Capture the Jade (Attacking the Jade) - Chapter 31-Part 4
Chapter 31-Part 4
She struggled to steady her mind and slowly walked forward.
Father is right outside the door.
As long as he’s here, everything will be fine.
She called softly, “Father.”
Silence.
“Father?”
Still no response.
Teng Yuyi’s heart sank.
Her father had exceptionally sharp hearing…if he had heard her, he would have answered.
This was too eerie. Her palms were slick with sweat. Even if everyone else in the estate had fled, her father would never abandon her.
Had something happened to him?
Her legs trembled as she inched forward, despair creeping in.
Unable to hold back, she called again, “Father.”
When she reached the gate and looked up, her gaze froze.
Two figures stood before a rock outside the courtyard—one tall and imposing, unmistakably Teng Shao, the other a slender woman.
The moon was bright and cloudless, casting a silvery glow over the world.
The woman was graceful and elegant, dressed in a golden-yellow brocade dress with cloud-like patterns.
She spoke softly, gently caressing Teng Shao’s face.
Teng Shao’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he stared at her, seemingly entranced.
Teng Yuyi stared at the woman in horror.
There was no mistaking it…under the moonlight, she could see every detail clearly.
The familiar eyes, the familiar smile, the familiar hair, even the cinnabar mole beneath her ear was identical.
Her teeth chattered.
She wanted to step closer for a better look, but her legs felt as heavy as lead.
Then she saw her father slowly sink to his knees, wrapping his arms around the woman’s legs as he sobbed uncontrollably.
“Hui-niang.”
The woman seemed heartbroken.
She bent down, cradling Teng Shao’s head against her chest, her own weeping growing louder.
Teng Yuyi swayed on her feet, then numbly walked toward the woman.
There was a bone-deep gentleness in her bearing.
Hearing Teng Yuyi’s footsteps, she slowly turned.
When she saw Teng Yuyi, every line of her face softened with tenderness.
Tears welled in Teng Yuyi’s eyes.
A face can be faked, but not a gaze.
No one in the world had ever looked at her like this except her mother.
Madam Teng choked back a sob and reached out.
“Ah Yu.”
Teng Yuyi’s tears spilled over.
She had dreamed of this scene countless times, but now that it was real, she didn’t know how to react.
Her mother had returned.
With a hiccuping sob, she broke into a run, desperate to reach her.
“Mother!”
Madam Teng’s tears fell like rain as she opened her arms for her daughter.
Teng Yuyi threw herself into her mother’s embrace, weeping bitterly.
The dress her mother wore was one she had seen just days ago while sorting through her belongings—woven with patterns of fragrant grass, a subtle nod to her name.
Those keepsakes had been stored in the main house.
It was her mother’s unique signature.
Breathing in the familiar, delicate scent of her mother’s robe, Teng Yuyi burst into fresh tears.
Even if this was a dream, she would take it.
No one knew better than her how much she missed her mother.
Madam Teng tightened her arms around her husband and daughter, her tears quickly soaking her clothes.
Teng Shao, seemingly too lost in grief, didn’t react to his daughter’s presence—he neither spoke nor even glanced at her.
Hearing her mother’s cries, Teng Yuyi’s heart twisted.
Clutching her mother’s hands, she sobbed, “Mother, are you well? Am I dreaming? Mother, I’ll be good. Please don’t leave again, okay?”
Madam Teng’s voice trembled.
“Alright. I won’t leave. From now on, I’ll stay with you and your father. I’ll never be apart from you again.”
Teng Yuyi’s ears buzzed.
The sudden joy overwhelmed her.
It took her a long moment to process the words.
Wiping her tears frantically, she turned to Teng Shao, her words tumbling out incoherently.
“Father, did you hear? Mother says she won’t leave anymore.”
Teng Shao ignored her completely, still lost in his sorrow.
Teng Yuyi’s heart clenched.
She looked back and forth between her parents, her lips trembling.
“Mother… are you still leaving?”
Lady Teng’s eyes filled with sorrow.
She stroked Teng Yuyi’s hair, crying silently.
Teng Yuyi’s mind went blank.
The shift from ecstasy to despair happened in an instant.
The cruelty of it crushed her heart and lungs.
She stared blankly down, then up again.
“Mother, I—I can’t bear to let you go. Please don’t leave. I’m begging you, Mother.”
She grabbed her mother’s sash, crying like a child.
Madam Teng’s gaze was heartbreaking, but her words were merciless.
“Ah Yu, how could I bear to leave you? But I belong to the realm of the dead now. Staying isn’t up to me.”
Teng Yuyi’s chest felt hollow, as if a blunt knife were slowly carving out her heart.
Staring at that gentle, beloved face, she whispered, “Mother, why did you lie to me just now?”
Madam Teng wept.
“Because I dream of nothing but returning to your side.”
Teng Yuyi’s tears fell unchecked.
She opened her arms.
“Then hold me again, Mother.”
Madam Teng bent down, tears in her eyes.
Teng Yuyi pressed close, sobbing…then suddenly, her expression darkened.
In a flash, she drew her sword from her sleeve.
The blade shot toward Madam Teng without warning.
Through her tears, Teng Yuyi hissed, “My mother would never torture me like this! You’re a monster! How dare you pretend to be her? I’ll kill you!”
Tears still streaked Madam Teng’s cheeks, but she didn’t flinch.
Her nails, red as cherries, suddenly lengthened by several inches.
A sinister smile twisted her face as she lunged for Teng Yuyi’s heart.
At that moment, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
A golden arrow shot straight toward Madam Teng’s forehead.
Madam Teng’s eyes flicked upward.
She abandoned Teng Yuyi to snatch at the strange arrow but then a gleaming silver chain flew out, wrapping around her neck with lightning speed.
The corpse demon clawed at the chain, its expression turning savage.
But before it could break free, it was yanked backward.
Someone crowed in triumph, “We’ve got it! We’ve got it!”
“Ancestors be praised! I never thought I’d live to see the day we caught a corpse demon!”
“The Young Master’s plan worked perfectly. If we hadn’t waited until now, it never would have fallen for the trap!”
“Hahahaha! It was so busy setting traps to bewitch people, it never saw us coming. Serves it right! Let’s see it escape now!”
“Miss Teng, you have no idea how hard we worked all night to keep you safe!”
Then Lin Chengyou’s voice cut through the chatter.
“Enough noise! Set the formation!”
Teng Yuyi lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
When she looked up, she saw figures leaping through the night, swift as hares, weaving around the corpse demon to encircle it completely.
Lin Chengyou, a quiver on his back, soared down from the treetops, his robes fluttering like an eagle’s wings.
As he landed, he flipped his wrist, a yellow talisman glowing between his fingers, and slapped it onto the corpse demon’s forehead.
The corpse demon thrashed violently.
Just as Lin Chengyou closed in, it clenched its fists, and a surge of dark energy exploded outward.
The silver chain around its neck—the Soul-Binding Lizard—shattered into seven or eight pieces, scattering like shooting stars.
Everyone’s faces paled.
Teng Yuyi gaped.
She had seen Lin Chengyou use the Soul-Binding Lizard before—it had never failed.
Yet the corpse demon had broken it with sheer force.
Amidst eerie screeches, the fragments of the lizard writhed on the ground like severed snake tails, twitching helplessly.
Lin Chengyou remained unfazed.
Not only did he not retreat, but the talisman between his fingers blazed even brighter, glowing like a torch.
The corpse demon raised its arms, stiff as wooden rods, aiming to seize Lin Chengyou’s neck.
But it was a fraction too slow, the talisman struck its forehead, and instantly, it froze in place.
A foul, fishy stench filled the air.
The five Dongming Temple taoist, invigorated, swiftly dispersed, each gripping a sword as they murmured incantations.
Lin Chengyou withdrew his hand and let out a sharp whistle.
The shattered pieces of the Soul-Binding Lizard on the ground rapidly slithered together, reforming into a silver snake.
It weakly crawled a short distance before stopping at Lin Chengyou’s feet.
Bending down, Lin Chengyou scooped it up and stroked its head.
“Stop crying. Rest in my robes for now.”
The lizard drooped its head, its whimpering ceasing almost immediately.
It nuzzled against Lin Chengyou’s chest before vanishing into his robes.
Teng Yuyi wiped the cold sweat from her brow and turned her attention to the corpse demon.
Gone was the illusion of her mother…this creature appeared no older than fifteen or sixteen, with delicate twin buns atop its head, a radiant complexion, a small round face, and plump, rosy lips.
Had she not known its true nature, she might have mistaken it for an innocent young noblewoman.
Gritting her teeth, Teng Yuyi pushed herself up. That illusion had nearly shattered her heart.
Everything was fake, just a trick to torment her mind.
She had known the corpse demon was formidable, but she hadn’t expected its illusions to feel so real.
When she noticed the dress the corpse demon was wearing, her fury flared anew.
It was wearing her mother’s golden-yellow brocade gown.
Earlier, the lamps in the main house had inexplicably gone out, no doubt the creature had sneaked in to steal her mother’s belongings, all to deceive her.
The five Dongming taoists chanted in unison, their swords emitting five beams of icy light.
The corpse demon, trapped in the formation, couldn’t so much as twitch a hair.
The taoists were both awed and relieved.
The earlier scene had been terrifying…Teng Yuyi, lost in the illusion, had teetered on the brink of death.
The corpse demon, wholly focused on tormenting its prey to extract their soul, had spent an entire day and night setting the stage.
It had finally seized what it thought was the perfect moment…only for Lin Chengyou to strike at the last possible second.
This young man was orthodox yet unorthodox, his methods unlike any typical taoist.
But if he hadn’t been even more ruthless than the demon itself, how could he have succeeded?
Teng Yuyi, too, had surprised them.
Who would have thought that even in the depths of despair, she’d still manage to counterattack?
Lin Chengyou drew a golden arrow from his quiver, nocking it as he slowly stepped back.
“Miss Teng, your mind is still unsteady. Return to the house. If you’re too shaken to move, you can hide behind me.”
The taoists called out, “Miss Teng, we’ve been lying in ambush nearby. To ensure the corpse demon was captured, we had to watch it enter your estate without acting. Dozens in your household must have fallen under its influence, they won’t wake easily. Could you please rouse Juesheng and Qizhi? They can administer the talisman-infused water to everyone.”
Teng Yuyi swayed but steadied herself.
She glanced at Lin Chengyou.
They must have seen her sobbing like a child.
But there was no time to dwell on that.
The corpse demon was too dangerous, she had volunteered as bait, and she’d known the risks.
Still, discomfort prickled at her.
Her deepest vulnerabilities had been laid bare, as if her armor had been stripped away, exposing the tender, fragile parts beneath.
Her eyes burned, her face still damp with tears.
To mask her unease, she cleared her throat as if nothing had happened, only to realize she still couldn’t speak.
The brief return of her voice had been just another illusion.
Worried about her father and cousin, she scanned the surroundings but saw no sign of her father.
No wonder he hadn’t spoken to her in the illusion—the corpse demon must have ensnared him too.
She turned to sprint toward Songtao Garden but just then, Jianxian stumbled, disrupting the formation.
Though he quickly regained his footing, the corpse demon, though still immobile, began rolling its eyes wildly.
Lin Chengyou, his bow fully drawn, smirked at the creature.
“So you’re the infamous corpse demon? I’ve heard so much about you. Tired of lurking underground and decided to come up for air? Pity you ran into me. I let you frolic for two days, but tonight, you’re going back where you belong.”
The corpse demon writhed within the formation, then suddenly blinked and cried out in a sweet, girlish voice, “Big Brother!”
Teng Yuyi froze.
That was Princess Ah Zhi’s voice.
Stunned, she looked over—the corpse demon’s appearance hadn’t changed, but its tone and mannerisms were now identical to the young princess’s.
Lin Chengyou seemed momentarily taken aback.
The corpse demon’s eyes welled with tears.
“Brother, it’s me, Ah zhi! You promised to teach me horseback riding. Why won’t you talk to me? I’m scared, Brother. Come hold me!”
Teng Yuyi glanced at Jianmei and the others.
Sweat poured down their faces, they were clearly each trapped in their own illusions.
Having experienced the corpse demon’s tricks firsthand, she inwardly cursed.
She’d been about to leave, but now she spun around and ran toward Lin Chengyou.
No, she had to warn him.
If even he fell for the illusion, they’d never subdue the creature tonight.
Lin Chengyou’s expression was unreadable as he stared at the corpse demon.
Perhaps his focus had wavered and though the creature had been immobilized earlier, its arms now slowly lowered.
It stomped its foot, pouting.
“Brother, are you still mad at me? Last time I broke your treasure, didn’t you already punish me?”
Teng Yuyi’s palms turned clammy.
She desperately wanted to reach Lin Chengyou, but the corpse demon in the formation suddenly burst into tears, its features morphing even more into Ah zhi’s likeness.
Though Lin Chengyou still held his bow drawn, the arrow remained unloosed.
“Ah zhi” stepped closer, sniffling.
“I want to eat the jade lotus paste Ah Niang makes. The kind you made last time was awful…it turned into charcoal! Brother, I’m hungry. Take me home.”
It moved faster now, outpacing Teng Yuyi.
Tears glistened on its cheeks.
In a few more steps, it would throw itself into Lin Chengyou’s arms.
Teng Yuyi gritted her teeth, gathered her skirt, and ran like mad.
Suddenly, she heard a sharp twang as an arrow, shimmering with golden light, flew from the bowstring and struck the corpse demon directly in the center of its forehead.
The corpse demon, caught off guard, reeled backward, stumbling several steps before landing back inside the formation.
Lin Chengyou sneered, “It’s good you came closer; saves me the effort.”
Teng Yuyi breathed a huge sigh of relief.
The corpse demon raised its arm, trying to pull the golden arrow from its forehead, but the arrow seemed to have grown into its flesh and wouldn’t come out no matter how hard it pulled.
The corpse demon looked at Lin Chengyou piteously, then suddenly changed its tone: “Little Brother.”
Strangely, although this was also a young girl’s voice, the tone was vastly different from Ah Zhi’s and even more childlike.
Lin Chengyou remained unmoved, quickly drawing a second arrow and pulling the bowstring taut again.
The corpse demon, however, said, “Little Brother, I saved your life, yet you intend to take mine?”
Lin Chengyou seemed to recall something, his face suddenly changing drastically.
The corpse demon lowered its head, sighing mournfully, “That year you fell into the water at the Marquis of Lin’an’s residence, it was I who saved you. You gave me pear blossom candy and even said you’d take me to find my mother. But then you just abandoned me. Little Brother, I’ve been waiting for you to find me all these years. I never expected that when we met again, you’d try to take my life.”
Lin Chengyou remained expressionless, but his hand paused.
Teng Yuyi’s mind suddenly felt muddled.
She had also been to Chang’an that year, but that memory felt as if it had been completely erased.
If it hadn’t been for that vivid dream a few days ago, she wouldn’t have known that a little girl had saved Lin Chengyou, or that Lin Chengyou had been searching for that girl for years, regretting that he had never found any news of her in the vast crowd.
Everyone had guessed that the little girl either died young or was never in Chang’an to begin with.
To think the corpse demon could pry into people’s hearts to such an extent! The corpse demon continued in a sweet voice, “Little Brother, I wanted to return that bag of pear blossom candy to you, but you told me to go away. I’m your savior, why do you treat me like this?”
Lin Chengyou didn’t respond for a long while, his gaze clearly distant.
Teng Yuyi frantically ran a few steps, about to reach Lin Chengyou’s shoulder, but before she could push him, the second arrow flew from the bowstring and struck the corpse demon’s right arm.
“Is this how you bewitch people?” Lin Chengyou’s face was full of scorn.
“I overestimated you.”
Without waiting for the corpse demon to speak again, he quickly fired the third and fourth arrows, one hitting its left arm and the other striking its abdomen.
Finally, he nocked the fifth arrow and said to Teng Yuyi, “Miss Teng, what are you standing there for? Get behind me. It can’t harm me.”
Teng Yuyi looked closely in the moonlight.
Lin Chengyou appeared relaxed, but his temples were covered in fine, dense beads of sweat.
“It can’t harm me?” Those words were probably only meant to reassure himself.
Lin Chengyou seemed to sense her gaze, glanced at Teng Yuyi, then casually drew the bowstring taut again, this time aiming for the corpse demon’s throat.
Teng Yuyi had initially intended to find her cousin and father, but now she was uncertain.
What if the corpse demon disguised itself as Lin Chengyou’s mother, grandfather, aunts, and uncles one by one? She wondered if he would be able to withstand it.
Seeing Lin Chengyou about to fire the fifth arrow, Teng Yuyi weighed her options and finally decided to stand behind him.
