Daishan Turns The Wind Chapter 13

The moment Feng Yuluo finished his presumptuous remark, he instantly looked twenty years older under Kang Xiaole’s confused gaze.

“Wh-what Grandmaster? Is Yuanbao money? Are you a member of the jianghu? Which sect?”

Kang Xiaole looked at this young man, who was dressed shabbily but was handsome, and a hint of sympathy appeared in his eyes. How could someone so young be mentally unsound?

“Feng Mountain.”

“Crazy Mountain!” No wonder.

Feng Yuluo was uncharacteristically embarrassed.

Shan Wuzhou noticed his Grandmaster’s anxiety and took over the direct questioning for him: “Gan Daqiang, is he the person who bullied your younger brother?”

Kang Xiaole’s neck tightened instantly, and his body swayed. He picked up the teapot and poured water to cover his reaction. The gurgling sound of the water created ripples of unease, and a little spilled onto the table. Kang Xiaole silently wiped it away, and when he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse.

“How did you know?”

Feng Yuluo pondered how to respond.

Kang Xiaole sat down and gave a bitter smile. “Because of this, you suspect I killed Gan Daqiang?”

Feng Yuluo stammered, whispering, “We just wanted to ask you.”

Kang Xiaole shook his head.

“No.”

Only a few people were moving around in the Illusion Moon Pavilion, and they were too far away to hear what was being said here.

Kang Xiaole said fearlessly, “If I wanted revenge, I wouldn’t have waited until today. That person died three years ago. I pushed him into the river. It was winter, and the water was freezing cold. He was rescued, but he was crippled ever since.”

The atmosphere, which had been somewhat hot and noisy, became as still as freezing water.

Kang Xiaole stood up, picked up a rag, and said calmly, “In my heart, that person was as good as dead. My revenge was taken long ago.”

When they walked out of the Illusion Moon Pavilion, Feng Yuluo still felt a sense of loss.

Three years ago, Kang Xiaole was only seventeen.

The path ahead felt confusing again. Kang Xiaole had been very frank, even admitting to pushing Gan Daqiang into the water. It seemed genuinely unrelated to the murder case.

What should they do next?

Street vendors were carrying goods and shouting their wares, and the crowds were growing. Even the most sensational murder case couldn’t stop people from working for a living; at most, passersby would chat about it after tea or dinner.

They overheard two old men drinking tea by the roadside, saying that because Gan Daqiang had died, Gan Youyou had been summoned to the yamen for questioning.

Immediately, the conflict and entanglement between Gan Daqiang and Gan Youyou came up. They said that Gan Youyou couldn’t speak because Gan Daqiang refused to pay for his medical treatment when he was sick as a child. Yet, when the boy grew up, Gan Daqiang still shamelessly demanded so much money from him.

Gan Youyou was also foolish; he gave the money every time it was demanded. Now, Gan Daqiang had escalated his demands. They speculated about Gan Daqiang’s death…

One of the men’s expressions changed, and he lowered his voice.

Feng Yuluo couldn’t help but lean in to listen.

He heard the man say, “A hero must have passed by, righting wrongs and executing justice on behalf of heaven.”

Feng Yuluo nearly stumbled. Gan Daqiang was truly unpopular; no one mourned his death. And although Gan Youyou was a major suspect, many people spoke up for him.

Hearing this, Feng Yuluo’s eyes cleared. Kang Xiaole’s words were just his side of the story. Until solid evidence emerged, everything remained suspect.

The two hurried to the yamen, wanting to observe the interrogation.

It turned out that after Gan Youyou finished playing the zither and returned home, he was being helped out of his carriage when yamen runners intercepted him, asking him to go to the yamen to identify the body and assist with the investigation.

Gan Youyou looked at the corpse, his face frighteningly pale. Even the coroner was afraid he might collapse and become another body to examine. Fortunately, Gan Youyou was accustomed to being weak and managed to hold on.

Everyone was closely watching his reaction.

Shan Wuzhou and Feng Yuluo, who had arrived and made themselves invisible inside the yamen, were also observing Gan Youyou’s expression.

Gan Youyou and Gan Daqiang had a terrible relationship, and with Gan Daqiang’s brutal death, Gan Youyou was the prime suspect. Even if he didn’t do it himself, he was suspected of hiring someone.

Gan Youyou didn’t cry. After the white cloth was replaced, he quickly calmed down. Supported by his attendant, he used hand gestures to describe his day’s itinerary, which the attendant relayed.

In the morning, he received a guest and helped compose a piece of music. Then Gan Daqiang came and gave him a sum of money. After that, he practiced music, ate, took a nap, then left for the Illusion Moon Pavilion, performed on stage, returned home, and came to the yamen.

He admitted to being threatened by Gan Daqiang, but Gan Daqiang only wanted money, which was a drop in the ocean compared to what Gan Youyou earned, so it didn’t matter. There was no need to risk jail for it.

Moreover, Gan Daqiang had offended many people, and retribution was bound to come sooner or later, as it had now.

In short, he had no such intention and was completely unaware of who killed Gan Daqiang.

His final expression was somewhat relaxed, as if saying, “Well, he finally died.”

In public, he made no attempt to hide the sense of freedom in his eyes following Gan Daqiang’s death.

His frankness made others sympathize with him. Seeing his lack of stamina, they allowed him to return home first.

The method of killing was cruel, and Gan Daqiang’s residence had been searched, with money and valuables stolen. The yamen tentatively concluded it was a case of robbery and revenge. They then deployed a large number of personnel to search for clues.

The yamen needed time for their investigation. Feng Yuluo, unable to simply copy the answer, exchanged a bewildered look with Shan Wuzhou.

However, the two of them had been confused ever since they started investigating, so this bit of confusion was nothing new.

They reviewed the case.

They first suspected Kang Xiaole because he held a grudge against Gan Daqiang. Kang Xiaole had explicitly stated that he wanted the person who bullied his brother to die. Setting aside the incident of pushing him into the water three years ago, Kang Xiaole was working as a handyman at the Illusion Moon Pavilion when the murder occurred.

The outskirts were several miles from the Illusion Moon Pavilion. Traveling back and forth, plus subduing Gan Daqiang and beating him… would take at least an hour, and it would require someone with great strength and practiced skill.

Kang Xiaole did not fit this profile.

Next, they suspected Gan Youyou. Gan Daqiang constantly demanded money, used threats, and exerted years of oppression. Gan Youyou harbored deep-seated fear toward him, not to mention Gan Daqiang’s shameful wicked deeds.

If Gan Youyou could no longer endure the escalating exploitation, impulsive action was possible.

However, Gan Youyou was playing a new piece at the time, and outwardly, he didn’t seem to have the physical capability.

Feng Yuluo could only suspect that one of them hired someone to take revenge on Gan Daqiang, and the other was the original host possessed by Yuanbao, who tortured twenty-six people.

Gan Youyou was genuinely frail. After being sent back, he developed a high fever, took medicine, and fell asleep.

Feng Yuluo and Shan Wuzhou decided to secretly visit Kang Xiaole’s home first to look for evidence of hiring a killer.

His house was in a small alley, two rooms with a small courtyard. There weren’t many things, but it was a mess.

Feng Yuluo lit a candle. In the light, he saw that the four corners of the courtyard were piled high with junk. A broken jar was overturned against the wall, seemingly without fear of thieves climbing over it.

The kitchen looked like no one had cooked there for a long time, covered in dust. Only one pot was relatively clean, holding warm water.

On the dining table were a kettle, cups, two miscellaneous books, a bowl, wilted fruit, and moldy pastries.

The bedroom was also messy but cleaner. Clothes were bundled in the cabinet, but deep inside the cabinet, there were several small pieces of clothing neatly folded, with a sachet pressed on top.

Shan Wuzhou stared at the small clothes, his expression somber.

The quilt on the bed was turned back. Kang Xiaole, after a long day of work, must have been exhausted, dizzy, and numb, not wanting to tidy anything. He probably washed up, lay down, pulled the quilt over himself, and closed his eyes until morning.

Fortunately, there were no valuables, suggesting that Kang Xiaole might not be the one who hired a killer for revenge.

Feng Yuluo felt relieved. If he was only possessed by Yuanbao, this child still had a chance for redemption.

Shan Wuzhou was not so calm. He moved the pillow, and both of them saw a stack of silver notes hidden underneath.

Feng Yuluo’s face froze. With a complicated feeling, he flipped through a few notes. They were all fifty taels each, totaling at least three hundred taels.

Working as a handyman at the Illusion Moon Pavilion, he could earn at most five qian a month. Could he save three hundred taels?

These silver notes felt like a saw, cutting off their hope.

Feng Yuluo looked at Shan Wuzhou’s profile. Kang Xiaole, whom Shan Wuzhou had casually saved, had helped them meet Gan Youyou. He was at least a warm-hearted child who knew how to repay kindness.

His current plight was truly heartbreaking.

He was clearly around the same age as Shan Wuzhou.

Shan Wuzhou remained silent, scanning the entire room. He quickly walked to the window.

There was a desk there, half-covered by a red cloth, with many sheets of paper spread out. The handwriting was messy, filled with many runes and lines. Looking at them under the moonlight, they realized they were musical scores.

Lifting a corner of the red cloth, they unsurprisingly found an ancient zither.

Feng Yuluo was also confused. Why was Kang Xiaole learning to play the zither?

The zither looked quite valuable.

Shan Wuzhou was still looking at one of the scores, finding it somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Just as he was thinking, the sound of a lock turning echoed outside. It must be Kang Xiaole returning. Feng Yuluo quickly blew out the candle, and Shan Wuzhou cast a spell to make them invisible, moving outside.

Kang Xiaole was truly tired. He hummed a little tune to comfort himself, boiled water, and washed up.

Feng Yuluo and Shan Wuzhou watched silently.

The Kang Xiaole who returned home seemed like a different person. He would work for a while, then stop and stare blankly. He stopped humming the tune, lost in thought, immersed in some kind of fantasy. After a moment, he would snap out of it, hum the tune again, and continue washing his face.

Suddenly, he froze again, looked back behind him expressionlessly, and then looked toward the outside.

His gaze stopped exactly where the two of them were standing invisibly. His vacant eyes stared straight at them, yet seemed to look through them at something else, sending chills down their spines.

Shan Wuzhou held Feng Yuluo, telling him not to be afraid.

Feng Yuluo thought, I’m really not afraid, can you take your hand off me! You wretched boy.

Kang Xiaole stared blankly for a long time this time, without blinking. Just as the two were hesitantly about to move aside, he suddenly grinned.

It looked even more eerie.

He quickly tidied himself up, changed his clothes, and instead of going to sleep, he sat by the window, took out paper and a brush, and then rummaged through a box to take out an incense burner and lit an incense stick. A peaceful fragrance flowed out.

Kang Xiaole looked satisfied. He sat up straight and solemnly took out a letter.

It was clearly the one Shan Wuzhou had written to Gan Youyou.

Shan Wuzhou recognized it immediately. But how did it end up in Kang Xiaole’s hands? He grew more confused and told Feng Yuluo about it.

Feng Yuluo, who had intended to step forward to look, consciously averted his gaze after hearing this.

A very bad guess surfaced, but he didn’t dare dwell on it, observing Kang Xiaole with increased caution.

Both of them watched, somewhat stunned, as Kang Xiaole finished reading the letter, a smile appearing on his face. In the moonlight, one could even see a hint of yearning in his expression.

He began writing and drawing on the paper, dividing the sheet into three sections, writing down runes, and occasionally drawing lines. Then, he removed the red cloth and played the ancient zither. The sound was like trickling spring water, but disjointed, clearly indicating he was experimenting.

If satisfied after the attempt, he continued writing and drawing. If not, he crossed it out and started over.

He quickly wasted three sheets of paper, but they were carefully collected and placed nearby.

So, he was… composing music?

Why was Kang Xiaole composing the music that Gan Youyou was asked to write?

Feng Yuluo could no longer suppress that bad guess; it forcefully drilled into his mind.

Shan Wuzhou picked up the musical score in his hand. He had forgotten to put it back, or rather, he hadn’t thought to put it back because it felt familiar. Now, looking closely, he understood why it was familiar.

It was clearly the first piece of music he had heard Gan Youyou play that day at the Illusion Moon Pavilion.

Feng Yuluo took it and recognized it too.

The ancient zither, the musical score, and that stack of silver notes.

Feng Yuluo felt he needed a moment to recover.

The two looked at Kang Xiaole again.

Despite being tired all day, he was tireless now, immersed in composition, his thoughts flowing freely, oscillating between joy, sadness, and yearning. Occasionally, he fell silent and shed tears, only to become cheerful and excited again.

It wasn’t until the middle of the night that he finally fell into a deep sleep, a satisfied smile still on his face.

Shan Wuzhou really wanted to see what Kang Xiaole had written for himself, but he restrained the urge and placed the score back where he found it.