sinovels #311 - Thick fog
#311 - Thick fog
The three were stunned by Miao Shi's words, as they originally thought this was just a simple case of a haunted object.
【I hope readers will remember our domain name here: Taiwan Novel Network → 𝔱 𝔴 𝕜 𝔞 𝔫 . 𝔠 𝔬 𝔪】
An eleven or twelve-year-old boy, whose mind was not yet mature, obtained a magic brush by chance, and then his desires began to swell, and he used this magic brush to create a series of troubles.
But now, it seems that things are not as simple as they appear on the surface.
The person who gave Miao Shi the magic brush actually knew of the existence of the Directorate of Celestial Observations, and obviously knew what the Directorate of Celestial Observations did, yet still chose to give the magic brush to Miao Shi under the noses of the Directorate.
What was his purpose in doing this?
Was he just playing house with Miao Shi?
To do so, he didn't hesitate to sacrifice a haunted object that seemed quite powerful. What benefit was there for him?
Also, is Ma Liang's disappearance related to him? Where is Ma Liang now, alive or dead?
Although the three had caught the culprit behind the four small cases, the questions in their minds had not decreased, but rather increased.
Yan Yun asked Miao Shi, "Do you remember the name and appearance of the person who gave you the magic brush?"
Miao Shi shook his head, "I met that immortal by the river. He came riding on a cloud, and he was in the cloud, so I couldn't see his face clearly. I could only tell from his voice that he was probably quite old. As for his name, I asked, but he just smiled and didn't answer.
"Then he threw down a brush from the cloud and told me that he saw that I had quite a talent for painting, so he gave me a magic brush."
"And then?" Xia Huai asked, "Did he tell you what to do with this brush?"
"He didn't say," Miao Shi said. "After I got the brush, I was actually a little suspicious, thinking that there couldn't be such a good thing in the world, but after painting the stool, I completely believed it."
After speaking, he looked at Lu Jing and the others, and pleaded, "What I know is all this. I've told you everything. Please, let me go."
Lu Jing didn't answer, but just held out a hand.
Miao Shi's face showed a look of struggle, as if he still wanted to bargain, "You, is there anyone among you who can paint? This brush can only be used by people who are good at painting. Why don't you leave it with me? Later, if you need anything, I can paint it for you."
"Forget it, your paintings don't look that good," Lu Jing said.
"I, I can learn more," Miao Shi pleaded.
Although it had only been a month, he had already tasted the sweetness that this magic brush had brought him, the feeling of being able to turn clouds and rain. Next, he planned to use this brush to deal with his two older brothers.
And if he lost the magic brush, he would become an unwelcome youngest son in a landlord's family again, which he found difficult to accept.
"Don't feel sad. According to the rules of the Directorate of Celestial Observations, someone will come to invite you for a farewell tea later. After drinking it, you won't remember this matter at all, so you won't feel so painful about losing the brush," Lu Jing said, patting the young man's shoulder to comfort him. The latter's face turned pale after hearing this.
But the situation was stronger than him. No matter how reluctant he was, he had no choice but to take out the brush from his arms and hand it to Lu Jing.
Lu Jing originally wanted to search the nearby ten miles with Yan Yun and Xia Huai to find Ma Liang's whereabouts, but he didn't expect that Supervisor Huang and Professor Zheng had already walked over from the direction of the village entrance.
Supervisor Huang still had that stern, square face, looking intimidating, but next to him, Professor Zheng, who usually had a kind expression, was rarely genuinely angry this time.
His face was livid, and a look of solemnity was revealed in his eyes.
Lu Jing noticed that both Supervisor Huang and Professor Zheng were somewhat disheveled, as if they had just fought with someone. There was even a footprint on Professor Zheng's chest.
However, the two obviously didn't intend to explain what had happened.
Supervisor Huang just took the brush from Lu Jing's hand, and without looking at it carefully, hurriedly put it into his arms, then nodded to the three.
"You did well this time, solving the last question, so the top three in this competition are you. As for who is the top..."
"Lu Jing," Yan Yun said without hesitation, "He came later than me, but noticed Ma Liang first, and knew early on that the haunted object this time was a brush, so the top of this competition should be Lu Jing."
Lu Jing was a little ashamed when he heard this. He had benefited a lot from the story of Ma Liang's magic brush this time.
He had been prejudiced, and focused the investigation on Ma Liang just by hearing the name. Although the final result was quite different from the story he had heard before, he had still guessed several key points in the middle, including the magic brush.
This gave Yan Yun the feeling that he was like a prophet.
After that, Xia Huai also said, "My investigation was actually only halfway done. This time, I was just here to help, so I should be ranked last."
"Yes, Professor Zheng and I also think so. Since you have no objections to this, the final result will be determined like this," Supervisor Huang finally decided.
After a pause, he added, "Go back to the academy. I've already had a messenger send a message to the other candidates. After everyone arrives, you can choose the prizes for this competition... Choose carefully. There are many good things in there this time."
The three looked at each other after hearing this. Finally, Yan Yun still spoke, reminding him, "Supervisor Huang, Painter Ma is still missing, and there's also that immortal who gave the brush..."
"I know," Supervisor Huang said. "You've already done what the academy hoped you would do, clarifying what happened in the four cases on the file, and also finding... that thing. As for the next things, someone from the Directorate of Celestial Observations will handle it. You don't have to worry about it anymore."
Lu Jing's heart stirred. He noticed Supervisor Huang's wording in the middle, saying that thing, not that haunted object.
Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that he might be nitpicking. After all, Supervisor Huang and Professor Zheng seemed to be very preoccupied at the moment, and it was normal to say the wrong thing, but Lu Jing couldn't help but think of Amu.
The little wooden dummy had been inexplicably ignored by the Pixiu in the Star Observation Tower before, the latter bypassing it and only judging the black cat on its head. So afterward, Lu Jing had also suspected the identity of the little wooden dummy.
It was just that due to the lack of clues and not wanting to attract attention, this matter had to be temporarily put aside. Until tonight, Lu Jing thought of it again.
After Supervisor Huang finished speaking, he glanced at the expressions of the three students in front of him. Whether it was Xia Huai or Yan Yun, they were both disciples that the academy valued extremely this year. As for Lu Jing... Lu Jing was more special. Most of the instructors in the academy felt pity for him, but some of the Directorate of Celestial Observations seniors who lived in seclusion in the academy, including Supervisor Huang himself, were very optimistic about Lu Jing.
It could be said that all three of them were being placed with high hopes.
So Supervisor Huang thought for a while and decided to say a little more, "I believe you have also noticed that the case this time is not simple. Whether it's the Directorate of Celestial Observations or the academy, we were all a little short-sighted before. The other party is coming for us, and the methods... are very cruel, and can be said to be infuriating to both gods and men.
"It's not that I'm deliberately hiding some things from you. This is actually a kind of protection for you. It's a little too early for you to come into contact with these things now, so don't think too much about it. No matter what, you won this competition. Enjoy this happiness first. We'll talk about other things later."