Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 40: The Crow Lies, the Master Taught Me
It was late at night, but the lights were still on at the Wang family's villa.

Master Qingsong sat cross-legged, eyes closed, meditating, with his whisk resting on his lap, looking quite dignified.

With a flapping sound, a red-eyed crow flew in through the window, staggering and almost falling over, showing its fear.

The Taoist opened his eyes and looked at him, asking directly, "Old Crow, have you found out any information?"

The red-eyed crow steadied itself, looking left and right, seemingly unsettled.

The Taoist priest stood up and whispered sharply, "Aren't you going to talk?"

"Reporting to the Immortal Venerable, the scholar was nothing unusual; he was just an ordinary person."

"Oh, I understand. Go ahead. These next few days, keep an eye on Magistrate Yang at the yamen and make sure you uncover some private matters."

"clear."

The red-eyed crow glanced at him, spread its wings, and flew into the vast darkness.

Master Qingsong flicked his whisk, stopped meditating, and prepared to go to sleep.

He didn't take Chen Jin seriously, regarding him merely as a somewhat clever scholar who posed no threat.

When the opportunity arises in the future, with a little manipulation, we can plunge them into an abyss of no return.

He had just finished assessing the feng shui of the Wang family and made a fortune. Next, the Taoist's attention was set on Lord Yang, the most powerful man in the county.

According to rumors, this Lord Yang is actively lobbying for a promotion.

……

Nothing happened all night.

The next day, Chen Jin went out to the market to browse bookstores and see if there were any classic texts worth buying. He didn't ask Shi Qifeng to drive him, since it wasn't a long journey.

Shi Qifeng stayed at the martial arts school to take charge of tidying up, repairing, and cleaning, especially the abandoned stable.

Back when the Qingshan Martial Arts School first opened, it was quite a sight to behold. There were patrons, apprentices to teach, and the school had two strong horses and a carriage.

However, because he was not interested in running the business and was too lazy to scheme, the martial arts school quickly fell into decline, becoming deserted, and all the vehicles and horses were sold off for cash.

The cost of raising horses is considerable. They need to be fed concentrated feed every day. In addition to labor costs, the financial expenses are also very high, making it more difficult than raising a person.

Now, to make it easier to get around, he bought a horse-drawn carriage and has been taking good care of it.

Maoxian is a large county with crisscrossing streets, numerous markets, and many shops, making it a very lively place.

Carrying his books, Chen Jin easily made his way to the famous street of bookstores, "Hanmo Lane".

He had been here many times before.

Back then, I was broke and couldn't afford to buy books, so when I wandered around here, all I could do was "look." I secretly flipped through a few pages, but was quickly chased out by the shopkeeper who looked at me with disgust.

Each shop has its own rules and cannot allow customers to browse for free.

Things are different now than before; having money gives you confidence.

However, after visiting bookstore after bookstore, I found nothing.

The books sold in many bookstores are mainly divided into two categories: printed books and handwritten books.

Classical texts and canons, mostly original printed editions, are essential reading and study materials, which Chen Jin already possessed.

As dynasties progressed and classic texts were passed down, countless great scholars and masters quoted from them, annotated and analyzed them. Today, even a simple sentence of the original text, perhaps only a few words, can generate a plethora of analytical and interpretive articles, sometimes exceeding ten thousand words in total—a truly remarkable phenomenon.

The most complicated aspect is that the views expressed in many articles are not consistent, and are even contradictory, with each side having its own reasons.

At this point, whose advice should we follow?

If such a question were to appear in the exam, which side's viewpoint and arguments should be written?

As the saying goes, "A small difference can lead to a huge error," and if you express yourself incorrectly, you will only regret it in the exam.

Generally speaking, an article should be empathetic and relatable.

But as long as you pass the exam and your name is on the honor roll, all your essays will be considered excellent.

That's utter nonsense.

That's why they say there are great Confucian scholars who debate the classics.

That being said, reading more, writing more, and accumulating more knowledge is never a bad thing.

There was no need to buy the legitimate printed books in the bookstore, so my attention was focused on the handwritten manuscripts, which were piled up like mountains, new and old, thick and thin, of all kinds. Because there were so many, the collection seemed to be a mixed bag, a real mixed bag.

Most of the handwritten copies are of poor quality, their origins are untraceable, and it is difficult to know who copied them. At a glance, they may be incomplete copies, forgeries, or cobbled together, a jumble of miscellaneous contents, and riddled with errors and omissions.

In such cases, it is difficult to distinguish whether the copyist acted intentionally or unintentionally, relying entirely on the buyer's discernment. If one is not careful, one may end up spending money to be cheated.

Whether printed or handwritten, the price remains high, since the cost of ink and paper is included.

Finding gold in the sand is no easy task. Chen Jin spent most of the day browsing, but in the end he only bought two reams of straw paper and some writing brushes and ink.

For daily calligraphy practice and draft writing, it's a waste of money to not use high-quality writing materials.

Then they headed back home and returned to the martial arts school, where they found the place much tidier and cleaner after the cleaning.

During dinner, Shi Qifeng whispered, "Sir, the box I buried can be retrieved and exchanged for copper coins once things have calmed down."

Chen Jin's gaze sharpened, and he slowly said, "You can handle it."

The "box of things" that the two were discussing was the spoils of war seized after intercepting and killing Zhao Zhubu and his party, mainly consisting of gold and silver.

When Zhao, the magistrate, went to Yi County to take up his post, he naturally brought money with him. In addition, the gifts and travel expenses given by various families in the city added up to a considerable sum.

Some of these items are conspicuous, and once discovered, one will be unable to defend oneself, so one must neither covet them nor keep them.

Shi Qifeng packed and buried the items in boxes, mainly containing yellow and white objects that were easy to get rid of.

Even so, it should not be used rashly.

In the eyes of others, Shi Qifeng's sudden extravagant spending after his fall from grace inevitably aroused suspicion.

The carriage is relatively easy to explain, since it was purchased before the incident. As the head of the martial arts school, it's understandable that he wanted to rebuild his business and acquire some assets for the school; that's a plausible explanation.

But it's not appropriate to make a fuss about it elsewhere.

The matter concerning Zhao Zhubu will be discovered in three to five days, or at most seven to eight days.

When no one arrived in Yi County, the two sides exchanged information and learned that Zhao Zhubu and his party had disappeared.

This is bound to be a major case that will alarm the higher-ups, leading to a thorough search and various arrests.

So often, murder is just the beginning.

The bigger trouble comes after the murder.

What's more, what's missing now is a seventh-rank county magistrate who was about to take up his post.

This is precisely why Chen Jin has been holding back, waiting until Zhao, the magistrate, is on his way to take office before making a move.

At this stage, he does not yet have the power to wreak havoc in the city.

Moreover, once in the wilderness outside the city, the scene is much easier to handle, and many environmental factors will interfere afterwards, making the case complicated and difficult to investigate.

In fact, if Magistrate Zhao had been able to uphold justice, things wouldn't have come to this.

Why did you have to court death!

After committing this crime, Chen Jin went to the Wang family to borrow books yesterday at dusk, and today he wandered around the market. His whereabouts are traceable and can cover up his suspicion.

Always be cautious in your words and actions, and adapt to changing circumstances.

Shi Qifeng, being a seasoned veteran, remained even more composed, leaving no room for error. Yesterday morning, when leaving the city, he always used the other side of the city gate and then took a long detour.

Just then, Zhao, the magistrate, was at the inn receiving gifts, drinking wine, and bidding farewell to various families, thus lingering for a sufficient amount of time.

……

Night fell, and before we knew it, it was midnight again.

Chen Jin had just finished tidying up his writing materials, turned off the light, and was about to rest when he suddenly heard three knocks on the door.

The tapping was light and rhythmic, and the manner was very polite.

Chen Jin's eyes flashed, and he stepped over to open the door, where he saw the red-eyed crow standing three feet outside the door.

Bathed in moonlight, the bird suddenly bowed its head and uttered in human language: "Please teach me, sir!"

　Dear readers, please teach me how to write something that will go viral!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)