Guidance (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Lin Xiu's voice drifted in from outside the courtyard gate, unhurried and carrying a sense of perfunctory, official politeness.

Zheng Yuanpei's brows knit together, and he slapped his chess piece onto the board with a sharp crack.

"Come in!"

He muttered under his breath, his tone laced with undisguised impatience.

Before long, the butler led three people through the Moon Gate and into the courtyard.

The man in the lead was under thirty, with a cold, stern face and a navy blue uniform pressed without a single wrinkle.

It was Lin Xiu from the Folklore and Antiquities Investigation Division.

Behind him followed a young officer carrying a black leather briefcase, and a lean, wiry man in a grey cloth jacket with a bulging waistline; judging by his gait, he was a martial artist.

After entering, Lin Xiu's gaze rested on Zheng Yuanpei for a heartbeat before shifting to Zheng Shulan's face.

Then, his eyes swept across to the other side of the chess table and stopped.

Fang Shuwen was sitting opposite the chessboard.

Lin Xiu's pupils constricted slightly.

He recognized this face.

This person was a target he had previously suspected.

Three days ago, at the Xikou Public Middle School Elite Class, he had tested this person with a detector.

At the time, he had ruled him out as a suspect.

But now, this person was sitting in the Zheng Family's side chamber, playing chess with Lord Zheng.

The son of a gatekeeper, a student at a Public Middle School, playing chess with Zheng Yuanpei?

The corner of Lin Xiu's eye twitched.

He immediately sensed that this young man was likely not simple.

"And this is?"

Lin Xiu adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, let his gaze linger on Fang Shuwen's face for an extra moment, and then looked at Zheng Yuanpei.

"An old man's chess partner."

Zheng Yuanpei tossed his chess piece into the bowl, leaned back in his chair, and spoke with a cold tone.

"What, does Section Chief Lin intend to manage who I play chess with as well?"

"Lord Zheng is joking."

Lin Xiu smiled.

Immediately after, he withdrew his gaze from Fang Shuwen and turned toward Zheng Shulan.

"Miss Zheng, I've come to visit today because there is a small matter I would like to verify with you."

Zheng Shulan sat upright in her chair, holding a teacup in her hands; upon hearing this, she raised her eyelids and glanced at him.

"Please, speak."

Lin Xiu pulled a photograph from his breast pocket, placed it on the chess table, and gently pushed it toward Zheng Shulan.

On the photo was a copper shard, engraved on the front with crooked Wild Curse Script, and on the back, a vertical pupil.

"Miss Zheng, have you ever seen this object?"

Zheng Shulan lowered her head to look at the photo, her brows slightly furrowed as if she were struggling to recall.

A moment later, she shook her head, her tone firm: "I have not."

"You haven't?"

"Are you certain you haven't?"

Lin Xiu repeated the question, his gaze lingering on Zheng Shulan's face for three or four seconds, trying to find a flaw in her expression.

Zheng Shulan's complexion remained normal; she lifted her teacup and took a sip, neither dodging nor avoiding his gaze.

Lin Xiu withdrew his eyes and turned to Zheng Yuanpei, his tone becoming a bit more courteous: "Lord Zheng, what about you?"

"I haven't seen it either."

Zheng Yuanpei struck his cane against the ground, producing a dull thud.

"Section Chief Lin, you traveled all this way just to ask about this? What kind of nonsensical thing is this!"

"Get out of here at once!"

Hearing this, Lin Xiu withdrew his gaze, his expression darkening.

"Forgive me, Lord Zheng; this is official business, and I am merely acting under orders."

He stood up, cupped his hands in a salute toward Zheng Yuanpei, and gave a slight nod to Zheng Shulan.

"Apologies for the intrusion, I shall take my leave."

With that, he turned and departed with his two subordinates in tow.

The sound of their footsteps receded along the covered corridor, passed through the Moon Gate, and vanished beyond the courtyard walls.

Outside the main gate of Zheng Mansion, in a narrow alleyway.

Lin Xiu stopped and glanced back at the two gilded characters for "Zheng Mansion" above the lintel. The polite expression on his face receded like a tide, revealing the ruthless countenance beneath.

"Little Liang, the instrument."

Officer Liang acknowledged the order, crouched down, and opened a black leather case.

The interior of the case was lined with dark red velvet, with a palm-sized copper-cased instrument embedded in the center.

The surface was engraved with dense, intricate dials, and several hair-thin needles trembled slightly.

Officer Liang twisted the knob on the side. The instrument emitted a faint hum, the needles jumped a few times, and then settled steadily onto a specific mark.

"Section Chief, everything is normal. No exotic energy detected."

Officer Liang looked up, his tone carrying a hint of relief.

Lin Xiu stared down at the instrument, brows furrowed, and remained silent.

He stood in silence for a moment, fished a cigarette from his pocket, clamped it between his lips, and struck a match to light it.

He took a deep drag, exhaling the smoke through his nostrils.

"Section Chief, what now?" Officer Liang closed the case and stood up.

"That Fang Shuwen... we checked him out. The son of a gatekeeper, his grades were a disaster last semester, but he suddenly shot to the top over the summer break. Plus, the way he sat there in the Zheng household playing chess with Lord Zheng—he doesn't look like an ordinary student at all."

Lin Xiu flicked the ash from his cigarette, his gaze resting on an old locust tree across the street, his voice unhurried.

"The instrument didn't react, which means he hasn't come into contact with the Soaring Snake Counter-Scale. At least, not recently."

"So, you mean... we can rule him out?"

"No, quite the contrary."

Lin Xiu adjusted his glasses, his tone eerie. "Have someone keep watch. Once that Fang Shuwen comes out, go and test him."

In the side chamber of Zheng Mansion, Fang Shuwen placed his final piece, checkmating Lord Zheng's general.

"No more, I'm done!"

Zheng Yuanpei pushed the board aside and leaned back in his chair, his face full of frustration.

"You brat, if that Lin Xiu hadn't ruined my mood today, I definitely would have won this game!"

Fang Shuwen smiled and picked up the pieces one by one, returning them to the container.

He did not expose the stubborn old man.

"Old Master, what exactly is Lin Xiu's background?"

"He's the Section Chief of the Xikou Folklore and Antiquities Investigation Division, and a member of the Lin Family of Shenghai."

Zheng Yuanpei stroked his goatee, his tone carrying a hint of disdain, though a trace of wariness lingered in his eyes.

"Oh!"

Fang Shuwen nodded. He had never heard of the Lin Family of Shenghai.

But anyone who could make a name for themselves in Shenghai was certainly no simple character.

"Here, this is today's prize."

Zheng Yuanpei called out to him, fished a small blue cloth bag from a drawer, and tossed it over.

Fang Shuwen caught it; it felt heavy in his hand.

He didn't need to count it to know it was a significant sum.

However, he did not accept it, instead pushing the money bag back.

"What? Is it too little?" Zheng Yuanpei huffed, his beard bristling.

"Old Master, you jest. It's just that today, I don't want money; I want your guidance."

Fang Shuwen said, his gaze burning.

Having arrived at Zheng Yuanpei's home today, he had finally learned of Lord Zheng's reputation.

The number one expert in Xikou County, and the last Martial Champion during the time of the Great Yin.

He had once been received by the Deposed Emperor and granted an imperial plaque.

Before the collapse of the Great Yin, he had served as the commander of the Xikou garrison, holding the Principal Fifth Rank.

And now, even though a new nation had been established...

Yet, the status of Lord Zheng did not decline; instead, it rose, for the largest trading company in Xikou County belonged to the Zheng Family.

Zheng Yuanpei took back the money bag pushed toward him, lifting his eyes to look at Fang Shuwen, his gaze filled with a newfound sense of scrutiny.

"Guidance?"

"You brat certainly know how to calculate. Back when I was hanging my shingle in Shenghai, one couldn't even step through my door without paying three hundred silver dollars a month. And you? You think you can trade for it with just two games of chess?"

Fang Shuwen smiled, neither servile nor overbearing. "If you feel it's a bad deal, Old Master, then forget it. I'll come by another day to play chess with you instead."

As he spoke, he stood up, making a move to leave.

"Hmph, follow me!"