Capture the Jade (Attacking the Jade) - Chapter 20-Part 3
Chapter 20-Part 3
Jue Sheng said, “Don’t mention it. The stone slab was still there when we went down. Just as we rescued Juan Erli, the demon appeared. It chased after us while destroying the stone slab. Senior Brother tried everything to stop it, but in the confined space underground, it was hard to fight back. By the time we managed to return, the slab had already been crushed to powder.”
Everyone shuddered.
After breaking through the formation, the demon must have feared that the slab would reveal its secrets, planning ahead so meticulously.
Such cunning and skill were beyond what most could fathom.
Lin Chengyou asked a few more questions, but Juan Erli knew nothing.
He then turned to Teng Yuyi and asked, “Young Master, I heard that the illusion you saw on the second floor was different from what Qi Zhi saw?”
“Yes,” Teng Yuyi pondered and replied.
“Taoist Qi Zhi said he saw a Hui pastery shop, but I saw an abandoned courtyard. It looked as though it had been neglected for a long time, with a well in the middle.”
Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi were puzzled.
“Senior Brother, we were in the same place. Why did we see different illusions?”
Teng Yuyi thought for a moment.
“I remember you once mentioning that Caifeng Tower used to be a silk shop. The owner of the silk shop took a concubine, and she jumped into a well because she couldn’t endure the humiliation from his wife. Could that well be related to that incident?”
The expressions in the room were varied.
The deaths of the silk shop owner and his wife were mysterious, and the strange events at Caifeng Tower had led many to suspect a connection for a long time.
Lin Chengyou knocked on the table.
“The silk shop owner died of illness on the seventh day of the twelfth month last year, and his wife hanged herself on the tenth. The concubine, however, jumped into the well on the second day of the eighth month, over a year ago. If she died with unresolved resentment, she could have created illusions to confuse people’s minds. But tonight’s illusion doesn’t quite feel like the memory of a dead person.”
He Mingsheng, though a man, was more timid than the courtesans beside him. His teeth were chattering in fear after listening to all this for a while. “D-Daozhang, are you suggesting these are the memories of a living person?”
“Juan Erli is a living example. The illusion Qi Zhi saw was from her childhood memory. Coincidentally, she had been captured by the demon at the time. Before tonight, though your place had experienced many strange occurrences, no one had gotten lost on the second-floor corridor. This leads me to believe the creature only recently broke free, and the first to encounter its illusions were Qi Zhi and Young Master Wang.”
Jue Sheng exclaimed, “Qi Zhi saw a hui pastery shop, and Young Master Wang saw a well. If both are living memories, then what does the well signify? Could it be someone else’s unresolved resentment in the tower?”
“But only Juan Erli went missing tonight, and we’ve already rescued her. Where is the other person?”
Lin Chengyou suddenly said, “Caifeng Tower owner, gather everyone in the building—the courtesans, the madams, the guests—no one can be left out.”
He Mingsheng, pale-faced, quickly ordered his men, “Hurry, do as the Daozhang says.”
“Young master Wang, are you skilled with a brush?” Lin Chengyou asked Teng Yuyi.
Teng Yuyi already guessed what he intended.
“You want me to draw the courtyard and the well?”
Lin Chengyou walked over to the writing desk, took a brush, and said, “Since you’ve guessed, please proceed, Young Master Wang.”
Teng Yuyi took the brush and recalled the scene.
She had only glimpsed it briefly and hadn’t paid much attention to detail.
She remembered the courtyard, though dilapidated, still carried an air of ancient elegance. Beside the well stood a tree, almost dead, and mist swirled around the area, making it unclear whether the tree was a peach or a plum.
The ground around the well was filthy, as if it had recently rained, with mud several inches deep.
Beyond that, she couldn’t recall much.
She drew what she remembered, and Lin Chengyou took a look.
Teng Yuyi’s drawing skills were unexpectedly good.
With just a few strokes, she had captured the crucial details.
At that moment, all the people from the building had been summoned, crowding at the door.
He Mingsheng shouted, “Don’t push! I’ll call your name when it’s your turn. If I haven’t called you, wait outside quietly.”
Teng Yuyi returned to her seat.
Despite his timid appearance, He Mingsheng seemed quite capable of managing his worker.
After his shout, no one dared to move.
Lin Chengyou said to He Mingsheng, “Call them in one by one to identify the well. If anyone recognizes it, they must tell me immediately, because that person is likely the demon’s next target and could be in danger at any moment.”
He Mingsheng agreed and went outside to explain.
When he returned, he pointed to a few beautiful courtesans in the room.
“Daozhang, there are too many people outside. Why not start with these few here?”
Teng Yuyi glanced around.
Including E Ji and Juan Erli, there were nine stunning courtesans in the room, each with captivating looks.
E Ji, hearing He Mingsheng’s suggestion, flirtatiously winked at Teng Yuyi.
“I am the oldest and most familiar with Young Master Wang. Since this is your drawing, Young Master Wang, why not let me be the first to appraise it?”
She stood up and took a look, then shook her head.
“I’ve never seen such a well.”
Lin Chengyou reminded her, “Look closely.”
E Ji, still smiling brightly, said, “I’ve looked closely. I really haven’t seen it.”
Her demeanor became more serious in front of Lin Chengyou.
After all, he was a tall, imposing man, quite unlike Teng Yuyi, who was disguised as a Hu man.
Her manner toward men and women was always different.
