Chapter Ninety-Eight: All Is Ready, Save for the East Wind

“Besides, you can rest easy. You are perfectly safe here, and no one can harm you. Once we have dealt with the man you fear, you can set down the burden in your heart and live peacefully from now on as a woodcutter…”

After nearly an hour of Gou Ye’s patient reassurance, the old man at last lowered the defenses in his heart.

This time, he picked up the teacup himself, took a sip, and said, “It was on a night five years ago. I happened to be taking the back path home through the hills behind Blackwater Village when I saw the village lit up with fire, and the sound of killing echoed through every corner of it. I crouched on the mountain and dared not make a sound, and there I saw a group of soldiers in the village slaughtering the villagers with reckless abandon. At first I did not know the village had been struck by plague, and thought something else had happened. The slaughter lasted all the way until midnight. Even from where I lay on the mountaintop, I could smell the reek of blood rising from the village. That night, I saw those soldiers bring many ox carts and place the villagers’ corpses onto them one by one. When I saw them pull the carts toward the mountains, my curiosity was piqued, and I summoned the courage to follow.”

At that, Gou Ye asked, greatly excited, “Then you know where they buried the bodies?”

The old man was surprised. He wondered how Gou Ye had guessed about the burial site, but since they had already come this far, he decided there was no point in hiding it any longer and went on, “Yes. I followed them for a full five or six li. I hid behind trees and did not dare make a sound, but I saw that they seemed to have found a deep hollow. They threw the villagers’ bodies into it one after another, then set the whole place ablaze and burned every corpse to ashes. I was terrified watching it and wanted to run, but my legs had gone weak and I could not even stand. Only after they had finished burying the dead and left did I dare slip away. That matter has stayed buried in my heart ever since.”

“Then how did you come to mention Blackwater Village to Dal?y?”

“The two of us were sitting in the shade beneath a tree that day, and he asked whether I knew what had happened since Magistrate Qin took office. By chance, there was a pharmacy across the street. I said something foolishly—that Blackwater Village had suffered a plague five years ago, and he might go ask there. The moment I said it, I regretted it and hurried off. I never imagined you would still manage to find me.”

Gou Ye smiled faintly. It seemed there was an unseen hand guiding all this, and the truth was becoming clearer by the moment.

“Sir, do you still remember the place where the bodies were buried?”

The old man answered without the slightest hesitation, “Of course I remember. Even if I died, I would never forget it. That matter was too deeply carved into me. It is not far from Blackwater Village at all—go five or six li farther back, and you’ll see a flat-topped mountain. Beneath it lies a dense forest. Once you enter the woods, you’ll find that only one patch of ground has very little grass. That is the hollow from five years ago, the place where the bodies were buried. I have told you the location; go and find it yourselves. Do not ask me to lead you there. I never wish to set foot in that place a third time in my life.”

“You went there later?”

“Yes. I could never stop thinking about that night. After all, I was one of the witnesses. Some three years later, I took wine and offerings there by myself to pay my respects. That was how I knew the place was so sparse with grass. But I must say, the yin there is truly heavy. Even in broad daylight, I could feel a chill crawling up my back. I did not stay long before leaving in a hurry.”

A sense of sudden clarity rose in Gou Ye’s heart. Just this burial site alone was already enough to serve as solid evidence.

At that moment, Gu Shen knocked on the door. Gou Ye answered, and Gu Shen came in.

“You’ve been talking for so long. Any result?”

Gou Ye nodded with a smile, and Gu Shen went on, “There’s another piece of good news. Do you want to hear it?”

“Then speak. Don’t keep me in suspense.”

Gu Shen laughed. “I found the physician you asked me to look for. I heard Doctor Hua say he has seen him before, though not in our county. He seems to be in a neighboring county some forty or fifty li away, where he appears to have opened a pharmacy.”

Gou Ye could not help but clap in delight. Truly, good fortune never came alone; when it arrived, it came in a string. If this physician could also testify, then the matter would be settled completely. Heaven’s justice was real after all. Surely the world would not let a villain escape forever.

At once, Gou Ye asked Gu Shen for help. Since only Gu Shen had actually seen that physician, he would have to make the trip and bring him back. Then Gou Ye soothed the woodcutter as well, telling him to stay in the manor for the time being. He took out twenty taels of silver, asked carefully for the exact location of his home, and told him the money would be delivered there.

Gou Ye then told Da Li everything that had happened in the village. Da Li trembled with rage. On the one hand, the master’s house had been burned; on the other, he was furious at those men’s crimes. Besides, he had also poured a great deal of effort into building that house, and just thinking about it made his heart ache.

At the same time, Gou Ye told him that Xiao Die had remained in the village to care for his aged mother, and told him not to worry.

Then came a new assignment.

“Da Li, you did beautifully this time. Everything I have entrusted to you has never disappointed me. But you cannot sit idle. Because of the time, after lunch you must make another trip. Go and investigate the maid’s father again. If possible, bring him to the manor. I want to meet him. As for the grain storehouse matter, keep a close eye on it too. Find me, if you can, direct evidence of Magistrate Qin’s involvement.”

Da Li replied, “Rest assured, Master. Even if you had not said so, I would have gone to look into these things later. I will bring back that madman. As for the grain storehouse matter you mentioned, there has already been some progress. Just a few days ago, I saw Magistrate Qin leaving Drunken Immortal Tavern, followed by one of the merchant gentry who had been present during the grain warehouse transaction. If I am not mistaken, there must be a ledger between them. If we can get hold of that account book, I think everything will be plain as day.”

Without even thinking, Gou Ye said, “Do not concern yourself with the account book. You are not capable of handling that. Whatever happens, you must listen to me. I will find a way to deal with it, so do not act on your own just to seize credit. Do not disrupt my plan. I have someone else in mind for the account book.”

In truth, there was no such person in mind. Gou Ye said this mainly because he feared Da Li would rush off on his own. He knew Da Li too well: whenever Gou Ye assigned him a task, he would do everything possible to complete it well, regardless of anything else. But Gou Ye did not want that. Da Li was his most capable attendant, and he was not about to let him, as in those melodramatic tales, throw away his life over some petty merit.

Many matters were now coming into focus. The affair in Blackwater Village was enough to condemn Magistrate Qin. The only uncertainty was whether Zhu Ling had been involved. For the moment, all that remained was the news from the Shang clan. Everything was ready, save for the final stroke of timing.