Three punches shattered the demonic soul, young hero, I'm an honest man!

Chapter 76 The Dry Well Reveals a Mystery

Overgrown with weeds, amidst crumbling walls and ruins.

Before the dilapidated courtyard gate, Pei Yun and Li Xuanping's gazes met in the air, and they both read a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

A subtle silence filled the air.

Pei Yun's mind raced.

The matter of Yuqin Garden is not yet resolved, so why is Li Xuanping appearing at the abandoned academy related to Su Wenruo at this moment?

"Master Li, how have you been?"

Pei Yun broke the silence first, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"Why is Commander Pei here?"

Li Xuanping spoke, his voice carrying a hint of inquiry.

Pei Yun placed his hand on the hilt of the Embroidered Spring Knife at his waist, his posture unchanged.

"The investigation has reached this point."

"But Master Li, this desolate place doesn't seem like the place where you would cultivate in seclusion."

Li Xuanping stood with his hands behind his back, his blue robe fluttering slightly in the breeze.

"I have come here to seek out the traces of an old friend."

"Old friend?"

Pei Yun raised her voice slightly at the end, then pretended to look around casually.

"Master Li, this abandoned academy doesn't seem like the place where anyone used to live."

Li Xuanping did not explain, but instead asked Pei Yun a question.

"Since this is such a remote place, and Commander Pei is so busy with official duties, why would he come here?"

The two locked eyes, and in the silence, a faint gust of wind could be heard passing by.

Pei Yun suddenly smiled.

"I have come here because of an old case."

"The Taoist priest is an old friend, and I am an old case. Perhaps what we are looking for has some connection."

"Oh?"

Li Xuanping raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly somewhat surprised.

"The person I am looking for is surnamed Su and named Wenruo."

Upon hearing this, a knowing glint flashed in Pei Yun's eyes.

Sure enough.

"What a coincidence!" Pei Yun clapped his hands and laughed.

"The person I'm investigating is precisely this Mr. Su Wenruo."

Their eyes met, and they both read a hint of surprise and curiosity in each other's eyes.

"Things in this world often turn out unexpectedly."

Li Xuanping was the first to withdraw his gaze and said calmly.

Pei Yun secretly made his own plans.

Li Xuanping was one of the three main suspects in the Yuqinyuan case.

They are also investigating Su Wenruo now. Is there any connection behind this?

However, now that the other party has taken the initiative to come forward, it is an excellent opportunity to observe them up close and investigate their background.

Moreover, the Su Wenruo case involves many complexities.

The hand behind the scenes could easily erase even the secret vault of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so it's not advisable to use the Embroidered Uniform Guard for a large-scale investigation.

Li Xuanping possessed the identity of a true disciple of the Xuan Shu Sect, coupled with his Foundation Establishment cultivation.

This might offer some unexpected convenience in this matter, at least providing an extra layer of security.

Moreover, how old is Li Xuanping? How could his former associates possibly be marginal officials in the capital who died eighteen years ago?

The motives behind it are truly intriguing.

Thinking of this, Pei Yun's face showed a more nonchalant smile.

"Since Master Li and I share the same goal, why don't we travel together?"

"More people means more strength, and perhaps we can find some clues faster."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanping pondered for a moment.

Not only Pei Yun was curious about Li Xuanping's inquiry into Su Wenruo, but Li Xuanping was as well.

Why would a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard be interested in a civil official who had been dead for many years?

In addition, Manager Qin of the Sihai Chamber of Commerce seemed to be very reluctant to talk about what happened back then.

Perhaps—we could borrow the coattails of the "Imperial Guards"?

"Alright."

Li Xuanping agreed.

"I would also like to see what unique methods the Embroidered Uniform Guard uses to investigate cases."

Those who travel together may not share the same heart; those who travel the same road may be in the same boat.

The two of them, one after the other, pushed open the long-rotted courtyard gate and entered the abandoned Canghuai Academy.

Inside the courtyard, broken walls and ruins were everywhere, cobwebs covered the ground, and weeds grew as tall as a person.

The doors and windows of the several side rooms were already dilapidated, and the tables and chairs inside were overturned and covered with a thick layer of dust.

The air was filled with a musty, damp smell.

Pei Yun walked to a collapsed bookshelf and used his toes to pry aside a few scattered bricks and stones.

"It seems that after Mr. Su passed away, someone came here to search carefully."

Pei Yun looked around, his gaze sharp.

Every inch of land and every brick in the courtyard bears the marks of having been carefully disturbed.

Even the dilapidated state of this academy is probably related to the investigation back then.

Li Xuanping nodded as well.

"In order to erase the traces, they probably turned the entire academy upside down."

Li Xuanping took out an antique-looking jade compass from his sleeve, with runes flowing on it.

Li Xuanping was seen chanting incantations and making hand seals with his fingertips.

A faint ray of light emanated from the compass, circling several times in the courtyard, but it could never point to a clear direction.

Li Xuanping put away the compass and shook his head slightly.

"It's not just a search—"

"The spiritual energy of this place has been disturbed by secret methods, and with the erosion of time, even if Mr. Su left any traces, they have now vanished."

"Even the tracking techniques of my Xuan Shu Sect are unlikely to be effective under such circumstances."

He paused, looked at Pei Yun, and said calmly, "If Commander Pei has no other means, in my opinion, there is no need to waste any more effort here."

"Without the ability to reverse time, after eighteen years have passed, trying to find any trace of it is like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree."

"It seems unlikely that this matter will yield any results."

Li Xuanping did not underestimate Pei Yun.

In his view, while the Embroidered Uniform Guard had its own strengths in investigating cases, it was not their forte in searching cases involving mystical methods.

Pei Yun remained noncommittal, pacing back and forth in the courtyard, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over every corner.

In reality, he had already silently recited it in his heart.

"System, get to work."

A wisp of gilded characters quietly appeared before Pei Yun's eyes.

[Intelligence Update]

[In the dry well in the backyard of Canghuai Academy, beneath the moss on the well walls, there may be remnants of writing.]

[Number of refreshes: 1]

Pei Yun's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

You're right, but I have a cheat code.

Pei Yun's gaze fell on a dry well in the backyard, which was mostly covered by weeds.

He walked slowly over and seemingly unintentionally kicked away a few pieces of rotten wood covering the well opening.

The well opening was small, pitch black, and bottomless.

Looking down into the well, a cold, damp atmosphere hit me.

The well walls were covered with moss and were extremely slippery.

Pei Yun stared intently for a moment, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips.

"Master Li, something seems amiss down in this well."

Pei Yunzhi stood up and looked at Li Xuanping.

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanping stepped forward with some skepticism.

He peered into the dark well and found nothing unusual except for thick moss and scattered stones.

"Why do you say that, Commander Pei?" Li Xuanping asked, his eyes filled with inquiry.

"I did not notice anything amiss."

Pei Yun smiled slightly: "Daoist, please look at the moss on the well wall."

Then Pei Yun pointed to a spot on the well wall.

"This well has been abandoned for many years, and moss has grown on its walls. It should have spread evenly, forming patches of uniform color."

"The moss here has some faint breaks, varying in depth and color, and the edges are slightly different from other places."

Li Xuanping looked in the direction Pei Yun pointed.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed found that the patch of moss looked somewhat unnatural compared to its surroundings.

Before Li Xuanping could ask any more questions, Pei Yun had already leaped into the well and floated lightly down into the well.

Instead of plummeting to the bottom of the well, it lightly touched the well wall with both feet, stopping in the middle of the well like a gecko.

It was that patch of moss that was unusual.

Li Xuanping stood at the wellhead, watching Pei Yun's actions, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This Jinyiwei centurion's agility was quite remarkable.

Pei Yun reached out and groped along the well wall for a moment, then scrambled it forcefully.

Thick moss and mud fell away, revealing a relatively flat stone slab.

On the stone slab, two lines of text were clearly engraved in tiny characters: "The spirit of the ancient locust tree, the torch passed down from generation to generation."

"The trust of the young scholar rests with Mr. Li Qingzhu."

The handwriting is elegant, yet the strokes convey a sense of indomitable spirit.

Pei Yun stretched out his finger and tapped the stone slab lightly a few times.

"Knock knock."

The voice was hollow.

"It seems there's a hidden world behind the stone slab."

Pei Yun pried the stone slab open with a little force.

Beneath the stone slab was a small groove.

The interior was empty, clearly indicating that everything inside had already been taken away.

Pei Yun was not surprised by this result.

Pei Yun removed the inscribed stone slab.

With a push off the well wall, he leaped out of the ancient well like a wisp of smoke and landed steadily beside Li Xuanping.

Li Xuanping took the stone slab and his gaze fell on the inscription on it.

Even with his composure, an undisguised look of astonishment appeared on his face.

The look in her eyes as she looked at Pei Yun was somewhat complicated.

He had just used the secret methods of the Xuan Shu Sect to investigate, but had found nothing.

Pei Yun easily discovered this secret that had been hidden for eighteen years simply by observing the moss closely!

Are the intelligence methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guard truly so unpredictable and mysterious?

Li Xuanping had often heard his fellow disciples mention the Imperial Guards of the Celestial Dynasty.

It is said that its claws and teeth are everywhere, its ears and eyes are all-seeing, and it can investigate matters of the netherworld and explore the secrets of the underworld.

He had previously thought his fellow disciples were exaggerating, but after seeing it with his own eyes today, he began to believe it to some extent.

"Everything in the world leaves a trace simply because it exists. Even if you try to erase it, the trace of the erasure will still remain."

Pei Yun brushed the dust off the stone slab and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It seems that there were indeed suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr. Su's death back then."

"And before he died, he seemed to have entrusted a crucial clue to someone—"

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