Chapter 159 - 111: Sword Holding Department Office
The location of the Sword Holding Department’s office had to be found by following this pattern.
And this pattern would be left at the base of a grain and oil shop’s wall.
So, to find the Sword Holding Department, one first had to find a grain and oil shop.
This wasn’t difficult... Inside any prefecture city, if there was one thing you could find in abundance, it was grain and oil shops.
Jiang Ran followed the clues and quickly found the first secret mark.
Afterward, he followed the direction the sword tip on the mark was pointing, venturing deeper and deeper into the narrow alleys of Cangzhou Prefecture.
The further he walked, the more remote the area became, and soon he reached a deserted place.
After walking a bit further, Jiang Ran’s ears twitched.
The place seemed deserted, but he could faintly hear the sound of breathing from the shadows.
Clearly, someone was hiding here, standing guard.
Jiang Ran wasn’t startled; on the contrary, he was pleased. This meant he had found the right place.
Sure enough, after walking a few more steps, he saw a grain and oil shop nestled in the narrow alley.
Just below the shop’s sign, in a very inconspicuous spot, was the secret mark of the Sword Holding Department.
Jiang Ran smiled and stepped inside.
The Shopkeeper inside was a hunched old man.
Hearing the commotion, he raised his cloudy eyes and glanced at Jiang Ran.
"Who’s there?"
"I’m here to buy grain. I want Dragon Tooth Rice."
Jiang Ran said, his face devoid of expression.
The old man looked Jiang Ran over.
"That stuff is expensive. Did you bring enough money?"
With a grim expression, Jiang Ran took the Assassin’s Order from his sleeve, unfolded it, and showed it to the man.
"This should be enough."
"Follow me."
Seeing the order, the old man finally turned and led Jiang Ran into the back.
Jiang Ran sighed, unable to resist complaining internally. ’I wonder what kind of idiot came up with this countersign.’
’It’s practically telling everyone there’s something suspicious about this grain and oil shop.’
’Besides, the Sword Holding Department was established by the Court, so why all the secrecy?’
’So, there must be something shady about the Sword Holding Department after all, right?’
’Are they afraid that if Jianghu People found out, they’d come and tear the place down?’
After his frantic internal rant, he heard a CLICK. The old man had opened a secret door and walked through without a second glance.
Once inside, he deftly took an oil lamp from the wall, casually lit it, and turned to smile at Jiang Ran.
"This path isn’t easy to walk. Watch your step."
"Thank you."
Silence immediately fell over the secret passage.
The old man walked very slowly, so Jiang Ran couldn’t quicken his pace even if he wanted to.
The secret passage was deep and dark, the scenery never changing.
It gave one the unsettling feeling that no matter how far they walked, they would never reach the end.
Fortunately, a feeling was just a feeling.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a light appeared up ahead.
The path, which had been level, began to slope upward.
Finally, the old man stopped.
He reached out and pressed lightly on the wall. With a CLICK, a door swung open.
The old man said softly,
"You can go on in. The master is inside."
Jiang Ran glanced at the old man, paused in thought for a moment, then brushed past him and through the doorway. He found himself in a place untouched by daylight.
The room was filled with shelves of all sizes, laden with all sorts of scrolls.
Not treating himself as a stranger, Jiang Ran casually picked up a scroll. It was a case file.
He put it back and picked another. It was also a case file.
Just then, a voice chuckled.
"Everything on these shelves are records left behind after peerless masters of the Golden Cicada Dynasty committed crimes over the years."
Jiang Ran’s expression turned odd when he heard the voice.
"Steward Liu?"
"Yes, yes, I’m over here."
Steward Liu’s voice came from behind a bookshelf.
Jiang Ran walked around the shelf and followed the lamplight to find a table set up between the stacks.
Steward Liu was sitting behind it, writing furiously.
Jiang Ran walked over and glanced down.
"What’s this?"
"Transcribing... organizing."
Steward Liu let out a huge yawn.
"This is killing me... I knew the job the master gave me wouldn’t be this easy."
"But it seems I still underestimated it."
After speaking, he looked up at Jiang Ran and stood up.
"Greetings, Young Hero Jiang."
"Please, don’t be so formal."
Jiang Ran said with a smile,
"I was wondering why you quit your post as steward to come to the Sword Holding Department."
"This must be a promotion, right?"
"Not really."
Steward Liu said with a smile,
"But a steward holds no official rank. The position of Director here at the Sword Holding Department is, at the very least, a proper ninth-rank position."
’Ninth-rank is ninth-rank... and he’s emphasizing the "proper" part.’
For a moment, Jiang Ran didn’t know what expression to make. He could only cup his fists repeatedly.
"Congratulations, congratulations."
Steward Liu—no, Director Liu—hastened to say with a smile,
"You’re too kind. It’s all thanks to the master’s favor."
"Sigh. Now that he’s gone to Kanglong Pass to serve as garrison commander, I wonder if I’ll ever see him again in this life."
He paused for a moment.
"Oh, but I’m getting sidetracked."
"Young Hero Jiang, you must be here on important business."
"Not really."
Jiang Ran casually placed the two heads on the table. "Take a look. See if you can recognize them."
Director Liu opened the bundle and carefully examined the heads. After a long moment, he shook his head.
"They’re so old. Even though they’re well-preserved, I can’t identify them."
"Young Hero Jiang, you’ll have to give me a clearer hint."
"The Sun and Moon Sovereigns, Dugu Yu and Yin Yue."
"Hm?"
Upon hearing this, Director Liu immediately began rummaging through the case files on his desk, but he couldn’t find them.
"The names are familiar. I just organized their files not long ago..."
After saying that, he went to rummage through the nearby shelves.
Sure enough, he soon returned to Jiang Ran with two scrolls that had been tied together.
"Found them! I found them!"
He casually untied the cord and unrolled the scrolls.