Gou Zai Xianwu Wenjing Search for Opportunities

At this time, Zhang, the head of Lishui Pavilion, sent his constables and guards to surround the pharmacy, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving.

The pavilion in Daliang had five main functions: maintaining order, collecting taxes, serving as a post station, inspecting travelers and guiding them on their way, and inspecting trade goods.

The Lishui Pavilion is located at the Taoli Ferry Wharf, a bustling commercial area. The profits from inspecting the goods passing through it far exceed those of other pavilions, and one cannot become the pavilion chief without some kind of background.

For over a century, the head of the Lishui Pavilion has been a member of the Zhang family, the Marquis of Jiuling.

Lin Yuan had never seen such a large commotion before. He looked at Master Xu, whose expression was serious, and asked a familiar old soldier, "Old Zhang, what happened? Is Constable Li here?"

Master Xu had worked as a clerk at the Carp Pavilion in his early years, where he became acquainted with the old man there and was also a distant relative of Li Shi, who was in charge of catching thieves.

"It's Mr. Xu! A gang of notorious bandits robbed the pharmacy and killed someone. Officer Li is guarding the courtyard. Why don't you go in and find him?" The old guard made way for him.

"Thank you for your trouble!" Master Xu nodded.

The two entered the hospital.

At this moment, Li Shi and several guards were standing in the courtyard, whispering among themselves. Upon seeing the two, they quickly stepped forward: "Third Uncle, what brings you here?"

"I came to the pharmacy to settle my accounts today. What happened? Is Manager Zhang here?"

Li Shi looked around, led him aside, and whispered, "Last night a group of robbers killed the martial arts master guarding the pharmacy and Manager Zhang, and also stole all the silver from the shop."

Lin Yuan didn't get too close, keeping his distance. He vaguely heard that Manager Zhang had died, and was speechless for a moment. Only then did the man agree to lend him money without interest.

How could such a good person suddenly leave us?

Lin Yuan immediately sensed something strange about it.

"Manager Zhang is gone too?" Master Xu plucked a piece of his beard, his face showing surprise, his voice trembling slightly. "Who did it?"

"We interrogated all the pharmacy clerks and the neighbors, but we didn't hear any noise all night. It wasn't until early morning that we discovered someone was dead, but it was too late; the body was already cold, and the bandits had long since fled. Zhang, the village head, told us to surround the area and sent someone to fetch the village head and the patrolmen."

"Didn't you invite anyone from the Marquis's residence?" Master Xu asked in surprise.

"How could we not invite them! The pharmacy sent someone to the Marquis's residence to fetch them before reporting the case to us. The people from the Marquis's residence are coming from the county, and it will take them some time. Come on, I'll take my third uncle in to take a look."

Master Xu hesitated, intending to take his leave, but then Li Shi whispered, "Uncle-in-law is always knowledgeable and resourceful! Please help me figure this out. If you can find any clues and solve this case, I will be eternally grateful!"

The full complement of staff at Lishui Pavilion consists of one pavilion chief, two pavilion assistants, seven thieves, two clerks, and more than twenty other corvée laborers. There are also many unofficial hangers-on. Currently, there is a vacancy for a pavilion assistant, and Li Shi intends to try to secure one.

Master Xu understood and nodded in agreement.

Lin Yuan followed the two men into the night watch cell, where two guards lay dead on the floor.

"Both of these guards were body-tempering martial artists from the Zhang family. They were strangled from behind, and they didn't even react..."

After Li Shi finished speaking, he went into the inner room of the cell. There was a bed with the curtain torn open, and the room was in a mess. A bloodied man lay on the floor, his chest and breasts exposed, holding a knife in his right hand, with more than ten bloody holes in his chest.

"The Zhang family's entry-level martial artist was killed in just a few moves, without causing much of a commotion. The perpetrator must have been at least a seventh or eighth-level martial artist, otherwise they couldn't have done it so quietly, without even waking the shop assistants..."

Li Shi repeated what Zhang Tingzhang had just said, and Master Xu remained silent, his brows furrowed.

Lin Yuan peeked out and was immediately met with a strong fishy smell, so he quickly withdrew.

The three of them went up to the attic, to Manager Zhang's bedroom. It was a suite, with a central living room, a bedroom on the east side, and a study on the west side.

The hall was in complete disarray, with bloodstains everywhere, including on the curtain of the east bedroom.

Li Shi was about to lift the curtain when he suddenly stopped and reminded Lin Yuan, "Be careful, it's a bit creepy in there! If you can't hold it in, just throw up outside."

"Don't worry, Officer Li!" Lin Yuan felt a sense of goodwill towards him.

Master Xu's brows furrowed even more deeply.

Upon entering the bedroom, one sees dark bloodstains all over the floor, as well as scattered clumps of dark red flesh and blood. Manager Zhang's entire body is covered in unscathed flesh.

This is clearly someone being skinned alive!

Even though Li Shi was a body tempering martial artist, he couldn't stand such a creepy scene. He glanced at it and immediately turned back to look behind him. He saw that Master Xu was about to vomit, so he quickly stepped forward and massaged Master Xu's chest to stop him from vomiting.

At this moment, Lin Yuan was also shocked by the sight of the dead. Since coming to this world, he had seen dead people, but he had never seen one so tragic. His stomach churned violently, and he quickly closed his eyes and pressed his chest to stop himself from vomiting.

Master Xu, having recovered from his nausea, looked at his old friend lying on the ground and couldn't help but sigh deeply, tears streaming down his face: "Alas, how could it have come to this! How could it have come to this!"

With each sigh, several breaths rushed toward Manager Zhang's face. Upon being hit by these breaths, Manager Zhang's nostrils suddenly flared, his dead fish eyes suddenly turned, and he looked sharply at Master Xu. His Adam's apple bobbed incoherently, and a gust of wind instantly rose in the room, causing the door curtain to sway in the wind.

"Oh no! The vengeful spirit hasn't dissipated; it's risen from the dead!" Li Shi realized something was wrong, grabbed Master Xu, and ran off, shouting, "Quick, let's go!"

The evil wind that swirled inside the room relentlessly pursued Master Xu, but Li Shi, a body-refining martial artist, possessed an innate masculine strength, and the evil wind was blocked by Li Shi's body, unable to get close for the time being.

The evil wind turned and rushed towards the slowest runner.

Lin Yuan was thin and weak, how could he outrun a body-tempering martial artist? He had only taken two steps when he felt a chill on his back and a coldness on the back of his head. His ears suddenly rang, his whole body trembled, his hands and feet went numb, and he slumped against the wall.

Li Shi and Master Xu ran outside and stood in the sun. When they turned around and saw Lin Yuan lying on the ground, they panicked: "Oh no, he's possessed!"

Master Xu, being knowledgeable and experienced, quickly advised, "Take him out into the sun!"

"Me?" Li Shi's voice trembled.

"You're a masculine martial artist, how can you be afraid of this? It can't easily hurt you. Quickly, before Lin Yuan's soul is taken away, drag him out into the sun!" Master Xu scolded.

Li Shi trembled: "Third Uncle, I'm not afraid of anything except ghosts."

Master Xu looked utterly helpless. He wasn't a martial artist and couldn't subdue the evil spirits, so he hurriedly called for the other constables to come to his rescue: "Quick, someone come!"

Hearing the commotion, the constables in the front yard rushed over.

Master Xu then instructed Li Shi, "Quickly go to Lin Yuan Immortal Temple and invite a Taoist priest to perform a ritual to deliver the souls of the deceased!"

"Okay, I'm going right now!" Li Shitou ran off without looking back.

At this moment, Lin Yuan was unable to move, and the chill instantly invaded his forehead, his sea of ​​consciousness, and his soul.

In the blink of an eye, a mirror appeared in the sea of ​​consciousness, its white mist dissipating and shooting out several beams of white light, capturing the vengeful spirit.

The ghost, terrified, tried to escape but couldn't break free and was instantly sucked into the mirror.

Lin Yuan suddenly felt a lightness all over his body, and the icy coldness dissipated. At the same time, a small figure appeared in the mirror, looking around with a lifelike expression.

It was Manager Zhang!

Lin Yuan slowly regained his composure, closed his eyes and laughed heartily, finally finding the right way to use the cheat!

It’s not a waste of time to break through the iron shoes.

This laugh terrified Master Xu. His legs went weak, and he turned and fled, pleading, "Manager Zhang, this matter has its perpetrators and its debtors; it's truly not my fault! Please, have mercy!"

At this moment, Lin Yuan closed his eyes and stared at the mirror, pondering. In the past six months, he had seen dead people, including just now in the guardhouse downstairs, but he had never triggered the mirror, except for Manager Zhang.

It seems that triggering the mirror requires an undissipated spirit, and since Manager Zhang died tragically, his resentment is overwhelming, and the spirits gather and do not disperse.

Having found the key to triggering the mirror, Lin Yuan was excited and began to ponder the specific uses of the vengeful spirit within it.

He tried to communicate with the person in the mirror, "Manager Zhang, what happened to you?"

With a thought, the clouds gathered and dispersed on the mirror, and a new scene appeared in the mirror.

This is Manager Zhang's first-person perspective, which includes both visuals and sound:

The sun shines obliquely through the window of the accounting room on the second floor of the pharmacy.

Master Xu sat opposite him, handed over the account book, and spoke first: "Manager, this is the best we can do for this account."

Manager Zhang opened the box and sighed, "The account is still short by a thousand taels of silver. Can't we add more?"

"If you add any more, not only the second young mistress, but even a fool could see it. The account books from the past few years are in her hands. As long as they are compared, something bad is bound to happen..." Master Xu warned.

"Alas, ever since the Second Young Mistress took over the business of the Marquis's mansion, she has been looking for my mistakes. I'm afraid she won't let me off easily this time. Please, sir, save me this time!"

"The only option left is to resort to underhanded tactics."

"Sir, you are always resourceful and wise; please teach me!"