The Blade-Wielding Legend

Chapter 1418 730: The Missing Trio (Part 2)

The disappearance happened right on the day of the Academy's opening ceremony.

Perhaps it was even an illegal act…

They deliberately concealed it, no wonder the Captain Bureau couldn't find them.

At this point, Japanese demons are wreaking havoc in the city, it's very dangerous.

The three of them are no fools, what could make them willing to take such risks?

When Wang Daoxuan first accepted the task, it was out of friendship and boredom, but now his curiosity is piqued.

He glanced around and immediately noticed something unusual.

The Lin family's uncle and the young subordinate of Kuai Dayou appeared anxious.

But Uncle Lin's expression was somewhat peculiar.

Amidst his anxiety, there was a hint of unease, and his eyes flickered.

Wang Daoxuan, astute in understanding human nature, combined with the earlier events, had already formed a judgment. He said sternly, "Uncle Lin, are you hiding something from us?"

Uncle Lin's face turned pale, "No, no…"

Wang Daoxuan chuckled silently, "Are you afraid your young master has done something illegal?"

"Don't worry, given his current status in the Captain Bureau, as long as it's not murder or robbery, at most, he would receive a small punishment. But if something really went wrong and he got trapped somewhere, that would be disastrous and beyond rescue!"

"This… this…"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Lin became even more flustered, kneeling on the ground again with snot and tears streaming down, "Daoist Wang, it's all my fault, you have to save my young master, something big might have happened to them!"

Wang Daoxuan helped Uncle Lin up and said sternly, "Don't panic, speak clearly."

"Uncle Lin, how did your young master Kong Shangzhao, become acquainted with Lin Yu and Kuai Dayou, and what was the reason for their mysterious actions resulting in their disappearance? Tell us everything you know, no matter how big or small!"

Uncle Lin wiped his tears and spoke with a voice tinged with lingering fear:

"Reporting to Daoist Wang, this matter… it all started when Young Master Lin Yu approached us."

"About ten days ago, at noon, my young master was in the room transcribing an old government document when Young Master Lin burst in, carrying a bundle, acting mysteriously. He didn't even bother to evade me and directly said to my young master, 'Kong Bookworm, stop copying these useless things! I found something really odd!'"

"They went into the room to talk, and I vaguely heard something about the 'Rejuvenator'…"

"What?!"

Wang Daoxuan's eyes narrowed: "Did Fatty Lin mention what exactly it was?"

Uncle Lin tried hard to remember: "Young Master Lin didn't specifically say what kind of treasure it was, but when I went in to serve tea, I saw him take out an item from the bundle! That thing…"

As he spoke, a mixture of surprise and fear appeared on his face, "...was a damaged stone carving, resembling some kind of beast. But the beast's face was extremely bizarre, with its mouth grinning and eye sockets sunk deeply, especially with a third vertical eye on its forehead!"

"Just a glance made my hair stand on end, and I quickly went out to cook."

"Later, when I was serving the dishes, I vaguely heard Young Master Lin whispering about the 'Ghost Market', 'news from the Gray Line', and 'Yansheng Money matched', saying it's probably some evil thing from an ancient tomb… He also said that alone, with just his 'Eye Power', he couldn't figure it out, and needed a learned scholar like the young master with a deep understanding of ancient texts to help look up the records."

"And then?" Wang Daoxuan pursued the matter, feeling that something was amiss.

The Gray Line is the Golden Swallow Sect's spy, seems Fatty Lin got some information from the black market.

A three-eyed stone beast face…

I wonder what it is and how it's connected to the 'Rejuvenator'?

"And then?"

Uncle Lin sighed, "You know my young master, he can't resist strange tales, especially when it involves ancient artifacts and evil spirits. After what Young Master Lin said, how could he stay put? By that afternoon, he had gone off with Young Master Lin."

"I didn't follow, only later did I hear from my young master that they went to the Captain's Office!"

Wang Daoxuan raised an eyebrow: "The Captain's Office? Not the Library?"

Although the Captain's Office has archives and documents, access to confidential files is not something a scholar can casually get into.

After saying this, he turned to look at the Captain's Clerk.

The clerk hesitated for a moment and then spoke in a low voice, "It was Young Master Lin… I'm not sure what connections he employed! During that time, wasn't he associated with Mr. Yan, serving in the 'Museum Hall' of Qiankun Academy?"

"Apparently, he used the Academy's mission to collect and organize local historical records and odd stories as a pretext. The Lin family spent a lot of silver to smooth things over, and roped in Zhao Lvzi and his wife, who were responsible for mapping the Capital's Fengshui, as guarantors. Incredibly, they managed to get the young master and Young Master Lin into the places where the Captain Bureau and the Law Enforcement Hall stored old archives and miscellaneous secret books… Later, Master Kua also joined, his skills were exceptional, helping to restore and identify the damaged illustrations on those old books, so the government turned a blind eye…"

"Hmm."

Wang Daoxuan nodded, then looked at Uncle Lin, "And then your young master began researching the texts?"

"Indeed!"

Uncle Lin nodded repeatedly, his face showing a hint of helplessness and heartache, "From that day on, my young master seemed like a changed person! He… he was obsessed as if under a spell! He was in those few old libraries of the Captain Bureau and the Law Enforcement Hall every day from dawn to late at night, bringing back stacks of ancient scrolls, manuscripts, and maps taller than a person. Some of the books were rotten and moldy, but he didn't care in the least. He barely had two bites of food, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was completely fixated on those piles of books!"

"What specific books was he researching? Did he mention it?"

Wang Daoxuan knew the key clues were within those books.

Uncle Lin looked distressed, "I'm not sure."

"I remember some."

The clerk clasped his hands and said, "I often helped Mr. Kong, and heard him mention a few book titles."

"It was something like… 'Two Song Geography Demonic Strange Records', 'Collection of Evil Sacrificial Temples Along the Cao River'… and what else… 'Jin Dynasty Capital Demons and Strange Records'? Right, and a particularly thick one, with loose binding, he called 'Imperial City Roots Old Tales'."

Wang Daoxuan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Haven't heard of these, could they possibly be borrowed for me to see?"

The clerk's face looked troubled: "Some of these texts are very old, they are lone copies, fragments, or involve confidential records…"

Noticing the others' unfavorable expressions, he quickly changed his tone and said, "I'll go plead with Daoist Luo, it should be fine."

With that said, he turned and hurried away.

The waiting time was exceptionally long.

Unknowingly, night had fallen, and the evening wind swayed lanterns, the firelight flickering.

The courtyard was silent, with only the rustling of jujube leaves in the evening breeze, adding to the anxiety.

About half an hour later, the clerk finally returned, breathless.

Two attendants followed him, carrying two heavy wooden boxes into the courtyard.

The boxes were opened, revealing thick stacks of ancient copies of books or maps, the papers new or old, exuding an aged ink scent with a faint musty odor.

"Daoist, they are all here. All the ones Mr. Kong went through and of which copies could be found are here." The clerk bowed.

Wang Daoxuan nodded, "Thank you."

He then said to Uncle Lin and the others: "You retreat for now, Wu Ba, Three Legs, come with me to investigate!"

The oil lamps were lit, and Wang Daoxuan took a deep breath, discarding distracting thoughts, and began to peruse one by one.

He wasn't someone like Kong Shangzhao with exhaustive knowledge but had broader experience.

And the objective was clear—to find any information related to the three-eyed beast-faced Nuo Mask.

In 'Two Song Geography Demonic Strange Records', most entries were scattered evil sacrifices, with complex words, making it hard to pinpoint the focus. Upon flipping to a page about strange happenings in the Capital during the late Great Xing era of the previous dynasty, a clue was evident.

It depicted a group of people wearing sinister beast-shaped Nuo Masks, appearing maniacal, seemingly conducting some kind of exorcism ritual.

"Uncle Lin, have a look."

"Yes, it's precisely this thing!"

However, Wang Daoxuan could only shake his head helplessly.

The page had a location, but it was a Northern Song Bianjing temple that was destroyed.

The origin of the Nuo Masks was also not mentioned.

'Collection of Evil Sacrificial Temples Along the Cao River' was mixed in content, mostly about the Mortal God temples worshipped by fishermen and canal workers along the canal.

Wang Daoxuan quickly flipped through, reading at a glance.

Suddenly, a page detailing an abandoned temple beside the Tonghui River made him pause.

"…Three miles north of the ancient ferry on the Tonghui River, there is an abandoned shrine, with no main divine statue, only stone foundations remaining. Locals say that in the late Jin period, there stood a 'Nuoshen Temple', where 'Heavenly God', who possessed the Netherworld eye and could connect Yin Yang, was worshipped…"

"Every deep winter, there was an 'eye-opening' sacrifice, with blood scent soaring. Later, it was destroyed by divine retribution…"

"Now the site remains, filled with Yin Sha, avoided by both humans and animals…"