Gou Zai Xianwu Wenjing Search for Opportunities

Back at the coffin shop.

Lin Yuan and Hu Cai ate lunch separately as usual. Today's dish was braised roe deer meat with radish, which was very fragrant and just right for the young man's teeth, making it a satisfying chew.

In the afternoon, Lin Yuan continued to consolidate what he had learned that day. With the encouragement from Coach Hong in the morning, he gained a new understanding of the barricades and his stance was very standard.

Hu Cai praised, "These barricades are perfectly placed! Junior Brother is indeed a talented person; whether it's studying or practicing martial arts, he can master them so quickly."

"If you were whipped ten or so times, you might also develop talent!" Lin Yuan said with a hint of resentment.

Hu Cai suddenly tilted his head and looked towards the Li residence, chuckling, "Should I give it a try? Although it hurts a bit from the whipping, the tingling and numb sensation is quite enjoyable!"

Seeing the seriousness in his voice and the pleasant expression on his face, Lin Yuan was immediately impressed: "I admire you!"

"Let's go together!"

"I am no match for him!"

"Perhaps the Red Instructor smoked too much and decided to take us as his apprentices?"

"I concede defeat."

……

After a while, Zhao Sheng came running over to practice martial arts with them, bringing with him some news:

"What the hell is this bad luck? I just ran into a dead person on the street."

"What's going on?" Hu Cai asked curiously.

"They were refugees who fled to the countryside after the floods. Their old houses were submerged, so they came to the town. The village head had previously set aside a piece of land outside the town for them to build shelters there. But they kept coming to the town to beg, and not only did they come, they kept dying in the streets. It's really disgusting!"

"Which street? I'll go take a look." Lin Yuan had been too busy lately to visit the mass grave, but now that he heard about a recently deceased person who met the conditions for generating a ghost, he wanted to test the mirror's function.

"What's so interesting about a refugee? I've sent someone to inform the pavilion that someone will take him to the mass grave and bury him later." Zhao Sheng was used to the deaths and lives of refugees and didn't care about such matters.

"I've heard people say that people often die on the street, but I've never seen it up close. You guys keep practicing, I'll go take a look and come right back." Lin Yuan was too lazy to explain any further.

Hu Cai wasn't particularly interested, but seeing his firm attitude, he changed the subject: "Then let's go take a look together and come back. Anyway, the medicine is still simmering, so we can drink it when we get back, and it won't interfere with our martial arts practice."

Today is the Ghost Festival, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, a time when yin energy is at its peak.

Lin Yuan was just planning to take a trip to the mass grave to try his luck and see if he could test the mirror's function again, so he immediately declined, saying, "No need. I have something to do with my older brother. You guys practice this afternoon, I'll be right back."

"Alright then." The two had no choice but to nod.

Lin Yuan ran into the street, but the guards hadn't arrived yet. The corpse was lying on the side of the street, and passersby walked around it. They had seen this many times before and were not flustered at all. They only sighed silently. Some kind-hearted people put some copper coins next to the corpse, hoping that the person collecting the body would buy a straw mat for it.

A group of people were watching and discussing from a distance:

"He's from Yubei Village. His whole family is dead, he's all alone. Poor thing!"

"There are floods every year, it's really impossible to live in the countryside."

"Let alone in the countryside, grain prices are rising every day, it's hard for us to make ends meet."

"Sigh, who can argue with that? How are we supposed to live like this?"

Lin Yuan squeezed through the crowd and walked to the body. It was a man in tattered clothes, whose age was indistinguishable. He was tanned dark, skin and bones, but his belly was swollen and round. He was holding a chipped rough porcelain bowl in his hand. Clearly, he had sneaked into town to beg.

Lin Yuan circled around him three or five times, but he didn't see any yin wind, nor did he feel any cold wind entering his body. The mirror in his sea of ​​consciousness didn't move at all.

No ghosts!

It may have already disappeared, or it may have gone far away.

Perhaps not everyone who dies will become a spirit; there must be specific conditions involved.

He couldn't figure out what the conditions were for a moment.

Perhaps only someone like Manager Zhang, who harbored immense resentment during his lifetime, could have such a lingering and persistent spirit.

Or like Liu Laowu, they are filled with endless regrets and helplessness about life.

But how could these refugees, who have suffered so much, not have any resentment or regret?

Or has he resigned himself to his fate?

According to the rules of this world, natural disasters are the cause of all troubles, and one cannot blame others!

So he turned around and took a boat to the mass grave.

I circled around Yuxu Mountain several times and waited for an hour or so, but I didn't encounter any ghosts like I did last time.

Lin Yuan looked at the blazing sun and couldn't help but think that the first time Manager Zhang's spirit appeared was inside the house, and the second time Liu Laowu appeared on a rainy day.

He suspected that the spirits wouldn't come out if the sun was out, but they might come out at night.

But he was a little worried about his personal safety when he came to the mass grave in the middle of the night.

These days, the most dangerous things in the mountains aren't ghosts, but wild beasts like jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, as well as thieves who sneak around at night.

Moreover, there are no boats to cross the Lishui River at midnight, so how could one swim at midnight?

Mirrors can absorb spirits, but whether they can absorb demons is another matter.

He had heard his father tell him since he was a child that the reason why the Lishui River was called Lishui was because thousands of years ago, a celestial master killed a carp demon in Yuanhu Lake. The carp demon was huge and fell here after it died, creating a river. The surrounding villages were all named after the location of the demon's body.

For example, Lin Yuan's hometown, Xiawei Village, is the lower tail of the two tails of a fish.

Forget it, I shouldn't have even had that thought.

He already had a pretty good understanding of the mirror's function, so he wasn't in a hurry and there was no need to risk his life.

They had no choice but to abandon the plan for the time being.

……

The following morning.

Zhao Sheng jogged to the school to find Lin Yuan. It turned out that the banquet last time had worked, and Li Shi had sent Zhao Sheng to invite Lin Yuan over.

"It's about that merchant who was murdered last time. Young Master Zhang can't solve the case right now. The Chamber of Commerce is pulling strings, and today Young Master Zhang said he wants you, Uncle, to handle it. Uncle, please go and take a look!"

"Let's go!" Lin Yuan immediately greeted the Master and led Zhao Sheng over.

After leaving the school, Li Shi was waiting for him in a donkey cart. Lin Yuan got on the cart and sat opposite him. Zhao Sheng drove the donkey cart to the scene of the crime.

On the way, Li Shi recounted the details of the case.

He was originally a medicine merchant from Pingyang County. Some time ago, he went to Jiuling Mountain to look at medicinal herbs. On his way back, his boat broke down, so he walked back. However, it rained heavily halfway back, and when it got dark, he was still seven or eight miles away from the town. He was robbed on the way, and his servants were all killed.

The place where they were murdered was not far from the shacks of refugees fleeing famine in the countryside.

The three arrived at the scene of the crime. Lin Yuan looked around, but there were no traces left.

He walked around and circled back and forth, but didn't see a trace of the eerie wind, and the mirror in his mind's eye remained completely still.

Obviously, many days have passed since the incident, and the traces here have long since disappeared.

Lin Yuan didn't care about anything else: "Where's the body? Is it still in the pavilion? Take me to see the body."

"In this sweltering heat, we can't leave him like this forever, or he'll rot long ago," Li Shi said helplessly. "This merchant was from the trading company, and they took care of things, getting him placed in a coffin. Now you can't even see him if you want to! I went to the trading company this morning, and they transported him back to his hometown for burial."

"Ah!" Lin Yuan was speechless, only his expression remained.

"The business has pulled some strings, and the case can't just be left unresolved indefinitely. A proper burial is understandable," Li Shi said with some helplessness. "However, the coroner from the yamen examined the body and said it was a fatal wound from a sharp weapon, and the perpetrator was skilled in martial arts. It doesn't seem like the work of refugees fleeing famine. The crime scene is right here..."

Lin Yuan stared at the weeds swaying in the wind, no longer wanting to speak. He spread his hands, mimicking Master Xu's method of shifting blame: "With just this little bit of information, I don't have any clue at the moment. Why don't we go ask our mentor?"

"Alright then." Li Shi nodded immediately.

The three of them came to the school to find the teacher again, but Lin Yuan had no interest in listening and just kept them company without saying a word.

Master Xu was amused after hearing this: "You think I can find the murderer based on just a few words? You overestimate me! Besides, I don't know that person well. How would I know his life story, what he did, what he said, or who he associated with..."

"Sigh, never mind. I'll have to trouble Third Uncle and Junior Brother this time!" Li Shi sighed before revealing the truth, "I originally planned to take on this case if I could solve it. Since I can't, let the capable person take it."

Before parting, Lin Yuan repeatedly urged, "If there is a murder case, it is best to go to the scene to take a look. After all, the more I know, the better my chances of solving the case will be."

"I underestimated things this time. From now on, I will definitely ask my junior brother to come over as soon as possible." Li Shi nodded.

……

Back at Hu's Coffin Shop.

Over the next two days, Lin Yuan returned to his routine of going back and forth between home and school, practicing martial arts, giving lectures, discussing the path of martial arts with Hu Cai, and exploring mathematical classics with the Master.

As he continued to eat meat, drink tonics, and practice martial arts exercises, his body began to change.

The most noticeable feeling is that I feel strong all over, my mind is clear, my appetite is getting bigger and bigger, and the strength when I clench my fist is significantly increased.

Following Dr. Meng's instructions, he began to gradually increase his food and medication intake.

Along with this change, one's spirit and energy also gradually develop a certain composure.

Even Master Xu praised him, saying, "Your parents gave you a good foundation; once you grow up, you will surely be exceptionally handsome."

The Master also considered appearance when selecting disciples; he rejected the ugly ones, as they were not fit for officialdom, like Zhao Sheng.

As his silver dwindled, Lin Yuan felt an increasing urgency to make money.

He only hoped to find a new source of income as soon as possible before the money ran out, otherwise he would have no choice but to move back to the school and get back the deposit of one and a half taels of silver from Hongliu Lane.

If I stop taking the medicinal diet and stop eating meat, I won't be able to practice martial arts with Hu Cai and the other person, and the atmosphere among us will change.

If Hu Cai and Zhao Sheng can still help him, that would be best. If not, then there's no need to force his way into the circle.

Fortunately, he still had about forty taels of silver on hand, which could last him for a while.

Haste makes waste, so Lin Yuan immediately settled down to continue practicing martial arts and basic skills. At the same time, when he wasn't practicing martial arts in the evenings, he lit the Hu family's candles and spent some time writing several more lecture notes.

They can pursue martial arts or study; one can strive for the highest level, while the other can maintain a minimum standard.