Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1001 Twist

Shen Yanzhi's heart sank suddenly. The voice was as shrill as a eunuch's, but it carried an unquestionable pressure. He turned to look at the sedan chair, and through the gap in the curtain, a hand wearing only a jade ring was revealed. The nails were trimmed and round, but the knuckles were blue-black. The captain of the guards immediately drew his sword: "You bold and unruly people, how dare you resist the order of Prince Rui?" Wang Hu subconsciously reached for the dagger at his waist, but Shen Yanzhi held his wrist. Shen Yanzhi untied the peach wood sword, held it in both hands and handed it over: "How dare you, a crude object, pollute the eyes of His Highness?" The curtain of the sedan chair was gently lifted, revealing a pale face. Prince Rui was about forty years old, with eyebrows as thin as a woman, but the corners of his mouth were turned down, and his eyes were like ice tempered with poison. He took the peach wood sword, and just as his fingertips touched the cloth sheath, he withdrew them suddenly, as if he had been burned: "There is a yin energy on this sword, who are you?" Shen Yanzhi's heart trembled - this Prince Rui could actually sense the yang energy on the peach wood sword, he was definitely not an ordinary royal family member. Just as he was about to make an excuse, Prince Rui suddenly pointed at his chest and asked, "What are you hiding in your arms?" The burning pain from the Chilong pendant became more and more intense. Shen Yanzhi knew that he could not wait any longer, so he suddenly pulled out the dagger from Wang Hu's waist. Instead of attacking the guards, he cut the rope of the flagpole next to him! The moment the red flag fell, the crowd was in chaos. Shen Yanzhi took the opportunity to grab the peach wood sword and pulled Wang Hu into the alley next to him: "Run south! The Dali Temple is over there!" The roars of the guards and the sound of horse hooves came from behind him, but Shen Yanzhi ran very fast. He remembered the map of the capital city included in the "Records of the Netherworld" and knew that these alleys were like a spider web, extending in all directions and leading directly to the foot of the imperial city. After passing through three alleys, the two turned into the backyard of the family teahouse. Shen Yanzhi pushed down the pile of firewood on the courtyard wall, revealing a secret door at the back - this was the secret passage that Zhao Hu mentioned, which was the contact point left by the Zhenbei Army in the capital city. Behind the secret door was a narrow tunnel, only wide enough for one person to pass through. An oil lamp hung on the wall, and the lamp oil exuded the smell of tung oil and sulfur, obviously it was often maintained. "Prince Rui is the cousin of the current emperor and the grandson of Li Song." Wang Hu explained breathlessly, "After Li Song's downfall, his family was protected by Prince Rui." Shen Yanzhi touched the wall of the tunnel. There were many carvings on the bricks and stones. A closer look revealed the emblem of the Zhenbei Army: "No wonder he wanted to stop us. I'm afraid he got wind of it a long time ago." At the end of the tunnel was an abandoned woodshed. Pushing open the wooden door was the back street of the Dali Temple. It was dusk at this time. The setting sun dyed the eaves of the Dali Temple golden red. The stone lions at the door cast long shadows on the ground. Shen Yanzhi looked at the vermilion lacquered door. The copper rust on the door nails glowed blue-black in the twilight, like countless pairs of eyes watching the visitors. "The archives are in the attic on the west side." Wang Hu pointed to the side door of the Dali Temple. "When I was working in the capital, I delivered files there. The old officials there loved to drink osmanthus wine from the south of the city." Shen Yanzhi pulled a small clay pot from his bag—this was osmanthus wine Zhao Hu had specially prepared, sealed with red paper. "Leave the rest to me." The guard at the side door was an old soldier with a goatee, dozing against the doorpost. Shen Yanzhi handed the osmanthus wine over and slipped a piece of silver in. "My elders used to work at the Dali Temple. They say the old officials here are like living bodhisattvas, so I've come to give you a jar of this little wine." The old soldier weighed the silver, sniffed the wine, and smiled as he opened the side door. "Go ahead, go ahead. Just don't trespass." The attic of the archives was covered with ivy, and the wooden stairs creaked under his feet, as if they would fall apart at any moment. The attic was filled with a strong musty smell. Sunlight shone in through the window lattices, and countless dust particles could be seen tumbling in the beams of light. The bookshelves against the wall reached all the way to the roof. The files on the top layer were covered in thick dust, and it was obvious that no one had touched them for decades. "The files from the Xianning period should be at the very back." Shen Yanzhi took out a compass from his arms, and the needle swung violently in the direction of "west". He climbed up the wooden ladder to the top floor, and sure enough, he found a pile of files wrapped in blue cloth in the corner. There was a talisman painted on the cloth with cinnabar - this was the mark for sealed confidential files. If ordinary people moved around, the talisman would sound a warning. Shen Yanzhi took out the wormwood he carried with him, and gently brushed the talisman, and the cinnabar on the blue cloth immediately faded away. He untied the cloth rope, and the files revealed a yellowed cover with the words "Secret Files of the Ministry of War in the 37th Year of Xianning" written on it. As soon as his fingertips touched the paper, he heard footsteps downstairs. Wang Hu whispered a reminder at the stairs: "Someone is coming!" Shen Yanzhi quickly stuffed the file into his arms. Just as he was about to go downstairs, he caught a glimpse of the secret compartment behind the bookshelf - there was half a yellowed paper with burn marks on the edge. He stretched out his hand and pulled out the page, and found that it was a confession. The top of the page read "Li Song, the Minister of War". The signature at the end was crooked, and there were some dark red particles mixed in the ink. "Let's go!" Wang Hu's voice was anxious. Shen Yanzhi folded the page and stuffed it into his sleeve. He followed Wang Hu out of the back window and landed in the bamboo forest in the backyard. The bamboo branches scratched his cuffs, but he didn't notice it - the sorcerer called Liu Que's face changed suddenly. He obviously didn't expect the ghost king's residual soul to appear at this moment. Shen Yanzhi seized this fleeting opportunity, sweeping his peachwood sword across, precisely lifting the bed curtains. The prince's clothes were soaked with sweat at the back of his waist. The old flower vendor's basket of peonies had already reached the end of the street, petals swaying gently in the autumn breeze. He suddenly remembered Qin Yue's words in the dark fog: "Resentment arises from injustice, and justice is needed to resolve it. This principle applies to both yin and yang." Ah Zhu suddenly pointed to the sky: "Sir, look!" A flock of white pigeons flew in from the direction of the pass, their wings gleaming silver in the sunlight, and the red cloth strips in their beaks fluttered in the wind, reminiscent of the carrier pigeons that once carried news of victory to the Zhenbei Army. Shen Yanzhi knew this was no coincidence—it was Zhao Yi, the new lord of the Netherworld, delivering a message to his former subordinates in the mortal world that the Netherworld was now peaceful and prosperous, just as they had once guarded the border. The peachwood sword trembled gently at his waist, as if responding to something. Shen Yanzhi touched the scabbard; the temperature there was higher than that of ordinary peachwood, as if a small flame was burning within. He knew that this trip to track down the weasel spirit might bring him new dangers, and might uncover more secrets between Yin and Yang, but he was not worried. After all, someone always needs to sort out the matters between Yin and Yang. Just like Qin Yue guarding the border, like Zhao Yi governing the underworld, and like Shen Yanzhi traveling around the world, everyone is in his own position, upholding justice and protecting peace. The autumn wind blew up Shen Yanzhi's robe, and the peony petals on his bag gently fell, landing in the dust of the official road, like seeds waiting to germinate. Azhu's windmill turned more happily, and the word "peace" rustled in the wind, accompanied by the sound of pigeon whistles coming from afar, and in the clear autumn sky, it wrote a new beginning for this legend about justice. And Shen Yanzhi's journey has just begun.