Corpse Oil Lamp

"Golden Finger?"

"Only arriving now?"

Su Mo stared fixedly at the yellow exclamation mark above the Female Captain's head!

Born into a humble family, with his parents dead early and no brothers or sisters.

The only person he could rely on was his old uncle, who had been an Assistant Servant for over a decade.

In his previous life, he had merely been an ordinary shut-in. His IQ and emotional intelligence had both been at an ordinary person's level. Crossing over would not instantly turn him into an omniscient, omnipotent Long Aotian. Being able to survive safely in ancient times would already be good enough.

Never in his wildest dreams had he expected the Golden Finger to arrive a hundred days late!

Su Mo took a deep breath.

The yellow exclamation mark opened successfully.

[Lin Moyin]: Imperial Guard Centurion

[Mission]: The Lost Golden Lock

[Requirement]: Return the Golden Lock to Lin Moyin's hands!

[Hint]: This is an heirloom left behind by Lin Moyin's late mother and is extremely important to her. It was lost in a fight three days ago, leaving her deeply regretful. Take a look beneath the Old Persimmon Tree at West Mountain Mass Grave; you may find something.

[Hint]: Raise the target's favorability, and there may be unexpected gains!

[Reward]: Undetermined

A favorability bar immediately appeared above Lin Moyin's head, red on the left and green on the right.

Its current value was 10% red!

Su Mo was certain that, whether in this life or his previous one, he could not possibly have had even the slightest connection to an Imperial Guard Centurion.

It could only be said that constables had no favorable impression of the Imperial Guard, and the Imperial Guard felt the same about constables.

After reading the contents of the exclamation mark.

Countless thoughts flashed through Su Mo's mind.

The mission requirements were simple.

Find the Golden Lock and hand it to Lin Moyin, and it would count as completed.

What did an undetermined reward mean?

Could it be awarded based on the degree of completion?

According to the hint, the Golden Lock should be near the Old Persimmon Tree at West Mountain Mass Grave.

Wasn't the Locust God Temple also on West Mountain?

Su Mo was still considering how to complete the mission.

When Chen Gan heavily slapped his shoulder again. "What are you standing around like an idiot for? Move!"

He lowered his voice and warned Su Mo again, "Stay close to me, and don't run around!"

Only then did Su Mo come back to his senses.

Lin Moyin had already led three Imperial Guards away at a gallop.

Zhong Sanyuan and Deng Tong, their faces dark as thunder, called for everyone to follow!

Being an Arrest Hand or Fast Hand in ancient times was absolutely exhausting work.

West Mountain was seven or eight li away, over rugged mountain paths, and they had to rely entirely on their two legs!

Though he was now a young man in his prime, running several li of mountain road in one breath still left Su Mo half dead from exhaustion!

Fortunately, after rounding the mountain bend, the Locust God Temple suddenly came into view.

Su Mo looked toward the Locust God Temple from afar.

Built against the mountainside from wood, thatch, and yellow mud, it covered perhaps a hundred-odd square meters and was utterly crude.

Half the temple gate had collapsed, and the inside was covered in cobwebs and dust, ruined beyond measure.

Rather than a temple, it looked more like a thatched hut.

Changping County had not suffered a locust plague for many years. Naturally, the ruined temple dedicated to the Locust God received no incense offerings.

The Female Captain had already dismounted from her crimson horse. Her pretty face revealed no expression as she stood before the Locust God Temple, her scarlet cloak snapping loudly in the mountain wind.

A moment later, she waved a delicate hand.

The three male Imperial Guards turned back and coldly said to Deng Tong and Zhong Sanyuan, "Seal off the Locust God Temple. If anyone is seen coming out, kill without mercy!"

"Pick some capable men and enter the Locust God Temple with us!"

Having said that.

The three men rested their hands on their longswords and entered the Locust God Temple with grave expressions!

Su Mo could not help growing suspicious.

Could the culprit behind the Dried Corpse Case still be hiding inside the Locust God Temple?

That made no sense!

Even if he had been there earlier, the Imperial Guard and the two squads of strong constables and Fast Hands had mobilized with such fanfare. The culprit was not a clay statue—could he really have failed to flee?

Of course, Su Mo was only an Assistant Servant who did odd jobs.

What the hell did solving the case have to do with him!

After the Imperial Guards entered the temple, Chen Ping, the Fast Hand, swept his gaze over his subordinates.

"Old Gan, Old Yu, you two come into the Locust God Temple with me!"

"The rest of you wait outside!"

As a leader, he naturally knew the measure of his men.

Chen Gan gave a dry laugh. "Chief Chen, let Su Mo come along too."

"Don't let his young age fool you. The kid has brute strength; at least he'll be some help."

Chen Ping looked at Su Mo. "Fine!"

After a pause, he added another warning to Su Mo, still uneasy. "Keep your wits about you. Don't go looking for trouble!"

Su Mo...

An old Subordinate Clerk was indeed an old Subordinate Clerk!

Before entering the temple, Su Mo could not help glancing once more in Lin Moyin's direction.

She was still standing there without moving, putting on airs. Clearly, she had no intention of entering the Locust God Temple.

Sure enough, the credit belonged to the leaders, while the work belonged to those below.

The moment they stepped through the Locust God Temple's gate.

A strange smell instantly burrowed into his nostrils.

He turned his head and looked around.

The next second, he nearly threw up!

In each of the four corners of the Locust God Temple lay a pile of foul-smelling, dark brown "offal"—human viscera!

They were covered in dense swarms of carrion flies, their disgusting buzzing filling the air.

Four naked dried corpses lay joined head to tail like wind-dried cured meat.

At the center stood an oil lamp two fists high. Its flame, burned from corpse oil, glowed an eerie green, sending chills down one's spine.