Chapter 20-Part 2

The two secretly wiped away cold sweat and were about to persuade further when Lin Chengyou, staring at Teng Yuyi’s departing back, angrily slapped the table.

Teng Yuyi feigned surprise and turned back.

Lin Chengyou looked at her and beckoned with his finger.

Teng Yuyi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked back.

“Daozhang, have you thought it through? It’s just a moment; I promise it won’t hurt much.”

Lin Chengyou said nothing, his face clearly showing displeasure.

Teng Yuyi smiled at him, aimed at his other arm, and swiftly stabbed down.

Lin Chengyou’s brows knitted slightly as he endured the stab.

Teng Yuyi hadn’t lied.

As soon as the hairpin pierced in, the numbness in his throat began to ease, and the weakness and soreness in his limbs quickly subsided.

Teng Yuyi looked at him.

“How is it?”

Lin Chengyou opened his mouth and was able to speak now.

“Very good.”

Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi cheered, “Great, he can speak now!”

Teng Yuyi smiled sweetly.

“Since Daozhang feels better, I can be at ease.”

Lin Chengyou sneered.

“Young Master Wang, you have some skill.”

Teng Yuyi appeared very modest.

“Daozhang overpraises.”

Lin Chengyou stared at Teng Yuyi, pushed the table aside to stand up, and suddenly felt sharp pain.

Only then did he realize that Teng Yuyi’s hairpin was still stuck in his right arm.

Following his gaze, Teng Yuyi looked over and apologetically pulled it out.

“Sorry, sorry, I was muddled by the demon poison and forgot to pull it out for you.”

She pulled it out slowly; Lin Chengyou gritted his teeth as his arm throbbed with pain and swelling.

This sensation was something he wouldn’t forget for a lifetime.

He clenched his teeth and deliberately showed a carefree smile.

“Young Master Wang, your technique isn’t great; you stabbed so shallowly it’s like scratching an itch for me.”

He maintained a calm expression, with a hint of teasing in his words.

Teng Yuyi almost believed him.

She had heard that Lin Chengyou had practiced martial arts since childhood; perhaps such a minor injury was indeed like an itch to someone like him.

She felt somewhat discouraged; had she known, she would have stabbed deeper.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi looked at Lin Chengyou’s arm in alarm.

“Blood! Senior Brother, your arm is bleeding!”

Blood gushed out, instantly staining Lin Chengyou’s newly changed robe red.

He glared at Teng Yuyi without saying a word.

Teng Yuyi pretended to be alarmed.

“Shizi, are you okay? This isn’t good; we need to get a physician quickly.”

The room became chaotic.

Fortunately, the physician hadn’t left yet.

Qi Zhi went to the next room to bring him over to bandage Lin Chengyou.

The poisoned wound on the left arm had already scabbed over; the right side was deeper than the left, and a lot of blood was flowing out.

Luckily, the physician was quick and soon wrapped the wound with cloth.

The physician wanted to take Lin Chengyou’s pulse, but he impatiently said, “Enough. It’s just a flesh wound; is it necessary to fuss so much?”

At this moment, a servant peeked nervously into the room.

He Mingsheng glared, “Who is it? What are you sneaking around for?”

The servant entered with a grin.

“Master, we’ve pasted talismans on every door and window and came to report to you.”

He Mingsheng put on a smile and asked Lin Chengyou, “Daozhang, is there anything else you need us to do?”

Lin Chengyou waved to dismiss the physician.

“That demon has disappeared without a trace. Let’s first clarify what happened earlier.”

He then asked Juan Erli, “Where did you leave off?”

Now that he could ask questions himself without having to write them down for others to relay, it was much more convenient.

Juan Erli still looked a bit frightened.

“I just remember that I was originally in the corridor on the second floor. Somehow, I returned to the old home where I lived as a child. My father, who had been dead for many years, was walking back and forth in front of the flatbread shop. My father had always been bad to my mother. I was worried about my mother’s illness, so in a daze, I wanted to go inside. Then, when I woke up again, I found myself lying on a stone slab. That place was damp and dark, like a cellar. I was scared out of my wits. When I tried to run, I slipped on something greasy and slippery on the stone slab, and then I knew nothing.”

While the room was busy with questioning, Teng Yuyi quietly tried to leave.

Lin Chengyou looked up at her.

“Wait a moment.”

Again? Teng Yuyi said in surprise, “Daozhang, is there anything else involving me?”

Lin Chengyou smiled slightly.

“Young Master Wang was the first to see the demon tonight and later witnessed one of the illusions. You are a key person; how can you just leave? You saw the situation in the small Buddha Hall. If we don’t eliminate the big demon soon, countless people will suffer in the future. Young Master Wang is so compassionate; surely you won’t turn a blind eye?”

Everyone in the room looked at Teng Yuyi, as if she would be as detestable as the demon if she didn’t agree.

Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi pulled Teng Yuyi, leading her to sit beside them.

“Young Master Wang, don’t be in a hurry. After Daozhang finishes questioning Juan Erli, it’ll be your turn.”

Teng Yuyi was held by the two and couldn’t break free.

“What the Daozhang says makes sense, but it’s already the Hour of the Ox (1–3 a.m.). I need to return home first; otherwise, my aunt and cousin will be worried.”

Naturally, once she left, there was no chance she would come back.

Lin Chengyou said nonchalantly, “No rush, I’ve already made arrangements for you, Young Master Wang.”

Teng Yuyi was stunned.

“Made arrangements?”

“I sent someone to inform the Du family that you’re drinking at Caifeng Tower in Pingkang Ward. Since you’re new to Chang’an and overly curious, you stubbornly refused to return. You’re enjoying yourself now, and you’ll head back to the Du residence at dawn, so Master Du and Madam Du need not worry.”

The beautiful women in the room covered their red lips with their round fans and giggled softly. Staying out all night was one thing, but making it sound like he was indulging in pleasure was another.

When Young Master Wang returned home in the morning, he was sure to face reprimand from his elders.

Teng Yuyi’s eyelid twitched, and through gritted teeth, she forced out a sentence: “Daozhang, you’re too considerate. I would be rude to decline.”

Lin Chengyou chuckled.

“A man as righteous and courageous as Young Master Wang deserves such hospitality. Why are you all standing there? Hurry, prepare a seat for Young Master Wang.”

Teng Yuyi lifted her robes and, holding back her frustration, sat down.

Lin Chengyou then continued questioning Juan Erli: “When you woke up on the stone slab, did you notice any writing on it?”

Juan Erli thought for a moment and nodded.

“Yes. There was a lot of dense writing, but I was so frightened at the time that I didn’t pay attention to what it said.”

Qi Zhi, intrigued, asked, “Senior Brother, didn’t you sneak into the cellar at that time? You should have seen it more clearly than Juan Erli.”