Chapter 127 Gathering Clues

Feng Ruoxing saw that I was silent and asked Jie Yueling directly, "Haven't you ever been curious about what was in Jie Sanbao's pocket?"

Jie Yueling replied, "I also asked my dad what he kept in his pocket, but he always brushed me off. So, I stopped asking."

Jie Yueling added, "My dad told me since I was little not to rummage through things. So, I've never touched his things."

An old saying in the world of术 (Shu – occult arts): A Shushi (occult practitioner) is most afraid of encountering a disobedient brat who insists on doing what they're told not to.

But, obedient children are also a headache!

If Jie Yueling had been just a little more curious, I wouldn't have lost the lead.

With little hope, I asked, "The snake-patterned secret box hasn't been found either, has it?"

"No!" Lin Zhao shook his head, "The entire villa has never seen the secret box."

I took a deep breath and said, "Let's wait! All the leads are cut off, we can only sit and wait."

Before long, news from Liangjie Tang (Two Realms Hall) came one after another.

Lao Liu and Hei Ye Xiao (Black Night Owl) were protecting Jie Sanbao in secret, but they never found an opportunity to talk to him. Jie Sanbao is a public figure in the provincial capital. Although he's in the detention center, he's being watched twenty-four hours a day, for fear that something might happen to him. Getting close to Jie Sanbao requires another opportunity.

Zhao Ci sent me a message: "Jie Sanbao served in the military when he was young. After retiring, he went to a forest farm in Anling, where he stayed for several years."

"Among the fifteen people on the spirit tablet, three were his comrades-in-arms, two of whom also went to the forest farm. Another one went to prison shortly after retiring."

"The remaining twelve people were either friends Jie Sanbao met at the forest farm or related to Shen Ping, who went to jail. These people include petty thieves, robbers, and tomb robbers. As for whether there are any Shushi (occult practitioners), I'm still investigating."

I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "Jie Sanbao gathered these people together, could it be for a tomb raiding deal?"

"It's possible!" Zhao Ci said, "Most of these people have disappeared, and Jie Sanbao began to prosper shortly after their disappearance."

"After Jie Sanbao's company was established, the few people who hadn't disappeared joined Jie Sanbao's company and can be considered the veterans of his company. However, those people also died mysteriously in the following years."

"When Jie Sanbao bought talismans, he usually bought them in batches and distributed them to those few people."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but nod secretly. Looking at it this way, Jie Sanbao's letting Jie Yueling carry the talisman wasn't just because he loved his daughter. It also hid a past they shared.

Zhao Ci paused and said, "I also found two more important clues. Shen Ping on the memorial tablet may not be dead!"

"There's a person in Jie Sanbao's company named Shen Qingsheng, who is very likely Shen Ping."

"Another clue is that Jie Sanbao makes a fixed payment to a man named Jia Zhen every year. That Jia Zhen plays the violin in the underground passage of the commercial street."

"The amount of money Jie Sanbao gives him is quite substantial, but he never meets him."

"Currently, these are all the clues we can find. For deeper clues, we'll have to see if Master Liu can contact Jie Sanbao."

The possibility of contacting Jie Sanbao isn't high. He's a pawn of the Coffin Gate. As the chess player, the Coffin Gate won't allow anyone to touch their pawn. I can't sit here and wait for news from Lao Liu.

Feng Ruoxing, who was sitting next to me, said, "Are we splitting up again this time?"

"Yes!" I stood up and said, "You and Ye Yang go find Jia Zhen. I'll take Lin Zhao and Jie Yueling to find Shen Ping. We'll contact each other on the road to decide where to meet."

After Ye Yang and I separated, I drove the car near the commercial street. Jie Yueling kept looking out the window, "Aren't you going to find Uncle Shen? This isn't the way to his house."

"I know!" I said as I drove, "I can't find Shen Ping if I go now. So, I have to find someone who can protect Shen Ping's life. You two go see Shen Ping first. I'll be back soon."

I drove around the city for a few laps, and it wasn't until nightfall that I drove the car to the entrance of a tavern where I could find Wen Yi.

When I went in, Wen Yi had just poured himself a glass of wine. I sat directly opposite Wen Yi, "Brother Wen, we meet again."

"Add a glass!" Wen Yi poured me a glass of wine and said, "Hall Master Li only remembers me, this drunkard, when he needs something. What is it this time?"

I said bluntly, "I saw a life-substituting spirit tablet at Jie Sanbao's house. As far as I know, Wen Xiong (Brother Wen) is the only person in the entire provincial capital who can play with the life-substituting spirit tablet with such skill. I'm here to ask you, what wants Shen Ping's life?"

The art of life substitution is one of the most used, easiest to learn, but most difficult to master secret arts in the术 (Shu - occult arts) world.

Using something to protect someone from disaster sounds easy, but it's difficult to do. There are too few people who can play the art of life substitution to perfection.

Wen Yi is one of them.

Wen Yi stared at me for a long time before saying, "I dare to say, do you dare to move?"