Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 88 The truth about the will-o'-the-wisp

A Bao looked around at everyone, as if assessing the trustworthiness of the people before him. Then he slowly spoke, "A year ago, my hometown was struck by a disaster. Both my parents didn't make it. I came here alone to seek refuge with my sister. Because I was too young to be married, it took me a long time to find this place. But I discovered a strange, ugly man living in my sister's house. Yes, that was the first person we met at the village entrance that day. His name was... Ah Wu! My father always said, in troubled times, you have to be cautious, so I didn't dare mention looking for my sister. Later, I discovered the village was full of these ugly-looking people, and I didn't recognize any of them! Everyone in the village thought I was just a beggar and captured me, hoping to use my blood for sacrifice... Then I escaped."

Yan Mingzhang's eyes were sharp. "No, it shouldn't be that simple. You told them that you would trick more people into coming as sacrifices, right?"

A Bao lowered his head and did not argue, saying in a low voice: "Yes... I'm sorry..."

"You shouldn't have lied to us... Even if you told us directly, we would still help you." Rong Wanyin felt a little angry, the anger of not being trusted.

"Tell me what happened! Don't hide anything anymore, including the formation in the forest!" Yan Mingzhang said in a dignified manner, leaving no room for doubt. "And those flames in the forest, that color, they must be phosphorescence, right? The villagers didn't chase us at all, right? This is all your fault, right?"

Po nodded, his eyes red. "Yes... but what I said before was true. It's just that I concealed some information. I came looking for my sister, but I had no information about her at all. So I disguised myself as a beggar, hiding in the forest during the day and sneaking into the village at night to look for clues. Later, because I was so hungry, I stole food from the village chief's house and was caught. ... They wanted to use me as a sacrifice to the tree god. I overheard their conversation and knew they were short of offerings, so I volunteered to deceive more people. In exchange, they had to tell me my sister's whereabouts."

A Bao wiped the tears from his eyes. "Actually, I knew my sister was probably in grave danger, but the situation at the time... plus, I wasn't giving up, so... However, I really didn't intend to be an accomplice. I heard that the new Chief Inspector was very capable and could solve cases like a god, so... I really didn't mean to harm you... really..."

Abao spoke incoherently, but it was obvious that he was sincere this time.

"After they let me go, I didn't leave immediately. I didn't give up, so I wandered around the village. Who knew I would find the bodies in the cave? Next to the pile of bodies, in the cracks of the rocks, I found my sister's wooden hairpin. I ran to report it to the authorities, but the county magistrate at the time was a complete scoundrel. He accused me of exaggerating, beat me up, and threw me into jail to fend for myself..."

A Bao tried his best to keep his tone calm, but his voice was still trembling slightly and full of anxiety. He must have suffered a lot.

Rong Wanyin felt a pang of pain when she heard this. She grabbed Abao's hand and stroked Abao's head with one hand, saying, "Don't be afraid, Abao. The adults will definitely give justice to the deceased and will definitely help you find your sister."

Ah Bao finally broke down sobbing uncontrollably. "...After Brother Yan arrived, he carefully reviewed every file, and those wrongly accused in our prison were gradually released... But I didn't dare report him to the authorities again... The grandfather who bought the noodles knew me well, so we staged this act to lure you in... You all know what happened next."

Yan Mingzhang bent down and looked Abao in the face. "I'm sorry, the politics aren't clear enough, so you don't trust the officials. The people don't trust the officials. That's the officials' fault, not the people's fault... I shouldn't have been so harsh. Are you willing to believe me now?"

A Bao's eyes filled with tears. No one had ever taken him seriously or apologized to him so earnestly. He nodded vigorously, "I believe it! I believe it! Brother Yan, you are the best official I have ever met!"

"What's with the formation in the forest, and those flames?" Yan Mingzhang's tone softened. "Didn't I tell you before that my sister gave a piece of cake to an old man? Besides the hairpin, he also gave me a book called 'The Wuji Bagua Formation.' He said that if I learn what's in it, I'll have a way to make a living." A Bao spoke calmly, completely unaware of the treasure he had obtained.

Rong Wanyin was a little surprised and asked, "Did you learn this formation by yourself?"

Abao nodded.

Rong Wanyin was so excited she almost jumped up, lamenting the unfairness of her fate. "My master's formation is the most tedious and difficult to understand. Of the three of us brothers, my younger brother is the best, but after all these years he's only mastered 80% of it. I'm even worse. I get stuck as soon as I see it, and I have no idea what it is. If my master knew that you had not only trapped me by learning his formation on your own, but I hadn't noticed, he would laugh at me for three years! Don't tell my master about this when you see him again!"

"That's not right! The Wuji Bagua Formation has sixty-four formations, and with the evolutions, the variations are endless." Rong Wanyin slapped her head, "Sir, how do you know about the Wuji Bagua Formation? Is this book everywhere?"

Yan Mingzhang smiled faintly. He had read over and over all the information that Elder Wuji had been able to gather many times, and knew it by heart. Although he hadn't found the entire formation, he could at least make out some clues. It was just that he couldn't talk about them. Yan Mingzhang paused and said slowly, "I also like to study these theories of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. They all have something in common, so it's not surprising that I can see some clues!"

Rong Wanyin looked at him suspiciously, not asking any more questions. If he didn't tell her, who would have been able to find out? Old fox! Who would believe him?

Su Zhan witnessed everything, standing aside, lost in thought, without saying a word.

Rong Wanyin nudged him with her elbow and asked, "Master Su, what's wrong with you?"

Su Zhan lowered his head in shame. "I always thought that the gap between me and Cheng Xuan wasn't too big, that he was just more serious. If I were as serious as him, I would definitely be better than him. But now, I realize how ridiculous I am. What's the use of me memorizing the saying 'The way to govern is to follow the will of the people and improve their livelihoods'? I never really cared about the people. When I looked through the files, I thought they were just old things and I just brushed them off. But behind every file are real people! The gap between him and me is in our vision!"

Rong Wanyin smiled and said, "It's not too late to repent now. You will definitely become a good official!"

Su Zhan raised his head, his eyes sparkling, and smiled: "Yes, it's not too late. I will catch up and prove that I am no worse than Cheng Xuan!"

Rong Wanyin nodded approvingly.