Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

He didn't actually go to No. 7 Liuxiang last night.

He bet that the residence in Liuxiang contained bronze-related objects hidden solely by the rust remaining under Zhou Cheng's fingernails.

But since the teacher had already assigned him the task of examining Zhou Cheng's body, it was largely to observe whether he would follow the direction of what others were telling him.

Su Wan did not ask further.

She removed the cloth strip that was pressing down on the corpse's waist.

A small piece of oil paper was sewn inside the cloth strip.

Several lines of writing were on the oiled paper, but the ink had been soaked and blurred by blood.

This resulted in people only being able to barely recognize the three characters: "井" (well), "册" (book), and "玦" (jade).

The character "玦" written on this note refers to the person Shangguan Jue.

Li Pingdao

Su Wan turned her gaze in his direction.

"What else did you hear while you were at Tingyu Garden?"

"When Shangguan Zhao talked about this uncle, he crushed the cup in his hand to pieces."

"The one who mobilized troops to that place in the west last night was indeed this man known as Lord Jue."

Su Wan put the oiled paper back into the cloth strip.

"Shangguan Jue is the head of the second branch of the family, and he controls the lifeline of the entire western part of the city."

"And they also possess a private army."

"In his uncle's eyes, Shangguan Zhao, the eldest son of the legitimate wife..."

"It's just for show."

Li Ping lowered his head and stared at the corpse before him.

Last night, Shangguan Zhao was extremely anxious to cover up what happened in Xicheng.

Zhou Cheng died in Liuxiang

Before he died, he scratched at the copper lining of the well, leaving behind a note with the character "玦" written on it.

On the surface, this matter involves the Si family, but underneath it seems like two hands are vying for the same thing.

"Who exactly orchestrated Zhou Cheng's pawning?"

Su Wan answered very quickly.

"That's what Ren Jun claimed, as for whether it's true or not..."

Who knows?

"You can't even trust your fellow disciples from the same sect?"

I only believe in the dead.

Su Wan put away the silver needles.

This includes our teachers as well.

The sound of rain seeped in from outside the eaves.

After listening, Li Ping did not continue the conversation.

This sentence was said very lightly

However, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, inside this mortuary, personally expressed that he could not fully trust his teacher.

Such words already carry considerable weight.

Su Wan turned around and started walking outside.

"Where do you plan to throw this hot potato?"

"Are you trying to curry favor with your senior, or are you planning to show respect to your teacher?"

Li Ping followed.

"You keep this yourself."

Su Wan stopped in her tracks.

"Do you think you can protect it?"

"The senior brother concealed the information about the survivors, and the teacher hid the corpses."

"They were all waiting for me to act as the blind man scouting the way."

Li Pingdao

"I don't want to be a blade held in someone else's hand, without even knowing who it will cut down."

"If you place a bet when the situation is unclear."

"Then there's only one outcome: death."

Su Wan stared at him

Her eyes were icy cold, as if she were weighing a blade to see if it was sharp enough.

After a while, she took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve.

"Sprinkle this powder on top, and wait for half an hour."

"These words will never exist in this world again."

Li Ping reached out and took the porcelain bottle.

"Junior sister, aren't you afraid I'll use it to curry favor with the Shangguan family?"

"If you want to kill with a blade, you always need to first hand the hilt of the knife to the other person."

Su Wandao

"But if you dare to touch that well..."

"Your hand will break."

What kind of substance is deposited at the bottom of that well?

"I have no idea"

She gazed at the greyish-white sky outside the courtyard.

On the way back to the prefectural governor's mansion, the rain stopped.

The city was colder than before.

Su Wan suddenly opened her mouth and began to speak.

"I heard you managed to defend Xiyun County with a swarm of ants?"

"The area has been secured."

"Have you had blood on your hands?"

"He killed quite a few people."

Do you have those terrible nightmares at night?

Li Ping recalled the way Sun Er died in the narrow alley.

The image of myself vomiting against the wall all night long flashed through my mind.

"Terrified to death"

How can those who fear death hold a knife steadily?

"It is precisely because of the fear of death that the knife in my hand must be delivered faster than anyone else's."

Su Wan hummed in agreement.

"Back in that mine, my teacher taught me how to grip the knife in the same way."

Li Ping turned to look at her.

Su Wan leaned against the carriage wall, a hint of weariness showing in the depths of her eyes for the first time.

"When I was thirteen, I was digging for spirit sand in a mine in Linchuan County."

"The mine owner keeps over a dozen Qi Refining cultivators, and treats us like livestock."

"Whoever digs too slowly will be whipped."

"Whoever is sick, throw them into the abandoned well."

"The teacher killed the mine owner when he passed by that place."

"And they let us out."

She paused for a moment

Later on, he taught me how to practice breathing exercises.

"And it led me into the path of spiritual practice."

"I had always thought that he was the kindest and best person in the world."

The carriage rolled over a puddle.

The sound of flowing water was very loud.

"So you still believe him now?"

Su Wan did not give any answer.

She simply took out an old wooden plaque from her bosom.

The wooden plaque was badly worn along the edges, and the character "Chen" was carved on it.

"In the yard that the teacher owned, the one thing that was never lacking was weeds."

"Miners from Linchuan, beggars from Beihe."

"Yunze's refugees... he takes in anyone who is about to die."

Li Ping stared intently at the wooden sign.

"Just how many assassins did he secretly train?"

"I have no idea"

Su Wan tightly gripped the wooden plaque back into her palm.

"The one Ren Jun found, with names and surnames."

"No fewer than a hundred people"

There are over a hundred of them.

They are distributed in various counties and prefectures.

Back when Chen Boyong was still a struggling teacher, he was already taking on students everywhere.

They took in mostly ordinary people like themselves.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

It doesn't seem to stem from a simple act of kindness.

Li Ping recalled the Qi-guiding incantation his teacher had given him in that dilapidated temple, and the bowl of thin porridge imbued with spiritual energy.

At the same time, she recalled the sentence she heard in the carriage last night.

"I will naturally know what I have left behind."

It's like the teacher has planted a seed in many places.

And he himself was merely one of the fastest-growing of them all.

"Didn't you ask him?"

Su Wan looked out the carriage window.

"Beside the teacher, those who know so much."

"They often lose their lives relatively young."

She turned back, her face regaining its previous calm.

Therefore, I choose to remain silent.

"Only with eyes open"

"I was just observing from the sidelines, seeing what he was going to do with our hundred or so lives."

"Which hole should it be filled into?"

The gatehouse of the prefectural governor's residence was already visible in the distance.

Li Ping put the wooden box containing the oiled paper into his sleeve.

"Was today's play a gift from my teacher as my first lesson in acting?"

Su Wan glanced at him

"Of course it counts."

"So, will the teacher be satisfied with the answer sheet I submitted?"

"Just being alive is enough."

After she finished speaking, she got off the carriage and went ahead.

The figure in black passed through the mansion gate with a swift, decisive motion, like a sword returning to its sheath.

Li Ping remained seated inside the carriage and did not immediately get off.

He ran his hand along the wooden box inside his sleeve, his fingertips touching the oiled paper.

Shangguan Jue

The well located inside Liuxiang

Ordinary disciples scattered throughout the counties

And the teacher's face, which was always impossible to see through.

Throughout Jiangning City, everyone and everything was claiming to be playing chess.

But Li Ping suddenly felt that this game of chess might have started many years ago.

It's already set up.

However, those who struggled to escape the mire could only serve as pawns manipulated by others.

Or can one become the one holding the chess piece?

The wooden box will not be handed over yet.

He had to go there in person and see the well in Liuxiang.