Su Ling sat blankly on a large rock, looking at the sky full of stars.
As the stars change, so do his eyes.
Come with me...
These words were like a thorn piercing his own heart.
Although he finally chose to stay.
But he really had some doubts, did he really need to stay?
In troubled times, there is no blade of grass that is not stained with blood.
End the chaos?
Can he do it?
If he can't do it, then whatever he does now.
What's the point?
Sikong is suspicious and his position is low and others look down upon him.
He was covered in scars and almost died several times.
Is it worth it?
There are countless stars in the sky.
I am lonelier than them.
He was thinking in a daze as Xuanyuan Tinghe's words rang in his ears over and over again.
Suddenly, he heard what seemed to be rapid and chaotic footsteps coming from the dense forest in the distance.
Su Ling suddenly felt nervous.
If another group of purple-clad killers appear at this time.
He really died immediately.
He shook hands with Xiangsi and put all the fatigue in his heart.
He stood up slowly and looked towards the dense forest.
There was a flickering light, and there was a group of people, about twenty or thirty people.
Wearing a dark red coat and a thin sword hanging from his waist.
Su Ling breathed a deep sigh of relief when she saw how they were dressed.
Shadow Division, you are finally here.
They came so fast, I almost had a narrow escape from death before they came.
"Lord Boning, in front is Su Caoyu..."
"Su Cao Chu... Su Cao Chu..."
More people shouted his name, with excited expressions under the lights.
Su Ling used Wen Xiangsi as a crutch, stuck it on the ground, half-leaned on it, and smiled at them.
At the end of the crowd were Boning and Guo Baiyi.
Su Ling wanted to call them, but found that she really didn't have any strength at all.
Until Boning and Guo Baiyi strode over.
Boning's face was full of guilt, and he cupped his hands towards Su Lingyi and said: "Su Caopu, there is something delayed. Boning is late..."
Su Ling gasped for a while, then shook his head and said in a low voice: "It's not too late, I don't have to walk back to Longtai City... I don't even have the strength to step now."
Guo Baiyi held a lantern and shined it at Su Ling. His face turned extremely serious and he said, "What's going on? Why are you so seriously injured? You're bleeding from many places on your body..."
Su Ling wrote lightly: "I'm finally alive, isn't it? Is there a soft bed frame..."
"Hurry!..." Guo Baiyi looked solemn and waved behind him.
Four people had already carried the soft bed frame, and two more people from the Shadow Division carried Su Ling onto the soft bed.
Su Ling lay down and calmed down for a while, then closed his eyes and whispered softly: "Brother in white..."
Guo Baiyi hurriedly approached Su Ling and said, "Brother Su, if you have something to say, go back and talk."
With that said, he turned around and ordered Su Ling to be carried back to Longtai City.
Su Ling grabbed him and said urgently in a low voice: "The tea leaves were replaced with black/gunpowder..."
Both Guo Baiyi and Boning's expressions changed.
At the feet of the emperor, the royal city of Kyoto.
Black/gunpowder actually appeared. Such a thing is both serious and unbelievable.
"How many?..." Boning frowned.
"I don't know...there was a hole here before, a big hole, where they refined pure black/gunpowder...but I discovered it, and they simply gave up the hole."
It exploded, trying to bury me underneath... But I expected that they would need a lot of gunpowder to blow the hole, but they didn't care at all, which shows that they must have more in their hands..."
Guo Baiyi's expression changed, and he interrupted the conversation and said: "Brother Su is weak and needs to rest. He will go back to Longtai City first. If you have any questions, wait until tomorrow..."
As he spoke, he looked at Boning with a thoughtful look.
Boning immediately understood what Guo Baiyi meant, nodded quickly and said: "The wine sacrifice is absolutely right, go back first!"
Su Ling then closed his eyes again and let them carry him towards Longtai City.
Just after walking a few dozen steps, Su Ling suddenly opened his eyes and called out again: "Brother in white..."
"What's up......"
"There are no less than a hundred people's bones in the cave... Let's check... Starting from the missing people in Longtai City, ask any government office in Longtai. In the past three to five months, there have been
How many people have reported missing persons..." Su Ling whispered.
Guo Baiyi's expression became stern, his face became even more serious, and he whispered: "Okay, you have a good rest and leave this matter to me and Mr. Boning."
Lidya Su closed his eyes and nodded.
............
When Su Ling woke up, it was already three o'clock in the morning.
He lay on the bed and looked around.
It’s not good to live in your own house.
The charcoal stove next to the bed has burned out, and some remaining ashes are floating slightly.
However, it is sunny outside.
The sun shines through the window paper and fills the bed.
He actually felt a little warm.
He closed his eyes again and felt the warmth of the sun for a while, then slowly stood up.
I just felt like my whole body was numb, sour and weak.
This was already not easy. His whole body was buried by the collapsed rocks and soil last night.
If it weren't for Viper Gallbladder and Jiuni Dan.
He was afraid that he might even lose his life, not to mention that he could still get up and move.
He slowly walked to a table not far away and sat down.
There was tea on the table, so he poured it into his mouth and sucked it into his mouth.
Then he poured another one.
After drinking three drinks in a row, he felt that his condition was a little better.
He picked up the pen and paper next to him and started writing.
First piece of paper.
That's the prophecy.
The world is filled with snow, carrying heaven's blessings, being swept away by thunder and fire, and the great virtues flying to the heavens.
The handwriting is crooked and he is really not used to using a brush.
Second piece of paper.
Three words, Chengtianguan.
The third piece of paper.
The names of the four people are Yu Ji, Guan Ge, Xiao Jianshu and Yan Wugui.
The fourth sheet of paper.
Several places are written: Chengtian Temple, Two Immortals Temple, cave, secret passage, Ziyi Sect, and water transport terminal.
The last piece of paper.
There are only two things, tea and gunpowder.
Then Su Ling spread each piece of paper flat on the table.
His eyes were good, and he looked at them one after another several times with a slight frown.
These are all the clues Su Ling has now.
Or rather trivial, fragments.
What is the direct or indirect relationship between them?
The only thing that was certain was that the tea leaves were mixed into gunpowder, but he no longer knew how much gunpowder there was.
And what does the rest matter?
Su Ling was so dizzy thinking about it, but she didn't have any clues.
Su Ling was a little helpless, and shook his head with a wry smile.
Lao Luo, your romance secret book didn't write about these things.
At this moment, the door was slowly pushed open.
From the corner of Su Ling's eye, he saw Guo Baiyi and Boning.
He calmly rolled the piece of paper with Xiao Jianshu's names on it into a ball and put it in his sleeve.
Then he turned to greet the two people and said, "Here you go...sit down!"
Only then did Guo Baiyi and Boning sit down at the table.
Guo Baiyi looked at the papers on the table with writing on them, then smiled and said: "You should practice writing..."
Su Ling smiled awkwardly and said: "If I weren't afraid of missing some clues, I wouldn't be able to write. My words are so embarrassing..."
Su Ling then looked at the two of them with some annoyance and said, "Why did you two go so late yesterday? If I had gone earlier, I wouldn't be so miserable!"
Boning then apologized again: "I'm really sorry, Cao Yu. After my meeting with Brother Bai Yi yesterday, I quickly sent a team of people to the water transport terminal to catch Tan Jing. The other team, Bai Yi and I,
Brother, lead the team and follow the marks you left to find you."
Guo Baiyi said again: "Brother Su, you don't know. In Longtai City, according to the mark you left, we successfully left the north gate and headed towards Longtai Mountain... But right before we
Something went wrong when we were going up the mountain."
When Su Ling heard this, he looked stern and said, "What's wrong? What went wrong?"
Guo Baiyi frowned slightly and said, "Just as we were about to go up the mountain, a dozen purple-clad killers appeared!"
Su Ling nodded slightly when he heard this. He didn't seem surprised, but said in a low voice: "It seems that Brother White and I were targeted by the Purple Sect when we were at the dock. That's why they intercepted and killed you along the way."
"Purple Clothes Sect? What is this?" Boning asked in confusion.
Su Ling shook his head and said: "I don't know yet. The Purple Clothes Sect is the organization of these killers. Aren't they wearing the same purple clothes? I only know that the Purple Clothes Sect is cruel and easy to kill, and they have a left guardian, which is very strange.
He has great martial arts skills, and his name is Yan Wugui. As for who else is in their sect and who is the leader, I don't know."
Boning and Guo Baiyi looked at each other, both confused.
Su Ling smiled and said: "Even the Shadow Division doesn't know the origin of this Purple Clothes Sect, let alone me."
Guo Baiyi nodded and said: "Brother Boning will investigate this after we go back. Let's talk about us. After a hard battle, we killed those purple-clothed killers, but there are still more than a dozen of them hanging with us and going deep into the mountains.
, we chased all the way and lost our way, and the killers disappeared."
Boning sighed and said: "Now it seems that they are deliberately delaying us..."
Su Ling nodded and said, "I can't blame you..."
Then he told the story again, but of course he hid it.
All things about Xuanyuan Tinghe.
After hearing this, Guo Baiyi and Boning both sighed.
Guo Baiyi said with emotion: "Brother Su really just narrowly escaped death!"
Boning didn't speak. His usual sinister expression changed, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Guo Baiyi then said again: "I intercepted your message last night because..."
Su Ling nodded and said: "I'm afraid of leaking the news, I understand."
Guo Baiyi nodded and seemed to explain to Boning: "It's not that I don't believe in the shadows, it's just that we know very little about the enemies hiding in the dark, so it's always better to be careful."
Bonin nodded lightly to express his understanding.
Guo Baiyi thought for a while and then said: "According to what Brother Su saw and heard, if my prediction is correct, those three batches of tea were all mixed into black/gunpowder, which is already a huge amount. These people want so much black
/What does gunpowder do?”
Boning looked solemn and shook his head.
Su Ling was also puzzled and suddenly asked: "Can we still go in that cave? There is a secret passage..."
Guo Baiyi shook his head helplessly and said: "It collapsed and was buried. Not to mention going in. If Brother Su hadn't made it clear, it would have been difficult to even discover it."
Su Ling shook his head in frustration and said, "The secret passage should be very long, but it's hard to find out where it leads... What a pity."
Guo Baiyi and Boning also nodded.
Guo Baiyi added: "But now it is certain that it was the people of the Ziyi Sect who mixed the tea leaves, transported them to a cave in Longtai Mountain, refined the pure gunpowder, and then secretly transported it out of Longtai Mountain along the secret passage."
Su Ling nodded and said, "Yes, but these many pure gunpowders are more powerful. We have no idea where they put them and what they are going to do."
Boning looked a little ugly and said: "These things are due to the negligence of the Shadow Department. When I get back, I will start investigating immediately."
Su Ling nodded and said: "But there is Lord Lao Boning."
Boning said hurriedly: "Compared to Su Caoyu's narrow escape, this little thing is nothing."
Guo Baiyi thought for a while and said: "Brother Boning, until these things are clear, don't disturb Sikong. Sikong has been troubled by the north recently, so don't add any more trouble."
Bonin nodded slightly.
"Have you checked? How many people are missing in Beijing?" Su Ling suddenly asked.
Guo Baiyi and Boning looked at each other, their expressions becoming more solemn.
Guo Baiyi said in a deep voice: "You won't know if you don't check. I'll be shocked if you check."
Su Ling's expression changed and she said, "How much?"
Guo Baiyi sighed and said: "Last night and this morning, Brother Boning and I went to all the yamen in Beijing. There were countless missing persons cases registered in the yamen alone. After excluding the old cases, in the past five months, there have been
More than six hundred people are missing!”
"What... more than six hundred people!" Su Ling was a little unbelievable.
Bonin nodded and said: "Yes, this number is already unexpected, but these are still those who have reported to the official. If you add those who have not reported to the official, I am afraid it will be even more..."
Su Ling was stunned on the spot, suddenly shook his head and said: "That's not right, I see that pile of bones only contains about a hundred people, how could it..."
Guo Baiyi was also confused and said: "I don't know, maybe it's the missing people, about a hundred people died... It's just Su Ling, you know, these missing people are of different ages and family backgrounds."
, but they all have one common characteristic.”
"Common characteristics?" Su Ling looked at Guo Baiyi and said.
Guo Baiyi nodded and said: "Yes, all the missing people are craftsmen. Although there are stonemasons, carpenters, blacksmiths and other craftsmen who make a living, although the types are different, they are all craftsmen."
Su Ling was speechless for a while, then thought for a long time and said: "There are so many missing people, and they are all craftsmen. This is definitely not a coincidence. Then why does the Purple Clothes Sect need so many craftsmen? If you just want to make gunpowder, you only need to find someone who knows this craft.
Just be a craftsman, why..."
Guo Baiyi and Boning both shook their heads.
Guo Baiyi was a little confused: "After Brother Boning and I got hold of this news, we came to find you. According to you, what should we do next..."
Su Ling thought for a while and said: "First, we still need to keep an eye on the water transport terminal to see if there is any subcontracting happening. We need to send more experts to the water transport terminal. If there is one, we will arrest it immediately."
Boning nodded and said, "When we get back, I will report to Mr. Jian Shu and ask him to send more manpower."
Su Ling calmly waved his hand and said: "Master Jianshu, there are soldiers who have been marching for a long time, and they are not on the same level as Jianghu killers. It is better not to alert Master Jianshu about this matter. Only Lord Boning's Shadow Division can ambush and investigate outside."
That’s good.”
Boning thought for a while and said: "Okay, Su Caoyu has thought well."
Su Ling added: "Second, try your best to search for the missing craftsman. With such a huge group of people, there are no clues about why they are missing. I feel that apart from ghosts and gods, everyone has flaws. As long as we find one craftsman, many of them will be lost."
Everything can be solved easily."
Boning nodded and said: "This is natural. People from the Shadow Department and various government offices have already started to search for the person."
Su Ling nodded, thought for a while and then said: "The cave and the secret passage have collapsed, but the gunpowder is still there. I secretly visited and found out which houses and houses used less charcoal fires this winter than in previous years."
Su Ling added: "If there is a little less, don't worry about it. If there is a lot less charcoal fire than usual in winter, we must focus on secret investigation. The scope of this visit is only in the mansions of Beijing officials and nobles. Ordinary people should leave it alone."
"
Boning nodded, but Guo Baiyi asked doubtfully: "Why is Brother Su investigating these?"
Su Ling then smiled and said: "Gunpowder is afraid of open fire, and charcoal fire is a igniting thing! As we expected, the quantity of gunpowder is huge and cannot be hidden in ordinary people's homes. Only the residences of these imperial officials and nobles can.
hide."
Su Ling felt thirsty again, poured some tea and drank it himself: "Brother Bai Yi and Lord Boning, please think about it, this year winter comes early and the snow is heavy, so there is no reason for the officials and noble officials to reduce the cost of charcoal fires. If
Could the reason behind the massive decrease be related to gunpowder? Of course this is a hypothesis, and it may not be related, but we always have to follow the clues and find out!"
Only then did Guo Baiyi suddenly realize it, and he praised: "Brother Su is as careful as a hair, and he has thought about this so thoroughly! Baiyi admires him!"
There was very little expression on Boning's face. After Su Ling said these words, a look of great admiration appeared on his face.
Su Ling smiled and said: "I also thought of it on the spur of the moment..."
Su Ling and these two people thought about it carefully, and there was no other way. They could only follow these three plans first.
Seeing that these three things were settled, Su Ling asked, "Where is Tan Jingguan?"
Boning said: "In my Shadow Division, the Shadow Division has heavy soldiers watching, so nothing will happen."
Su Ling nodded and said, "Did you do it?"
Boning and Guo Baiyi both smiled helplessly.
Guo Baiyi said: "Bo Ning has interrogated me and asked him questions. This Tan Jing is like a toilet stone, smelly and hard. From the time he entered the Shadow Division prison until now, I have only said one thing, he is unjust...
..."
Su Ling squinted his eyes and said calmly: "The more it is like this, the more it means there is a problem."
He turned to Boning and said, "Sir Boning, I want to meet Tan Jing. Isn't it convenient?"
Boning nodded and said: "This is all official business, and Cao Yu is doing his best for Sikong. Why is there any inconvenience? Let's do it tonight. I'm afraid my men will come to pick you up tonight."
Su Ling nodded.
At this moment, Du Heng suddenly walked in and said: "Su Ling, you are really busy. You were like this yesterday. Today there are still people looking for you. You are in the front hall..."
Su Ling was stunned and said: "Is there anyone else looking for you? Who is it?"
Guo Baiyi and Boning also looked at Du Heng in confusion.
Du Heng scratched his head and said, "We have met this man before. He and Fang Xi have been here before, so we don't want to deal with him."
When Su Ling heard this, he was surprised and said: "Long Tai Ling... no, no, no, now it is Yang Shuzu, the chief craftsman!"
"What is he here for?"
Du Heng spread his hands and said, "I don't know. I think he won't leave until he sees you."
Su Ling, Guo Baiyi and Boning looked at each other.
Guo Baiyi and Boning then stood up and said: "When he comes, we can't be here anymore. Let's leave through the back door. Brother Su doesn't have to see him off."
The two then handed over and left.
Su Ling waited for them to leave, then said to Du Heng: "Is Yang Shuzu alone?"
Du Heng nodded.
Su Ling was exhausted physically and mentally, but he realized that he was working hard, so he had to brace himself and said: "Go and invite him to see me, and make some tea by the way."
Du Heng turned around and went out.
Not long after, he saw Yang Shuzu striding towards his house.
Su Ling reluctantly stood up to greet him.
But as soon as Yang Shuzu entered the house, he bowed to Su Ling and said: "Su Caopu, save me!..."