A Deal Flawed Through and Through

If he had truly been dead for two or three days, then who was tailing me? Or did the state of the face represent the true time of death, while the internal organs and body rotted that quickly? Did Chen Yuliang show a similar anomaly? Ding Songyan felt as though struck by lightning. Thought after thought flashed through his mind, yet his body remained frozen in place. "Isn't this Ding Erlang? Come to the yamen looking for Clerk Ding?" Beside the donkey cart, a constable spotted Ding Songyan standing nearby. Just under eight 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 to step closer. "Officer, I just heard you mention that Chen Yuliang of the Xiaochuan Gang was like this man too?" "Officer?" The constable was startled for a moment before bursting into a laugh. "It's just as Clerk Ding said—you were frightened out of your wits and caught the soul-departing illness. You always called me Brother Li before. Why the formality?" *My predecessor actually had some face with the constables... Xu Chang'an kept calling me Second Brother Ding, not just to butter up Qingyan, but probably out of regard for this connection as well. Tsk, that kid. Truly, never judge by appearances. He may not be deeply scheming, but he isn't without calculation...* Ding Songyan made an acknowledging sound. "Brother Li, bear with me, please." Only then did Constable Li answer Ding Songyan's earlier question: "Chen Yuliang was the same." "Was the other Xiaochuan Gang member who died back then like this too?" Ding Songyan recalled the red-nosed man slain by his eldest brother's punch. "Why are you asking about this?" The Xiaoming Sect disciple present looked warily at Ding Songyan. In his twenties, he had a square face that carried a stern, somber edge. Seeing Constable Li and the other constable—who had circled to the front of the donkey cart—eyeing him the same way, Ding Songyan pondered for a moment before saying, "I was involved in that business with Chen Yuliang." He planned to briefly recount what happened that day and, at the very end, try mentioning Yan Changqing in Zhen Manor's secret dungeon to see if it would succeed. Constable Li and the others turned solemn. "This soul-departing illness of mine came from severe shock, and the shock came from someone trying to murder me." Ding Songyan began with this, detailing how he escaped a fatal attempt, sought help from Zhen Manor, bluffed the red-nosed man, and forced Chen Yuliang—who was secretly checking the situation—to flee in panic, only to be trailed by Mr. Yu. Ding Songyan made no mention of *The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas*. He only said that as soon as the red-nosed man appeared, he questioned why Ding Songyan had returned to Dingjiang Prefecture instead of fleeing to the ends of the earth. In a few words, the man had also let slip that something was wrong with Chen Yuliang, but before clarifying what had really happened, everything was already over. As he described it, Ding Songyan did not conceal the possibility that there might be something suspicious about himself. This was deliberate. He hoped the Xiaoming Sect and the Yi clan would interrogate and investigate him now and then in the days ahead! If necessary, even arresting and locking him up wouldn't be out of the question. Hearing that the red-nosed man was killed by someone from Zhen Manor concealed in the blind spot behind a tree, the Xiaoming Sect disciple gave an imperceptible nod. "His name was Wang Yishu. When we took custody of his body, the torso and internal organs were also foul and rotten as though dead for two or three days. The face... the face was unrecognizable." *Uh...* Recalling how Wang Yishu had died, Ding Songyan felt that "unrecognizable face" was only to be expected. Whether one could even tell it was a face was another matter entirely. Having confirmed that the red-nosed man, Wang Yishu, also displayed the anomaly of excessive decay, a chill surged in Ding Songyan's heart. Though it was the sweltering heat of midsummer, he felt plunged into the depths of midwinter. Previously, he had thought that the matter of *The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas* was primarily suspicious in its origin, which might have led to his own death and that of Xu Chang'an's master, Zhang Rui. Yet looking at it now, the buyer harbored anomalies as well. The seller was fishy, the buyer was fishy—this entire transaction was flawed through and through! *Acting as the broker, could I have something wrong with me too?* Ding Songyan forced a bitter smile and said to Constable Li and the others, "It's a pity I suffer from this soul-departing illness, or I might remember key details." The subtext was clear: *Please, officials, pay closer attention to me.* "The Sishui Gang officially registered their feud with the Xiaochuan Gang last month. Wang Yishu's death falls under the rules of the jianghu, so it won't implicate you. Once the higher-ups give an answer regarding these anomalous deaths, we'll question you again." Constable Li patted Ding Songyan on the shoulder. "Relax. Nothing major will happen." *Nothing major might happen to the world, but as for my little life, that's hard to say...* Wearing a worried expression, Ding Songyan sharply picked up on a phrase and repeated, "The Sishui Gang registered their feud with the Xiaochuan Gang as early as last month?" "Right. They've had plenty of clashes over the past two or three months. Registering it means blood is about to be drawn," Constable Li explained casually, then added, "My name is Li Wu. Don't go forgetting it again, Ding Erlang." Ding Songyan thought for a moment. "Does the Xiaochuan Gang have a grandmaster?" "Yes, in the provincial capital." Li Wu frowned slightly, feeling Ding Erlang was asking too much. "Then why would the Xiaochuan Gang lock horns with the Sishui Gang in Dingjiang Prefecture? Old Master Zhen could crush them with one hand, couldn't he?" Ding Songyan voiced his doubt. The Xiaoming Sect disciple beside them said, "Perhaps the Xiaochuan Gang's grandmaster sneaked in secretly, hoping to set a trap and eliminate the aging Zhen Qianfan first." "I see." Ding Songyan asked no more and bade the three farewell. It was not until he walked out of the avenue where the county yamen stood that he realized he had "forgotten" to mention Zhen Manor's dungeon again. *My preliminary judgment is that Yan Changqing is a thief crying thief. It's unlikely that Zhen family spies could monitor me around the clock without me noticing being tailed...* Instead of his earlier anger and dread, Ding Songyan examined the situation with relative calm. For he discovered that, just as Yan Changqing had said, danger lurked on every side—and not from Zhen Manor alone. He even wondered if Yan Changqing had intentionally divined it through the path of divination, knowing that visiting the county yamen would expose him to these crises, and had deliberately manipulated his words to goad him into coming here. *If not for Yan Changqing's malicious heart and the obvious danger surrounding Zhen Manor, I'd genuinely want to learn his secret technique, learn his path of divination, and learn that art capable of infusing qi into the brain to affect another's mind.* *Setting Yan Changqing aside for now, Chen Yuliang is just as deeply suspicious.* *I can understand why Ding Erlang sold The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas to the Xiaochuan Gang instead of Zhen Manor after acquiring it. After all, Cousin Nuansheng is only a concubine, and Ding Erlang is dispensable to Zhen Manor. The chance of them silencing him was huge. The Xiaochuan Gang, on the other hand, would have scruples about Zhen Manor and might not dare kill him. Of course, that choice rested on Ding Erlang not knowing the conflict between the two gangs had escalated to a fever pitch and been registered with the yamen.* *Yet with the clash between the Xiaochuan Gang and the Sishui Gang so intense that it had reached official registration, Chen Yuliang still dared to buy a rare edition of The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas from Ding Erlang, who was practically halfway connected to Zhen Manor? How bold! Was he not afraid it was a trap set by Zhen Manor?* *If Zhen Manor had really set it up, they could turn around, discard a pawn like Ding Erlang, and report to the yamen that Chen Yuliang was suspected of possessing a complete edition of The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas. The entire Xiaochuan Gang would be in deep trouble.* *Combined with the bizarre state of Chen Yuliang's corpse, could he have been acting against his own will?* *Was the red-nosed Wang Yishu the same? Right—when I bluffed him, he answered so many questions in detail that I never expected, almost as if treating me like one of his own. Hiss... was he acting against his own will too?* To concentrate on his thoughts, Ding Songyan found a quiet curb and sat straight down without bothering to lift his robe. He now needed to deduce one thing: if he had never transmigrated and Ding Erlang had truly died, what would have happened next? *The Ding family would certainly have gone to Zhen Manor weeping and pleading. Zhen Manor would examine Ding Erlang's corpse, and without the interference of a transmigrator, they might actually have discovered something.* *If I were Old Master Zhen, since the feud had already been registered, then regardless of whether clues pointed to Chen Yuliang, I would take the opportunity to target the Xiaochuan Gang. Using revenge as an excuse, I could openly wage war. At that point, if the Xiaochuan Gang's grandmaster had indeed infiltrated Dingjiang Prefecture, Old Master Zhen would be forced to take action...* *Which means he would very likely leave Zhen Manor.* *And if he wasn't at Zhen Manor, someone could exploit the void and slip in?* *Would it be for Miss Xiaoqing's side and whatever brought the Zhenling Sect to Dingjiang Prefecture, or for Yan Changqing in the dungeon?* Deducing up to this point, Ding Songyan's spirits lifted. *So the one who killed Ding Erlang was the mastermind behind the scenes?* *Assuming the mastermind truly wanted to intensify the conflict between the Sishui Gang and the Xiaochuan Gang to force Old Master Zhen—retired for years—to leave the manor and strike, then after I took over this body like a cuckoo in the nest, what would he or they think?* *They would find my return from the dead bizarre. If matters weren't urgent yet, they might put things on hold temporarily to observe developments and avoid unforeseen disasters.* *Is that why that other group was tailing me?* *To interrupt the original plan, they had to contain the matter to Chen Yuliang buying The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas. That's why the red-nosed Wang Yishu spoke without holding anything back. That's why he and Chen Yuliang would have "disappeared" afterward even if they hadn't been killed on the spot. That's why Xu Chang'an's master died shortly after I came back to life—he was originally meant to be a clue left for Zhen Manor.* *As for the Xiaochuan Gang, since The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas was involved, they probably wouldn't make a move.* *But the problem is, the Xiaochuan Gang in Dingjiang Prefecture is practically being uprooted now, yet they show no reaction at all?* *Furthermore, did Chen Yuliang ever report the matter of The Esoteric Classic of Mountains and Seas up the ladder?* *Or could it be that the one who authenticated that copy as a complete edition wasn't Chen Yuliang, nor the Xiaochuan Gang's grandmaster, but the mastermind behind the scenes?* *And what was his purpose in speaking through Chen Yuliang's mouth?* Ding Songyan's head throbbed from all the thinking. He stood up and strolled slowly down the street. Now that he possessed a holistic understanding of the situation, he felt that whether his guesses were mostly right or mostly wrong, he at least had several directions to test and verify. What he feared most was a dense fog where he had strength but nowhere to exert it. *Now, I'm no longer someone who lacks even the strength to truss a goose. That strand of qi Yan Changqing gave me can be used twice, and its power should be remarkable.* *As for dispelling illusions, I must remain vigilant. What I see might not be reality beneath an illusion, but another layer of illusion Yan Changqing used to mislead me. Dispelling illusions... what is dispelled might not be the illusion at all.* *Still, regarding its effects in saving my life or harming enemies, Yan Changqing is unlikely to have lied. My death brings him no benefit whatsoever. On that point, he can be trusted.* Just as Ding Songyan let his thoughts drift, a familiar call suddenly sounded by his ear, the voice kept very low: "Ding Erlang..." *Miss Xiaoqing?* Quite naturally, Ding Songyan glanced around, yet found no sign of that figure bound to draw all eyes.