Daishan Turns The Wind Chapter 10

The case of the Zither Master (3)

Shan Wuzhou was abandoned, but his eldest disciple brought him back, and with himself and the second disciple, they had cared for him diligently. There were many other disciples on the mountain, and they grew up playing together, so why did he still carry this trauma?

Feng Yuluo felt a pang of self-reproach.

He shifted his gaze, intending to find an eatery to take the child for a meal, and noticed the Illusion Moon Pavilion right ahead.

Shan Wuzhou also saw it and seized the moment to voice the doubt in his heart: “Master Ancestor, why did you come here and head straight for the Illusion Moon Pavilion to listen to music? Could it be that you suspect Yuanbao is inside the Illusion Moon Pavilion?”

It was indeed Yuanbao’s hint, saying that the clone had some connection to the Illusion Moon Pavilion. But Feng Yuluo couldn’t say so directly.

He sneaked a look at Shan Wuzhou, who was adjusting his sleeves. The moonlight and lamplight intertwined, revealing that his eyes were too steady. Feng Yuluo wondered if this kid was starting to suspect him.

Feng Yuluo said sincerely: “I feel it’s there. There are many people, so it’s easy for it to choose someone, and because there are many people, it makes it difficult for us to eliminate suspects.”

He was too sincere, leaving Shan Wuzhou speechless.

It was late. The Illusion Moon Pavilion was tidied up and closed. Kang Xiaole was exhausted after a long day; his arms felt like they weren’t his arms, and his legs weren’t his legs. Only his heart was still alive, and his fingers flew as he hummed a little tune, clocking out to go home.

He noticed two people standing ahead. He had a deep impression of them.

One was the kind and elegant young master who had helped him twice during the day and even offered his seat to a woman. The other was the shifty-looking person huddled in the corner, carrying his own melon seeds, and dressed somewhat sloppily.

The two who had been separated by a great distance in the main hall were now together. And the young master, whose eyes had been cold during the day, now had eyes full of laughter.

The waiter was skilled at reading people. Kang Xiaole could tell that this young master was trying to hide his smile, even pressing down the corners of his mouth in a pretense, but it was completely useless. Anyone could see that this person was very lively and happy right now.

Was the sloppy young man next to him his younger brother, to be so doted upon?

Kang Xiaole was a little surprised.

The man looked over, and his eyes instantly turned cold.

Kang Xiaole: “…”

Alright, now he had suppressed it. So cold. He had a bad feeling.

Shan Wuzhou politely cupped his hands and inquired about the disappearance of Kang Xiaole’s father, Kang Zhiwei.

The father and son relied on each other. Since Kang Zhiwei disappeared, the house was empty during the day, and Shan Wuzhou didn’t know if Kang Zhiwei also had some hidden illness.

Only then did Kang Xiaole realize that the two men had unusual identities and were working with the yamen to investigate the missing persons case.

He clutched the corner of his clothes, unable to hide his nervousness when facing important figures. He said that today was the fifth day since his father disappeared. It happened near the Illusion Moon Pavilion, and the last time someone saw him, he was eating a bowl of spicy noodles at a roadside stall.

He didn’t have any major illnesses, just that he was prone to mouth sores, perhaps from eating too much chili. Kang Zhiwei loved spicy food and couldn’t give it up.

Just mouth sores. Shan Wuzhou and Feng Yuluo exchanged glances, thinking that even such a minor ailment was enough to get someone captured. Could it be that the original culprit was critically ill and couldn’t wait any longer?

Seeing Kang Xiaole’s nervousness, Feng Yuluo comforted him: “Don’t worry, we will do our best to find him.”

Kang Xiaole nodded glumly. With people mysteriously disappearing in broad daylight, he didn’t know how they could possibly be found.

Feng Yuluo asked if Kang Zhiwei had any unusual behavior before he disappeared, what he was doing here that day, and if he frequently visited the Illusion Moon Pavilion.

Kang Xiaole answered honestly and softly, one by one. Because he worked at the Illusion Moon Pavilion, his father would occasionally come to visit and listen to a couple of tunes. There was nothing particularly strange.

To help with the investigation, he recounted everything that happened in the past few days. Feng Yuluo didn’t hear anything special, so he told him to go home early.

Kang Xiaole thanked them and walked past.

“Wait a moment.”

Kang Xiaole stopped and turned around: “?”

Feng Yuluo glanced at Shan Wuzhou, looking very expectant: “Do you know where Gan Youyou lives? We want to invite him to compose a piece of music.”

Kang Xiaole also glanced at Shan Wuzhou and forced a smile: “That might be very difficult.”

This matter was extremely difficult. Feng Yuluo and Shan Wuzhou had gone to his residence early that morning, and both times they were rejected; they couldn’t even get an appointment.

Too many people offered gold and silver to invite Gan Youyou to play music.

Feng Yuluo didn’t give up. He was concerned about Shan Wuzhou’s state of mind, thinking that composing a piece of music to express his emotions would be good, lest he keep sinking into the mire.

Since he couldn’t get in on his own, he pondered whether, having lived for eight hundred years, he had any connections that could lead him indirectly to Gan Youyou.

Before he could figure it out, Kang Xiaole emerged, looking radiant, and gestured for them to follow.

Kang Xiaole led them past the obstacles and into the inner hall. Feng Yuluo enthusiastically called him “Big Brother”—this was his newly acquired connection.

Kang Xiaole smiled shyly, saying that he had worked as a handyman at the Illusion Moon Pavilion for many years and had a good private relationship with Gan Youyou. He had asked him this favor this morning, and Gan Youyou agreed.

Feng Yuluo was so grateful, thinking he must give the boy a large red envelope. The Patriarch didn’t have money in his pocket, but his eldest disciple was the sect leader, and he had money.

He lagged two steps behind and whispered: “Wuzhou, I am the… well, the Patriarch. Just pass on my order and have Feng Mountain allocate silver to you. I will pay for whatever the composition costs.”

Shan Wuzhou smiled faintly, nodded, and blinked, as if saying thank you, Master Ancestor.

This made Feng Yuluo feel a little awkward.

Kang Xiaole looked back and saw the two men each masking their small expressions, distant yet intimate. He thought he was wrong; they shouldn’t be brothers.

What kind of brothers acted so inexplicably?

Pushing the door open, the cold wind from the window brushed their faces, and a pair of moist eyes immediately looked over. Shan Wuzhou paused. Without the obstruction of the gauze curtain, he felt as if he was being seen through.

Kang Xiaole bowed respectfully: “Sir.”

Gan Youyou nodded reservedly.

Kang Xiaole led Shan Wuzhou into the room, walking to another window, keeping a good distance from Gan Youyou.

Outside the window was a lake, cool and pleasant.

Shan Wuzhou had no objection and sat down by himself.

Gan Youyou seemed to have many formalities. After Shan Wuzhou sat down, Gan Youyou slightly leaned forward in a salute, and Shan Wuzhou quickly returned the gesture.

Looking into Gan Youyou’s eyes this time, he felt much calmer.

There was a writing table with brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone. Kang Xiaole arranged them one by one, lit an incense stick, and whispered: “Please calm yourself for a moment. Mr. Gan will play the zither shortly to help you sort out your inner thoughts. You can simply write them down on the paper. I will come back to fetch you after one stick of incense burns.”

Writing it down was quite unusual.

After speaking, Kang Xiaole bowed to Gan Youyou again and quietly exited the room.

Feng Yuluo waited outside, pondering the case. He couldn’t understand why those people were being taken away just because they were sick. Those were not difficult or complicated diseases; they could be cured and wouldn’t cost too much money.

When Kang Xiaole came out, his face showed some satisfaction. He sighed, habitually tossing the cleaning rag onto his shoulder, then realized he hadn’t started work yet, and secretly laughed at his own miserable fate.

He looked up and met Feng Yuluo’s teasing gaze. He felt a little embarrassed, then both of them laughed.

Feng Yuluo put an arm around the half-grown boy, saying that he was having trouble finding people and really needed his help.

Kang Xiaole was uneasy, clutching the corner of his clothes, asking what he could do.

Feng Yuluo: “What are Kang Zhiwei’s characteristics? Good or bad, anything is fine.”

Kang Xiaole was troubled: “For families like ours, we are busy working to earn money every day and can’t afford to be idle. Compared to others, there’s nothing special; we all live the same way. My father rarely drinks, at most he likes spicy food, and occasionally plays cards with neighbors.” He smiled, feeling a little anxious, “Everyone in our area lives pretty much the same way.”

It was truly difficult to find anything special.

Feng Yuluo looked downstairs. It seemed someone was coming to visit. He quietly asked: “If Kang Zhiwei isn’t found, would you be happy or unhappy?”

Kang Xiaole was stunned.

Feng Yuluo turned back, looking at Kang Xiaole’s panicked eyes, and asked again: “Do you want Kang Zhiwei to come back?”

Kang Xiaole swallowed, his cheeks tight. Just then, Gan Youyou began playing the zither. The sound was muffled by the door, making it hard to hear clearly, but it was enough to bring clarity.

He looked up and said, “No, I don’t.”

Sincerity was truly unbeatable. Since he said so bluntly that he didn’t want him back, Feng Yuluo didn’t know what to say, and dryly asked why.

Kang Xiaole stared at the intricate carvings on the corridor, then looked up at the roof beams, and finally spoke after a long pause.

“We are already living a very hard life. I really don’t want another person constantly squeezing the life out of me.”

Feng Yuluo took a step forward: “We?”

Kang Xiaole opened his mouth, regretting his words a little, and said: “I used to have a younger brother.”

Feng Yuluo was alarmed. The investigation showed only two people in his family. Where was his brother?

“It was a long time ago,” Kang Xiaole’s voice was obscure. “My younger brother was bullied and came home crying. Kang Zhiwei said he would report it to the authorities, but later he took money from the other party and dropped the case. My brother had nightmares all night. That small child drowned himself in the river.”

Kang Xiaole saw Feng Yuluo speechless and smiled faintly: “Hard to believe? A year later, he spent all the money. That day, he stared at me for a long time and suddenly said it would be great if I was bullied too, so he could exchange it for more money.”

Feng Yuluo wanted to comfort him but couldn’t find the words.

“For a person like that, why would I want him back? It’s been six days. I hope he starves to death, and it would be best if his body is never recovered.”

Feng Yuluo stepped forward and grabbed him: “Tell me who that person was. I’ll go deal with him.”

Before he could answer, a group of people came up the stairs. The servant failed to stop them and looked helpless.

Kang Xiaole trembled and looked back. The zither music hadn’t stopped, and they couldn’t be disturbed now. He hesitated, wanting to step forward and persuade them to wait.

Feng Yuluo strode forward and stood in the middle.

He had seen this person before. It was the distinguished guest from the Illusion Moon Pavilion yesterday, the one Kang Xiaole almost bumped into, who was personally escorted out by the Pavilion’s owner.

Why had he followed them here?

The attendant rushed over, his face arrogant and unpleasant. Just as he was about to utter some intimidating words, he was forced back by Feng Yuluo’s gaze.

Feng Yuluo said impolitely: “Who are you?”

The man frowned, his eyes showing disdain. He was dressed richly and was overbearing. An ordinary person would have been intimidated. But Feng Yuluo was eight hundred years old and had endured heavenly lightning; this was nothing. He directly retorted:

“Mr. Gan has a guest. You will have to wait.”

The man snorted, stopping where he was. The attendant beside him immediately fanned him.

The zither music stopped. Kang Xiaole immediately scurried back to the room, knocked, and entered. There was no time for formalities. He quickly gathered the papers and put them away. The attendant went over to help the slightly weakened Gan Youyou.

Shan Wuzhou had excellent hearing and naturally knew what was happening outside. He remained calm and thanked Gan Youyou.

When he turned to leave, the imposing, richly dressed man walked toward him. Carrying a wave of anger, Shan Wuzhou instinctively felt uncomfortable. He stepped aside to avoid him, catching a glimpse of Gan Youyou’s face turning instantly pale in his peripheral vision.

Shan Wuzhou and Feng Yuluo exchanged a look without speaking. Kang Xiaole quickly led the two out, sighing and patting his chest once they were outside.

Shan Wuzhou asked who that person was.

Kang Xiaole looked traumatized: “Gan Daqiang, sir. Gan Youyou’s adoptive father.”

An adoptive father who could scare someone like that?

Feng Yuluo said: “Xiaole, you still haven’t told me who that person was. Tell me, and I will help you.”

Kang Xiaole shook his head: “That person was old. He’s already dead.”

Kang Xiaole smiled easily, as if shedding the past, and went off to work at the Illusion Moon Pavilion, saying that Gan Youyou would perform again in the afternoon and welcomed them to come listen.

Feng Yuluo felt a pang in his heart. He composed himself and pointed upward to Shan Wuzhou. Shan Wuzhou understood, took him to the rooftop, lifted a tile, and peeked at the situation inside.