If he had truly been dead for two or three days, then who was it that had been tailing me?
Or perhaps the condition of the face represented the true time of death, but then why would the internal organs decay so rapidly?
Did Chen Yuliang suffer from similar anomalies?
Ding Songyan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind, yet his body remained frozen in place.
"Isn't this the second young master of the Ding family? Are you here at the yamen to see Clerk Ding?" A constable standing by a donkey cart spotted Ding Songyan nearby.
The man was just under six feet tall, with thick brows, large eyes, and a short beard on his chin. He looked to be over thirty.
Ding Songyan seized the opportunity and stepped closer.
"Officer, I just heard you mention that Chen Yuliang of the Small Boat Gang ended up like this man?"
"Officer?" The constable was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "It’s just as Clerk Ding said—you were so frightened that you developed soul-loss syndrome. You always call me Brother Li; what’s with this 'Officer' business?"
*It seems my predecessor had some standing with these constables... Xu Chang'an always called me 'Second Brother Ding.' Aside from trying to curry favor with Qingyan, he likely valued this connection. Tsk, this kid—you can't judge a book by its cover. He may not be deeply calculating, but he certainly has his schemes...* Ding Songyan let out an "ah" and said:
"Brother Li, please forgive me, please forgive me."
The constable surnamed Li then answered Ding Songyan’s previous question:
"Chen Yuliang was the same."
"Was the other Small Boat Gang member who died at the time also like this?" Ding Songyan recalled the bulbous-nosed man who had been killed by a single punch from his own eldest brother.
"Why are you asking about this?" A disciple of the Xiaoming Sect present at the scene looked at Ding Songyan with suspicion.
He was in his twenties, with a square face and an air of cold, lethal intent.
Seeing that Constable Li and the other officer who had circled to the front of the donkey cart were also sizing him up, Ding Songyan pondered for a moment and said:
"I was involved in the matter regarding Chen Yuliang."
He intended to give a brief account of that day’s events, hoping to mention Yan Changqing from the Zhen Mansion’s secret dungeon at the end to see if he could get a reaction.
The expressions of Constable Li and the others turned serious.
"My soul-loss syndrome was caused by extreme shock, and that shock was the result of an attempted murder." Ding Songyan began his story, detailing how he escaped the assassination attempt, sought help at the Zhen Mansion, and how the bulbous-nosed man was tricked into revealing that Chen Yuliang—who had been secretly confirming the situation—fled in a panic and was pursued by Mr. Yu.
Ding Songyan omitted any mention of the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*, saying only that the bulbous-nosed man had questioned him the moment he appeared, asking why he had returned to Linjiang County instead of fleeing to the ends of the earth. He added that the man had revealed Chen Yuliang was in trouble before everything ended abruptly, leaving the details unclear.
In his description, Ding Songyan did not hide the fact that he himself might be involved in the mystery.
This was intentional. He hoped that the Xiaoming Sect and the Yi clan would periodically interrogate and investigate him in the coming days!
If necessary, being arrested and detained would not be out of the question.
Upon hearing that the bulbous-nosed man had been killed by someone from the Zhen Mansion hiding in a blind spot behind a tree, the Xiaoming Sect disciple gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
"His name was Wang Yishu. When we received his body, his torso and organs were already rotting as if he had been dead for two or three days. As for his face... his face was unrecognizable."
*Ugh.* Recalling the way Wang Yishu had died, Ding Songyan felt that "unrecognizable" was a perfectly reasonable description.
Whether there was even a face left to recognize was another matter entirely.
Confirming that the bulbous-nosed man, Wang Yishu, also suffered from the anomaly of excessive decay, a chill rose in Ding Songyan’s heart. Despite being in the heat of midsummer, he felt as if he had plunged into the depths of winter.
He had previously believed that the issue with the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* was primarily that its origin was suspicious, which might have led to his own death and that of Xu Chang'an’s master, Zhang Rui.
But now, it seemed the buyer was also anomalous.
The seller had problems, the buyer had problems—this entire transaction was riddled with them!
*As the middleman, could I be the one with the problem?* Ding Songyan gave a bitter smile and said to Constable Li and the others:
"It is a pity that I have this soul-loss syndrome; otherwise, I would surely remember the key details."
The subtext of his words was: *Please, officials, do keep a close "watch" on me.*
"The Four Waters Gang reported their conflict with the Small Boat Gang last month. Wang Yishu’s death will be handled according to the rules of the martial world; it won't implicate you. Once the higher-ups provide an answer regarding these abnormal deaths, we will call you in for questioning again." Constable Li patted Ding Songyan on the shoulder. "Relax, nothing major will happen."
*Nothing major might happen to you, but my life is another story...* Ding Songyan put on a worried expression and keenly repeated a phrase:
"The Four Waters Gang reported their conflict with the Small Boat Gang last month?"
"That’s right. They’ve had many conflicts over the last two or three months. A successful report means blood is about to be shed." Constable Li explained casually, then added, "My name is Li Wu. You’d better not forget it again, Second Brother Ding."
Ding Songyan pondered for a moment:
"Does the Small Boat Gang have a Grandmaster?"
"They do, in the provincial capital." Li Wu frowned slightly, feeling that Second Brother Ding was asking too many questions.
"Then why would the Small Boat Gang want to lock horns with the Four Waters Gang in Linjiang County? Old Master Zhen could crush them with one hand, couldn't he?" Ding Songyan voiced his confusion.
The Xiaoming Sect disciple nearby interjected:
"Perhaps the Small Boat Gang’s Grandmaster has snuck in, intending to set a trap to eliminate the aging Zhen Qianfan first."
"I see." Ding Songyan asked no more and bid the three men farewell.
It wasn't until he had walked out of the street where the county yamen was located that he realized he had "forgotten" to mention the Zhen Mansion dungeon.
*The preliminary judgment is that Yan Changqing is a thief crying 'stop thief.' It is unlikely that a secret agent of the Zhen family could monitor me constantly without being discovered...* Ding Songyan was no longer as angry or fearful as before; instead, he began to examine the situation with a calmer attitude.
Because he discovered that, just as Yan Changqing had said, he was surrounded by crises, and not just from the Zhen Mansion.
He even suspected that Yan Changqing had specifically used the art of divination to deduce that if he came to the yamen, he would encounter something that revealed the crisis, which was why he had used his words to manipulate and provoke him into making the trip.
*If it weren't for the fact that Yan Changqing is a malicious person and the Zhen Mansion situation is clearly dangerous, I would really like to learn his secret techniques, his art of divination, and the cultivation method that allows one to inject Qi into the brain and influence others' minds.*
*Setting aside Yan Changqing for a moment, Chen Yuliang’s problem is also massive.*
*I can understand why Second Brother Ding would sell the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' to the Small Boat Gang instead of the Zhen Mansion after obtaining it. After all, Cousin Nansheng is only a concubine, and Second Brother Ding is expendable to the Zhen Mansion; the possibility of them killing him to silence him was high. The Small Boat Gang, however, would have to consider the Zhen Mansion and might not dare to kill him. Well, this assumes Second Brother Ding didn't know the conflict between the two gangs had already reached a boiling point and had been reported to the yamen.*
*And with the conflict between the Small Boat Gang and the Four Waters Gang so intense that it had already been reported to the yamen, Chen Yuliang still dared to buy a rare version of the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' from a half-member of the Zhen family like Second Brother Ding? How brave! Is he not afraid it’s a trap set by the Zhen Mansion?*
*If it really were the Zhen Mansion’s doing, they could simply discard Second Brother Ding as a pawn and report to the yamen that Chen Yuliang is suspected of possessing the complete 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas,' which would bring disaster upon the entire Small Boat Gang.*
*Combined with the weirdness of Chen Yuliang’s corpse, could he have been 'not in control of his own actions'?*
*Was the bulbous-nosed Wang Yishu the same? Yes, when I bluffed him, I didn't expect him to answer so thoroughly; he didn't treat me like an outsider at all. Hiss, was he also 'not in control of his own actions'?*
To focus his thoughts, Ding Songyan found a quiet street corner and sat down without bothering to lift his robes.
He now needed to deduce one thing: if he hadn't transmigrated and the original Second Brother Ding had died completely, what would have happened next?
*The Ding family would inevitably go to the Zhen Mansion to wail and complain. The Zhen Mansion would examine the body, and without the interference of a transmigrator, they might have actually found something.*
*If I were Old Master Zhen, since the report had already been filed, regardless of whether the clues pointed to Chen Yuliang, I would take the opportunity to strike at the Small Boat Gang, using revenge as an excuse to engage in a legitimate gang war. At this time, if the Small Boat Gang’s Grandmaster had indeed snuck into Linjiang County, Old Master Zhen would have to make a move...*
*This means he would likely leave the Zhen Mansion.*
*If he isn't in the Zhen Mansion, then someone could take advantage of the void?*
*Is the goal related to Xiaoqing and the True Spirit Sect’s purpose in coming to Linjiang County, or is it Yan Changqing in the dungeon?*
As he reached this point in his deduction, Ding Songyan’s spirit lifted.
*In that case, was the person who killed Second Brother Ding the mastermind?*
*Let’s assume the mastermind really wanted to intensify the conflict between the Four Waters Gang and the Small Boat Gang to force the long-retired Old Master Zhen to leave the mansion. Then, after I occupied this body, what would he—or they—think?*
*They would find my resurrection strange. If the situation isn't urgent, they might hold off for now and observe the changes to avoid any unspeakable consequences.*
*Is this the reason the other group is tailing me?*
*To interrupt the original plan, they had to limit the matter to Chen Yuliang buying the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas.' That is why Wang Yishu told me everything he knew; that is why he and Chen Yuliang would 'disappear' even if they weren't killed on the spot; and that is why Xu Chang'an’s master died shortly after I came back to life—he was supposed to be the clue the mastermind left for the Zhen Mansion.*
*As for the Small Boat Gang, since it involves the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas,' they shouldn't be the ones causing trouble.*
*But the problem is, the Small Boat Gang is about to be uprooted in Linjiang County, and they haven't reacted at all?*
*Also, did Chen Yuliang actually report the 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas'?*
*Or perhaps, the one who identified that 'Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas' as the complete version wasn't Chen Yuliang or the Small Boat Gang’s Grandmaster, but the mastermind himself?*
*And what was his purpose in having Chen Yuliang say that?*
Ding Songyan’s head throbbed with the effort of thinking. He stood up and paced slowly along the street.
After gaining a holistic understanding of the situation, he felt that whether his guesses were right or wrong, he at least had several directions to test and verify.
What he feared most was being lost in a fog, unable to exert his strength anywhere.
*Now, I am not entirely powerless. The 'Qi' given by Yan Changqing can be used twice, and its power should be extraordinary.*
*Regarding the matter of breaking through illusions, I must be cautious. What I see may not be the truth beneath the illusion, but another layer of illusion used by Yan Changqing to mislead me. Breaking through illusions—what is broken may not necessarily be the illusion itself.*
*Hmm, in terms of self-preservation and lethality, Yan Changqing is unlikely to lie. My death would do him no good, so that much can be trusted.*
Just as Ding Songyan’s thoughts drifted, a familiar voice rang in his ears, kept very low:
"Second Brother Ding..."
*Xiaoqing?* Ding Songyan looked around naturally, but did not see the figure that would inevitably draw everyone's attention.
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