, Mu Qingcheng was so angry she laughed. "Song Shuyu, are you never going to stop? Fine, now it's just the two of us. Explain yourself clearly. Are you asking me to go to Lu Xun simply for official business, or are you trying to sever ties with me and make me transfer my affections to Lu Xun?"

Song Shuyu suddenly looked at her, his fair and handsome face flushed an unnatural red with anger. He stared intently at her, spitting out a few words through his teeth: "Say it again!"

"I... what should I say? Shouldn't you be the one to say it?" Mu Qingcheng was stunned and felt confused.

Song Shuyu gasped for breath, "If I propose to end our relationship, you will marry Lu Xun, right?"

Mu Qingcheng was speechless for a moment. She had never thought about this question, or rather, after Lu Xun faked his death, she had never considered marriage again. It was only later, after meeting Song Shuyu, that she fell for him under his persistent pursuit and began to yearn for marriage again.

But her silence, in Song Shuyu's eyes, undoubtedly represented acquiescence. His eyes reddened, and his expression was full of sorrow. "So, you didn't truly choose me. You've always left yourself a way out! Mu Qingcheng, am I really that unworthy of you risking your entire life for me?"

"I……"

Song Shuyu threw down the parchment scroll and strode away.

Mu Qingcheng's wide-open mouth slowly closed. She stared blankly at Song Shuyu's lonely back, asking herself over and over again, "What's wrong with her? What did she do? Why couldn't they reconcile? Instead, she pushed her further and further away."
Romance is such a hassle!

She and Lu Xun grew up in the same family. The marriage agreement was just something her father said verbally. She and Lu Xun continued to get along as usual. In addition, she was busy with autopsies and investigations all day long and didn't even have time to listen to operas or read storybooks. She didn't know how to talk about love with men at all.

Song Shuyu was the first.

She really doesn't have much experience!

No, once she gets back to the yamen, she has to ask Bai Zhizhi for advice!
"Master Mu!"

"Hey, sir!"

Jiang Zhan ran over to report the situation, but his two superiors were far apart. Who should he report to?

Song Shuyu ignored him and walked back and forth among the weeds between the trees and the cliff with his head down.

Mu Qingcheng had no choice but to gather her scattered thoughts, pick up the parchment scroll, and beckon Jiang Zhan over, "What's wrong?"

“Master Mu, we’ve found a path up the mountain. But it’s extremely steep, and it would be difficult for most people to climb it.” Jiang Zhan said, pointing to the trees. “Also, we found hollow circles, squares, and crosses on the trees beside the path.”

Mu Qingcheng's expression hardened. "I'll go take a look."

She quickened her pace, then suddenly slowed down and whispered, "Officer Jiang, keep a close eye on the magistrate and make sure he's not alone."

"What's the use of me watching?" Jiang Zhan clicked his tongue, then whispered to Mu Qingcheng, "Master Mu, you should try to appease the master. The brothers have all noticed that the master is having a tiff with you, and they all think you've fallen for Lu Shaoqing."

Mu Qingcheng was extremely embarrassed. "Don't talk nonsense!"

"I'm not talking nonsense, I saw it with my own eyes." Jiang Zhan suppressed a laugh, glanced at Song Shuyu in the distance, and said sincerely, "Although Lu Shaoqing is also very good, we all hope that Master Mu and the lord can get married because of the love for the house."

Mu Qingcheng's face flushed red. "You guys are really bored. Get back to work!"

"If Master Mu doesn't appease the master, the atmosphere will be so heavy, and the brothers will be trembling with fear. How can they possibly do their jobs well?"

Jiang Zhan threw out a sarcastic remark and turned to run away.

Mu Qingcheng's face turned red with anger, and she refused to coax her!
At least for now, instead of comforting him, let's teach him to calm down!

She walked quickly over and indeed saw that the road wound upwards, no more than two feet wide, almost perpendicular to the cliff face, a truly formidable path!
Judging from the marks on the road, no one has been here for a very long time!

She then checked the trees again, noting down those marked with the same symbol. She found that elm trees were represented by crosses, poplar trees by squares, and camphor trees by hollow circles.

However, there is no triangle shape!
But the tree on the parchment scroll was clearly marked with a triangular shape!

After a moment's thought, Mu Qingcheng pointed to the parchment scroll and said, "Captain Jiang, expand the search area and focus on this tree!"

Jiang Zhan nodded and gave some instructions to the constables.

Mu Qingcheng suddenly noticed something: the trees and bull heads on the parchment were marked with triangular shapes. Among the row of hanging coffins, there were many hollow circles, squares and crosses, but only one hanging coffin was marked with a triangular shape!
Therefore, finding these three things with triangular shapes is the key to unlocking the entrance to Shenmo Village!

But where can you find a cow's head?
She looked around but didn't see anything related to cattle!

Mu Qingcheng walked along the bottom of the cliff, glancing up at the hanging coffins several times. After a moment's thought, she used her lightness skill to fly up the cliff and land on the lid of a coffin!
Jiang Zhan and the other constables were shocked!
Master Mu's lightness skill has suddenly become so high?
But... but stepping on someone's coffin lid, isn't that inappropriate?

However, Mu Qingcheng stepped on more than one coffin lid. She stepped on each one and checked the markings. She checked more than a dozen coffins in a row, but strangely, she did not find any markings!

No, Wang Ruhua was an ordinary woman who didn't know martial arts and couldn't climb the cliff face at all, so how could she make marks? Then why did she draw various marks on the hanging coffins on the parchment scroll?
While he was thinking, Song Shuyu, who was below the cliff, suddenly lost his footing!
But what he stepped on was a stone slab. As the slab turned, countless venomous snakes suddenly flew out from under it!

Song Shuyu was shocked and hurriedly pulled back his feet, then flipped backward!
However, it was too late; a sudden pain shot through my ankle!
Song Shuyu fell backward!

"grown ups--"

Jiang Zhan and the others had their attention on Mu Qingcheng, but when they realized something was wrong, they hurriedly drew their swords and rushed over!

Song Shuyu was unarmed. As he fell, a swarm of snakes rushed towards him. In desperation, he could only wave his wide sleeves to fend off the snakes' attack!

An arm wrapped around his waist just in time!
At the same time, a long whip, carrying a sharp gust of wind, was lashed at the group of snakes!

As the snake that pounced in front was whipped to death and fell to the ground, Mu Qingcheng led Song Shuyu and retreated quickly!
Jiang Zhan and the constables tried their best to cut the snakes, but snakes kept crawling out from under the stone slab, and the situation was extremely critical!
Song Shuyu took a deep breath and whistled!
Soon, Song Li and his bodyguards descended from the sky!

Song Li calmly ordered, "Snakes fear fire, use fire to attack!"

Mu Qingcheng remained relatively calm. She took Song Shuyu's arm and led him to the bottom of the cliff. However, when she saw that Song Shuyu's face was pale and he had clearly been poisoned by snake venom, she immediately panicked!
"Where did it bite?" she asked, her voice trembling noticeably.

Song Shuyu leaned against the stone wall, his breathing disordered, and said, "Right ankle. Qingcheng, those snakes are extremely venomous, you...you quickly cut off my calf to stop the spread of the venom!"

"No way!" Mu Qingcheng's expression changed drastically. "If you cut off your leg, you'll be crippled from now on!"

Song Shuyu closed his eyes, his tone filled with deep pain and helplessness, "If I don't break my leg, I'll die. Qingcheng, if you want what's best for me, do as I say. From now on, you and I will only be a master and a clerk. You should marry Lu Xun. I don't want you anymore."

(End of this chapter)