Ger, So Proud

Chapter 112: Offering Fruits

The fluorescence twinkled like stars, illuminating the entire forest. No torches were needed as Zhou Wen led his group through the woods.

“How much farther? How long until we reach the mountaintop?” Zhou Wen pushed aside tall grass that reached up to his waist, watching the light points continuously entering his body, his steps gradually slowing.

“Sir, the mountain path is rugged, it’ll take at least a couple of hours.”

After a few more steps, “Yangji, have you noticed… feeling much lighter all over?”

“Huh? What does Sir mean?”

“Sir, I feel it too. Normally, I’d be extremely exhausted by this time, but now, it feels like I’ve taken some sort of rejuvenating tonic, full of vigor,” a bailiff from behind said.

“Sir!”

“What’s happened?” Zhou Wen turned around, only to find that the bailiff who was trailing behind had frozen in place, eyes fixed on the back of his hand, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

“Sir, my scar… it seems to have disappeared…”

The bailiff who spoke had a burn scar on the back of his hand from playing with fire as a child—a scar about the size of a thumb, small in area yet very noticeable. Fortunately, he wasn’t one to fuss over such things, so he had ignored it all this time. But now, the scar that was there just before he came had vanished?

“What!”

A group of people gathered around. They had been colleagues for several years, and almost every other bailiff had seen the scar on his hand. Zhou Wen walked up to him and indeed saw his hand completely unblemished, without a trace of the scar.

“A miracle! A true miracle!” Zhou Wen thought to himself. “Let’s go, let’s head straight to the mountaintop.” Even if he could just bask a bit more in this divine light. Yes, in his eyes, this green light had already risen to the realm of divine light.

Not to mention his current excitement, considering the time it took for him to arrive, this miracle had lasted nearly two hours. The sparkling divine light, like stars, gradually dissipated.

It was a pity that by the time they barely made it halfway up the mountain, not a trace of green light remained on the mountain top.

“Sir, what’s that?”

Zhou Wen was reluctantly hurrying back down from the mountainside when, after a few steps, he saw a branch suspended in mid-air. Hanging from the branch were three vermilion fruits emitting a gentle fluorescent glow.

“Quick, follow them! Hurry!” Zhou Wen suddenly became excited.

Unexpectedly, as if understanding human speech, the vermilion fruits in mid-air swiftly flew ahead of them. As the group hastened their pace, the fruits sped up; when they slowed down, so did the fruits, seeming to lead them along like they were being drawn by them.

Seeing the base of the mountain ahead, thanks to this divine light, they had run for so long without feeling tired. Zhou Wen instructed Liu Yangji beside him, “Quick, Yangji, hurry down the mountain and instruct them below to prepare long poles and bows and arrows. We must shoot down these divine fruits… No, bring them down!”

Liu Yangji also understood the importance of these vermilion fruits and hurriedly ran down the mountain. Because the green light had dissipated and the stewards who arrived later dispersed the crowd, by now, those at the foot of the mountain had mostly left, leaving only a few troublemakers who were reluctant to leave. However, with the bailiffs and city defense soldiers present, they stood in small groups at a distance, watching and occasionally paying homage to the heavens and earth.

Half an incense stick’s time later,

“Look, what is that!”

The branch was still hanging in mid-air, with three vermilion fruits as bright as blood, yet covered in a lustrous light—clearly not ordinary objects.

“Sir, there’s an order: anyone who can retrieve the divine fruits will be richly rewarded!”

As soon as the words fell, the bailiffs and guards around immediately grabbed long poles. Some even chopped branches from nearby trees, all eager to retrieve these “divine fruits”. Those reluctant to leave crowded in as well, causing a chaotic scene.

Lin Yu had been alert early on and stood at the outskirts with He Youcai, Dad Li, and He An, shielding him in the middle. After all, he was pregnant and couldn’t afford any accidents.

“Yu-ge, shall we leave now?” Dad Li anxiously looked at the commotion in the distance. “What exactly are those things?”

“Ahem, it’s alright, don’t worry. Let’s stand here a while longer.” How to proceed had already been discussed with He Ze, so all they needed to do now was wait patiently.

After a chaotic flurry, the twig bearing the fruits teased the crowd like a mischievous child, frustrating everyone’s efforts to retrieve it.

Several long poles brushed past, but the twig darted higher, out of reach.

“Sir, this…”

“Don’t panic, just wait and watch. They’ll come down sooner or later.” If not for knowing this miracle was all due to the He family’s work— himself—Zhou Wen would have worried the divine fruits might fly away. But having previously discussed with him, although anxious, he wasn’t panicking.

“Sir, it’s bad! The divine fruits are flying over there…”

Before Zhou Wen could blink, the fruits flew off into the distance, almost stopping his heart. “Quick, hurry after them!”

Yet, in the blink of an eye, the twig landed straight in front of Lin Yu. Seeing Lin Yu ignore it, it lightly tapped his forehead, then settled in front of him. The pursuers stopped in their tracks.

He An’s eyes widened, He Youcai and Dad Li froze. Lin Yu slowly reached out, and without waiting for Dad Li to stop him, the branch, which had eluded everyone’s chase for so long, obediently fell into his hand.

Watching from afar, Zhou Wen’s eyes were filled with surprise and joy. He naturally knew Lin Yu’s identity and had some faint guesses about He Ze’s intentions.

A suitable box was brought, and the branch still glowing with fluorescence was carefully sealed inside. Zhou Wen finally relaxed, a broad smile spreading across his face as he approached the He family of four, speaking warmly, “To be favored by the divine fruits, you must truly be blessed.”

Hearing good news, He Youcai was no longer reserved, bowing respectfully to Zhou Wen. But he still worried, “I wonder about my son…”

Zhou Wen knew exactly what he wanted to ask. Holding the box close, he reassured them, “You can rest assured about your son’s affairs. Young Master He will surely turn adversity into good fortune.”

Thus, the first half of this artificially created “auspicious sign” concluded smoothly. Within two days, the county town was already buzzing with rumors, even reaching the inspection team in the distant Hushan County. They heard about the brilliant light of the sacred mountain, rivaling the moon’s radiance. They heard that the green light was celestial energy, and those bathed in it that night had grown younger, healed long-standing ailments, and even became more beautiful. They also heard that as soon as the divine light dispersed, half of the mountain’s flowers, plants, and trees withered, their essence condensed into three divine fruits…

This affair, seemingly both divine and celestial, initially led the inspection team to suspect that some local official was dabbling in occult practices. Yet, the firsthand accounts were so convincing, and many witnesses testified, causing this miracle to spread even more mysteriously.

“Lord Zhao, what do you make of this?”

In the county’s inn, a middle-aged man with a stubbly beard bowed respectfully. Sitting at the head was a third-ranked officer named Zhao Qing, the lead officer of the inspection team, a trusted confidant of the emperor and hailing from a prestigious family background.

“Rest assured, we’ll wait patiently. True cannot be faked, and fake cannot be made true. No matter the intentions of those behind the scenes, can they escape us?”

The middle-aged man with the stubbly beard regained his composure slightly. “Sir, your wisdom shines.”

Zhou Wen arrived on the third day, traveling non-stop with haste and dust. As a subordinate, for such a significant matter, it was naturally impossible to send a mere clerk to deliver the message.

When he opened the finely crafted jade box he had specially sought, the branch within was verdant, its leaves like jade, and the three fruits still radiated the same shimmering white light as the night they appeared. Upon a closer sniff, the air seemed to carry a lingering fragrance of the fruits.

“Could this really be celestial fruit?”

Though everyone had been schooled in Confucian teachings that dismissed extraordinary phenomena as superstition for decades, when faced with “celestial fruit,” they couldn’t help but believe. Zhao Qing stared intently at the fruits in the jade box, his eyes filled with uncertain amazement.

Zhou Wen chuckled wryly, “Before this miracle appeared, I too did not believe. But I watched it unfold before my eyes. That night, thousands witnessed the magnificent sight, and many villagers who received the divine light in the mountains can confirm. Sir, you may send someone to investigate.”

“Mm.” Zhao Qing nodded, carefully closing the jade box. In truth, upon seeing these fruits, he was already seventy to eighty percent convinced. Not to mention the effort it would take to manipulate thousands of people into such a grand scheme, the glowing, fragrant fruits before him were undoubtedly genuine.

“Let me investigate thoroughly. Then, I will expedite the journey back to the capital with these ‘celestial fruits’ to present to His Majesty. Please convey my congratulations to Sir Zhou.” If these fruits were indeed valuable, the days of being a mere county magistrate for Zhou were likely over. Riding in a flowery sedan with a group of men, he didn’t mind getting ahead of himself.

“You’re too kind. It’s the blessing brought by all of you esteemed gentlemen. Otherwise, how could these celestial fruits emerge upon your arrival?” Zhou Wen smiled, already far from the reckless youth he once was.

“Haha, well said.” Zhao Qing stroked his long beard, laughing. If these ‘celestial fruits’ truly lived up to their name, he was sure to benefit from them. His mood lightened considerably.

But then he considered: if these fruits truly had miraculous properties, curing all ailments and reversing aging… He reluctantly suppressed such wild thoughts, stroking the jade box thoughtfully.

“Sir, there’s another matter I must discuss…”

Zhou Wen carefully explained the details of the refugee who accidentally ingested poison and died. He presented the facts objectively, without bias. “Sir, I’m not seeking favoritism. There are many suspicions surrounding this case. Inspector Li forced me to recuse myself and hurried to close the case prematurely. I’m deeply worried. Moreover, the wife of the suspect in this case is somehow connected to this miracle.”

“Oh? What do you mean?” Zhao Qing became serious.

“When the divine fruits were flying in the sky, evading all attempts to retrieve them, my bailiffs and guards tried every method. In the end, the fruits flew straight towards Lin Yu of the He family, landing in his hands as if on cue. It’s truly miraculous. This lad… he must be quite blessed.” Zhou Wenda thought to himself.

“Is that so?”

“Absolutely true. I believe Lin-ge’s act of retrieving the fruits deserves recognition. Could this case be postponed for re-examination? By then…”

“Let’s wait and postpone it for now.” Zhao Qing paused. “If Inspector Li has anything to say, have him come directly to me.” It was just a minor matter. Even if Li Deming’s report hadn’t arrived yet, and when it did, a few more Li Demings wouldn’t be as significant as Lin Yu retrieving the fruits.

With his purpose achieved, Zhou Wen immediately felt relieved, bowing respectfully. “Yes, thank you, sir.”