Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 368 367 The Truth Revealed
"This place is remote, with no major roads or people living nearby. In addition, it is adjacent to a forest, and wild animals often roam the area, so it is rarely visited by people."

"But the following year, a hunter happened to pass by this place on his way back to the county and found that a large patch of blood-light locust trees had grown on the mass grave."

"The hunter reported the matter back to the county. After learning about it, the county government ordered the locust forest to be cut down in order to avoid panic and trouble."

"In order to appease the people, the county government invited the chief priests of several of our ancestral temples to perform rituals to comfort the deceased."

When I got there, I discovered something strange—blood-red silkworm cocoons were growing on the leaves of the blood-light locust tree.

"The other priests may not be able to see anything, but the Caiyi Temple is in charge of all textile affairs in the world, how could I not know?"

“I immediately realized that I might be the first person in the world to discover this strange event. In order to keep it a secret, I informed the county magistrate that the old woman in colorful clothes had appeared in my dream last night and that the appearance of the blood-light locust tree was an ominous sign. I said that the Caiyi Temple should be moved here and that I would personally pray for the deceased to eliminate the karmic obstacles of Jiangluo Creek.”

"Everyone believed my explanation, and the matter of dealing with the Bloodlight Locust was handed over to Caiyi Temple."

Feng Xiuhu figured out most of it: "So the Crimson Scale Brocade is actually made by drawing silk from blood cocoons?"

Zhuo Sushou nodded silently and continued speaking.

"I only figured out the reason later."

"The Blood-Light Locust Tree likes to eat human flesh and blood, hence its leaf veins are blood-red. Also, because it often accompanies the dead, it has been tainted by the spirituality of the dissipating spirits, so its heartwood can be used as a spiritual material for alchemy."

"But who would have thought that the leaves of the blood-light locust tree could actually be used to feed silkworms?"

At this point, Zhuo Sushou couldn't help but reveal a hint of excitement: "People all think that the unique luster of the Zhu Lin Brocade is due to some kind of special dye, but they have no idea that this silk thread has been like this since the silkworm spins its cocoon!"

Feng Xiuhu sneered, "You're just a weaver, what do you know about doing business? From production line to sales, you couldn't have run such a large operation by yourself."

Zhuo Sushou smiled calmly: "You're right, so after figuring out the reason, I talked to the county magistrate about it."

"With the help of the county government, I moved the Caiyi Temple here and then used bamboo forest to surround the mass grave where the blood-light locust tree was planted."

"Then they fabricated charges, arrested a group of skilled weavers, and imprisoned them. They told the outside world that they had been executed, but in reality, they cut out their tongues and secretly sent them to Caiyi Temple to be imprisoned, where they were ordered to weave the Zhulin Brocade."

Shunzi clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, as if he were about to step forward and attack: "Brother, let me cut out his tongue too!"

Feng Xiuhu stopped Shunzi, glaring at him and saying, "What am I supposed to listen to if your tongue's been cut out?"

Turning his head, Feng Xiuhu touched Zhuo Sushou's bald head: "Don't be afraid, Second Master will protect you. We're not in a hurry to cut out your tongue."

Zhuo Sushou swallowed hard, glanced subtly at the door, then immediately looked away and continued speaking.

"Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Not long after, we encountered a big problem."

"In order to raise silkworms in large quantities, the leaves of the blood-light locust tree were cut several times, until one day I found that the leaves started to fade."

"The original blood red color gradually faded and was replaced by a normal green color—if this continues, it won't be long before the Bloodlight Locust Tree turns back into a locust tree without any spirit."

Feng Xiuhu suddenly realized: "So you need new nutrients to sustain the growth of the Bloodlight Locust."

Zhuo Sushou gave a bitter smile: "Actually, we didn't target innocent people at the beginning."

“Initially, the county magistrate ordered the police to steal corpses. In such a large county, birth, aging, sickness and death are common occurrences. Whenever there was a new burial, the police would dig up the grave under the cover of night and then transport the fresh corpse to Caiyi Temple.”

"Unfortunately, the police were useless. They almost got caught after only a few attempts. During that time, rumors spread throughout the county that tomb raiders were on the move, and the people became wary, so it was no longer a good time to do this kind of thing."

"Later, the county magistrate came up with another idea: to use death row inmates who had committed serious crimes to fill the quota. But the problem was, where were there so many death row inmates who had committed serious crimes? You can't just arrest someone and kill them for spitting on the street." Feng Xiuhu sneered, "Aren't you good at making up charges? Just make up a few more."

Zhuo Sushou said solemnly, "You don't understand. This kind of thing is okay once or twice, but if it happens too often, it will inevitably backfire."

"Arresting people on trumped-up charges sounds simple, but if this continues, how can the people not protest? This place is bordered by the prefecture to the north, Fancheng to the south, and Jiangluo Creek in the middle, making it convenient for the people to file complaints anywhere. We also have secrets in our hands, so we must be even more careful in our actions."

"So I suggested to the county magistrate that, to be on the safe side, we should just buy human animals to kill, so that we wouldn't have to worry about it anymore."

Feng Xiuhu licked his lips: "You really know how to come up with ideas."

Zhuo Sushou sighed: "What's the use? The county magistrate didn't agree. The Bloodlight Locust Tree has a large demand for flesh and blood. If we rely solely on purchasing human sacrifices, it will be a considerable sum. The county magistrate is unwilling to spend that money, which is why you know what happened."

Feng Xiuhu nodded slightly: "Have the police officers pretend to be bandits and kill people."

Zhuo Sushou said with a wry smile, "Having learned from the previous experience of stealing corpses, the county magistrate specifically instructed them to target lone travelers and to carry out their attacks in places far from Jiangluo Creek. That way, even if they fail, people won't suspect us."

Feng Xiuhu pointed at Zheng Ajuan on the ground next to him: "So you kept her alive so that you could find out where her man went and then ambush and kill him on the way, right?"

Zhuo Sushou nodded in agreement: "That was indeed the idea at first, but considering the time, her man should have arrived in Fancheng by now. The reason we kept her around was to use her to blackmail her man and prevent him from making a big fuss."

At this point, the truth is revealed.

Feng Xiuhu felt relieved.

He patted Zhuo Sushou on the shoulder: "Now let's talk about the second thing—what do you mean we can't survive?"

Zhuo Sushou smiled with relief: "When you injured me, I sent my personal disciple to ask the county magistrate for help. Now that you know all of Zhu Linjin's secrets, how could the county magistrate let you leave alive?"

Feng Xiuhu asked doubtfully, "I don't care whether I live or die, but aren't you afraid I'll kill you first?"

Zhuo Sushou scoffed, "If I were afraid of death, why wouldn't I have fled?"

"Ouch."

Feng Xiuhu praised, "I didn't realize he was such a man of principle."

As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Youliu suddenly looked towards the door: "Someone's here."

A faint, almost imperceptible medicinal fragrance wafted through the air.

Fang Youliu's expression changed slightly, and he shouted, "Quickly cover your mouth and nose! It's Soft Soul Incense!"

Shunzi dared not be careless and immediately held his breath, searching for the approaching enemy.

"Ah!"

Feng Xiuhu sneezed loudly.

"Who put pepper in this incense?!"

PS: How did Zhuo Sushou know that Zheng Ajuan's man went to Fancheng?

(End of this chapter)