Blind Ghostwriter: Starts with the full level of Nine Yang Magic Skill

Chapter 232 The Murder Case Begins (8k words, please vote)

This day, early morning.

A torrential downpour was falling from the sky.

However, Gu Chudong and Li Li did not give up their original plan to visit Qingxi Lake. So, Li Li came to pick Gu Chudong up early in the morning to go out.

Gu Mo stayed indoors, playing the piano, as always, without going out.

He used to enjoy wood carving in his spare time, but now that he has learned the new skill of playing the piano, he has started to use it for leisure.

The rain was pouring down in the courtyard, and raindrops clung to the eaves like curtains.

Ye Jinglan hurriedly walked in, carrying a long sword on his back and wearing a bamboo hat, his expression very gloomy.

Gu Mo's zither playing stopped abruptly, and he asked, "Brother Ye, what happened?"

Ye Jinglan took off his bamboo hat and said in a deep voice, "Song Zichu is dead. The ghost city map he prepared over the years has been burned."

Gu Mo was slightly surprised and asked, "What happened?"

Ye Jinglan took a deep breath and said, "According to the Kyoto government, Song Zichu died from exhaustion after working without sleep for several days. The oil lamp he was holding fell onto the map when he died, causing the map to be burned."

Gu Mo frowned and asked, "Are you sure it was an accident?"

Ye Jinglan shook his head and said, "I just received a general message, and I don't know the specifics yet. I'm about to go to the scene to check it out. Brother Gu, are you going?"

"go."

Immediately, Gu Mo set off with Ye Jinglan, accompanied by more than a dozen constables from the Ministry of Justice, who, according to Ye Jinglan, were all experts in criminal investigation.

Lantian County was located within Chang'an City. To be precise, Chang'an City was originally composed of seven or eight counties in Chang'an Prefecture, and Lantian County was one of them.

Ye Jinglan led Gu Mo straight to the Song family.

The Song family's house was small, consisting of a small courtyard with side rooms on the left and right and a main house in the middle. At this time, the Song family's courtyard had been sealed off by a group of constables from the capital prefecture.

After Ye Jinglan showed his token to prove his identity, he was allowed to enter with his entourage.

Upon entering, one sees a corpse lying in the Song family's main hall, with a woman and two teenagers kneeling on the ground, weeping.

Ye Jinglan recognized the three people; they were Song Zichu's wife and two sons.

In the hall, there was a middle-aged man dressed in official robes. He was thin, and his black official robes were covered with dust. He had deep-set eyes and sharp gaze. He was kneeling beside the corpse, examining it intently. His slightly graying hair was casually tied up, and he had a wisp of beard on his chin. He was talking in a low voice, and a young man next to him was taking notes.

As Ye Jinglan walked into the house, he said to Gu Mo, "That man is called Su Ziyou. He is the chief criminal investigator of the Kyoto Prefecture and a famous criminal investigation expert."

Ye Jinglan was a martial arts master. He knew that with Gu Mo's cultivation level, even if he couldn't see, he could still clearly identify the people around him. So he simply pointed slightly and continued, "In terms of official rank, this person is two ranks higher than me!"

Gu Mo nodded slightly. The Prefectural Judge was a fourth-rank official, while Ye Jinglan was only a fifth-rank official, two ranks lower than Su Ziyou. However, that was only in theory. Although both were officials in the capital, Ye Jinglan held a position in one of the six ministries of the court, while Su Ziyou was only a prefectural official. They were not comparable at all.

"Chief Inspector Su!" Ye Jinglan greeted him with a bow as he entered.

Su Ziyou quickly stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Ye Jinglan, and said in a very polite tone, "Doctor Ye, is your Ministry of Justice going to take over this case?"

Ye Jinglan quickly said, "Chief Inspector Su, you misunderstand. I came in my personal capacity and did not have any mission from the Ministry of Justice. I am good friends with Brother Song Zichu, and when I heard that something had happened to him, I came here specifically to find out what was going on. Um, Chief Inspector Su, what were the results of the coroner's autopsy?"

“Sudden death,” Su Ziyou said. “The coroner has examined the body and concluded that it was a sudden death. According to the Song family’s description of County Magistrate Song before his death last night, it was indeed a sudden death.”

Ye Jinglan asked, "What exactly happened back then?"

Su Ziyou glanced at the grieving Su family members kneeling on the ground and sighed softly. He beckoned Ye Jinglan to come aside and explain in detail. Seeing Gu Mo beside Ye Jinglan, he asked in confusion, "Who is this?"

Ye Jinglan quickly introduced, "I forgot to introduce you, Su Tixing, and this is Gu Mo, the great hero of Yunzhou, who is also a friend of County Magistrate Song."

Su Ziyou quickly cupped his hands and said, "So you are the famous hero of Yunzhou! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

Gu Mo returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said, "I've long admired you."

After the two exchanged greetings, Su Ziyou said, "According to Song County Magistrate's wife and children, as well as the servants in his household, Song County Magistrate has been studying the map of Ghost City day and night recently. Last night it was at the end of the Chou hour (1-3 AM)."

Su Ziyou pointed to the study in the west wing and said, "In that room, County Magistrate Song was studying the map as he had been the past few days. Suddenly, he started shouting and yelling things like 'Demon, take this!' and 'Demon, you deserve to die!' He was slashing wildly in the courtyard with his sword, and at times he was shouting things like 'Big Sister' and 'Second Brother.'"

At the time, Madam Song and several servants guessed that County Magistrate Song was probably suffering from hysteria. However, since he was highly skilled in martial arts and wielding a sword, they dared not stop him. They could only send someone to the county government office for help while simultaneously fetching a doctor. But shortly afterward, County Magistrate Song collapsed, vomiting blood. By the time the doctor arrived, it was too late to save him!

Ye Jinglan asked, "Is there anything suspicious?"

Su Ziyou said, "There is none on the surface."

Ye Jinglan asked in confusion, "What do you mean by 'on the surface'?"

Su Ziyou said, "On the surface, whether it was the doctor's examination or the coroner's autopsy, the result was that County Magistrate Song was too engrossed and died suddenly from exhaustion. The reason why he shouted was a very common phenomenon. Many people who die suddenly will have some extreme reactions and do strange things before they die, as if they have a moment of lucidity."

Ye Jinglan said in a deep voice, "Chief Inspector Su, do you mean there are other things that aren't out in the open?"

Su Ziyou nodded slightly, stroked the little mustache on his chin, and said, "However, this is just my personal doubt. As far as I know, Song Zichu, the county magistrate, is a disciple of Qi Miaoxuan, the medicine saint of Qingzhou."

Although he was not a specialist in medicine, his skills were quite good, and he could easily treat common ailments. He was well-known in the Lantian County government office, and many people who were injured or sick would not go to a doctor but would go to County Magistrate Song.

Furthermore, County Magistrate Song possessed exceptional martial arts skills, specializing in internal energy cultivation. Such a person should have been very aware of his physical condition; it's unlikely he wouldn't have realized he was on the verge of death from exhaustion.

Ye Jinglan nodded and said, "Now that you mention it, I also find it a bit strange. I've fought with Brother Song before, and his internal strength is extremely profound, placing him among the top-tier in the martial arts world. Coupled with his medical skills, it's unlikely that he would suddenly die like this. Could someone have poisoned him?"

Su Ziyou said, "No traces of toxins were found."

Ye Jinglan turned to look at Gu Mo and said, "Brother Gu, why don't you go get checked out? Last year, after Elder Qi returned to Spring God Valley from the Northern Desert, he praised your talent to me many times, saying that your medical skills had reached the top level in a short period of time. Moreover, your internal strength is profound, which, combined with your medical skills, makes you even more powerful. Few people in the martial arts world can match you!"

"Elder Qi is too kind!" Gu Mo waved his hand and said, "I have indeed studied medicine. I received a lot of guidance from Elder Qi when I was in the Northern Desert, which is why I am barely able to show my skills."

Although Gu Mo's words were humble, the guidance he received from Qi Miaoxuan during the days he spent in the Northern Desert treating the Second Prince Li Zhongqing's poison did indeed greatly benefit Gu Mo in his medical skills.

Ye Jinglan waved his hand and said, "Brother Gu, there's no need for you to be modest. Old Master Qi is a contemporary medical sage and a grandmaster of medicine. He is among the top medical experts in the world. Since he is praising your medical skills, then your medical skills are definitely unparalleled in the world."

Gu Mo didn't say anything more. He walked straight to Song Zichu's body, placed his hand on the corpse's wrist, and then channeled a stream of true energy into the body, circulating it through the eight extraordinary meridians. Gu Mo immediately understood Song Zichu's physical condition.

It was absolutely due to overwork.

Song Zichu's vital energy far surpassed that of ordinary people. Although his vital energy dissipated after death, traces remained. However, there were no toxins present. Based on the various traces of vital energy flow in Song Zichu's body, as well as the cracks in his meridians and heart vessels, it can be concluded that he died suddenly from exhaustion. Before his death, his heart vessels had atrophied, leading to the compression of vital energy and blood, resulting in a state of hyperactivity.

"Brother Gu, have you made any discoveries?" Ye Jinglan asked.

Gu Mo shook his head slightly and said, "Let's go check out the room where County Magistrate Song died. If there's something fishy about his death, then something must have happened while he was still in the room."

Ye Jinglan asked Su Ziyou, "Is there anything unusual in that room? Is there any left of that map?"

Su Ziyou shook his head and said, "Judging from the traces at the scene, County Magistrate Song was holding an oil lamp and looking at the map at the time, but he didn't know that his body was about to give out. When he finally broke out, the oil lamp in his hand fell onto the map."

To preserve the map, County Magistrate Song had it made on oiled paper, a highly flammable material. The falling oil lamp was like adding fuel to the fire, and the map was completely burned.

While talking,

The three of them walked side by side into the study.

As soon as Gu Mo entered, he sniffed the air and smelled the scent of Yunlu sandalwood again. Since arriving in the capital, he had been dealing with Yunlu sandalwood every day. When he was at the Imperial Preceptor's residence, Zhang Daoyi also liked to use Yunlu sandalwood. When he stayed at Ye Jinglan's house, Ye Jinglan specially bought a large quantity at a high price because Gu Chudong liked it.

However, he doesn't like sandalwood, so he's now reacting somewhat excessively to the scent of this Yunlu sandalwood.

However, the scent of sandalwood in this room was very faint.

On the contrary, Gu Mo thought it was not bad.

The group began to search the room. Of course, it was mainly Ye Jinglan and Su Ziyou who were doing the searching, because Gu Mo didn't know how to investigate cases or how to look for clues, and his eyes were covered with a black cloth.

After checking for quite a while,
There was no gain whatsoever.

The group came out, and Su Ziyou suddenly asked, "Master Gu, did you smell something unpleasant in the room just now?"

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "Why do you say that?"

Su Ziyou said, "When you came in earlier, you sniffed lightly and frowned slightly for a moment, as if you smelled something that made you uncomfortable."

"Chief Inspector Su is truly observant, with keen insight. No wonder he has solved so many extraordinary cases." After praising him a few times, Gu Mo said, "It's not that I smelled anything unpleasant. It's just that I personally don't like sandalwood, so the smell of sandalwood makes me feel a little uncomfortable!"

"Sandalwood?" Su Ziyou asked in surprise, "Did this study smell of sandalwood just now?"

“Yes,” Gu Mo said, “it’s Yunlu sandalwood, a specialty of the capital. However, the Yunlu sandalwood in that study just now had a light fragrance, but the scent was very faint, quite different from the rich scent of regular sandalwood.”

Su Ziyou asked doubtfully, "Master Gu, are you sure you smelled the scent of Yunlu sandalwood? It's not the scent you and Lord Ye brought?"

“No,” Gu Mo shook his head and said, “I am a doctor and I am very sensitive to smells. Moreover, the scent of sandalwood in this study is significantly weaker than the sandalwood scent on me and Brother Ye.”

Su Ziyou's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately rushed back to the study, searching everywhere inside.

Ye Jinglan and Gu Mo were both puzzled.

Su Ziyou searched the study for a while but found nothing. He then hurriedly ran out of the room and went straight to the main room. Looking at Madam Song kneeling on the ground, he asked, "Madam Song, where is your family's Yunlu sandalwood incense?"

Madam Song, her eyes red and blurry with tears, raised her head and said, "Chief Su, we don't have any Yunlu sandalwood. Yunlu sandalwood costs tens of taels of silver per tael, and my master's monthly salary is only that much. How can we afford Yunlu sandalwood?"

Su Ziyou stared into Madam Song's eyes and asked, "Really not?"

Madam Song's eyes darted around, but she still nodded and said, "Really, no."

"it is good."

Su Ziyou nodded slightly, stood up, and said to the servant who was taking notes, "Examination complete. Cause of death: sudden death. Pass the word down, dismiss the team!"

Then, Su Ziyou stood up and said to Ye Jinglan, "Lord Ye, that concludes the matter here in the capital prefecture. The case of County Magistrate Song's death can be closed; it was a sudden death. If your Ministry of Justice wishes to investigate, I will compile the case file as soon as I return. Farewell!"

After saying this, Su Ziyou bowed and left.

"Chief Su, wait a moment, I'm leaving too. Shall we travel together?"

immediately,

Ye Jinglan inquired about the map from Madam Song and learned that there was only one map and no backup. Ye Jinglan then left a few people to help with Song Zichu's funeral arrangements, said goodbye to Madam Song, and left.

Gu Mo naturally left with Ye Jinglan.

The group went outside, where it was still pouring rain.

The group put on their straw hats and left in the rain.

Ye Jinglan walked to Su Ziyou's side and asked, "Chief Inspector Su, have you discovered something?"

Su Ziyou said in a deep voice, "Madam Song was lying just now." Ye Jinglan said, "I could tell. When she was answering your question just now, her eyes were darting around, her heart was racing, and her breathing was rapid. She was obviously lying."

Gu Mo, who was standing to the side, chuckled. He also easily realized that Madam Song was lying.

It can only be said that ordinary people have very little room to lie in front of martial arts masters.

Su Ziyou said, "Lord Ye, I will secretly send someone to investigate the finances of this Madam Song and County Lieutenant Song. Given County Lieutenant Song's salary, he shouldn't be able to afford Yunlu sandalwood incense. This is the first suspicious point."

The second point of suspicion is that someone seems to have deliberately concealed the scent of Yunlu sandalwood. If it weren't for Master Gu smelling it, we wouldn't have been able to detect it at all. In another day or two, we would no longer be able to smell the scent, and this clue would never appear.

The third point of suspicion is that Madam Song lied.

Ye Jinglan asked, "Why not just interrogate Madam Song directly? She's just a woman; a little intimidation will make her reveal the truth."

Su Ziyou shook his head and said, "If it is said that County Magistrate Song secretly used his power to accept bribes, and Madam Song lied to cover for him and protect his reputation, then it is a small matter, and it is fine to interrogate him directly."

However, I'm worried there might be a conspiracy behind this, that Madam Song conspired with others to murder County Magistrate Song. If we interrogate him directly, it might alert the mastermind and cause trouble.

Ye Jinglan asked doubtfully, "But you just mentioned Yunlu sandalwood to Madam Song, she will definitely be wary."

“I did it on purpose!” Su Ziyou said, “Most cases, when they can’t move forward, are because the murderer leaves a clue in order to cover up the existing evidence.”

"I see!" Ye Jinglan exclaimed in realization, then said, "Chief Inspector Su, please let me know as soon as there is any progress."

Su Ziyou glanced at Ye Jinglan, a deep look flashing in his eyes, and nodded slightly, saying, "If there is any progress on my end, I will definitely let you know!"

"Thank you!"

The group traveled together for a while before parting ways.

After Su Ziyou left,
Ye Jinglan sighed and said, "Brother Gu, I'm very confused right now. I both hope that Brother Song's death was just an accident, and I don't want it to be an accident."

Gu Mo asked, "Why do you say that?"

Ye Jinglan said in a deep voice, "If it was just an accident, it would mean that the Ghost City map is now destroyed and it is unlikely that a second one will appear. The task of capturing the human-faced monster will probably have to be put on hold. Therefore, I don't want it to be an accident."

Because if it wasn't an accident, it means that Brother Song might have died because of the Ghost City map, or possibly because of the human-faced monster. If he died because of the human-faced monster, it indirectly suggests that the human-faced monster wasn't the simple murderer everyone thought it was, but rather someone was manipulating things behind the scenes. This is another clue.

Gu Mo said, "However, it is more likely that it is neither an accident nor because of the human-faced monster, but because of the Ghost City map. If the Ghost City map is really completed, it will be a huge disaster for the underground forces in the Ghost City."

Ye Jinglan said in a deep voice, "No one believed that Brother Song could succeed before."

Gu Mo shook his head and said, "That was before. Now, don't you believe it? Even the mighty Ye Jinglan believes it, so isn't it normal for others to believe it too?"

Ye Jinglan sighed and said, "That's why I don't want Brother Song's death to be an accident. Because if it really wasn't an accident, but was killed by someone else, it's very likely that he died because of me!"

"What if I really die because of you?" Gu Mo asked.

Ye Jinglan said in a deep voice, "I will investigate to the end, and at the same time, I will do everything I can to fulfill Brother Song's wish. I can't completely destroy the human trafficking industry chain in Ghost City, but I will do my best to kill the biggest human trafficker in Ghost City—the Smiling Buddha!"

Just then, a system notification sounded in Gu Mo's mind:

【New target detected】

[Wanted Target - Smiling Buddha]

[Mission Level—Five Stars]

[Quest Reward - Max Level: The World Loses Its Color]

……

When you see this reward

Gu Mo was slightly taken aback, because the martial art of "World Loses Color" was somewhat special.

It's not that this martial art is particularly powerful, but rather that it is very unique, and its abilities are somewhat similar to a domain.

This martial art, originating from "Qin's Moon," is based on the concept of "Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs." By releasing pure internal energy to cover the surroundings, it transforms the "ruthlessness" of nature into a killing move, forming a domain-like existence that makes things within a certain space around the user infinitely slow down, almost to the point of stillness. The scene turns dark gray, as if all things have lost their vitality.

In terms of efficacy, it can cause numbness and weakness of the five senses, sluggish thinking, and slowed movements in the area covered by this move. It is a technique used by Qi practitioners.

However, this martial art also has many flaws.
It can effectively suppress or even instantly kill ordinary experts, but it has little effect on truly top-tier experts. In fact, if one relies on it too much, one might even be countered.

The abilities of this martial art are quite similar to the battle qi system of this world. However, battle qi relies on the environment, leadership ability, army morale, formation completion, and so on, forming an absolute domain.

The color loss of heaven and earth depends on the user's skill level.

Suddenly,
Gu Mo suddenly felt that the flaws weren't so bad anymore, because his skill was high enough that the power of the "World Loses Color" spell in his hands was naturally incomparable to what it used to be.

……

"Brother Gu, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing Gu Mo in a daze, Ye Jinglan asked him in confusion.

Gu Mo smiled slightly and said, "I was wondering, if you really are going to kill the Smiling Buddha later, Brother Ye, would you call me?"

Ye Jinglan shook his head and said, "No, because if Brother Song died because of me, it would be my duty to fulfill his last wish. And that Smiling Buddha is no ordinary person. His influence in Ghost City is deeply rooted, and he has a very high degree of control over Ghost City. He has countless experts under his command and has always been hiding in Ghost City."

No matter who it is, even if you, Brother Gu, possess unparalleled martial arts skills, it would be extremely dangerous for you to go to Ghost City to kill the Smiling Buddha. Therefore, I will not call you.”

Gu Mo said, "I like killing wanted criminals."

“I know,” Ye Jinglan said.

Gu Mo continued, "Brother Ye, do you know that in the martial arts world these days, it takes at least ten thousand taels of silver or something that satisfies me to ask me to help? For example, Pei Yuanzhen asked me to help deal with the head manager so that I could get a chance to enter the Ascension Platform and take a look."

“I’ve heard of it,” Ye Jinglan said.

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "But, Brother Ye, as soon as you called me, even without mentioning the Blood-Handed Qin Master Shang Wujiu, I immediately agreed to come to the capital. Do you know why?"

Ye Jinglan shook her head slightly.

Gu Mo chuckled, "Because I don't admire many people, and you happen to be one of them. So, when you're killing the Smiling Buddha, be sure to call me along. When you're with a friend, doing something you enjoy, why worry about danger? Brother Ye, you're being too attached to appearances!"

The rain was torrential, and the mist was thick.
Ye Jinglan's body trembled slightly as he looked at Gu Mo's hazy figure riding ahead. He suddenly chuckled softly, then laughed again, and shouted, "Brother Gu, wait for me!"

……

Gu Mo originally thought that it would take some time for Su Ziyou to make progress, but to his surprise, Su Ziyou came to Ye Jinglan's house to visit early the next morning.

However, Ye Jinglan had already gone to the Ministry of Justice to take his shift.

Upon learning from the Ye family servants that Gu Mo was at home, Su Ziyou requested an audience with Gu Mo.

Led by the servants of the Ye family, Su Ziyou arrived at the courtyard where Gu Mo lived. As soon as he entered, he saw Gu Chudong practicing his sword and quickly bowed.

However, Gu Chudong was in a state of complete absorption and paid no attention to Su Ziyou.

"My sister is quite engrossed in practicing her swordsmanship, please forgive her, Chief Justice Su!" Gu Mo said, standing at the door.

Today is the day Princess Chengyang is to enter the palace to pay her respects to the Emperor and Empress and have a family banquet, so Gu Chudong did not go out shopping or sightseeing today.

"Oh, so this is the boning knife lady, Gu! I've heard so much about you!" Su Ziyou said quickly.

"Boning knife?" Gu Mo asked, somewhat surprised, "My little sister has that nickname in the martial arts world?"

Su Ziyou asked in confusion, "Doesn't Master Gu know?"

"Never heard of it," Gu Mo said with a smile.

Su Ziyou walked into the room and said, "There are rumors in the martial arts world that although Miss Gu is naturally beautiful, she is cold and aloof, hates evil as if it were her enemy, and is extremely ruthless when dealing with villains. Her knife skills are incredibly fast, and many villains in the martial arts world have been reduced to bones by her. Therefore, she has gradually become known as the Bone-Scraping Knife!"

Gu Mo thought about it carefully and had to admit that although the nickname "Bonecrusher" wasn't very flattering, it did suit his younger sister quite well. She was truly ruthless. Although she was young and seemed a bit slow-witted, she never hesitated when killing. And since she learned the Extinction Cross Knife Technique, quite a few people had been reduced to bones by her.

"Isn't that a bit too harsh?"

Gu Mo muttered to himself for a moment, then didn't think much of it. In the world of martial arts, being ruthless isn't a problem.

"Chief Inspector Su," Gu Mo poured Su Ziyou a cup of tea and asked, "You came to see Brother Ye today because there has been any progress in the case of County Magistrate Song?"

Su Ziyou nodded and said, "It's been investigated. Madam Song did have a problem, but it's not related to the death of County Magistrate Song. Because County Magistrate Song was very obsessed with drawing a complete map of the ghost city, he was often on edge and couldn't sleep for nights on end, and his health was getting worse and worse."

Feeling sorry for her husband, Madam Song, on a friend's recommendation, bought some sandalwood from Yunlu for County Magistrate Song to use. She discovered that Yunlu sandalwood had a remarkable effect on calming the mind and soothing the nerves. However, Yunlu sandalwood was very expensive, and its long-term use had exhausted Madam Song's dowry. She even borrowed a lot from her family, but it still couldn't last long.

But Madam Song couldn't bear to see her husband suffer from insomnia again, so she secretly used her position as County Lieutenant Song to accept bribes and do favors for others. As for County Lieutenant Song, everyone knew he was obsessed; he had no time to pay attention to what Madam Song was doing, his mind was solely focused on perfecting the ghost town map.

Gu Mo suddenly realized, "So, Madam Song was worried about being found out about accepting bribes, which is why she lied yesterday."

Su Ziyou nodded and said, "That's right. Yesterday, because I pressed Madam Song for information about Yunlu sandalwood, she became a little scared. She had some Yunlu sandalwood hidden at home, and she couldn't bear to destroy it directly, so she thought of selling it to someone else at a low price. Then I caught her red-handed, and she had no choice but to explain the whole story."

Gu Mo said, "In other words, County Magistrate Song did indeed die in an accident."

"On the surface, that is indeed the case," Su Ziyou replied.

Gu Mo asked in surprise, "Why is it still in the open?"

Su Ziyou said, "Because on the night that County Magistrate Song died, he used Yunlu sandalwood. According to the time that the fragrance of Yunlu sandalwood lasts, it shouldn't have dissipated so quickly when we went to investigate yesterday, and it's even more unlikely that among so many people at the time, only you, Master Gu, could smell it."

Therefore, someone must have deliberately used methods to dispel the scent of Yunlu sandalwood, not wanting us to notice this clue. However, I have already interrogated Madam Song, and I can confirm that it wasn't her; she certainly didn't have the ability to completely remove the scent of Yunlu sandalwood!

Gu Mo frowned slightly and said, "That means that County Magistrate Song was murdered, and the current clue is Yunlu Sandalwood."

Su Ziyou said, "I sent the sandalwood from Madam Song to the government office for a specialist to examine it. They found traces of Datura stramonium pollen in it. Datura stramonium is a rare flower that grows deep in the miasma of the Hundred Thousand Mountains in the southern border region. The flower is shaped like a butterfly flapping its wings, and the petals are translucent with iridescent colors. The pollen it produces has a strong hallucinogenic effect and is extremely rare."

Therefore, considering the strange behavior of County Magistrate Song before his death, it can be concluded that he fell into a hallucination due to smelling a large amount of pollen from the Datura stramonium in the River of Oblivion.

Gu Mo quickly asked, "Then why not just arrest the people selling Yunlu sandalwood?"

Su Ziyou shook his head and said, "That's why I'm in such a hurry to see Lord Ye. I found out from Madam Song that she didn't buy the Yunlu sandalwood through legitimate channels, because Yunlu sandalwood is too expensive through legitimate channels. She bought it in Ghost City."

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "Does Ghost City also sell Yunlu sandalwood?"

Su Ziyou nodded and said, "Ghost City has everything. This Yunlu sandalwood is more valuable than gold. Many people in Ghost City take risks, stealing, robbing, or counterfeiting. Those shady things can't be sold openly in the market, so they can only be sold at low prices in Ghost City. There are quite a few people who go to Ghost City to buy Yunlu sandalwood because the price of Yunlu sandalwood in the market has been raised to sixty taels of silver per tael, but in Ghost City it is generally kept at around forty taels."

"I plan to enter the Ghost City to investigate, but the matter must be kept secret. If I directly mobilize the constables from the government office, the target will be too large, and the number of people cannot be too many. However, the Ghost City is very dangerous, I don't know martial arts, and I'm timid. Therefore, the best candidate is a highly skilled expert who can guarantee my safety, maintain secrecy, and whom I can trust. Could there be anyone more suitable than Grandmasters Ye and Master Gu?"

That very noon,

After returning home and learning what had happened, Ye Jinglan immediately decided to go to the Ghost City to find out what was going on.

(End of this chapter)