Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

Fang Zheng folded the paper neatly and tucked it into his bosom.

Liu Qingyu withdrew her hand from his and said sullenly, "My benefactor, I'll rest for a while."

Fang Zheng did not answer, but gently rubbed his palm, rolled up the painting, and carefully put it back into the lacquer box.

Time to get to work.

.......

In the following days, after consulting with Lü Zhengfeng and Lu Qingyun, Fang Zheng distributed the manpower of the supervisory and case-handling teams.

The investigation focused on only one thing: the details of the He family's lives and interactions before their deaths.

News gradually came back.

He Tingtao is one of the wealthiest families in Yongqing County. He started his business in calligraphy and painting and has a substantial fortune.

However, he was aloof and did not like to associate with others.

Most importantly, he doesn't like drinking.

He Tingtao never drinks alcohol and doesn't allow his family to drink either.

Several neighbors have mentioned this.

Fang Zheng frowned upon hearing this.

But the neighbors also said that He Tingtao did not completely abstain from alcohol.

They'll make an exception when something makes them happy.

His joy was different from others; it wasn't about getting rich or getting married, but about buying his favorite calligraphy, paintings, and antiques.

Once, he found a landscape painting by Wu Baopu from his early years in the prefectural capital. He was overjoyed and broke his usual habit by drinking a whole jar of it that night, getting completely drunk.

What kind of calligraphy and painting is He Tingtao's greatest desire in his life?

"Of course, it's 'The Elegant Gathering of Fragrance in Winter' by Li Yuanshan, the painter from Yongqing County!"

In front of a house in the south of the city, an old neighbor smacked his lips upon hearing Fang Zheng's question.

"That painting is a treasure; the old wine connoisseur Du Kang bought it for a high price back then."

He Tingtao lost the argument and was depressed for half a year, telling everyone he met that it was "the biggest regret of my life."

After the old neighbors left, Guan Tieyi shook his head and said, "He Tingtao drank heavily before he died; he was quite the drunkard."

You said he didn't usually drink, but he drank quite a lot before he died, and even made his family drink with him.

What a joyous occasion this must be!

Could it be that he managed to buy that painting, "The Elegant Gathering of Fragrance in Winter"?

The speaker is unintentional and the listener is interested.

Fang Zheng stopped and stared at Guan Tieyi for a long time.

Guan Tieyi felt uneasy under his gaze and shrank back, asking, "Brother, what did I say wrong?"

"No," Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, "You're right."

He Tingtao, who had never liked alcohol, drank heavily before his death and even had his family drink with him.

This defies common sense; the only exception he could make was the "Elegant Gathering of Fragrance in the Cold Weather" painting.

Guan Tieyi was stunned for a moment: "That painting?"

But isn't that the treasure of the old wine connoisseur Du Kang?

"Du Kang isn't short of money, why would he sell?"

Yes, why did Du Kang want to sell?

Fang Zheng didn't answer, but closed his eyes and went through the clues from the past few days in his mind. After thinking for a while, he felt that he had to find a breakthrough from the Five Friends of Winter.

He planned to first go to the scholar Chen Moxuan and subtly inquire about Du Kang's matter.

Just as he was about to leave, his left palm suddenly felt warm.

Liu Qingyu's voice rose from the depths of her heart, tinged with urgency: "My benefactor, Lord Li wishes to see you."

Fang Zheng paused in his steps.

Since becoming a mortal official, he has devoted himself to the case of Chu Tiankuo's murder and has not contacted Li Yuanshan, his mentor and friend, for many days.

He returned to the house and sat cross-legged, his mind sinking down along the power of his contract with Liu Qingyu.

His vision went black for a moment, and when it brightened again, he was standing in a hazy, gray hall.

The underworld, the gates of hell.

Li Yuanshan sat behind a stone table, with a thick stack of documents piled up in front of him.

Fang Zheng bowed and asked, "Lord Li, you were in such a hurry to find me, did you discover something?"

Li Yuanshan didn't waste any words and held up one finger: "First, the ghost grass you mentioned last time, I found it."

Fang Zheng's spirits lifted.

He discovered a peculiar ghost grass at both the He family's old residence and the tiger demon's cave, so he had long ago asked Li Yuanshan to help him find relevant information.

"That's the Bloodthirsty Grass."

Li Yuanshan's expression was somewhat solemn. "This thing is a specialty of Youzhou's demons. It was listed as a forbidden item by the Great Qian Dynasty a hundred years ago and should have been extinct long ago."

Its function is to absorb the essence of the flesh and blood of the living to nourish ghosts. It is extremely vicious and is also an important ingredient in brewing "Bloodthirsty Yin Wine".

You said you smelled this odor in Caojiajing, Tiger Demon Cave, and Hejia Residence, which means someone is cultivating and using it on a large scale.

Fang Zheng nodded and made a note of the name.

Li Yuanshan raised another finger: "Secondly, after I became a Yin official, I have been searching for the souls of Chess Master and Qin Master."

My two old friends, after they died of illness, should go to the underworld to wait for reincarnation.

But I searched through the entire household registration book and couldn't find their names.

Fang Zheng frowned: "Your soul was destroyed?"

"Most likely," Li Yuanshan's voice deepened. "With the soul dissipated and unable to even enter the cycle of reincarnation, this is definitely not a normal death from illness."

The person who did it was ruthless.

Fang Zheng nodded. If the souls of the deceased had been destroyed, then someone must be doing something shady behind the scenes.

Li Yuanshan raised his third finger: "And the He family."

I checked the underworld archives and found no record of any member of the He family being registered as a citizen.

In other words, the souls of the seven members of the He family were also completely wiped out.

Fang Zheng subconsciously connected the two events, since the act of destroying souls was against the natural order, and even ordinary cultivators would not dare to do it.

The fact that all seven members of the He family, along with the chess master and the zither master, were killed is far too suspicious.

"There's one more thing."

Li Yuanshan added, "I heard from Qingyu that you've been investigating He Tingtao's background these past few days."

This person was indeed a passionate painter when he was alive.

What he wanted most in his life was my painting, "The Elegant Gathering of Fragrance in the Cold Winter."

Fang Zheng's heart skipped a beat: "The painting in the old man's hand?"

Li Yuanshan nodded: "Back then, Du Kang bought it at a high price, and He Tingtao couldn't compete with him, so he's always held a grudge."

I know about this. He asked someone to talk to me about it several times, wanting me to paint another one exactly the same.

I said that a painting can be painted again, but the spirit and essence cannot be repeated.

The essence of that picture lies only in that day, that place, and that group of people.

If I draw it again, it just won't have the same feel.

Fang Zheng stood up and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Li Yuanshan: "Lord Li, this news is extremely important. I must return immediately."

Li Yuanshan waved his hand: "Go ahead."

Be careful, the reappearance of the Bloodthirsty Grass suggests there's more to it than meets the eye.

With a thought, Fang Zheng's vision distorted, and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in the supervisor's hut.

He stood up, picked up the official seal from the table, and pushed open the door to go out.

It's time to go find the scholar Chen Moxuan, and the wine connoisseur Du Kang.

Does he still have that painting?

......

On the second floor of Zuixianlou, Fang Zheng hosted a banquet for the scholar Chen Moxuan, and also asked Chen Moxuan to invite the wine connoisseur Du Kang.

Chen Moxuan looked much more haggard than when they last met, and his spirits seemed somewhat low.

On the contrary, Du Kang, although his face was ashen and his eyes were covered with two dark circles, was in much better spirits than Chen Moxuan.