"Song Hao, whose letter is this? Why all the secrecy? You just left it at the entrance of Tianyi Hall." Wu Qiguang asked casually while eating.
"Ah! It's just a friend joking with me," Song Hao quickly said.
"By the way, Teacher Wu, have you seen Tang Yu?" Song Hao asked again.
“She just ate lunch and said she has some work to do back in the office,” Wu Qiguang replied.
Upon hearing this, Song Hao quickly greeted Wu Qiguang, Wuchen, and Wuyue before getting up and leaving.
Song Hao arrived at Tang Yu's office and barged in without knocking.
Tang Yu, who was working at her desk, was surprised to see Song Hao rush in and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Tang Yu, Ji Dongyang has arrived here. He's in critical condition, and we have to go rescue him now," Song Hao said.
"Ji Dongyang!" Tang Yu exclaimed in surprise, standing up and asking, "How did you know?"
Song Hao handed over the letter and said, "He wrote a letter asking for help and threw it at the entrance of Tianyi Hall, where it was discovered by the security guards."
Tang Yu took the book and read it, then exclaimed in surprise, "Yuehe Copper Mine is an old friend! How did you know it was Ji Dongyang?"
Song Hao said, "I met him in this place called Yuehe Copper Mine back then. Although there was another person there, that person didn't know you. The only person who would say in the letter that he only trusts the two of us is Ji Dongyang. He used Yuehe Copper Mine to enlighten me, but didn't dare to tell me his real name, which means that he is in an extremely dangerous situation now, afraid that this letter might fall into someone else's hands and expose his whereabouts."
"This means that the people chasing him have also arrived here, and he only asked us for help when he saw that the situation was dangerous," Tang Yu said.
“That should be it. Back in Qinghai, Ji Dongyang asked me for the address of Tianyitang. Let’s go find him now and temporarily place him in a safe place to avoid those people’s pursuit,” Song Hao said.
"Wait a minute." Tang Yu quickly stopped Song Hao, saying, "You're too conspicuous. You can't go. I'll go alone. Otherwise, it will expose Ji Dongyang's whereabouts."
Song Hao nodded and said, "Alright, after we find him, let's send him to the Hundred Herbs Garden in Wansongling. It's remote and relatively safe there, and outsiders aren't allowed to enter."
Chapter Six: The Mystery of the Murderer
"Alright. It seems that Ji Dongyang has run out of options because of that incurable remedy, which is why he came here to find us. I didn't expect that he would also bring his pursuers here. Song Hao, this matter is of great importance. Only you and I should know about this. Don't tell anyone else, otherwise it will not only put Ji Dongyang in danger, but also bring great trouble to Tianyi Hall." Tang Yu instructed.
“I know,” Song Hao nodded. “Since Ji Dongyang trusts us, let’s do our best to protect his safety.”
Tang Yu said, "Let's find him and settle him down first." After saying that, she hurried off.
It was already dark, but the Tianyitang building was brightly lit. Song Hao stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and saw Tang Yu drive out the gate. Instead of heading directly towards the Baishuihe Bridge, she turned towards Baihe Town.
"That girl's smart! It'll be safer to go around her a few times before crossing." Song Hao nodded. Worried about Tang Yu's safety, he then called the sergeant.
"Xiao Wu, it's me. Tang Yu is going to the Baishuihe Bridge to take care of something important. Go there and keep watch, secretly protecting her safety. Remember, don't let anyone discover your whereabouts. After Tang Yu leaves, keep an eye out for any tails following her car. If there are, you can mobilize the Tianyitang security department to find a pretext to lure them away, covering Tang Yu's car's safe departure. Also, you must strictly keep track of the direction Tang Yu's car is heading," Song Hao instructed. Right now, only the squad leader was someone he could trust and who could help.
Half an hour later, Tang Yu called.
“Song Hao, I’ve picked up Ji Dongyang. He’s in my car now. Things are much, much more serious than we both imagine. I’ll explain in detail when I get back. I just saw a car from Tianyitang’s security department collide with another car behind it. That must have been your arrangement, very good and timely. Also, I’m going to Wansongling now to settle Ji Dongyang in a secluded place. We can’t alert the people at Baicaoyuan for now, because there are people from Shangqing Temple there. Then I’ll detour through the county town and come back, to create confusion.” Tang Yu finished speaking in a serious tone and then hung up the phone. Clearly, she had encountered a difficult situation and couldn’t rush back to Tianyitang immediately.
"What does this have to do with Shangqing Temple?" Song Hao asked in astonishment.
“Gu Xiaofeng is sending Li He over tomorrow. How come everything is happening at the same time!” Song Hao shook his head.
The unexpected appearance of Ji Dongyang seemed to have disrupted everything.
Twenty minutes later, the corporal returned.
"Brother Song, sure enough, someone was following Sister Tang's car. I had the security department stage a traffic accident to stop them. Don't worry, the security department doesn't know what kind of mission they're on. That car is from out of town, and the traffic department has already impounded it along with the driver. Causing an accident on Tianyitang's turf won't end well for them. I've already notified Captain Wang of the traffic police team to detain the driver and find out who they are. All the local departments are looking at Tianyitang differently," the sergeant said excitedly.
"This matter was handled efficiently!" Song Hao nodded in praise.
"Also, Xiao Wu," Song Hao added, "Something unusual might happen these days. Order the security department to keep a close eye on anyone acting suspiciously in and out of Tianyi Hall, and be prepared for any emergencies. Especially tonight's events—don't tell anyone about them."
The sergeant felt a sense of tension facing Song Hao, who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy. He didn't ask any further questions and simply went to do as instructed.
"What happened? Tang Yu's words implied that she was wary of Shangqing Temple. Only Senior Brother Wufeizi is at Baicao Garden, why be wary of him?" Song Hao asked, puzzled.
An hour and a half later, Tang Yu returned looking exhausted.
Song Hao quickly poured a glass of water for Tang Yu and said, "Don't rush, let's rest for a while first."
Tang Yu took a sip of water, looked at Song Hao, sighed, and then said, "Song Hao, things have become more complicated and serious. I saw Ji Dongyang under the Baishui River Bridge. After he got into the car, I casually asked him why he suddenly ran away in front of the Great Mosque in Xining. This was a question that had been on my mind. Guess what he said to me?"
"Could it be related to the people of Shangqing Temple?" Song Hao asked in surprise.
“That’s right, Ji Dongyang was scared away by your three senior brothers. He said…” Tang Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, “He said that your three Taoist senior brothers were the murderers of his grandfather Ji Xuan!”
"What!?" Upon hearing this, Song Hao was shocked, as if struck by lightning, and jumped up from his seat in surprise.
"Did Ji Dongyang really say that?" Song Hao asked in surprise.
"Yes, so when he saw that the person we took him to see was actually the murderer who killed his grandfather, he immediately ran away in fright. Shangqing Temple actually killed people just to get the miraculous cure," Tang Yu said with a shake of his head and a sigh.
"No, Master wouldn't do that!" Stunned, Song Hao grabbed the table and slowly sat down.
“Song Hao, don’t be too anxious. This is really unexpected. Ji Dongyang also said that there are several groups of people chasing him, all of unknown origin. He was desperate, so he thought of coming to us because we are the only two people in the world he can trust. I’ve settled him in a wooden house on Wansong Ridge. It was built as a temporary shelter for the workers of Baicao Garden, but it’s now abandoned. It’s just a temporary place for him. Tomorrow I’ll find him a safe place, but we can’t let the people of Baicao Garden find out, because your senior brother Wufeizi is there. He absolutely cannot come to Tianyi Hall,” Tang Yu said.
“Master… how could Master let Senior Brother Wuguo and the others do such a thing! It’s not worth it!” Song Hao said painfully.
"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Your master appears aloof and otherworldly, yet he has desires just like everyone else. The Heavenly Saint Acupuncture Bronze Man failed to move him, but a vague and ethereal remedy without medicine moved him. It's truly unbelievable," Tang Yu said, shaking his head with a sigh.
Recalling his master Xiao Boran's repeated discussions about the miraculous remedy without medicine, which had always seemed to fascinate him, Song Hao realized that this unexpected action must be a sign of his determination to obtain it. Otherwise, why would he have provoked Wu Guo and his group to kill him so ruthlessly? The towering and majestic image of his master Xiao Boran began to fade in Song Hao's mind.
“Ji Dongyang is a cunning and unpredictable person. Could it be that after he learned about my relationship with Shangqing Temple, he used this as a scheme to sow discord in order to protect himself or for some other reason? His intention is to separate me from Shangqing Temple and prevent us from sending him there, thus making us protect his safety?” Song Hao pondered for a long time before slowly saying.
"I don't think that's possible. Before going to the Great Mosque, he had promised to take refuge at Shangqing Temple. He only ran away after seeing Wuguo and the others. Judging from the situation at the time, Wuguo and the others did indeed frighten Ji Dongyang. In other words, it was Wuguo and the others who killed Ji Xuan. Recall that Wuguo's sudden change in attitude towards you after discovering that Ji Dongyang was missing. Although you didn't notice it, I had already harbored some suspicions. Shangqing Temple was also very interested in the Wuyao Divine Formula, and now my premonition has been confirmed. That old Taoist Xiao also shamelessly sent his disciples and people from the martial arts world to snatch it. Please don't blame me for being impolite to your master. No matter how many good things he did for you, it couldn't outweigh his murderous act of robbing." Tang Yu said.
"No! I still don't believe Master would do such a thing!" Song Hao said resolutely, "I'll contact Shangqing Temple right now to verify the truth of this matter."