Jin Shanyao wasted no words on him. "The killer murdered more than one child. There are five more sets of remains in the Land God Temple."
Everyone present was shocked by her words.
Beads of sweat covered Magistrate Yang's forehead. "Master, can you divine where the killer is hiding?"
Jin Shanyao glanced at him. "I can find the killer. Can you find the evidence?"
"Yes." Magistrate Yang's expression hardened, and the stern, murderous air of one in authority arose.
"Then let's go to the crime scene."
"Oh, all right." Magistrate Yang wiped his forehead, hitched up his official robes, and turned to sit in the ox cart. Then he and Jin Shanyao stared at each other.
"Aren't we going?"
Seeing how readily he had made himself at home, Jin Shanyao couldn't help laughing. "Let's go." She slapped the ox on the rump, and the cart ambled out of the city, with constables and yamen runners carrying shovels behind them.
The group soon reached the Land God Temple. To everyone's surprise, Li Dequan was there.
He sat beneath the third tree as though his soul had left him, but the moment he saw the officers approach, he sprang upright.
Magistrate Yang said, "Li Dequan, what are you doing here? Get out quickly and don't obstruct official business."
Li Dequan said nothing and remained motionless beneath the tree. The head yamen runner leaned close to Magistrate Yang's ear and whispered something. Magistrate Yang sighed and walked over to Jin Shanyao.
"Master, can you divine where the other victims are buried?"
Jin Shanyao pointed out a spot, then sat in the ox cart with Meng Anzhi and watched them huff and puff as they dug.
Jin Shanyao nudged Meng Anzhi with her body. "I'll teach you to make poison tonight. Carry some with you, so you won't be unable to save yourself if you run into bad people."
Meng Anzhi nodded, her face pale. "Auntie, can I not look at the dead?"
"Of course not. Practicing medicine means dealing with both the living and the dead. You and Anci are still young. You'll encounter all kinds of dangers and hardships in the future, and you must learn to overcome them and grow."
Meng Anzhi swallowed, pressing her little body tightly against Jin Shanyao. She wanted to close her eyes but couldn't, so she steeled herself and watched the officers carry the children's bodies out one by one.
They were all her age. She would have been lying if she said she wasn't afraid.
Rattle... a tooth rolled out.
"Urgh... blegh..." Meng Anzhi leaned over the cart bed, her head hanging down as she vomited without stopping. When she was done, she wiped her mouth and continued watching the officers dig up the bodies.
"Urgh... blegh..."
"Urgh... blegh..." By the end, Meng Anzhi had nearly thrown up her bile.
The last body was beneath Li Dequan. His expression was tense, and his arms were locked tightly around the tree.
"What are you doing? I'm telling you, none of you is allowed to touch this tree."
Everyone stood silently with their shovels. When no one spoke, Magistrate Yang steeled himself and said, "Li Dequan, do not obstruct official business."
"I'm not obstructing official business. Dig wherever you like, but nobody is allowed to touch this tree." As he spoke, tears fell without warning.
He pointed in Jin Shanyao's direction and shouted hysterically, "My son isn't dead, you liar! I told you, my son is only missing. He isn't dead at all. What right do you have not to believe me?"
His voice grew louder and louder, his emotions roiled, and tears soaked his entire face.
Magistrate Yang lifted his chin slightly at the head yamen runner. "Have a few men carry him away."
Hearing that, Li Dequan wrapped his arms and legs around the tree. "I'm not leaving! If you dare lay a finger on me, I'll bash myself to death right here!"
The head yamen runner couldn't help looking away. He went over with his shovel and drove it into the ground.
Li Dequan's eyes nearly split with rage. He lunged forward like a madman. "Don't dig! Nobody is allowed to dig!" He shoved the head yamen runner aside and sprawled on the ground, his arms and legs spread wide.
He sobbed, "I told you, my son isn't dead! He's only missing! Why must you dig here? Go dig somewhere else!"
Magistrate Yang couldn't bear it and waved a hand at the head yamen runner. He walked alone to Jin Shanyao. "Master, can we find the killer with these bodies?"
Jin Shanyao nodded. Sitting cross-legged in the ox cart, she slowly spread her Spiritual Power over the entire Land God Temple. To obtain more accurate information, she entered the plants' spiritual seas directly and searched their memories.
From the moss on the ground to the vines creeping into the temple, she finally pieced together the full story of the case.
Jin Shanyao withdrew her Spiritual Power and opened her eyes, finding herself face-to-face with Magistrate Yang's chubby face.
"Master, have you found the killer?"
Jin Shanyao discreetly set up a barrier and said gravely, "Concubine Liu of the Zhao Residence, and Wang Wu, the hoof trimmer at the cattle and horse market in the west of the city."
At that, Magistrate Yang's brows shot up, and his heart sank.
Zhao Mingjing was the wealthiest man in the county town. He had heard that Concubine Liu had once saved Zhao Mingjing's life. Now that the child murder case implicated Concubine Liu, could Zhao Mingjing really know nothing about it?
This case would be difficult to investigate.
"Master, do you have evidence?"
Jin Shanyao looked up and stared blankly at him. Brother, what did we say before the divination? I find the people, and you find the evidence. What, now that I've found them, you want me to find the evidence too?
Why don't I just be the magistrate?
Jin Shanyao couldn't help rolling her eyes. If she hadn't seen how miserably the children had died, she really wouldn't have wanted to get involved.
"Bring Concubine Liu and Wang Wu to the county yamen. You'll know once you question them."
Magistrate Yang tugged at his sleeve and wiped his face haphazardly. He was stout, and just standing in the sun without moving left him sweating all over. When he moved, sweat poured down his cheeks.
"Chief constable, head runner..."
"Yes, sir... what do you need us for?" The chief constable and head yamen runner dropped their shovels and ran over.
Magistrate Yang tugged at his sleeve and fanned himself with heavy breaths. "Find a pretext to bring Concubine Liu of the Zhao Residence and Wang Wu from the cattle and horse market in the west of the city to the county yamen for questioning."
The head yamen runner spoke first. "I'll go to the cattle and horse market in the west of the city to find Wang Wu."
The chief constable shot him a sidelong glance but said nothing. He told the constables to collect the bodies carefully, then return and post notices asking those who had lost children to come identify them.
After giving his instructions, Magistrate Yang hitched up his official robes and sat in the ox cart. "Let's go."
Well, now I'm a cart driver.
Jin Shanyao slapped the old ox, and the cart suddenly lurched into motion. Startled, Magistrate Yang hurriedly grabbed the cart bed to steady himself. Once settled, he secretly glared at Jin Shanyao.
Luckily, he was fat and had a solid base, or he would have made a great fool of himself.
The ox cart rattled into the county town, and Jin Shanyao went straight to Benevolence Hall to set up her stall.
The ox cart abruptly stopped.
Caught off guard while staring at Meng Anzhi, Magistrate Yang pitched forward.
He twisted around and asked, "Master? Why have we stopped?"
"I still have pulses to check. Go back to the county yamen yourself."
Magistrate Yang jumped off the ox cart, straightened his official hat, and smiled at Jin Shanyao. "Thank you for your help, Master. Please make sure to attend the hearing tomorrow."
Jin Shanyao pushed him aside, parked the ox cart, removed the ox's harness, and set a stool on the ground.
Magistrate Yang wasn't angry at being pushed aside. He stuck out his chubby belly and headed back.
Color had returned to Meng Anzhi's deathly pale little face. "Auntie, why is he hearing the case tomorrow?"
Jin Shanyao stuck the cloth banner onto the cart and secured it with rope. "After catching the criminals, he'll lock them up for a night. They'll get scared and throw themselves into disarray, making the hearing a little easier the next day."
Meng Anzhi half understood.
After tying up the banner, Jin Shanyao squatted on the ground. Seeing this, Meng Anzhi climbed down from the ox cart and squatted beside her to watch the passersby in the street.
"Auntie, I'm scared."
Jin Shanyao rubbed her head. "Don't be afraid. As long as you have the necklace, I can find you no matter where you are."
Meng Anzhi pulled out the ginkgo leaf hanging around her neck. It gleamed gold in the sunlight, dazzling her a little.
Clutching the ginkgo leaf, she thought of how miserably those children had died, and her body trembled uncontrollably. "Auntie, what if I'm kidnapped?"
Jin Shanyao thought for a moment, then said fiercely, "We'll make poison tonight and put it in a pouch. If anyone dares lay a hand on you, open the pouch and poison them to death."
Meng Anzhi stared at the pattern on Jin Shanyao's clothes. "Poison them to death?"
"That's right, poison them to death. Those traffickers who steal children and cut out their hearts deserve to be poisoned to death."