Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 296 - 74: Murder Case

The night in Great Tang was exceptionally bright, a silver full moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow that draped the earth in radiance, while a gentle breeze rustled through the dense foliage, creating a rustling sound.

The summer in Changan City was somewhat hot, so many people were outside enjoying the cool, admiring the moon, and watching the stars of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

The people of Changan had enjoyed many years of peace. Wars and bloodshed were now distant memories for the younger population, and the increasing strength of the nation had made the people of Changan take pride in being citizens of the Great Tang, especially recently when numerous countries had sent envoys, offering treasures as a sign of subjugation, which heightened the pride of Changan’s residents to its peak.

Thus, all the people of Changan leisurely enjoyed the cool night, chatting idly.

However, Yuan Tiangang from the Imperial Observatory was far from comfortable, and even the sight of the moon in the sky did not lighten his mood.

He had followed the advice of his uncle to shut himself away and focus on his spiritual practice, but an imperial decree had unexpectedly awakened him from his meditation, sending him hurriedly into the Imperial Palace. He had a premonition that another thorny issue awaited.

Indeed, as soon as he arrived at the palace, he was informed that a minor eunuch had died under mysterious circumstances.

Normally, this would not be unusual; in such a vast Imperial Palace, there were always some who met unexplained deaths, which everyone had grown accustomed to.

But this time, the manner of the eunuch’s death was so terrifying that it had incensed the Emperor. No matter how they investigated, they could not find the culprit. It was Wei Zheng, highly perceptive, who upon seeing the scene declared it the work of a curse, not that of a mortal.

Since it appeared to be the work of someone versed in spiritual practices, it naturally fell to those proficient in such matters to handle it, thus the task of finding the true culprit fell onto Yuan Tiangang who recently had kept to himself.

Yuan Tiangang rushed to the scene and finally understood why this incident had enraged the Emperor so much. He found the eunuch’s body lying flat on the cold ground, eyes wide open and mouth agape, with numerous black-red bugs slowly crawling out of it. Bugs could be seen moving beneath the skin all over the body; it was clear that the body inside was thoroughly consumed by the bugs.

He bent down slowly, examining the body carefully, and sensed a faint whiff of curse energy. He stood up, turned to the attending eunuch, and said, "Indeed, this is the work of a curse, likely done by someone of spiritual practice. Go and report back to the Emperor; the Imperial Observatory will handle this matter appropriately. If indeed someone intends to harm the nobles within the Imperial Palace, the Taoist Sect will certainly not stand idly by."

The eunuch was an old eunuch, looking kindly and benevolent, but those who knew him understood he was a true hardliner, known as a ’smiling tiger.’

With a smile plastered across his face, he said, "With such words from Master Yuan, I can now report back to the Emperor."

As soon as the eunuch left, Yuan Tiangang immediately complained to Wei Zheng, who was still nearby, "You know well that I have recently been in seclusion for spiritual practice, and yet you still bother me."

Wei Zheng, with a stern face, retorted, "As a member of the Imperial Observatory, matters involving spiritual practice naturally fall within your responsibilities. How can you say that I am bothering you? Moreover, I’ve heard that you are not in seclusion for spiritual practice but because you’ve offended someone you shouldn’t have and are now hiding from disaster."

"You old man, dark in face and heart alike."

"Old Taoist, it goes both ways. You had better focus on the investigation. I am getting too old for this and can’t afford to stay up at night; I’ll be heading back to rest."

With Yuan Tiangang frowning, Wei Zheng leisurely left the scene, leaving the expressively frustrated Yuan Tiangang alone with the horrifyingly mutilated corpse in the cold grand hall.

"Hurry up and check if this eunuch had offended anyone recently," Yuan Tiangang commanded the surrounding guards.

"Daoist Master Yuan, we’ve already checked. This eunuch hasn’t recently offended anyone. He wasn’t popular among the other eunuchs, so he had few contacts and lived in isolation, making it impossible to find any useful clues," the eunuch responded eagerly, seeing an opportunity to familiarize himself with an ’immortal’ who might offer wisdom in difficult times.

"Since it’s a curse technique, there must be a medium used in casting the curse. A master capable of cursing based on fate and karma would not stoop to targeting such a trivial figure. As long as we find the medium used for the curse, we can certainly find the culprit," Yuan Tiangang muttered, furrowing his brows.

Thinking this, he turned to instruct the guards, "Check thoroughly if he had done anything unusual recently, especially if he had acquired any unfamiliar items."

The guard ran out energetically, relishing the chance to serve an ’immortal,’ a favor many couldn’t even beg for.

It wasn’t long before news came. The guard returned, reporting, "Daoist Master Yuan, we’ve found something. Indeed, this eunuch’s behavior has been unlike his usual self recently, frequently gambling with other junior eunuchs and spending generously, as if he had come into a significant amount of money."

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"I heard this man wasn’t assigned to any water-related duties. Where did he get so much money?"

"We’ve checked that too. Recently, due to the influx of foreign envoys and a shortage of personnel, some eunuchs from idle positions were temporarily reassigned to assist. If he had any unexplained wealth, it must have come from there."

Yuan Tiangang immediately laughed, "That settles it. Although legitimate practices from beyond Kyushu are absent, various unorthodox arts still prevail, including experts in the art of cursing. Check which country’s envoy he was receiving, and I will personally pay them a visit."

Meanwhile, in a small courtyard of Honglu Temple where foreign envoys were hosted, a young man paced back and forth anxiously, while a blind man sat calmly on a stone bench in the courtyard, leisurely sipping tea.

"Aren’t you worried? The time for us to return home is drawing near, and we still haven’t found someone who can lift the curse. If the divine spirits learn of our intentions, you and I will have no place to be buried when we die."

"Why rush? Everything is prepared, and only luck is missing. We have done all we can; the rest is up to fate. If indeed we cannot escape, it is destined, and our punishment deserved. I like a phrase from Great Tang, ’Do your utmost, and leave the rest to fate.’ Now that I have done my utmost, it is time to let fate decide." The blind man took a sip of tea, continuing in an unhurried tone.

"Are you sure that cursing the eunuch will indeed draw Yuan Tiangang of the Imperial Observatory to us?"

"Of course. I did my research before we took action. The Imperial Observatory of Great Tang handles all matters of spiritual practice, and I made no effort to hide the curse’s energy, If he truly is a man of Tao, he will recognize it. By following the trail, we will naturally come into his sight."