At this point, Liu Na seemed to have exhausted all his strength, speaking with his eyes half-closed: “After that, I changed my name and lived in hiding, finally settling down in this small mountain village. Fortunately, I had some savings, which I retrieved to buy land and property, so I was free from worries about food and clothing. I also asked several close friends to look for my younger brother, but there was never any news. I never expected that today I would finally meet you, Master Mei, and learn that my poor younger brother had already passed away before me.”
As he spoke, his lips trembled, and he took a deep breath, forcing his eyes wide open as he stared straight at Mei Qing: “Master Mei, earlier you might have wondered why I immediately knew that the ‘Scarred Liu’ you mentioned was my younger brother Liu Qu. Now you must understand—what you described, that chest of books and the set of porcelain, were exactly the items we saw in the treasury, which my brother took away. And the reason he had a scar on his face was because of burns he suffered during the fire that night.”
Shaking his head, Liu Na continued: “I never thought he would ultimately spare that last batch of porcelain. Sigh, back then, when I saw his head inside a porcelain jar, I realized he had done so to avoid suffocating in the smoke. All his life, he claimed porcelain was useless, yet in the end, it was a jar that saved his life. Brother, perhaps that’s why you couldn’t bring yourself to destroy the porcelain after all?”
By the end of his speech, Liu Na’s eyes had grown dim and unfocused, as if he could see nothing, muttering softly, whether to Liu Qu or to himself, no one could tell.
Mei Qing was startled, sensing something wrong with Liu Na’s condition. He quickly asked: “Brother Liu, do you happen to know whether there was an inkstone in the chest, one with seven ‘stone eyes’ arranged like the Big Dipper? Have you ever seen it?”
“Inkstone?” Liu Na murmured. “Why would there be an inkstone? My brother never used inkstones. Who knows what was in that chest? Brother… how did you get here? You never listened, and now Father will beat you again…”
Seeing Liu Na’s glazed eyes fixed blankly ahead, his speech suddenly incoherent, and a flush rising on his face, Mei Qing and Hou Shen exchanged a glance, realizing that Liu Na was experiencing a final lucid moment before death.
On the ground lay the ashes of paper money, with a few half-burnt scraps still glowing faintly red in the breeze.
Black paper ashes floated on the mountain breeze, drifting over the murmuring stream, past verdant leaves and gentle branches, finally settling among rocks and wild grass.
A few ancient pines, a mound of yellow earth.
Mei Qing gazed at the simple stone tablet marking the grave. Through the incense smoke rising from the tomb, he saw the distant village below, where cooking smoke curled into the evening sky. Between life and death stretched a vast emptiness, yet the tranquil rural scene brought a quiet contrast, stirring deep emotions within him, ending only in a long, lingering sigh.
It seemed strangely meaningful—within half a year, he had personally seen both Liu brothers off into the afterlife, arranging their funerals separately.
Yet while the Scarred Liu had lived in poverty and died destitute, his coffin now held rare treasures, only to suffer the misfortune of being disturbed posthumously.
Liu Na, in contrast, had enjoyed a few peaceful years in life, and now his coffin held only an iron spade. May he rest undisturbed here, free from worldly troubles.
“Master Mei, it’s getting late. Perhaps you should stay the night here,” suggested the village chief, a short, wrinkled old man.
The villagers were simple and kind-hearted. Liu Na had always been generous and kind, helping those in need, and was well-liked. Upon hearing of his passing, neighbors and townsfolk had spontaneously come forward to assist in the funeral arrangements, making the solemn occasion surprisingly well-managed, which deeply moved Mei Qing.
“Alright then. Even if we left now, we wouldn’t make it back to the city before nightfall. My companion and I will stay the night in Liu Na’s house,” Mei Qing replied.
“But that’s not advisable,” the village chief hurriedly interjected. “That room has just lost its occupant—it’s too full of yin energy. Master Mei, you’re our honored guest. I mean, it’s just not appropriate…”
“It’s fine,” Mei Qing said. “I was somewhat close to Liu Na. I have no fear.”
Sighing, the village chief shook his head. “Well then, I suppose I shouldn’t stop you. Ah, Mr. Liu was such a good man, always helping others. But he had some old illness, didn’t he? He looked frail from the start. I told him to see a good doctor, but he always laughed it off. Who would have thought… good men don’t live long, good men don’t live long…”
Mei Qing felt a mixture of emotions. He suspected Liu Na had been affected by some magical curse in the treasury, and the subsequent beatings had worsened his condition, compounded by his grief over his brother. As for whether Liu Na was truly a good man, that was a matter of debate.
A single dim lamp flickered in the modest guest room where Mei Qing and Hou Shen sat facing each other, their faces cast in sharp relief by the dim light.
“What do you think?” Mei Qing suddenly asked.
Though the question was vague, Hou Shen understood immediately. “Liu Na’s account must be true. Let’s assume for now that Master Mu’s sole purpose was to obtain those two chests. That inkstone must not have originally been in the chest.”
Mei Qing nodded. That much was certain.
“But how did the inkstone end up in the chest after Liu Qu took it and hid in the capital? That must have happened during the magical confrontation between Master Mu and the others,” Hou Shen hesitated slightly at this point.
This was also the part that puzzled Mei Qing the most. According to Liu Na, the person who fought Master Mu in the treasury had addressed him as “Master,” suggesting a possible internal sect conflict.
“Master Mu must have had a specific reason to risk breaking into the palace for those two chests. The palace, like the treasure vault of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, must have had many magical defenses. Perhaps only mundane methods could bypass them. Those chests must have held great importance to him, prompting such a desperate act. But he must have been ambushed, and I fear Master Mu may not have survived,” Hou Shen continued.
“Practitioners of the Dao often possess abilities beyond ordinary men. We cannot easily speculate on Master Mu’s fate. But one thing is certain—the secret of the inkstone must be connected to the case three years ago. The person who asked you to steal the inkstone likely knew that secret. Therefore, it’s likely that the one seeking the inkstone is from one of the two factions involved in that conflict with Master Mu three years ago,” Mei Qing added.
He further speculated that the struggle between the two factions had involved the inkstone, perhaps as a ritual object or affected by dark magic. Thus, the once ordinary inkstone had undergone some transformation, ending up in the chest and triggering a chain of strange events, eventually leading someone to seek it out.
Hou Shen disagreed: “Your reasoning may have a flaw. According to your account, the one who sought the inkstone was Yang Jin, son of the late Grand Secretary Yang Zui, who mentioned during the fight that his father’s spirit needed saving, and that the inkstone was involved. Since Yang Zui died after the treasury fire, the inkstone shouldn’t be connected to his death. So what did Yang Jin mean?”
Hou Shen’s words made Mei Qing frown, pondering without resolution. Finally, he rubbed his temples and said, “Yang Jin must have a hidden master behind him. This inkstone likely involves more than we imagine. Enough for now—today has been long. Let’s rest early and return to the city tomorrow.”
“Master, why have you been staring at the porcelain on the shelves since you came back? It’s been a while since you played with anything,” said Wu’er, carrying in a basin of water.
Mei Qing had returned to the capital but did not go to the Guard headquarters. He was covered in dust from the journey, so he went home to freshen up first. Hou Shen had gone to report Liu Na’s death to the elder. Mei Qing returned home and asked Wu’er to bring water. As he looked up, he saw the porcelain on his shelf, including a Tang dynasty celadon that had once belonged to Liu Qu. Reflecting on Liu Qu’s life of destroying porcelain, Mei Qing couldn’t help but take it down and examine it.
“Yes, it has been a long time,” Mei Qing said, touched by Wu’er’s words. He turned to her and asked, “Wu’er, do you think porcelain is useful or useless?”
Wu’er, wringing the towel quickly, replied, “How could it be useless? Porcelain is meant to hold things—whether water or rice. Nothing made of porcelain is useless.”
“Oh… hehe, you’re clever as always. Well then, if you ever need something to fetch water and don’t have the right tools, just take something from this shelf,” Mei Qing smiled.
“From your shelf?” Wu’er’s eyes widened. “Please spare me! I’ve heard from Sister Duoyun that each piece here is more valuable than me. If I use one to fetch water and accidentally break it, I won’t be able to afford the replacement.”
Mei Qing laughed. “Nonsense! You, Wu’er, are the most valuable thing in my eyes. More precious than any treasure.”
As Wu’er wiped his face, she said, “That’s just because you’re kind-hearted, Master. In a harsher household, I might be seen as worthless. Oh, Master, Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. We should make mooncakes. I’ll make them for you, but you have to watch me do it.”
“Great! I’m sure your mooncakes will be the best. Time flies—Mid-Autumn is already here,” Mei Qing replied.
“Indeed, it’s a time for reunion. You’ve been busy all this time, barely seen at home. This time, you should stay and spend the festival with us,” Wu’er pouted.
“Reunion Festival, yes. Haha, alright, Wu’er, you don’t need to tidy up anymore. I have something urgent to attend to at the Guard headquarters,” Mei Qing suddenly said, standing up.
“Master, why the rush? You haven’t even finished washing yet,” Wu’er scolded. “You just said reunion, and now you’re rushing out the door again. What could be so urgent?”
“Be a good girl, Wu’er. I had some tasks assigned yesterday and need to check if there’s any news,” Mei Qing said, wiping his face hastily with his hand.
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