Of course, no matter how terrifying Lin Yu's true nature was, on the surface, he was still just a person.
To the three Group Members in the chat group, he was merely an older brother figure possessing a long life and profound knowledge...
The next day at dawn, in the Tang Dynasty Strange Tales World.
The morning drum had just ceased, and the bluestone-paved Vermilion Bird Avenue was steaming with the autumn dew from the night before.
As early as the fifth watch, the Imperial Road had already been swept clean, glistening with reflected water everywhere. If one looked closely, they could even find a few flakes of Persian gold leaf dropped by foreign merchants lodged in the crevices of the bluestone.
Locust leaves spiraled down onto the Mingguang armor of the patrolling Jinwu Guards.
As they walked, the armor plates clanged, the sound startling a flock of gray pigeons perched on the wall of Daozheng Ward.
In the new guest quarters on Vermilion Bird Avenue, a young scholar in a green robe stood by the window, admiring the morning scenery outside.
To be honest, setting aside the surging undercurrents in the Imperial Court, this era was indeed one of the rare prosperous ages in China's history.
Being able to step into poetry and personally experience the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty was a fortunate thing for Su Haoming, who had memorized the Three Hundred Tang Poems since childhood.
"Speaking of which, Li Bai should be about ten years old this year, right?"
Just as Su Haoming was thinking this, a set of footsteps suddenly sounded outside the guest room door.
Su Haoming's expression sharpened, and he quickly moved away from the window, returning to the table and pretending to be engrossed in the book before him.
"Knock, knock—"
"Please come in."
The door opened, and the shop assistant entered carrying white porridge and pickles, saying with a smile, "Scholar Su, reading so early, you must surely pass the provincial examination next year!"
"...I accept your auspicious words!"
Su Haoming replied with a smile, then looked at him questioningly, "Liu Er, why are you here today? Where is Uncle Qian?"
Liu Er placed the tray on the table while smiling back, "You mean the old servant staying next door to you? He went to the Public Office with the County Lieutenant last night and hasn't returned yet."
"Went to the Public Office?"
Su Haoming was slightly startled, then frowned.
On this trip to Chang'an, he was accompanied by two people: his cousin Su Wuming, and Su Qian, who raised the two brothers and was nominally an old servant but actually acted as a foster father.
Before coming to Chang'an, Su Wuming didn't mind sharing lodging with his cousin.
But after arriving in Chang'an, Su Wuming suddenly changed his attitude, preferring to spend extra money to have his cousin stay at the inn and leaving Uncle Qian with his cousin to look after his daily needs.
Su Haoming hadn't known the reason before, only thinking his cousin's attitude was overly strange.
It wasn't until Lin Yu joined the group yesterday that he learned the previous Chang'an County Lieutenant, Wu Daqi, had died in his own residence.
After Su Wuming moved into this residence, he found many suspicious clues, and out of concern for his cousin's personal safety, he hadn't dared let his cousin move in until now.
"He must need Uncle Qian's help, probably because the case has progressed and they are performing another autopsy."
Su Haoming mused internally.
Just then, Liu Er suddenly slapped his head and lowered his voice, "Oh right, speaking of the County Lieutenant, a few constables from Chang'an County came to the inn just now. While I was serving nearby, I vaguely overheard some news—it seems to be related to the County Lieutenant and the Ghost Market..."
"The Ghost Market?"
Su Haoming paused for a moment, then slightly furrowed his brow.
Chang'an City was designed by Yuwen Kai of the former Sui Dynasty, combining the city's six high slopes with the imagery of the six lines of the Qian trigram.
The second line position was where the Emperor resided in the Palace City, the third line position was the Imperial City where Ministers worked on duty, and the most revered fifth line position was marked by the establishment of the Xuandu Temple and Xing Shan Temple to anchor it.
But no one expected that during the late Sui period, the depression near the Xuandu Temple sank deeper and deeper, eventually evolving into a complex underground world during a violent tremor.
This place was deep underground, riddled with Hidden Passages, making it an extremely suitable place for hiding.
Furthermore, since the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the Night Curfew had been strictly enforced. To evade the curfew, some homeless unregistered residents and merchants who conducted business at night gradually began to gather here.
Gradually, this place developed into a bustling night market, commonly known as the Ghost Market.
Because the Ghost Market was suitable for hiding, many criminals wanted by the court and murderers also concealed themselves there.
If it were in another location, the court could easily mobilize a large army to wipe out these criminals, but the Ghost Market was located in the depression near the Xuandu Temple after all, giving it extraordinary geographical significance.
Anyone who dared to mobilize a large army to charge and fight in this location would certainly not be agreed to by That One sitting on the Dragon Throne.
Therefore, the Ghost Market gradually became a lawless zone within Chang'an City, one that even the Chang'an County Yamen and the Jinwu Guards avoided.
Such a place where no one took responsibility naturally bred many conspiracies and schemes.
If Su Haoming remembered correctly, that Big Shot Lin Yu had clearly stated that the Ringleader behind this Chang'an Red Tea Case was inextricably linked to the Ghost Market...
"Has Cousin already investigated the Ghost Market?"
After a moment of thought, Su Haoming took out a few Kaiyuan Tongbao coins from his robe and gave them to Liu Er as a tip.
Liu Er was overjoyed, thanked him repeatedly, and then happily left the guest room.
Once the door was closed, Su Haoming immediately opened the chat group in his mind:
【Su Haoming: @Lin Yu, are you there, Big Shot? 】
【Lin Yu: What is it? 】
Su Haoming told Lin Yu everything he knew, then eagerly asked, "Big Shot, quickly think, how far has the plot progressed?"
【Lin Yu: Based on the intelligence you provided, it should be the time when Su Wuming first visits the Ghost Market. 】
【Su Haoming: I'm eager to hear more! 】
【Lin Yu: Didn't I mention it before? The Chang'an Red Tea Case is just the collective name for the final resolution. What your cousin took over initially were the Bride Disappearance Case and the case of the former Chang'an County Lieutenant Wu Daqi's bizarre drowning. 】
【Lin Yu: There's not much to say about Wu Daqi's case; he just drank Chang'an Red Tea. This thing is called Immortal Tea, but it actually contains strong Hallucinatory and addictive properties. Wu Daqi drank it, experienced an Illusion, and thus drowned to death. 】
【Lin Yu: As for the Bride Disappearance Case, that involves the true inside story of the Chang'an Red Tea. 】
【Lin Yu: Your cousin must have discovered Yin Shilang of the Ghost Market while investigating this case, but since the previous County Lieutenant died right after returning from the Ghost Market, the constables in the Yamen are all somewhat afraid and are making excuses, unwilling to go with him to investigate the Ghost Market—what the inn assistant overheard might be about this matter. 】
【Su Haoming: So he took Uncle Qian and went to the Ghost Market together? 】
【Lin Yu: According to the Original Work, Su Wuming originally intended to go alone, but your Uncle Qian refused and insisted on accompanying him. 】
【Su Haoming: I think so too... 】
【Su Haoming: Even the Chang'an County constables are fearful, so isn't the Ghost Market quite dangerous? 】
【Lin Yu: For your cousin, it will be eventful but safe, but I seem to recall that one Jinwu Guard who went to the Ghost Market with them died. 】
Seeing this sentence, Su Haoming's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "How is there a Jinwu Guard involved?"
【Lin Yu: The one investigating the Chang'an Red Tea Case isn't just your cousin; it's also the other male protagonist of Tang Dynasty Strange Tales, Lu Lingfeng, who comes from the Fan Yang Lu Clan and is currently a Zhonglang General among the Jinwu Guards. 】
【Lin Yu: When your cousin first scouted the Ghost Market, Lu Lingfeng also disguised himself and snuck into the Ghost Market with three Jinwu Guards. 】
【Su Haoming: I see! 】
【Su Haoming: Big Shot, I have another concern. The plot of the Original Work didn't include me. In a world where I exist, could my presence cause some kind of Butterfly Effect—for example, the person who dies changing from a Jinwu Guard to my cousin? 】
【Lin Yu: That... shouldn't happen, right? 】