Volume 1: This Heart's Inclination Chapter 29: The Onslaught of Sprouts

  The carriage was iron-plated on the outside and still wooden inside. At this time, the painted board walls were all chopped up, and Tai Shi Lan pieced together those broken board walls, slowly pressing his palm against them.

  The painted board wall gradually restored, and it was indeed a painting, somewhat like a simple map. Ta Shi Lan carefully identified it for a while and found that the fine lines represented rivers, triangles represented mountains, circles represented cities, and there were two characters "Dong Chang" written in the circle with a symbol on the left of the triangle and a line on the right.

  It seems like something (or someone?) is in a place leaning against the mountain and facing the water inside Dongchang City?

  Tai Shi Lan remembered the map in her heart, then threw the wooden board into the water and turned back to bury the mad woman. When she was burying her, she found a waist card on the woman's collar, with a blue background and golden words, which read "Ri Chen Hall".

  Could it be that this woman had escaped from the palace? Taishi Lan gazed at the woman's extremely magnificent chest, she seemed to still be in lactation period, her clothes were stained with light yellow spots, as if they were milk stains.

  But a weak woman, how could she escape from the heavily guarded palace and bring out something important?

  Tai Shi Lan also found it unbelievable.

  A wooden board was nailed together into a simple coffin, and the yellow earth thudded down on that finally peaceful face. Day broke, life ended.

  If you have knowledge, help me.

  Silently treading on the ground, silently finishing this sentence in his heart, Tai Shi Lan turned around and chose a direction to move forward.

  Her figure gradually disappeared on the horizon, and soon a man rushed over, surprisingly it was the same man who had just killed someone.

  He rushed straight to the carriage fragments as soon as he came, bowed his head and searched, seemingly also wanting to figure out the secret of "the words".

  Unfortunately, he was a step too late. The fragment had already sunk to the bottom of the water. After searching for half a day, the man realized that the painted carriage panel was missing and couldn't help but frown.

  He seemed unwilling to give up and wanted to search around again, but as if he thought of something, he stomped his feet and quickly flew away.

  Not long after he left, another horse rushed over from the direction where Tai Shi Lan had escaped earlier.

  Today this flat ground is really lively, people are coming and going like a lantern, the last batch of knights who passed by were the most majestic.

  A black horse, exceptionally tall and majestic, with a rider on its back as straight as a pine tree, blending into one entity with the black horse beneath him. As they gallop across the plain, it's as if a dark cloud is sweeping across the ground, about to engulf the rising dawn light in the sky.

  When he was alone, his clothes were tightly tied, and from a distance, you could see the beautiful curve of his waistline and the delicate outline of his figure. His clothes were a light pearl color, a bright and shining hue that made him look radiant when he wore them.

  He was surrounded by guards in the middle of the knights, just about to roll over this flat land, when he suddenly raised his hand.

  With a "hush", the group of horses galloped and suddenly stopped, their speed so fast that they came to a halt as still as a mountain rock. The arm muscles of the one holding the reins tensed up, like countless forces about to explode in an instant.

  The man in light-colored clothes dismounted his horse and glanced at the ground, saying, "It's right here."

  The black horse guards immediately dismounted and began searching.

  The places that have been searched already, they naturally can't get any clues either. The man who has been looking down at the carriage fragments all along raises his head, and sunlight shines on his lower jaw, thin and bright like jade.

  It is exactly as you said.

  His gaze fell downward, where there were rolling marks. Rong Chu looked at it lightly for a while and said, "Under the mountain slope, in the reed thicket."

  The guard returned with the order and reported, "Master, there is a corpse buried at the foot of the mountain slope, it's Water Girl. There are signs of two people having fallen in the reed thicket, as well as digging marks. The grass thicket on the downhill side of the mountain slope has signs of being trampled twice. It seems that someone rolled down the mountain first, then another person came rolling down, and one of them died, leaving the other to bury her. The one who rolled down later was Water Girl, the first one... is uncertain."

  Although it's uncertain, if Tai Shi Lan is really here, I'm afraid she'll also let out a sigh - truly as seen with one's own eyes.

  "You're being too careless." Rong Chu criticized bluntly, "There's another mark there, on the tip of the grass, do you know what that is?"

  "Please instruct me, Master." The guard bowed his head in shame.

  "Somebody stood here." Rong Chu nodded at the ground beneath his feet, "Something was thrown down from above, and it brushed against the tips of the grass before falling into the water." His gaze turned to the nearby pond, "That thing had some weight but wasn't too heavy, so it snapped off some of the thinner blades of grass... Let's put together the four walls of the carriage."

  The cart was pieced together, and Rong Chu looked at it and said, "On the wall of the carriage, Shui Niang must have left some words or paintings, which are now thrown into the pond."

  "Isn't it that as long as we find the plank wall, we can find... his whereabouts?" The guard's eyes lit up.

  Rong Chu squatted down and picked up a scattered white stone, "Can the marks of stone painting still be there after falling into water?"

  He closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and walked over to Shui Niang's corpse.

  "If you know anything, I hope you'll tell me." he said.

  The corpse was silent, and the guards looked at him silently as he spoke to the corpse. No one laughed.

  With a flick of her wrist, the Water Goddess's chest clothing ripped open.

  No one closed their eyes, and Rong Chu's expression was indifferent.

  After a while, he stood up.

  "He had milk not long ago, and he also ate a yellow cake. There are crumbs on the Water Girl's chest and clothes." He said, "He must be nearby, and this cake is called Golden Cake, which can only be found in Dongchang City and surrounding towns."

  "So we..."

  "Judging from the Water Girl's escape time and route, she couldn't have passed through the town... He must be in Dongchang City."

  Dongchang City

  "Excuse me, old fellow, are there any scenic mountains and waters around here worth taking a look at?"

  "Oh dear, there are so many: Tiger Gazing Mountain, Emerald Spring, Jade Peak Mountain, Lotus Pond, Bright Mirror River..."

  "I mean, mountains and rivers depend on each other."

  "Hills and waters are mostly leaning against each other..."

  "There is a place to live between the mountains and water, but it's not big, not a village."

  "...lived...seemed to be between Cuifeng Mountain and Mingjing River, there was a temple..."

  "Thank you."

  Tai Shi Lan walked briskly on the road towards Cuifeng Mountain.

  Cuifeng Mountain is a small hill in the city, and the river is the water that runs through the entire Dongchang City. There is a mountain in the city, with a temple at the foot of the mountain, and inside the temple there is...

  There is something unknown in the temple.

  Tai Shi Lan wasn't someone who interfered in other people's business, but after getting involved once and gaining a reputation as a troublemaker, she thought that occasionally interfering wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

  It wasn't until she arrived at the end of the road that she understood why people said "it seems".

  This temple really has no sense of existence at all.

  Dusty and dirty, with two or three broken tiles, four or five poor monks.

  What treasure can this broken-down house hold?

  She walked about ten steps and circled the entire temple, thinking whether to knock on the door or sneak in. Actually, there was no difference between these two options, as the surrounding wall had been broken with holes everywhere.

  Cave...

  Cave...

  Her thoughts suddenly stopped at that "hole", staring at the hole, motionless.

  In the cave, suddenly a head slowly poked out.

  Round, fluffy, white and tender little ears stuck behind the head, tender pink, big and round eyes, almost all black pupils, with a hint of pure blue unique to infants in the dark, pouting lips, also soft and pink, so soft that it makes people want to pinch.

  Tai Shi suddenly thought of a certain famous cute little folded ear cat...

  The cat's head stretched out of the hole, looking left and right, as if scouting around to see if anyone was there. Tai Shi Lan was standing at a dead angle on one side of the wall, he couldn't be seen.

  Finding no one around, the folded ear cat seemed to have put its heart at ease, licking its mouth, and slowly crawling out of the hole with light hands and feet, walking outward.

  He had one hand mysteriously behind his back, but Taishi Lan saw clearly that the small hand was tightly grasping a radish.

  The child looks like he's only two or three years old, his clothes are a bit dirty, but they still reveal the luster of high-quality fabric, which is a rare yellow color.

  Taishi Lian thought for a moment and felt that the yellow color was common in modern times, so it's rare to see now, maybe after crossing over, she hasn't seen anyone wear this color.

  The child slowly walked towards the water's edge, his gait unsteady, just like a ball of fur rolling on the ground.

  At your age, why are you still so clumsy when walking? Are you sick?

  Tai Shi suddenly remembered her little chicken, when she was a kid, she also rolled around like this, and Jun Kuo, who was taken to the institute at the age of one, also rolled around like this child, and especially liked to hold her legs and drag them smoothly.

  As soon as she thought of this, her legs moved involuntarily and followed that child.

  The water's edge is not considered close to the temple, and adults can still walk there. But for a young child with short legs, it's very difficult and obstructed. The ball keeps falling down, and he constantly wipes his sweat with his hand. Tai Shi Lan wonders what kind of urgent matter could make this child so determined and persistent?

  The ball rolled to the water's edge, found a shallow spot, and squatted down. A thin bamboo pole had already been placed there, with a length of rope tied to it, but its purpose was unclear.

  The child looked around, took out the radish with a ghostly expression, tied it to the rope, lifted the bamboo pole with difficulty, and pushed the rope into the water...

  "Hook... fish on hook..." The rope went into the water, and he shouted in a milky voice.

  Tai Shi Lan's eyes suddenly opened wide.

  Huh?

  Fishing?

  Radish fishing?

  ……

  It's really weird that it happens every year, and especially a lot in Nanjing.

  Tai Shi Lan glanced at that "carrot fishing" weirdo and went to sleep.

  Sleep for a while and then get up to see if the fish has been hooked by the radish.

  ……

  Half an hour later, she woke up and saw a small figure opposite her. However, it had changed from its previous proud posture to now being shrunk into a small ball. From afar, it looked like a big head with soft ears stuck to its head, short body... It was indeed a hungry fish's folded ear cat.

  The folded ear cat got nothing, and while packing up the "fishing gear", muttered: "The book deceived people... Tomorrow change to green vegetables..."

  ……

  Kitty, is it garlic day after tomorrow?

  Even if you exchanged all the vegetables in this small temple and throughout the world, fish would still not end up on your plate...

  The cat turned around and saw Tai Shi Lan getting up from the grass, Tai Shi Lan hadn't thought of what expression to make with this doll, fierce or cold as ice? But the doll was stunned first.

  Mouth open as round as eyes, big and shiny black round eyes, under the sunlight, like seven-color crystal marbles.

  "Women......" The cat's ears folded back, its eyes gleaming with an otherworldly light. After a moment, it spoke in a dazed and stuttering tone.

  Tai Shi Lan coldly stared at him - huh? Is this little thing a born-to-be criminal with premature tendencies? She didn't mind teasing him.

  "Some of them ate......" Folded ear cat started drooling, pink little tongue slipped on the edge of its lips.

  Huh? What's for food?

  "Eat......" The folded ear cat suddenly came over with an astonishing speed that its short and stout body absolutely couldn't reach.

  Tai Shi Lan was taken aback for a moment, still thinking whether to hold on or kick away.

  With a thud, the little thing had already fallen into her arms. The small creature lifted its head, opened its mouth, and bit down on her breast.

  "Suck it!"