Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 27 The Symbol of the Rebellion Leader
"Blood Totem..."

Haiyue stared at the double snake patterns on the paper.

Two incidents have occurred along with this totem.

The first one was a murder before the county exam. The escaped Annan assassin Zheng Wu and others were killed and thrown in front of the government office. Such totem patterns were painted in front of their bloody corpses.

The second case was a kidnapping yesterday. Wu Lin, the Guangdong Provincial Inspector who went south to investigate the Annan Mission case, was abducted on the first night he arrived on the island. The same totem pattern was left on the wall at the scene.

Hai Yue pondered for a moment and said, "What do the Li people think of this totem? As far as I know, the totems used by the Li people in sacrifices are not like this..."

In ancient times, each clan had its own totem to worship. Later, the Han people evolved it into the dragon, while the Li people maintained it in a more primitive state.

As a local, Haiyue has witnessed the totem worship ceremony of the Li people. In her impression, what they worshipped was a big frog man. She heard from her parents that it was to pray for many children and good fortune.

As for the totem of the two entwined snakes, even if it is not drawn with blood, it has a sense of coldness and cruelty, and does not mean auspiciousness or blessing.

"I asked the chieftain at the government office, and they all said that this is not a totem shared by all the Li tribes..."

Ji Hua explained, "The most common totem among all Li tribes is the frog, symbolizing many children and grandchildren, praying for the tribe's prosperity and a good harvest next year. Another common totem is the gourd pattern. According to Li legend, their ancestors survived a flood by taking refuge in a gourd, so the gourd symbolizes the ancestors' protection. Besides these two universal totems, the rest are clan totems, symbolizing each tribe's identity."

Hai Yue asked, "Then what tribe does this 'blood totem' with two entwined snakes symbolize?"

Ji Hua shook his head: "The chieftains we questioned at the government office all said they didn't know!"

Shao Jing snorted coldly, "Looking at his hesitant expression, it's probably not that he doesn't know, but that he's unwilling to reveal the truth! Inspector Wu's abduction was quite unexpected, and it certainly wasn't premeditated. The Li people were closely connected and tipped off each other, so they're all suspects!"

Haiyue nodded silently.

Based on the previous inquiry, he also had this preliminary judgment.

Wu Lin came here without any fanfare and did not notify anyone in advance, but he was kidnapped on the very night he checked into the inn.

It can't be planned in advance, it will just be a spur of the moment thing.

For example, when Wu Lin checked into the inn, he was noticed by a Li merchant at the door. Upon hearing that he was of noble status, he told the Li family who wanted to avenge Na Ying, and they kidnapped him that night to threaten the government office.

Haiyue made this inference based on the fact that Princess Fanglian Li Yuying was also noticed by local Li merchants, so her second brother brought the experts from Yinglue Society to capture her?

We cannot only recognize the role of the Li people as eyes and ears when the case is in our favor.

"The Li people's merchants are active in the streets and alleys. Haikoupu is full of people from all walks of life, and there are many people and eyes. It is extremely difficult to search the government office. If you want to get any clues, you have to go home and ask!"

Hai Yue had a plan in mind, but she didn't say it directly. She bowed and said, "Shao Tuiguan, Ji Shiye, I want to go to the post house to see if there are any clues that can help me track down the thief!"

Shao Jing was silent.

Even though he acknowledged the other party's ability in his heart, when the time came, he still felt embarrassed to ask a 17-year-old student for help.

Master Ji Hua winked repeatedly, and finally looked at him pleadingly.

"Whatever!"

Shao Jing stopped being stubborn and said to Ji Hua, "Write him a document."

Apparently, there were police officers present, and ordinary people couldn't get close. Ji Hua, acting as a clerk, quickly issued a document, handed it to Hai Yue, and whispered, "Shisanlang, please!"

"I will do my best!"

Haiyue did not take on too much responsibility. She bowed and said goodbye, walked out of the government office and headed towards Haikoupu.

Historically, Haikoupu was another name for Qiongzhou Prefecture, but in the local saying of the Ming Dynasty, it specifically referred to the most prosperous area at the north city wharf.

This was a place where ships came and went, merchants gathered, and people of all kinds and backgrounds mixed together. The Yinglue Society, which was a martial arts school, naturally chose to open here in order to recruit more students. So Haiyue didn't go directly to the post station, but returned to her own home.

Standing in front of the door, listening to the shouts of people inside playing with guns and sticks and strengthening their muscles, he couldn't help but look a little nostalgic.

After arriving in this era, he spent the first year or so practicing martial arts in his own company and writing stories about Journey to the West.

Just as fitness can be addictive in later generations, the feeling of strength and improvement from practicing martial arts can also be fascinating. During those monotonous and difficult years without modern entertainment, he persisted and gradually adapted.

However, this world is not a world of martial arts after all. There are no many martial arts sects competing for the leader of the martial arts world, fighting each other to the point of bloodshed. No matter how good your martial arts skills are, at most you can be a wanderer in a remote place, or become a retainer of high-ranking officials.

If you want to live a normal and good life, you still need worldly power...

But now it seems that taking this route is not very safe!

Even a dignified inspector could be kidnapped.

But it's normal, after all, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty often encountered accidents.

For example, Jiajing suffered two life-and-death disasters. One was a fire in which he was almost burned to death, and the other was strangled to death while sleeping.

It's a pity that he trained his body to resemble a crane, so he wasn't afraid of being strangled by the palace maids. He didn't really die. If Zhu Houcong had died at that time, it would have been a contribution to the Ming Dynasty...

After a brief moment of emotion, Haiyue entered the Yinglue Society and saw her second and fourth brothers and Yao Ge'er walking towards her. Seeing them, she smiled and said, "Thirteenth brother, you're back from the government office? Perfect, perfect. Let's all go to Yayunju together to celebrate for you and Fourteenth brother!"

Yayunju is the largest restaurant in the area and a favorite haunt of scholars and elegant guests. This time, Hai Yue ranked first in the county exam and Hai Rui ranked third. It was a great joyous event for the Hai family. Not only was Big Brother taking care of it, but all the elders were also coming out to celebrate there.

"I'm looking for some brothers!"

Haiyue took the three of them to the side and explained the general situation at the government office. Immediately, she received three horrified looks: "How dare the Li people do this? Kidnapping the inspector, isn't that another rebellion?" "Is Qionghai going to be in chaos again?" "What does the 'blood totem' look like? Let me see which tribe it belongs to!"

The last sentence was said by Yao Ge'er.

This person and Long Ge'er are the fourth brother's right-hand men. They were promoted when Yinglue Society was revitalized. In fact, the person Haiyue most wants to ask for advice is this person.

Because Yao Ge'er's grandmother was a Li person, he was naturally close to the Li tribe. There were also several good Li people in Yinglue Society, all of whom were introduced by this person.

As expected, when Haiyue found a piece of paper and restored the totem drawn by Shao Jing, Yao Ge'er took a look and immediately said, "This is the totem of Fu Nan Snake!"

Hai Yue suddenly realized: "Fu Nanshe? The leader of the Li people who revolted in the 14th year of the Hongzhi reign?"

Yao Ge'er examined it carefully again and nodded firmly. "The bloody snake pattern is undoubtedly the totem of Fu Nan Snake. This person started a rebellion and swept across Qionghai. The imperial court mobilized over 100,000 troops and fought many hard battles to encircle and stop him. But he was killed in the end. It was his trusted tribesmen who betrayed him after accepting the imperial amnesty! Before dying, Fu Nan Snake cut out his heart and stained it with blood, leaving this bloody totem on the ground. It's shocking. Since then, the Li people who worship him have been indignant and want to worship him. Fearing that the government would launch another encirclement and suppression, the chieftain strictly ordered the tribes not to mention it again!"

Haiyue nodded slightly.

In this way, Shao Jing's judgment was correct. It was not that the chieftains could not recognize him, but that they did not dare to say it.

The provocation was obvious as they dared to leave the totem of the rebel leader at the gate of the government office.

The second brother didn't care about that, but he did mention one thing: "Fu Nanshe has a unique archery skill called 'Sky Bow Chasing Shadow'. I wonder if it has been passed down? Back then, this man relied on this unique skill to roam across Qionghai and was unbeatable!"

Haiyue was curious: "What kind of martial arts is that?"

The second brother described it this way: "With the specially crafted bow and arrows of the Fu Nan Snake, in the blink of an eye, the most nimble yellow leopard will be blinded, the most aggressive wild boar will have its tail nailed, and the most agile flying bird will have its wings pierced. It never misses its target, and it's impossible to defend against it!"

"The Li family has always revered archers, and they were even more astounded by Fu Nanshe's exceptional archery skills. They believed he was the incarnation of a god, and over time, he became known as 'The Heavenly Bow Chasing Shadow'!"

"As a result, Fu Nanshe has established a high prestige in Lidong Mountain Stronghold and Han Township. Thirty years ago, when he rebelled against the imperial court, he was able to rally hundreds of people and quickly sweep across most of Qionghai..."

At this point, the usually arrogant and conceited expression on the second brother's face was filled with solemnity. "Daddy once said that there are only five unique skills in the world that he admires. This Fu Nanshe's 'Sky Bow Chasing Shadow', which never misses its target, is one of them!"

(End of this chapter)