Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

When Li Ping stepped into Wenchang Lane, the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

He clutched the anonymous ledger, his knuckles white from the dampness.

Both sides of the alley entrance were lined with empty shops.

The door panels were a dark, almost blackened color, and tattered banners hung from the corners of the eaves.

The morning market hadn't even opened yet, but fresh tire tracks were already visible on the ground.

It extends all the way to the deepest part of the alley.

Su Wan walked in front

She did not ride a horse, nor did she bring any of the attendants from the prefect's residence.

He simply changed into a short-sleeved outfit and wrapped his sword in gray cloth.

And carried it on his back.

Li Ping followed closely on her right side.

Da Niu and Er Hu wanted to come along, but he kept them at the mansion.

This place is not a salt storage warehouse.

Inside the salt warehouse, at least there was a group of people who could take the blows for them.

This place seems far too quiet.

It was so quiet that even stray dogs wouldn't venture inside.

「前面」

Su Wan stopped in front of a mottled gray wall.

Half of an old locust tree was visible behind the wall.

The branches were bare, with only a few remaining yellow leaves clinging to the branches.

motionless

A stone plaque is embedded in the top of the wall.

The plaque has broken into two halves.

Only left on the left

"arts"

The character on the right side has been mostly chiseled away.

You can still vaguely see a

"Abandon"

Wenchang Old House

A brass lock hung in front of the door

The lock hanging on it showed no signs of rust.

Li Ping raised his hand and touched it, discovering that the lock still retained a trace of warmth.

Someone just went in

Su Wan turned her gaze to him.

"Using a VPN?"

"If we choose to climb over the wall, it will easily leave traces. Let's examine this lock more closely first."

Li Ping took out a thin wire from his sleeve and inserted it into the keyhole.

While handling cases in Xiyun County, he dealt frequently with the locks in warehouses and accounting rooms.

Good locks are hard to open, but bad locks also have their own ways of being opened.

The wire rotated twice inside the lock cylinder.

Click

The lock has been opened.

Su Wan raised an eyebrow.

"A dignified constable, yet he knows petty thievery?"

"Eight out of ten locks in the county government's storeroom are harder to open than this one."

Li Ping pushed open the door

The hinge made a long, loud noise.

The weeds growing in the yard are already taller than knee-high.

The paper windows in the main hall had long since rotted away, and several broken desks lay askew by the door.

The faded words on the wall are still faintly visible.

"reasonable"

"Knowing shame"

A type of encouragement to study

However, the grass on the ground was trampled into a path by people.

From the main hall entrance, it leads all the way to the backyard.

Li Ping crouched down to examine him.

Some of these footprints were fresh, while others were old.

The new item was a pair of cloud-patterned boots, the soles of which were covered in river mud.

It's about the same muddy color as the banks of the Yancang River.

That Foundation Establishment stage cultivator was indeed in this place.

The old ones are very messy.

There are imprints of straw sandals and barefoot footprints here.

There were also small footprints left by children.

The oldest traces have been mostly buried by the soil.

"They didn't even spare the children."

Su Wan said in a very low voice

Li Ping did not answer.

He stepped into the main hall.

In the center of the hall stood a long, dusty table.

Behind the table was a dark black wooden wall, covered with many wooden plaques.

one after another

On each wooden plaque, a person's name is carved.

Some had rotted away, while others had been cut off by sharp tools.

Only streaks of white skin remained.

Li Ping strode forward.

Most of the wooden signs in the first row are still clearly visible.

"Zhou Shen, Du Qing, Zhao Xiaoman... and Madam Xu."

His steps stopped at that moment.

Su Wan also saw it.

The wooden plaque was very small, and the person who carved the inscription was clearly not very skilled.

To

"May"

The characters are carved crookedly.

In the lower right corner of the wooden sign, there is also a light red mark.

"Second"

word

Xu Xiaoqi's mother had been to this place before.

And she wasn't the only one.

The entire wall was densely covered with...

They are all people's names.

Some names include the place of origin.

The name Yunze

The name Beihe

Shiraishi

The name Linchuan

It was the place that appeared in that old register.

Su Wan's face turned gloomy at this moment.

"Gao Min claimed back then that this place only housed 107 orphans who had lost their parents."

"But those plaques for the dead on the wall must cost at least two hundred dollars."

Li Pingdao

He counted very quickly.

There are twelve rows arranged horizontally and sixteen columns arranged vertically.

A rough estimate suggests there are at least close to two hundred people.

Moreover, the styles of the wooden signs are different.

The top few rows appear quite rough and old, while the lower rows are newer in color.

This was clearly added later.

"This is not a charity."

Li Ping kept his eyes fixed on the nameplates hanging on the wall.

This place belongs to a pen specifically for selecting livestock.

A soft sound suddenly came from outside the hall.

It sounds as if round pebbles are rolling through the gaps between the bricks.

Su Wan's hand was already on the hilt of the sword.

Li Ping raised his index finger, using this gesture to signal her not to move.

The two of them pressed their bodies tightly against the door.

There was someone talking in the backyard.

Where are those people now?

The voice was gloomy