Chapter 10, Steamed Buns

Song Yang suggested to her: "Then you can pay for it, and by giving the money to Lord Rong, you will be able to eat."

Rong Youquan originally smiled and shook his head, thinking that this was just a fanciful idea concocted by Song Yang. If such a thing truly existed, it would undoubtedly be notorious, and there was no reason for him to be unaware of it. However, the young constable spoke with such certainty, as if it were indeed the case. This prompted him to ask, "Is it really true that such a strange occurrence exists? Could I trouble the young officer to take me to see the scene? Hehe, I apologize for the imposition and hope for your understanding"

The steamed bun has been paid for, so the young constable felt no shame in eating someone else's. Upon hearing this, he curled his lips and said: "I expected you to discern some clues, but instead, you came to ask us."

The corpse handler uses a certain medicinal substance to subdue the dead, which emits a peculiar odor during the hour of Chou, just before dawn. My sense of smell is keen, and perhaps I might have the opportunity to track it down, much like a hunting dog. Song Yang touched his nose, smiling somewhat bashfully. This statement was largely true, except that he had pushed back the time for the medicinal scent to disperse by one hour, from the Zi hour to the Chou hour. Furthermore, he said nothing about the aphrodisiac effects of the Zi Yin Pan on women. The young constable, though not particularly cunning, was no fool; she sensed something was amiss and realized that Song Yang had other plans. She cast him a slightly surprised glance but did not say anything further.

Before Song Yang could speak, the young constable could no longer tolerate the other party's contemptuous demeanor and interjected: "The crime scene is crystal clear; twelve people were instantaneously dismembered, reduced to thousands of pieces, each piece of identical size. Even the best chef in the world could not achieve such uniformity! If such a sharp mechanism truly exists, it is merely due to your own limited experience and shallow knowledge that you are unaware of it."

Song Yang happily tucked away the silver, and his attitude towards the three assassins had long since changed from that of a minor official at the Yanzi Ping yamen to that of a waiter at the Yin family inn. He extended his hand to welcome the guests and smiled at Rong Youquan, saying: "Since the road is blocked, and you have traveled far, there is no need to rush at this moment. You may rest here for a while. However, this is the Yin family inn; I wonder if you gentlemen find it inauspicious." Following this, he briefly explained the reasons for the presence of the barbarian corpse drivers and the establishment of the inn in the deep mountains.

Rong Youquan revealed a relaxed smile upon seeing the situation, coughed softly, and turned to give a glance to his subordinate behind him. Soon, a young man following him bent down and, when he stood up again, he held a silver ingot in his hand: "Oh, here are ten taels of silver. I wonder who the owner is..."

Song Yang looked at the other person and replied: "In your bag, there are roasted chickens and braised beef, yet you only offer me steamed buns with flowers."

In the stench-filled atmosphere, Rong Youquan looked on in astonishment, turned to glance at Song Yang, and then gestured to his subordinate. A young man took an oil paper package from the bundle and handed it over, simultaneously saying: "I bought some steamed buns with flowers this morning; they taste quite good. I wonder if you can eat them here..."

When she was devouring her food, Rong Youquan had already stepped into the haunted house

A subordinate of Rong You spoke coldly from behind him: "As for the clues to the murderer, if there are any, there are; if not, then there are none. My master will ask you whatever he wants, and you will answer accordingly. A mere minor official..."

"I dropped it, I dropped it." Song Yang earned another ten taels. The young constable's face turned ashen as he glared at him sideways, "Are you very wealthy? Dropping silver everywhere!"

Rong You was entirely preoccupied with that mechanism, paying no attention to Song Yang's words, merely nodding absentmindedly.

The young constable broke off a piece to give to him, and after tasting it, the latter nodded and said, "Not bad, it’s quite fragrant!" The young constable, feeling frustrated, muttered, "My nose is blocked, I can’t taste the fragrance."

After lingering for a while, several individuals returned from the haunted house to the front hall. The young constable had already consumed three steamed buns and was contentedly patting his belly. Upon seeing them emerge, he inquired, "What discoveries have you made?"

A flicker of joy flashed in Rong Youquan's eyes and quickly vanished. He first turned around to reprimand his subordinates for their rudeness, and then smiled at the young constable, saying: "When it comes to solving cases, the experience of officials and constables is far superior to ours. However, if we know the whereabouts of the true culprit, we might be able to lend a hand during the pursuit, even though this is Nanli and we are from Yan. The phrase 'to act bravely in the face of justice and to draw one's sword to assist' is universally applicable."

Song Yang was first startled and then delighted: "Manager Rong is truly a remarkable person! Are you willing to lend a hand?"

Having said what he needed to, Rong Youquan was too lazy to repeat himself and directly asked, "You mentioned that there would be an opportunity later; what is it?"

By the light of the lamps, the splattered blood, the grotesque sight of the mangled bodies, the postures of the deceased in life, and the countless knife marks left on the walls, Rong Youquan's expression grew increasingly desolate. Yet, in stark contrast, his gaze gradually became more fervent. Even a murder scene ten times more horrific would not faze Rong Youquan; what truly concerned him was that everything Song Yang had said was indeed true, that such a deadly weapon could exist in the world.

Rong Youquan exchanged glances with his two subordinates for a moment, then slowly nodded. If there was an opportunity, they must seize that mechanical weapon; after all, they couldn't go to Yanzi Ping tonight, so it wouldn't hurt to follow the two minor officials and pursue it. As for the dangers of this venture, Rong Youquan did not think too much about it; as long as they could catch up, with the other party in the open and himself in the dark, how could there be no opportunity

Song Yang, standing to the side, appeared relaxed. As he had anticipated, the three assassins were intrigued by the murder weapon, which was quite favorable.

Rong Youquan nodded to the young constable and said, "Rest assured, I am merely taking a look and will not disturb the scene. If by chance I discover anything, I will not conceal it either." After saying this, he led his subordinates into the Yin family inn, passing through the front hall, and was about to enter the murder house when Song Yang suddenly remembered something and asked, "Master Rong, do you have any provisions with you? Hey... if you do, I would like to ask for some."

Song Yang did not enter the room with Rong Youquan, but instead smiled and looked at the young constable: "Is it delicious? Let me have a taste. Just a little is enough; I just want to try the flavor"

Song Yang could not eat, and he did not ask for it for himself. He opened the oil paper bag, took out the steamed bun, looked at it, and smiled, saying: "It looks good!" He then handed the oil paper bag to the young constable

A device that can be carried at all times, capable of instantly launching thousands of blades, making it nearly invincible at close range; even Rong Youquan, no matter how dull he may be, can understand what possessing this weapon means for himself and for the aristocratic family... He even contemplated that after acquiring this device, he could attempt to disassemble and replicate it... As he thought about this, Rong Youquan felt a slight heat rising in his body

The young constable turned hostile on the spot. Song Yang had just accepted a favor from the other party and was busy stepping in to mediate, positioning himself in front of the young constable. He smiled at Rong Youquan and said, "There aren't many clues, but there will be an opportunity later; perhaps we can find the murderer."

The little constable was about to cry: "I rushed out and forgot to bring money"

Song Yang responded with a sound, took out a large number of incense candles, lit them, and murmured some words. He was quite busy for a while before stopping, then turned to explain to Rong Youquan: "At such a time and in such a place, the yin energy is too heavy. Burning some incense candles to seek peace is a rural custom. I hope it does not make Master Rong laugh."

The young constable was greatly angered and reached out to block the way: "This is a crime scene, sealed off by the authorities; this is not a flower and bird garden, and no idle people are allowed..." Before he could finish his words, Song Yang shook his head and interrupted: "You are mistaken. Lord Rong and his companions have extensive experience and knowledge from their time in the martial world; they might be able to identify the origin of that murder weapon, which would be of great help in solving the case. Usually, it is difficult to invite them, and now you still want to block them." As he spoke, he pulled the young constable aside. The constable intended to use a grappling technique to throw him, but after a moment's thought, he held back.

Rong Youquan shook his head and retorted, "Are there any clues about the whereabouts of the murderer?"

The young man looked astonished and muttered, "He actually has a dog nose."

The young constable leaned against the entrance of the Yin family's inn, gazing at the sky, and turned back to inform Song Yang: "It has just passed the hour of Zi."

Rong Youquan said no more unnecessary words, accepted the copper coins, and turned to the young constable with a smile: "Hurry and eat!" The latter, after much effort, managed to suppress the cheer that had risen from the depths of his heart, replied, "I will pay you back when we return," and took out a steamed bun to take a bite.

After speaking, Rong Youquan took a step back, leaving a clear pair of footprints at the spot where he had originally stood and the *illustration* book was placed. Amidst the laughter and conversation, without any apparent effort, he was able to leave a half-inch deep imprint on the bluestone-paved ground, a skill that surpassed the ability to shatter large stones by countless times.

The little constable was born with certain flaws; when tired, she would fall asleep immediately, and when hungry, she had to eat something, otherwise the hunger would burn her heart, causing discomfort far beyond that of ordinary people. She had already felt nauseous several times from hunger. When the oiled paper package was handed over, her expression changed, but even the steamed bun was considered a 'bribe,' and she gritted her teeth and shook her head

Rong You's face revealed a look of disgust. Those who traverse the rivers and lakes are particularly wary of such dismal places, fearing that they might bring bad luck. This is simply the custom of the world, unrelated to one's martial prowess. However, in order to verify whether the terrifying weapon mentioned by Song Yang truly exists, he still reluctantly took a step forward

The young constable shook his head in refusal. Rong Youquan turned his gaze to Song Yang, who was looking down, his eyes scanning the ground back and forth as if searching for something.

Rong Youquan was astonished and laughed: "Tracking by nose, I have only heard the scholars talk about it before, but I have never seen it in person." His subordinates also expressed their doubts and questioned: "Kid, don't just speak carelessly."

Song Yang followed closely behind the person with the surname Rong, diligently and persistently introducing the case details and explaining the scene, while Rong Youquan's expression was completely captured in Song Yang's eyes

Song Yang cleared his throat and said with a smile, "That’s no problem, I can lend it to you, I have money!" After saying this, he fished around in his pocket and pulled out not the two silver ingots he had just earned, but a few copper coins, which he handed to Rong Youquan, saying, "This is for his steamed buns, Master Rong must accept it."