Sludge suction system

At three-quarters past midnight, the lanterns in the ruins of the Sang mansion flickered with fragmented light in Qian Wanguan's hand. His jade thumb ring caressed the arrow scar on the back of Tan Ge's neck, and the scent of agarwood mixed with wine wafted over: "What exactly did Xia Menglian say before she died? Don't give me any Kunlun Mountain snow water nonsense." Tan Ge lowered his eyes to avoid his gaze, staring at the gilded official badge on the other's waist—the newly changed "Fifth-Rank Prefect" badge that morning, with fresh scratches still visible on the edges.

“I dare not lie to you, sir,” Tan Ge deliberately softened his voice, his fingertips tracing the fragments of the jade Guanyin statue amidst the ruins of Sang Xuan’s study. “Xia Menglian said that blood jade needs the blood of a close relative to nourish it, and Sang Xuan’s daughter undergoes purification in the Buddhist hall on the fifteenth of every month.” Qian Wanguan’s pupils constricted sharply, his thumb ring digging into his skin: “You mean Sang Yu? But Sang Xuan claims her birth chart is purely Yang…”

"Pure Yang is a lie, pure Yin is the truth." Tan Ge kicked aside the broken jade, revealing a fragment of the "Jade Marrow True Scripture" underneath. "Sir, have you forgotten the jade Guanyin you sent last month? Sang Xuan specifically instructed that it should be opened with virgin blood. Now that I think about it, that blood... was probably taken from his own daughter." Qian Wanguan's Adam's apple bobbed. He remembered the cinnabar mole between Sang Yu's eyebrows, which indeed matched the "pure Yin appearance" recorded in the county annals.

The sound of the night watchman's gong came from the direction of the dungeon. Tan Ge knew that Tian Xue'er was counting the brick seams at this moment—this was their agreed-upon code, three long and two short meant "safe." He touched the tattered page of the Sang family account book in his sleeve, on which the birth date and time of "Sang Yu" were circled in cinnabar, with the annotation "Gui water is extremely yin, suitable for blood sacrifice."

“Tomorrow, Your Excellency might as well visit the Sang residence as the Prefect,” Tan Ge said, picking up half a jade Guanyin statue, its cracks still stained with undried blood. “Just say you need a ‘house-protecting jade’ for the Governor-General, and mention this Guanyin statue with its eyes opened… If Sang Xuan panics, he’ll definitely give himself away.” Qian Wanguan stared at the broken jade in his hand, then suddenly laughed: “You’re quite clever, trying to use my official authority to test the waters?”

At the beginning of the morning, Tian Xue'er was gnawing on a cornbread in the dungeon. Hidden inside was a note that Tan Ge had slipped to her the night before: "Qian Wanguan suspects Sang Yu; tomorrow, use your official power to interrogate him." She reached for the silver hairpin hidden in her hair, the lotus flower carved on the tip and the subtle patterns of Sang Xuan's study—she had stolen it this morning while Qian Wanguan was drunk, perfect for imitating Sang Xuan's handwriting.

In the courtyard, Tan Ge wrapped the broken jade Guanyin statue in Sang Xuan's old account book. Tucked inside was a yellowed invitation, Sang Xuan's birthday greeting to the Governor-General from last year; the lotus-patterned ink at the signature matched the blood jade pattern perfectly. "Remember," he whispered to Qian Wanguan, "when you lift the Guanyin statue, touch the third button on the left breast; that's Sang Xuan's habit when he's nervous."

At three-quarters past Chen hour, the prefect's ceremonial guard stopped in front of the Sang residence. Qian Wan was wearing a brand-new official robe, and the button on his left breast was indeed gleaming from being touched so much. When Sang Xuan came out to greet him, Tan Ge noticed that his cuffs were trembling—it was the first time in years that he had seen the top boss of the jade industry show a weakness.

"I heard that Your Excellency wants a jade pendant to ward off evil spirits?" Sang Xuan tried to remain calm, but his fingertips recoiled sharply as they touched the broken pieces of the jade Guanyin. Qian Wanguan, with his sharp eyes, caught this movement and deliberately raised his voice: "It would be even better if it were blessed with pure Yin blood. The Governor's concubine is just right..." Before he could finish speaking, Sang Xuan's teacup suddenly fell to the ground, the shards flying directly towards the Buddhist shrine.

Tan Ge observed coldly from the side, and saw Sang Yu's figure flash past from behind the screen. Blood seeped from the strip of cloth wrapped around her wrist, and when Sang Xuan's gaze fell on that red stain, a trace of pain flashed in his eyes—a true humanity that even Qian Wanguan's jade thumb ring had not been able to evoke.

At the stroke of Shen Shi (3-5 PM), Qian Wanguan stormed off. Tan Ge watched the dust kicked up by his sedan chair, then touched the blood jade fragment in his robes—it was still burning hot, resonating with the direction of the Buddhist hall in the Sang family mansion. The inscription "Meet at the Buddhist hall at the third quarter of Chou Shi" carved in his palm by Tian Xue'er's silver hairpin was still warm, and he knew that tonight, the Buddhist hall would unveil a secret even more terrifying than the blood jade.

At three-quarters past midnight, the candlelight in the Buddhist hall of the Sang family mansion flickered in the night breeze. Sang Xuan lifted the yellow satin curtain, revealing the jade Guanyin statue enshrined there. The mutton-fat jade gleamed warmly in the candlelight, but it reminded Qian Wanguan of the blue mark left on Tian Xue'er's collarbone by a jade thumb ring. "Lord Qian, look at this Guanyin statue," Sang Xuan said, lightly touching the jade surface with his silver hairpin, "was it polished with snow water from Kunlun Mountain and then blessed with the blood of a virgin?"

Qian Wanguan's fingertip rested on the heart of the Guanyin statue, where there was a very shallow crack, mirroring the blood jade pattern in the hidden compartment of his study. When the night watchman's gong sounded, he noticed the lotus pattern on the floor tiles of the Buddhist hall, with each flower's stamen facing the feet of the Guanyin statue—a "gathering yin and yang" formation point in feng shui.

"Virgin blood?" Qian Wanguan deliberately tightened his grip on his cuff, revealing the jade pendant with the character "Xuan" on his wrist. "The Sang family is truly full of hidden talents. I heard your daughter spends the fifteenth of every month in meditation in the Buddhist hall?" Sang Xuan's pupils contracted sharply, and the silver hairpin made a grating sound as it scratched against the jade surface. "Lord Qian, you jest. My daughter's birth chart is purely Yang; how could I possibly use her blood..."

Before he finished speaking, water suddenly seeped from the roof beam of the Buddhist hall. Tan Ge, hiding on the beam, watched the water pool on the ground in the shape of a lotus flower, recalling Tian Xue'er's words that "on a stormy night, the floor tiles of the Buddhist hall will reveal a mystery." He touched the blood jade fragment in his pocket, and the fragment resonated with Sang Xuan's silver hairpin, causing blood to seep from the cracks in the Guanyin statue.

"This is...?" Qian Wanguan took a half step back, his jade thumb ring slamming against the offering table. Sang Xuan's expression changed drastically. He quickly covered the Guanyin statue with yellow satin, but as he lifted his sleeve, a crack between his wrist and the Guanyin statue was revealed—it wasn't skin, but blood jade patterns.

"Now that Lord Qian knows," Sang Xuan's voice suddenly turned cold, "why not stay and witness my daughter's blood sacrifice?" He clapped his hands three times, causing the floor tiles of the Buddhist hall to flip, revealing a pool of blood beneath. Qian Wanguan was shocked to find the bottom of the pool covered with birth dates and times, the newest one bearing the name of his concubine, while the blood jade Guanyin statue in the center of the pool stared at him with its empty eye sockets.

"You used my concubine to nourish jade?" Qian Wanguan roared, his voice mingling with the crackling of candles. Sang Xuan flicked his sleeve and lit the soul-guiding lamp. Countless skeletons floated to the surface of the blood pool, each wearing a silver bracelet from one of Qian's concubines. Tan Ge gripped the wooden splinter on the beam and saw Qian Wanguan's jade thumb ring roll into the blood pool, drawing out an arm from the bottom—the body of a woman wearing the Qian family crest.

“Pure Yin blood is the rarest,” Sang Xuan said, pressing her silver hairpin against Qian Wanguan’s throat. “Why don’t you guess why your wife’s illness improved after using my jade?” Qian Wanguan felt a chill run through him. He finally remembered that the medicine Yuan Xiangya drank always had an indelible metallic taste—it was made with the blood of the concubines.

The sound of torrential rain came from outside the Buddhist hall. Tan Ge reached for the lotus-shaped sachet at his waist, and the broken jade bracelet inside suddenly became hot, knocking Sang Xuan's silver hairpin to the ground. Qian Wan Guan took the opportunity to bump into Sang Xuan, and the two wrestled by the blood pool. Tan Ge saw Sang Xuan's face gradually disintegrate, revealing the blood jade patterns underneath—it turned out that this merchant who had nurtured jade for twenty years was already a living dead person sustained by blood jade.

"Age!" Tian Xue'er's shout came from outside the Buddhist hall. Tan Ge leaped down from the roof beam and threw the broken jade bracelet into the blood pool. The pool water exploded, revealing the remains of miners from the mining disaster below. Qian Wanguan stared at the jade ring on the hand of one of the skeletons and finally remembered the scene of the mining disaster twenty years ago, when he buried three hundred miners alive—and Sang Xuan was the one who helped him clean up the mess back then.

The drumbeats shattered the rainy night, and the Buddhist hall collapsed in the downpour. Tan Ge helped Tian Xue'er rush out of the ruins, and behind them came Sang Xuan's roar: "Blood Jade is immortal! Your blood will be my nourishment sooner or later..." Before he finished speaking, the Blood Jade Guanyin statue was struck by lightning and split in two, revealing the curled-up skeleton of an infant inside, the umbilical cord still connected to Xia Menglian's clothes.

Tian Xue'er gazed at the torrential rain, then suddenly ripped off Qian Wanguan's jade pendant and threw it into the ruins. The moment the jade pendant shattered, half a lotus embroidery fell out—it was a piece she had sewn for Tan Ge when she was twelve, but it had been taken by Qian Wanguan ten years ago and used as leverage to control her.

“Age, look.” She pointed to a stone tablet exposed in the ruins, which was inscribed with “Sang Clan Ancestral Hall”, but the torrential rain revealed the true inscription: “Mine Disaster Massacre.” Tange gripped her hand tightly and found that both of their palms had lotus-shaped wounds from fragments of the Blood Jade. In the distance, amidst the flames of the Sang Manor, Sang Yu was carrying the real Blood Jade and running towards Kunlun Mountain.