The magic power of Qi Cultivation Layer 1 could only support Su Haoming in casting three Basic Spells, and they had to be Wind Spells most compatible with his Spiritual Root. If he used other spells, even two would probably be a struggle.
Fortunately, this power system's recovery rate was not bad.
Su Haoming had already tested it in the Castle. Once his magic power was depleted, he needed roughly ten minutes to fully recover.
Of course, that was on the condition that he had Spirit Stones. If he relied solely on converting food, then no matter how nutritious it was, it would take at least an hour.
Before Elder Brother and Uncle Qian returned, Su Haoming began setting up Alert Barriers along the courtyard gate and walls.
Though they were called barriers, they were really nothing more than air currents and Wind Ropes.
These Wind Ropes wound around the courtyard walls and eaves. Once someone stepped into them, the airflow would be disturbed, allowing Su Haoming to know every wind and grass movement in the vicinity without leaving his home.
Setting them up cost Su Haoming three whole spells and another twenty minutes of recovery time.
By the time everything was finished, the sun had already moved farther west, and the sky was nowhere near as bright as before.
Holding a Spirit Stone, Su Haoming sat cross-legged on his bed and recovered his magic power.
Just then, someone touched the Wind Rope at the courtyard gate.
Su Haoming kept his eyes shut and felt the tactile feedback carried by the airflow. He quickly identified the visitor—
Elder Brother was back!
He opened his eyes, tucked the Spirit Stone into his robes, and hurried out of the room.
"Elder Brother!"
Su Haoming smiled and cupped his hands toward his cousin.
Su Wuming was about to respond when he suddenly paused, studying Su Haoming with suspicion.
For some reason, he felt that his cousin possessed something indescribable now. He seemed more confident and detached than he had that morning...
Confidence was one thing, but detached?
Could that word even be applied to his cousin?
It had to be an illusion!
Su Wuming shook his head, then said softly, "Earlier, there was no movement from your room. I thought you had gone to sleep, so I did not disturb you. Have you rested well now?"
"Never better!"
Su Haoming replied energetically.
Su Wuming gave him a suspicious look, then nodded. "That is good!"
With that, he strode past Su Haoming in a hurry.
"Hey, hey!"
Su Haoming instantly dropped the act. He hurriedly stopped his Elder Brother and asked in a low voice, "Elder Brother, what happened to Yin Shirou?"
Su Wuming halted. After some hesitation, he decided that this matter was indeed related to his cousin, so he answered, "I just went to Lu Lingfeng's residence to inquire. Your firearm was too powerful. One shot shattered Yin Shirou's internal organs. After the Jinwu Guard captured him, they had not even carried him out of the Ghost Market before he stopped breathing..."
"Is that so? What a pity..."
Disappointment appeared on Su Haoming's face.
Su Wuming also found it regrettable. He had already determined that Yin Shirou was the supplier handling the sale of Chang'an Black Tea—or at least the one pushed into the public eye.
A living Yin Shirou would certainly have been more valuable than a dead one!
Since Yin Shirou was dead, if they wanted to speed up the investigation, Su Haoming would have to make a move himself.
After giving it some thought, he asked quietly, "Elder Brother, there is something else I have wanted to ask since this morning. Why do you have the scent of Soul Returning Incense on you?"
"Soul Returning Incense?"
Su Wuming paused slightly and asked in confusion, "What is that?"
Su Haoming explained, "A preservative fragrance. Applied to a body, it can keep a corpse from decaying for months."
Su Wuming's pupils contracted slightly. He then reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of red cloth, murmuring thoughtfully, "So this is called Soul Returning Incense!"
Although Su Haoming already knew the plot, he still cried out in cooperation when he saw the red cloth, "That is it!"
"The scent on this cloth is Soul Returning Incense. Elder Brother, where did you get it?"
Su Wuming said softly, "This red cloth was cut from the corpse of a murdered Bride. I had suspected at the time that it was some kind of preservative fragrance, but I did not know its origin."
At this point, he paused, turned to Su Haoming, and said, "You have known many strange and unusual things since childhood. I will not ask how you learned them. Tell me, then—what exactly is the origin of this Soul Returning Incense?"
"Thank you for trusting me, Elder Brother!"
Su Haoming inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, then said seriously, "I do not know how Soul Returning Incense is made, but I know that its ingredient should be an exotic flower from the Western Regions. It is said that even ghosts like to use this flower to preserve their flesh."
Ghosts?
Su Wuming was stunned again. Then he said thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, when I was at the Ghost Market, I encountered a strange Old Beggar. He smelled the scent on me and was suddenly frightened out of his wits, shouting that he had encountered a ghost. Could he have recognized the Soul Returning Incense?"
Upon hearing this, Su Haoming immediately realized that this so-called Old Beggar was probably Fei Jishi.
According to Brother Lin, Fei Jishi's real name was Fei Yingjun. He was Medicine King Sun Simiao's youngest disciple and would later be the medical expert of Tang Gui's main cast.
"That should be it!"
Su Haoming nodded.
After considering it briefly, Su Wuming handed the red cloth to his cousin and asked, "Yansheng, help me estimate this. If the cloth were soaked to the same degree as this piece, but large enough to wrap an entire corpse, roughly how much Soul Returning Incense would be needed?"
Su Haoming kneaded the red cloth in his hand and shook his head. "That would be far too much!"
Su Wuming mused, "Such a vast amount of Soul Returning Incense would require no small amount of raw material... I reckon the murderer may have a channel through which he can regularly obtain the ingredients!"
"I think so too," Su Haoming said with a nod.
Su Wuming continued, "Where do you think is most likely?"
Su Haoming said casually, "When it comes to exotic flowers and herbs from the Western Regions, that would be the Western Market Office, would it not?"
"But I already met with Western Market Commissioner Kang Yuanli yesterday. He said he did not know this Soul Returning—"
Before he could finish, Su Wuming's voice abruptly stopped. Then he sneered. "What a Kang, Market Commissioner!"
Seeing that his cousin had begun to suspect Kang Yuanli, Su Haoming struck while the iron was hot. "Elder Brother, I have another question. Why did the murderer dress the corpses in clothes coated with Soul Returning Incense?"
Su Wuming hesitated. "To keep the corpses from decaying?"
Su Haoming asked in return, "Then why preserve the corpses?"
"..."
After pondering for a moment, Su Wuming suddenly looked up, his eyes shining. "To make tea... and for a ritual!"
He had figured it out so quickly?
Su Haoming was somewhat surprised, but he still cooperatively asked, "Making tea and a ritual?"
"That is right!"
Su Wuming said quietly, "While investigating the Missing Bride Case, I discovered that whenever a Bride disappeared in Chang'an County, a batch of black tea would emerge not long after. Thus, I concluded that the two must be connected."
"Furthermore, when I previously visited Attendant Official Pei, he served me Chang'an Black Tea. At that time, I smelled a pungent scent of blood in the tea..."
Su Haoming played along. "Elder Brother, you mean that the raw ingredients for Chang'an Black Tea are those missing Brides?"
Su Wuming shook his head. "It is not certain yet. It is only highly likely... Besides, if it were merely for making tea, this much Soul Returning Incense would be excessive!"
"Therefore, I surmise that Soul Returning Incense has another use."
"For example, making it easier for the murderer to preserve the corpses while setting up some eerie grand formation!"
The more Su Wuming spoke, the brighter his eyes became. "Yansheng, think carefully. Every missing Bride in Chang'an disappeared after an interval. If there were not enough corpses for the ritual, would Soul Returning Incense not be needed to keep them from decaying?"
"By coincidence, I once saw a formation that could hide corpses in designated locations to ensure their resentful spirits would not gather."
"If that is truly the case, then the eight Brides who disappeared before should already have been buried!"
As he spoke, he suddenly turned around and stared at Su Haoming with bright eyes.
"Where is the map?"
"In the Study Room."
Without the slightest hesitation, Su Wuming strode toward the Study Room.
Not long after, Su Wuming emerged with a broad smile. A map lay on the desk in the Study Room behind him.
"Yansheng, do you know what I came back for?"
"...No."
"To get money, buy meat, reward the constables, and make a second visit to the Ghost Market!"
Su Wuming turned toward the map on the desk and smiled. "Though a heavy reward will surely bring forth brave men, this little favor of mine is far from a heavy reward, much less enough to command those old veterans!"
"So I have changed my mind. We should start with small matters and have them search for the missing Brides' corpses first. Once they find the corpses just as I predicted, I will surely establish my authority among them."
"Then, once I reward them and bring up the Ghost Market again, things may be different."
"This is the wisdom of the ancients, Shang Yang's old stratagem!"
A smile appeared on Su Haoming's face. He cupped his hands and said, "I admire Elder Brother's wisdom!"
Su Wuming chuckled. "Yansheng is too modest. As the saying goes, every profession has its specialty. I specialize in solving cases. If I lacked even such methods, would I not have lived these extra years for nothing?"
As he spoke, he looked up at the sky and hurriedly said, "All right, it is getting late. I need to hurry to the Government Office!"
Watching Su Wuming's hurried retreating figure, Su Haoming could not help but sigh inwardly.
With Brother Lin's help, he could know the case in advance. Yet Su Wuming, relying only on the information already available, could unravel the clues and catch the slips the murderer had carelessly revealed.
Sure enough, when it came to solving cases, ten Su Haomings would not be a match for one Su Wuming!
After thinking for a moment, Su Haoming opened the Chat Group.
[Su Haoming: The closer I get to the Imperial Court, the more I can feel my own inadequacies...] [Su Haoming: Brothers, I have decided!] [Su Haoming: I am giving up the imperial examination and becoming a carefree monk!]
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