55: The clues in the poem! Blood sacrifice? Alone?

"Damn it!"

Zhang Meng's tone grew increasingly irritable!

Then, her angry eyes turned to the Shopkeeper, who was leaning against the wall and slumped on the ground.

"It must be that Shopkeeper!"

"Damn it..."

"If only I had another chance to interrogate him!"

"..."

Wu Tian's mouth twitched.

"Impossible!"

"That guy..."

"His soul was scattered by me; there's no way you'll get another chance!"

Zhang Meng: ..."His soul is truly scattered, hahahaha!"

"Isn't there absolutely no possibility left?"

"Once my Big Brother Wu makes his move, he'll ensure your soul is scattered. If even a drop is left, it means my Big Brother Wu wasn't professional!"

"Upstairs, what 'drop'?"

"You're not right!"

"You guys aren't right!"

..."Well, there's nothing for it. We'll have to set this part of the diary aside and continue reading."

Zhang Meng sighed helplessly.

She continued to flip through the diary entries after March 30, 1961.

"..."

"March 31, 1961. I finally got out of this hellhole. Recalling the past half-month's experience, I truly feel as if I had a dream!"

"But this dream was so real, yet so illusory!"

"I can't remember when I entered that 'Peach Blossom Garden', nor can I clearly recall everything that happened there. I don't even know how I got out. I can only do my best to compile all the information I can still remember and leave clues."

"Let's see if anyone in the future can uncover its secrets!"

"Alas..."

At this point, the content of the diary was nearing its end.

The remaining part detailed the mercenary's plans for the future.

"The mission failed. Only I am left of over a dozen brothers. I can't go back!"

"I..."

"I'll settle down here!"

...The diary ended here. Except for a crucial section of information that was torn out, everything else perfectly aligned with Wu Tian's conjectures!

In 1961, there was indeed a foreign mercenary team that came to Dragon Country, seeking the 'Peach Blossom Garden'!

And the Shopkeeper's grandfather was indeed this mercenary from Ulan Country.

Furthermore... having failed his mission, he did not leave. He married and had children here, right up to the Shopkeeper's generation!

But!

A strong sense of doubt arose in Wu Tian's heart.

These mercenaries should have met their missing leader on March 22, 1961, and successfully entered the Peach Blossom Garden!

But... what exactly happened there?

And why did so many of these mercenaries die?

All of these... became forever unknown with the loss of those diary pages!

What puzzled Wu Tian even more was what happened during the decades between this mercenary from Ulan Country beginning his reclusive life and the Shopkeeper's generation?

And what caused the Shopkeeper to become such a ghastly sight!

And why?

Does the current Shopkeeper have to kill people every week?

Even after reading the diary... these doubts still lingered in Wu Tian's mind!

..."Look here!"

Zhang Meng, who had been studying the diary in her hands, poked Wu Tian's arm. Under his gaze, she pointed a finger at a black-and-white photo pasted on the next page of the diary!

"This should be a group photo of the mercenaries before they entered Zemeng Creek back then."

"The date below is also precisely February 20, 1961!"

"..."

"Hmm?"

Wu Tian blinked.

He then leaned closer to the black-and-white photo and, pointing to a white border at the very bottom of the photo, said to Zhang Meng.

"Look here!"

"Isn't there a faint black trace here, as if there's a sentence on it?"

"Oh?"

"Let me see!"

Zhang Meng blinked, tore the photo from the notebook, brought it closer to the candlelight, and carefully examined it... After a long while.

Zhang Meng nodded.

Her tone carried a hint of excitement!

"There are words!"

"And it's Small Seal Script!"

"Small Seal Script?"

This touched upon a blind spot in the knowledge of Wu Tian, a rich second-generation who didn't need to study.

He asked, somewhat bewildered.

"What is Small Seal Script?"

"Small Seal Script was a policy of 'standardizing writing, unifying cart tracks,' and unifying weights and measures, promoted by Li Si after the unification of the Qin Dynasty!"

"From then on, it became the unified writing script of the Great Qin Empire!"

Zhang Meng smiled slightly.

"Ah..."

"Then I understand!"

Wu Tian nodded, half-understanding.

"But, what does that have to do with the 'Peach Blossom Garden'?"

"Heh!"

Zhang Meng chuckled.

"That has a huge connection!"

"In Tao Yuanming's the peach blossom spring from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there's a line that says, 'They said their ancestors fled the chaos of the Qin Dynasty, leading their wives, children, and villagers to this isolated place, and never left again!'"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that this group of people hid in the Peach Blossom Garden to escape the wars of the Qin Dynasty!"

"And the script on this photo, taken near the Peach Blossom Garden, is Small Seal Script, which perfectly indicates that these words have an inseparable connection with the 'Peach Blossom Garden' that appeared during the Qin Dynasty!"

"Moreover..."

Zhang Meng smiled proudly.

"I happen to have some research on Small Seal Script, and I've already translated the content of these words."

"Guess what it is?"

"What is it?"

Wu Tian blinked.

"It's a poem!"

Zhang Meng chuckled.

Then she began to recite softly, her voice melodious and powerful!

"Foreseeing the Peach Blossom, where is its spring,

A horizontal flute plays, the journey is hard!

Wielding a sword, astride a steed, brandishing a ghost feather,

Golden belt rings, binding the battle robe!"

"..."

"This poem was likely deliberately copied onto this photo by the mercenary who wrote the diary. I personally guess this is a clue poem that hides the location of the Peach Blossom Garden. Once it's deciphered."

"There should be some guidance!"

"Let's keep it for now."

Zhang Meng tucked the photo into her pocket.

Then, she continued to look through the notebook.

"This is..."

Suddenly!

Zhang Meng's pupils contracted as she saw the later content, and she fearfully tugged at Wu Tian.

"Look!"

"..."

Wu Tian was startled, then followed Zhang Meng's gaze to the other recorded information.

"I repeatedly recalled and deduced countless times in my mind, and finally remembered two details!"

"1. We did enter the Peach Blossom Garden, and the leader even came out to pick us up once after going in. He was... a bit strange at that time!"

"2. There seem to be two conditions for entering the Peach Blossom Garden: either entering alone, or a blood sacrifice!"

..."Blood sacrifice?"

Wu Tian frowned.

"Could it be that the Shopkeeper kills people every week..."

"...is for a blood sacrifice to enter the Peach Blossom Garden?"

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