“Where is this technique from?”
Yuchi Feng asked hurriedly.
Bai Kaizhi explained,
“The Broken Heart Palm was originally the Zhang Family of Sui Xin Manor’s exclusive martial art. Ten years ago, the youngest Zhang offended the Demonic Sect, and overnight, over a hundred members of Sui Xin Manor were slaughtered. This secret technique then disappeared from the martial world. I never expected it to resurface here after a decade.”
“No wonder you’re from the Bai Family of Gusu. You actually know a lost palm technique from ten years ago,”
Lu Yang admired.
Bai Kaizhi smiled humbly,
“It’s nothing. Just a few elders in my family who like to tell stories.”
Since hearing Kang Anyun’s instructions, Liu Wuyou had decided to take on as many of Young Master Shen’s meals as possible.
She had prepared Jade Yam Rice Cake in the inn’s kitchen and immediately delivered it to the county yamen.
But as soon as she arrived, she found there was a dead body near the stables.
Liu Wuyou’s mouth fell open in surprise.
Just as she was about to quietly retreat, Shen Weimu reached out and stuffed a piece of Jade Yam Rice Cake into his mouth.
The cooked glutinous rice had been pounded with a wooden mallet, giving it a chewy texture.
After adding some oil, yam, and pea puree, with crushed almonds and raisins as filling, it was made into jade-colored pastries that were soft, springy, sweet, and fragrant with the aromas of beans and rice—both delicious and filling.
Shen Weimu’s appetite was no ordinary one—it was like a bottomless pit.
He didn’t eat just to fill his stomach, but to savor the taste.
So he only stopped eating when the food was gone or he felt satisfied.
He picked up the plate himself and began eating, dismissing Liu Wuyou.
“What is the Demonic Sect?”
Yuchi Feng asked Bai Kaizhi.
“Which other Demonic Sect could it be? It must be the Qingyue Sect, notorious in the martial world to this day.”
Lu Yang spat with disgust, cursing those Demonic Sect scoundrels.
Hearing Qingyue Sect, Shen Weimu’s eyes flickered as he glanced at Kang Anyun beside him.
Kang Anyun’s attention had been fixed on Shen Weimu’s hand, wondering how he could let Young Master carry the plate himself.
Seeing the young master so focused on eating, he dared not interrupt and felt conflicted.
When Shen Weimu looked toward him, Kang Anyun quickly reached out to take the plate.
Seeing Kang Anyun’s unresponsive hand and his request for some pastry, Shen Weimu hesitated, then reluctantly shared two pieces of Jade Yam Rice Cake with him.
Suddenly, Kang Anyun had two rice cakes in his palm.
“What are you two doing!”
Lu Yang suddenly shouted, angrily scolding the master and servant.
“At a time like this, you two are eating snacks!”
Embarrassed, Kang Anyun hurriedly hid the pastries behind his back and positioned himself to shield Shen Weimu from Lu Yang’s gaze.
“When is this?”
Shen Weimu slowly raised his head and glanced at the sky.
“Almost noon. But when you eat snacks doesn’t matter; it’s never the wrong time.”
Shen Weimu’s words were like a tongue twister, but Lu Yang understood perfectly.
This guy had no sympathy at all, and what made it worse was he showed no shame in the face of his rebuke.
Bai Kaizhi tugged at Lu Yang’s sleeve, whispering,
“Why are you so harsh? Little Master Shen doesn’t have long to live. His body is so weak, he definitely can’t withstand hunger. What’s wrong with eating a little?”
Only then did Lu Yang remember Shen Weimu’s near-death condition and immediately shut up awkwardly,
“But he just died. Eating now is inappropriate.”
“There’s nothing inappropriate about it. If he starves, then there’ll be one more corpse. That’s what’s inappropriate.”
Yuchi Feng also sympathized with Shen Weimu’s situation, feeling it unnecessary to quarrel with someone near death.
Lu Yang was completely at a loss and fell silent.
“Since the Broken Heart Palm is connected to the Broken Heart Gate and involves the Demonic Sect, this case falls under the jurisdiction of the Dali Court Jianghu Division. From now on, no one in the county yamen is allowed to leave!”
Song Qiyun asked Yuchi Feng to conduct a thorough autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and ensure nothing was overlooked.
Inside the morgue, Song Qiyun pointed at the three bodies—Duan Gu, Qian Zhiyong, and Su Nan—questioning Shen Weimu.
“Your sworn brother, your lackey, someone you haven’t seen for a long time, and your close friend Pang Sheng from the last case. Little Master Shen, may I ask—are you the Yama Reincarnate? Everyone who associates with you seems to be destined to die.”
Shen Weimu was focused on finishing the last piece of rice cake.
As Song Qiyun spoke, he stuffed the remainder into his mouth, puffing his cheek and chewing slowly.
When Song Qiyun finished speaking, Shen Weimu looked at him innocently, implying his mouth was busy and he couldn’t talk just yet.
Song Qiyun took a deep breath, realizing he needed extra patience when dealing with Shen Weimu.
“The clothes are intact. There are no other injuries or abrasions, and the fingernails are very clean,”
Yuchi Feng reported after examining Qian Zhiyong’s body, then went to wash his hands.
Bai Kaizhi said,
“Qian Zhiyong’s kung fu was not weak. The Broken Heart Palm strikes dead center from the front. Only someone he trusted completely, who caught him off guard, could do this.”
“There must have been some emergency that forced the killer to act in broad daylight at the county yamen. Otherwise, there was no reason to take such a risk,”
Song Qiyun added.
“Exactly! The killer must have believed that even a moment longer of Qian Zhiyong’s life would threaten him. So he rushed to kill. But what was the emergency?”
Bai Kaizhi asked.
At that moment, Shen Weimu finally finished chewing.
Song Qiyun stared at him seriously.
“What does ‘Mushroom Planting’ mean?”
The emergency could only be “Mushroom Planting.”
Su Nan committed suicide because of “Mushroom Planting,” and Qian Zhiyong was killed for the same reason.
Last night, Shen Weimu had specifically mentioned “Mushroom Planting” during the suicide forest investigation.
Now everyone clearly understood that the meaning behind “Mushroom Planting” was extraordinary.
“You still have someone else you can ask,”
Shen Weimu teased, ready to dish more gossip.
“Stop!”
Lu Yang begged, calling Shen Weimu “ancestor.”
“Why can’t you just say it outright? Why involve another person? I’m really afraid once you say it, that person will die too.”
Bai Kaizhi and Yuchi Feng nodded in agreement.
They all felt Shen Weimu’s words were as ominous as Yama Reincarnate’s.
Song Qiyun also hoped Shen Weimu would speak the truth plainly, without beating around the bush.
Shen Weimu replied,
“I don’t know. I only received a secret message saying these people like to ‘plant mushrooms.’ Just kindly telling you.”
“From what source?”
“Sorry, I can’t disclose.”
Song Qiyun understood some news sources in the jianghu had to remain confidential, or else there would be no future.
Shen Ersan’s unwillingness to reveal everything was not unusual.
Yuchi Feng obtained Su Nan’s autopsy report from the female coroner; the cause of death was poisoning.
Both Su Nan and Qian Zhiyong carried a Jin Bag.
Su Nan’s was more beautiful, embroidered with a Mandarin Duck facing left, swimming in water.
Strangely, neither Jin Bag contained money, but a handful of soil.
This soil was different from ordinary earth; it contained white threads that disappeared when rubbed.
Liu Wuyou stayed inside the yamen with Shen Weimu, Kang Anyun, and Wu Qi.
Shen Weimu wanted fried fish for dinner, so Liu Wuyou volunteered to cook, with Kang Anyun helping.
Shen Weimu finished reading the last few pages of Record of Gourmet Delights.
When he looked up, a freshly brewed cup of tea was on the table.
“Just warm enough to drink,”
Wu Qi said respectfully.
“Hmm.”
Shen Weimu picked up the tea.
Under Wu Qi’s gaze, he brought it to his lips, then suddenly splashed the tea onto Wu Qi’s face.
Before Wu Qi could react, his throat was grabbed.
His entire face flushed bright red from choking, veins bulging on his forehead.
Wu Qi’s eyes widened in terror as he looked at Shen Weimu.
Shen Weimu sneered,
“At a time like this, you still don’t forget to act. You only get one chance to explain!”
Suddenly releasing him, Shen Weimu threw Wu Qi to the ground.
Then he coughed twice, quickly wiping blood from the corner of his mouth with a white handkerchief.
Wu Qi’s tailbone throbbed fiercely, leaving him unable to get up.
He scrambled backward on the floor, glaring at Shen Weimu with horror and hatred.
“How could you—did you know it was me all along?”
Shen Weimu glanced at Wu Qi with contempt, too lazy to explain a word.
“If you suspected me, why keep me around so long? No, wait—I was careful in everything I did. Except today, I acted impulsively—”
He had been careless, arrogant.
Because Shen Weimu hadn’t launched an internal investigation for so long, Wu Qi assumed he suspected the culprit was an outsider, so he boldly attacked Qian Zhiyong directly.
If Shen Weimu had suspected someone inside, only he, Kang Anyun, and Liu Wuyou were present.
Kang Anyun stayed by Shen Weimu’s side, and Liu Wuyou was innocent.
The biggest suspect had to be Wu Qi.
Wu Qi couldn’t believe it.
“If you suspected me, why did you still have me serve closely? Why was I the only one by your side in the suicide forest last night?”
Without Shen Weimu answering, Wu Qi figured it out.
With Shen Weimu’s skills, he could have easily dealt with him anytime.
Leaving him alone was not trust, but a trap to expose his mistakes.
That was it.
Wu Qi had restrained himself before, passing the test.
But just now, he slipped up.
Because the yamen was locked down by the Dali Court, and the Song investigating was formidable, Wu Qi feared exposure and losing revenge chances.
So, when changing Shen Weimu’s tea earlier, he poisoned it.
“I was arrogant, thinking my act as the loyal servant was flawless. I never thought I was just a monkey you played with all this time.”
Life!
Revenge!
Wu Qi’s eyes reddened as he glared at Shen Weimu with utter hatred.
“You’re really hard to kill! A disaster that lasts a thousand years! That night, I poisoned and struck you with full power, yet still failed to kill you.”
“You know, when you opened that door, I nearly went mad, biting my back teeth to control myself.”
Shen Weimu picked up a piece of dried meat from the table and ate it, as if ignoring Wu Qi’s words.
“You truly are the great devil, heartless to the core! You Qingyue Sect scum deserve to die. For the hundred-plus Zhang Family members, I’ll make you pay!”
Wu Qi grabbed a dagger and lunged at Shen Weimu.
Shen Weimu flicked three sesame seeds from the pork jerky.
Wu Qi fell flat on his face, bruised and bloody, coughing up blood.
The disparity in strength was like heaven and earth; he was no match for the great devil.
Wu Qi spat blood and laughed bitterly,
“Parents, second uncle and aunt, third uncle… forgive Qi’er’s incompetence. I can’t avenge you…”
Wu Qi raised the dagger to his neck but was stopped by a sesame seed thrown by Shen Weimu.
Wu Qi angrily demanded,
“What are you doing?”
“You also know how to plant mushrooms?”
“Hahaha, Shen Weimu, my death today is only the beginning. Don’t think you can live comfortably as the devil anymore. Your good days are over! The Qingyue Sect’s countless crimes—our vow is to haunt you in death, paying back tenfold, a hundredfold!”
“Our?”
At that moment of distraction, Wu Qi plunged the dagger cleanly into his own neck, killing himself.
Blood splattered over ten feet.
When Liu Wuyou and Kang Anyun entered carrying food and chatting, they were shocked by the scene.
But soon, they calmed down, having encountered so many deaths lately that it was almost routine.
“Young Master, this is—”
Kang Anyun reacted first.
“Wu Qi was a spy?”
“How many years have you followed me?”
Shen Weimu asked.
“Ten years, Your Highness. Since you were eight, I’ve always been by your side.”
“Have you ever seen me kill anyone?”
Shen Weimu asked again.
Without hesitation, Kang Anyun shook his head.
Lost in some memory, Kang Anyun noticed the young master suddenly fell silent for a long time.
“…”
After coughing, Shen Weimu picked up the last three pieces of dried meat and walked out the door.
“Summon Shaoqing Song and tell him the culprit killed himself out of guilt.”
After Kang Anyun left, Liu Wuyou tried to comfort Shen Weimu.
“The fried fish is hot, crispy, and delicious!”
Shen Weimu took a piece and mercilessly crunched through it.
Song Qiyun had not yet arrived, but Shen Weimu had already finished the whole plate of fried fish at lightning speed.
Liu Wuyou was used to this by now, only watching for any change in Shen Weimu’s expression.
“How ridiculous people are.”
Shen Weimu sneered, then looked at Liu Wuyou dazedly.
“Any more?”
“Yes, yes, a whole big basin. I’ll go get it from the kitchen right away.”