Chapter 140: The Mist Gradually Clears

"You are that Song Mu who wrote poetry imbued with eight or nine buckets of literary qi and appeared in the *Literary Annals of the Realm* four times in a row?"

Shen Long asked, looking at Song Mu with a face full of astonishment. Song Mu could only offer a helpless nod.

"Hiss." Shen Long immediately drew in a sharp breath. His gaze flickered, and he began to scrutinize Song Mu from head to toe on his own accord.

Being stared at like this, Song Mu couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed. Yet, in his heart, he was hoping this fellow would leave soon so that he could sneak into the city to check things out and return early to report the current situation to his master.

On second thought, however, a sense of wonder arose in Song Mu's mind. Why had the Sky-Clearing Guards appeared here as well? Could they be mixed up in this affair too?

Shen Long circled Song Mu three times to the left and three times to the right, a look of admiration blooming on his face, which made Song Mu feel a bit creeped out.

"Never would I have imagined that the sensational Song Mu was actually you."

"And you're not bad-looking either. If the young maidens of the capital were to lay eyes on you, they'd surely shriek with delight."

Dark lines etched across Song Mu's forehead as he thought the Sky-Clearing Guards were thoroughly unreliable. He cupped his hands and said, "Lord Shen, if there is nothing else, might I take my leave?"

Hearing this, Shen Long immediately straightened his expression, a flash of brilliance darting through his eyes the next moment.

"Speaking of which, Song Mu, why are you out here in the dead of night?"

"Besides, you should be from West Jiangnan Province. What brings you to Yue Province, acting all stealthy and probing the city walls with your spiritual will at a time like this?"

Hearing this, Song Mu felt an immediate sense of foreboding, but the expression on his face remained perfectly composed. He simply offered a faint smile, looked at the other man, and said, "This Song Mu is accompanying the prefectural academy's hunting expedition, and we stopped here to stay for the night. As for why I am out here, Brother Shen Long, don't you think tonight's moon is exceptionally round?"

Song Mu looked up, only to be greeted by a crescent moon. The corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily. Shen Long let out a huff of air through his nostrils and fixed his gaze upon Song Mu.

"Brother Song has no need to be evasive in front of me. You know very well what my identity is."

Shen Long's tone shifted at that moment, carrying a somewhat aggressive edge as he stepped a little closer to Song Mu.

Song Mu was taken aback. After all, the man was a Sky-Clearing Guard—a special agent of the imperial authority and the last sort of person one ought to offend.

Yet, upon reflection, Tao Fengming was the one who had instructed him to do this. Regardless of how the situation unfolded, his master must have had a grand scheme in mind. It was not a matter he could casually confess to just yet.

Having figured this out, Song Mu smiled and replied, "What I said is the truth, Lord Shen. Although I am a nobody, I am still a scholar with an official literary rank. The Sky-Clearing Guards shouldn't have jurisdiction over me, should they?"

It was the first time Song Mu had used his status as a scholar to talk back, leaving Shen Long momentarily speechless. The man's expression shifted slightly, yet for a moment, he did not take any action.

After deep consideration, Shen Long suddenly raised his head and asked Song Mu, "Your coming here must have something to do with that Great Eagle Mountain affair, right?"

Hearing these words, Song Mu's expression paused for a fraction of a second, but in the end, he merely gave the other man an enigmatic look.

As if he had caught onto something, Shen Long immediately spoke to Song Mu, "Actually, it doesn't matter. I've been keeping watch here for a while, and I've long heard rumors about Great Eagle Mountain. Now, I can generously share the situation with you."

Song Mu wore a slightly peculiar expression as Shen Long continued, "The person in question is Ke Jijin, the drillmaster of Shaozhou Prefecture, who holds the status of a Tong Jinshi. To tell you the truth, our noticing him actually has something to do with you."

"With me?"

Hearing this, Song Mu's face instantly showed bewilderment. The other man nodded and said, "The incident that occurred in Shiyang County previously—we thought it was settled, but then we discovered the culprits had ties to Yue Province. Following this trail of melons to find the vine, we managed to track them here."

Upon hearing this, Song Mu's heart sank. Seizing the crucial point, his eyes flashed as he asked, "Then this Ke Jijin you speak of—is he also a fallen literatus and a member of the demonic cult?"

Hearing this, Shen Long's expression seemed a bit hesitant. He glanced around cautiously and said uncertainly, "We haven't investigated that thoroughly yet, but over the past few days, he has seemed to travel frequently between Heyu County and the prefectural city."

Heyu County was precisely where Great Eagle Mountain was located.

Song Mu's gaze flickered, and Shen Long smiled as he said to him, "Well? Are you willing to tell me what you saw at Great Eagle Mountain?"

Song Mu let out a breath, carefully scrutinized the other man, weighed his options thoroughly, and said only, "There are demonized beasts there."

Upon hearing this, even Shen Long, who possessed the cultivation of a *juren*, experienced a sudden jolt, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He seemed worried about something. He stepped forward and patted Song Mu on the shoulder. "If that's the case, then this fellow's frequent trips to Heyu County..."

Murmuring to himself for a moment, Shen Long suddenly waved his hand, turned around to leave, and tossed a casual remark back at Song Mu, "You needn't meddle in this affair. I will report it to my superiors tomorrow, and someone will naturally come to resolve it."

With those words, he vanished into the mouth of the alley. Song Mu hurried to chase after him, but there was no longer any trace of the man.

Song Mu curled his lips involuntarily. Seeing that the other man had left, he turned away as well. As he passed through a few alleyways, however, he suddenly came to a halt.

Glancing back at the empty, quiet street behind him, the expression on Song Mu's face shifted. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of literary paper.

*"Autumn clusters surround the cottage like Tao's humble abode, walking all around the hedge as the sun gradually slants."*

*"It's not that I harbor a partiality for chrysanthemums among all flowers, but when these blooms fade, there are no more flowers to be seen."*

As the literary paper inscribed with Yuan Zhen's poem *Chrysanthemums* burned away, clusters of white chrysanthemums burst into bloom along the roadside behind Song Mu, and his figure vanished into thin air.

This poem, associated with Tao Yuanming, was a pastoral verse very close in spirit to the ancient poet. It was a trump card taught to Song Mu by Tao Fengming—a simple yet practical alien realm.

Sure enough, the next moment, Shen Long's figure materialized on the flower-scented street. Taking in the scene, he clicked his tongue in wonder, gazed into the distance, and let out a helpless sigh.

"It seems he really does possess some skill. To use an alien realm so proficiently when he's only at the scholar stage..."

"He's truly a fine sapling."

With that, Shen Long's figure vanished as well.

Meanwhile, after wandering through the city's twists and turns for quite a while, Song Mu carefully returned to the posthouse, once again hoisting himself through the window of Tao Fengming's room. At that moment, Tao Fengming opened his eyes.

"How did it go?" Tao Fengming's calm voice drifted over.

Standing in the room catching his breath, Song Mu settled his emotions and recounted the situation in detail.

"Indeed," Tao Fengming nodded faintly after listening. "Then that man truly deserves to die."

"That's right, Master. Not only does he hold a key post here, but more importantly, he is also colluding with the demonic cult. A fellow like this might already be a fallen literatus."

"Shaozhou Prefecture is of vital strategic importance now. If he really manages to stir up trouble..." Song Mu said with urgency.

Tao Fengming shared the sentiment, yet he merely waved his hand and told Song Mu to go rest.

Remembering the Sky-Clearing Guard he had just encountered, Song Mu decided to bring it up. "The Sky-Clearing Guards are here too?"

Tao Fengming seemed rather surprised by this, but a glint flashed in his eyes, and a slow smile spread across his face.

"That's fine as well. I was just fretting over having no one to kindle the fire for us."

Song Mu tilted his head in confusion, but Tao Fengming said no more, closing his eyes to resume his meditation.

Seeing this, Song Mu could only sigh and return to his own quarters to rest.