Chapter Nine, Something is Wrong

At night, the monsters and spirits all come out, unable to be contained...

Indeed, there is no man in this world who would be so irrational as to enter into a marriage contract with you

Logically speaking, with Tan Lingyin's gaze, on a late night, not to mention a gold grain, even a gold nugget, she might not have been able to pick it up. Yet, the situation turned out to be quite coincidental. She did not know when a small pebble had slipped into her shoe. She shook her foot, and the pebble wedged itself between her toes, not causing much discomfort at the moment. Tan Lingyin was too lazy to take off her shoe to shake it out and continued walking. As she walked, she began to feel drowsy, and eventually, it was Qingchen who carried her back. The next morning, when she put on her shoes, she discovered that it was not a small pebble at all, but a piece of gold ore.

Tan Lingyin's gold mine was discovered during a night exploration of Tianmu Mountain. At that time, she had not yet suspected anything about the gold mine; she merely thought that the county magistrate was overly ignorant. Although she often pretended to be a charlatan to swindle food and drink, she did not actually believe in ghosts or deities. Her night exploration of Tianmu Mountain was merely to see what kind of 'ghosts' were inside, in order to uphold justice. That day, Qingchen accompanied her into Tianmu Mountain. It was very dark in the mountains, and since her eyesight was poor, she was led by Qingchen to patrol around the mountain, but saw no ghosts at all.

Another person chimed in, "Indeed! Because during the initial period of the mountain closure, the brothers on night duty would mysteriously disappear, several in a row, so no one dared to take the night shift anymore. At that time, the county magistrate instructed that we only needed to be on duty from 3:15 AM to 7:00 AM, leaving the night hours to the various deities, allowing everyone to avoid interference with one another"

Tang Tianyuan disagreed, stating, "You don't even know whether she has a marriage contract, yet you assert that she is eloping; this is too arbitrary."

Under the threat of Tan Lingyin, Tang Tianyuan had no choice but to release her. To avoid suspicion, the two returned to the inner residence one after the other

You wouldn't understand this, would you? Tan Lingyin lightly tapped Tang Tianyuan's shoulder. Due to their close proximity, Tang Tianyuan had no time to evade. She continued, "What kind of matter requires one to go out at night? Unless she intends to leave that home for a long time. When it comes to eloping, it must be chosen after dinner and before the city gates close, so that by the time her family discovers she is missing the next day, she has already been out of the city for a night, thus making her escape far. Moreover, one should not dress too well when eloping; first, it attracts too much attention, and second, dressing too well can reveal wealth, which could lead to being robbed." This elopement must be chosen after dinner and before the city gates close, so that by the time her family discovers she is missing the next day, she has already been out of the city for a night, thus making her escape far. Moreover, one should not dress too well when eloping; first, it attracts too much attention, and second, dressing too well can reveal wealth, which could lead to being robbed.

The two couples were about to kneel in gratitude, but Tang Tianyuan quickly helped them up

Tan Lingyin stroked her chin, gazing in astonishment at this person and the *illustration* book. Could this be the young lady's fiancé? She turned her head to glance at the county magistrate, only to find his expression inscrutable.

Since then, she has constructed a complete story based on a tiny gold mine.

Upon hearing the sound of crying, the man also appeared sorrowful

Tang Tianyuan stepped forward and said, "Please accept my condolences, both of you. The examination of the crime scene has concluded, and you may now proceed with the burial of your beloved daughter to bring peace to her spirit. I will conduct a thorough investigation as soon as possible to ensure that the true culprit is apprehended and provide you with an explanation."

Tang Tianyuan did not have time to eat and hurried to the interrogation room. At the entrance, he saw Tan Lingyin. She was holding a large steamed bun in one hand, peeking into the morgue while eating, her expression one of great curiosity, yet her actions of eating the bun did not slow down in the slightest

The two of them kept saying "eloping" back and forth, and as the conversation progressed, their voices grew louder. This was overheard by Master Qi, who immediately became furious, exclaiming, "You shall not ruin my daughter's reputation!"

As for the matter at hand, after Tang Tianyuan understood the situation, he instructed the two individuals to return. Meanwhile, the three key figures of the county office gathered together to discuss the case. The three of them tacitly agreed not to mention the midnight contact, focusing solely on the murder case. Zhou Zhengdao stated that the murderer must have entered the mountain to dispose of the body after the hour of Chen, while Tan Lingyin suggested that the murder scene should be located not far from Tianmu Mountain. Tang Tianyuan interjected, saying that what you are discussing is all nonsense

Tan Lingyin stroked her chin, observing the wailing men and women gathered around Tang Tianyuan, and quietly said, "Something is not right"

From the time the newly appointed county magistrate was arrested until Tang Tianyuan took office, it took more than ten days. During this period, the mountain closure order for Tianmu Mountain remained in effect. When they went to Tianmu Mountain for inspection yesterday, they were still obstructed by the mountain guards, and it was only after Tang Tianyuan removed his beard that they were allowed to pass.

"You really can eat that," Tang Tianyuan said

Tang Tianyuan discovered that this Miaomiao had nothing serious in her mind, and he disdainfully said, "As if you have escaped from marriage."

Such Zen-like and intriguing words flowing from her lips evoke a profound sense of dissonance

As lunchtime approached, Zhao Xiaoliu hurriedly ran to inform Tang Tianyuan that the identity of the young lady had been confirmed; she was Miss Qi Hui from the Qi family of this county. The servants of the Qi family had already begun to weep in the mortuary, and Mr. Qi and his wife were on their way to the county office.

Tang Tianyuan sneered, "Are you suggesting that the mountain is only closed during the day and not at night?"

At that moment, another person burst in from outside, stumbling and staggering, momentarily drawing the attention of everyone in the morgue towards him

The sound of weeping echoed through the morgue, both male and female voices could be heard

Therefore, she must have eloped.

Tan Lingyin swallowed the bun in her mouth, "Birth, aging, illness, and death are all natural transformations; all troubles are but Bodhi; pure land arises from mud and filth"

These should be the parents of the deceased. Tang Tianyuan allowed Qi Yuanwai to enter the morgue to meet with his daughter

At this moment, a commotion erupted outside as a group of people rushed in. Several men and women surrounded a middle-aged couple, hurrying in with great urgency. The man, upon seeing Tang Tianyuan, still knew to pay his respects, while the woman abandoned them and dashed into the morgue, followed by a thunderous wail echoing from within.

If he could think of this, then Tan Lingyin and Zhou Zhengdao could also think of it

On the following day, Tang Tianyuan instructed someone to post a notice, stating that anyone who had lost a daughter should come to the county office to claim her. Subsequently, he summoned the person who had been guarding Tianmu Mountain the day before to inquire in the Retreat Thought Hall, with the clerk Tan Lingyin and the county magistrate Zhou Zhengdao listening in.

Tang Tianyuan appeared calm and composed on the surface, yet he felt disdain within. Engaging in tricks and illusions. If there were people mining and refining gold in the mountains, they would certainly need food and drink. The former county magistrate most likely left gaps intentionally to facilitate communication and contact with those inside the mountains. In the dead of night, especially in a place rumored to be haunted, it was certain that no one would wander about, which made it convenient for them

Therefore, under the circumstances of the mountain being closed, it is impossible for someone to openly run into Tianmu Mountain to dispose of a body without any commotion at all

Tang Tianyuan lowered his voice and replied, "Have you noticed something amiss as well? Please, share your thoughts." He slightly bent down, bringing his ear closer to facilitate hearing her whispers

A person bowed repeatedly, saying, "My lord, this is an injustice! We indeed were on duty last night, but we left after the hour of Chen. Before the hour of Chen, we were diligent and did not discover any abnormalities"

Look, the girl's parents are well-off and lack neither food nor clothing. How could their daughter dress like a country girl? This is illogical; since she is the daughter of a wealthy family, she should be raised in seclusion, with someone attending to her at all times. The murderer generally would not have the opportunity to commit the crime unless she came out on her own

"Of course I didn't run away; how could I possibly flee from a marriage?" Tan Lingyin said, impatiently pushing Tang Tianyuan away, "Don't stand so close to me."

When one is unsure of how to respond, one can often pretend to be a wise hermit. Tan Lingyin nodded, acknowledging that this method has indeed proven effective time and again

Tan Lingyin quickly apologized, "I am sorry, I spoke carelessly."

Tan Lingyin saw that this person was around eighteen or nineteen years old, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. When he rushed in, he was drenched in sweat from head to toe. Ignoring everyone, he dashed straight towards the corpse in the room. Upon seeing the face of the corpse, he was shocked, his eyes turning red, and his whole body trembled.

Oh?

Last night, there were a total of two people on duty. Both of them were aware that a murder had occurred at Tianmu Mountain yesterday and were afraid of being implicated. Today, the county magistrate frightened them again, causing them to tremble with fear and kneel on the ground, unable to get up