Chapter 7, Partner

"The clues are laid out one by one; stringing them together will reveal the truth." Song Yang was quite polite: "You are an outsider and unfamiliar with the mountain stream and the corpse transporters, which is why you cannot see clearly"

One of its dual effects lies in the character "淫". Men perceive its scent without any unusual reaction, but women, after inhaling it for a while, will experience a surge of blood, weakness throughout their bodies, and an uncontrollable stir of romantic feelings

First, the mountain flood has blocked the road, preventing you from passing, and the barbarians naturally cannot pass either. At least before the flood recedes, Yanzi Ping will be safe; Second, we were the first to discover this tragic incident, and the barbarians have not yet arrived. Otherwise, they would not have neglected to send the corpse collector to retrieve the bodies. This means that the barbarians are still unaware of this matter, so what is there to panic about? Moreover, the journey from here to the barbarians' stronghold takes a full three days. Even if a corpse collector survived last night and escaped to call for help, it would still take six days for a round trip; Third, although our county magistrate may not be particularly... particularly clever, he is unlikely to overlook such a significant matter. It is possible that the state troops are already stationed in the town, so there is no need for you to worry.

Song Yang smiled: "It is my fault, please calm down, the angrier you are, the hungrier you will get. I intended to divert your attention, but I did not mean to make fun of you."

The young constable also smiled, revealing a set of white, even teeth. He no longer mentioned the case but instead looked at Song Yang with delight, as if he had found a treasure: "Earlier, I said you were meticulous in your work, but it turns out I underestimated you. Not only are you careful in your tasks, but your thoughts are quite clear as well. You analyze things point by point, very good!

Song Yang paid no attention to the "ambitious aspirations" of the young constable; regardless of what the other party said, he simply smiled and shook his head.

The young constable felt the weight of his responsibilities and was extremely anxious: "That won't do, the matter of mobilizing the troops cannot be delayed. Cough..."

The young constable tightened his boots and prepared to set off, while asking, "What about you? Aren't you coming back with me?"

Before he finished speaking, Song Yang burst into laughter: "It is evident that you are starving."

The young constable let out a "humph," tossed his head, and sulked in anger, ignoring him.

A heavy rain has finally ceased, and the clouds in the sky have dissipated, revealing the brilliant stars and moon. Song Yang appeared exceptionally happy and turned to the young constable, saying: "Please make the effort to return to Yanzi Ping immediately and report the case to the magistrate."

The young constable suddenly became spirited: "It's precisely because I can't figure it out that I need to express it; perhaps I can come up with something. Hurry up and speak, and when we return to the town, I'll treat you to noodles!"

Song Yang waved his hand and laughed, saying: "I was brought here to take the blame this time; I am not the coroner, my uncle is. You should go find him to partner with."

Song Yang shook his head: "Do you think the Yin family's inn is a good place? The corpse drivers come here to stay purely for the purpose of transporting corpses. Do you understand? Unless it is absolutely necessary while working, if they do not have a corpse with them, the corpse drivers would rather travel on foot, even if it means sleeping in the wilderness, than stay in such a place heavy with yin energy"

"Hmm, are you asking me?" Song Yang smiled

Song Yang chuckled and said: "m.hetushu.com. That sounds good."

The young constable rolled his eyes at him and asked, "What is it?"

Do not mention being "hungry"; I cannot stand it... The young constable was just full of excitement, but upon hearing the word "hungry," his expression immediately turned gloomy. At the same time, he was unwilling to accept Song Yang's refusal to "join the team": "Let’s not talk about anything else; just regarding martial arts, I possess excellent skills. I ran thirty miles from the town to here, did you see me catch my breath? And that was me holding back my strength. No matter how good your intentions are, if you cannot catch the thief even when he is right in front of you, it is of no use. Investigating cases and catching thieves requires both intellect and martial prowess, and they complement each other perfectly."

Song Yang would not concern himself with such matters; he comfortably lay down with his head resting on his arms. After a while, he suddenly appeared delighted and let out a laugh, saying "Ha!" The young constable was startled by him and angrily exclaimed, "What are you going crazy for?"

The young constable broke into a smile and quickly departed, his figure disappearing after a few leaps.

Song Yang watched as the young constable paced back and forth anxiously in front of him. He extended three fingers and abruptly said, "Three matters"

The little constable waved his hand, taking on everything: "Perhaps it was just the corpse handler. This time they came out without bringing a body, having agreed to meet at the inn... but then something went wrong."

Song Yang found it both amusing and perplexing: "From beginning to end, regarding this case, you have only mentioned 'infighting among the barbarians.' What else is there?"

After hearing these three things, the young constable was no longer anxious, but he turned hostile. He glared at Song Yang and asked, "It was you who asked me to rush back overnight to deliver a message, and it was also you who said it was nothing. Is this amusing? Are you toying with me? Do you want to fight? Let's go outside; just don't mess up the scene. I'll let you use one hand! Get up, don't worry, I won't hit your face!"

However, he did not expect that more than half an hour later, footsteps were heard at the entrance of the Yin family's inn, and the young constable had returned. Before he even entered the door, the young constable shouted loudly: "The heavy rain has triggered a mountain flood, and the road is blocked, we cannot go back! You are a local, do you know of any other routes?"

Song Yang did not expect things to turn out this way; he was momentarily taken aback, then shook his head: "There is no other way; we can only wait for the water to recede"

Suddenly mentioning the lewd drug, the young constable's expression did not change, but his gaze revealed a hint of anger and a touch of embarrassment as he frowned and said, "Why bring up such despicable substances for no reason?"

Song Yang revealed a relaxed smile, sat cross-legged, and began to close his eyes to cultivate his spirit

Song Yang cleared his throat and said, "This is all I can think of; the rest I cannot comprehend, and saying it would be of no use."

As soon as the question was asked, he suddenly realized: "The corpse must have been taken away by the murderer. If that's the case, is this case a robbery?! Did the murderer kill just to steal the corpse? What would they want the corpse for?"

The young constable, puzzled, asked: "What three matters?"

Song Yang shook his head: "Your martial arts are excellent, and your speed is impressive. If I accompany you, I would only be a burden. Moreover, someone must stay behind to keep watch. I will remain here." After saying this, he did not forget to remind: "Traveling at night is difficult, especially on a rainy, slippery road. Be careful on your journey. Don't just focus on speed; remember, in urgent matters, one should not be hasty."

The young constable, feeling parched and frustrated, saw that Song Yang was still unwilling to agree. He was quite displeased, thinking that Song Yang looked down on him. He pouted and said, "Don't underestimate me; when it comes to solving cases, I have my own unique skills." After a brief pause, he unwillingly emphasized, "As for today's case, I am sure I have some valid points. If you don't believe me, just wait and see. When the case is solved, you can come back and verify it!"

Upon hearing the word "hungry," the young constable's eyes turned red: "Why is that? You tell me."

Song Yang stood up and walked to the door, looking up at the sky: "At the hour of Zi, I plan to attempt something. I originally intended to go alone."

With a heavy tone, Song Yang said: "The barbarians may come down from the mountains to cause trouble at any time. We must quickly inform the lord and request him to write to the provincial officials to dispatch troops to garrison at Yanzi Ping"

The peculiar aspect of the Ziyin Pan is that, after being secretly crafted by the barbarians, it emits a faint aroma at midnight, reminiscent of the scent of burnt grass and wood ashes, which vanishes by dawn

The young constable understood: "What this means is that these corpse drivers must have been transporting corpses, yet they all died, and the bodies have disappeared. With twelve corpse drivers, there should at least be twelve corpses... Where have the bodies gone?"

Another mystery is that the corpse handler died here; where did the bodies they brought go

Song Yang did not rush to answer, but instead changed the subject: "In our South University and the deep mountains of *Tushu*, there is a herb called 'Ziyin Feng', which only the mountain stream people know how to stir-fry and refine. This herb has a peculiar aspect and also possesses two remarkable effects." The young constable neither understood nor was interested in the ways of medicine, wanting to frown and shake his head, but seeing Song Yang's serious demeanor, he patiently listened on.

The heavy rain has blocked the roads, making it impossible to return to the town. Since we are just passing the time with idle chatter, discussing the case is not a problem. Song Yang, without any pretentiousness, continued: "There are two things I find most puzzling. The first is... isn't there an overabundance of corpse drivers?" Corpse driving is not like herding cattle or horses; corpse drivers usually work alone, or at most in pairs or threes. I have never heard of a group of corpse drivers acting simultaneously. This is not a hub area, yet there are more than a dozen gathered in this Yin family inn. Are they holding a meeting?

The young constable shrugged his thin shoulders and said nonchalantly, "Even if I understand them, I still can't piece together those clues." As he spoke, he leaned forward, getting closer to Song Yang, and added, "How about this, let's partner up from now on, and you can help me out."

Song Yang turned over and jumped up from the ground: "The sound of rain has stopped, the rain has ceased." Saying this, he stepped forward to the entrance of the inn

The young constable was indifferent: "If you are not a coroner, then go to the yamen and seek a position as a coroner. With your skills, it should be a piece of cake. In the future, we will work side by side; you will be meticulous and sharp-minded in your tasks, while I have my own remarkable abilities... I, too, possess extraordinary skills. No matter how significant a case comes our way, it will be nothing to us. Hehe, in a few years, I will be the foremost divine constable in the South, and you will be the most esteemed coroner of the current dynasty..."