Chapter 3, the Qishe (a type of snake)

He has struck it rich! Qin Lin is overjoyed

Unfortunately, the Jinyiwei has already drawn his likeness and is pursuing him relentlessly. Even with a travel permit, he cannot take the main road. Gao Chaiyu managed to escape here along a small path with great difficulty, only to meet an untimely death at the hands of Qin Lin.

Sitting on a large rock by the stream to calm his slightly agitated emotions, Qin Lin wanted to smoke a cigarette. He instinctively patted his clothes, but the tattered linen garment had no pockets, let alone any cigarettes. He couldn't help but smile wryly

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my calf and quickly took two steps back

The travel permits are stamped with the crimson seals of various counties, and the handwriting in the letters varies, undoubtedly confirming their authenticity. As for their original owners, given the cunning of the White Lotus Society and the ruthlessness of Gao Chaiyu, they have certainly long since met with the King of Hell and are now nothing but dust.

A small porcelain bottle, containing a colorless and odorless powder, is likely the deadly poison that Gao Chaiyu had just sprinkled into the cake. Pouring two or three qian of it into the stream, it only takes a moment for the fish to float up with their white bellies exposed. Indeed, the toxicity is fierce; it is truly an essential remedy for killing and arson, whether at home or while traveling, to be kept on hand.

The lustrous white lotus jade pendant was initially intended to be discarded. However, upon reflection, Gao Chaiyu, as the senior disciple of the White Lotus Sect in this area, kept the scriptures close at hand and showed indifference to gold and silver, embodying the true essence of a staunch cultist. Yet, this jade pendant, treasured and carefully placed within his sleeve, might possess some other significant purpose, so he decided to keep it.

If the high Chaiyu Spring were aware, would it be angered enough to turn back to life

To his surprise, the first book was incredibly heavy, and Qin Lin nearly dropped it in shock. Upon opening the cover, he found the pages filled with dazzling gold. It turned out that there was no paper in the book; instead, it was filled with sheets of gold leaves, weighing at least fifty taels.

Fill the excavated soil back into the pit, level it off, and then carefully walk a distance to dig up some grass and trees, planting them with roots in this ground. By the transition from spring to summer, the grass and trees will flourish, and after a few days, even the most discerning observer would not be able to tell that a person was buried beneath the surface.

In the middle, there was a bulging cloth bag. As Qin Lin squeezed the shape inside, he immediately became excited. He pulled apart the string that tied the bag, and indeed, it was a whole bag of snowflake-patterned silver, weighing approximately two hundred taels.

First, he pinched the cuff a few times, and upon discovering a hard object in the inner pocket of the left cuff, he took it out for a closer look. It turned out to be a lotus-shaped jade pendant, crafted from exquisite mutton-fat white jade. The jade is warm and smooth, and the carving is delicate and translucent, with the lotus petals and leaves appearing lifelike. It is truly a rare artistic treasure

However, he was not prepared to seek out the unfamiliar "Brother Dongbi" as mentioned in the letter. Now that he possessed two hundred taels of silver and fifty taels of gold leaves, along with a legitimate identity, where in the vast world could he not go? He still decided to follow the original plan and seek opportunities along the economically developed and well-connected coastal areas of Jiangnan.

There are travel permits issued by Jianli County for Zhang San, as well as those issued by Jingmen Prefecture for Li Si, and also one from Gucheng County for Wang Mazi. Additionally, there is a letter from a certain Mr. Zhou from Jianli delivered to a head clerk in Nanchang Prefecture, requesting him to look after Zhang San's restaurant. There is also a letter from Chen Dianshi of Gucheng County addressed to his uncle in Songjiang County, indicating that it was delivered by Wang Mazi, and asking his uncle to help Wang Mazi with his silk business

Unfortunately, since the guide and this letter have fallen into the hands of Gao Chaiyu, it is sufficient to prove that Qin Mujin has not only been lured onto the path of evil but has even already embarked on the road to death

He was greatly disappointed, threw away several worn-out books, and spat upwards: "What is this? Treasuring them like precious items, I thought they were banknotes, but it turns out they are nothing but the twisted doctrines of a cult, completely nonsensical and worthless!"

After taking a moment to rest and calm his emotions, Qin Lin began to examine the corpse of Gao Chaiyu.

Qin Lin dragged the corpse into the thicket, exerting great effort to dig a deep pit with Gao Chaiyu's sabre. He threw the corpse, the suspiciously toxic flatbreads, several scriptures of the White Lotus Sect, excess travel permits and letters, as well as the sabre into the pit.

If one has a legitimate identity, one can completely report this matter to the authorities. The merit of capturing Gao Chaiyu is significant; the shadowy figure of Shi Wei mentioned a reward of 800 taels of silver. In recent days, Qin Lin has also spent some loose silver to buy food, knowing that receiving this sum of money would allow him to become a modest wealthy man

Having seen many corpses, Qin Lin had never before killed one himself—though, strictly speaking, the other party brought this upon themselves

Finding a few taels of broken silver would be a blessing; at the very least, as long as I am not left hungry on the way to Jiangnan, that would suffice, Qin Lin thought

After crossing two small hills and walking along the overgrown mountain path, Qin Lin's newly purchased coarse cloth clothes were torn in several places by the thorns.

The scattered silver coins he casually took while stealing the linen clothes have almost been used up. Qin Lin is now utterly impoverished. As he watches the Master Brother of the White Lotus Society, with a bounty of 800 taels of silver, lying on the ground, he finds himself unable to claim the reward, which is truly frustrating

Continuing to look at the remaining documents, there were no more golden leaves, but there were more than ten travel permits and five or six letters.

This guy is clearly a venomous snake. While Qin Lin felt frustrated, he tried to remain calm and slowly backed away, not wanting to provoke it—being bitten once was already unfortunate enough; getting bitten again would be truly unjust.

Qin Lin was in a good mood and took stock of his gains and books: two hundred taels of silver, fifty taels of gold leaves, one white lotus jade pendant, one vial of poison, one travel permit, and one letter, all wrapped in a bundle and carried on his shoulder as he walked

Qin Lin reached into the corpse's embrace again and felt something hard. He discovered it was several books, such as "The Grand Strategy of the Golden Lock" and the "Scripture of the Inevitable Catastrophe," which were texts of the White Lotus Sect. The pages were filled with absurdities and nonsensical phrases. Flipping through, he found no small print of the "Nine Yang True Scripture" tucked in between the pages, nor was there any treasure map hidden in the sunlight shining through the book's pages.

Having carefully cleaned up the traces left behind, Qin Lin cheerfully stuck three branches into the ground, muttering to himself: "They say they can kill but not bury; I provide a one-stop service from killing to burying. Brother Gao must be making a fortune. Alas, in the end, it all comes down to your own shortcomings; the taste of the poisonous cake is not something one can casually experience..."

However, Qin Lin did not have a legal identity and was highly likely to be regarded by the authorities as a bandit of the White Lotus Sect, attributing the death of Gao Chaiyu to internal strife; if the other party considered the factors of the 800 taels of reward and the possibility of receiving commendations and promotions, they might even kill him first to silence him, then seize the credit and appropriate the reward. Given the "notorious reputation" of the Eastern Depot and the Jinyiwei in later times, Qin Lin had no doubt that they might resort to such tactics.

In the grass, there was a snake measuring five feet in length, with a black body and white patterns. The scales on its head were raised towards the back, forming a triangular shape. The back was dark brown, while the head, belly, and throat were white, occasionally adorned with a few dark brown spots. The belly was flattened, and the tip of the tail had a scale that was both sharp and elongated

The snake coiled into a spiral, its head held high, flicking out a crimson tongue, producing a series of terrifying sounds. In its open mouth were two sharp fangs, which had just bitten Qin Lin.

I have come across another letter, addressed "To Brother Dongbi, upon reading this letter, I feel as if we are meeting again: It has been over twenty years since we parted at the Chu King's residence, and I have been greatly concerned about you...

He rolled up the right pant leg, revealing two deep bite marks on his calf, with blood continuously flowing out. The wound was swollen and raised; when he pressed it with his finger, Qin Lin let out a sharp gasp, "Damn!" The area around the wound had hardened, and in a short time, the nearby skin had already turned blue.

At the very least, one should not recklessly entrust one's life to others. Qin Lin has always believed that placing one's fate in the hands of another's morality or conscience is an act only a fool would commit

Qin Lin turned over the corpse of Gao Chaiyu, whose face was a dark blue-black, clearly indicating death by poisoning

Qin Lin took a deep breath, finally having the time to assess his injuries

Unfortunately, it is easy to deduce, even with a pig's brain, that there is a deep connection between this item and the White Lotus Sect. Even if it were worth its weight in gold, it could not be sold, so Qin Lin casually set it aside.

Upon understanding the key points, Qin Lin was overjoyed and began to search through the travel permit and letters, eventually finding a travel permit issued by Hanyang: "Qin Muxin, born in the 43rd year of the Jiajing era, of medium build, with a fair complexion, no beard, a native of Hanyang, son of Qin Gui, and mother Tan, both deceased"

No valuable items were found on the corpse, and Qin Lin, feeling disappointed, was somewhat disheartened. Now, only the small bundle carried by Gao Chaiyu remained. He had casually tossed it aside during their earlier rest, showing little concern for it, so Qin Lin did not hold out much hope for it.

This is good, the age is compatible, and being orphaned means there are no entanglements, making it convenient to impersonate. Moreover, we share the same surname. My surname is Qin, my name is Lin, and my courtesy name is Mujin, which fits perfectly!

"Then, from now on, I will live in your place..." Qin Lin's spirit was lifted: "From this day forward, I shall be known as Qin Lin, the character for 'Mujin'!"

Unwrapping the package, the top layer consists of several pancakes individually wrapped in oil paper. Qin Lin does not know which one is poisonous and which one is not, so he discards them.

Indeed, the snake slowly retracted its head. After a while, Qin Lin retreated even further, and the venomous snake, feeling pleased, raised its head proudly, making a hissing sound, and leisurely slithered away from the bushes

This letter is written by "Qin Shi" to "Brother Dong Bi". From the tone, it is evident that they are long-time friends. Qin Shi's only son and daughter-in-law have passed away, and he has raised his grandson, Qin Mu Jin, alone. However, this grandson is "willful and unruly" and has not established a proper livelihood even at the age of seventeen. Now, with Qin Shi suffering from a serious illness and expecting his life to be short, he fears that after his death, there will be no one to guide his grandson, who might be led astray by wicked individuals. Therefore, before his passing, he writes a letter for his grandson to deliver to his old friend, entrusting "Brother Dong Bi" with the care and supervision of his grandson, hoping he can find a legitimate occupation in Qizhou.

The mountain villagers mentioned that there is a slightly larger town called Makou located ten miles ahead by the river, where a small riverboat occasionally docks at the town's pier. With a few hours left before sunset, Qin Lin decided to stay overnight in Makou, waiting for the passenger boat to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River

After walking three miles forward and crossing a small hill, there lay a small mountain village with only five or six households. The hemp clothes had become dirty and foul after several days of wear, and were also torn and tattered by thorns. Qin Lin then used some loose silver to buy a coarse cloth outfit from the mountain villagers to change into. The hemp clothes he took off were wrapped around the guide and valuables, and everything was stuffed into the bundle.

After a moment of contemplation, it became clear that Gao Chaiyu carried these documents with the intention of using them to escape the intricate net of pursuit laid by the Jinyiwei. The reason for preparing so many documents likely stems from the uncertainty of the escape route; in the rush, there was insufficient preparation, so he brought along several copies to be ready for any unforeseen circumstances.

At the very bottom was a stack of books and documents. Qin Lin felt fortunate to have received two hundred taels of silver, thinking that this was likely some scripture from the White Lotus Sect, and so he casually took it out to browse through.