Chapter 2705 — Finding the Notes
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
Wei Zhao and White Leader bent down at the same time and looked closely at the book Yu Xiaoke was pointing to. Sure enough, on the wooden board in front of that book, there was a mark where something had shifted. Everywhere else bore a layer of accumulated dust; only in front of this book was there a vertical groove, as though someone had recently pulled the book out and carried the dust away with it...
At the sight, White Leader seemed unperturbed, but Wei Zhao felt a chill run through his whole body. This ancient tomb... could someone else have come here?!
Because on the first visit to the tomb, neither Yu Xiaoke, nor Old Black, nor Yu Huoxing had disturbed the books on the shelf. Yu Huoxing had examined the titles carefully enough, but he had never touched them with his hands—Wei Zhao remembered that clearly. And now, here was a book that had been moved...
Judging by the mark, the book had been pulled out and put back no more than three months ago—the dust alone made that plain. So it could not be a trace left over from their last visit. The only explanation was that someone had entered the tomb again, taken this book out, and put it back!
But what could the purpose of that be?
Yu Xiaoke's breathing had quickened as well. Of the few people who knew about the tomb, all had been arrested and sentenced to death. She and the male thief had certainly never come back. Could it have been Yu Huoxing—or the female thief?
Yu Huoxing was the name that came to Wei Zhao's mind too, but the man was as timid as a mouse; there was no reason he would return to the tomb alone. Besides, everything useful in the tomb had been taken away last time—what would be the point of his coming back?
And Wei Zhao had heard that Yu Huoxing was being kept under house arrest by the Hidden Rain clan. Even if he wanted to leave, he would have no chance...
"Never mind. Let's first see what kind of book this is," Wei Zhao said.
Yu Xiaoke drew the book out. Wei Zhao kept his attention fixed on the jade pendant the whole time—thankfully, there was no reaction, which meant no danger. What he feared most was that the book was a trap someone had set, deliberately baited to hook whoever came along.
It was a *Record of Strange Tales and Marvels* written by a wandering physician. But the moment Wei Zhao opened the first page, he saw that something was different! The book was indeed a wandering physician's record of strange tales, yet the blank spaces within were densely filled with handwriting—all in tiny, fly's-head script, identical to the hand in the volume of Zhang Lifeng's alchemy notes Wei Zhao had found before. Plainly, this too had come from Zhang Lifeng's brush!
"This is it—this is the patriarch's *Record of Strange Tales and Marvels*!" White Leader stared excitedly at the book in Wei Zhao's hands and pointed at the writing. "The patriarch added his supplements to someone else's record, setting down some of his own unique insights. And the whole question of an alchemist's constitution—that was first mentioned in this very record. Naturally, once Patriarch Zhang Lifeng saw it, he would refine and complete it."
"So that's how it is. Which means, by a strange twist of fate, we really have found what we were looking for!" Wei Zhao said, staring at the *Record of Strange Tales and Marvels* with a look of astonishment.