Heaven's Silence

Chapter 71 – Poisonous bee

In the evening, Chun Qiong hosted a banquet at the Mandarin Duck Tower, inviting Lu Chuan and some local dignitaries. Among them was the transport officer from Guanghan City, for whom the banquet was originally prepared. After the dinner, he was to set off, transporting Liu Jinshi's body and the case files back to Guanghan City for a second autopsy.

The sound of the zither lingered in the air. Si Xiaohong wore a plain white silk dress today. Although it was thin, the hall was well-lit and crowded, so she didn't feel cold.

Chun Qiong, Lu Chuan, and the transport officer Xun Cheng sat at a separate table, their quietness contrasting sharply with the surrounding noise.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone became more familiar with each other. Chun Qiong raised a glass to the transport officer and asked with a smile, "May I ask, Lord Xun, how many days will it take for Liu Jinshi's case to be resolved in Guanghan City?"

Transport officer Xun Cheng pondered for a moment and didn't hide anything: "The city lord has been quite busy lately. Although Liu Jinshi's case is significant, it will have to be delayed a bit. It will take at least three days, at most seven, to be resolved."

As Xun Cheng spoke, Chun Qiong's gaze occasionally drifted towards Lu Chuan. He held his wine glass without drinking, calculating the few safe days he had left.

Regardless of whether Wen Chaoshen's previous words were accurate, they had left a shadow in his heart. Chun Qiong felt he needed to take more precautions.

The reason he invited Lu Chuan today was to let him hear this.

Seeing Lu Chuan looking over, Chun Qiong hid the secret in his eyes, raised his glass with a smile, and drank the fine wine.

Since they had to travel, the banquet didn't last long. After eating and drinking, without time to enjoy the prepared songs and dances, Xun Cheng got up, patted his bulging belly, glanced around, and beckoned Chun Qiong over.

The latter obediently walked over. Xun Cheng made a subtle gesture, and Chun Qiong's eyes flickered. With a false smile, he took a money pouch from his sleeve and handed it to Xun Cheng. Weighing it, Xun Cheng's face lit up with joy as he tucked it into his sleeve and whispered to Chun Qiong, "Is Liu Jinshi's matter handled cleanly?"

Chun Qiong's body trembled slightly. Meeting Xun Cheng's gaze, he immediately realized that the transport officer was also a subordinate of the lord in the Royal City. His heart chilled, realizing that the lord's influence was vast, reaching even the Martial World and distant lands.

"It has been thoroughly investigated."

"If the lord is still worried, you can check it again on the way."

Xun Cheng took out a string of green prayer beads with his left hand, gently moving them, his slightly tipsy face becoming more serious.

"I can't check. There are White Dragon Guards outside. Once we enter Guanghan City, there will be no chance. The lord who promoted the city captain of Ke City used to be at the Book of Documents. After it was dismantled, his status didn't decrease but increased. He went to Yulong Mansion and became the Emperor's Sword, not getting along with our lord. If he finds out anything, it could cause a big stir."

"If you haven't completely settled things, I can find a reason to stay in the city for another day."

Chun Qiong thought for a moment and declined Xun Cheng's offer: "Rest assured, Lord Xun, there should be no problem."

Xun Cheng gave him a deep look, pondered for a moment, and then nodded: "Alright, you're from the Royal City, I trust you."

...

As the sun set, the falling snow intertwined into a faint mist, draping a barely-there veil over the starry sky, blocking the light of the stars and moon.

A Shui sat in the courtyard, placing the Baodaozi she hadn't drunk during the day in front of her. She turned to Wen Chaoshen, who had just finished practicing the Ageless Spring, and asked, "How was it today? Did you feel anything?"

Wen Chaoshen carefully sensed, his tone hesitant: "I'm not sure... A Shui, that night when I was practicing the Ageless Spring, did I really fall asleep?"

A Shui answered with certainty, "You were snoring like thunder."

Hearing this, Wen Chaoshen scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, "What about just now?"

A Shui opened the wine jar, the aroma of the liquor making her raise an eyebrow, "You didn't fall asleep just now."

The confusion on Wen Chaoshen's face deepened, and he said to A Shui, "But actually, my feelings were no different from that night."

A Shui stared at the wine jar in front of her, suddenly changing the topic, and asked Wen Chaoshen seriously, "Wen Chaoshen, since you started practicing calligraphy, have you not had money to buy wine?"

Seeing her so serious, Wen Chaoshen couldn't help but chuckle.

Even during the fierce battle in the snow that night, he hadn't seen such a serious expression on A Shui's face.

"Not quite, just need to buy a pen."

A Shui raised her chin slightly, curious, "Then how do you deal with ink and paper?"

Wen Chaoshen replied, "Water is easier to get than ink, and paper costs money. The blue stone slab in the courtyard is free."

"I'll dip in water and practice on the blue stone slab... Later, I'll find more thin, flat stone slabs, lay them in the courtyard, and it should be enough."

"Otherwise, with my little spare money, even if you don't buy wine, it wouldn't be enough for my expenses."

"By the way... charcoal can also be used as a pen."

As he said this, he seemed interested, pulled a half-burned stick from the stove, and went to the blue stone slab to seriously write the character '永' (eternity).

For him, using a hard pen was much more comfortable than a soft pen.

Even though he hadn't written in a long time, after a few crooked characters, he adapted again. On the smooth blue stone slab that A Shui had stepped on before, many black '永' characters appeared.

First practicing normally, then in reverse.

Wen Chaoshen tried writing the character '永' with a completely inverted technique. It was not only crooked but also very slow, looking entirely like a beginner in calligraphy.

The difficulty was high, only those who tried it themselves would know.

Meanwhile, A Shui, hearing that Wen Chaoshen only needed a pen to practice calligraphy, relaxed her furrowed brows and began to enjoy the jar of wine without worry.

As she drank, she recalled the discovery on Liu Jinshi's body and asked, "Wen Chaoshen, let me see the other clue found on Liu Jinshi."

Wen Chaoshen took out a piece of paper from his chest, wrapped it around a small stone on the ground, and tossed it to her. She caught it steadily and spread the clue on the table, examining it carefully.

"We can't go looking for it now."

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"We have more important things in hand, and there are too many spies from Wangchuan. If we leave the city rashly and get surrounded, the consequences could be severe."

"I'll teach Chun Qiong what to do next, let him spread the news. Once the news ferments, our situation will change."

"As long as the clue is in our hands, we will always be in control. How to weave this lie is up to us."

After saying this, he practiced calligraphy for a while longer, then thought of something and looked at A Shui, "A Shui, you're so skilled with weapons, your control over finger and wrist strength must be strong. You should be good at calligraphy too, right?"

A Shui shook her head.

"Not good, not bad. I haven't practiced much calligraphy. Although it's essentially about controlling finger and wrist strength, it should be the same, but it's actually not... The saying 'master one method, master all' is mostly just talk. In reality, different fields are like different worlds, not that easy to master."

"I've seen many people who are excellent with weapons, but their calligraphy is like ghostly scribbles."

Listening to her, Wen Chaoshen couldn't help but smile. As he returned to his senses, he suddenly saw a bee land lightly on the blue stone slab in front of him. The bee was entirely black, even its wings.

It stayed for a brief moment before taking flight again, moving swiftly towards the sky.

Whoosh!

Wen Chaoshen sensed something was wrong and instinctively swung the stick in his hand, actually knocking it down.

Looking at the dead bee on the ground, he was about to reach for it when A Shui, not far away, said, "Don't touch it, it's highly poisonous."

...