Chapter 23: Depicting the Map

Chu Baige was not foolish. When Shen Fu spoke, he immediately grasped the implication.
“What you mean is that those who have the right to invite are actually tied together by Shun Xin Ruyi in disguise, since they have all been downstairs in Shun Xin. They have committed murder. Shun Xin Lou is equivalent to accomplices; unless they value their own lives, they would not easily confess to Shun Xin Lou.”

Shen Fu looked at him with relief. “What have you been eating recently? Has the pigeon’s brain grown?”

Chu Baige retorted, “With a mouth as poisonous as yours, how have you not been beaten to death?”

Too lazy to engage further, he simply asked, “What about the girl with the red sleeves you bought back for a hefty price? Why haven’t I seen her?”

“The person who wields the Xiuchundao is by her side,” Shen Fu replied. “I cannot reveal my identity. It is best to let the one with the Xiuchundao take care of her. If there are any issues with the girl’s body or mind, I need to examine her to find out. I have sent someone to summon the genius doctor Song Jiuzhen; he should be knowledgeable in this regard.”

“The Great Ocean Society…”

“The Canghai Club is no more,” Shen Fu said. “Three months ago, Canghai was attacked by a group of masked men in black. Including the leader, Fan Canghai, hundreds of people were slaughtered. Only his thirteen-year-old daughter, Fan You, has disappeared; no one has seen her or her body since.”

After hearing such a cruel tale, Chu Baige was momentarily speechless.
“…The girl with the red sleeves—no, I mean Fan You—did you ever learn what happened to her family?”

Shen Fu shook her head. “Fan You suffered severe brain trauma and lost most of her memory. She cannot even recall what happened to the Canghai Club. She doesn’t remember her own name or her parents. The name Hongxiu was given to her by Ruyilou. It is said that when she had memory, she was found floating on the water, picked up by villagers, and sold into the Hualou, from which Ruyilou purchased her.”

Chu Baige sighed. “I still think she should know something…”

Shen Fu replied, “It may not be a bad thing that she doesn’t remember. Someone saw Fan You on the day of the incident. If nothing happened, she might have witnessed the tragic death of her parents with her own eyes. Such horrific memories are better forgotten.”

“…That makes sense.”

Neither of them could find any good clues regarding this matter.
Hundreds of people had been killed overnight, a major case that alarmed the court. The six-door catchers were dispatched to investigate, but the murderers were like ghosts, elusive and hard to track.

Shen Fu rummaged through the official dossier and the information collected privately by Xiuchundao, but there were no significant breakthroughs on either side.

After discussing Fan You, the two turned their attention to Shun Xin Ruyi.
Shen Fu spread out a large map on the table, and Chu Baige’s eyes lit up.
“This is the map of the military house! How did you acquire this?”

Shen Fu raised her eyebrows proudly, and Chu Baige suddenly understood, muttering, “It’s impressive to live off soft rice…”

“Impressive indeed. There’s no choice; my stomach isn’t good, so I can only pick up some soft rice to eat.”

Chu Baige felt sour, as if he had just bitten into a lemon. “You wait on people; if you get well in time, I’ll see when you fall out of favor… Don’t come crying to me then.”

He said this, but he was surprised by the princess’s trust in Shen Fu.
What was the relationship between these two? The princess was so confident and bold to hand over the maps of the entire Jinling and several nearby towns to Shen Fu.

Shen Fu kicked him playfully. “Alright, enough chatter. I’ll introduce you to a place where you can enjoy some soft rice next time. How about Lady Cui Jiazhuang’s knife? Although she has a husband, she is still very young and beautiful. The entire Cuijiazhuang belongs to her, and she is the richest woman in Northwest Martial Arts. If you marry her, at the very least, you won’t have to worry about food and clothing…”

Chu Baige had heard of Lady Cui Jiazhuang. She was indeed beautiful, but also ruthless. It was said that her last husband had cheated with a maid, and she had dealt with him in a manner that could not be described, leaving the place soaked in pig’s blood.
In her words, why should a woman who loses her virginity be immersed in a pig cage, while a man who loses his virginity should also be punished similarly?

Thus, Lady Knife’s reputation had risen to the point where men would feel phantom pain in their lower bodies at the mere mention of her.

“I was wrong, I was wrong! I won’t tease you anymore, Shen Fu, I beg you to let me off this time.”

Shen Fu snorted, “Play with her? You think I’m that easy?”
She cleared a space at the table for Chu Baige. “Look carefully; there might be a person who likes you.”

Chu Baige knew it was time to get serious and reduced his smile.
In the realm of martial arts, Chu Baige ranked one thousand and one among a thousand practitioners.
If his intellect were placed in the court, he would not survive three days.

One of his greatest hobbies was gossip.
Not only did he enjoy listening to it, but he also loved spreading it. He had written dozens of books in his two years of debut, all published at his own expense, mixing all kinds of scandalous stories together. He had produced one book after another, and if it weren’t for his caution in avoiding public appearances except in front of Shen Fu, he might have been targeted by those he had written about.

When it came to listening to gossip, lightness of movement was crucial, but more importantly, one had to be familiar with the terrain.
Ordinary thieves would scout a home before stealing, but for a martial artist to listen to gossip while chasing drama was far more challenging. Each action required meticulous planning.

Fortunately, although he was not skilled in martial arts and his intellect was lacking, he possessed a unique ability—he could remember the way.
To put it bluntly, he was a living map.

In this world, there were many gifted individuals. Some could remember tens of thousands of different faces and walking styles, like the confidant beside the emperor; some could memorize all information backward, like the intelligence chief of Xiuchundao from Jinling; and some, like Chu Baige, could recall every place he had visited and even draw a map in his mind.

He first identified the point where the two paths converged.
“Here.”
Then he sketched the underground passage that the two had traversed under the guidance of the white-faced smiling man.
He also indicated the possible directions of the forked paths, and when displayed on the map, it resembled a centipede lying crookedly across it.

Shen Fu pondered, “The tunnel was dug directly out of the city. This is a significant undertaking. I wonder if Xiuchundao is aware of this. If they are, that’s fine; if not…”
Although Jinling was located inland, it was not entirely safe. In the event of a conflict, these tunnels could determine the fate of the city. If they fell into the hands of the government, it would be manageable, but if an organization like Shun Xin Ruyi controlled them, Shen Fu felt a sense of unease.

Chu Baige continued to draw, leading to a forest outside the city.
“The exit should be here.”

Shen Fu asked, “Do you remember how you left?”

Chu Baige replied, “I should be able to sketch it, but the margin of error may be significant. After you and I lay in the coffin, the likable person turned around three times in place, and each time I followed behind, they suddenly turned around. I relied on instinct to remember the direction; I can’t guarantee accuracy. Besides, there’s a serious issue—”
He spread his hands. “We are both lying in the coffin. I can only listen to the wind outside with my ears. I can’t assure you that my judgment of speed is correct. So the error may not just be a matter of one mountain or two. If luck is against us, we might end up locking onto a large area.”

“Shun Xin Ruyi has been in business for many years. If I asked you to find out easily, I would suspect a conspiracy,” Shen Fu said, not overly concerned about the error. “You draw it first. It’s still early; if your body can withstand it, we will go directly to see you.”

“Okay!” Since Shen Fu said so, Chu Baige was not hesitant. With a stroke of his pen, he circled a possible area.
With this stroke, he circled at least a dozen or twenty hills.
“I fear it will take a lot of time to complete the investigation. I’ll pack my things first. If luck is not on my side, I might have to spend the night on the mountain.”

As soon as Shen Fu finished speaking, the person wielding the Xiuchundao floated down from the roof. “The girl must not be in danger. You can leave these matters to the one who wields the Xiuchundao.”

“That’s not right,” Shen Fu said. “I know you have many masters in Xiuchundao, but first, the masters should be in towns and not be transferred arbitrarily. Secondly, while having more people is faster, it also makes it easier to be discovered. Mr. Baige and I are only two people; although we are fewer, we are less conspicuous. If we don’t consider anything else, at least we can move lightly. Even if we are discovered, we can’t protect ourselves. However, if more people go, I fear there will be more masters sent by Shun Xin Ruyi to encircle and suppress us, and the manpower that damages you is secondary.”

The Xiuchundao member who had followed Shen Fu thought of the recent instructions from their superiors and showed a hint of helplessness.
“Then, can you please wait a day or two? A master from our department will come from Beijing, and perhaps they can assist you by then.”

“No need,” Shen Fu patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry; this little matter will not pose a problem. You can report truthfully; if all goes well, we will be back by the day after tomorrow at the latest. We are only exploring the terrain and specific locations; it’s not about besieging anyone.”

The one monitoring had already seen Shen Fu’s stubbornness. There was nothing to be done about her, and they could not use force, so they had to return and say, “Then… Ms. Shen must be prepared. There are some good things about Xiuchundao. If you need to use them, please do.”