A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 290 Entering Langshan (11)

Song Shuyu touched her nose, her eyes darting around, her tone utterly innocent, "That's all Duan Qianzhong's fault, who told him to bring back fish..."

"grown ups!"

Mu Qingcheng, unable to bear it any longer, suddenly stood up and said, "Can't you act like a leader? If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. You need to set a good example and stop being so jealous and petty, blurring the lines between public and private matters!"

After saying that, she picked up the grilled fish and left without looking back.

"Officer Duan, the lord has an external injury and cannot eat any foods that may aggravate the injury. Please get him something else to eat."

"Hey, good!"

Duan Qianzhong was stunned for a moment when he heard Mu Qingcheng's instructions before he realized what was going on and quickly agreed.

Song Shuyu was both amused and exasperated. He probably was the first official in the entire court to be disliked by his subordinates for being unambitious!

Duan Qianzhong grilled a few slices of beef, heated up some flatbread, and made a simple version of a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). When he handed it to Song Shuyu, Song Shuyu warned Duan Qianzhong in a low voice, "If you ever see me with Master Mu in the future, close your eyes and sew your mouths shut. Otherwise, if Master Mu scolds me once, I will punish you! You will be demoted, have your salary reduced, and have your bonuses deducted!"

"Please calm down, my lord. I will remember this and never dare to do it again!" Duan Qianzhong's expression was worse than if he had swallowed a fly.

When Song Li returned with the food box, he saw that Lu Xun, Song Shuyu, and Mu Qingcheng were all alone, and the constables were eating quietly. The atmosphere around them was eerily quiet. He sighed silently and offered all the hot porridge and dishes to his mistress.

Mu Qingcheng paused for a moment, then called over Song Shuyu and Lu Xun, and the three of them ate a meal together in silence.

After lunch and a short rest, everyone immediately got to work on finding the coffin!
Unfortunately, after examining all fifty-plus hanging coffins, not a single bear of any color was found, let alone a red one!

The sun gradually sets in the west.

The orange-red glow of dawn slowly spread from the east side of the Great Wilderness Mountain.

Mu Qingcheng's bewildered gaze gradually cleared!
"Red... So this is what red is!"

Hearing the undisguised excitement in her voice, everyone stared intently at the moving rays of light, afraid of missing any change!
The rosy light first covered the big tree, and then continued to spread, enveloping the bull's head within it!

Everyone held their breath!

As the rosy light shone on the cliff face, the large tree, the bull's head, and one of the rectangular old hanging coffins formed a red triangle!
On the cliff face directly above the hanging coffin, a red bear was clearly visible!
Mu Qingcheng made a decisive move, leaping onto the lid of the hanging coffin and placing her palm on the red bear without hesitation!
An amazing scene unfolded!

As Mu Qingcheng intensified his power, the red bear slowly sank into the rock wall. The next moment, the rock wall made a sound of stones rubbing together, and then it shifted!

Mu Qingcheng withdrew his palm strike in time.

In an instant, the displacement stopped, and a cave as tall as a person appeared on the rock wall!
Mu Qingcheng peered into the depths of the cave. It was pitch black, and visibility was extremely low. She frowned and ordered, "My lord, we need torches for lighting!"

Before Song Shuyu could give any orders, Jiang Zhan and Duan Qianzhong led the constables into action.

Lu Xun's eyes were filled with worry. "Master Mu, there might be traps and hidden weapons inside. Don't go in rashly!"

“That’s right, you come down first. Once the torches are set up, let the guards scout ahead. They’re experienced and can handle it!” On the issue of safety, Song Shuyu and Lu Xun were on the same page and their opinions were quite unified.

Mu Qingcheng wasn't reckless or impulsive. She turned back and explained her plan, "We know nothing about the situation in Shenmo Village. We can't risk losing everyone and annihilating the entire force. Sir, you have an injury on your foot. Stay behind with some of the constables who can't keep up the speed. Oh, and Song Li must stay too. I reckon the man in black and Prince Shen are nearby..."

"No!" Song Shuyu interrupted her with a deep look, insisting, "Why did I request permission to leave the capital? My foot injury is just a superficial wound, not even as long as my little finger. Why worry? We'll discuss it further after the secret guards return from their investigation."

Mu Qingcheng sighed helplessly, "My lord..."

"Obey orders!" Song Shuyu's expression was stern, displaying his official authority.

Mu Qingcheng had no choice but to nod in agreement, "Yes!"

Just then, a dark shadow suddenly descended from the mountaintop!
"who!"

Lu Xun, who was facing the cliff, shouted sharply!
Song Shuyu and Mu Qingcheng hurriedly looked up. At that moment, dusk had fallen, and visibility was already poor. The black shadow swooped down with lightning speed. Before they could react, it had already entered the cave and disappeared!
The three exchanged a glance and spoke almost simultaneously: "Lin Jiao, the man in black!"

Immediately, Mu Qingcheng's face showed urgency, "There's no time to send the secret guards to investigate. Given Lin Jiao's actions, she might go on a killing spree for Liao Ruyi!"

"I'll chase him!"

Lu Xun left behind a sentence, then leaped up and flew into the cave, stepping on the coffin lid!

Song Shuyu roared, "Torch!"

The constables rushed over, carrying half-finished torches!
Song Shuyu took a torch and made swift and decisive arrangements: "Those who can go up, go up and enter the village! Those who can't go up, stay here to provide backup! If we haven't returned by midnight, immediately send people to Meishan County and Fengxian County to mobilize troops for rescue!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Jiang Zhan and Duan Qianzhong took the lead, and more than half of the other constables used the support of the hanging coffins to climb up into the cave.

The remaining eight people, whose martial arts skills were relatively weak, could not even climb a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) high, and their faces showed shame.

Song Shuyu handed the token of the Prefect of the Capital to Hou Yiping and instructed him, "For safety's sake, you should hide and not show yourselves easily."

"Yes!" Hou Yiping accepted the order, feeling ashamed but also grateful for the superior's consideration.

Once Song Shuyu, Mu Qingcheng, Song Li, the secret guards, and the guards from the Marquis of Huai'an's residence had all entered the cave, the eight well-trained constables divided into four groups and hid in four directions to keep watch.

Because Lin Jiao, the man in black, took the lead in making mistakes, it was actually a good thing amidst the bad things. All the flying arrows and hidden weapons on both sides of the cave were knocked down by Lin Jiao!

Relying on his senses, Lu Xun made his way through the darkness, walking for about half a mile before gradually seeing the light.

With the help of torches for illumination, Mu Qingcheng and his group moved at top speed and caught up with Lu Xun as they exited the cave!

However, before they could even greet each other, they heard the sound of swords clashing coming from the northwest!

Everyone immediately went to investigate the sound!

Under the cover of night, Shenmo Village seems to be under a dome, with fluorescent lights shimmering. The round top and square ground seem to be outside the mortal world, with colorful flowers everywhere!

Moreover, their chill seemed to be instantly dispelled, and they felt a surge of warmth, as if spring had arrived everywhere!
Song Shuyu exclaimed in surprise, "Qingcheng, could this be the 'Peach Blossom Spring' mentioned in ancient books?"

(End of this chapter)