Chapter 7

When Yang Shouwen returned to the scene, it was almost an hour later.

The onlookers had gradually dispersed, leaving only seven or eight men dressed as constables clearing the area and moving the bodies.

Tian Cun was standing to one side, talking to a man.

Yang Rui stood obediently beside the man, his hands hanging by his sides, seemingly listening to their conversation.

He saw Yang Shouwen first and quickly said something to the man.

The man and Tian Cun nodded, then turned to look at Yang Shouwen.

It was a beautiful sunny day. After a heavy rain last night, the sky was clear and cloudless. A bright sun hung high in the sky, shining brightly. The mid-autumn sunlight was warm but not scorching, making it very comfortable.

The man was about six feet tall, roughly 180 centimeters.

The Tang foot was different from the Han foot, being about 31 centimeters. The man wore a black headwrap, a blue robe, and a half-sleeve coat. He had on black leather six-section boots and a jade belt, giving him a distinguished appearance.

He was not particularly robust, appearing somewhat slender.

His attire added a scholarly air to him.

In his hand, he held a mountain cane, the end of which was a hexagonal gourd-shaped iron ball, about the size of an infant's fist.

Seeing this man, Yang Shouwen hurried forward.

"Father, why are you here?"

A complex expression flashed in the man's eyes.

He nodded and said in a stern voice, "There's nothing for you to do here. It's not convenient for you to stay. Go home first... don't take the cattle out today. Stay at home. I'll talk to you when this is over."

The man was Yang Chenglie, the County Magistrate of Changping, and also Yang Shouwen's biological father.

His tone was somewhat cold, as if he were not speaking to his own son but giving orders to a subordinate in the office.

Yang Shouwen seemed to be used to Yang Chenglie's manner of speaking.

In fact, over the past seventeen years, although he had lived a muddled life, he knew that Yang Chenglie did not seem to like him very much.

Was it because he was slow-witted?

Maybe...

But he remembered that during the days he was bedridden after being struck by lightning, Yang Chenglie would sit by his side every night, muttering to himself. However, Yang Chenglie's voice was always very low, so Yang Shouwen could not hear clearly.

Those days made Yang Shouwen realize that Yang Chenglie was not indifferent to him.

But for some reason, Yang Chenglie deliberately kept him at a distance and acted as if he did not care.

If Yang Chenglie really disliked Yang Shouwen, Yang Shouwen would not have been able to live so freely.

If he had taken away all the income from the official land, Yang Shouwen and his mother would have had a very hard time in this small village.

"I'll go home first," Yang Shouwen replied respectfully and turned to walk home.

Watching his back, Yang Chenglie's thick brows furrowed slightly, and a look of inexplicable worry appeared in his eyes.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The small village was very lively.

People gathered in groups, whispering and discussing the murder that had occurred at the village entrance.

For the people of this era, there was not much entertainment in their lives. Encountering a murder case was a rare event, and people naturally displayed their gossipy nature. A group of children were running and playing under the large locust tree at the village entrance. When Yang Shouwen appeared, several children immediately ran over, laughing and chattering around him.

In the eyes of these children, the somewhat slow-witted Yang Shouwen was actually their friend.

"Brother Nizi, do you know who that dead person is?"

Yang Shouwen shook his head and smiled, asking, "Of course not, have you seen him?"

A child whispered, "Brother Nizi, I really saw him... yesterday when I went to the mountain to gather herbs, I saw this person walking into the mountains. Oh, he also asked me how to get to Maitreya Temple and gave me two coins."

As he spoke, the child quietly took out two Kaiyuan Tongbao coins, showing them off.

Yang Shouwen's eyes narrowed as he took the two coins from the child. After fiddling with them for a moment, he suddenly said, "Shan Gouzi, would you give me these two coins? I'll give you five coins, but you mustn't tell anyone about this."

Shan Gouzi agreed without hesitation.

To him, Brother Nizi was indeed slow-witted, using five coins to get two... it was a good deal, and Shan Gouzi naturally agreed. After taking the copper coins from Yang Shouwen, he ran off with the other children.

Yang Shouwen put the coins away and went home.

Although Yang Shouwen had lived in this small village for over a decade, he was not very familiar with the villagers.

The villagers were unwilling to deal with a fool. When Yang Dafang was alive, he handled things. After Yang Dafang's death, there was still Yang's mother. If she couldn't resolve an issue, someone would go to Yang Chenglie.

When Yang Shouwen got home, he told his mother that Yang Chenglie would be back later and then went to the backyard.

"Youniang, get me a bowl of hot water."

Youniang was playing in the flower bed. Hearing Yang Shouwen's call, she responded brightly and quickly brought a bowl of hot water.

Placing the bowl on the porch, Yang Shouwen lifted his robe and sat cross-legged.

"Brother Nizi, what are you doing?"

Youniang stopped playing and sat cross-legged beside him, asking curiously.

Yang Shouwen smiled and said softly, "Youniang, would you like to see a magic trick?"

"Magic trick? Yes, yes! Youniang loves to see magic tricks!"

Youniang beamed, clapping her hands in delight.

Yang Shouwen took out the two coins and dropped them into the bowl with a clink.

Then, he sat beside the bowl, staring at the water without blinking. Youniang, with her big, bright eyes, watched along with him. After a while, she asked, somewhat disappointed, "Brother Nizi, what magic trick are you going to do... my eyes are sore, but I haven't seen any magic trick."

"Nothing?"

Yang Shouwen's face showed a hint of joy.

He pointed to the layer of oil floating on the water and said softly, "Youniang, do you see this? What is it?"

"Oil?"

Youniang answered obediently, then looked at Yang Shouwen in confusion, "Brother Nizi, the bowl I brought was clean, with no oil. Where did the oil come from? Did Brother Nizi make it appear? How did you do it?"

"Smell it, does the oil have a scent?"

"Yes!"

Youniang lifted the bowl and sniffed, "It's a bit fishy, like the smell of mutton."

"That's right!"

Yang Shouwen poured out the hot water and handed the two coins to Youniang.

"Thank you, Youniang, for helping me with the magic trick. These are your reward."

Youniang was puzzled but happily took the coins.

Yang Shouwen then stood up, stretched, and moved his limbs, then exhaled a long breath.

He walked down the porch and stood in front of the flower bed, his gaze passing over the flowers and focusing on the distant Tiger Valley Mountain.

Maitreya Temple?

Yang Shouwen squinted his eyes, muttering to himself, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

At lunchtime, Yang Chenglie brought Yang Rui home.

He first led Yang Rui to offer incense to Yang Dafang, then they ate in the main hall.

According to Tang Dynasty rules, after Yang Dafang's death, Yang Chenglie should have resigned and mourned for three years. However, Changping was a harsh and dangerous border region with a poor living environment and low salary. Most people, especially those with some background, were unwilling to take up such a post. Additionally, Yang Chenglie had been very low-key in Changping for over a decade and had good relations with people. Therefore, after Yang Dafang's death, when Yang Chenglie proposed resigning to mourn, his superior refused.

"Ah Chunu, how dare you."

After lunch, Yang Chenglie took Yang Shouwen to the memorial hall.

As soon as the door closed, his face darkened, and he said sternly, "It seems your mental condition has improved, and you dared to hit your own brother! You even made Er Lang report it truthfully. What do you want? Are you trying to test my patience?"

Yang Shouwen's heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his head without answering.

When he was struck by lightning and lay in bed, he sensed that Yang Chenglie's coldness towards him had some unavoidable reason.