The three of them stood in front of the door and waited for a while. Soon, someone walked into the courtyard from the door.
"Is Medicine Master Qingyang here?" A thin, white-haired old man stumbled into the courtyard. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked dispirited and listless. He rushed to the door and pounded on it.
"Elder Yu!?" Dong Qi was shocked when she saw him. "How did you become like this?"
The old man seemed to have only just noticed Dong Qi. He turned his head to look at Lu Sheng and Zhuo Qingyang.
"So it's Niece Dong. Long time no see … This old man has something to discuss with Medicine Master. Have you seen Medicine Master Qingyang? "
"N-no, we've just arrived …" Dong Qi replied softly.
The old man immediately sighed in disappointment. Without asking about the identity of Lu Sheng and Zhuo Qingyang, he turned and slowly walked away.
Not long after, a few more people came to look for Medicine Master. When they discovered that he was not around, they all felt exceptionally disappointed. These people were all high-ranking members of the Tea Sect, but they all had one thing in common. They had dark circles under their eyes and looked like they had not been resting well.
Lu Sheng noticed that most of them looked panicked and uneasy. They seemed to be in a daze. He had no idea what they had encountered.
The three of them waited in the courtyard for about an hour. Finally, a white-haired old man with a hunched back slowly walked into the courtyard.
"Niece Dong … you've come …" The old man's face was wooden and had a tinge of green to it. "Do you also want to see my treasured mirror? That's fine. Uncle will take you in. " He should have spoken in a friendly tone, but he spoke in a wooden and even somewhat lifeless tone, making it seem strange and awkward.
Dong Qi squeezed out a smile and whispered to the old man, "It's like this, Uncle Qingyang. I have two friends who want to see the mirror as well. Is that possible?"
"Of course, why not?" Zhuo Qingyang smiled insincerely as he looked at Lu Sheng and Zhuo Qingyang.
"Come, I'll let you take a good look." He took out a key and unlocked the large lock hanging in front of the door. He pushed the door open and entered.
Dong Qi shrank back and glanced at Lu Sheng.
Lu Sheng nodded at her, and she slowly walked in.
The three of them entered the room. It was a very ordinary bedroom. The only difference from the other rooms was that there was a glass mirror that was as tall as a person.
The mirror was facing the door. As soon as he opened the door, he saw his reflection in the mirror.
Lu Sheng did not find it strange, but this was the first time Xu Chui had seen a Liuli Glass Mirror. Curious, he looked at himself in the mirror and found it quite novel.
"Feel free to look around … This old man is tired, I'm going to rest first …" Zhuo Qingyang sighed and walked to the bed. Once he collapsed, he ignored everything else and fell into a deep sleep.
Lu Sheng wanted to ask him about something, but when he saw this person, he felt that something was wrong. This person's expression was similar to that of the others. He was also absent-minded and spoke weakly. Compared to Dong Qi, his spirit was far inferior. But since he was the one who brought the mirror with him, and they spent day and night together, it was impossible for him to be as ordinary as the others.
He was starting to believe Dong Qi's words. This Apothecary Zhuo Qingyang was indeed a little strange.
"Let's take a look at the mirror first." Lu Sheng walked straight to the glass mirror that was as tall as a person.
The glass mirror was square on the outside and round on the inside. The outside was a square frame, and the inside was a tall, oval mirror. The frame was made of copper, and there were many intricate and complicated patterns carved on it.
Lu Sheng walked up to the mirror and ran his hand along the pattern.
The square frame was carved with the patterns of three animals: phoenix, fox, and dog.
The three animals' bodies were elongated, and they looked strangely simple and unadorned. Moreover, it looked like they were flying around the entire surface of the mirror.
Xu Chui looked at Zhuo Qingyang, who was fast asleep on the bed.
"He's not worried at all that we'll break his mirror. This is a Liuli Glass Mirror, a valuable and rare item."
"Maybe he knows that we won't be able to break the mirror," Lu Sheng said calmly. He flipped the mirror over, and with his immense strength, he ignored the base of the bronze mirror, which weighed more than a hundred kilograms, and flipped it over.
There were also many animal patterns on the copper frame behind the mirror. Apart from that, the back of the mirror seemed a little rough, as if someone had used a knife to scribble on it.
"There seems to be … words on the back."
Xu Chui moved closer to take a closer look.
"I've seen these words before. I think it's the language of the Tang Dynasty, the official language used in the previous dynasty. It was used for a period of time, but because it wasn't practical, there were many problems, and it was slowly abandoned."
"Tang Dynasty? Do you know what it means? "Lu Sheng had some impression of it, as if he had seen some records in a book he had read before.
"I don't know … I only heard it from an old man when my father was still alive. The first sentence of the family motto was written in the language of the Tang Dynasty, so I'm quite familiar with this language, but I don't know it." Xu Chui shook his head. Clearly, his family was quite knowledgeable.
Lu Sheng carefully touched the words on the back of the glass mirror. There were only three words in total, but there were many strokes. Each word needed at least fifteen strokes before it could be completed.
"Then, who could possibly know it?" As Lu Sheng spoke, his gaze subconsciously shifted to Zhuo Qingyang, who was lying on the bed.
"I … I'll go wake him up …" Dong Qi took a deep breath. She knew that she had to go up herself. Although she was afraid, there were two people behind her, and it was broad daylight, so she wasn't that scared.
Lu Sheng and Xu Chui nodded at her, indicating that she could go up and wake him up.
Dong Qi hesitated for a moment, and was about to go up.
Suddenly, she saw Zhuo Qingyang straighten up from the bed. His eyes were wide open, and he stared at the three of them blankly.
"What's the matter?"
Dong Qi hurriedly walked up and introduced Lu Sheng and Xu Chui. Seeing that Zhuo Qingyang was still expressionless, she told him about the words on the back of the mirror.
"That … I don't know what it means either. It's just that when I got the mirror, it was already carved on it. At first, I thought it was just a pattern, but later on, I realized that it was actually someone else who carved it with a small knife."
"You really don't know?" Lu Sheng walked over and stood by the bed, looking down at Zhuo Qingyang from above.
He had an arrogant look on his face, and the muscles on his body bulged out. He looked like he could crush Zhuo Qingyang to death with one hand.
"I really don't know … but if you want to know what it means, you can look for a dictionary. The Sect Master was fortunate enough to collect a Song Zheng dictionary compiled by the royal family. It's extremely valuable, and it's in the study."
"Then I'll take this mirror with me first. After I've investigated it, I'll return it to you. Is that alright with you?" Lu Sheng stared at Zhuo Qingyang and said slowly.
Zhuo Qingyang smiled when he heard that.
"Of course, as you wish, High Ambassador." He seemed to not care about the mirror that he treasured as much as his life.
This person was really strange. He knew that Lu Sheng was the High Ambassador of a big sect, but he still dared to sit on the bed and talk, completely disregarding etiquette and whatnot. However, the tone of his voice was clearly respectful.
Lu Sheng sized up Zhuo Qingyang carefully. No matter how he looked at him, he could not sense anything unusual about him. Whether it was his breathing, heartbeat, or the flow of his Qi and blood, he was at most an ordinary old man who had practiced martial arts but was in a weak state.
"Alright. Xu Chui, take the mirror away and go to the study here, "Lu Sheng ordered.
"Yes, Sir."
Xu Chui and Dong Qi exchanged a few words, and soon called the two guards who were guarding outside. Together, the three of them carried the Liuli Glaze Mirror out of the room and headed in the direction of the study.
Lu Sheng noticed that from the beginning to the end, Zhuo Qingyang was sitting on the bed, looking calmly at the mirror that they were carrying. There was no expression on his face.
After Xu Chui and the other two left, Dong Qi also pointed in the direction of the study. Only Lu Sheng and Zhuo Qingyang were left in the room.
"Medicine Master Qingyang, you should know the purpose of my visit, right?" Lu Sheng said in a deep voice. "It is to investigate the mysterious disappearance of so many people, as well as the cause of Sect Master Dong Shengping's accidental death. Do you have any clues regarding this matter? "
Zhuo Qingyang's eyes were wide open. Without even blinking, he turned his neck stiffly to face Lu Sheng.
"What clues do you wish to know, High Ambassador? I did not kill Sect Master Dong Shengping, and the missing people have nothing to do with this old man. It's useless for you to ask me."
"I'm asking you because you are the most suspicious." Lu Sheng replied. "If you can't clear your name, then I can only arrest you and bring you to justice. To us, of course, we will settle this in the fastest way." There was a hint of threat in his expression as he stared at Zhuo Qingyang.
"I don't know anything …" Zhuo Qingyang said woodenly. "Arrest me if you want. You can do whatever you want with me."
Lu Sheng was stunned. He had not expected such an answer.
He stared at Zhuo Qingyang for a while, then snorted coldly and turned to leave.
After the glass mirror was moved to the study, Lu Sheng had Xu Chui and Dong Qi look for a Song Zheng dictionary to find out what the words on the back of the mirror meant.
They soon found out what they meant.
"My Lord, I've found out. The three words are 'count to' and 'ten'."
Xu Chui brought Dong Qi, whose face was frighteningly pale, back to Lu Sheng, who was resting and drinking tea in the Great Hall.
"Count to ten?"
Lu Sheng was stunned. What did that mean? It had come out of nowhere and he could not figure out what it meant.
"High Ambassador … you may not know this, but I often have a dream these days. It's about a little girl playing hide-and-seek and being abandoned by her companions in a field of hay. The little girl in the dream, Lingling, is playing a game called 'count to ten' … "Dong Qi's face was pale.
"Oh?" Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes at Dong Qi. "Tell me the details."
Dong Qi bit her lip, her heart beating rapidly.
"The dream was like this …" She recounted the dream in detail.
"Then where did the little girl, Lingling, go? What was the outcome? "Xu Chui could not help asking.
"I don't know … Perhaps, it's a disaster …" Dong Qi gasped for air. Even though she was recalling the contents of the dream, she still found it difficult to breathe.
"Let's go back and take a look at the mirror." Lu Sheng stood up and finished his tea in one gulp.
The three of them walked in the direction of the study.
Dong Qi had arranged for two men to stand guard at the door of the study to prevent anyone from approaching. When they saw them, the two men hurriedly bowed and approached them.
"High Ambassador, Young Mistress, you're here. The thing is inside. No one has entered it."
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