The sun sets in the west and the dusk is dark.
The market, which was bustling during the day, became quiet, vendors began to pack up tables, chairs and benches, and some beggars ran around begging.
When Jiang Yuebai saw them, she thought of herself at that time. She looked forward to the closing of the market every day when some kind vendors would give her the unsold food.
Of course, the prerequisite is that she says more nice things.
Jiang Yuebai watched from the side for a while and found that all the beggars in Yong'an City were elderly people, unlike before, when there were still some young orphans.
"Good lady, please give me two cents."
A dirty old beggar came up to Jiang Yuebai holding a chipped porcelain bowl. Jiang Yuebai had no money in his pocket, so he turned around and left.
After she ran away, she looked back and found that the old beggar was still staring at her. She looked embarrassed and ran into the alley next to her.
That old beggar looks strong and healthy, why does he have to beg everywhere
Jiang Yuebai walked around the city casually and asked around. She found that things and people had changed. The beggar who had bullied her had either died or moved away.
There was also the original Zuixianlou, which was raided because it had offended a nobleman. All the brothels and eunuchs in the building were beaten to death, which caused a sensation in the whole city.
There was no way to avenge this vengeance, so Jiang Yuebai had no choice but to visit the ever-prosperous Lin Mansion.
The winter night was cold, but the moon was exceptionally bright.
Jiang Yuebai sat on the roof of the Buddhist temple of the old lady in the Lin Mansion, holding some exquisite snacks from the old lady's small kitchen, and watched the ladies of other mansions rushing around, holding hot water bottles to serve the old lady.
They act in one way in front of people and another behind their backs. They fight openly and secretly, and fight to the death.
Just now, Jiang Yuebai heard with his own ears that the third wife ordered the servants to add some ingredients to the soup of the second wife's concubine because the concubine wore the same color clothes as her and her face was more beautiful than her.
Obviously, the status of women in Yun Country is much higher than in other places, but there are still people who are willing to use these sinister and harmful means in the back house.
And this third wife is Lin Suiwan’s biological mother.
"Madam, the master said he won't be back tonight."
"Not coming back again? He hasn't come back for several months? Why doesn't he just die outside? He doesn't even consider his age and still dreams of becoming an immortal!"
Jiang Yuebai ate, drank and watched the show until late at night. When everyone in the Lin Mansion went to sleep, a black shadow appeared under the moon, rising and falling from the rooftops in the distance and approaching.
When he came up, the visitor bowed to Jiang Yuebai with fear and trepidation.
"I am Cai Ren, a poor Taoist priest. I am here to meet my uncle."
Cai Ren has broad shoulders, a round waist, a square face, and is dressed in a blue Taoist robe. He looks righteous and has reached the sixth level of Qigong cultivation.
"Are you also a disciple of Tianyan Sect?" Jiang Yuebai asked.
Cai Ren nodded and took out his token to show Jiang Yuebai.
"Qingzhou is located between Chaotian Domain and Fengxian Domain. Half of it is under the jurisdiction of Baiyang Sect and the other half is under the jurisdiction of Tianyan Sect. Lin'an County is under the jurisdiction of Tianyan Sect."
Jiang Yuebai confirmed that the token was correct and showed his disciple's token to Cai Ren.
After seeing this, Cai Ren's pupils constricted. He was shocked that Jiang Yuebai had already established his foundation at such a young age and was also a direct disciple. He immediately showed a guilty look.
"Let me ask you, why have young children and girls in Lin'an County been disappearing so frequently for half a year? What's going on?"
Cai Ren's scalp tightened, thinking that Jiang Yuebai specifically asked him to meet on the roof of the old lady's Buddhist temple in the Lin Mansion. Could it be that the person behind the Lin Mansion...
Jiang Yuebai glanced at him and knew what he was thinking, "How many years have you not been back to the sect?"
"Uncle Master, it's been five years."
"No wonder you didn't know that a certain elder named Lin from Tianyan Sect practiced evil methods and has been dealt with by the Law Enforcement Hall."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cai Ren knelt down and said, "Uncle Master, please understand. I really didn't know that Elder Lin practiced evil magic. I was just threatened by him and was looking after the Lin family members for him."
Jiang Yuebai didn't let him get up. He took out a piece of cake from the food box next to him and started eating it slowly.
Just now, the eldest lady of the Lin residence was giving a lecture to the housekeeper who had made a mistake. She didn't say anything, just drank tea, and scared the man so much that he shook for a long time.
Cai Ren was the same at this time, his face was pale.
Cai Ren quickly told the truth, "Master, I have also been investigating this matter, but the clues always disappear in the end. Also... the rumors of disappearance outside were actually spread by me."
"The number of people who actually went missing is not as many as the rumors say. At first, it was children, and only recently have girls between fifteen and twenty-five started to go missing. Because the method was so secretive, no one noticed it at first. If I hadn't thought that there was something wrong with Master Lin San and had followed him a few times, I wouldn't have known that someone was kidnapping people in Lin'an City."
Jiang Yuebai understood, "So you didn't dare to interrogate Lin San because Lin Xiangtian was behind the Lin Mansion, and because you couldn't find the mastermind, you spread rumors to alert the mortals here and make the mastermind restrain himself?"
Cai Ren nodded, "That's it."
"What's going on with Lin San?"
"He wants to live forever. I don't know if he has found some way. He looks a lot younger in the past few months. He bought a mansion in the suburbs without telling the family and raised..."
Cai Ren glanced at Jiang Yuebai cautiously, feeling a little embarrassed to speak.
Jiang Yuebai frowned, "Just say whatever you want to say!"
"He kept twelve concubines, and every day..."
"He practices the method of collecting and replenishing energy?" Jiang Yuebai asked.
She had seen this issue mentioned in a miscellaneous book in the corner of the library. Out of curiosity, she took the book to ask her master, but the master spat out a mouthful of tea and suddenly said that his old illness had relapsed and he had to go into seclusion.
Finally, a Jurchen woman was called to explain it to her. After listening, she didn’t think it was a big deal.
Cai Ren shook his head, "Not really. He is not a cultivator, so he cannot... take essence from others. He is a concubine and will find a new one when he gets pregnant. I have placed spies around him, and he doesn't go out. He stays in his suburban house from morning till night..."
"So keen on giving birth? Is it because Lin Suiwan has spiritual roots, and he wants to give birth to another child with spiritual roots and then... use the method of seizing the foundation?"
Cai Ren agreed, "I thought so too, but Lin Xiangtian threatened me to protect the Lin family, so I didn't dare to do anything to Lin San."
"But this doesn't have much to do with the disappearance, right? No, you just said that you discovered the kidnapping because you were following Lin San?"
"That time, Lin San bought five children and took them to a house in the suburbs. Then an evil wind blew and kidnapped the five children right in front of me. I tried to chase him but failed. Maybe that incident alerted the enemy, and the person behind it never had direct contact with Lin San again."
"Go meet this Lin San and lead the way."
*
It was a dark and windy night, and heavy snow suddenly came.
In a hot spring resort in the suburbs, Lin Shoushan, who was over fifty years old but still full of energy, came out of his new concubine's room with a happy face.
"I have this one too, and I can buy a new one tomorrow!"
"Master, there is a girl outside who wants to see you."
The servant came to report in the wind and snow.
"Girl? How old is she?" Lin Shoushan's eyes lit up.
"He's quite tall, about sixteen or seventeen?"
"have a look."
The servant brought Lin Shoushan to the gate of the mansion and saw a girl in thin green clothes, wearing a cloak and covered with snow.
The girl in green turned around. Lin Shoushan frowned and muttered before he could see her appearance clearly.
"She's so thin, it looks like she won't be able to have children."
Jiang Yuebai: … …
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Lin San asked unhappily.
Jiang Yuebai said, "I am Sui Wan's fellow apprentice sister. She asked me to bring you some longevity pills."
(End of this chapter)