Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rumors Gain Momentum and Waiting for the Rabbit to Come
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Not long after leaving the morgue, Lu Jing arrived at the rear courtyard of Wuling County Office.
Wuling’s magistrate, Pang Boqi, was a thin, middle-aged man with sparse whiskers and slightly prominent cheekbones. At that moment, he was in his study, listening to Lu Jing’s report while reading.
When Lu Jing had finished, Pang looked up at the constable seated on the couch. One hand rested against the couch table, propping up his body at an angle, while his attention seemed never to have left the book.
Without turning his gaze, Pang Boqi’s questioning voice rang out.
“Chief Constable Lu, although you were away some time ago, could it be that every man you trained is a useless glutton? Not only have you failed to apprehend the murderous bandits, but their methods have grown ever more brutal. Do you know your guilt?”
Lu Jing hurriedly cupped his hands and pleaded guilty.
“Your subordinate knows his fault! But I ask Your Honor to grant me a few more days. I will personally go and confront those villains... If I fail, punish me afterward!”
He paused before continuing.
“However, there seemed to be a new development the day before yesterday. One or two experts may have appeared among them. I do not know whether they are accomplices, but if they are, the matter will be troublesome. I hope Your Honor can assign us more men and allow the city’s martial artists to lend their aid!”
Pang Boqi set down his book and looked at the constable before him.
“Then, Chief Constable Lu, are you confident?”
Lu Jing hesitated. He thought of the corpses he had just seen. If that expert—or those experts—were also accomplices, the situation would be extremely grim. He therefore did not dare boast.
“I can only do my utmost.”
Pang Boqi gave a slight shake of his head.
“Those who died were merely idlers and ruffians who wandered outdoors after nightfall. I will leave this matter to you, but be sure to preserve your own safety. So long as you make a show of taking action, the bandits may realize the difficulty and withdraw...”
Lu Jing understood the magistrate’s meaning. With vicious bandits like these, if Wuling had little chance of capturing them, then the main goal should be to drive them away. After all, many bandits committed crimes wherever they wandered. If they went elsewhere, that would suffice.
Still, Lu Jing wanted to capture the criminals. He remained somewhat unwilling to concede, but for now he could only accept the order.
“Yes, Your Honor. I obey!”
-----------------
In Wuling, besides the vicious bandits who had thrown some people into a state of fear, a rumor about a Peach Blossom Valley had gradually begun circulating among certain circles over the past two days.
The source of the rumor was naturally the well-known Drunken Breeze House.
At that moment, a long-bearded man sat alone in the main hall, drinking by himself. As he drank, he hummed a tune, entertaining himself.
“A vulgar man, delighting alone~ Unwilling to return home and feed the fierce tiger~~~ Tsk-ha~”
The man took another sip, smacked his lips, and swayed his head from side to side.
Just then, he heard people at a nearby table apparently discussing some story. Their voices were loud enough that he could not help overhearing them, and by the end, he had developed a keen interest of his own.
He stopped drinking, turned sideways, and listened intently.
At a table not far away, several people were talking animatedly. The most enthusiastic among them was a man with a slightly reddened, wine-bloated nose.
“Ah, that Peach Blossom Valley is truly a wonderful place. I hear the mountains are beautiful, the waters are clear, and the people are kind. It is practically a paradise on earth. Those who live there are people from the age before the First Emperor...”
“What? We are already in the Great Jin. Where could people from the age before the First Emperor come from?”
“Ah, you don’t understand. They have lived in seclusion there since that ancient era and still believe the outside world follows the old imperial order. Naturally, they are people from that age!”
The two men eating and drinking at the same long table were completely captivated.
“Then how do you know? Have you seen it yourself?”
“Heh heh, of course I know. I also know that everyone there is an extraordinary person of rare talent. They are the very people the First Emperor sought while he ruled the realm, and they are all living in seclusion there...”
“You speak as though you have seen them yourself.”
“Then tell us, how large is the place? How many people live there? What can these extraordinary people do?”
“Er...”
The man who had been speaking so confidently was stumped. He slapped his head, unable to recall the details, then happened to see a server busy behind the counter and quickly called out.
“Hey, young fellow! Zhao, young fellow!”
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The server came over and glanced at the table in confusion. Before he could say anything, the man spoke first.
“Young fellow, tell us about that Peach Blossom Valley. I didn’t hear the whole story yesterday. What sort of extraordinary people live there? And how does one get there?”
The server chuckled. Creating a lively atmosphere was part of his work, and he enjoyed it as well. Naturally, he began speaking with great solemnity.
“Oh, there is quite a story to tell. Some people possess unsurpassed medical skills and understand every medicinal herb. Some are learned in countless books and versed in every school of thought. There are also masters of all kinds of crafts—skilled builders, brewers, artisans, cooks, and more besides, including talents I cannot even name!”
“Then how do you know all this?”
“Exactly. Aren’t you just making it up?”
“Me?”
The server pointed at himself and grinned.
“The day before yesterday, Young Master Zhao dined here with a friend. His companion loves to travel and often roams among strange mountains and wondrous rivers. After arriving in Wuling, he went boating for pleasure. Once he lost his way, he wandered into a strange stretch of mountains and waterways. In the end, by a fortunate accident, he found a peach grove. After passing through it, he discovered Peach Blossom Valley!”
“Young Master Zhao? Which Young Master Zhao?”
“Which one else could it be? Naturally, the Young Master Zhao related to our magistrate!”
“Oh... Go on, then!”
...
Not far away, the long-bearded man who had been drinking alone stroked his beard, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
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While the people of the city were eating dinner or seeking amusement, Lu Jing had already led constables from the county office, along with a group of martial artists and local hunters who had answered the authorities’ call, out of the city.
With Lu Jing and Zhang Gongwang, the two chief constables of the county office, at their head, the force numbered more than forty people. They had divided into two groups, and every man carried weapons along with various other tools.
Wuling had three main roads leading in and out. The southeastern gate was always crowded because of the harbor and was comparatively safe; no murders had occurred there before. Thus, the men focused their search on the areas beyond the southwestern and northeastern gates.
Zhang Gongwang led his people southwest, while Lu Jing took his men beyond the northeastern gate, where incidents had occurred more frequently.
More than twenty men followed Lu Jing. After they left the city, they could see the sun behind the mountains, already touching the ridge on the horizon. Half of Wuling still basked in sunlight.
The group pressed on without stopping, first reaching the site of the most recent murder—the place where Zhuang Lin and his companions had struck.
The bloodstains had long since dried, leaving behind only a few dark-red marks, but there was still reason to search the area.
“Woof... Woof, woof...”
The moment they arrived, several dogs held by the accompanying hunters began emitting threatening growls. One dark-coated hound in particular grew extremely agitated, repeatedly lunging forward.
Perhaps the hunting dogs, accustomed to drinking the fresh blood of wild beasts and devouring their entrails, had been stirred by the scent of blood.
The commotion naturally drew everyone’s attention and even startled the goshawk perched on a hunter’s shoulder into flapping its wings.
“What is it?”
A middle-aged hunter clung tightly to the leash and explained to Lu Jing.
“Chief Constable Lu, my four-brow hound seems unusually restless. It may have found something!”
“Oh? What makes you say that?”
Lu Jing’s eyes brightened as he examined the hunter’s dog.
It was a rather sturdy hound, black along the back and white beneath, with yellowish fur along the boundary between the two. Above its eyes were two patches of yellow fur resembling thick brows. Combined with its natural brows, they looked like two pairs of eyebrows, which was how the breed had earned the name four-brow hound.
The hunter thought for a moment.
“Let them sniff around. We may find something.”
“Good!”
Lu Jing agreed without hesitation. To solve a difficult murder, every possible method had to be tried.
The others made way for the hunters. Several of them led the dogs toward the crime scene, where the animals sniffed repeatedly at the ground before plunging into the depths of the grass.
“Woof! Woof, woof, woof~~~”
“Woof, woof~~”
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The dogs barked wildly nearby for a while. The hunters understood at once and immediately unfastened the leashes.
The instant they were freed, the hounds shot forward, and the hunters raced after them with equally swift strides.
“Follow them!”
Lu Jing hurriedly shouted. He had originally thought that, if they encountered the criminals, the hunters’ skill with the bow might prove useful. The bandits might include skilled archers, and although the county office had brought two crossbows, their accuracy was poor—nothing compared with men who made their living with bow and arrow.
He had not expected to uncover an unexpected lead.
At Lu Jing’s cry, everyone hurried after the dogs.
Those present were either hunters or martial artists, so their physical abilities were naturally exceptional. The dogs ran quickly, but the men did not fall far behind.
The trail led outward along the narrow path.
After they had pursued the hounds for several miles, the pack, led by the four-brow hound, suddenly darted off the path and ran toward a nearby riverbank.
“Woof, woof, woof... Woof, woof, woof...”
“Woof, woof, woof...”
The dogs barked incessantly at a large tree beside the riverbank. The more than twenty men who followed soon arrived as well, and several hunters reached the tree first, soothing the agitated animals.
Someone with sharp eyes spotted something in the grass nearby.
“Chief Constable Lu, there’s something over there!”
The shout drew everyone’s attention. Someone quickly parted the grass and discovered two bamboo rafts hidden within.
“So they came by water! There are two rafts, which means there must be more than one or two people!”
One of the county constables ground out the words through clenched teeth. Lu Jing and many of the others also stared grimly at the rafts before turning their eyes toward the river upstream and downstream.
The hunters, however, paid little attention to the rafts. The dogs were all barking furiously at the tree, which caused the hunters to look upward.
The tree was not particularly dense, and with the hunters’ keen eyes, it appeared that no one was hiding there.
The lead hunter studied the branches for a while, then exchanged a glance with one of his companions. The other gave a slight nod, reached to his left shoulder, and removed the clasp from the ring around the goshawk’s leg.
He stroked the hawk’s feathers, seemed to whisper a few words, pointed toward the tree, and then swept his finger around the surrounding area. Holding the hawk in his arm, he tossed it upward.
“Go.”
The goshawk beat its wings and rose into the air, releasing a piercing cry.
“Keer!”
The cry startled the group nearby. Most of them merely glanced over, however, and no one said anything.
After circling overhead for a while, the hawk flew toward the great tree below. It then burst out from the far side, circled once more, and returned to its master.
The hunter raised his arm, and the goshawk landed on his leather guard. A cord was now clutched in its talons.
“Whine... Woof, woof, woof...”
Several hunting dogs snarled at the cord.
“Chief Constable Lu, please examine this. It seems to have been left behind by the bandits!”
Lu Jing immediately went over and took the pale-gray cord from the hunter. He examined it carefully, then held it beneath his nose and sniffed. It carried a strong scent of rouge and cosmetics, along with what seemed to be a faint odor of something foul.
Could it have belonged to one of the women who had been abducted earlier? Why had it been left in the tree?
Lu Jing could not help raising his head to study the great tree once more.
Some time later, the group had agreed on a plan.
Since the bamboo rafts were hidden here, the criminals were probably still nearby. They were also very likely to return for the rafts. The men could lie in wait and ambush them nearby, catching them as they came.
This was a far more promising lead than Lu Jing’s original plan of simply relying on luck.