Chapter Three: Dying Struggle

The white snake has been regarded as a divine creature since ancient times. Later, Liu Bang beheaded the white snake to win the empire, which deeply bound the symbolism of the white snake to the vicissitudes of actual political regimes. Therefore, Xi Yuanda might not have faced the death penalty merely because of those dozens of unjustly killed skeletal remains, as there was no direct evidence linking him to the murders. Moreover, with the Celestial Masters' Tao having formidable influence, pulling a few strings could have left him a chance at survival. However, in his blind rage, he had slashed the white snake with his blade; even if Xu You had not engineered a scheme to kill him, the Emperor would never have spared his life.

Xu You earnestly said, "This time, we are entirely indebted to Feiqing for your timely assistance; otherwise, the Zhan clan would likely have fallen into another's clutches."

Gu Yun said solemnly, "Those who uphold justice find much support, while those who act unjustly find little. The Celestial Masters' Tao has run amok in Yangzhou, seizing people's wealth and annihilating entire clans—it is an outrage to both gods and men! As the Magistrate of Qiantang, I have merely done a meager part. Compared to Weizhi's mastery of strategizing from behind the scenes, I truly feel a sense of regret!"

"Feiqing flatters me. Eliminating Xi Yuanda this time relied entirely on the collective wisdom and concerted efforts of you all. I merely happened to be present by chance; how can this be called strategizing from behind the scenes?" Xu You paused, then continued, "Besides, I am a man under suspicion. If, upon first arriving in Qiantang, I were to embroil myself in troubles everywhere, I fear it might cause undue inconvenience..."

Gu Yun nodded and said, "I understand Weizhi's intent. Neither the official dispatches sent to the Inspector's Office nor the memorial submitted to His Majesty mentions anything concerning Weizhi. You may rest entirely assured!"

The only person Xu You had consulted with in his secret plotting was Gu Yun alone. As long as Gu Yun kept his mouth shut, neither the Celestial Masters' Tao nor anyone else could possibly discover Xu You's role in the entire affair.

The time was not yet right; he did not wish to court such conspicuous attention!

Gu Yun's curiosity shifted toward the extraordinary as he asked, "That white snake—how was it trapped and held motionless in that exact spot, and how did it end up inside the Yuanyang Spirit Hut?"

"The Yuanyang Hut was merely a fabrication, Feiqing must not take it for truth!"

"True or false, who can truly tell? Right now, not just in Qiantang, but throughout the entire Yangzhou, who isn't aware that the Yuanyang Spirit Hut established by Hunyuan has manifested? Before long, people might even come to burn incense and offer worship."

Xu You smiled as well, saying, "When the false is treated as true, the true becomes false as well—that is indeed the principle of it. As for the white snake, I do not know all the details either. According to the snake-catcher, he possessed a secret family recipe. By drawing circles on the ground with it and making certain gestures, even the most ferocious snake would curl up into a ball, not daring to move in the slightest. Following that, using flute music as a guide, he scattered the same secret recipe along both sides of the path, leaving only the middle passable. Naturally, the snake followed the pre-arranged route right into the Yuanyang Hut..."

"Oh? Such wonders truly exist?"

Bao Xi suddenly spoke up, "I once traveled through Yizhou and indeed heard tales of certain snake-catchers possessing arcane arts. They could make serpents and insects dance to the tune of a flute, directing them left or right as easily as moving their own fingers. Many ignorant commoners mistook this for divine miracles and willingly offered rice, silk, and wealth, thus making these men immensely rich..."

This was the irony of same roots but vastly different destinies. Thinking of the snake-catcher described by Liu Zongyuan in *An Account of the Snake-Catcher*—where harsh government was fiercer than tigers, and the poison of taxation was worse than venomous snakes—the tragedy of their fate inspired profound pity. Yet the snake-catchers of the Six Dynasties grew fabulously wealthy simply by playing the ghost and masquerading as gods. It was truly a bizarre spectacle.

Gu Yun clapped his hands in yearning and said, "Without traveling ten thousand li, how could one know the wonders of the world? Once I lay down this official robe, I must join hands with Weizhi to travel far and wide, visiting the cultural and historic sites of every region..."

Xu You laughed. "Feiqing is destined to enter the imperial secretariat; if you wait until you resign from office, it will likely be decades from now."

"Ah!" Gu Yun lowered his head in melancholy, his fingers nervously tracing the silk sash at his waist, filled with a deep sense of helplessness.

"Why should that be difficult?" Xu You consoled him. "With Feiqing's talent, you will spend at most two or three years in Qiantang before being promoted to governor of some commandery, and a year or two after that, you will likely embark on an official career in Jiankang. By then, the months of travel along the way will be more than enough to fully appreciate the local customs and scenery of both sides of the Yangtze."

"That is true!" Joy welled up in Gu Yun, and he said, "How about we make an agreement right now? When I go to Jiankang, you must accompany me!"

"It's a promise!"

The fact that Gu Yun later became diligent in governance and rose steadily through the ranks owed no small debt to today's agreement. His spirits greatly lifted, Gu Yun suddenly remembered something and asked, "I was just meaning to ask Weizhi—who penned the characters on that Yuanyang Hut inscription?"

A headache blooming, Xu You hedged evasively, "About that, I truly do not know. It seems Qiyi had seen it in some ancient text; rumor has it that it was an authentic piece written by Laozi himself, which someone then traced and carved from memory..."

"Pity, what a pity!"

Gu Yun lamented several times. As a master of both calligraphy and painting, he naturally regarded this slender-gold script, which he had never seen before, as an ultimate treasure. The last time Xu You had given him the formula for the mustache-darkening powder, the handwriting had already been astonishingly breathtaking. However, Wang Xizhi's calligraphic style had after all originated from previous generations and had traces to follow, yet he never imagined that the world possessed a slender-gold script that had carved out an entirely unique style of its own.

Xu You then discussed the next countermeasures with him. Having each attended to their respective busywork, they parted ways and bid farewell. Escorting him outside the yamen, Gu Yun turned back to return inside, but Bao Xi hurried after them, walking closely beside Xu You and lowering his voice: "The Inspector's Office will send people tomorrow, and among them are formidable experts at interrogation. Can we guarantee that everything inside the Yuanyang Hut is completely foolproof?"

Xu You likewise lowered his voice and replied, "Rest assured, Chief Registrar. The white snake is dead, and its origins are untraceable. The snake-repellent drugs along the path have all been thoroughly cleared away, and the snake den where the white snake was found has been flooded with water diverted from Lake Qiantang. As for the stone inscription of the Yuanyang Hut, the artisan who aged it possessed exquisite craftsmanship, so ordinary eyes won't spot any flaws. Even if someone were truly skilled enough to see through it at a glance, who could prove that a stone tablet personally erected by Laozi himself might not withstand a thousand years and still appear fresh?"

Bao Xi gazed at Xu You with a complex expression and said, "Your meticulousness in handling matters, interlocking each step with the next, leaves me humbled!"

Xu You cupped his hands in a salute. "Upon receiving the report, the imperial court will undoubtedly issue decrees for the provincial and commandery offices to thoroughly investigate this case. I hope the Chief Registrar will devote much effort to this. Should there be any omissions, please remedy them in time; under no circumstances must flaws be exposed. Furthermore, you must ascertain the identities and origins of those skeletal remains and find a proper burial place for these wrongfully slain souls. Only then can our consciences rest easy, and only then will we have an explanation for the common folk!"

Bao Xi nodded. "Sending out investigators and bringing crimes to justice is the proper duty of the county office. Even without the young master's injunction, I would still devote my utmost effort."

Xu You nodded, sighed softly, and waved farewell to Bao Xi. To outsiders, being able to clear the grievances of these women who died in the Yuanyang Hut was an immense meritorious deed. Yet in Xu You's heart, he would gladly have forsworn such merit if it meant preventing anyone else from ever encountering such a tragedy that defied the laws of heaven and human decency.

Bao Xi watched Xu You's retreating figure, falling into deep contemplation. Having spent a long time navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, his eyes had grown exceptionally sharp, and he could naturally discern that lingering trace of unspoken compassion in Xu You's heart. As the saying goes, the greatest deceit resembles loyalty, and the supreme falsehood resembles benevolence. Whether this young master Xu Qi was truly loyal and benevolent or deceitful and false still required time to be proven.

Fortunately, with Xu You confined to Qiantang, he had ample time to observe this man!

The emergence of the Yuanyang Spirit Hut directly impacted the distribution of power and balance in Yangzhou. First, Xi Yuanda's corpse was brought back to Wu County by officials sent from the Inspector's Office, and Yu Sun, the Chief史 of Yangzhou, personally went up Linwu Mountain to hand it over to Du Jingzhi. Following that, fifty members of the Moyun Unit, clad in black armor and dark feathers, sealed off the interior and exterior of the Yuanyang Hut, forbidding unauthorized persons from coming within three zhang. The ten most renowned coroners from the Three Wus conducted a deep excavation and autopsy of the remains, and the conclusions of the autopsy remained confidential for a very long time. However, rumors gradually spread among the common folk that these pitiful women had been drained of their vital essence and blood by malevolent ghosts, suffering unimaginable tortures before death, which was why ghost-like weeping could be heard near the Yuanyang Hut every night.

Others said this was a sacrificial ritual of the Celestial Masters' Tao, where through the blood and souls of eighty virgins, one could communicate with the impermanence emissaries of the netherworld, thereby commanding them to kill people thousands of miles away without leaving a single trace of evidence.

Various rumors abounded, some even absurdly preposterous and wildly imaginative. However, under the intentional guidance of the Boat Pavilion, all streams converged into the great sea, and public opinion ultimately pointed toward Du Jingzhi, the Libationer of the Yangzhou Administration of the Celestial Masters' Tao.

As the situation tottered in the wind and rain, with the arrival of people from the Jiankang Office of the Commandant of Justice, Du Jingzhi's throne as Libationer was growing precarious by the day.

Fuchun County was situated a little over a hundred kilometers downstream from Qiantang County. A county had been established along the banks of the Fuchun River as early as the Qin Dynasty, hence the name. Since the Han Dynasty, the ancestors of the Zhu clan had settled here, enduring for over three hundred years and developing into a magnificent and prominent clan. Across eleven successive generations, they had held prominent official posts, ultimately becoming the foremost surname in Wu Zhong.

Unlike the defensive塢堡 (fortified manors) of ordinary aristocratic clans, the Zhu clan's estate stretched continuously along the Fuchun River—a region known for "a single river of emerald water, both banks dotted with red frost"—forming a vast and open area. Circling through dense groves of maples and cypresses, their unique cascading courtyards, orderly and uniform roof ridges, and softly curved firewalls drifted in and out of view amidst wisps of kitchen smoke. The entire estate relied upon the mountains and embraced the terrain, terraced huts built tier upon tier; white clouds rested upon the mountains, and stars twinkled in the waters, pouring out the supreme advantages of *fengshui* to the fullest. Peach, plum, and mulberry trees were planted everywhere, and amidst crisscrossing paths and fields, thatched eaves, chickens, and dogs were faintly visible. The pastoral beauty was full of enchanting interest, and the extraordinary craftsmanship visible everywhere made one forget their worries upon beholding it.

"I am Du Mingyang, specially come to pay a visit to the General of Building Might..."

The gatekeeper sized up the visitor, accepted the calling card, and went inside to report. Inside the main hall sat two men. One had a dark face and a long beard, over fifty years of age. He read the calling card, smiled, and handed it to another young man beside him, saying, "Du Jingzhi has finally sent someone!"

The young man respectfully took it, glanced over it briefly, and said, "Du Mingyang? That surname is rather rare indeed..."

"It's not considered particularly rare," the middle-aged man leisurely stroked his long beard. "The surname Du originated from Gongsun Zidu of the State of Zheng. There are descendants propagating it in Yuzhou, Qingzhou, Yizhou, and Longxi and Longyou."

"Gongsun Zidu? Could that be the Gongsun Qiao known as the greatest beauty of the State of Zheng?"

"Precisely that man! Hence, the Du clan is famous for producing handsome men. This Du Mingyang not only holds the post of Regular Administrator in the Yangzhou Administration of the Celestial Masters' Tao and is highly regarded by Du Jingzhi, but he is also eight chi tall, possesses a delicate and handsome appearance, and has rather decent martial arts skills..."

"Oh?" The young man grew somewhat interested. To be appraised as having decent martial arts skills by his uncle, whose eyes were higher than the top of his head, he must be quite extraordinary. He asked, "How does he compare to Ziyu?"

The middle-aged man smiled without answering and said to the gatekeeper, "Invite him in!"

The young man smiled as well. No matter how good Du Mingyang was, he truly could not be mentioned in the same breath as Zhu Rui, who was known as a martial arts fanatic.

In this world, the only person qualified to compare with Zhu Rui was perhaps none other than that Xu You of Yixing!

Du Mingyang entered the main hall, presenting a prayer talisman personally written by Du Jingzhi as a gift. His attitude was neither humble nor overbearing as he said, "Greetings, General Zhu!"

The middle-aged man was named Zhu Li, currently serving as the General of Building Might and the Administrator of Yongjia. However, everyone in the world knew that Zhu Li took pride in military office and felt shame in civil administration; hence, most people referred to him as General Zhu rather than Administrator Zhu.

"Is the young master here acting as a lobbyist for Daoist Priest Du?" Zhu Li went straight to the point, just like his long saber—direct and straightforward, without the slightest room for maneuvering.

Du Mingyang was clearly deeply familiar with Zhu Li's personality. As they parried in conversation, the flash of an unseen blade was faintly discernible: "My coming here is solely to see whether the Zhu clan of Wu County truly deserves its reputation among the people as the foremost surname of Wu County."

"Impudent!"

Before Zhu Li could speak, the young man sitting beside him frowned and rebuked, "You, a mere Regular Administrator of the Yangzhou Administration, how dare you speak so brazenly and make presumptuous remarks about our Zhu clan?"

Du Mingyang looked right at him and smiled, "May I presumptuously ask the young master's esteemed name?"

"Zhu Cong!"

"Ah, so it is the 'Two-Footed Book'—disrespectful, disrespectful!"

Zhu Cong was an anomaly among the descendants of the Zhu clan. As a powerful lineage rooted in martial prowess, the Zhu clan had always valued martial arts far above literary pursuits; for instance, Zhu Rui's martial arts made him a standout among the younger generation. Zhu Cong, however, was different. Frail and sickly since childhood, he could neither practice martial arts nor took any interest in them. Instead, he was fond of books and ink, having read through the Four Books and Five Classics by the time he reached manhood and being able to recite them backward. People called him the "Two-Footed Book"—in other words, a human-shaped bookcase!

However, very few people dared to mention this elegant nickname to Zhu Cong's face. During the Rebellion of the Five Barbarians, Han Chinese were often called "two-footed sheep" to be used as rations for the three armies when provisions ran low. The two terms sounded similar, so while it sounded refined, it was actually laden with hidden bloodshed.

A surge of anger rose in Zhu Cong's heart, and just as he was about to flare up, he saw how Du Mingyang remained refined and elegant, unhurried and leisurely, possessing the full demeanor of a true scholar. The more agitated Zhu Cong became, the more ugly and petty he would appear by comparison.

*Not good, I must not fall into this scoundrel's trap!*

Zhu Cong reined in his emotions and said, "Did Young Master Du come to Fuchun today merely to indulge in sharp-tongued rhetoric?"

Du Mingyang shook his head and said, "The Yangzhou administration of the Celestial Masters' Tao is already in utter chaos. As a Regular Administrator, how could I have the mood for sharp-tongued rhetoric? It is simply that since the young master asked, I could not do other than reply!"

"Enough! An honored guest has arrived, Zimin, do not be impudent!" Zhu Li knew very well that though this nephew of his was brimming with scholarly essays, he was headstrong and lacked political astuteness, and was definitely no match for Du Mingyang. Rebuking him with a single sentence, Zhu Li turned and said, "Does Young Master Du think well of my Zhu clan? Can we bear the prestige of being the foremost surname of Wu County?"

"The Zhu clan of Wu County: Lepu resounded with scholarship, Bolang distinguished himself through righteous martyrdom, Fengji was renowned for filial piety, while the various mothers of the He, Xue, and Zhou clans were famous for their chastity. Moreover, the succeeding generations are brilliant in poetry and rites. The Zhu clan can truly be said to possess men of talent."

With a single sentence, Du Mingyang praised all the famous figures of the Zhu clan over the past century. Even Zhu Li, knowing full well that Du Mingyang was petitioning them and that his words might not stem from true sincerity, could not utter a single word of dissent. With a solemn expression, Zhu Li said, "Indeed. That the Zhu clan has attained its current standing relies entirely on our ancestors' fame in scholarship and martyrdom. We, the younger generation, are untalented and dare not claim to possess men of talent; we can only tread cautiously, and it will already be a supreme fortune if we do not disgrace the names of our forebears."

From the moment the three of them met until now, only a few breaths had passed, yet it was a face-off with crossed swords and exchanged blows. Though Du Mingyang was an outsider facing Zhu Li and Zhu Cong on the Zhu clan's home turf, he did not lose the upper hand. That the Celestial Masters' Tao boasted such a wealth of talent was evident from this single glimpse.

"General Zhu is being overly modest. Not to mention others, let us speak solely of Young Master Ziyu. By his own strength in Qiantang, he pushed the Celestial Masters' Tao into an inescapable corner. Looking across the entire realm, how many people could achieve such a feat?"

Du Mingyang withdrew his smile, his gaze as sharp as a blade as he pressed aggressively toward Zhu Li. Zhu Li smiled slightly and said, "Young Master Du does not look like he has come to concede defeat; rather, it is as if you are delivering a declaration of war..."

"Correct!"

Du Mingyang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking like a crane calling from the ninth marsh, and said, "By order of the Libationer, I demand that the Zhu clan immediately recall Zhu Rui and promise to no longer meddle in the affairs of Qiantang. All past grievances can be let bygones. Otherwise..."

Zhu Li placed both hands on the armrests, leaning his body slightly forward. An overwhelming aura of slaughter that could fill the fields washed over them like a tide as he asked, "Otherwise, what does Du Jingzhi intend to do?"