Capture the Jade (Attacking the Jade/Inverted Fate/Inverted Jade) - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Baozhu had just left when Juesheng and Qizhi arrived on her heels.

“Young Master Wang, we plan to head over to the small Buddhist hall to borrow some talisman paper. It’s getting late—would you like to join us?”

The two looked dispirited and gloomy, likely still feeling uneasy over the afternoon’s events.

Teng Yuyi was never one to sit idly by. Ever since discovering the critical weaknesses of the Corpse Demon and the Golden-Robed Gentleman, she had been pondering ways to act.

Hearing that they were going to see the Five Taoist Masters, she readily agreed.

“Let’s go.”

—

Upon entering, they saw numerous bamboo slips piled in disarray inside the small hall. The Five Masters of Dongming Temple were buried in work, searching through the mess.

“Oh? How come Young Master Wang is here as well?” Seeing Jian Xi pushed aside a pile of bundles at his feet and said with a grin, “Please, take a seat!”

Juesheng and Qizhi asked, “Seniors, where did you go this afternoon? We searched the front tower and the back courtyard for the longest time.”

“Where else could we go? We were with the Shizi, of course.”

Juesheng and Qizhi gasped in surprise.

“With Senior Brother?!”

Jian Xian took one look at their expressions and burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.

“No wonder your Senior Brother scolds you two whenever he gets the chance! What on earth goes on inside those small heads of yours all day?”

Jian Le tossed the scroll in his hand aside and grunted, “Don’t just laugh at them. When Lin Chengyou called you over earlier, didn’t you rush over like a eager puppy thinking something great was in store too?”

Jian Xian rolled his eyes sideways.

“Oh, so you think you know everything? Upholding righteousness and banishing evil is a monumental blessing to a poor Taoist like me—shouldn’t I be happy?”

Teng Yuyi had long sensed that something was off about the afternoon’s affairs.

Hearing this, she was hardly surprised.

“So the revered Masters went to assist the Shizi in exorcising an evil spirit?”

“It doesn’t quite count as exorcising an evil. Didn’t that girl Qizhi die under strange circumstances this morning? The Shizi suspected an evil spirit had sneaked into the building, so he asked us over to lend a hand.”

Jian Mei picked up the conversation.

“That creature is half-human and half-evil spirit—controlled by the Corpse Demon without even knowing it. Ordinary ghost-revealing methods can’t detect it, so we had to use an unconventional method to test it.”

A flash of insight struck Juesheng and Qizhi.

Their Senior Brother had people prepare so many bath tubs—so that was the reason!

“Senior Brother called the young ladies of the building over because he wanted to smoke out the monster?”

“What else?”

Juesheng and Qizhi scratched their hair in deep embarrassment.

To think they had uttered such reckless and foolish words—their Senior Brother was probably furious enough to die.

Teng Yuyi twitched her lips in a slight pucker.

You couldn’t blame Juesheng and Qizhi for letting their minds wander into the gutter.

Lin Chengyou kept everyone in the dark, failing to inform even his two junior brothers.

Making such a grand scene, it was only natural for people to mistake him for a rake.

“Could Senior Brother have dissolved Yin-Pointing Talismans into the bathwater?”

“Precisely. Although that creature is half-human and half-ghost, it still retains half of its human mind. With a heavy reward of gold as bait, it would certainly try to hold its breath underwater. However, since it is being used by the Corpse Demon, its seven orifices have long been compromised by Yin energy. So long as it soaks in the bath tub for a bit longer, its flaw will be exposed.”

Teng Yuyi asked out of curiosity, “So, was that person found?”

“No.”

Jian Mei sighed in perplexity.

“This method has always been foolproof for testing those who are half-Yin and half-Yang. Yet after testing every single person today, not a single one showed any anomaly.”

Qizhi squatted down, resting his chin on his hands as he mused, “Have all the ladies in the building been checked? Could someone have been missed?”

Jian Tian shook his head.

“The Shizi even called over the old women responsible for sweeping and cleaning. Even He Mingsheng was forced to soak in the hot water for a while. After searching a whole circle through old and young, we still couldn’t find anyone amiss.”

Jian Mei gestured toward Teng Yuyi.

“Not entirely. Didn’t Young Master Wang and her companions skip the water test?”

“That’s because the three of them couldn’t possibly be puppets.”

Jian Le flipped open the bamboo slip in his hand.

“Don’t forget, Juan Erli and Lady Gejin were previously abducted by the monster and were barely rescued. As for Young Master Wang, she was ambushed twice by the Corpse Demon. If the Corpse Demon merely wanted to turn them into puppets, it wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble. At worst, it would just feed them a bit of its spittle, guaranteeing they’d obey its every whim.”

Teng Yuyi gasped in shock.

“The method the Corpse Demon uses to turn people into puppets is feeding them spittle?!”

Jian Le slapped his thigh and laughed heartily.

“Disgusting, isn’t it? Its spittle is extremely precious and not easily used on just anyone. But as long as a single mouthful is fed, even if that person looks no different from a normal human on the outside, their mind and body are thoroughly controlled.”

A shiver ran down Teng Yuyi’s spine.

By that logic, those few individuals who became puppets that night at Prince Cheng’s Estate—didn’t they all swallow the Corpse Demon’s spittle? She recalled Gu Xian from the Nanzhao; if he woke up to learn he had swallowed the Corpse Demon’s spit, he would probably be so disgusted he wouldn’t be able to eat for a month.

—

“The more spittle fed, the longer the period of control. The less spittle fed, the shorter the duration. This method is rough and direct, and the puppets produced are very obedient. Even if their hearts are eventually gouged out by the Corpse Demon, the puppets won’t harbor any resentment. Therefore, the Corpse Demon will never take the heart of a puppet. Those whose hearts it takes must be fully conscious people—because only such people possess the seven emotions and six desires, and only they can be tormented into agony by the Corpse Demon’s illusions.”

Jian Xi added, “There is another reason: when Juan Erli and Gejin were rescued last time, they were immediately fed Heart-Clearing Pills. For those who have been puppets for a long time, this elixir isn’t very effective; but if someone has only just fallen under the Corpse Demon’s control, a single pill is enough to restore their clarity.”

Teng Yuyi nodded secretly.

No wonder Lin Chengyou had agreed so readily to let Juan Erli go—he had never intended to make her enter the water to be tested in the first place.

Feigning nonchalance, she remarked, “Since everyone who needed to be tested has been tested, does that mean no evil spirit is hidden in this building? In that case, Qingzhi’s death isn’t suspicious at all—she simply fell into the well and drowned.”

Jian Tian pursed his lips into a tight bud.

“I checked this morning too. Looking solely at Qingzhi’s corpse, she clearly died of drowning. However, the Shizi squatted beside Qingzhi’s body for a while and seemed to discover something on her clothing. But since there were neither signs of evil spirits nor traces of arrays near the well, the judicial officer rushed over upon hearing the news before I could examine the body closely. After that, he shooed me aside and forbade me from approaching.”

Jian Tian said in confusion, “So that means the Shizi definitely found something. Why is he unwilling to mention a single word about it?”

“The Shizi likely has his own reservations. I only find it strange—if Qingzhi was harmed by someone, why couldn’t the killer wait a few more days? Why did they have to strike right when we and the Shizi were present? Weren’t they afraid of exposing themselves?”

Teng Yuyi thought for a moment, bent down, and picked up a bamboo slip near her feet.

“It must be because things reached a point where they had no choice but to strike. If Qingzhi lived, the killer’s leverage or flaw could be exposed at any moment. If Qingzhi died, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to uncover the truth. I reckon the killer was gambling on that.”

Just then, a voice came from outside the door.

“Young Master Wang isn’t staying in your own room, but ran all the way over here to drop in on us?”

Everyone turned their heads.

Entering from outside was a youth clad in brocade robes and a jade crown—who else could it be but Lin Chengyou?

Juesheng and Qizhi reacted as if their rear ends had been scorched by fire, instantly bouncing off the floor.

“Senior Brother!”

Lin Chengyou carried a quiver on his back, and there seemed to be beads of sweat at his temples.

After entering, he glanced at Teng Yuyi and casually tossed an item onto the side table.

Teng Yuyi peeked over—it was a tiny package, though its contents were unknown.

The Taoists asked in surprise, “Shizi, where did you go? How do you look like you just engaged in a fight with someone?”

Lin Chengyou replied, “I was just about to tell you guys regarding Qingzhi—”

He suddenly turned toward Teng Yuyi and smiled teasingly, “Young Master Wang, it’s getting late. It’s inconvenient for me to keep you here, so please head back.”

Teng Yuyi was just wondering why Lin Chengyou took the initiative to bring up Qingzhi, but the moment she saw his playful, teasing gaze, she understood. He had overheard her remarks outside and knew she was curious about the matter. He intentionally brought it up only to cut it short—issuing an eviction order so that even if her curiosity clawed at her heart like a hundred claws, she would still have to leave.

Qizhi said awkwardly, “Senior Brother, night has already fallen. The Corpse Demon could barge in to cause trouble at any time. It might be unsafe for Young Master Wang to stay in her room alone. Should we accompany her back? But… we still want to spend more time with you, Senior Brother.”

“You two must stay,” Lin Chengyou said.

“Starting tonight, learn the rules properly from me, lest you get egged on by a few words from others and forget you are disciples of Qingyun Temple!”

Though he spoke with a beaming smile, his eyes were deep and cold, as if frosted over with a layer of chill.

Juesheng shrank his neck in fear and hurriedly gestured for Qizhi to stop talking.

Couldn’t he see Senior Brother was still fuming? He picked a bone with Lady Teng the second he walked in. Right now, they were like clay Buddhas crossing a river—unable even to protect themselves. At worst, Lady Teng still had the Xuanyin Bell given by Senior Brother; if the Corpse Demon really showed up, as long as she shook the bell, Senior Brother could rush right over.

Yet Teng Yuyi not only stayed put, but actually sat down with a radiant smile.

“Shizi, I came because I have an important matter to report. It wasn’t easy waiting for you to show your face, yet I didn’t expect you to chase me away the moment you arrived. It doesn’t matter if I leave, but this concerns how to eliminate the Corpse Demon. If I don’t speak of it, I fear it may delay critical matters.”

Lin Chengyou feigned surprise and said, “I didn’t know Young Master Wang knew how to vanquish evil spirits. If you truly have a brilliant method to deal with the Corpse Demon, you can protect yourself. Why would you need the protection of Qingyun Temple and Dongming Temple?”

“I only learned of this method this afternoon. If applied cleverness according to the method, perhaps we really can eliminate the Corpse Demon smoothly.”

Lin Chengyou didn’t believe a single word.

The Corpse Demon was the king among evil spirits; how many senior masters of profound Taoist arts had been rendered helpless against it? Teng Yuyi had been trapped in the Caifeng. these past few days—where could she possibly go to inquire about a clever trick? This woman was full of cunning schemes; if one wasn’t careful, they’d fall into her trap. Just this afternoon, in order to protect her own maid, she incited Juesheng and Qizhi to clash with him—she was practically top-tier at fanning the flames. Now showing up uninvited to offer pleasantries, who knew what she was plotting again?

On any ordinary day, he would have plenty of time to deal with her. But right now, he was exhausted and starving, completely devoid of inclination.

So she refused to leave, did she? He had plenty of ways to handle her.

He turned and walked toward the other side, unbuckling the quiver from his back as he walked.

Teng Yuyi originally waited for Lin Chengyou to ask further, but as she watched, she noticed something amiss. In the side hall lay a thick mat, looking like a place to sleep at night. Over the past two days, in order to make catching monsters convenient, Lin Chengyou had likely been sleeping on the mat inside the Buddhist hall.

Lin Chengyou walked over to the mat and collapsed onto it lazily.

“I’m exhausted from these past few days, and there’s bound to be a lot of commotion tonight. I’ll just catch some rest first.”

The Taoists were taken aback.

Teng Yuyi’s face flushed red, and she stood up abruptly.

Lin Chengyou smiled in a rogue, wicked manner.

Turning over, he sat up and made a motion as if to take off his boots.

“Don’t go, Young Master Wang. Isn’t it just taking the trouble to observe my sleeping posture? I don’t mind in the slightest—I’m only worried that if word gets out, it might be bad for your reputation, Young Master Wang.”

Teng Yuyi secretly gnashed her teeth. Turning her back on Lin Chengyou, she strode outside with brisk steps.

“Back then, this method successfully subdued the Corpse King of the Nanzhao Kingdom. Unrelated to Taoist arts, it takes an alternative approach. It’s a pity the Shizi does not wish to hear it, so why should I say more? Very well, I shall take my leave.”

Lin Chengyou hadn’t actually intended to undress; he was merely putting on a show to frighten Teng Yuyi. Hearing her mention the Corpse King of Nanzhao, his movements paused. Could she really know some good method?

He hastily smiled and said, “Young Master Wang, don’t forget—if the Corpse Demon isn’t caught in the net, the very first person to suffer will be you.”

Teng Yuyi burst into laughter as well, yet her feet did not pause for a second.

“Even if I die, won’t the Shizi still have to deal with the Corpse Demon anyway? You clearly have a ready and brilliant method, yet you choose not to listen. At any rate, you all possess vast supernatural powers and likely don’t expect others to offer counsel. At worst, you’ll just have to toss and turn a few more times—eventually, there will come a day when you manage to subdue the two monsters.”

Lin Chengyou cleared his throat, using his eyes to signal Juesheng and Qizhi to block Teng Yuyi.

Juesheng and Qizhi steeled themselves and chased after her.

“Young Master Wang, please wait!”

Teng Yuyi stepped around the two and walked toward the outside.

“There is no need to stay. Your Senior Brother offended me first. Unless he apologizes to me, I won’t say a single word.”

Juesheng and Qizhi hurriedly surrounded her once more, but unfortunately, Teng Yuyi was set on leaving.

Hearing the commotion, Uncle Cheng stepped inside to stand in front of Juesheng and Qizhi.

Amiable and serene, he said, “Revered Masters, please make way.”

Juesheng and Qizhi were momentarily stunned. Uncle Cheng was a loyal servant of the Teng Manor; though humble and easygoing on the surface, he was actually resolute and resourceful. If they forcefully blocked Lady Teng from leaving, it would inevitably sour their relations.

At their wit’s end, the two turned to Lin Chengyou with eyes pleading for help.

The Taoist masters, usually eloquent and articulate, remained cunningly silent at this moment. Lin Chengyou was the one who had offended her, so shouldn’t he be the one to smooth things over himself?

Lin Chengyou had already risen to his feet. Smiling, he sauntered closer to Teng Yuyi.

“Young Master Wang, have you dined yet?”

Teng Yuyi arched a delicate eyebrow. Given Lin Chengyou’s proud and arrogant nature, asking him to bow his head and admit fault was likely harder than scaling the heavens. Suddenly bringing this up was merely his attempt to lightly brush over the incident just now.

She said coolly, “Your Excellency reminds me—I am just about to return to my room for a meal.”

With that, she took another step forward.

“What a coincidence, I’m hungry too.”

Lin Chengyou was extraordinarily thick-skinned; smiling, he stepped in front of Teng Yuyi to block her way.

“Fearing the two monsters might break in tonight, I ordered Boss He to prepare a whole table of fine food and wine. If Young Master Wang would grace us with your presence and stay for dinner, I will have them bring over some of that Dragon-Grease Wine you love to drink.”

Teng Yuyi’s eyes flickered slightly. Lin Chengyou certainly knew when to bend and when to yield. He was likely confident that she would be tempted, actually using Dragon-Grease Wine to make peace with her. This wine was exceedingly extravagant and precious; no matter how willing one was to spend money on alcohol, it couldn’t be drunk every day. She admitted she was tempted—besides, she hadn’t truly intended to leave in the first place.

Thus, assuming a reluctantly obliged demeanor, she asked, “How many jugs?”

Lin Chengyou gazed intently at Teng Yuyi. This woman had a pair of dark, glossy, and lively eyes—a bad idea sprouted every time they rolled. He had long anticipated that she would push her luck, and sure enough, here it came. She was banking on his desire to know that method, which was why she was completely fearless.

In former days, would anyone have dared to threaten him like this? Before that person could even begin to scheme against him, he would have made them suffer immensely long ago. Unfortunately, the Corpse Demon was far too cunning, and he didn’t want to miss a single opportunity to deal with that creature. Besides, he had indeed behaved somewhat lightheartedly toward her just now. With a temperament like hers, she naturally wouldn’t let the matter slide easily. What was a few jugs of wine anyway? As long as he could glean useful clues, she could drink as much as she liked.

“Since I am the host, Young Master Wang may drink as many jugs of wine as you wish.”

Teng Yuyi broke into a radiant smile.

“Since the Shizi is so generous, it would be improper for this Wang to decline. Uncle Cheng, such hospitality from the Shizi is rare. Go fetch Huo Qiu over—tonight, we master and servants shall dine right here.”

Juesheng and Qizhi were overjoyed beyond measure. One beamingly went to the front tower to instruct the kitchen staff to prepare the meal, while the other busied himself wiping down the seating mats.

Lin Chengyou pulled Qizhi back and handed him the package that he had placed on the side table earlier.

“Have the kitchen boil this into a soup and bring it over. Keep an eye on it from the side.”

Seeing Heaven and the others craned their necks to take a look, their faces instantly draining of color in astonishment: “Fire-Jade Spirit Root!”

Teng Yuyi was puzzled. What was a Fire-Jade Spirit Root?

A swarm of Taoists crowded around Lin Chengyou, marveling and clicking their tongues as they looked.

“It really is the Fire-Jade Spirit Root! ‘Irrigate the spirit root with clear water from the Jade Pool’—we’ve only ever seen this name in the Scripture of the Wenqing Jade Powder. Seeing it with our own eyes for the first time! They say this thing was brought from the Kingdom of Poluo by Venerable Yanming back in the day and planted using Taoist methods. Passing through heat and cold, it takes decades to yield just a single plant. Drinking it not only wards off illnesses and prolongs life, but also possesses the power to guard against evil spirits.”

Jian Tian excitedly waved at Teng Yuyi.

“Young Master Wang, come quickly! I know you hail from a prominent family and have always possessed extraordinary knowledge, but this old Taoist dares to bet that you have definitely never seen this before.”

Teng Yuyi walked over and examined it closely. She saw Lin Chengyou holding a large, mushroom-cap-shaped object in the palm of his hand. At first glance, it resembled a Lingzhi mushroom, but this object was divided into two distinct colors: the cap on top was as red as fiery flame, whereas the root and stem beneath were crystal-clear, icy, and lustrous.

One red and one white, they complemented each other in brilliant contrast, like two distinct realms of ice and fire.

Juesheng and Qizhi remarked, “So Senior Brother went to retrieve this just now! After consuming this item, will it be easier to deal with the Corpse Demon?”

Lin Chengyou said, “It’s not that miraculous, but it does have some protective efficacy. Once this soup is consumed, the heart vessel will be guarded by the medicinal energy; even if one is injured by evil spirits, one can fortunately survive. Regrettably, the medicinal properties are very brief, lasting at most three days.”

“Three days is plenty!” The Taoists were in high spirits, not caring about anything else.

“Over the years, who knows how many people have sought the Fire-Jade Spirit Root? Unfortunately, half of that scripture was lost to history. People neither knew where it was planted nor how to consume it. Finding out today, it turns out it’s meant to be boiled into a soup to drink! Shizi, where on earth did you get such a rare treasure?”

Having said that, they felt the question was redundant. Where could such a precious herb be found on the outside? It was surely obtained from the imperial palace. Besides, with Lin Chengyou’s bold, sky-reaching nature, as long as he had the mind to search for it—be it things flying in the sky, running on the ground, immortal herbs deep in the mountains, or red dragons beneath the waters—there was nothing he couldn’t lay his hands on.

Lin Chengyou said, “The two monsters have been lurking in concealment for two whole days with no movement inside or outside the city. This matter is far too unusual. Calculating the day their array breaks, they will come looking for trouble within these two days at the latest. To ensure absolute certainty, I specially sent someone to retrieve this item. Qizhi, take it to the kitchen.”

The Taoists were delighted beyond expectation.

“Wonderful, wonderful! Who would have thought that in our lifetime we’d get to drink soup brewed from the Fire-Jade Spirit Root!”

Qizhi respectfully and carefully carried the Fire-Jade Spirit Root away. Everyone busied themselves clearing out the small Buddhist hall together, and before long, a large area in the middle was cleared. However, the kitchen was quite slow; by the time the servant girls finished laying out the bowls and chopsticks and departed, the meal had still not arrived.

Everyone sat around the side table without distinguishing between high and low status. Uncle Cheng and Huo Qiu repeatedly declined, but the Five Taoists insisted on pulling them down to sit together. Seeing that neither Lin Chengyou nor Teng Yuyi had any objections, they had no choice but to take the lowest seats.

As a result, the inside of the hall became extraordinarily lively. The doors and windows were wide open, and with a slight raise of the eyes, one could see the garden under the night sky. With a gentle breeze fluttering by and the hazy full moon hanging above, it was a scene of pure delight and relaxation.

Jian le took a blissful sip of his Dragon-Grease Wine.

“Young Master Wang, what is that method for dealing with the Corpse Demon you mentioned earlier? This old Taoist feels as if a cat is scratching at his heart. Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us quickly!”

Teng Yuyi smiled and said, “Back then, when the Corpse King of Nanzhao Kingdom brought disaster upon the realm, the ones who subdued it were not monks or Taoists, but soldiers in the military camp. This method has nothing to do with Taoist arts and sounds quite ordinary.”

“An ordinary method that has nothing to do with Taoist arts?” Lin Chengyou spoke with a teasing tone.

“Don’t tell me Young Master Wang is going to say they pulled out a pair of its fangs.”

Teng Yuyi smiled faintly.

“Precisely so. The Corpse King specifically raided military camps, slaughtering dozens of soldiers every night. Later, following a strategy offered by a sorcerer, the general had his men procure two extremely sharp, lethal strings, fashioning hooks at the tips. They hooked one over each of the Corpse Evil’s fangs, and with the soldiers pulling in unison with all their strength, they yanked out the pair of fangs.”

Lin Chengyou’s expression turned odd, and the Taoists were similarly rendered speechless with surprise.

Teng Yuyi swept her gaze from left to right across the circle, a feeling of doubt rising in her heart: “Is there something wrong with what I said?”

Lin Chengyou sneered.

“Young Master Wang, where did you hear such a tale?”

Teng Yuyi blinked. Uncle Cheng was always prudent and composed; he would never lie about such a matter. But why did Lin Chengyou and the others look so strange?

“In response to the Shizi,” Uncle Cheng took the initiative to stand up and bow with hands clasped.

“These words were told to the Young Master by this humble servant. Years ago, I had an old friend named Tan Xun, who had once been stationed with the army in Nanzhao Kingdom for a time. The rumor of the Corpse King was what he told me after returning to Chang’an. According to Tan Xun, after its fangs were yanked out, the Corpse King instantly melted into a puddle of foul pus, and no corpse monster ever caused havoc after that. He spoke with absolute certainty, claiming to have witnessed it with his own eyes. However, I did not inquire in detail. Ten years have passed since then, and only today, hearing the revered Masters speak of the Corpse Demon’s fangs, did I recall this matter.”

Lin Chengyou exchanged a glance with the Taoists, and an unusual silence fell over the banquet.

Teng Yuyi asked suspiciously, “Is something amiss?”

Lin Chengyou let out a cold laugh.

“This story makes no sense.”

Uncle Cheng’s expression shifted slightly.

“Shizi, every word of this humble servant is the absolute truth—”

Lin Chengyou said solemnly, “Steward Cheng, I am not suspecting you of telling lies. However, whether it is a Corpse Demon or a Corpse King, its fangs are its vital, fatal weakness. Once extracted, it will indeed melt into a puddle of foul pus as you said. Yet, to protect themselves, they cultivate their pair of fangs to be as indestructible as solid rock. Fire, sword strikes, summoned lightning, or rope saws—none can damage them in the slightest. Past predecessors have even tried using refined iron made into thin cords to pull out the fangs, only to end in complete and utter failure. Thus, when that Tan Xun said it could be done with two zither strings, it is truly hard for anyone to believe. Setting aside the fact that no one has ever succeeded with this method to this day, zither strings are inherently prone to snapping and breaking—how could they possibly pull such an exceptionally hard object?”

Teng Yuyi’s heart thumped wildly. She suddenly recalled the fine thread held by that mysterious person who had killed her in her past life. It looked extremely thin, yet it could slice through skin and sever bone. The only difference was that one was a fine thread, while the other was a zither string.

“I think that guy named Tan was just spouting nonsense,” Jian Le said discontentedly.

“A Corpse King’s magical prowess is far inferior to that of a Corpse Demon. Perhaps the Nanzhao people used some other method to subdue it, but the locals distorted the story as it spread, resulting in such absurd, unfounded talk.”

“Whether it’s absurd nonsense or not, won’t we know once we find this Tan Xun?” Lin Chengyou looked at Uncle Cheng.

“Steward Cheng, is this person currently in Chang’an?”

Uncle Cheng said composedly, “This humble servant does not know. I heard that four years ago, Tan Xun retired from his post due to a waist injury and stayed at home, living in Ande Quarter in the south of the city. But I haven’t been in contact with him for a long time, so I don’t know his current situation.”

“I’ll send someone to inquire. If he is still in Chang’an, we’ll have news within two days.”

Lin Chengyou flicked a glance at Teng Yuyi. Ever since a moment ago, she had been acting strange—her face was pale as ashes, clearly burdened by something on her mind.

“Young Master Wang?”

Teng Yuyi concealed her face with her sleeve, took a sip of wine, and smiled as she said, “I think I understand now. The most nonsensical part of this story is that pair of zither strings. But what if there truly exists such an extraordinarily sharp weapon in this world? Even if it were as fine as a strand of rain, it could still slice through skin and sever bone; if twisted into a single strand, its toughness could rival divine artifacts. Why not investigate the origins of these so-called ‘zither strings’? If found to be true, why worry about having no way to deal with the Corpse Demon?”

Juesheng was momentarily dazed, suddenly recalling that on that night, Teng Yuyi had shown them a drawing—upon which was drawn a thread as fine as a strand of rain.

Could this “thread” have some connection to the “zither strings” used against the Corpse King in Nanzhao Kingdom?

“As fine as a strand of rain? And able to slice through skin and sever bone?” Lin Chengyou furrowed his brows.

“How come I don’t know about such a fine object? Where did Young Master Wang hear about this?”

Teng Yuyi felt a faint pang of disappointment.

To think that even Lin Chengyou had never seen such a hidden weapon! This matter was far too unusual. Could it be that she had misseen things that night? Had she mistakenly thought it was a hidden weapon, when in truth it was merely an ordinary thread that became a lethal weapon only because of the killer’s profound martial arts cultivation?

“I know nothing about weapons,” she replied after a moment’s thought.

“I merely heard travellers on a nearby boat speak of it by chance when I came to Chang’an a while ago. As you know, when winds block the ships and delay navigation, chivalrous warriors and scholars often drink and chat casually on the decks. Along the way back to the capital, stopping and going, I happened to hear quite a few strange tales from overseas.”

Jian Tianasked, “You’ve spoken so much that even this old Taoist is curious! Does such a weapon really exist in this world? Why has it never been seen in the markets of Chang’an?”

Lin Chengyou stroked the rim of his wine cup. The story of using zither strings to yank out fangs in the Nanzhao military camp might be false, but it was true that the Corpse King never caused trouble again after that. If they didn’t use this method, how exactly was the Corpse King subdued? Even if this story was eighty percent false, at least two percent of it was true. Should he send someone tonight to investigate this Tan Xun?

Just at this moment, someone poked their head in from outside.

“Shizi, someone from outside has delivered a letter! The person is at the front tower, saying they must deliver the letter to you in person.”

Lin Chengyou thereupon rose to his feet.

“Please drink slowly, everyone. Pray excuse me for a short while.”

Not long after Lin Chengyou left, Qizhi happily led a group of servant girls over to serve the delicacies and food.

“Sorry to keep you seniors waiting for so long!”

As the colorful dishes were presented, the atmosphere in the small Buddhist hall instantly became cheerful and lively.

Before being put into the pot, the Fire-Jade Spirit Root had possessed an eerie and enchanting appearance, but after being boiled into a soup, it tasted peculiar. Juesheng and Qizhi ladled and distributed the soup for everyone, bustling back and forth around the table in high spirits.

Everyone at the banquet received a bowl, and Teng Yuyi was no exception. She stared at the soup in her hand—its colors had completely faded, looking just like clumps of fluffy, fibrous white cotton.

Juesheng and Qizhi carefully covered Lin Chengyou’s bowl with a lid, sat down, and drank their own soup in one gulp. Looking up and seeing Teng Yuyi hesitating to drink, they hurriedly urged, “Young Master Wang, drink up quickly! This kind of spirit-herb soup has the best medicinal efficacy when drunk while hot.”

Teng Yuyi nodded, endured the sensation, and took a sip. Fortunately, although the soup had a slightly strange taste, it wasn’t overpoweringly harsh. She was just about to drink the rest in one go when Lin Chengyou returned holding a letter. Entering and seeing Teng Yuyi cupping the soup bowl to her lips, his expression shifted slightly.

“Wait—”

However, he was a step too late. Teng Yuyi had already downed all the remaining soup in an instant.

Finishing it, she met Lin Chengyou’s strange gaze and asked in wonder, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Chengyou quickly restored his usual composure, walked back to his seat, and cast a meaningful glance at Juesheng and Qizhi.

Juesheng and Qizhi uncovered Lin Chengyou’s bowl.

“Senior Brother, drink the soup quickly! It’ll get cold if you wait any longer.”

Lin Chengyou thought for a moment without speaking, took the soup bowl, and drank it in a single gulp.

Teng Yuyi had always suffered from the ailment of cold hands and feet, but after drinking it, she felt her entire chest cavity burning up. Both of her feet felt as though they were soaked in a hot spring, and a warm current rose up slowly from the soles of her feet. Shortly afterward, even her back began to break into a sweat, and her whole body felt warmly comfortable, as if sitting in front of a furnace.

She gently wiped away a bead of sweat; the medicinal potency of this item was indeed formidable.

Uncle Cheng and Huo Qiu set down their chopsticks uneasily.

“Young Master, why is your face so red?”

The two of them looked completely normal, showing no signs of sweating at all. Teng Yuyi asked in confusion, “Don’t you feel hot?”

“Hot?” Jian Xian was busy picking food into his bowl with his chopsticks.

“After drinking the soup and eating the food, it does feel a bit hot. Huh? Young Master Wang, why is your forehead covered in beads of sweat?”

Although everyone else had glowing, flushed complexions, they were not dripping with sweat like Teng Yuyi. Teng Yuyi looked around, and accidentally caught Lin Chengyou’s strange gaze, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Lin Chengyou acted as if nothing was wrong.

“The Fire-Jade Spirit Root is a powerful tonic. Young Master Wang does not possess internal energy like the rest of us, so taking it in directly makes it a bit hard to digest at first. It will be fine once it is absorbed over a few days.”

“Yes, yes, yes! Years ago, when this old Taoist first consumed qi-nourishing tonics, I also broke out in a hot sweat all over just like Young Master Wang.”

Juesheng and Qizhi nodded vigorously.

“Young Master Wang doesn’t need to worry—this is a good thing! Master also said before that the Fire-Jade Spirit Root has endless miraculous uses. If you have any old ailments, perhaps it can even eradicate the root of the disease entirely!”

Hearing this, Uncle Cheng felt a mixture of joy and worry. Ever since the Young Lady fell into the water last time, he was always worried she might be left with some lingering health problem. Drinking this spirit-herb soup might just cure her completely! He scrutinized Teng Yuyi’s expression and asked nervously, “Young Lady—er, Young Master, do you feel any better?”

Teng Yuyi quietly monitored her body for a moment, sensing no other discomfort, and smiled as she said, “I’ve made a fool of myself before everyone. I reckon I’ll be fine once I sweat it out.”

At this moment, another temple helper arrived, peeking his head in from outside the hall.

“Shizi, this humble servant has an urgent matter to report.”

Lin Chengyou beckoned to the man.

This helper was named Ah Yan, usually responsible for receiving and seeing off guests in front of the building.

Big and burly, he ran over at a trot.

“Lady Gejin and Juan Erli have gotten into a fight! Juan’erli smashed a jade pendant belonging to Lady Gejin. Furious, Lady Gejin hurled many harsh words at Juan Erli. Juan Erli was frightened out of her wits and apologized repeatedly, but Lady Gejin refuses to let it go, insisting that Juan’erli move out of her bedroom immediately! The two are bickering incessantly, disturbing everyone in the building. Aunt E, Aunt Wo, and the host went over to mediate for a long time to no avail, so they had no choice but to send this humble servant over to ask the Shizi: Such noisy bickering is unacceptable—can the two of them be separated into two different rooms?”

The people at the banquet were stunned. Juan Erli had originally lived in another courtyard with the younger performers; it was only because she was targeted by the Corpse Demon that Lin Chengyou temporarily arranged for her to move in with Gejin, while Teng Yuyi lived in the room directly opposite them—so that if the Corpse Demon caused trouble, it would be convenient to watch over them.

Ah Yan was quite adept at reading the room and possessed decent eloquence. With a somewhat sheepish expression, he said, “The host said that such trivial matters shouldn’t bother the Shizi, but the Shizi once stated that Juan erli and Lady Gejin cannot move their residences at will. That’s why the host specifically sent this humble servant to ask for the Shizi’s instructions.”

Lin Chengyou agreed readily and without hesitation.

“Since they’ve already gotten into a fight, let the two of them be separated. However, that Juan Erli cannot be moved too far away. Find another lodging for her along the same corridor, no more than two rooms apart, so that it remains convenient to watch over her. Once she is settled, come back and inform Juesheng and Qizhi; they will naturally go to her room door to draw new talismans.”

Ah Yan bowed his waist as he listened.

“I’ve made the Shizi see a ridiculous sight. Ever since Lady Gejin was disfigured, she has been like a completely different person. In the past, everyone adored her, but now she is practically like a madwoman. Though one can’t really blame her…”

Suddenly shivering as a thought struck him, he offered a flattering smile.

“This humble servant is being too big-mouthed. The Shizi must have heard all these things already.”

Lin Chengyou uttered an “Aih”.

“I happen to like big-mouthed people like you. Hearing a bit more fresh news wouldn’t hurt either. Just speak freely; say whatever comes to mind. If you speak well, there will be a reward.”

Ah Yan’s spirits were lifted, and he rubbed his hands together joyfully.

Raking his brains in thought for a while, he said with a bitter face.

“This humble servant has a flaw—the more I want to speak, the less I can squeeze out. How about the Shizi ask this humble servant a few questions?”

Jian Le said with a grin.

“Then this poor Taoist won’t stand on ceremony! So the renowned courtesans in your building are also divided into ranks and tiers. Since Gejin came to your Caifeng Tower not long ago, who was the most influential lady before her?”

“In reply to the Taoist Master: before Lady Gejin arrived, Weizi and Yaohuang were the most influential. Once Lady Gejin arrived, those two were outshone and pushed aside. Hearing what the host meant, if nothing had gone wrong with Lady Gejin, she would have secured the title of the Top Courtesan (Huakui) this month. By that time, from wine money alone, Gejin could take a cut of two thousand, not to mention other tips and rewards. Continuing at this momentum, Lady Gejin would have been able to redeem her own freedom within a few years. Who could have known it would all blow up in smoke in an instant?”

The Five Taoists asked, “Weizi? Yaohuang? Are those the two who fell ill? I remember today when the Shizi summoned the ladies of the building to soak in the bath tubs, those two claimed illness and stayed in their rooms, agreeing to come out only after being summoned by the Shizi.”

“Precisely those two! Lady Weizi is skilled in dance and poetry; she was already famous long before the Caifeng Tower even opened. Though she is plump compared to the other ladies, she dances with extraordinary agility, especially excelling at the Sogdian Whirling Dance (Huxuan Dance). Even if you give her the smallest wooden ball, she can spin atop it as fast as flying.

“As for Lady Yaohuang, that goes without saying even more—her looks and talents are outstanding in every way. When she sings, her tunes are as delightful to hear as an oriole in the trees. Besides, she has another unique talent: she can imitate monkey cries and bird calls. According to her own words, she learned vocal mimicry from an eccentric master when she was young, so whatever she imitates sounds exact. I remember during the first few months after the Caifeng Tower opened, the generals and young noble masters all came specifically for the two of them.”

Jian Tian said, “When did the two of them fall ill?”

“Lady Weizi has been sick for quite a few days, whereas Lady Yaohuang was frightened this morning after Qingzhi threw herself into the well.”

The Five Taoists exchanged subtle expressions—falling sick at such an opportune time! Jian Xi asked again, “Were they on good terms with Lady Gejin?”

Ah Yan gave an embarrassed smile.

“This humble servant is usually only responsible for receiving and seeing off guests at the front door and rarely gets to see the ladies inside the building. Those renowned courtesans are even more like celestial beings; it is already not easy for this humble servant to catch a glimpse of them occasionally. As for how their friendship was among themselves, this humble servant cannot say a single word about it.”

Yet Jian Tian was relentless.

“Lady Gejin’s disfigurement was a major event; during those few days, your Caifeng Tower must have been turned upside down! Where were Weizi and Yaohuang that night? Did no one suspect them?”

Ah Yan was left slack-jawed and dumbfounded, “Wasn’t it said that she was clawed and ruined by a fierce ghost? The building has been haunted for quite a few days, and quite a few people have seen that female ghost.”

“Your host believed this line of talk as well? Having a fine Top Courtesan disfigured—if he didn’t feel heartache for the person, he should at least feel heartache for the money! After the incident occurred, didn’t he think about interrogating them one by one?”

“He asked! On that night, Weizi was accompanying Vice Minister Lin of the Ministry of Revenue at a poetry gathering, while Yaohuang went with Young Master Wei, the eldest son of Count Ning’an, to the Qujiang River to appreciate the lantern festival. There were quite a few people in their entourage, making merry all night long, returning only the next day.”

Lin Chengyou unhurriedly opened his mouth.

The Five Taoists were stunned.

“So the Shizi has investigated all of this already!”

Ah Yan gave a bitter smile.

“In truth, our host also inquired one by one. The coincidence was that those renowned courtesans were either accompanying guests in the front tower or going out with guests—not a single one had suspicion on them! Coupled with the fact that the ghost haunting in the building was real, the host only then believed that Gejin was harmed by a fierce ghost.”

Teng Yuyi sat upright for a while, feeling increasingly hot and restless inside her body. She intended to listen carefully to what this helper was saying, but layer after layer of sweat kept breaking out uncontrollably. To distract herself, she couldn’t help but say.

“At noon, while I was drinking tea in the front tower, I faintly heard people say that Qingzhi’s purse had become quite generous recently. There are only so many people in the Caifeng Tower; since you aren’t familiar with the courtesans in the building, you ought to have some acquaintance with Qingzhi. Do you know where her money came from?”

Ah Yan said in surprise.

“Qingzhi’s purse became generous? No wonder that little wench hasn’t come to mooch wine off us recently! Young Master doesn’t know—this maid Qingzhi was sometimes silly and simple-minded, and sometimes shrewd and clever. Her biggest flaw was greed for food. Whenever she encountered wine and food, she would trick if she could, or snatch if she could! Serving at Lady Gejin’s side, she originally had a very glorious time; but after Lady Gejin was disfigured, the situation for her subordinates plummeted along with her. Qingzhi didn’t dare go to the kitchen to steal things, so she could only go to various rooms to mooch food and drinks. She couldn’t be chased away no matter what, and everyone was annoyed upon seeing her. Now that Young Master mentions it, this humble servant recalls that she really seemed a bit unusual these past few days—her face was smiling like a flower, looking just like someone who had picked up a treasure!”

Teng Yuyi looked at Lin Chengyou, finding it strange that his face was as serene as calm jade, seemingly not feeling the least bit surprised.

“Recently, strange evils have been causing trouble, and everyone in the building feels insecure. Why was she so happy? Did someone come looking for her? Did she make any new acquaintances recently?”

“There shouldn’t be any,” Ah Yan thought carefully for a moment.

“After Lady Gejin was disfigured, she couldn’t be without someone at her side. At first, Qingzhi was still hoping that Lady Gejin could recover her appearance, so she served with utmost diligence. During those first few days, it wasn’t easy for her even to get a full night’s sleep, so where would she get the chance to make new friends? Not long after, the business with the strange evil occurred, and the Caifeng Tower was sealed off; people inside had no chance to go out, and Qingzhi was no exception. Furthermore, this humble servant stays at the entrance all day receiving and seeing off guests, and I’ve never heard of anyone coming to find Qingzhi.”

“These words aren’t fresh enough,” Lin Chengyou toyed with his wine cup.

“Is there anything else? Why don’t you think carefully again? Otherwise, even if I want to give away this wine money, I won’t be able to.”

Ah Yan racked his brain in thought for a long while, then said delightfully.

“Got it! Qingzhi always used to say that she had an older sister. Years ago, the sisters were separated and there had been no news of her since. All the money Qingzhi saved on ordinary days was used to ask people to inquire about her sister’s whereabouts. When Madam Wo heard this, she would always scold Qingzhi for being foolish and mad, saying Qingzhi didn’t have an older sister at all—her family only had a younger sister, and that younger sister had died long ago when she was sold off back then. Now after so many years, where could she magically pull out an older sister from?”

Lin Chengyou seemed very interested in these words.

After a moment of silence, he said, “Is there any more?”

Ah Yan’s scalp tightened; he wished he could scrape out everything inside his guts.

“Let this humble servant think carefully, think carefully…”

Lin Chengyou reminded him, “Has Qingzhi said any strange words recently?”

Ah Yan stared blankly into midair in thought for a long time.

“Got it! I remember one time when everyone in the building was talking about the ghost haunting together, and everyone was terrified. Qingzhi suddenly said without rhyme or reason: She was from the same hometown as that beautiful concubine who was forced to death by the previous shopkeeper’s wife! We were all startled and asked her tremblingly: ‘We’ve only heard of curry-favoring noble people, never heard of claiming relations with a dead ghost! When that beautiful concubine jumped into the well, the Caifeng Tower hadn’t even opened yet. Where did you ever see that beautiful concubine, Qingzhi? And how did you learn that you and that beautiful concubine were from the same hometown? Qingzhi, you’ve been sold for so many years—do you even remember where you came from?’

“Everyone asked her a whole string of questions, but Qingzhi just skipped down the steps triumphantly and ran off. Who knows what she was feeling so proud about—knowing a dead ghost as if she had picked up a treasure!”

Lin Chengyou, who had originally been sitting in a casual and indolent manner, darkened his face upon hearing this.

“Hometown? She said she was from the same hometown as the former shop owner’s concubine?”

“That’s right! But that girl Qingzhi loved to boast, so hardly anyone believed her words in the first place. Maybe seeing everyone scared of ghosts, she deliberately said such words to frighten people. Everyone wasn’t willing to give her face, so nobody pursued the matter carefully afterward.”

Lin Chengyou’s gaze turned sharp as lightning.

“Think carefully again: after that, did Qingzhi ever say any similar words?”

Ah Yan was taken aback.

Every time he saw this Shizi, he was always smiling and talking at ease, displaying a dashing and untamed demeanor. Being so harsh and stern all of a sudden made one feel inexplicably flustered and alarmed.

Holding his head, he pondered deeply and hard; however, the more anxious he got, the less he could recall.

Finally shaking his head, he gave a forced smile and was just about to speak when someone outside called again.

“Ah Yan, what are you dawdling for? The host is calling for you!”

Ah Yan hurriedly responded.

“Coming!”

Then he gave a dry, hollow laugh.

“Shizi—”

Lin Chengyou drew a string of cash from his sleeve and threw it to Ah Yan.

“After leaving tonight, there’s no need to mention these words to others. If you recall anything else, come find me immediately regardless of the hour.”

Ah Yan departed happily, and only then did Lin Chengyou unseal and open the letter by his hand.

Juesheng and Qizhi asked softly, “Senior Brother, is it a letter from Luoyang? Have you found out the background details of that Luoyang Taoist Master?”

Lin Chengyou did not answer. He finished reading the letter quickly, his gaze fixing rigidly for a moment. Then he turned his head toward the precious statue of the Lotus Pure Child behind the incense table, rose to his feet, and began pacing around the statue.

Jian Xi and the others, their thoughts still lingering on Ah Yan’s words, engaged in conversation among themselves.

“After listening for so long, why do I feel there’s something wrong with this Qingzhi? Could it be that Lady Gejin’s face was disfigured by her?”

Jian Tian slurped down the wild-rice soup in his bowl in one go and said without even lifting his head.

“Dunderhead! It could be anyone, but it couldn’t possibly be Qingzhi. Don’t forget that Qingzhi was Lady Gejin’s personal maid. When that fierce ghost clawed and injured Gejin, she cursed so loudly. If it were truly Qingzhi’s voice, Lady Gejin would have recognized it long ago.”

“That’s true too,” Juesheng scratched his head.

“Then could it be Lady Weizi or Lady Yaohuang? After all, they were originally supposed to become the Top Courtesan (Huakui), and it was Lady Gejin’s arrival that ruined things for them.”

Jian Mei chuckled.

“Didn’t your Senior Brother already say it? The two of them weren’t even in the building that night. Besides, Vice Minister Lin and Young Master Wei can separately testify to this.”

“That’s far too much of a coincidence! Could it be that to absolve themselves of guilt, the two begged Vice Minister Lin and Young Master Wei to help them cover up the lie? Beauties are like rare flowers—hard to encounter and impossible to demand. Weren’t they getting along like house on fire? Perhaps after Weizi and Yaohuang wept a few tears, Vice Minister Lin and Young Master Wei softened their hearts.”

By this time, Teng Yuyi had already drunk quite a lot of cool sugarcane juice, yet the heat in her body showed no sign of abating. Hearing them talk more and more outrageously, she couldn’t help but say, “Don’t forget that Lady Weizi was attending a poetry gathering. Such occasions are usually crowded with guests. Whether Weizi was present at the banquet that night can be verified with a simple inquiry. Even if Vice Minister Lin wanted to cover up for someone, he wouldn’t tell such a clumsy lie. As for Lady Yaohuang, she went to the Qujiang River to appreciate the lantern festival—this is not only attested by Young Master Wei, but also by a whole crowd of accompanying entourage.”

Jian Tian let out a full burp.

“Young Master Wang is right. I advise you two to keep your mouths shut. Whatever you two can think of, the Shizi and those officials in the Court of Judicial Review should have investigated long ago.”

Jian Le said in alarm, “Right! Qingzhi kept saying she had a sister, and that helper just said Qingzhi mentioned she was from the same hometown as the previous shop owner’s beautiful concubine. Could that beautiful concubine be her sister?”

Teng Yuyi raised her head to the sky with a long sigh, while Qizhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Qingzhi has been thinking about her sister all these years. If she suddenly learned her sister was dead—and died in such an aggrieved way—she wouldn’t even have enough time to weep! How could she be ‘triumphant and proud’?”

Jian Le gestured disheartenedly with his hand.

“No more guessing, no more guessing! We were originally very clever, but we became muddled after drinking wine. Besides, we aren’t judicial officers, so it’s not strange if we can’t guess right.”

Teng Yuyi flicked a glance at Lin Chengyou. When she mentioned that Qingzhi had a sister, Lin Chengyou hadn’t even turned his head back.

Yet he clearly harbored an intense interest in Qingzhi’s affairs; to remain so indifferent could only mean one thing: he had heard about this long ago.

Teng Yuyi stroked her fake mustache. If Qingzhi had been harmed by someone and the killer had not yet been caught, since Lin Chengyou was currently investigating the matter, she felt it necessary to inform him of what she had heard.

“I heard that Qingzhi hid a package of preserved cherries in her room. On top was food, but underneath were hidden pearls and jade. After being caught in the act by someone that day, she falsely claimed it was a gift from an old acquaintance.”

Lin Chengyou squatted down to examine the underside of the side table. Hearing her words, he didn’t even turn his head, clearly completely uninterested.

Teng Yuyi arched her eyebrows. He had heard about this too?

This matter was something she had heard from Baozhu’s mouth, and the person who had caught Qingzhi was also Baozhu. In that case, the person who had told Lin Chengyou could only be Baozhu herself.

Everyone cast their gazes at Lin Chengyou together. No one knew what was written on that letter from Luoyang, but after finishing it, Lin Chengyou had been pondering that precious statue the entire time.

“Shizi, who sent that letter?” The Five Taoists leaned over curiously.

Lin Chengyou didn’t raise his head.

“Remember when He Mingsheng first bought this building? Because he couldn’t bear the ghosts and monsters causing trouble inside, he specifically invited an eccentric master from Luoyang. This shrine was built under that eccentric master’s orders.”

Teng Yuyi examined the incense table. On that night, the Golden-Robed Gentleman had transformed into a gold dragon and engaged in an earth-shattering battle with Lin Chengyou. The small Buddhist hall suffered severe damage, and this precious statue had also fallen off its pedestal with a loud crash. Now it had been set back up, though quite a few paint chips had flaked off.

Jian Tian held his arms crossed.

“There’s nothing wrong with this array. It’s a proper, square-and-upright Taibai Demon-Subduing Array. The statue is molded without a single flaw, and the talismans are drawn neatly. If not for the Corpse Demon and the Golden-Robed Gentleman happening to be suppressed underneath, this array would have been more than enough to protect the peace inside the building. However, one can’t blame that eccentric master either; who could have known that ancient monsters from a hundred years ago would be suppressed beneath this place?”

“I can’t spot any problem either,” Lin Chengyou examined the faint traces of cinnabar outside the eye of the array.

“However, the letter from Luoyang just now said that they searched all over Luoyang, yet failed to find this eccentric master.”

The Five Taoists were momentarily stunned.

“Did he go out traveling?”

“He Mingsheng went to Luoyang a few days ago, and even back then, this eccentric master could not be found. I am not surprised that his whereabouts are unknown; I just feel his disappearance is far too coincidental.”

Ever since Teng Yuyi drank the Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup, the heat in her body had never subsided. Having endured until now, her inner layers of clothing were already soaked with sweat. Her body felt extraordinarily sticky and greasy, as if she were sitting in mud. Fanning away the sweat, she rose to her feet.

“My apologies. This humble one feels somewhat unwell and needs to return to my room to change my clothes. Please take your time chatting, everyone; this humble one shall take my leave first.”

The Five Taoists hadn’t expected Teng Yuyi to leave on the spot, not even having time to urge her to stay a bit longer.

Lin Chengyou turned his head to look toward Teng Yuyi, originally intending to say something, but Teng Yuyi didn’t turn back at all, stepping out the door with brisk strides.

Coming outside, washed over by the evening breeze, Teng Yuyi didn’t feel better; instead, even more sweat broke out. Inside her body, it felt as though a surge of true qi  was pushing her forward as she walked—a single step easily covered the distance of three ordinary steps.

Light on her feet as if flying, she walked and leaped all the way, soon leaving Uncle Cheng and Huo Qiu far behind her.

Uncle Cheng and Huo Qiu were both shocked and suspicious. How had the Young Lady’s agility suddenly become so nimble? Fearing something might go wrong, they hurriedly channeled their internal energy to chase forward. Fortunately, although Teng Yuyi’s footwork was fast, her internal power was insufficient; once they utilized their internal energy, they quickly caught up.

Teng Yuyi felt only a hot surge of air rushing wildly inside her body, her chest feeling as though it were about to burst from the heat. She had to exert force and run at full speed to vent this strange, inexplicable power. Running back to southern artificial pond like the wind, as she passed by Gejin’s room, she happened to run into Juan Erli and Baozhu carrying bedding out from inside.

The corridor was noisy and filled with quite a few people standing around: some were advising Gejin, some were comforting Juan Erli, some were making sarcastic remarks, and some were playing peacemakers to smooth things over. Gejin sat before the window, her face cold as frost, completely motionless.

On an ordinary day, Teng Yuyi would certainly have stayed behind to watch the excitement, but right now she had no mind for it. Swooshing back into her room in a flash, she bade the servant girls outside to send over bathwater. There was a bath tub inside the room, and hot water in the building was readily available.

Once the items were brought over, Teng Yuyi closed the door to bathe and wash. Yet after finishing her bath and stepping out, the heat on her body remained unalleviated.

With hands on her hips, she paced around in circles inside the room. She had only brought one set of Hu-style clothing, and the rest were round-collared robes (lanpao) and head-cloths (futou) of Central Plains men. Unable to spare time to dress up properly, she casually picked a set of clean men’s clothing to put on, then put on the Xuanyin Bell string. Pulling open the door, she called out,”Uncle Cheng! Huo Qiu!”

The moment she opened her mouth, Teng Yuyi frightened herself—the hot air in her dantian pushed straight upward, making her voice considerably higher and louder than usual! Uncle Cheng and Huo Qiu dashed out from the adjacent room, looking at Teng Yuyi in surprise, “Young Master.”

Teng Yuyi cleared her throat twice and lowered her vocal tone.

“Accompany me for a stroll in the garden.”

Without waiting for the two to reply, Teng Yuyi turned on her heel and walked outward. Rather than calling it “walking,” it was more like “running.” Arriving before the steps, because she was in too much of a hurry and didn’t see the path beneath her feet clearly, she couldn’t pull back her feet in time and pitched forward helplessly.

Steward Cheng and Huo Qiu turned pale with fright, rushing forward in an arrow-like stride. Who could have known that in her panic, Teng Yuyi executed a horse-stance squat, actually standing firm and steady!

Steward Cheng’s expression shifted several times, “Young Lady, this isn’t right. Your agility—”

How had she suddenly become as light as an ape or a monkey?

Panting, Teng Yuyi examined her own awkward posture, gritting her teeth.

“It must be that Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup playing tricks on me! Lin Chengyou!”

Just at this moment, Juesheng and Qizhi came running over, holding a large stack of talismans in their arms.

Unprepared, the two caught sight of a dashing young man dressed in a dark-green, round-collared robe. At first glance, they didn’t recognize who it was; only when they saw Steward Cheng and Huo Qiu did they realize the youth was Teng Yuyi.

“Oh? Young Master Wang, why are you here?”

The fire in Teng Yuyi’s heart far surpassed the strange fire inside her body. Without a second word, she grabbed hold of Juesheng’s plump, rounded arm.

“Where is your Senior Brother?”

Juesheng and Qizhi were frightened. Young Lady Teng seemed entirely wrong all over—her voice was no longer as soft and pleasant as usual, and her eyes were shining as though they were about to burst into flames!

Juesheng said in astonishment, “Senior Brother was furious over what happened this afternoon and said he was going to punish us thoroughly! He ordered us to go first to Juan Erli’s room door to stick up talismans, then hurry back to the small Buddhist hall to sweep that array eye, and even said that even if we don’t sleep tonight, we must clean the tomb chamber where the two monsters were suppressed back then.”

Qizhi nervously examined Teng Yuyi.

“Young Master Wang, what’s wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me?!” Teng Yuyi was overwhelmed with anger.

“Isn’t it all the ‘good work’ done by your Senior Brother! Tell me the truth—what on earth is wrong with that Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup?”

The two fell into panic and confusion.

“Did Young Master Wang feel unwell after drinking the soup? But that’s not right—we drank the soup too, Uncle Cheng and Huo Qiu drank it too, and so did the seniors from Dongming Taoist Temple. Everyone is completely fine!”

Suppressing her rage, Teng Yuyi thought: Forget it, this matter is Lin Chengyou’s trickery. How could Juesheng and Qizhi explain it clearly? Suppressing her temper, she nodded, released her grip on Juesheng’s arm, and walked forward.

Juesheng and Qizhi froze for a moment, then hurriedly tried to follow her.

Steward Cheng’s face was as cold as frost.

“The two Taoist Masters must have seen it as well; our young master is entirely out of sorts. He was perfectly fine before dinner, and only became strange after drinking that soup. If the young Taoist Masters know anything, it would be best to speak out sooner.”

“We truly don’t know!”

Juesheng and Qizhi stomped their feet.

Turning their heads to see that Teng Yuyi had already walked briskly toward the small Buddhist hall, they had no choice but to hitch up their Taoist robes to chase after her.

“Young Master Wang, the Fire-Jade Spirit Root is a spiritual herb recorded in standard Taoist scriptures; it won’t harm or injure people! Young Master Wang, where exactly are you feeling unwell? Could it be that you’ve caught a cold? Logically speaking, consuming Fire-Jade Spirit Root has only benefits and no harm!”

“I feel unwell everywhere!”

Teng Yuyi only felt a surge of hot air rushing wildly inside her chest, feeling as though she could spout hot flames the moment she opened her mouth. If she spouted them onto flowers and grass, she might well set the entire garden on fire.

She instinctively clamped her mouth shut tightly.

Good heavens, this thing not only grants immense strength, but also seems to confuse one’s mind and disposition! She felt as though she were possessed by Xiaoya, so irritable that she only wanted to curse at someone.

Didn’t Taoist Master Jian Xian say it? Half of the scripture scroll recording the Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup was lost. Perhaps the drawbacks of this stuff are in that other half! Since Lin Chengyou dared to bring out the Fire-Jade Spirit Root to eat, he must know what was written in the other half. I must ask him face-to-face what trick he just played!

Qizhi said anxiously,”Senior Brother isn’t in the small Buddhist hall!”

Teng Yuyi stopped her steps in an instant and turned on her heel, heading straight for the garden’s main gate.

“Then he must be in the front building!”

Juesheng and Qizhi widened their eyes in shock. Teng Yuyi’s feet seemed to have grown a pair of wind wheels—in the blink of an eye, she had run far away! The two had the heart to go break up the fight, but they couldn’t abandon Juan Erli and Gejin either. They had to stay where they were, watching helplessly as Teng Yuyi disappeared into the garden gateway.

Teng Yuyi ran all the way to the front building in one breath. The hour was no longer early, and lanterns had been lit along the corridors and verandas. In the main hall, only a few temple helpers and maidservants were working.

Sweeping her gaze around randomly, Teng Yuyi opened her mouth and said, “Have you seen the Shizi of Prince Cheng?”

Those few people turned their heads to look, unable to help feeling somewhat bewildered. Accustomed as they were to Teng Yuyi’s usual Hu-style attire, they nearly failed to recognize who this handsome young gentleman was.

“Oh, it’s Young Master Wang!” A helper snapped back to his senses, putting on a smile as he stepped forward to greet her.

“His Highness the Shizi is on the second floor.”

Before his words had even landed, a gust of wind scraped past his face, and Teng Yuyi’s figure was nowhere to be seen in front of his eyes.

The temple was stunned silly.

Hearing only the “thud, thud, thud” sound of someone rushing upstairs, he looked over blankly, only to see Teng Yuyi swooshing past the corner of the staircase in a flash.

Teng Yuyi sprinted swiftly to the second floor. She had long since mapped out the layout of the front building: the second floor consisted entirely of private rooms, usually crowded with guests and friends, but left vacant recently due to the lockdown of the building.

Searching along the corridor, she still couldn’t find Lin Chengyou. Pushing open the door to the last room, there was still no trace of him. However, atop the pomelo-wood low table near the window sat a glass lamp, showing clearly that someone had been here.

Teng Yuyi walked briskly to the window. The lamp burned like a small bean, illuminating the room in flickering light and shadow. Resting on the pomelo-wood table was a scroll of bamboo slips, recognizable at a glance as the Records of Strange Phenomena from Dongming Taoist Temple.

Having run all this way, Teng Yuyi had broken out in who knows how many layers of sweat. The bath had been taken in vain; sweat and steam surged straight up from the edge of her collar band.

Wiping away sweat, she paced around hurriedly in the room, unable to calm down no matter what.

Strangely enough, whereas previously her body had merely felt intensely hot, now even her cheeks began to itch fine, delicate trails.

“Lin Chengyou!”

Receiving no response from Lin Chengyou, Teng Yuyi looked around suspiciously. A living person couldn’t just vanish into thin air. Leaning over the window frame to look outside, she suddenly heard a “clack-clack” sound coming from midair, as if someone stepping across the roof ridge had accidentally touched a roof tile end.

On an ordinary day, Teng Yuyi would have been thoroughly frightened, but right now, supported by that strange force within her body, this “fright” transformed into “fury.”

Her hearing was also extraordinarily keen as never before. Focusing her mind to listen, she couldn’t distinguish who the person was. Just as she was about to raise her voice to shout and demand an answer, she heard someone laugh several times from up above in the distance—who else could it be but Lin Chengyou?

Teng Yuyi was burning with fury. She raised her head and shouted upward, “Lin Chengyou! Get down here!”

This time, she was truly roaring.

However, whether Lin Chengyou didn’t hear or deliberately ignored her, he offered not a shred of response. Teng Yuyi clutched at her collar; her chest felt as though a stove were hidden inside, making her scorchingly hot all over. If she endured any longer, smoke would start coming out of her seven orifices.

Having no choice since she couldn’t climb up to the roof beams, she could only worry in vain. Teng Yuyi’s gaze swept wildly across the room, and she suddenly noticed that the position of a nearby bookshelf was somewhat off—it was supposed to be placed flush against the wall, but at this moment, it had been pulled halfway open by someone.

Teng Yuyi’s heart stirred. Approaching to take a closer look, she was astonished to see a mechanism-like object standing upright on the bookshelf, crafted quite conspicuously. She reckoned it was meant for craftsmen to use when going up and down the roof on ordinary days.

Teng Yuyi raised her wrist and shook the Xuanyin Bell. The bell remained completely mute, suggesting there were no evil haunts around. Thus, with her mind at ease, she pressed down on the mechanism, and with a swish, a rope ladder dropped down from the ceiling. Tucking up her robes, she climbed up, while Steward Cheng and Huo Qiu burst into the room as well.

“Young Master!”

“Lin Chengyou is on the roof. I’m going up to ask him a few questions—you two catch up quickly!”

As she spoke, she climbed up to the roof along the ladder. The moment she popped her head out, she turned her head to look for Lin Chengyou, and sure enough, she saw him on the roof ridge at the eastern end. He had clearly heard the commotion below long ago; turning his head to see Teng Yuyi, he showed not the slightest surprise, merely sneering.

“Is that not Young Master Wang? Instead of staying in your room, what are you running up onto the roof beams for?”

A raging fire burned in Teng Yuyi’s eyes. Quickly scanning her surroundings, she saw no one else on the roof. This was strange—she had clearly heard Lin Chengyou talking and laughing with someone just now, yet where had that person gone in the blink of an eye?

However, right now was not the time to care about that. Stepping carefully onto the roof tile ends , she spread her arms to steady her body.

“I came, naturally, to settle scores with you! What trick did you play in that bowl of soup? Give me the antidote at once!”

Lin Chengyou snickered inwardly.

Those two foolish lads, Juesheng and Qizhi, had ruined things with good intentions, actually reducing Teng Yuyi to such a state! The silly lads only knew that the Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup was a good thing and had kept urging Teng Yuyi to drink it earlier, totally unaware that this kind of spiritual herb was difficult to digest and assimilate. People with martial prowess would see their internal power grow after drinking it, whereas those without internal power would only fall into chaotic trouble.

Strictly speaking, this matter could only be blamed on Juesheng and Qizhi taking matters into their own hands, and could never be pinned on him. However, he couldn’t be bothered to explain it to her—seeing her angry look was actually quite amusing, so he might as well let her believe he had done it on purpose.

He said with all seriousness.

“Young Master Wang, I kindly invited you to drink soup; it’s fine if you don’t appreciate the gesture, but how can you turn around and blame someone instead?”

Teng Yuyi gnashed her teeth in hatred. After drinking the soup, her whole self felt as if she were being roasted over a fierce fire, yet Lin Chengyou still dared to put on an act! She tried taking a step forward, then immediately paused; she thought her body would sway, but to her surprise, her feet turned out to be quite steady. Having a clear idea in her mind now, she walked slowly at first, but later moved as swiftly as if flying, walking faster and faster, reaching Lin Chengyou’s front in the blink of an eye.

Lin Chengyou watched Teng Yuyi approach with amusement—that soup really was quite interesting! Teng Yuyi not only had a high and bright voice, but her demeanor was also much more restless than usual. Her cheeks and lips were flush crimson, resembling a state of drunkenness; when she ran, it was as if she had divine aid, making her a completely different person from her usual delicate and noble self.

“Where is Young Master Wang feeling unwell?” he feigned concern.

Teng Yuyi stood firm.

“Tonight, apart from that bowl of Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup, I ate nothing else! Suddenly turning out like this can only be related to that soup. Lin Chengyou, don’t think I don’t know it was your trickery! Give me the antidote quickly, or I will never spare you!”

Lin Chengyou sneered.

“Never spare me? Leave aside the fact that I don’t have an antidote—even if I had an antidote and refused to give it to you, how do you plan to ‘not spare’ me?”

Before he could finish his sentence, a palm-wind swept toward his face; Teng Yuyi actually made a move without another word!

Lin Chengyou tilted his head to the side and raised his hand to buckle Teng Yuyi’s arm.

“Teng Yuyi, you’ve got nerve—daring to run wild in front of me!”

Teng Yuyi was dripping with sweat like rain. Saying nothing more, she swung her other hand out, sneering through her teeth.

“If you hadn’t ambushed me first, I wouldn’t have been bothered to cross you! Hand over the antidote quickly, or I’ll perish together with you!”

How could Lin Chengyou let Teng Yuyi succeed? Flipping his body around, he leaped backward and landed onto a roof ridge beast.

Yet he thought to himself: Although Teng Yuyi is full of wicked ideas, she isn’t an impulsive or easily angered person. Changing her temperament so drastically tonight shows that this Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup can indeed delude one’s mind and nature.

He examined her composedly.

“I advise you to save your energy. Let alone the fact that you merely have a bit more strength right now, even if you had truly learned martial arts, you would still be far from my match.”

Teng Yuyi said sternly, “Why don’t you try me!”

However, despite having an endless supply of strange strength, when it came to moves, she couldn’t even touch the sleeves of Lin Chengyou’s robes. Every time she closed in, Lin Chengyou would slide to the side with a wicked smile.

Seeing Lin Chengyou slick as a loach, the fire in Teng Yuyi’s heart burned hotter and hotter. Suddenly seeing him stop, she slapped her palms together and charged forward without thinking—who knew that instead of catching Lin Chengyou, her feet inadvertently slipped, and she slid down along the roof tile ends.

Teng Yuyi instantly broke into a cold sweat.

“Uncle Cheng!”

With a loud bang against the window frame, Uncle Cheng had already leaped out from inside the room.

Executing a harrier flip in midair, he stretched his body horizontally to catch Teng Yuyi; yet after all, he was too far away. Even with lightning-swift agility, he was still an arm’s length short!

Steward Cheng’s mind whirled rapidly, switching instead to swoop toward the ground below. With his deep internal power, as long as he could reach the ground one step ahead to protect Teng Yuyi, it wouldn’t be difficult. Behind him, Huo Qiu also leaped through the window in hot pursuit, intending to coordinate with Steward Cheng from above and below.

Half of Teng Yuyi’s soul was scared out of her body, terrified that Steward Cheng wouldn’t be able to catch her. Who could have known that the moment she rolled off the eaves, her collar was grabbed from behind! Looking back in panic, she happened to glimpse the front of Lin Chengyou’s robe.

Lin Chengyou grabbed Teng Yuyi by her back collar and hoisted her back onto the roof beam.

“Tsk! I warned Young Master Wang just now, but you insisted on not believing in bad luck. Consider yourself lucky this time—today happens to be the fifteenth, and I must fast and perform good deeds. But this is strictly a one-time affair; if you fall down again later, I won’t be bothered to make a move again.”

Teng Yuyi sat down hard on the roof tile ends and wiped her sweat, raising her eyes to look at Lin Chengyou. He looked down at her from above, his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes brimming with mockery.

Teng Yuyi patted her collar in an attempt to stand up, but helplessly, her legs had gone soft. Strangely enough, the raging flame inside her body seemed to have quieted down a little, and her mind felt a bit clearer.

She thought in confusion: No wonder—it must be because I was just scared into a cold sweat.

She had always been one who could bend and stretch as needed, so she hurriedly softened her voice, “I didn’t intend to badger you stubbornly, but as the Shizi must have seen, after dinner I’ve been breaking into strange sweats repeatedly, unable to control my joy or anger. Living in fire, my heart is in hell—and all of it started because of that bowl of Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup. More than one person drank the soup tonight, so why am I the only one like this? Since this spiritual herb was brought by the Shizi, I ask the Shizi to dispel my confusion.”

Lin Chengyou walked far to the side, hitched up his robes, and sat down cross-legged.

“Has that surge of hot air on Young Master Wang settled down a bit?”

Teng Yuyi said suspiciously, “Yes. So what does this mean?”

“If Young Master Wang truly feels horribly uncomfortable, just stretch your muscles and bones. If all else fails, exchange a few moves with someone to work up a few more sweats, and you’ll be fine.”

Teng Yuyi walked over with slow steps, “Is the Shizi admitting that you played a trick in the soup? I truly don’t know where I have offended the Shizi; I ask the Shizi to raise your noble hand high and give me the antidote.”

Lin Chengyou looked straight ahead.

“I can’t understand Young Master Wang’s words. Although the places where you’ve offended me are countless, I didn’t force you to drink this soup. Even if I had sky-reaching capabilities, I couldn’t have ambushed you under everyone’s watchful eyes. You can only blame your body for being too weak to digest and assimilate a spiritual herb like the Fire-Jade Spirit Root. If you don’t believe me, look at your two guards—aren’t they completely fine?”

Teng Yuyi followed Lin Chengyou’s line of sight. Tonight the wind was clear and the moon bright; standing atop the high building, one could take in the entire view of the Caifeng Tower. Her previous appearance of running wild and leaping about in the courtyard had likely all been seen by Lin Chengyou. He had probably clutching his stomach and laughing his fill, which explained why he was in such a good mood!

She took a deep breath of cold wind. The cluster of fierce flames in her heart had originally been doused, but in the turn of an eye, it showed signs of flaring up again.

“Speaking of which, among those who drank the soup tonight, I am the only one without internal power. The Shizi clearly knew that I couldn’t digest and assimilate the Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup, yet refused to remind me. Now that I am too restless to sit still, if I don’t look for the Shizi, whom else should I look for?”

Lin Chengyou detached a jade flute from his waist and tapped it against his palm. His mind had been entirely occupied with the murderer’s affairs at the time, and he had indeed forgotten to remind Teng Yuyi separately. However, when he left, the soup meal had not yet been delivered; he had merely gone to the front tower to collect a letter, and by the time he returned, this group of people had already downed the soup into their stomachs.

“I am truly wrongly accused! I only knew that the Fire-Jade Spirit Root could ward off evils and nourish the body—how could I know Lady Teng would become so wild and crazy after taking it? In the past, when someone couldn’t digest a herb, dissipating it through sweat would fix it. Perhaps this stuff is different from other herbs, otherwise why would it come to this? How about this: when I retrieved the Fire-Jade Spirit Root from the palace, I casually brought along that remnant scroll as well. I haven’t had time to read it yet, but seeing as you’re feeling so miserable, how about I look up how to digest and assimilate it for you?”

Teng Yuyi narrowed her eyes. Claiming he hasn’t read it? He clearly planned everything long ago! This person was wicked beyond measure. Having pent up a stomach full of anger this afternoon, he had likely wanted to play a prank on her for a long time. Having suffered for only half an hour, he was still waiting to watch her make a fool of herself—how could he voluntarily tell her the method to digest and assimilate it?

She wanted to see just how else he was going to mock and trick her. A sentence spilled out from between her teeth.

“Then I shall trouble the Shizi for his guidance.”

As they spoke, Steward Cheng and Huo Qiu landed silently onto the corners of the eaves.

Lin Chengyou affectatedly retrieved a palm-sized booklet from his cloak, flipped through it in his hand, and casually pointed to a spot on the page, saying, “Got it. The medicinal nature of the Fire-Jade Spirit Root is tricky—it grows stronger when meeting strength, and turns evil when meeting weakness. While those who practice martial arts can indeed strengthen their energy and solidify their foundation after taking it, if the old, weak, women, or children consume it, the medicinal qi will instead harm and overpower their body. Mild cases suffer from fever, restlessness, thirst, and unpredictable moods, while severe cases will erupt in a body full of hot sores.”

Uncle Cheng and Huo Qiu, whose heartstrings had been tight all along, breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this; so long as it was only developing sores, it wouldn’t injure her internal organs.

“Then may I ask the Shizi, what is the method to digest and assimilate it?”

“Ordinary recipes for clearing heat and dispelling toxins are useless. Only one’s own internal power can dissolve its thermal nature. The person who drank the soup must learn a set of moves within the shortest time possible, otherwise the hot sores will break out endlessly.”

Hearing that she would grow hot sores, Teng Yuyi’s face darkened even further. If she had a knife in hand, she would have long slashed Lin Chengyou’s face. But in the next instant, hearing the words “practice martial arts,” she couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

Ever since she returned to life, she had indeed planned to learn martial arts, only putting it on hold until now because Duanfu’s broken bone had not yet healed. If she could successfully eliminate the Corpse Demon this time, she might arrange to learn martial arts after returning.

However, doing so voluntarily and being forced into it were two entirely different matters.

“Why is Lady Teng looking at me like that?” Lin Chengyou smiled with deep meaning.

“The Fire-Jade Spirit Root is a rare treasure of the world that countless people seek in vain. I generously gifted the medicine, yet Lady Teng didn’t say thank you to me, but instead attacked me with fists and kicks. Now that I’ve told you the method to digest and assimilate it, isn’t it just practicing martial arts? Seeing that you aren’t old, why not take this opportunity to train your muscles and bones? It can both dissolve the medicinal nature and strengthen your body. The Fire-Jade Spirit Root has miraculous effects in boosting internal power; as long as you can digest and assimilate it smoothly, gaining seven or eight years of martial prowess in one go is a given.”

Lin Chengyou talked while sizing Teng Yuyi up, as if researching where her first hot sore would pop out from. He didn’t believe for a second that Teng Yuyi would be willing to endure the hardship of practicing martial arts, so these hot sores were bound to grow whether she liked it or not.

Without looking, one wouldn’t know, but upon looking, he noticed that Teng Yuyi’s face didn’t even have a single pockmark—a face as delicate as jade, more tender than spring cherry blossoms. If it grew a cluster of red, inflamed hot sores, that would truly be quite a sight to see.

Having studied her in his mind, he withdrew his gaze with a wicked smile. Who could have known that Teng Yuyi’s long eyelashes would flutter, unexpectedly squeezing out a crystal-clear tear?

The tear rolled down silently, hanging on her pink cheek like a dewdrop, and then she twitched her nose as the tears in her eyes rolled out in ever-increasing amounts like a snapped string of pearls.

Lin Chengyou raised an eyebrow; she was feeling aggrieved already? She had chosen to drink the soup herself; he hadn’t forced her. Speaking of which, ever since he met her, he hadn’t had a single moment of rest; compared to what she had done over the past few days, he practically possessed the heart of a Bodhisattva. Tonight, she could be considered to have lifted a stone only to drop it on her own feet—having used Juesheng and Qizhi so many times, she probably never expected that even Juesheng and Qizhi could have unreliable moments.

“Lady Teng, take your time crying,” Lin Chengyou laughed pleasantly, crossing his hands behind his back as he stepped past Teng Yuyi.

“This medicine dislikes bottled-up grief and sorrow the most; the more you cry, the more hot sores will break out.”

Teng Yuyi let out a sob. Although Lin Chengyou had a heart as hard as a rock, he still found it strange—Teng Yuyi wasn’t the type of person who only knew how to weep when encountering trouble. It was just growing some hot sores, so why did it seem as if the sky were falling down?

Out of curiosity, he halted his steps and looked back, unprepared for a flash of silver light as a rain-like shower of silver needles came blasting straight at his face.

“Senior Brother, watch out!” Qizhi yelled loudly.

Lin Chengyou had suffered a loss at Teng Yuyi’s hands once before and knew she liked to hide toxic needles and hidden weapons on her person, so he had originally been careful everywhere. But with her crying just now, he had nearly fallen for her trick.

Swishing his sleeve, he intercepted most of the silver needles. However, this move had come too suddenly—even with his lightning-swift hands, a few silver needles still shot toward his chest and abdomen. Dodging to the side with a leap, Lin Chengyou flew downstairs stepping on the roof tile ends, treading and stepping all the way until he gracefully landed on the open ground in front of the main hall.

He spun around sharply to look upward; Teng Yuyi was standing in the moonlight looking down at him.

“Teng Yuyi, you still dare to ambush me!”

In the turn of an eye, Teng Yuyi reined back her tears, holding her head high as she trod on the roof tile ends and departed.

“Many thanks to the Shizi for telling me the method to digest and assimilate it. As for whether I can stomach this spiritual herb, that will depend on my own ability.”

Lin Chengyou had originally intended to leap back up to the roof beams, but suddenly withdrew his hand. Casting a playful glance at Teng Yuyi’s retreating figure, he turned around and headed toward the back courtyard.

On this side, Juesheng had just pasted the talismans outside Juan Erli’s room. Having finished his work, he was inspecting the corridor room by room. Ever since Lady Gejin chased Juan’erli out, she had kept her door closed without coming out, with hardly any sound heard from outside; but at least the talismans on the door were intact.

While pondering, he turned his head to see Lin Chengyou and Qizhi walking over, and hurriedly went up to greet them.

“Senior Brother, how is Young Master Wang doing?”

Lin Chengyou said, “You two sure have the heart to care about irrelevant matters. Have you finished all the work I asked you to do?”

“Rest assured, Senior Brother, it’s all done,” Juesheng patted his chest.

Returning to their room full of anxiety, Qizhi stood honestly beside Lin Chengyou, saying in a muffled voice, “Senior Brother, Lady Teng feeling so miserable—is it truly because she drank the Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup?”

Lin Chengyou drew out a stack of letter paper from his bosom.

“She can’t digest and assimilate the Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup, so she’s bound to suffer some hardship over these next few days.”

The two were startled—was it truly because she couldn’t digest and assimilate it?

“Then… then Senior Brother, how can it be digested and assimilated?”

“I’ve already told her the method. If she doesn’t want to grow hot sores, her only choice is to practice martial arts. As long as she’s willing to cultivate internal power, it’s equivalent to gaining seven or eight years of martial prowess for free; if she isn’t even willing to endure this bit of hardship, then she can’t blame others.”

Now Qizhi understood everything completely, and couldn’t help feeling both ashamed and regretful.

“Senior Brother, Lady Teng has never practiced martial arts after all. Although she isn’t old right now, I heard she has already reached the age of hairpin ( 15 years old). If she really has to start learning from scratch, she’ll suffer every bit of hardship. If she fails to clear a few major meridians after a long time, will she really grow a few hot sores?”

“Not one or two, but a whole cluster.”

Juesheng imagined Teng Yuyi’s face covered in hot sores and inadvertently shivered.

“Senior Brother, let alone young ladies, even the young eunuchs in the palace don’t like getting pockmarks on their faces. Lady Teng is born so beautiful; if she leaves a face full of scars because of growing hot sores, it would be too much of a pity. Senior Brother, isn’t there any other way?”

“None,” Lin Chengyou moved the lamp closer and unfolded the letter paper in his hand.

“The Fire-Jade Spirit Root is the number one spiritual herb under heaven. Since she drank it by a twist of fate, she can only stomach it by her own ability. How could anyone expect to gain all the benefits without being willing to suffer a single bit of hardship?”

Qizhi paced around anxiously in circles.

“It’s all my fault! All my fault! If I had known earlier, I shouldn’t have ladled soup for Lady Teng.”

Suddenly his eyes lit up.

“Senior Brother! Last time, the Emperor spoke with Master about a manual for the ‘Runan Peach Blossom Sword’ in the palace. I heard this sword technique is most suitable for those with weak constitutions to use as an initiation. Senior Brother even said back then that you were going to teach County Princess Azhi and Princess Changyi. How about you give Lady Teng a few pointers first?”

Lin Chengyou’s expression turned strange.

“Peach Blossom Sword Technique? Me teaching Teng Yuyi? I see the one whose head was burned addled by the heat isn’t Teng Yuyi, but you, Qizhi.”

Juesheng let out sighs and groans.

“Senior Brother, if County Princess Azhi grew hot sores, would you still remain indifferent?”

Lin Chengyou unfolded the bamboo slips.

“Naturally I wouldn’t remain indifferent, but Azhi is my younger sister—what does Teng Yuyi have to do with me?”

“That may be so, but if you just think about how anxious County Princess Azhi would be if she grew hot sores, you can probably understand Lady Teng’s current mood.”

Lin Chengyou interrupted the two.

“Did you two forget that you are still being punished? Have you finished copying the talismans? Finished your homework? If you don’t want to go back and be confined in the isolation room, then hurry along to the small Buddhist hall to sweep the array eye. Remember what I said—not a single corner can be left out. If you dare to slacker off, there will be heavy punishment tomorrow.”

Juesheng and Qizhi knew in their hearts that they wouldn’t be able to persuade him anytime soon. At any rate, Lady Teng had returned to her room, so no matter how anxious they were, they could only wait until tomorrow. The two had no choice but to rise disheartenedly.

“Senior Brother, if we go to the small Buddhist hall tonight, who will look after Lady Teng and the other two?”

“I am sleeping here tonight.”

The two had already walked to the door, but hurriedly ran back.

“Senior Brother, did you find out something?”

As they spoke, they looked toward the long side table and were astonished to find a stack of receipts from a pawnshop. Almost all the items pledged on them were jewelry, hairpins, and rings.

They wanted to see who the pawner was, but in the lower-right corner where a signature ought to be, there was only a vivid crimson thumbprint. Thinking about it for a moment, they realized: that person was illiterate.

“Senior Brother, where did these pawn tickets come from? Why would this person pawn off so many pieces of jewelry?”

Lin Chengyou ignored these words. Juesheng and Qizhi awkwardly shifted their gazes elsewhere. On the desk was another stack of letter paper; flipping through them one by one, they were sequentially the indentures of the ten renowned courtesans in the building, with the top ones bearing the names and places of origin of Lady Weizi and Lady Yaohuang.

That was one thing, but the name written on the piece of paper in Lin Chengyou’s hand was entirely unfamiliar.

“Senior Brother, who is this Tian Yunde?”

Lin Chengyou trimmed the lamp wick to make the light a bit brighter.

“The owner of the silk shop that was here previously.”

Juesheng and Qizhi tensed. This owner had died of severe headaches last year.

“Then who is this Lady Qi?”

“Tian Yunde’s first wife.”

“The one who forced her husband’s concubine to death?” Juesheng asked in confusion.

“Senior Brother, aren’t you investigating the cause of Qingzhi’s death? Why are you investigating the owner couple of the silk shop instead? I heard the Caifeng Tower opened only half a year ago, whereas this couple passed away more than a year ago.”

“Heard” again.

Lin Chengyou cast a sideways glance at the two.

“During the few days you’ve stayed in the building, have your little ears not rested for a single moment?”

The two didn’t dare make a sound. Senior Brother was still in the middle of his anger, and speaking further might add another degree to their offense.

“Just now you chattered endlessly, yet when you’re supposed to speak, you go mute instead. What did you hear? Speak up and let’s hear it.”

Juesheng’s spirits lifted.

“Senior Brother, last time I heard Juan Erli say that before the owner died, he had already been ill for several months. On the night he passed away, several medical officers testified to it; there was nothing suspicious about the cause of death. As for that Lady Tian, she was consistently greedy for wealth and fierce; even if her husband died of illness, she wouldn’t likely take her own life. But later, the judicial officers came to investigate a few times, and ultimately found nothing.”

Qizhi also said softly,”I also heard that this Owner Tian was extremely terrified of his wife. Even knowing that his concubine was forced to death by his wife, he didn’t dare flare up. Tian Yunde fell ill from fear because of this, always saying he saw the ghost of the concubine pacing in the courtyard.”

Lin Chengyou, absorbed in his own thoughts, picked up a brush and wrote on the paper:

Tian Yunde, died at age forty, native of Zhangqiu. Ancestors traded goods for a living. Due to poor financial management, the family estate declined for a time. In the Dingmao year, coinciding with a famine in Henan, the entire family moved to Chang’an. To maintain their livelihood, his wife, Lady Qi, mortgaged all her dowry. Tian Yunde used this sum of capital to purchase fine silks and fabrics, thus starting his business in the silk trade.

Lady Qi, died at age forty-one, native of Zhangqiu. Accompanied her husband to Chang’an in the Dingmao year.

Juesheng said,”The Dingmao year? Wouldn’t that be ten years ago when they came to Chang’an? I heard Madam Eji say that this silk shop only sold top-grade silk and fabrics, enjoying a booming business for many years. Speaking of the silk trade in Chang’an City, everyone recommended Boss Tian’s shop first. I thought Boss Tian had accumulated family wealth to build such a big business, but I didn’t expect he only started ten years ago. Senior Brother, does this count as starting from scratch?”

Qizhi shook his head.

“Not really, right? If Lady Qi hadn’t sold her dowry, Tian Yunde wouldn’t have had the capital to do business—no wonder he was so terrified of his wife.”

As the two spoke, they looked around curiously. Although this building had become a brothel, most of the furnishings had been left behind by the silk shop. Judging by the pavilions, terraces, and verandas in the building alone, every detail had been exquisite beforehand. To be able to afford such extravagance in a short ten years was no easy feat; unfortunately, the couple died one after the other, and such a grand family fortune scattered overnight.

Lin Chengyou let the two of them mutter on, dipping his brush to copy down the place of origin of the third person:

Rong, native of Yuezhou. Mother was a weaver in Yuezhou; father unknown. In the Yinbing year, Tian Yunde traveled to Yuezhou to buy silk and hired Rong with heavy funds to be his concubine. In June of the same year, Rong followed Tian Yunde back to Chang’an. In October, she fell into a well and died at the age of sixteen.

Qizhi showed a look of pity.

“So that concubine’s surname was Rong. Speaking of which, she was a pitiful person too—jumping into a well less than four months after marrying in. Right, Qingzhi said she and Rong were from the same hometown. Could Qingzhi be from Yuezhou as well?”

Juesheng’s eyes searched across the table and quickly found Qingzhi’s name.

“No, no! Qingzhi is a native of Xingyang. Truly strange—why did she say she and Rong were from the same hometown? Did she make a mistake by accident, or tell a deliberate lie?”

Qizhi was dazed for a moment, his expression turning strange.

“Regardless of whether she lied or not, Juesheng, don’t you find it strange? Qingzhi arrived only after the Caifeng Tower opened; by then, Rong had already jumped into the well for a year. The two had no prior intersection—how could she have seen Rong?”

Juesheng tilted his head and thought for a bit.

“That’s not strange either. Don’t forget that Qingzhi followed Aunt Wo from a young age. Madam Wo is a procuress with considerable experience in the Pingkang Ward. Qingzhi frequently walked around the quarter, so she inevitably passed by the silk shop. Maybe Qingzhi saw Rong a year or two ago.”

Lin Chengyou flicked the letter paper.

“Done chattering? Look back at the night water clock—what hour is it already?”

(T/N:night water clock is an ancient device that uses the controlled flow of water to measure time during the night, when sundials are useless.)

Juesheng and Qizhi dragged their feet to the room doorway. Remembering that Gejin had caused a scene because she refused to share a room with Juan Erli, Juesheng suddenly said, “Senior Brother, we wanted to ask long ago: when we came to the Caifeng Tower last time, the wound on Lady Gejin’s face was still fresh. Whether it was done by a human or a fierce ghost could be seen at a glance. Lady Gejin was clearly injured by a human—why did Senior Brother say she was clawed by a fierce ghost?”

Lin Chengyou smiled.

“Good, you can be considered to have made progress—knowing I deliberately said it wrong, yet not rashly pointing it out. Why don’t you two tell me: why did I do that?”

Juesheng’s eyes lit up.

“Senior Brother was afraid that speaking the truth would alert the snake in the grass, right? Senior Brother, do you already know who harmed Lady Gejin? I guess it’s one of those ten renowned courtesans—out of jealousy and hatred toward Lady Gejin stealing the spotlight everywhere, she disfigured her appearance!”

Qizhi said, “But tonight that helper said that when Gejin had her accident, Boss He had already investigated, and none of the ten renowned courtesans were in the back courtyard.”

“Aren’t there personal maidservants or older maidservants? Even if one isn’t present oneself, one can instruct subordinates to take action. I always feel Lady Weizi and Lady Yaohuang are the most suspicious. After all, the temple helper also said that although other courtesans were outstanding, they had no hope of becoming the Top Courtesan (Huakui); whereas Weizi and Yaohuang were just one step away from securing the title. Senior Brother, did I guess right?”

Lin Chengyou remained noncommittal.

Juesheng took it as having guessed right and patted his chest excitedly.

“Let me think: when we saved Lady Gejin from the Golden-Robed Gentleman, we had already seen the furnishings in her room. Apart from the window next to the bed, there was only the room door. On the night of the incident, Lady Gejin retired early, and the ‘fierce ghost’ rushed straight to the head of the bed to scratch her face. If it was truly a human in disguise, how did it sneak into the room?”

Lin Chengyou clapped his hands.

“Progress! Think carefully again: based on the conditions that night, how did that ‘ghost’ sneak into Gejin’s room?”

“Could she have picked the door lock? But other ladies lived right next door. Even if it didn’t fear being heard by Lady Gejin, it might be spotted by people in the corridor!”

Qizhi’s face lit up.

“Could it have crawled in through the window?”

Immediately his head drooped down.

“No, the water in the water pavilion isn’t very deep, and people come and go constantly in the garden. Climbing through the window in the middle of the night could be seen by someone at any moment.”

Juesheng walked two circles in the room. This room had a similar layout to Gejin’s, only slightly smaller. He looked at the room door in confusion.

“Could it have hidden the key to Lady Gejin’s room door in advance? But from the door to the bedside, there’s still a long distance to walk. Wasn’t it afraid that Lady Gejin would wake up suddenly? If she suddenly screamed, people would arrive before it could even scratch Gejin’s face.”

Lin Chengyou dipped his brush in ink while reminding them.

“What items did you two just say were in Gejin’s room?”

Juesheng and Qizhi were stunned.

“A window, a bed, a door… Oh right! There were also a mirror stand, a side table, a low couch, a floor mat, and a screen.”

The two’s eyes widened larger and larger, until they suddenly said in unison.

“The bed?! That person was hiding underneath Lady Gejin’s bed at that time?!”

Lin Chengyou let out a tsk and rubbed his ear, saying.

“Even if you guessed right, there’s no need to make such a fuss.”

“We really guessed right?!”

Juesheng and Qizhi hugged each other tightly in excitement.

Juesheng added,”Underneath a bed isn’t somewhere just anyone can crawl into! Lady Weizi has a plump figure, so crawling in would probably take some effort. From the look of it, it’s Lady Yaohuang—she has a petite stature, so even if she hid under the bed for an hour, no one would notice her.”

Qizhi gave Juesheng a shove.

“Why are you circling back to Weizi and Yaohuang again? Didn’t everyone say they weren’t at the Caifeng Tower that night?”

Lin Chengyou glanced at the night water clock.

“That’s about enough. If you keep talking, dawn will break. Don’t just focus on slacking off—hurry up and get to work. Don’t make a racket when you go out, lest people say the young Taoists of Qingyun Temple have no manners. If I hear you two talking, you’ll copy the Classic of the Hidden Talisman another hundred times tomorrow.”

Even though Juesheng and Qizhi felt as if a hundred claws were scratching at their hearts, they had no choice but to leave. Only after coming out did they snap out of it—their Senior Brother forbidding them to talk in the corridor was to prevent them from going to find Lady Teng.

The two glanced at Teng Yuyi’s tightly closed door. Tomorrow they definitely had to explain things clearly to Lady Teng, lest she misunderstand that Senior Brother had done it intentionally. But they were afraid that even if they explained, Lady Teng wouldn’t believe them; after all, she and Senior Brother had gotten into fights several times already.

At this moment, Teng Yuyi had already taken another bath in her room. After that fight with Lin Chengyou earlier, that strange, chaotic, and restless surge of energy inside her body instantly subsided. Far from feeling hot anymore, her body felt cool and refreshing; the faint itching on her face had also vanished without a trace.

It seemed it wouldn’t flare up tonight. Teng Yuyi paced around the room; having only focused on running and leaping frantically earlier, she only now felt weary. Seeing that it was getting late, she intended to catch a sleep first before anything else.

Who would have thought that halfway through the night, she was woken up by the heat again?

Teng Yuyi opened her eyes in the darkness, only feeling an extraordinary itch on her cheeks.

Could it be that hot sores are about to break out? Her drowsiness instantly vanished. She instinctively reached out to touch her cheeks, but couldn’t feel anything distinct for the moment. Hurriedly finding a fire striker to light the lamp, she moved to the mirror stand to take a look, and sure enough, saw that her cheeks were flushed crimson.

She gasped. No wonder Lin Chengyou was willing to tell her the method to digest and assimilate it! Uncle Cheng had estimated correctly—merely moving her muscles and bones a bit was far from enough; unless she practiced a set of martial arts as soon as possible to dissolve the medicinal soup, these hot sores could break out at any moment.

Not a single hot sore could be allowed to grow on her face! She had no choice but to practice martial arts now. But as for how to learn and when to learn, Uncle Cheng still had to make the decision for her.

While secretly cursing Lin Chengyou, she shook the Xuanyin Bell to confirm there were no evil haunts outside the door, then tapped on the wall.

“Uncle Cheng.”

“Lady,” someone soon knocked softly on the door from outside.

Teng Yuyi adjusted her robes and cap, pulled open the door, and asked softly, “What hour is it?”

“It is the Zi hour (11 PM – 1 AM).”

“The medicinal nature has flared up again. I can’t endure until tomorrow morning—let us start learning overnight.”

Steward Cheng had originally intended to send Huo Qiu to deliver a letter to Teng Shao, never expecting that Teng Yuyi would actively propose learning martial arts herself.

Feeling both joy and worry, he thought back to how Master had always hoped Lady would learn a few self-defense moves, yet Lady had stubbornly refused to learn no matter what. Today’s ordeal could be considered a blessing in disguise.

Both he and Huo Qiu came from military backgrounds, and the martial arts they learned followed a fierce and vigorous path—one was adept at fist techniques, the other at saber techniques. The moves they commonly used all required powerful internal power as support; Lady had no foundation whatsoever, so even if they taught her for a year, she might not be able to master them. After some discussion, Steward Cheng decided to start teaching from the most basic Cheng Family Fist.

Teng Yuyi, however, hesitated slightly.

“Is there a simpler sword technique? I’m already used to using the Xiaoya Sword. In the future, if I use the Xiaoya Sword for self-defense, knowing sword techniques will be better than not knowing them.”

“Then there is only the Calamity-Dispelling Sword Technique.”

Steward Cheng drew his dagger and twirled a sword flower in midair.

“Although called a sword technique, it can actually be applied using a dagger or a short saber. There are only ten moves, ethereal and ancient. Lady, it isn’t spacious enough in the room—follow this old servant into the garden.”

Afraid of disturbing others, the mistress and two servants crept out of the room on tiptoe.

The night was deep and quiet nearby; everyone above and below in the Caifeng Building had fallen asleep. Stepping lightly into the garden, they spotted a lush locust tree up ahead in the distance. Steward Cheng and Huo Qiu approached, holding their breath to observe, and perceived no anomaly, so they said to Teng Yuyi,”Lady, let us practice under the tree.”

Teng Yuyi raised her hand to adjust her headscarf, then gathered the hem of her robe and tucked it into her waist. About to officially practice martial arts, she actually felt a bit nervous.

“Let’s begin.”

Steward Cheng let out a soft cry, placing his left hand behind his waist while pushing his right arm forward like a swimming dragon.

“Lady, watch closely.”

Huo Qiu was well-versed in etiquette, so he didn’t look much at Steward Cheng’s sword technique, but instead turned around to pay attention to the surrounding movements.

Seeing that the moves were ordinary and unexceptionable, Teng Yuyi assumed it was extremely simple. Once Steward Cheng finished demonstrating the ten moves, she went through them silently in her mind. Uncle Cheng executed every move very slowly, making them crystal clear afterward; drawing her Xiaoya Sword, she followed suit and performed them accordingly.

Who could have known that after just three moves, she couldn’t hold on any longer! Her joints felt as if they were splitting open, and her hot sweat turned into cold sweat from pure pain.

“I think there’s no need to learn something so difficult,” she feigned ease, rubbing her shoulder while saying, “This is my first time learning martial arts, so it’s advisable to start with shallow and accessible moves. This sword technique is too strange—let’s switch to a set that’s easier to master.”

Steward Cheng had long expected Lady to act shamelessly; she had been like this as a child, and grew even slicker as she got older, so no one could do anything about her.

“This is already the simplest sword technique,” he said with all seriousness. “There are only ten moves with no leaping required, and they are all close-combat techniques. In three days, there is hope of regulating your qi; switching to other sword techniques would almost all require light-work (qinggong) as a foundation, and to practice it into decent shape would take half a year at the very least.”

Teng Yuyi winced. By the time half a year passed, her face would probably be covered in scars left by hot sores! In desperation, she raised her arms and began executing the moves once more.

Steward Cheng was determined to take this opportunity to help Teng Yuyi get initiated, so he was extremely strict.

“Keep the shoulders level and the waist steady! That’s not right—this old servant will demonstrate it for you once more.”

“Wait, wait!” Teng Yuyi barely managed to squeeze out a trace of a smile.

“Uncle Cheng, is it necessary to raise my arms this high? Thrusting forward at chest height can hit the target just the same, right? There’s no need to lower my waist this low either—clearly I can kick my leg while standing straight up too!”

Suddenly, a light laugh sounded from the treetop.

Teng Yuyi gasped in fright, instinctively looking up. Uncle Cheng and Huo Qiu leaped up into the air, drawing their sabers and shouting.

“Who is up in the tree?!”

The tree leaves rustled. The person in the tree seemed to stretch lazily.

“Today I can be considered to have seen that martial arts moves can also be bargained over.”

Lin Chengyou? Teng Yuyi was deeply astonished. Steward Cheng and Huo Qiu’s martial arts were by no means poor, yet Lin Chengyou had been hiding in the tree for so long without the two noticing in the slightest. This was definitely not something internal power alone could achieve, unless Lin Chengyou had set up a Taoist secret technique like a barrier on the tree in advance.

Steward Cheng and Huo Qiu were also caught completely unprepared. Withdrawing their sabers, they leaped onto the treetop and confirmed it was indeed Lin Chengyou before saying calmly,”How long has the Shizi been here?”

Lin Chengyou switched to a more comfortable posture, leaning sideways against the tree.

“I was originally taking a nap here, never expecting Lady Teng to run over in the middle of the night to practice martial arts. I had no intention of eavesdropping or stealing your technique, but I couldn’t resist Lady Teng’s gems of wit. If I kept listening, I would bear the false accusation of ‘stealing techniques’ for nothing, so I could only kindly remind you two.”

Teng Yuyi snorted.

“So that’s how it is—I’ve made a fool of myself before the Shizi. Thanks to the Shizi, my martial arts can’t wait until tomorrow to be learned anymore. Afraid of disturbing others, I specially looked for a quiet place to practice, never expecting the Shizi to hide in a tree like a little thief. Acting so stealthily, it’s no wonder you were mistaken for a villain. I can’t suppress the strange power inside my body and must continue practicing next; please move elsewhere, Shizi, to save inconvenience for both sides.”

Lin Chengyou remained unmoved as a mountain.

“Lady Teng sure knows how to joke. First come, first served in all matters—I arrived first, and you arrived later. Even if someone has to leave, it should be you who leaves.”

Teng Yuyi glanced left and right. Lin Chengyou would never run over here for no reason to catch a cold wind; tampering with the surroundings of the tree in advance must have had his reasons. Since he refused to leave, she had no reason to vacate the spot for him either. It was better to just pretend this person didn’t exist, finish practicing, and leave immediately. Casting a begrudging glance at him, she adjusted her posture again.

“Uncle Cheng, let us continue.”

Steward Cheng landed back onto the ground. The Calamity-Dispelling Sword Technique was the most basic sword technique; with Lin Chengyou’s martial prowess, he certainly wouldn’t steal it. The garden was only this big, and finding another spot would be troublesome; if they really tossed back and forth, Lady might take the opportunity to stop practicing altogether.

Thus, twirling his sword again, he raised his left leg and thrust out his right arm.

“Lady, watch closely this time. The reason Lady feels bone pain is because you haven’t cleared your major meridians; the more it is like this, the more exact every move should be without a hair’s breadth of error. A tiny mistake leads a thousand miles astray! Not a single move can be performed perfunctorily. Once you achieve mastery and thorough understanding, it won’t be so unbearable anymore.”

Lin Chengyou rested his eyes with his mind clear atop the tree, his ears filled with the sound of a sword swinging. He originally didn’t want to listen, but unfortunately, they were too close.

When he saw her running over earlier, he was genuinely taken aback. Knowing her nature, he thought Teng Yuyi would most likely flee from practicing martial arts—after all, growing hot sores was only temporary, whereas practicing martial arts meant endless hardship to endure. He expected that upon returning to her room, she would either weep continuously or send a letter overnight to Teng Shao to figure something out; who could have guessed she would be so decisive as to start learning the moment she said so?

Yet before long, she started acting slippery and troublesome, stubbornly breaking down a perfectly good sword technique into flashy, superficial trickery. He thought with a sneer: That’s more like it. Teng Yuyi was slick and cunning by nature, always preferring shortcuts when encountering trouble. However, in the matter of practicing martial arts, there was absolutely no shortcut to take.

He gave a mischievous smile: if she couldn’t regulate her internal qi within three days, she wouldn’t be able to digest and assimilate the Fire-Jade Spirit Root soup; and if she couldn’t digest and assimilate the soup, hot sores would pop up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Thinking thus, he cast a downward glance. Teng Yuyi had both arms stretched straight out, her left leg raised high behind her in a position resembling “White Crane Spreads Its Wings.”

What was rare was that her shoulders were level and her leg was high, actually executing the move with remarkable form.

He was somewhat surprised—she was actually learning seriously.

Looking at Teng Yuyi’s face again, her lips were tightly pursed and her eyebrows twitched faintly; clearly, she had already endured to the absolute limit.

He looked at her with deep meaning—quite interesting. Teng Yuyi seemed to truly want to learn martial arts. Regardless of whether she had reached the age of hairpin, her body was no longer that of a child. Learning martial arts at this age was a hundred times harder than in childhood; to master the moves properly, her entire framework of muscles and bones had to be stretched anew—a true case of “bending a foot to straighten a yard.”

Once this thought arose, he suddenly felt he couldn’t quite see through her.

Ever since he began dealing with her, she had used Juesheng and Qizhi more than once, using even children—could such a person’s nature be upright? Yet seeing the way she treated Juesheng and Qizhi over the past few days, it wasn’t all fake affection either; that subconscious care and protection didn’t seem staged.

This afternoon, when he summoned the two courtesans, he thought she would stand by with folded arms, yet to protect the two, she actively ran over to deal with him. Those two courtesans were of humble status, surely possessing no utility value to her; her doing so was nothing more than fearing the two would suffer at his hands.

Originally feeling she was wicked, at times he felt she was deeply loyal and righteous to her core.

Originally expecting her to refuse to endure hardship, who knew she would practice martial arts the moment she said so?

While he turned thoughts over back and forth in the tree, Teng Yuyi was not idle under the tree either.

She had indeed reached the point of utter torment. Her body swayed unsteadily, her ears catching the faint sounds of her bones shifting position, hot beads of sweat rolling down one by one, forming a thick crust of moisture on her eyelashes.

She said through gritted teeth, “How much longer must I hold this?”

steward Cheng nodded with satisfaction.

“This move can be considered properly executed. Just hold for a few more breaths of time and it will be fine.”

A few more breaths?

Teng Yuyi felt dizzy and dazzled. This was only one move—what about ten moves? Could she just stop learning? If she grew hot sores, then let them grow! Unfortunately, there was no way back; Lin Chengyou’s appearance had reminded her that without self-defense capabilities, she would only be restrained everywhere. In her past life when she was murdered, even Duanfu had failed to protect her; having barely managed to return to life, she couldn’t repeat the same mistake.

Calamity-Dispelling, Calamity-Dispelling. Dispelling every “calamity” encountered—this was a good name.

Since she was to gain new capabilities in this lifetime, let it begin with this Calamity-Dispelling Sword Technique!

Grit-toothed, she strived to maintain the stance. Not knowing how long she endured, her head began to grow dizzy. Yet Steward Cheng refused to relent no matter what, saying every time, “Just a few more breaths, just a few more breaths.”

Strangely enough, every time Teng Yuyi felt as if she were about to shed her mortal coil and ascend, the pain across her body seemed to adjust on its own—shifting from “pain” to “swelling,” gradually showing a trend of “opening up.”

At this moment, that chaotic surge of strange power inside her body returned like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, surging together toward that single point. Unfortunately, it always seemed slightly short of heat, lacking that sensation of opening the sluice gates to unleash the floodwaters.

Feeling as though her soul would leave her body if she kept practicing, she finally heard Steward Cheng say, “Alright.”

Teng Yuyi took a deep gulp of air and let down her arms and legs in exhaustion. This time, every limb and bone felt extraordinarily comfortable and refreshed—even more exhilarating than after a fight.

Steward Cheng said happily, “Not bad! Lady can learn the next move now.”

Teng Yuyi turned around and executed a thrust in accordance with the pattern, but her arm let out a clack.

She let out a cry of pain.

“Wait, wait! It’s not fake this time, it really hurts!”

Lin Chengyou leisurely closed his eyes in the tree. At the rate Teng Yuyi was practicing, she likely wouldn’t clear her meridians within three days; however, if the Fire-Jade Spirit Root were so easy to digest and assimilate, it wouldn’t be called a rare treasure.

Teng Yuyi made adjustments once more and executed the second move again. This time her arm felt better, but Lin Chengyou suddenly leaped down from the treetop.

Steward Cheng and Huo Qiu assumed watchful expressions, unsure of Lin Chengyou’s intention.

Lin Chengyou looked straight ahead and held his index finger to his lips, signaling them to keep quiet.

Teng Yuyi looked over along his gaze, only to see someone slip out from the southern artificial pond. Under the shroud of moonlight, that person had a graceful, slender silhouette from behind, wearing a veil over her head, walking past the water pavilion in a hurried low posture toward the Hong Xiang court.

Teng Yuyi’s heart pounded hard. In the building, there was only one person who wore a veil all day long.

Gejin? What was she running out in the dead of night for?

Lin Chengyou gathered his qi and flew swiftly, following up without a sound.

Steward Cheng said in a deep voice,”Lady, the Shizi of Prince Cheng wouldn’t wait here specifically; something unusual must have occurred. We had better not linger here—let us return to the room as soon as possible. At any rate, the first move has been cleared, so the medicinal nature won’t flare up again tonight.”

Teng Yuyi looked in the direction Lin Chengyou had disappeared and nodded, “Let’s go.”

The mistress and servants hurried back. Before stepping onto the stairs, they suddenly heard a woman’s bloodcurdling shriek; looking over in astonishment, it clearly came from the direction of the water pavilion.

Uncle Cheng and Huo Qiu drew their sabers in unison.

“It’s the Hong Xiang Court!”

Teng Yuyi’s expression changed slightly. The Hong Xiang Court was directly opposite the Yiyi Pavilion, sharing a similar layout with two rows of side rooms where the renowned courtesans of the building resided.

Teng Yuyi was filled with doubt and alarm.

“Don’t you think that woman’s voice sounds familiar?”

Huo Qiu and Steward Cheng nodded.

Teng Yuyi drew her Xiaoya Sword.

“Go see what happened.”

Steward Cheng instinctively wanted to stop her, but that scream seemed to have alerted many people. Lantern shadows swayed in the southern artificial pond as the building fell into turmoil; expecting it wouldn’t be long before people from the front tower also rushed over to investigate.

The three arrived at the Hong Xiang Court. The corridor was crowded with voices; a middle-aged woman burst out from a room, panic-strickenly adjusting her hairpins while saying in a trembling voice, “Did you hear that? It sounds like Weizi’s voice.”

Teng Yuyi merely felt this woman looked familiar, and studying her carefully, recognized her as Eji. Without cosmetics applied at night, she was far less charming than usual.

Courtesans from various rooms pulled open their doors to look outside, yet didn’t dare step out casually for fear of evil spirits at work.

“I heard it! It should be Weizi. Madam E, look, Weizi’s door is open.”

“Be careful! Don’t forget the Shizi of Prince Cheng didn’t allow us to move about at night.”

Eji looked at that open door, hesitating and not daring to move. Turning her head, she caught sight of Teng Yuyi and her servants, plucking up her courage to say, “Young Master Wang, you—”

Who could have expected that at this moment, another brief scream of a woman rang out—this voice filled with resentment and malice, yet sounding unlike Weizi.

Everyone stood dumbfounded. Another middle-aged woman poked out from a room with a disheveled hair bun.

“It’s Gejin! What happened?!”

“Woji!”

Seeing Woji dash straight for Weizi’s room, the crowd couldn’t hold back and came out as well. Eji turned her head and instructed several timid older maidservants.

“Hurry and send word to the Shizi and the Taoist masters!”

Teng Yuyi reached Weizi’s door. The lamp in the room had been lit, but raising her eyes, she was stunned by the sight: one person was collapsed before a couch, while another was lying prone on the floor.

The one in front of the couch was Weizi, clearly terrified out of her wits; she wrapped her arms around her shoulders and trembled violently, her face as pale as white paper.

The other, however, was Gejin; she lay prostrate on the ground, yet held her head stubbornly high. Her veil was already torn to shreds, revealing the terrifying, gruesome wound on her cheek.

She stared dead at Weizi, shouting harshly.

“Let go of me! I want to kill this venomous woman!”

Helplessly, her hands were pinned behind her back and bound, leaving her only to struggle in vain. Lin Chengyou half-squatted in front of Gejin, pulling the dagger out from her hand.

The women turned pale with fright.

“Th-What on earth is going on here?”

At this time, chaotic footsteps sounded in the corridor as Daoist Jiantian of Dongming Temple and He Mingsheng rushed over one after the other.

He Mingsheng’s headscarf (futou) was crooked, his robe belt not yet tied, and the fat on his face quivered with every step as he panted heavily.

“What happened?!”

Suddenly seeing the scene inside the room, his entire body shuddered.

Lin Chengyou turned his head and said, “Tonight, senior masters helped guard the front and back doors—no one in the building left, right?”

With too many people blocking the doorway, Jian Tian couldn’t squeeze in for a moment and could only crane his neck to answer, “With this old Taoist and a few junior brothers watching, not even a fly could fly out.”

Only then did Lin Chengyou look at He Mingsheng.

“Boss He, officials from the Court of Judicial Review will arrive very soon. Call everyone in the building to the front tower—I have questions to ask.”

Gejin screamed out, “Let go of me, quickly! Weizi! You viper-hearted woman, I will kill you with my own two hands!”

Teng Yuyi looked at Gejin thoughtfully; no wonder she insisted on chasing Juan’erli away tonight—she had likely harbored thoughts of revenge long ago, and having someone share a room with her would ruin her plans.

Lin Chengyou had been waiting in the tree in advance; he too had probably guessed that Gejin would make an unusual move tonight.

Weizi rose totteringly while supporting herself against the couch , her red lips trembling and her pair of phoenix eyes wide open.

“You crazy woman, stop spouting malicious slanders! You were clearly harmed by a fierce ghost—what does it have to do with me?”

Lin Chengyou directly urged He Mingsheng.

“What are you still standing there frozen for? Move her out first.”

He Mingsheng charged in with two temple helpers. Only after confirming that Gejin had no weapons near her hands did he dare drag her up. He still seemed deeply shocked.

“Gejin, what are you doing out of the blue? We’ve already investigated everything that ought to be investigated. I told you long ago that it wasn’t Weizi or the others who harmed you.”

Gejin’s eyes split with rage.

“Since she deliberately set out to harm someone, how could she let you catch her in the act? Fortunately, Heaven has eyes and let me find the evidence!”

The people present were stunned for a moment: “Evidence? What evidence?”

Just then, someone ran over again.

“Your Highness the Shizi, Judicial Officer Yan from the Court of Judicial Review has arrived.”

Before long, everyone in the Caifeng Tower assembled. Teng Yuyi found an inconspicuous spot in the front hall to sit down, and sure enough, saw that official from the Court of Judicial Review from last time.

He brought a dozen or so bailiffs with him to guard the inside and outside of the Caifeng Tower, and subsequently said to He Mingsheng.

“Have two experienced procuresses lead the way; I have a few subordinates who need to search the inner courtyard.”

Everyone was unaware of what they intended to search for, feeling startled and uneasy for a moment.

Panic-stricken, He Mingsheng pointed out two women and had them lead the officers toward the inner courtyard.

All the dozen or so renowned courtesans in the building—except for Gejin, who was bound—stood in the central hall. Every single one had an uneasy look, yet none dared to move recklessly.

Lin Chengyou ordered someone to drag Gejin over.

“Speak: why commit violence?”

Gejin raised her head abruptly.

“This servant acted naturally for revenge. On the night of the eighteenth of last month, this servant was disfigured; this is something known to all. Back then, the proprietor searched everyone in the building through and through, yet no one was a suspect. This servant recalled the ‘female ghost’s’ voice day and night; it was truly extremely unfamiliar. If it was done by someone in the building, how could I fail to distinguish it? Coupled with the ghost hauntings in the building over several months previously, everyone said it was done by a fierce ghost, and to keep the peace, the proprietor did not report it to the authorities.”

“Since you couldn’t recognize that female ghost’s voice yourself, what made you suspicious?”

Gejin looked at Weizi coldly.

“This servant was injured in a state of confusion and originally thought I would never figure out the truth in my lifetime. Who could have known that Heaven repays the just—a few days ago, I found a certain object under my bed. It is stored inside the sachet at my waist; the Judicial Officer and the Shizi will understand the moment you see it.”

Lin Chengyou ordered someone to fetch the sachet, untied the drawstring in public, and reached inside to pull out an object for a look. It was a gemstone of strange light and extraordinary colors, as large as a pigeon egg and deep red in hue.

Teng Yuyi had been secretly watching Weizi’s expression all along. The moment that object was brought out, Weizi’s face instantly changed.

Most of the people in the hall did not recognize this item and began discussing it in private.

Lin Chengyou raised an eyebrow.

“Momo Gem (T/N: Malachite/Red Gemstone)? Is this the evidence you speak of?”

Gejin nodded.

“The Shizi has good eyes. Such a glossy, large Momo Gem is the only one in Chang’an. It was gifted to Weizi last year by a chieftain prince of a foreign tribe. Afterward, Weizi bragged about it in public repeatedly; this matter can be testified to by the proprietor and Madam E. The Shizi will know as soon as you ask.”

He Mingsheng was filled with astonishment, while Eji stepped forward to examine it closely.

“That’s right, this servant remembers this item. That night was the second day of the Winter Solstice Gathering. The foreign chieftain prince brought people over to seek entertainment, and several of the ladies displayed their talents: Gejin played the zither and composed poetry, Yaohuang imitated an oriole’s cry to amuse, and Weizi performed the Hu Whirl Dance. The foreign prince favored Weizi and gave this Momo Gem to her.”

Gejin said word by word.

“May the proprietor and Madam E distinguish it carefully: is this truly Weizi’s piece or not?”

Weizi’s expression turned hideous.

“No wonder this Momo Gem vanished into thin air a few days ago—so you deliberately framed me—”

Lin Chengyou interrupted Weizi.

“Boss He, Aunt E, come over and identify it properly.”

Eji gave Weizi a troubled look and nodded silently.

Lin Chengyou then looked at He Mingsheng, who also sighed.

“It is indeed this piece.”

Weizi’s face changed dramatically.

“Your Highness the Shizi, do not listen to Gejin’s nonsense! Although this Momo Gem was owned by this servant, it went missing a few days ago!”

Gejin’s voice turned piercing.

“Having lost such a rare treasure, why didn’t anyone see you report it to the authorities? You didn’t dare report it, right! Because you knew clearly in your heart that this Momo Gem was lost that night when you hid under my couch!”

She turned her head to look at Lin Chengyou.

“Your Highness the Shizi, this servant’s room has always been cleaned by Qingzhi. But ever since the day I was disfigured, Qingzhi was busy serving soup and medicine day and night without rest, and hadn’t swept or cleaned for a long time. Last time when this servant was carried off by that male demon, after recovering from my illness I found the room unlucky, so I ordered Qingzhi to clean the room. As a result, this object was found under the couch. It must have been dropped that night, and Weizi was afraid of her deeds coming to light, so she didn’t dare return to search for it.”

Weizi’s face flushed bright red.

“If you want to frame someone, you can always find an excuse! You said with your own mouth that the person was a middle-aged woman—could you not hear my voice? If it was me who harmed you, you would have recognized it long ago. I said long ago that I went to the poetry gathering with Vice Minister Lin that night, as testified by the scholars at the Zhaohui Poetry Pavilion!”

“Voices can easily be faked! I was too panicked when the incident happened that night, so it’s not impossible that I didn’t hear clearly for a moment. The Zhaohui Poetry Pavilion is not far from the Caifeng Tower—you could pull yourself away under an excuse at any time. That night, Vice Minister Lin and the others could only prove that you appeared at the poetry gathering, but could not guarantee that you never stepped away from start to finish. I have been to the poetry gathering at Zhaohui Poetry Pavilion many times; whenever it passes the Hai hour (9 PM – 11 PM), everyone drinks heavily, often getting dead drunk. How could anyone notice anything when they’re out of their minds? When I was harmed, it was right after the Hai hour; if you took advantage of the chaos to leave at that time, no one would notice at all!”

“Pure nonsense!” Weizi said through gritted teeth.

“By your logic, couldn’t anyone have harmed you?”

Gejin narrowed her eyes.

“What landed under my couch was not someone else’s belonging, but your very own Momo Gem, Weizi! You once said you cherished this item and never let it leave your person. If it wasn’t your doing, why would it conveniently end up under my bed?”

“I already said this item was lost a few days ago!” Weizi’s eyes flickered.

“Perhaps someone stole it on purpose to frame me!”

“I only ask you: why didn’t you report it to the authorities?” Gejin’s gaze was like a knife, pressing forward step by step.

Weizi’s body trembled, and she actually didn’t know how to respond. Her plump cheeks were covered in tear tracks, unable to tell whether it was out of a guilty conscience or resentment.

The people present showed varying expressions. Seeing Weizi unable to answer for a long while, a bit of doubt crept into their eyes.

Gejin bowed deeply to Lin Chengyou and the others.

“Your Highness the Shizi, this servant suffered family misfortune in my youth and inadvertently fell into the mire. Though my body is humble, my heart is untainted by dust. Having my appearance ruined for no reason last month, my heart was dead like ashes long ago, and I have dragged out a miserable existence until today solely to find the real culprit. This person ruined my entire life; so long as this grudge is unavenged for a single day, this servant will not die for a single day! Now that the guilty evidence is right before our eyes, I ask Your Highness the Shizi and Judicial Officer Yan to uphold justice for this servant.”

Everyone sighed with emotion. Before the incident, Gejin was the most open-minded and generous; her sudden change in temperament was simply due to suffering a great catastrophe. After the incident, instead of merely wallowing in self-pity, she endured humiliation to search for the culprit—this strength of mind was truly respectable and lamentable.

Lin Chengyou stood up, walked in front of Gejin, and half-squatted down to look at her.

Gejin lay prostrate on the ground without getting up.

“This servant only asks for justice.”

Weizi looked at Gejin, then at Lin Chengyou, saying in fluster.

“Your Highness the Shizi, please listen to this servant—”

Lin Chengyou raised his hand to signal Weizi to shut her mouth, continuing to ask Gejin.

“On that day, was cleaning the room brought up by you, or brought up by Qingzhi?”

Gejin raised her head in surprise. She originally thought Lin Chengyou would ask about the details of that night, but unexpectedly he asked about this.

Unaware of his meaning, she bit the bullet and said.

“It was this servant.”

“Think carefully again.” Lin Chengyou smiled strangely. “If you want me to avenge you, you must remember this matter first.”

Gejin pondered for a long time, then shook her head.

“Several days have passed since this matter, and this servant cannot remember.”

Lin Chengyou straightened his body, crossing his hands behind his back as he walked two circles around Gejin.

“I heard that the maidservant Qingzhi is the most lazy and greedy, and once actively begged Woji to change her to a new master because serving you was too tiring. If you suddenly wanted her to clean the room, she didn’t find an excuse to shirk it?”

Gejin was dazed for a moment.

“Now that the Shizi puts it this way, this servant actually remembers. That day when I drank the antitoxin soup, I accidentally spilled some, so Qingzhi said that I had vomited quite a bit during my illness, and now that I was recovering, it would be better to take the opportunity to clean the room thoroughly, which happened to drive away the sickly qi.”

“That’s more like it.” Lin Chengyou nodded. “You were carried off by that avian demon and slept for several days after returning; Qingzhi served night and day, so she must have been exhausted too. After you got better, it would be good enough if she didn’t take the opportunity to slack off—why would she actively take on work? Think back to the situation that day: what words did Qingzhi say? Was that Momo Gem found by you, or found by someone else?”

Gejin’s face changed slightly.

“…No… it was Qingzhi who said there was something under the bed. Is the Shizi saying—”

Lin Chengyou cast a glance at a certain person in the hall and smiled lightly.

“I am saying that the person who harmed you is someone else.”