Deepest part of the Ministry of Punishments' water prison.
Dim candlelight illuminated a square secret chamber, three zhang in length and width. The chamber was filled with water, and half a cage vaguely floated on the surface. Upon closer inspection, one could see a head inside the cage greedily absorbing the murky air of the secret room.
"Your Excellencies, this is Xuanqingzi," said the young jailer, who led Zhong Li and Lan Heng in, while turning a mechanism on the wall.
As the water level began to vibrate, the cage was slowly raised, and a musty, foul odor rushed towards the two.
Zhong Li popped a ginger pill into her mouth, and offered one to Lan Heng as well.
When the cage stopped moving, the young jailer bowed and left the secret chamber.
Zhong Li lowered her gaze, looking at a small path that appeared before her. She glanced at Lan Heng beside her and walked towards the cage step by step.
"Mmm..." a satisfied sigh came from inside the cage.
Zhong Li leaned closer, only managing a rough glimpse of the prisoner's face. Although his hair was completely white, and his skin had swollen from prolonged immersion in water, his straight facial features still allowed one to imagine how handsome and dashing he must have been in his youth.
"Xuanqingzi?" she murmured.
The man in the cage paused his stretching motion, and the wet hair hanging over his eyes was flung aside.
"Are you Xuanqingzi?" Zhong Li's voice now carried a hint of certainty.
The man in the cage gave her a mocking glance, cleared his throat, and with his chained hands adopting an elegant posture, he began to sing in a sharp Beijing accent: "In ancient times, Qin and Chu had mountains, Penglai Immortal Mountain had no respondent, myriad shamans joined to question the nine heavens, only for elixirs, not for silver.
The goddess returns on colorful auspicious clouds, all prostrate, blessed for three lifetimes. Fortunate, wonderful, eternal joy."
Zhong Li stood opposite him, watching him. After he finished singing, she asked, "I have questions for you."
Xuanqingzi glanced at her, as if not seeing her, cleared his throat again, and continued to sing.
It was the same tune, the same lyrics.
Zhong Li frowned, looking coldly at the person opposite her. She yanked off her waist token and said sternly, "I am a Judicial Inspector of the Dali Temple, here to interrogate the prisoner Xuanqingzi."
Her voice echoed in the secret chamber, mingling with the singing. Xuanqingzi seemed not to hear, continuing his performance as usual.
Zhong Li closed her eyes, as if restraining herself. When he reached a crescendo, she spoke, "Yesterday, an old Daoist priest surnamed Bai committed suicide at the gates of the Dali Temple, uttering treasonous words. Today, a woman died at the south gate of Jincheng. She was clad in brocade and flowing silk, with a golden lotus adornment on her forehead. Her internal organs were emptied. May I ask, Xuanqingzi, what are your thoughts on this?"
Xuanqingzi's singing faltered, but he soon resumed, his voice slightly louder than before.
Zhong Li's brows furrowed tightly. As she pondered, she uttered two words: "Róushī."
Xuanqingzi's voice abruptly stopped. He turned to look at Zhong Li with a trace of disbelief.
Zhong Li continued, "South of the Shurong Kingdom, there is a funeral custom. When people of that nation die, their internal organs are emptied and placed in jars of varying sizes. The body is tightly bound with bandages, and after the moisture evaporates, it is placed in a coffin for burial, signifying eternal sleep and everlasting life after death.
When the Goddess Cult was eradicated, three female corpses were discovered in a room at a gathering place. The treatment of these corpses was similar to that of this country. The only difference was that the jars containing the internal organs, which should have been placed beside the female corpses, were missing. Nor were their bodies wrapped with bandages; instead, they were left exposed to dry in the sun. The previous Dali Temple Minister's case file only went this far, as they were unaware of such a method of treating corpses.
Initially, when I casually flipped through the case files, I was merely curious about such a bizarre occurrence and didn't ponder it further. It wasn't until I saw the female corpse hanging at the south of the city. Besides her internal organs being placed in jars, her body also faintly emitted an acidic smell. It was then that I suspected the case from back then was not that simple. What was the purpose of your Goddess Cult's róushī?"
"Haha!" As soon as Zhong Li finished speaking, Xuanqingzi burst into frenzied laughter. He looked up at the woman opposite him, his bloodshot eyes spinning madly within their sockets.
"Back then, the one surnamed Chen captured me and interrogated me for three days and three nights, yet he couldn't guess so much. Ten years later, these two words are spoken by a mere young girl. Ridiculous, truly ridiculous."
"So, was the female corpse indeed prepared for róushī?" Zhong Li asked. "What are you doing róushī for? Does it have any relation to the Goddess Cult?"
"Do you really want to know?" Xuanqingzi stopped laughing and looked directly at Zhong Li with dead fish eyes.
"Otherwise? You don't think I came here to chat about daily life, do you?" Zhong Li sneered.
"Haha!" Xuanqingzi burst into unrestrained laughter again. He glanced at the man standing behind Zhong Li and said, "If he leaves, I'll speak."
Lan Heng had been watching the entire scene from a distance. He disliked such cryptic individuals, and now being provoked by a prisoner, his expression soured. "Xuanqingzi, this is the water prison. As a prisoner, are you in a position to dictate terms?"
"Hmph!" Xuanqingzi snorted coldly and said, "There are matters I cannot dictate, but this matter, can you pry it out of my mouth if you have the ability?"
"You!" Lan Heng's eyes narrowed in anger.
"If I'm not mistaken, His Majesty doesn't allow you to take my life, does he? Otherwise, I would have died ten years ago. Judging by your attire, you are the new Dali Temple Minister? How do you plan to coerce me? Aren't you afraid that if I die from a blow, your official position will be lost?" Xuanqingzi seemed to enjoy seeing Lan Heng flustered, shaking his head with a look of smugness.
"Xuanqingzi, don't think you..."
"My lord!" Zhong Li interrupted Lan Heng and said, "Please, my lord, leave for a moment."
"Li'er!" Lan Heng was stunned and took a few steps forward. "This person is extremely dangerous. If I leave..."
"Lord Lan, I know what I'm doing." Zhong Li turned and nodded confidently at Lan Heng.
Lan Heng cast a glare at Xuanqingzi, then turned and walked out of the secret chamber.
Once Zhong Li and Xuanqingzi were alone in the room, she said, "He has left. Speak."
Xuanqingzi looked at her with a smile and said, "Little girl, come a bit closer."
Zhong Li frowned and walked a few steps forward.
"A bit closer."
Zhong Li watched Xuanqingzi without moving.
"Scared?" Xuanqingzi lowered his voice, his volume amplified by the echoing emptiness of the secret room, making it extremely eerie.
Zhong Li took a deep breath and leaned her ear close to the iron cage.
Xuanqingzi's smile grew wider. He leaned closer to Zhong Li and said, "The Goddess Cult is searching for the method of achieving immortality and ascending to heaven."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li's eyes fixed on Xuanqingzi. "Ascending to heaven? If it's ascending to heaven, why would you cause the people of Jincheng to commit suicide and disembowel themselves in front of the imperial palace? I think it's an evil cult."
"Heh heh!" Xuanqingzi shook his head, laughing until he staggered back. "See, I told you, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you, yet you insist on asking me. But speaking of which..."
As Xuanqingzi spoke, his eyes roamed up and down Zhong Li's body. "Little girl, you are healthy and good-looking. You are suitable to be made into a goddess and can achieve enlightenment and become an immortal. Would you like to try?"
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes and glared at Xuanqingzi. She turned and walked towards the exit of the secret chamber.
Xuanqingzi watched her retreating back and roared with laughter, "In a few days, the winds will change, and the Southern Yue Kingdom will have a new ruler, a new ruler!"