When the book-traveling little detective meets the two-faced prince

Chapter 316: It’s not about asking for water, it’s about drinking tea

"It's just a sip of water. Do you have to go to someone else's room to ask for it?"

I was already worried about Xiao Yihuo and his group, and now Lin Lezhi took the initiative to move forward. Although I can understand that Lin Lezhi cannot part ways with them for the time being, it is still too abrupt and I can't help but complain.

Lin Lezhi corrected him: "It's not asking for water, it's asking for tea."

"Okay, whether you want water or tea, I'll go too. If you have such a good opportunity, take me with you."

"Of course, Qingchuan and Yunhe can't be left behind."

After saying that, Lin Lezhi turned his gaze back to Xiao Yihuo, waiting for Xiao Yihuo's response.

Xiao Yihuo's eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment of thought, they narrowed slightly. Then, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He extended his hand as an invitation and said calmly, "Please."

After returning to the inn, Xiao Yihuo asked the waiter to send a pot of hot water to his room to make tea for his guests.

After brewing the tea and pouring a cup into the teacup, Xiao Yihuo pushed it towards Lin Lezhi and Guan Ziheng and said, "Please."

in fact.

Lin Lezhi's wish to drink tea was actually a lie. He knew it was a bit lame, but he also knew that Xiao Yihuo would definitely react. He hadn't spoken for several days, and he didn't know how to start the conversation in another way that would cover his tracks.

but.

It is just a tiny bit to conceal one's tracks.

Lin Lezhi was feeling somewhat flustered and really wanted to drink some tea to calm himself down, but before he could raise his hand, Guan Ziheng's leg bumped into him from under the table.

It was obvious that he did not believe what Xiao Yihuo and the others did and was worried that there was something wrong with the tea.

Noticing the tiny movements between the two, Xiao Yi became suspicious and drank the tea in the cup first with an expressionless face.

Since Xiao Yihuo was fine after drinking the same pot of tea, Guan Ziheng finally put aside his worries and stopped preventing Lin Lezhi from drinking tea.

Lin Lezhi took a sip of tea with a somewhat awkward and embarrassed expression, then put down the teacup and looked at Xiao Yihuo, with a firmness in his eyes.

"The Bone Lotus may not be completely destroyed."

Since there were no outsiders around, Lin Lezhi no longer concealed anything and spoke directly and to the point. His voice was serious, but with a hint of uncertainty.

"But really?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yunhe's eyes suddenly flashed with surprise and he asked. Qingchuan and Xiao Yihuo's eyes also flickered slightly, but their faces remained calm.

Liu Yunhe was outside the inn just now. When he heard Lin Lezhi asking for some water to drink, there was a look of surprise in his eyes, because he had never told Lin Lezhi that the young master carried the best tea with him. How did Lin Lezhi know that?

However, after careful thought, Liu Yunhe realized that Lin Lezhi might have said this on purpose in order to have the opportunity to talk to them alone.

Seeing Liu Yunhe's obviously agitated expression, Lin Lezhi didn't want to upset him. However, the matter was too important to be determined, so he said truthfully, "This is just my guess. I dare not say for sure. We still have to try it to know the result."

Hearing that Lin Lezhi was not 100% sure, Liu Yunhe couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but there was still a hint of expectation in his eyes.

Qingchuan's restrained eyes held a hint of urgency as he asked, "Lezhi, how do you know that the Bone Lotus isn't completely destroyed?"

"Do you remember the foggy scene?"

Qingchuan and the others' expressions froze for a moment, and they nodded immediately.

"Such a magnificent and shocking scene, like a miracle, is unforgettable. If I have the chance, I really want to see it again."

Seeing everyone's expressions of admiration and nostalgia, Guan Ziheng was obviously isolated from the situation. Because he was the only one who had never actually been to the island, he couldn't help but be curious about the magnificent scenery.

Qingchuan frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "But what does the fog scene have to do with the bone lotus?"

"General Cheng has the other half of the parchment scroll in his hands. I think you should know about it."

Qingchuan hummed softly, then nodded slightly. "Liu Yunhe mentioned this matter when he returned from his recruitment that day. It was you, Lezhi, who reminded him. However, now that the case is closed and there's no treasure on the island, the treasure map is useless. I think General Cheng must have handed the parchment scroll to Prefect Chen."

"It was not handed over to Prefect Chen. General Cheng destroyed it shortly after leaving the island."

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across everyone's eyes.

Lin Lezhi continued, "Brother Cheng told me before he left today. He said that if the treasure map remained in this world, it would only cause more harm, and it would be better to have it without it. So he told Prefect Chen that the treasure map was with Hong Mingxu, and during the fight, it unfortunately fell into the fire and burned."

Qingchuan said with admiration in his eyes, "General, your righteousness is great. The soldiers and Hong Mingxu are all dead, and the civilians have left the island, so there is no evidence."

As he spoke, Qingchuan's eyes showed a lot of worry. "Lezhi, now that you mentioned the treasure map, could it be..."

"That treasure map can indeed lead us to the place where the bone lotus grows, but don't worry. I was already paying attention to those marks when I discovered the wall of Wu Sanshan's room."

After saying that, Lin Lezhi took out the two ghostly talismans he had drawn on the table that night from his sleeves and opened them in front of everyone.

"What is this?" Qingchuan asked.

"This is the map that Brother Cheng and the others had. That day, when I was pretending to search for the treasure for Hong Mingxu, I deliberately stalled for time and wrote down the direction of the mountains on the parchment scroll."

Lin Lezhi was relaxed and calm, and his tone was certain, which made Qingchuan and others unable to hide their surprise.

Liu Yunhe's eyes were filled with shock, and he said with a gleam in his eyes: "Although I haven't looked at the treasure map carefully, the terrain of the small piece found in Wu Sanshan's chamber is quite complicated, and you can actually remember it."

"Of course, it's not easy to remember everything, but you don't need to remember everything. The treasure map itself is a deception, a mixture of truth and falsehood to prevent those with bad intentions. But once you've seen it in person, you'll know which half of the treasure map is true and which half is false. When you remember it, you only need to remember the true part. As for the false part, you only need to remember a rough outline."

Lin Lezhi paused, his eyes revealing a hint of determination as he spoke, "To ensure safety, I went to the cliff several times during the three days I accompanied you on the island to confirm the direction of the fog. This map should be correct."

Guan Ziheng suddenly realized: "No wonder you wanted to go to the island, it turns out you wanted to confirm this."

"That's right." Lin Lezhi said with concern in his eyes, "After all, this is not an familiar terrain. There are potential dangers. It's better to be cautious."

"This is a map showing the direction of the mountain based on the treasure map and the foggy scene. So... what are these crisscrossing lines?"

Liu Yunhe looked at those messy and inconsistent lines, and was really confused, with a puzzled look on his face.

After hearing what Liu Yunhe said, Guan Ziheng's face showed that someone finally understood his thoughts, and he expressed the sense of redemption in his heart through the mouth of others.

"These are the marks on the wall of Wu Sanshan's room. Put the two pieces of paper together and look at them up to the light."

Liu Yunhe did as he was told. The light coming in from the window penetrated the rice paper as thin as a cicada's wing, and the lines on the latter piece of paper easily appeared on the previous one.

Lin Lezhi couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"As expected of a superior room, the light coming through the window is even brighter."

Others could also see Liu Yunhe's skill with light. The moment the two pieces of paper overlapped, a hint of fear flashed across their eyes.

"The carvings in Wu Sanshan's basement are a map to the mountains!"

Liu Yunhe looked at the overlapping lines, his eyes filled with shock.

"Yes."

Qingchuan's eyes darkened. After a moment's thought, he said solemnly, "You mean to say that the enclosed mountains are not completely inaccessible, and that one of Qixi and Wu Sanshan knows how to enter the valley?"

"It should be Qi Xi."

Lin Lezhi's eyes were filled with certainty as he continued, "Do you remember what Village Chief Wang said? Qi Xi was picked up by Wu Sanshan. After a snake plague broke out in the village, he went missing for three days. Wu Sanshan finally found him in the deep forest. When he found Qi Xi, he was covered in mud."

Qingchuan said "hmm" softly, and nodded with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Qi Xi once said that there was a way to avoid snakes in the village, but when he spoke about it, he was vague about the method and did not clearly state what it was."

Lin Lezhi paused, then continued, "If the bone lotus had been growing along the mountains from the beginning, for hundreds or even thousands of years, it wouldn't have been confined to the mountains. It would have expanded its range. We haven't found any signs of bone lotus growing on the island. If it had, the villagers would have known about it and would have planted bone lotus around the cave entrance to keep snakes away. And after Wu Sanshan found Qixi, the surrounding villages haven't been plagued by snakes anymore. It's not a coincidence."

Lin Lezhi said with a firm look in his eyes, "This is enough to prove that the bone lotus is indeed effective in repelling snakes. It was transplanted there later. The treasure used to lure Guo Yong and his group into the trap was also moved to the puppet cave. It was not buried in the cave as Qi Xi said."