Capture the Jade (Attacking the Jade/Inverted Fate/Inverted Jade) - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Teng Yuyi, having long deduced that Lin Chengyou would be unwilling to teach her swordplay, felt no surprise upon hearing his response.

She merely said in a cold tone, “Master Taoists, if you drag your feet any longer, it will be nightfall.”

The Five Taoists had seen early on that Lin Chengyou was not easily manipulated.

Unless he was willing himself, no one could dream of ordering him around.

Teng Yuyi was also not one to be trifled with, and playing tricks blindly would inevitably offend both of them.

Given the temperaments of these two, offending either was no good thing.

Seeing the hour, Jian Tian hummed sheepishly and waved a hand to Jian Le and Jian Xi behind him, “Teach her, teach her.”

Jian Le and Jian xi hummed as they drew their swords, “Young Master Wang, look clearly at the third move!”

Jian tian remained where he was, chuckling toward Lin Chengyou, “The bailiff earlier said even we were to be confined, which gave this poor Taoist a scare. Fortunately, the Shizi has other arrangements.”

Lin Chengyou, “When I said I had other arrangements, I did not mean the seniors need not be confined to their rooms, but rather that I would give you another place of confinement.”

The Five Taoists instantly exploded, “Shizi, what do you mean by this? You suspect us of being the killers? Don’t forget we were brought here by you on short notice to catch demons!”

Lin Chengyou rubbed his ear. It was far too noisy.

Usually he found Juesheng and Qizhi clamorous, but compared to these old Taoists, Juesheng and Qizhi could almost be called quiet gourds.

He said with composure, “Can you let someone finish speaking first? Everyone who was in the tower last night is a suspect. The act of confinement is meant both to clear up clues as quickly as possible and to protect the Master Taoists.”

The Five Taoists, half-believing and half-doubting, “Protect us?”

Lin Chengyou glanced at Teng Yuyi, who was not far off, “Did not Young Master Wang just analyze everything logically? The killer might very well kill someone in the tower again. If everyone in the tower moves about unrestrained, the killer can also walk about freely in the tower. Without confinement, no one knows who will be the next to suffer.”

Recalling Yaohuang’s deathly appearance, the Five Taoists could not help but shudder, “We have no past grudges or recent enmity with the killer. There must be a reason for murder.”

Lin Chengyou drawled, “As for confinement, it is only for these two days. By tomorrow evening at the latest, I will have people send the residents of Caifeng Tower to the Beitian Infirmary at Dayin Temple. Officer Yan will bring men specifically to guard them. At that time, there will only be a few of us in Caifeng Tower, and naturally we can move about at will. When the demons here are captured, I will have them move back.”

Juesheng and Qizhi asked in surprise, “Senior Brother, why is this?”

Jian tian said, “I think Caifeng Tower will fall into great chaos soon. Once your senior brother is busy capturing demons, he won’t be able to spare attention to mind the unusual actions of the people in the tower. He doesn’t want the killer to take advantage of the chaos to harm people again, so he can only send the courtesans out first.”

“Then why not send Young Master Wang and the others away? The Corpse Demon has only three preys, whereas Caifeng Tower has over a hundred people. It would be cleaner to move the three of them away, and we would only need to travel together to protect them.”

Lin Chengyou raised his head to study the sky, “Formations have been set inside and outside Caifeng Tower, and even the array eyes suppressing the two monsters are ready-made. Last night Juesheng and Qizhi already swept it once. Where else could we find such a good place to catch demons? In any case, General Teng and the Du family are currently taking refuge at Dayin Temple, so it is better to send the courtesans of Caifeng Tower over. With the monks of Dayin Temple looking after them together, it saves us from dividing our attention between two sides.”

“Are we letting the courtesans move tomorrow evening? Won’t that be a bit too rushed?”

“If it weren’t for the difficulty of finding a place to accommodate over a hundred people on short notice, I would wish they moved tonight.”

Lin Chengyou pointed to the sky overhead, “Seniors, raise your heads and look at the celestial signs.”

The Five Taoists looked up, and their faces instantly went stiff. Out of curiosity, Teng Yuyi also cast her gaze over.

It should have been broad daylight, but at this moment there was an isolated star slowly rising along the horizon, with thick and heavy haze stretching for tens of thousands of miles, unable to see the end at a single glance. Although she did not understand celestial signs, she felt that the appearance of that isolated star was abrupt, with blazing golden edges surrounding the black clouds, surging toward the isolated star inch by inch.

Jian xian stared fixedly at the sky above, “Look at that cloud haze, does it look like—”

Lin Chengyou, “You didn’t see wrong, it is indeed the Third Line of Qian.”

A flustered expression swept across the faces of the Five Taoists simultaneously, “The Third Line of Qian? This line, being a Yang line yet surrounded by Yin haze, is an omen of great misfortune. Oh, this old Taoist understands. How is that an isolated star? It is clearly demonic qi! But out of nowhere, where did such a great demon come from?”

Lin Chengyou’s expression turned slightly grave, “The reason Chang’an City and its surroundings were peaceful and without trouble a few days ago was because the two monsters were in seclusion recovering from injuries. Now that they have left seclusion, the celestial signs naturally have anomalies. Moreover, during these few days the two monsters were recuperating, their demonic qi could actually charge straight into the firmament, showing that the Golden-Robed Gentleman’s power has grown quite a bit again.”

Jian xian said with heart-pounding fear, “That’s not right. Leaving aside that the Corpse Demon is an undying and unaging body, the Avian Demon doesn’t have this ability. Last time, after the Golden-Robed Gentleman was hit by Shizi’s golden arrow, blood poured out like a stream. Logically speaking, even if he preserved his life, his power should be completely lost.”

Jian xi pulled at his beard in a flustered mess, “It shows we didn’t guess wrong earlier. The two monsters are joint-practicing some secret technique. The Golden-Robed Gentleman can borrow the evil power of the Corpse Demon, and the Corpse Demon also has things to rely on from the Golden-Robed Gentleman, so after the Golden-Robed Gentleman was severely injured, his demonic power did not weaken, but instead surged a lot.”

Lin Chengyou swept two glances left and right, “Do the seniors understand now? Right now there is no free time for you to drink wine and make merry. Previously I only assumed the Golden-Robed Gentleman was useless, prioritizing dealing with the Corpse Demon when setting up the formation. Now it seems the Nine Heavens Subduing Demon Formation is far from enough, because this formation counters evil spirits but does not control demons.”

Hearing this, the crowd of Taoists threw the matter of teaching Teng Yuyi swordplay to the nine heavens, hurriedly surrounding Lin Chengyou, discussing methods in a jumble of voices.

Seeing that learning was out of the question, Teng Yuyi could only return to the pavilion to wait patiently. She originally thought Lin Chengyou had victory in hand, who knew there would be another change. She poured herself a cup of wine, quietly waiting for the Five Taoists to argue out a result, yet the more she listened, the more chaotic her heart became.

As long as she thought of the Corpse Demon regarding her as prey, she could not stay out of the affair.

The Five Taoists were consistently unreliable, as for Lin Chengyou—Teng Yuyi admitted his demon-capturing skill was top-rate, but this time for some reason he was slow to open his mouth. Who knew what crooked ideas he was harboring again? If things really went wrong, the first to suffer bad luck would be her, Teng Yuyi.

She observed everyone silently over the rim of her cup. Though her mouth was unopened, her pair of eyes was sparkling brightly. Finally, she blinked her slender eyelashes, set down her wine cup, and said, “This humble one understands. The current formation can only trap the Corpse Demon, but cannot defend against the pair of flying wings of the Golden-Robed Gentleman. Since that is so, why not divide and rule?”

The crowd of Taoists turned their gazes over together, “Divide and rule?”

Teng Yuyi said in a solemn tone, “Although the two monsters act in collusion, their nature of harming people remains unchanged. Upon encountering what they want, the two monsters will inevitably be distracted. For instance, the Corpse Demon is single-mindedly intent on gouging out the hearts of its prey, while the Golden-Robed Gentleman reportedly also has his own quirks when harming people. Since that is so, why not use the prey to draw them apart separately when they enter Caifeng Tower? If one monster can be eliminated first, the other monster will be much easier to deal with.”

Jian tian pondered and nodded, “Although the words are not wrong, doing this has a drawback, which is having to divide our manpower into two groups—one group to trap the Corpse Demon, and the other group to surround and attack the Golden-Robed Gentleman. But once divided into several groups, Taoist power will accordingly be insufficient. At that time, let alone breaking the two monsters separately, we will only die faster.”

Juesheng and Qizhi hurriedly asked, “Senior Brother, can we transfer some more manpower from other Taoist temples?”

Lin Chengyou said, “We can’t transfer any. To guard against the two monsters harming the common people, the Taoists of various Taoist temples and the monks of Dayin Temple have been patrolling the streets, thoroughfares, and alleys day and night recently, but they can only manage inside the city, whereas outside the city they cannot manage. If we transfer more manpower over, the inside of the city will be even more overwhelmed.”

It seemed this method was infeasible, yet who knew Teng Yuyi said again, “My words are not finished yet. To divide and rule, it is not necessarily required to split into two groups. Have you forgotten? Although the Corpse Demon has boundless evil power, it also has a fatal weakness. As long as we use this weakness to trap the Corpse Demon first, wouldn’t we be able to free up our hands to deal with the Golden-Robed Gentleman with undivided attention?”

Lin Chengyou only then raised his eyes to look at Teng Yuyi.

He asked with a smile, “In Young Master Wang’s view, how do we trap the Corpse Demon?”

Teng Yuyi said, “Last time several Master Taoists said that the Corpse Demon likes to destroy person and soul together, often making the prey wish they were dead before gouging out the heart. When confusing Juan erli, it disguised itself as Juan erli’s deceased father. When dealing with me, it disguised itself as my mother… Now there are three preys in total. When it breaks into Caifeng Tower, even it won’t be able to anticipate which one it will encounter first, but it won’t give up this game of tormenting people either. Guess what it will do?”

Qizhi was startled, “It will temporarily transform its appearance?”

Teng Yuyi slowly shook her head, “Last time, in order to harm me, it specifically went to the upper room first to steal my mother’s clothes, which shows it cannot transform its appearance, and what it confuses is merely the prey’s mind. Sometimes, in order to make the prey feel like they are personally on the scene, it even needs to make some changes in attire. Perhaps for this reason, it stole several pieces of my mother’s clothes.”

Jian le’s face brightened, “Young Master Wang, I understand your meaning! If the Corpse Demon is insufficiently prepared, it won’t be able to use illusions to torment the prey’s mind into distraction, and this is precisely what it absolutely cannot endure. So this time, in order to seek realism, perhaps it will also bring these stolen clothes along.”

Teng Yuyi gave an en sound, “I guess that in order to succeed in one strike, it will dress up in advance. As for who it wants to harm first, we will know from the Corpse Demon’s attire when it reveals itself. If it dresses in Hu attire, it will mostly want to harm Juan erli first; if it disguises itself as my mother, then it is coming for me—”

Lin Chengyou listened quite attentively. Teng Yuyi did not necessarily like to enthusiastically offer ideas on normal days, yet today she departed from her usual state.

Could it be out of fear that he couldn’t handle the two monsters? Heh, is there a demon in this world he can’t subdue?

Jian xi excitedly rubbed his hands, “What Young Master Wang said makes sense! Knowing who it wants to harm first makes things easy to handle. We have the ‘Evil-Restraining Great Incantation’, so as long as we let that person wait in the formation in advance, drawing the Corpse Demon into it won’t be difficult. Once the Corpse Demon is trapped, we can deal with the Golden-Robed Gentleman with undivided attention. At that time, we can settle it quickly and not give the two monsters a chance to join forces.”

Qizhi scratched his head, “But this isn’t right either. How rapid is the Corpse Demon’s movement? Even if we can see its attire clearly, there is no way to pass the message in time. If we are a step late, we won’t be able to bring the first prey to wait for the Corpse Demon at the Evil-Restraining Great Incantation.”

Lin Chengyou took out several things shaped like signal arrows from his robe, “The sounds of these two signal arrows are completely different. If it sounds once, it shows the Corpse Demon is wearing Hu clothing. Don’t delay, immediately bring Juan erli to the center of the formation at the Evil-Restraining Great Incantation. If it sounds twice, it shows the Corpse Demon is wearing Lady Teng’s clothing stolen from Teng Manor last time. You then lead Lady Teng into the Evil-Restraining Great Incantation. As long as you lead the Corpse Demon inside, this formation is enough to stall for a while, and at that time the Golden-Robed Gentleman will be dealt with by me.”

The crowd of Taoists snatched the firecrackers, “Aiya, so the Shizi had a strategy long ago, why didn’t you say it earlier?”

Lin Chengyou showed no trace of shame, “A slight turn of events happened last night, and the originally set plan also changed. Let’s not mention this for now. Over ten Golden Silk Nets have been buried inside and outside the walls. This thing cannot trap the Corpse Demon, but it can make its skin open and flesh tear. In order to avoid the pain, the Corpse Demon will definitely bypass the places where the Golden Silk Nets are buried. The only place inside and outside Caifeng Tower where no Golden Silk Net is buried is under this tree—”

Lin Chengyou pointed forward, and Teng Yuyi looked over following his direction. It was precisely the pagoda tree Lin Chengyou was lying on when she practiced her moves last night. It seemed his stealthy presence in the tree last night was not merely to track Gejin.

Lin Chengyou walked under the tree, placing his hands behind his back and looking upward. Pale golden spring light scattered down from between the leaves, veiling his face in a layer of soft light, “At that time, the Corpse Demon will definitely break into Caifeng Tower from here. I will wait in the tree in advance, and as soon as the Corpse Demon reveals itself, I will release the signal arrow immediately.”

Qizhi was always meticulous. Seeing there were only two firecrackers, he could not help but say, “Senior Brother, is one firecracker missing? What about Lady Gejin, will it sound three times?”

This stinky boy has made a bit of progress, even knowing one was missing. Lin Chengyou touched Qizhi’s head to express encouragement, and took out another firecracker from his robe, saying to the Five Taoists, “The change I mentioned is this. Originally three sounds referred to Gejin, that’s right, but now it won’t do. If you hear three sounds, don’t move Gejin, and bring both Juan erli and Lady Teng into the Evil-Restraining Great Incantation together.”

Juesheng asked in surprise, “Why is this?”

Lin Chengyou tapped Juesheng’s head, “Use your brain and think a bit. No matter what Gejin’s inner demon was before, after this turn of events last night, it has long changed to the two sisters, Yaohuang and Qingzhi, who caused her disfigurement. The Corpse Demon hasn’t seen Gejin for a good while, and upon arrival it won’t know this point, but relying on its skill to spy on human hearts, it only needs to meet with Gejin to know the original illusion won’t work. Unless it temporarily disguises itself again as Yaohuang or Qingzhi, whom Gejin hates most, but being insufficiently prepared makes it easy to fail, which is far less easy than directly switching targets.”

Tian’s eyebrows twitched, “Then will it change to attack Lady Teng instead, or go find Juan erli?”

“This I cannot guess, so we might as well bring both of them into the formation together.”

The Five Taoists were stunned, “Both together? The Corpse Demon will know we are setting a trap at a glance, and won’t walk into the formation at all.”

Lin Chengyou answered very firmly, “No, the Corpse Demon will definitely fall for it.”

Juesheng and Qizhi were full of astonishment, “Why?”

“You have exchanged blows with the Corpse Demon several times, do you still not know this thing’s habits? It likes to play with human hearts, and likes to control everything. It failed to anticipate the change in Gejin this time, and is bound to be extremely annoyed. As long as it is truly enraged, it will be hard to concentrate its mind to use evil power.”

“I understand.”

Jian xi turned his head to look at the fellow apprentice brothers beside him, “When its evil power is low, it cannot spy on human hearts. At that time, Lady Teng and Juan erli can pretend to run into the formation in panic and confusion. The Corpse Demon, unable to distinguish true from false, can only fall for it. We activate the formation while its evil power has not yet recovered, and are we still afraid of it escaping?”

The feeling of frustration on everyone’s faces was swept away, “This counts as returning to it in its own ways.”

While talking, the Five Taoists were already thoroughly convinced by the young man before them who looked down on everything, and unconsciously formed a tight circle with Lin Chengyou as the center.

Teng Yuyi secretly curled her lip. Previously Lin Chengyou was too lazy to say a single word, why did he suddenly talk volubly?

However, she had to admit that after hearing this arrangement, her heart felt much more settled. Although Lin Chengyou always had a face of ‘I am number one under heaven’, an inadvertent moment would make people produce an illusion that he could support the sky and bridge the sea.

Jian tian was happy for a while, then suddenly said again, “Shizi, after talking for half a day, we only talked about how to draw the Corpse Demon away from the Golden-Robed Gentleman. Then what about the Golden-Robed Gentleman?”

Lin Chengyou smiled upon hearing this, “Him? There is no need for too much trouble either, we only need to roast this bird until cooked.”

“Roast until cooked?!”

“The Avian Demon belongs to Metal, Fire counters Metal, and that pair of wings fears nothing else, but fears being scorched by fire most.”

Jian tian came to a sudden realization, “Is the Shizi going to make the Nine Heavens Fire-Luring Ring to burn the Golden-Robed Gentleman?”

Jian xi and the others looked at each other. The Nine Heavens Fire-Luring Ring was not a formation, but setting up a ritual to ask the Fire-Refining Divine Lord for the Samadhi True Fire Talisman. Setting up the altar required Taoists of deep magic power to cooperate—one person conducting the ritual, and another person protecting the law. With good luck, one hour is enough; with bad luck, at least seven or eight hours.

No wonder Lin Chengyou said to change a place for confinement. It turned out he referred to inside the garden. The two people setting up the altar must stay here all the time, so where would they still have time to walk around everywhere?

The Five Taoists were dazed for a while, and suddenly recalled the matter of teaching Teng Yuyi swordplay. Suddenly removing two, wouldn’t the remaining three be worked to death?

“Young Master Wang, that, look…”

Who knew Teng Yuyi counted on her fingers, “With two left, there are only three Master Taoists left to teach me swordplay. Sigh, this time it is even more difficult. Having only learned two moves, there are still thirty-four moves unlearned. Having drunk the Fire Jade Spirit Root Soup, I am not afraid of fatigue, but I fear the three Taoists won’t be able to hold out.”

With words spoken to this point, the Five Taoists couldn’t choke out a single sentence, because heat and shame were clogged in their throats, swallowing back their remaining words.

Their martial arts were every one not bad, yet Teng Yuyi hadn’t learned for even a day’s time. They could take turns to rest, but Teng Yuyi needed to learn from beginning to end alone. When even Teng Yuyi didn’t complain of fatigue, they instead quit because of fear of fatigue—were they to admit their own incompetence, or admit going back on their word?

Jian tian, as the eldest senior brother among the five, pulled a stern face first, “What kind of words are these from Young Master Wang? Isn’t it just a set of Pihe Swordplay? Just watch. Let alone three people coming to teach you, even if there is only one person, you can still be taught successfully.”

Teng Yuyi smiled sweetly and nodded, that’s more like it.

The corner of her eye programmatically glanced at Lin Chengyou, finding that he was looking at her with a banter-filled smile. She looked back at Lin Chengyou searchingly for a while, relaxing only after determining he had no intention to intervene.

“Jian xi, Jian le, you two go set up the ritual.”

Jian tian pulled his sword out of its sheath, “Young Master Wang, there is no time to teach the remaining moves slowly, you need to learn them in one go. This old Taoist will do two moves first, Young Master Wang look closely!”

Teng Yuyi answered loudly.

Unexpectedly, right after learning half a move, two bailiffs came over.

After coming, they didn’t speak, only standing far off to one side.

Steward Cheng went forward on his own to chat with a smile, returning after a short moment, “It is said to be by the Shizi’s order to protect the people in the garden.”

Jian xi couldn’t swallow his anger, “Did you see? Did you see? This stinky boy Lin Chengyou, verbally saying he wants to protect us, but in his heart still harbors suspicion. This is treating us as criminals and watching us!”

JIan tian waved his hand, “Actually he can’t be blamed. If it were me, I would also harbor suspicion. The day Qingzhi’s corpse was discovered, the surroundings of that well were clearly somewhat wrong. If Qingzhi was harmed to death by someone using unorthodox evil arts, besides us, who else in this tower understands how to perform rituals?”

****

Lin Chengyou did not directly return to the front building, but first went to Yiyu Pavilion and Hongxiang Court for a loop. Seeing the courtesans and procuresses in both places had their doors tightly shut, and each hallway had two bailiffs guarding, he went straight to Qingzhi’s room.

Qingzhi lived in a row of inconspicuous side rooms on the west side of Yiyu Pavilion. One room had four maidservants in total, and after Qingzhi’s incident, the other three also moved to other places.

Lin Chengyou let Juesheng and Qizhi wait outside the door, entering the room himself. In fact, he had already come to search several rounds before, and now even with his eyes closed he could state the furnishings in the room.

In the room, besides four Hu beds, there were no decent furnishings. Qingzhi’s bed was at the innermost south side, separated between beds with dusty coarse cloth curtains. Because there were no windows, the corner was somewhat dark.

Lin Chengyou squatted down to feel under the bedboards, feeling for a while before lighting a fire striker, inspecting the bedboards using the firelight.

Juesheng looked in curiously from outside, “Senior Brother, last time you suddenly used the bath tub to test the courtesans in the tower, was it because you saw Qingzhi was harmed to death by evil arts? Senior Brother, did you initially mistake it as the work of the Corpse Demon’s puppet?”

Lin Chengyou’s vision moved under the bed, “I did think so, but firstly, all the courtesans in the tower were tested, and no one showed signs of being possessed. Secondly, judging from Yaohuang’s death, Qingzhi was deliberately harmed to death by someone. This matter has nothing to do with the Corpse Demon; the killer is clearly a living person who understands evil arts.”

Juesheng and Qizhi’s backs went straight cold.

Juesheng said with a pale face, “Qizhi and I would rather believe it was done by the Corpse Demon controlling a puppet, than believe the killer is someone in Caifeng Tower. Senior Brother, we have also lived in this place for some days. The courtesans and guests in the tower are every one kind. Just from the light of daily interactions, it is truly impossible to connect them with violent criminals.”

Lin Chengyou gave an oh, “Bad people would write words on their own faces? You two have come out to gain experience for so long, have you seen few people with kind faces but evil hearts? Misplacing benevolence and kind thoughts, be careful of harming others and yourself. Last night I told you to sweep well in the array eye, what did you discover?”

Qizhi straightened up, “Every corner was swept. The array eye should have been carefully chosen by that founder of Dongming Temple a hundred years ago, and even two niche chambers were dug underneath. Unfortunately, the only silk banner was also turned to powder by the Golden-Robed Gentleman last time. Nowadays there are no remaining traces in the array eye, and it is unknown how Taoist Dongyang finally forced the two monsters into the array eye.”

Lin Chengyou said, “I know all these. When I asked you to sweep the array eye in detail, I didn’t just mean underground. That Lotus Pure Child Statue and the surrounding beams and pillars also cannot be left out. Sweeping for a whole night, didn’t you find anything else?”

Juesheng and Qizhi hurriedly said, “We were just about to tell Senior Brother! First, the vicinity of the divine statue and incense table was abnormally clean, it should be that someone often comes to sweep—”

Lin Chengyou’s heart moved, “Clean to what extent?”

“To the extent of not even having a layer of dust.”

Lin Chengyou hesitated for a moment. Judging from those pools in the garden, the servants responsible for sweeping were not diligent, otherwise the water wouldn’t be floating full of fallen branches and leaves.

Outside was so perfunctory, so logically a cold and remote small Buddhist hall wouldn’t be diligently swept either.

However, Caifeng Tower often had ghostly affairs, so it made sense if people in the tower went to sweep spontaneously out of reverence for divine beings.

“Besides, we also found a mark on a floor tile under the incense table. This mark was very shallow and hidden behind the incense table. Let alone Senior Brother and the others not being able to discover it on normal days, even if we lay flat on the ground to look we wouldn’t see it. If Qizhi hadn’t accidentally pushed aside a corner of the felt rug when coming out of the array eye, perhaps we would have missed it.”

“What kind of mark?”

Juesheng pulled out a piece of talisman paper from his robe, “The size of a pea, the shape cannot be described, a bit like starlight, and also a bit like the pearl flowers worn by women.”

Lin Chengyou took it into his hand to look, and abruptly stood up.

Juesheng and Qizhi looked at each other in surprise.

Lin Chengyou had a strange expression, “No wonder you don’t recognize it. This is called the Seven-Ray Guidance Mark. It is an extremely obscure soul-summoning technique. Restraining a person’s soul, besides asking about matters of the underworld, often includes acts of abuse. Speaking of which, it damages hidden virtue, and has historically been despised by prestigious orthodox sects.”

Qizhi shuddered, “The person is already dead, even if there was immense enmity it should have dissipated. Why still abuse the ghost?”

Juesheng gave an ah, “I heard that ever since that Tian couple from the colorful silk shop died, this tower was always haunted. No, ever since Tian Yunde’s concubine was forced to death by Lady Qi, it hasn’t been peaceful. That person clearly knew there were many ghosts in the tower, were they not afraid of summoning a fierce ghost? If a fierce ghost is abused severely, it is extremely easy to backlash onto the practitioner.”

“Daring to use such evil arts, naturally they have certainty that nothing will go wrong.”

Lin Chengyou sneered twice, “You found it under the felt rug?”

The two nodded.

“Estimated to be accidentally scorched during the ritual, and there was no time to replace the floor tile. Unluckily, it coincided with me and the Dongming Temple Taoists moving into the small Buddhist hall, so that person dared even less to act rashly.”

Lin Chengyou sneered twice.

It was becoming more and more interesting. It turned out that long before the two homicide cases, someone in Caifeng Tower had already been stirring up trouble.

Juesheng suddenly had a thought, “Senior Brother, Qingzhi was also harmed to death by evil arts. Was she killed because she discovered something?”

Lin Chengyou did not respond, lowering his head to examine the space beneath the bed in detail, but helplessly had no gains, having no choice but to pat the dust off his hands and stand up.

After coming out, he still did not go to the front building, but turned off to Hongxiang Court.

In front of Yaohuang’s door, there was a bailiff guarding the door.

Lin Chengyou nodded to that person, bypassed the bailiff and entered the room.

Yaohuang’s room had the same layout as Gejin’s room, but the furnishings were slightly different. Before the bed was a six-panel landscape screen, and on the low table rested a silver-plated bottle with a flat top holding eight dou. At first glance, it looked like a dazzling array of items, but there were few valuable objects.

Before the dressing table there was originally a cosmetic box, which had been sent to the Court of Judicial Review this morning.

Trunks, bookshelves, bed feet… all dark compartments that could hide things had been flipped through.

He hadn’t expected to find new patterns, but what Lin Chengyou was looking at was not things on the surface, but traces in the dark.

Whenever evil arts are used in a room, it is inevitable that something would be left behind—be it nail marks, brandings, or nicks carved by a dagger.

Yet strangely, both Yaohuang’s and Qingzhi’s rooms were spotless and tidy. Yaohuang’s case was easily explained; after all, she had died from heart-rotting herb poisoning.

But Qingzhi had begun having nightmares seven or eight days before her death. If someone had used evil arts against her, where on earth had they struck?

Lin Chengyou paced inside the room for a turn, turning his head to look at the moon-gate window beside the Hu bed. Glimpsing the shimmering waves outside, his heart suddenly stirred.

Opposite was Yiyu Pavilion, where Gejin and the others lived, and separating the two rows of houses was a pool of clear, jade-green water.

The sun was beginning to slant westward. Orange light fell upon the water’s surface, refracting myriads of fine, scattered points of brightness. The light all around was astonishingly dazzling, brilliant as a giant golden mirror—let alone blade marks or brandings, even the thickness of the dust could be clearly illuminated.

Lin Chengyou’s gaze shifted upward along the window lattice; there was no anomaly inside or outside the window. Hooking both arms on the sill, he leaned half his body outward to look up, feeling along the top of the window frame until he hadn’t even found a single hair.

Lin Chengyou had no choice but to pull his body back. His arm accidentally brushed against the right window pane, making a very faint clack. With his exceptional hearing, he immediately turned to look, abruptly discovering that a spot on the right-hand windowsill was slightly brighter in color than elsewhere, as though the vermilion lacquer had faded and been re-lacquered.

Leaning down to look closely, that spot merged seamlessly with the window frame on the surface, save for a slight variation in color. If it were nighttime or an overcast day, one might not necessarily notice it—no wonder several shifts of people searching last night and this morning failed to notice anything amiss here.

A touch of banter surfaced at the corners of Lin Chengyou’s lips.

“Hidden deep enough.”

Touching it with his hand, the wooden board could be pushed up and down. Unsheathing the dagger at his jade belt to pry it, with a crack, the wooden board collapsed onto the windowsill.

Hidden behind it was a small secret niche. Inside the niche rested a small, colorful woven basket, blocked on the surface by the wooden board so that no one could detect a clue.

Lin Chengyou retrieved the woven basket and saw several ‘yi’ of gold and a few pearl and jade ornaments placed inside.

He had heard that the courtesans of Pingkang Ward were strictly managed. Whatever rewards they received on normal days had to be handed over to their procuresses and masters like He Mingsheng; if they dared to secretly keep anything, they could not escape a beating and scolding. For the sake of their own futures, the courtesans naturally resorted to feigning compliance while acting in opposition.

One could tell from this secret niche that after serving as top courtesan for these few years, Yaohuang had already gained considerable experience in stashing away items.

The playthings in the woven basket were far more exquisite and rare than those displayed in the room: jade ruyi, coral strands, moon-reflecting pearl cups, and even sickeningly affectionate poem slips and love poems… everything that should be there was present.

Among the pile of glittering, valuable objects, only a small brown item was extremely inconspicuous.

Examining it against the dazzling sunlight at the window, it was a walnut ornament, merely the size of a fist. From the back, it looked like an ordinary walnut shell, but flipping it over revealed another world inside: half of the walnut shell had been shaved away, housing a boat within, complete with gunwales, window railings, and masts. The window leaves could be pushed open, and the long oars could be swung, looking just like a real person and real boat scaled down.

Sitting on the boat’s axle were two young girls, one slightly older and the other slightly younger. Both wore identical clothes and leaned intimately together; judging from their looks and demeanors, they were clearly a pair of sisters.

Lin Chengyou stared at the expressions of the figurines. Though their facial features could not be seen clearly, that intimate warmth was lifelike.

It seemed not only Qingzhi missed her elder sister, but Yaohuang also missed her younger sister dearly. He did not know where she had obtained this half-walnut, keeping it as a treasure without a word and frequently rubbing and playing with it in secret.

Lin Chengyou turned it over and over to inspect, discovering a line of characters carved on the bottom of the walnut.

Written upon it was: Yuezhou, Dingyou Year, Taozhi Ferry.

Lin Chengyou was startled. Yuezhou was Yao Huang and Qingzhi’s hometown; was this Taozhi Ferry also in Yuezhou?

Just as he was pondering, a bailiff hurriedly came looking for him from outside.

“Reviewer Lin, Officer Yan has returned, saying he has urgent matters to discuss and asked where you were.”

“Understood.”

Lin Chengyou tucked the walnut into his sleeve and stepped out of the room.

Arriving at the main hall to take a look, Officer Yan was gulping down tea in large mouthfuls.

This man was usually refined and proper, rarely drinking like an ox, so it seemed he was quite exhausted this afternoon.

“Officer Yan.”

Yan Wangchun set down his teacup and gasped for breath.

“Shizi, you were right. That Tuoniang in the palace is indeed a person of divine skill.”

Lin Chengyou coughed, gesturing for Officer Yan to hush, then said loudly, “Let’s speak outside.”

Yan Wangchun composed himself, rising to follow Lin Chengyou out to the courtyard, finding a relatively secluded corner before opening his mouth again, “Tuoniang looked at the killer’s sachet and said it was the craftsmanship of embroiderers from Yuezhou.”

Lin Chengyou’s smile faded.

Yuezhou again.

The killer also had a connection to Yuezhou?

“Could Tuoniang tell which embroidery workshop in Yuezhou it came from?”

“Tuoniang said Yuezhou produces mulberry, and there are many embroiderers with outstanding needlework among the neighborhoods. But the embroidery method on the sachet is called the Flowing Cloud Hemming Method. The petals and leaves embroidered through this method are like flowing water waves, and the needlework can be said to be quite ingenious. However, this is not an exclusive technique; there are no fewer than several hundred embroiderers in Yuezhou skilled in this method. Solely based on this sachet, Tuoniang couldn’t tell which embroidery workshop it was from either.”

“Which embroidery workshops are in Yuezhou? This Tuoniang should know at least.”

Yan Wangchun pulled a scroll of paper from his sleeve.

“I noted this down. There are no fewer than twenty large and small embroidery workshops in Yuezhou, the three most famous being: the first is called Xiaoshancui Embroidery Workshop, the second is Taozhi Embroidery Workshop, and the third is called Yueju Embroidery Workshop—”

Lin Chengyou was taken aback.

“Wait, what is the second one called?”

“Taozhi Embroidery Workshop.”

Lin Chengyou swiftly snatched the paper from Officer Yan’s hand, comparing it with the “Taozhi Ferry” on the walnut, then sharply raised his eyes.

“Does Tuoniang know where this second embroidery workshop is located in Yuezhou?”

Yan Wangchun was astonished.

“Tuoniang didn’t inform me of this matter, and I forgot to ask just now.”

“This is what I just searched out from Yaohuang’s room. Look at this line of characters.”

Yan Wangchun took the walnut and squinted to look, letting out a surprised ah.

“This is too coincidental—both are Yuezhou, and both have the two characters ‘Taozhi’.”

Lin Chengyou said coldly, “Coincidental? How could there be such a coincidence in this world? One is the killer’s sachet, the other an object from seven years ago, yet this pair of sisters both died at the hands of another person.”

Yan Wangchun’s brows knitted tighter and tighter.

“Could the killer have known this pair of sisters seven years ago? Last night, the killer risked death to hide this sachet—was it out of fear that we would discover he or she was related to Yuezhou? No, seven years ago Yaohuang was already ten years old and should reasonably have had some impression of the killer. When her younger sister died suddenly, Yaohuang should have recalled something long ago.”

Lin Chengyou said meaningfully, “What on earth is going on? We will know once we investigate.”

While speaking, he walked toward the hall.

Officer Yan was startled, hastily lifting his robe to follow.

Upon reaching the hall, Lin Chengyou said to the bailiffs, “Tell He Mingsheng to bring all the indentures of everyone in the tower immediately. Also, the procuresses and all the temple guests, have them come over—I have questions to ask.”

The bailiffs hurriedly answered. This young Shizi usually had an attitude of not caring even if the sky fell, so it was rare for him to have a stern and solemn expression; it was mostly because a major event had occurred.

Before long, He Mingsheng and the others arrived one after another.

He Mingsheng had also been ordered under confinement, so he had to do everything personally. In the past, wherever he went, he was surrounded by a crowd, but at this moment he was personally holding a dragon-sandalwood box. It was estimated that finding the courtesans’ indentures had taken a lot of effort, and his head was dripping with oily sweat.

Eji, Woji, and the others had likely just gotten out of bed, tidying their skirts while walking.

Upon entering the hall, these people did not dare to speak, pair after pair of uneasy eyes stealthily peering at Lin Chengyou.

Lin Chengyou lifted his robe and sat down behind the long table, looking first at He Mingsheng.

He Mingsheng’s lips trembled, offering up the box with a chuckle.

“All indentures and travel passes are here, a total of one hundred and seven people. Shizi, please inspect them.”

Lin Chengyou smiled and nodded.

“Good, Officer Yan and I will take a look and return them to Boss He.”

How could He Mingsheng dare provoke Lin Chengyou.

“Shizi may look as you please. Now that such a thing has happened in Caifeng Tower, I still rely on Shizi and Officer Yan to find the culprit as soon as possible.”

Lin Chengyou naturally picked up the conversation.

“Then please have Boss He arrange a side room for us on the second floor. Officer Yan and I want to inquire about a few matters, so—”

He casually pointed at Woji in the middle of the crowd.

“Let’s start with Madam Woji. The rest of the people wait a short moment in the hall; once Madam Woji is questioned, it will be your turn.”

“There are plenty of elegant rooms on the second floor.”

He Mingsheng turned around and waved his hand at Woji, “Woji, take Shizi and Officer Yan upstairs.”

Yan Wangchun instructed two bailiffs to stay behind to look after the crowd, going upstairs together with Lin Chengyou.

Woji led the two to the front of a room, entering and standing nervously to one side.

Lin Chengyou and Officer Yan left Woji to the side, flipping through everyone’s indentures on their own. After waiting a while, Woji became increasingly anxious, swallowing her saliva and saying, “Allow me to risk my life to ask, I wonder what Shizi wants to inquire about with me.”

Lin Chengyou remained indifferent, quickly flipping through the final indenture before shifting his vision away from the table.

Except for Yaohuang and Qingzhi, not a single person’s native place was Yuezhou.

But this was not surprising either; Qingzhi’s indenture also had “Native of Xingyang” written on it, presumably made up casually by the human trafficker when bringing Qingzhi to Chang’an for sale back then.

Qingzhi’s indenture could be forged, so naturally others’ could be forged as well.

“When you bought Qingzhi back then, you didn’t discover her indenture was fake?”

Woji had a face full of bad luck.

“Speaking of this makes me angry. I bought five children in one go back then, and Qingzhi was the most inconspicuous one. Nothing had gone wrong all these years, so how could I foresee someone daring to forge a travel pass for money?”

Lin Chengyou mocked, “The accents of Xingyang and Yuezhou are vastly different. An indenture can be forged, but an accent cannot. You didn’t hear that Qingzhi didn’t have a Xingyang accent?”

Woji sighed.

“There were many children bought at that time, how could I pay attention to these? If it weren’t for such a thing happening, I wouldn’t even have paid attention to where Qingzhi was from. Children learn things fast too; with a large group staying together, in less than a few days they forget their hometown dialect.”

“After you bought Qingzhi, you always lived in Pingkang Ward? Where did you make a living before Caifeng Tower opened for business?”

Woji gave a dry smile.

“I rented a residence in the ward, intending to raise a few children to solicit guests myself. But before long, several famous brothels opened one after another in the Nanqu area, and the ladies inside were all beautiful and skilled. The young masters and noble sons of Chang’an City were all hooked away by them, so who would still pay attention to a small workshop in a corner?

“I had no business to do, and hearing that Nanqu was going to open the largest Caifeng Tower in Chang’an, I brought the children over to seek refuge. When I came, I negotiated with Boss He. He provided shelter and meals, the children all belonged to his management, and in the future when these children made something of themselves, regardless of earning more or less, I would only take a ten percent cut. Furthermore, my music and arts were a masterpiece when I was young, more than enough to help train performers. Boss He originally refused to agree, but at that time Caifeng Tower couldn’t recruit so many music instructor courtesans at once. Seeing that I was willing to help teach music, he agreed. Oh right, Eji and the others were like this too.”

Lin Chengyou snapped the box lid shut.

“Caifeng Tower has been open for over half a year, and you stay in the tower day and night. Have you heard of anyone who is a native of Yuezhou?”

“A native of Yuezhou?”

Woji cowered for a moment, “Isn’t Yao Huang one?”

“Besides her, there was no one else?”

Woji answered very firmly.

“No.”

Lin Chengyou sneered,”The killer is right in the tower. If you know something but don’t speak, the next unlucky one might just be you.”

Woji’s voice trembled slightly.

“Let me think carefully, think carefully.”

She nervously wrung her hands together, wringing them until her knuckles turned somewhat white, finally shaking her head helplessly.

“I’ve dealt with everyone for quite a while, and really haven’t heard of anyone being from Yuezhou. Yaohuang did mention Yuezhou from time to time, but I didn’t see anyone pick up the conversation either.”

Lin Chengyou and Officer Yan exchanged glances, simply switching to a different way of asking, “Qingzhi often moved around outside on normal days. Have you heard that she recently got to know any fellow villager outside?”

Woji was stunned.

“This… every time Qingzhi went out she only bought food, I haven’t heard of her making friends with a fellow villager—”

Speaking up to this point, a strange expression abruptly surfaced on Woji’s face, peeking at Lin Chengyou as she said, “No, no, speaking of fellow villagers, Qingzhi didn’t know what was wrong with her that day, suddenly saying she was fellow villagers with the former shopkeeper’s concubine. I also mentioned this matter to Shizi before, Shizi should still remember—”

Lin Chengyou fell silent for a moment. Of course he remembered; if he hadn’t seized on this point, he wouldn’t have discovered that Qingzhi was actually a native of Yuezhou. If he hadn’t followed this clue down, he might not have discovered the true relationship between Qingzhi and Yaohuang at all.

But that concubine surnamed Rong had already been dead for over a year—

Not only was the concubine dead, but the Tian couple had also died one after another.

He only wanted to know who else in the tower was a native of Yuezhou, so why was the Caibo shop involved again? Three people who had been dead a year ago couldn’t possibly be connected to a homicide case a year later, right?

Lin Chengyou suppressed the doubt in his heart.

“Fine, then I’ll ask once more. How did Qingzhi tell you back then?”

Woji said, “It wasn’t that she said it herself. I learned about it when hearing someone complain about Qingzhi, saying Qingzhi always spoke crazy words, openly saying she was fellow villagers with that dead concubine, not even shunning the taboo.”

Lin Chengyou smiled, “However, it is now proven that Qingzhi was not speaking crazy words, and she was indeed a native of Yuezhou. Has Qingzhi met Lady Rong before? Why did she know she was fellow villagers with Lady Rong?”

Woji’s expression carried a trace of unease, seemingly weighing something.

Lin Chengyou and Officer Yan exchanged glances, the knot of suspicion in their hearts growing larger and larger.

Lin Chengyou opened his mouth, “The Caibo shop has long enjoyed a grand reputation in this place. Living in Pingkang Ward all these years, even if you haven’t entered the shop to buy things, you should have heard of the name of the Caibo shop. Think carefully, has Qingzhi ever mentioned Lady Rong?”

Woji said nervously, “This child hasn’t mentioned Lady Rong, but I think she should have seen her.”

Officer Yan was startled. He originally thought Qingzhi said such words to seek attention, but it turned out she had truly seen Lady Rong.

He hurriedly asked, “When was it seen? Where was it seen?”

Woji pressed her hand against her forehead, “Back when the Caibo shop was still around, I often patronized it. The Caibo shop had a large family and business, employing many shop workers, but the Tian couple was accustomed to being stingy, liking to do everything personally. Boss Tian was born handsome and spoke pleasantly. But that pair of eyes on Lady Qi was like hidden sharp daggers, needing only one look at your body to know how much you were worth. During that period I was tight on money, and seeing that I asked much and bought little every time, Lady Qi had a cold look on her face. I greatly looked down upon her sarcastic, harsh face, so during idle time I often brought Qingzhi and a few others to the shop to cause annoyance.

“On one occasion Lady Qi fell ill, and Lady Rong came out on her behalf to receive female guests. I remember back then Lady Rong had just married Boss Tian not long ago, having a beautiful appearance and a warm, kind personality. On that day, the people going to the shop were extraordinarily numerous, and Boss Tian was overjoyed. But Lady Rong had only been out receiving guests for a short while when Lady Qi started smashing things in the back, sounding as if she was scolding Lady Rong with every word being harsh to the ear. Boss Tian did not dare protect Lady Rong either, softly comforting her with a few words before urging her to go inside to serve Lady Qi—”

Woji paused as she spoke, “After returning, those few children of mine even said that Boss Tian possessed vast wealth, so why was he so afraid of his wife? Among those few children who spoke was Qingzhi, and I guess it was that time when she learned Lady Rong was a native of Yuezhou. Later on, I saw Lady Rong several times on the street, but she had suddenly haggard quite a bit. I heard Lady Qi often beat and scolded her, and Boss Tian was not in Chang’an either. Not long after that, Lady Rong jumped into a well and died.”

Lin Chengyou pondered for a moment, “Qingzhi definitely could hear Lady Rong’s Yuezhou accent. After that, did Qingzhi ever mention Lady Rong to you? For example, saying she bumped into Lady Rong somewhere, or said something to Lady Rong.”

Woji thought very seriously, “Never mentioned it. After Lady Rong died, there were all kinds of rumors among the neighborhood, everyone saying she was harmed to death by Lady Qi, and even saying the Caibo shop was haunted. When these street talks and gossip reached my small workshop, I didn’t see anything special about Qingzhi either.”

—

After Woji left, Lin Chengyou stared at the tabletop, lost in thought.

Caifeng Tower seemed to have no connection to the Caibo shop, yet whenever a new clue was searched out, the Caibo shop was like a craggy isolated island in a thick fog, abruptly revealing a corner at an inadvertent moment.

So Qingzhi had seen Lady Rong over a year ago.

And Lady Rong happened to be a native of Yuezhou.

Coincidentally, the killer’s sachet also came from an embroidery workshop in Yuezhou.

Could there truly be some entanglement between Caifeng Tower and the Caibo shop?

Did the killer know Lady Rong?

Would his or her killing of the sisters Yaohuang and Qingzhi be related to Lady Rong?

Lin Chengyou looked at the sachet in his hand, then felt out that walnut, placing the two before his eyes and rubbing them thoughtfully.

“Officer Yan, Reviewer Lin,” a bailiff poked his head in, “Eji has arrived.”

After entering the room, Eji lowered her head and performed a courtesy. Raising her head and seeing Lin Chengyou’s expression was still somewhat genial, she plucked up her courage to ask, “Shizi, I heard from the master that tomorrow we have to move to the Beitian Infirmary at Dayin Temple. Is this matter true?”

“What does Madam Eji wish to say?”

Eji covered her face with a handkerchief and chuckled, “Shizi’s arrangements must be thoroughly complete. I merely wished to inquire with Shizi about roughly how many days we are to stay. If it is only for one or two days, then so be it, but if it is for a long stay, I must instruct the children to bring more changing clothes.”

Lin Chengyou said unhurriedly, “Madam Eji loves to inquire about everything so much, so you should know quite a few matters about the people in the tower. Do you remember who came from Yuezhou?”

Eji blinked her eyes, “I only know Yaohuang is a native of Yuezhou, but as for others, I do not know.”

Lin Chengyou sneered, “Madam Eji’s memory is exceptionally good. You had better think carefully again.”

A good memory… what did these words mean? Eji’s eyes panicked for a moment, giving a dry smile, “Pardon my stupidity, I ask Shizi to speak plainly.”

Lin Chengyou sized up Eji without showing any emotion. As fellow procuresses, Eji was a few years younger than Woji and also more clever and slick. It was said that He Mingsheng favored Eji quite a bit on normal days, even handing over some daily trivial matters of Caifeng Tower to Eji to manage. Regarding the people and matters in the tower, Eji undoubtedly knew quite a lot.

“There are four procuresses in total at Caifeng Tower,” he opened his mouth, “Each procuress is only responsible for managing her own ‘daughters’. You are not Weizi’s or Yaohuang’s procuress, so logically speaking, you are not clear about their private items. Yet that night, whether it was Weizi’s Mohe jewel or Yao Huang’s silver-winged butterfly step-shake hairpin, you recognized them at a single glance. It can be seen that these trivial matters of the courtesans cannot escape your eyes in any way.”

Eji’s face changed several times, “I did not intentionally inquire about these. It is only that Yaohuang and Weizi are different from others; they are the most outstanding top courtesan ladies of Caifeng Tower. Let alone receiving valuable rewards, even their smallest actions have people watching them. Even if I did not spy around, I would hear others speak of them.”

“‘Having heard of’ and ‘being able to match’ are two different matters.”

Lin Chengyou smiled without smiling, “You could even state the origins of those few items. You have no few top courtesan ladies under your hands either. If you hadn’t paid extra attention, how could you remember so firmly?”

Eji opened her mouth hastily to defend herself.

Lin Chengyou smiled, “What are you anxious for? I am praising Madam Eji for having a good memory.”

He picked up the sachet on the table and asked, “Has Madam Eji seen this sachet?”

Just a few short sentences scared Eji into a cold sweat.

She subconsciously reined in that self-righteous cleverness on her body, honestly leaning closer to peek, recognizing it as the one searched out in the hall this morning, instantly stammering a bit, “Th-This isn’t—”

“Yes.”

Lin Chengyou looked directly at Eji, his eyes deep and dark like lacquer, as if wanting to see into the other party’s very bones, “This is the killer’s item. To find the killer as quickly as possible, this is the most critical clue. Think carefully, have you seen anyone use this item in the past?”

“I won’t hide it from Shizi,” Eji pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from her head, “my memory is indeed not bad. The pattern on this sachet is so unique that if anyone in the tower had used it, I would definitely have an impression. But I dare say with certainty that I have never seen this sachet before.”

Lin Chengyou reminded her, “Not only the performers and courtesans in the tower, but guests and neighboring people count as well.”

Eji thought for a bit and shook her head again, “I truly haven’t seen it. I know the gravity of the situation, and at a time like this, I would never dare to have a single word of deceit.”

Lin Chengyou felt faintly disappointed.

Woji said she hadn’t seen it, and Eji also said she hadn’t seen it.

Even if one of them was lying, it was unlikely both were telling falsehoods.

The sachet was not newly made, and the pattern was eye-catching. If even the sharp-eyed and meticulous procuresses had not seen it, it indicated that the killer rarely used this sachet in front of people.

Now this was interesting.

Caifeng Tower had been open for over half a year, and the courtesans lived as neighbors.

No matter how cautious a person was, there would be times when they revealed flaws, yet the killer had actually hidden for so long and so deeply…

Lin Chengyou paused, “I remember the owner said that the small Buddhist hall in the rear garden was built after an expert from Luoyang looked at it?”

Eji said honestly, “Yes.”

“Do you usually go to the small Buddhist hall to burn incense?”

Eji’s head shook like a rattle-drum, “I have never gone, and others also rarely wander near the small Buddhist hall.”

“Why is this?”

Eji placed her hand on her chest, “It is strange to say, but that small Buddhist hall was said to be built to suppress evil, yet let alone at night, even during the daytime it is ice-cold. At night, even if it is filled with burning incense and candles, the inside of the hall is dim, gloomy, and cold. As long as a person enters, they feel uncomfortable all over. The ladies do not dare to walk near the small Buddhist hall, and even our master is afraid; occasionally going over once, he bound to find a dozen or so temple guests to accompany him. As time went on, everyone stopped going as well.”

Lin Chengyou secretly thought that the small Buddhist hall was named a Buddhist hall, but in truth it utilized the Taoist Ruyi Subduing Demon Formation.

The cultivation of the person who set the formation was not low, and the formation was strict and orderly. If the artisans had not accidentally smashed the cornerstone of the array eye underneath while building the Buddhist hall, it would have been more than enough to protect the tower’s safety.

The bad thing was smashing the array eye that suppressed the two monsters a hundred years ago, causing a large amount of yin qi to overflow from the array eye. The lonely souls and wild ghosts nearby sensed it and inevitably came to wander about. If people walked nearby, they would naturally feel eerie. Once the two monsters absorbed enough evil qi, it did not take long for them to break out of the formation.

This point was likely something even the person who set up the formation had not anticipated.

“Have you seen that expert from Luoyang?”

“Haven’t seen him. When the expert came to Chang’an, others were responsible for entertaining him. I only know he was called Xiaoyao Sanren.”

Lin Chengyou snorted a laugh, “But I have already sent people to look. There is no expert named Xiaoyao Sanren in Luoyang.”

Eji was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, “Shizi, please stop mentioning this matter. Our master’s intestines are almost green with regret. After the small Buddhist hall was built, Caifeng Tower was only quiet for a short while before starting to be haunted again. The master had no choice but to go to Luoyang in person to find that Xiaoyao Sanren. As a result, he went two times in a row and missed him every time. The master was so angry he stamped his feet, saying outright that this Taoist was a fraud, otherwise why would he disappear without a trace as soon as he received the money?”

Officer Yan said in wonder, “Since you suspected that person was a fraud, why didn’t your master report it to the officials?”

“The master reported it to the officials long ago, and even entrusted someone to ask the judicial officer in the county, saying that the Taoist was from Luoyang but committed fraud in Chang’an, so does this matter ultimately fall under Chang’an’s Wannian County or Luoyang? But before the master could ask clearly, a great demon popped out from the rear garden, and subsequently the entire building was sealed and restricted, so this matter was put aside.”

Lin Chengyou pondered in silence. Judging from the layout inside the small Buddhist hall, that Taoist did not seem like a fraud. Even if the artisans accidentally smashed through the ground during construction, relying on this person’s foundation, it would not be difficult to come over and make some remedies. Why did he not even show his face anymore?

Precisely because Xiaoyao Sanren did not show his face again, no one discovered that the array eye underneath had been smashed through. The artisans made trouble and did not dare tell He Mingsheng, and He Mingsheng did not understand Taoist methods and could not see clues, so until the two monsters ran out, Caifeng Tower still had singing and dancing every night.

Small Buddhist hall… small Buddhist hall… Lin Chengyou calculated in his heart that everyone avoided this eerie small Buddhist hall, yet someone used this point to execute evil arts inside it.

His thoughts condensed on that Seven-Ray Guidance Mark found under the incense table in the small Buddhist hall.

The Seven-Ray Guidance Mark was extremely evil.

Matters could only be conducted at night, and practicing it required no one to disturb the process throughout; the small Buddhist hall counted as the best venue.

The killer did not want people to catch sight of his or her actions, wishing above all that no one dared to go to the small Buddhist hall… and to ensure nothing went wrong, a mere ‘eerie’ was not enough; logically, something else should have been done.

Lin Chengyou’s heart stirred, “Has Madam Eji ever heard anyone mention bumping into a ghost in the small Buddhist hall?”

Eji nodded nervously, “Yes, yes, yes. Months ago someone mentioned this matter, and later one after another people bumped into ghosts. I seem… seem to have seen it too.”

Officer Yan said strangely, “Having seen it means having seen it, not having seen it means not having seen it. What do you mean by ‘seem to have seen it’?”

Eji flicked her handkerchief, “Because I am not clear whether that thing was a person or a ghost either.”

Lin Chengyou asked with rich interest, “What did that thing you saw look like?”

Eji swallowed her saliva in fear. That matter had passed for quite a few days, but thinking back to it still felt frightening.

“Roughly two months ago, I remember that day was the fifteenth. A few scholarly sons from out of town who came for the examinations entered the tower to drink wine and contest poetry, naming to listen to music. Seeing that their appearances were fairly refined, I called Juan erli and Baozhu to serve them, agreeing that they would only serve music, recite poetry, and play drinking games, without serving anything else. The young gentlemen all agreed, but who knew that halfway through drinking, a young gentleman in the seating strongly embraced Juan erli to seek pleasure. Baozhu could not pull that person off, seeing that bad things were about to happen, so she had no choice but to run out to find me.

“By the time I rushed over, Juan erli’s clothes were torn, and that dog thing was dead drunk with a grand temper, bitterly slapping Juan erli a few times when pulled away by us. Juan erli’s skin and flesh were delicate like made of clear water, and her face swelled up right then.

“I was so angry my teeth were about to shatter. Combining coaxing and driving, I chased these few dog things out. Having finally freed myself, turning back I could no longer find Juan erli. I knew this child did not like to speak on the surface and had a heavy mind; suffering such a grievance, her heart was bound to feel immensely uncomfortable. I hurriedly went with Baozhu to look for her, but who knew Juan’erli was not in her room, so we had no choice but to go to the garden to search again.

“The garden was large and it was deep into the night. I recalled there was a well in the rear garden, and fearing deeply that Juan erli would seek a short death, I couldn’t care about ghosts or non-ghosts anymore, entering and splitting up with Baozhu to search. There was not a single person in the garden, and the further in we walked the more secluded it became. Walking near the small Buddhist hall, I suddenly saw a shadow leap out from inside—”

When Eji spoke up to this point, her voice shook abruptly.

“I saw, I saw a female ghost in red clothes.”

“A female ghost in red clothes—”

Officer Yan felt doubt, “The sky was so late, were you very close? Why could you even see the color of the clothes clearly.”

Eji was dazed for a moment, appearing not to know how to pick up the conversation.

A faint sneer surfaced at the side of Lin Chengyou’s mouth, “Didn’t Madam Eji say just now that night was the fifteenth.”

Eji nodded hurriedly, “Right, right, right. That night the moon head was big, the ground looking as if sprinkled with a layer of silver frost. I forgot to bring a lantern out, but also felt all around was bright and clear.”

“Did you see the ghost’s appearance clearly?”

Eji’s head shook like a rattle-drum, “I didn’t dare stare and look, and that ghost ran fast too, only feeling a red shadow flash before my eyes, and the ghost shadow disappeared in an instant.”

Lin Chengyou, “Not having seen the appearance clearly, you should at least have some impression of height, shortness, fatness, or thinness. Did it feel familiar or unfamiliar?”

Eji pondered for a while, saying with great certainty, “If it was an acquaintance, I should have recognized them long ago. Besides, I have lived all these years and never seen anyone who could fly so fast. That thing could not be a person, it could only be a ghost.”

“Clothes, hairpin rings, scent… was there not a single familiar place?”

Eji had a bitter face, “It was merely the span of a flashing mind. I didn’t dare chase thoughts afterwards either, only knowing that thing wore a skirt and jacket, and other things I forgot long ago.”

Lin Chengyou looked at Eji motionlessly. Eji endured Lin Chengyou’s gaze, not knowing how long she suffered through, and just as she moved her footsteps uneasily, Lin Chengyou’s handsome voice sounded, “The story isn’t finished yet, right? Did Baozhu find Juan’erli?”

Eji said with relief, “Found her. I was scared out of my wits, turning around and running back, and head-on I saw a group of people coming over to search. It turned out Baozhu found Juan erli at the Ludie Pavilion. The child was hiding in the pavilion crying. The two came over to search for me, meeting Woji, Weizi, and the others halfway, so several people traveled together. Seeing me absent-minded, they hurriedly asked what had happened. Seeing that the injury on Juan erli’s face was not light, I only said I bumped into a ghost and didn’t dare linger, immediately bringing them back to the room to rub ointment.”

Silence fell within the room. Lin Chengyou tapped his index finger rhythmically against the tabletop, faintly catching the voices of the bailiffs and courtesans talking downstairs, accompanied by the sound of somewhat restless footsteps.

Before long, he opened his mouth, “The small Buddhist hall was used to suppress ghosts, and at first it indeed worked for a time. If even the small Buddhist hall began to be haunted, the people in the tower must have been immensely astonished. Who was the very first person to say they bumped into a ghost in the small Buddhist hall? Madam Eji should at least have some impression.”

Eji wiped the sweat from her forehead, “The ones who bumped into ghosts near the small Buddhist hall were more than just me. I listened and let it pass, really unable to clarify who the first person to bump into one was.”

As she spoke, she nervously sized up Lin Chengyou, originally thinking she would be made things difficult for again. Who could have known Lin Chengyou would actively smooth things over for her, “As for rumors, by the time one hears them they are already half true and half false. How could it be so easy to find the origin? It is not strange that Madam Eji cannot recall.”

Eji squeezed out a smile that looked uglier than crying, “Shizi is truly an understanding person. I hope Shizi catches the killer at an early date, wishing above all to tell Shizi everything I know.”

Lin Chengyou looked at Eji earnestly, “I have already felt Madam Eji’s sincerity. Let us stop the questioning here for today. When Madam Eji goes out, tell the bailiffs to call Boss He up to reply.”

Eji felt as if relieved of a heavy burden. Just as she withdrew to the doorway, she heard Lin Chengyou say, “Forgot to tell Madam Eji, the ‘female ghost’ you saw that night is very likely the killer. If you remember anything after returning to your room, have the bailiffs deliver a message to me right away.”

“The killer?”

Eji turned her head back in horror, “Wasn’t that a female ghost?”

Lin Chengyou smiled mischievously, having no intention to reply. Eji stared at Lin Chengyou for a while, nodding her head with an unsettled mind, “I will definitely think carefully after returning to my room.”

After Eji left, Officer Yan said while writing, “Chengyou, don’t you feel this Eji speaks with loopholes everywhere? Earlier she said ‘I am not clear whether that thing was a person or a ghost either’, and later changed her mouth to ‘a person couldn’t fly so fast, it is absolutely a ghost’.”

Lin Chengyou smiled sarcastically, “Brother Yan, do you guess she is saying these words for us to hear, or for herself to hear?”

Officer Yan set down his brush, “Could it be she has some doubts in her heart and wants to use these words to persuade herself?”

Lin Chengyou smiled, “I guess she either remembered who that female ghost resembled, but in her heart was unwilling to believe it, so she used this method to persuade herself. Or—”

“She herself is the killer?”

Officer Yan took over the thread of conversation, “That’s also true, at a juncture like this, who else besides the killer would lie? Chengyou, why not use the Sese Pearl to test this Eji? The killer knows martial arts, whether it is her or not, one test will reveal it.”

Lin Chengyou shook his head, “Cannot be tested anymore. This method can only be used once. The killer knows I am deliberately probing her, and would rather have an eyeball destroyed than expose a flaw.”

Officer Yan wrung his hands in regret, “Then we can only cross-examine one by one. But we are not even clear about what enmity or resentment the killer has with the sisters, Yaohuang and Qingzhi, so without knowing the motive, how are we to investigate further.”

“No matter how well hidden, there will be a time when flaws are exposed.”

Lin Chengyou lowered his eyes to look at the testimonies on the table, “In fact, if Eji is the killer, it is easy to say. Be it motive or origin, it can always be investigated after all. But what if she didn’t lie? When she mentioned that female ghost, she repeatedly showed a look of doubt; she clearly remembered something.”

Officer Yan pondered, “Matters concern life and safety; there is no reason to shield the killer. What’s more, Eji is a person who is extremely good at preserving herself. Lying at a juncture like this, I would rather believe she herself is the killer.”

Lin Chengyou thought for a moment and said to the bailiffs outside the door, “Have Boss He wait downstairs for a while longer, and call Juan erli, Weizi, and Baozhu up first for questioning.”

The first to come was Juan erli.

She seemed to be somewhat lacking in energy. After entering the room she did not open her mouth, performing a courtesy toward Lin Chengyou and Officer Yan, then quietly withdrawing to the side.

Officer Yan scrutinized Juan erli, feeling a secret pity in his heart. This Hu maiden possessed extraordinary beauty, but unfortunately her expression was somewhat dull. Once a person became dull, their appearance lost a few degrees of color.

Lin Chengyou sized up Juan erli with a proper look for the first time. Everyone said Teng Yuyi was somewhat similar to Juan erli and Gejin, but he couldn’t see where they were similar.

If a comparison had to be made, the eyes were somewhat similar in spirit, both the same almond-round and crystal clear. But that pair of eyes on Teng Yiyi was filled with glistening light. When her long eyelashes blinked, the light was like rippling out. Every frown and smile was more lively than Juan’erli’s eyes, only it was a pity that the glistening light was entirely filled with bad ideas.

He hummed in his heart, picking up the sachet to ask Juan erli, “Have you seen this sachet?”

Juan erli shook her head gently, “Last night was the first time I saw it.”

After finishing asking Juan erli, Lin Chengyou called Baozhu and Weizi in one by one.

Unsurprisingly, none of the three had seen the sachet.

As for what happened on the fifteenth two months ago, Baozhu’s and Juan erli’s accounts were consistent with Eji’s. Weizi was accompanying guests in the front building that night and was not clear that Juan erli had been bullied by someone, but her later experience in the garden also tallied with Eji’s narrative.

Lin Chengyou proceeded to ask: Has anyone been seen moving about near the small Buddhist hall at night? Who was the first to say they bumped into a ghost in the small Buddhist hall?

All three said they hadn’t seen anyone, but all remembered that the first to mention bumping into a ghost in the small Buddhist hall was precisely Madam Eji.

Finally inquiring about native Yuezhou people, Juan’erli and the others were completely ignorant. Seeing that nothing could be asked out, Lin Chengyou had no choice but to let them go back first.

Officer Yan had a complex expression, “Talking back and forth, the first to say she saw a ghost in the small Buddhist hall was Eji herself? She is clever though, concealing things on other matters, yet willing to speak the truth on Juan erli’s matter alone. Presumably she is clear in her heart that this kind of matter can be known true or false with a single question.”

Lin Chengyou stroked his chin, “Whether it is the truth or not, a final conclusion cannot be drawn for now. Currently it can only prove that the four including Juan erli traveled together that night, while Eji joined them only later. When she was alone, whether she bumped into a ghost or went to the small Buddhist hall, currently there is only her own account.”

Officer Yan uttered a confused “Eh”, “Chengyou, today you haven’t left ‘small Buddhist hall’ in every sentence. Did you discover something inside?”

Lin Chengyou slapped his forehead, turning his head to smile, “Forgot to tell Brother Yan, last night my two junior martial brothers discovered someone had executed evil arts in the small Buddhist hall. Judging from the setup’s path, it is extremely likely to be the killer who harmed Qingzhi. I suspect someone deliberately spread rumors far and wide that the small Buddhist hall was haunted, for the purpose of making people not dare to approach the small Buddhist hall.”

Officer Yan was stunned, “According to this, wouldn’t Eji have the largest suspicion? This is strange then. The sachet came from the Taozhi Embroidery Workshop in Yuezhou, but Eji is a native born and raised in Chang’an. When did she go to Yuezhou, and why would she kill the sisters Yao Huang?”

A thought popped up in Lin Chengyou’s mind, and he summoned the bailiff outside, saying, “Go to Prince Cheng’s Manor for me once. Tell Commander Chang that under the couch in my room is a bamboo box; ask him to retrieve it and deliver it to me as quickly as possible.”

Once the bailiff left, Lin Chengyou also got up. Officer Yan did not know the intention, “What’s wrong?”

“I feel we thought in the wrong direction. Brother Yan, you cross-examine the remaining people first, and I will go to the small Buddhist hall once.”

—

Outside, rain began to fall. The spring rain was continuous and fine as hair strands, pouring down overhead like a soaked light gauze draped onto the face.

Lin Chengyou braved the rain to return to the small Buddhist hall. From a great distance away, he saw the lights inside the hall were brilliant.

Two bailiffs stood at the doorway, looking inside through the window. Turning back to see Lin Chengyou, they said in unison, “The people are all inside.”

Lin Chengyou nodded while walking briskly into the small Buddhist hall.

The hall was full of people. The four on the left were sitting in crooked postures, in order: Jian tian, Jian xian, Jian le, and Jian mei.

The three on the right had slightly better sitting postures, precisely Juesheng, Qizhi, and Jian xi.

Two were still standing before the incense table, one being Steward Cheng with his hands behind his back, and the other being Huo Qiu with his arms crossed.

Everyone’s gaze fell upon that moving shadow in the middle of the hall. That person held a jade-green short sword, relaxing shoulders and extending arms, turning lightly and gracefully, making moves with proper form.

Teng Yuyi was learning up to the tenth move, gradually getting a feeling of enlightenment. The gaps between moves grew shorter and shorter, and when striking with the sword she was no longer so clumsy.

Previously when learning Steward Cheng’s set of Disaster-Subduing Sword Technique, that surge of heat inside her body always had a feeling of stagnation and congealment. This set of BeiheSword Technique was different, however; the more she practiced, the more she felt the true qi flowing smoothly.

Practicing with great vigor, she suddenly felt a gaze sweep over from behind. The back of Teng Yuyi’s head was already very familiar with this gaze, automatically giving rise to an uncomfortable feeling. Peeking with her peripheral light, sure enough a tall shadow walked in from outside.

Lin Chengyou was still wearing that jade-hairpin-green round-collared robe from this morning. This color was mostly worn by women and had always been extremely picky with skin tone, yet worn on Lin Chengyou, it actually did not reduce his heroic energy in the slightest. The gold fish bag at his waist made a faint, light sound following his steps, and the dark black rhinoceros horn belt bound out a fine waist.

Teng Yuyi calculated in her heart with a giggle. This fellow was rich, noble, and arrogant, usually carrying a face that looked down upon all under heaven. If a red peony flower were pinned onto his crown again, he would be just like a big rooster with a glittering bright-red comb in a cockfighting arena.

Lin Chengyou did not know Teng Yuyi had already compared him to a fighting cock in her heart, though this did not stop him from slanting his eyes at Teng Yuyi with a banter-filled gaze. Not knowing how the five Taoist masters taught her, Teng Yuyi’s execution of this sword technique looked just like a Hu person performing acrobatic shows.

He laughed a round in his heart, just about to praise Teng Yuyi with a few bullshit phrases like “exceptionally gifted”, “terribly magnificent”, or “continuing to practice like this will surely make a great talent”, when Jian tian suddenly bounced up from the ground, “Shizi, the Nine-Heaven Fire-Guiding Ring has already been arranged. Don’t disbelieve it, today was good luck; in just one hour we invited the Samadhi True Fire Talisman, and it just happened to rain outside, so we came in to shelter from the rain.”

After finishing speaking, he felt something was off again. Why was it necessary to act like his buttocks were blown up by flowers the moment he saw Lin Chengyou?

Lin Chengyou smiled, however, “If it were someone else I might not believe it, but I know the abilities of the five seniors.”

Wudao loved listening to others flatter them most, and hearing these words, their hearts instantly felt comfortable again, “Quick, quick, quick, taking advantage that the two monsters haven’t come now, Shizi come over here to rest a bit.”

Lin Chengyou walked straight to the front of the incense table, “Young Master Wang, move aside.”

Teng Yuyi feigned having only just noticed Lin Chengyou, not even turning her head, dodging away with a flash of her body. The small Buddhist hall was so big, yet Lin Chengyou didn’t go to other places and chose to look for trouble with her instead; he was mostly coming to pick a fight on purpose. Don’t even think about making her fall for it. To catch up on progress she didn’t even dare drink a mouthful of water; arguing and fighting methods would only delay her own work.

Lin Chengyou had not expected Teng Yuyi to retreat so swiftly, feeling quite like throwing a punch onto a soft cloth. However, this suited his heart’s desire; at least there was no need to waste breath further.

He squatted down to inspect that felt mat beneath the incense table. As expected, there was completely no mark on the surface, and turning it over, he couldn’t find the imprint right away either.

Qizhi ran to Lin Chengyou’s side and squatted down, a chubby finger pointing, “Senior brother, it’s here.”

Lin Chengyou narrowed his eyes. Qizhi’s pattern was drawn without a hair’s breadth of error; this was indeed the Seven-Ray Guidance Mark. This evil art was from the same sect and lineage as the Secret Incantation Soul-Binding Art that harmed Qingzhi, a technique other sects couldn’t learn even if they wanted to.

It should be the very same person, and one with no low cultivation.

He let out a cough, and two bailiffs entered noiselessly, locking their gazes on everyone and secretly paying attention to every move of each person.

The crowd of Taoists had their attention entirely drawn away by the felt mat, not noticing the movement at the doorway, gathering around Lin Chengyou’s side like a swarm of bees and lowering their heads curiously.

Catching sight of that imprint, Jian tian said in horror, “Isn’t this the Seven-Ray Guidance Mark?”

Although Teng Yuyi had run to the side to practice sword moves, her ears had been prickling up all along. Hearing Jian tian’s shout, she asked curiously, “Taoist Priest, what is the Seven-Ray Guidance Mark?”

“An evil art. A person dying is not enough, their soul must also be detained to be interrogated and humiliated with underworld instruments. Evil to the point of being unable to be more evil, and malicious to the point of being unable to be more malicious.”

Jian tian was both excited and disgusted, “How many years has this old Taoist not seen this kind of evil art? Could it be the same person who killed Yao Huang and Qingzhi? Shizi, have you investigated who did it?”

Lin Chengyou continued to search nearby, “It would be good if it were investigated. This person’s mind is so meticulous, rarely seen in a lifetime. Just taking this Seven-Ray Guidance Mark for instance, when executing the art, seven fire-mark lamps need to be released all at once. If the practitioner slacks attention even slightly, sparks or legal marks will fall. But as you all have seen, in such a huge small Buddhist hall, only a small piece of trace was left.”

Jian xi stared at the imprint and said in doubt, “I remember this evil art has quite a few rules.”

“A huge stack of rules.”

Lin Chengyou raised his head to look beneath the incense table, “The top three rules are: do not detain the souls of parents, do not detain the souls of young children, do not detain the souls of distant places.”

Teng Yuyi’s move slowed down.

The first two rules she could understand: not harming parents and not harming young children showed that although the person studying the evil art was vicious, they had not lost all conscience. But the third rule she could not understand.

Fortunately, besides her in the small Buddhist hall, there were two other people who were just as curious as she was.

Everyone heard Juesheng ask, “Senior brother, does this ‘do not detain the souls of distant places’ mean not detaining souls that are too far away?”

Jian le let out a laugh with a ‘chi’, “Silly boy, the meaning of these words is that this formation cannot do whatever it pleases. It can only detain the souls of those who died in a specific location. For example, executing the art in Caifeng Tower can only detain the souls of people who died inside the tower—”

A bang went off in Teng Yuyi’s ears.

People who died inside the tower? The two sisters Yaohuang and Qingzhi were murdered not long ago, but the imprint beneath the felt mat did not look like it was left recently. This indicated that the target of that person’s evil art was not the Yao sisters. That was strange then. The killer was clearly a person of Caifeng Tower, so why deal with a past deceased person?

The five Taoists also seemed stunned, looking around blankly, “Just how many people have died in this place? Wait, that’s not right. Wasn’t it said that the tower was always only haunted, and no human lives were lost?”

Jian le had heard quite a few rumors about this place recently, “You don’t know, right? Before this place was a silk shop, and the shopkeeper couple and the concubine died over a year ago.”

He turned the topic, “Shizi, you wouldn’t happen to suspect—”

“No matter who this formation is meant to deal with, it won’t be Yaohuang and Qingzhi in any case.”

Lin Chengyou raised his head to look up, leaping onto the crossbeam with a single bound, “And Taoist Priest Jian xi’s guess is correct. Judging from the killer’s method of harming Qingzhi, it should be the same person who set the Seven-Ray Guidance Mark. It can be seen that the killer not only cannot tolerate the two sisters Yaohuang, but also deeply hates a certain earlier deceased person.”

Jian tian was astonished to the extreme, “Caifeng Tower only opened half a year ago, but the silk shop in front already closed a year ago. Shops further back have even less intersection with Caifeng Tower. Who on earth does that person hate?”

Lin Chengyou’s voice vibrated on the house beam, “Won’t we know if we just ask.”

The five Taoists looked at each other, “Ask? Ask whom?”

Lin Chengyou leaped down, dusting off the dirt on his hands, “Hasn’t the killer already told us a good method.”

Everyone was bewildered and lost, yet Teng Yuyi looked thoughtfully at that felt mat.

Could Lin Chengyou be…

Just at this moment, the bailiff outside came to report, “Shizi, Commander Chang has arrived.”

“So fast?” Lin Chengyou rose to greet him outside, only hearing a burst of steady footsteps before Chang Rong popped his head inside.

Fine, bright silver rain threads covered his shoulders, his right hand holding a straw-yellow bamboo box, and his left hand carrying a large bundle.

“Uncle Chang.”

Chang Rong first scrutinized Lin Chengyou.

Seeing that his young master was completely unscathed, he seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

He then looked around at his surroundings, bowing to perform a courtesy toward the five Taoists, his gaze noticeably freezing for a moment when sweeping past Teng Yuyi.

Teng Yuyi cupped her hands casually, yet quietly hid behind Steward Cheng without making a sound. She was wearing men’s clothing and had a large beard glued to her face, so logically it was hard to be recognized at a glance. However, this Commander Chang had once resisted corpse demon alongside her, so it was better to be cautious.

Fortunately, Chang Rong quickly moved his gaze away, “Fearing to delay Eldest Young Master’s matters, I galloped over on horseback. Fortunately, Shengye Ward is not far from Pingkang Ward, so it didn’t delay much time on the road. Eldest Young Master, you haven’t been in the manor these few days, and the palace has sent people over to check a few times. If you get free time later, go into the palace to visit His Majesty and the Empress.”

Lin Chengyou smiled in response, “Did Ah Zhi send any words out?”

“Yes, the little county princess urged her elder brother to enter the palace every two days. I replied that her elder brother went on official duty and would go into the palace to pick her up when free. The little county princess then sent this thing out, even instructing that her elder brother must wear it right away.”

As Chang Rong spoke, he opened the bundle in his hand. A stack of neatly folded changing clothes was exposed, with a colorful small object placed right at the top.

Lin Chengyou picked up that thing, “Longevity thread? Did Ah Zhi make it? It’s not even the Dragon Boat Festival yet, why did she make this?”

Chang Rong smiled warmly, “The little county princess said this is her first time making a longevity thread, eagerly sending it out expecting her elder brother to praise her. She also said when the Dragon Boat Festival arrives, she will make an even better one for her elder brother.”

Lin Chengyou beamed as he tied the longevity thread onto his wrist, “Understood.”

Chang Rong handed the bamboo box to Lin Chengyou. Confirming that the item was correct, he prepared to take his leave. Walking to the doorway, he looked toward Teng Yuyi’s side twice more, yet Teng Yuyi had already turned her back to practice sword moves long ago.

Only after going out did Chang Rong remember that wasn’t this the young lady who brandished a sword to strike back the corpse demon last time? How thrilling that night in the parlor was, he would never forget it in his entire life. Thanks to this young lady, she used tricks several times to block the corpse demon outside the door.

Strange, Lady Teng was the daughter of a famous general, so why was she staying in a brothel? Eldest Young Master said he was going to deal with corpse demon in Caifeng Tower these few days, could Lady Teng have run here to take refuge? Thinking while walking, he suddenly remembered a mama coming over last time to tell him that Eldest Young Master had stopped Lady Teng in the plum blossom grove in the manor to talk.

Combining the two matters, Chang Rong instantly felt mixed joy and worry. Eldest Young Master was eighteen this year, yet didn’t even have a young lady he liked. If Eldest Young Master got along with General Teng’s daughter, did it mean the Unfeeling Gu showed signs of loosening?

Should he send a letter to the Prince and Princess Consort overnight? No, that would be acting with undue haste. Better to wait a few more days. A youth’s affection cannot be hidden; if Eldest Young Master liked Lady Teng, it would definitely be revealed before long. If there was continuously no movement, it proved he had simply thought too much.

Over here, Lin Chengyou opened the bamboo box, taking out several strangely shaped silver nails inside. He placed them in order from the Buddhist hall doorway to the front of the incense table, deliberately arranging them in a crooked line, looking just like a chaotic passage.

Subsequently, he pulled out a red string, stretching it with both hands to test the tenacity. He then took out seven small bowls to arrange in a circle, pouring sesame oil into the bowls.

Although Teng Yuyi did not understand these twists and turns, she had already guessed what Lin Chengyou was going to do. The killer had not exposed a flaw to this day, and in her view this did not fail to be a good method. Moreover, using this to deal with the killer could be considered giving them a taste of their own medicine.

The five Taoists were at first bewildered, only coming to a sudden realization upon seeing the seven small bowls, “Shizi, are you setting up a Seven-Ray Guidance Mark?”

Juesheng and Qizhi said in urgency, “Senior brother, absolutely not, this is an evil art.”

“Pedantic.”

Lin Chengyou blew out the candle in his hand, “When a magic art is used to harm people, it is naturally called an evil art. But if it is used to save people, how is it evil?”

He spoke with plausible arguments, while Juesheng and Qizhi scratched their ears and cheeks, “But, but…”

Lin Chengyou dusted his hands, turning back to say to the two bailiffs, “I cannot be disturbed during my execution of the art. Please invite the several Taoist priests and Young Master Wang’s master and servant to the west side.”

By this time, Teng Yuyi had already practiced up to the eleventh move. Fearing it would affect progress, she had been guarding against Lin Chengyou driving them out, yet unexpectedly he agreed to let everyone remain in the small Buddhist hall. This was strange. The killer knew evil arts, so the five Taoists could not be ruled out from suspicion. Did Lin Chengyou not guard against them mean he no longer suspected the five Taoists?

The next instant, she saw the two bailiffs blocking the front of everyone, abruptly understanding: If they intended to make trouble, they could also cause harm amid chaos outside. It was better to keep people under their very eyes, so any sign of trouble could be noticed in time. In any case, besides the two bailiffs, there were Juesheng and Qizhi helping Lin Chengyou protect the formation.

The group of people withdrew to the west side of the small Buddhist hall. After settling down, Jian xi and Jian le continued to be responsible for guiding Teng Yuyi.

Lin Chengyou squatted in front of the felt mat, using a small knife to carve the candle into several segments. Then matching the imprint on the felt mat, he carved the wax pieces into rougher fake “Golden Ray Marks”.

Jian tian and the others were relatively free, wiping sweat while excitedly watching Lin Chengyou arrange the formation, “Shizi, it’s not that this old Taoist wants to throw cold water on you. I heard this formation first requires knowing the birth date of the deceased. You don’t even know who the killer is trying to deal with, so where are you going to inquire about the birth date of the deceased? Without knowing the hour, not even half a strand of soul can be detained.”

Juesheng had just written the birth hours of three people on talismans, and hearing these words, he held up the talismans in his hand, “Senior brother already inquired about the birth dates of the Tian couple and Lady Rong long ago. Look.”

Lin Chengyou cast a glance at him, “What are you chattering for? Get to work.”

Juesheng meekly delivered the three talismans into Lin Chengyou’s hands. Lin Chengyou used the fake Golden Ray Mark to dip in some cinnabar, pressing red seals on the three talismans respectively. Next, he cut the talismans into the shapes of small paper figures, placing the three small paper figures in front of the incense table.

Jian xian chuckled, “But just knowing these three people’s birth hours is useless. I don’t believe that besides these five deceased people of the silk shop and Caifeng Tower, no one has died in this place before. You can’t conclude it is related to those three people of the silk shop just because Yaohuang and Qingzhi were ruled out.”

Qizhi could not conceal the worry in his eyes, “Yeah, senior brother, what if it’s not the three of them? Wouldn’t you be taking a risk for nothing? Master said that any evil art that goes against heaven and reason hides danger. What if you injure yourself—”

Lin Chengyou cast a breezy glance at the five Taoists, raising his hand to pat Qizhi’s head, “Senior brother knows what he’s doing. You and Juesheng focus on helping protect the formation. Take the Soul-Locking Instrument and guard the main door. The courtesans are each confined in their rooms, guarded by bailiffs so there’s no fear of them running out. Besides guarding against trouble outside, you must also guard against the inside of the hall.”

Qizhi nodded. Lin Chengyou got up and walked to the west side, pasting two talismans onto the backs of the two bailiffs, instructing the bailiffs to stand with their backs to the formation and not turn back no matter what they heard later. This way, they could monitor the actions of the Taoists without running around in panic due to seeing the things summoned.

After everything was arranged, the inside of the hall quickly quieted down. The five Taoists no longer clamored, focusing their attention on the hall. Teng Yuyi sheathed her sword, sitting cross-legged in the corner.

Lin Chengyou gathered his robe and sat in the center of the formation, taking out that red string. One end was tied to his middle finger, while the other end was tied to a Golden Ray Mark carved from candle wax. After finishing, he tossed the red string outside the door.

Subsequently, his left hand rested horizontally on his right arm, a talisman igniting at the tip of his right finger. With a flick of his finger, a spark shot toward the outermost oil lamp.

A burst of fire bloomed, and a small ring of flame floated out eerily from the lamp dish. Strangely, that flame emitted a green light, draping a eerie color over everything in the Buddhist hall.

Next was the second lamp, the third lamp…

The more lamps lit up, the darker the Buddhist hall became instead. The eerie green light surrounded Lin Chengyou, giving rise to an illusion of the underworld.

Teng Yuyi had Steward Cheng and Huo Qiu on her left and right, yet she still didn’t dare breathe heavily, vigilantly pulling the Xiaoya Sword out from her sleeve and staring unblinkingly at the doorway.

There was clearly no wind in the hall, yet an invisible airflow surged in the dark. The three small paper figures in front of the incense table rustled, as if something was lying on the ground blowing air at them.

Lin Chengyou closed his eyes and chanted incantations for a while, suddenly shaking the red string and barking softly, “Rise.”

The three small paper figures were originally lying flat on the ground, when suddenly two of them stood up noiselessly.

The red string on Lin Chengyou’s middle finger instantly pulled taut, obviously having added weight on the other end.

A layer of fine sweat unknowingly broke out on Teng Yuyi’s back. The flames in the oil lamps flickered between bright and dim, and the air in the hall abruptly chilled by a few degrees.

Her palm felt a surge of heat, and even the Xiaoya Sword had movement.

An eerie wind gradually rose, leaves swirling at the doorway. Accompanied by the sound of wind and rain, a subtle creeping sound approached. At first listen, it sounded like someone pacing outside the door, but upon careful discrimination, one felt it was merely a strange wind.

Lin Chengyou tugged the red string tightly, quietly contesting strength with the other party. Whimpering sounds rose and fell, and the strange force grew larger. Although he forcibly activated the Seven-Ray Guidance Mark, Lin Chengyou was not familiar with this formation, completely copying it mechanically, so the magic tools and Golden Ray Mark were quite makeshift.

Logically speaking, simply activating the formation should bind the deceased soul firmly with the red string. But his formation might still be lacking a bit of efficacy; the ghost was summoned, yet it could not be dragged in for the life of him.

“Now that you’re here, won’t you come in and sit?” Contesting strength with the other party for a short while, sweat rolled down heavily from Lin Chengyou’s sideburns.

Not daring to slacken, the words were almost squeezed out from between his teeth, “Do I look like a bad person to you? Don’t be afraid, I came to help you.”

The other party seemed to shiver, and the red string consequently loosened a bit. How could Lin Chengyou miss this opportunity? With a backhand scoop, he yanked the other party inside.

The green flames in the oil lamps all lowered in unison, and a rush of coldness hit their faces. Teng Yuyi’s pupils shrank sharply as she saw the scene before her.

The red string came inside, yet the end was shaking frantically in midair, looking as if it bound two invisible people who were attempting to break free from the red string.

Lin Chengyou held the red string with effort, “I have no past grudges or recent enmity with you; summoning you out is by no means to harm you. I know you have suffered no small amount of torment from that person. If you don’t want to suffer bitterness again, stop straining to struggle.”

The end of the rope suddenly came to a standstill in midair, yet it was still trembling slightly, as if a person was shivering from fear but had nowhere to hide.

Lin Chengyou’s tone softened a bit. While slowly tightening the rope, he stared at the ethereal ghost shadow before his eyes, “I want to help you, so I want to inquire about a few things with you. I currently cannot see you nor hear you, so in a moment I will sprinkle a little something on you. That thing is harmless to you, but can bring out your appearance and voice.”

The rope trembled precariously in midair, but visibly no longer resisted. Lin Chengyou pulled the other party before him, raising his hand to sprinkle the gray powder in his hand.

The rope became messy for a moment, but did not hide far away. The powder fell down continuously, outlining two blurry shadows.

Disordered breathing sounds instantly sounded in Teng Yuyi’s ears; clearly the five Taoists also grew nervous.

The shadows grew clearer and clearer, turning out to be a man and a woman.

The ghost shadow in front was tall and imposing, while the one behind was a plump woman, only that both of their outlines were too blurry to see their faces clearly at all.

Lin Chengyou quickly sprinkled a second handful of soul-revealing powder. This time the outlines finally became clear, but could only barely reveal the figure and face shape, while the eyebrows and eyes could by no means be discerned.

Perhaps owing to the soul-revealing powder, the two ghosts finally had movement. Strange cries issued continuously from their mouths, the sound odd and piercing, somewhat like the cry of a screech owl, and somewhat like the tragic shriek of a young child, sharper with every cry, stimulating everyone’s mind and soul.

Teng Yuyi only felt that sound could scrape the flesh on her heart. After listening for just a short while, her head throbbed with a splitting pain. Although curious about what the two ghosts wanted to say next, she could only temporarily cover her ears.

Lin Chengyou quietly scrutinized that taller ghost shadow, “Tian Yunde?”

The sharp cry came to an abrupt halt, and the male ghost shivered.

“It seems so.”

Lin Chengyou smiled, turning instead to look at the female ghost, “Lady Rong?”

It was as if a thunderclap was contained in the female ghost’s throat, roaring while beginning to struggle. Compared to the panic just now, it visibly carried overwhelming rage.

Lin Chengyou let out an “oh” with a smile, “Apologies, so it is Madam Tian.”

Only then did the female ghost quiet down.

Teng Yuyi was dumbstruck. It was actually the Tian couple of the silk shop.

The killer was a person in Caifeng Tower, yet these two had already passed away a year ago. Just how deep was the hatred the killer harbored toward them to detain and torment their deceased souls even after a gap of a year?

Eh, something seemed not quite right. Lin Chengyou clearly wrote the birth hours of three people, yet only summoned the deceased souls of two people. Where was the concubine Lady Rong? Lady Rong jumped into the well in the rear garden, so she should logically have been summoned by the formation as well.

“I will make a long story short.” Lin Chengyou cut straight to the point, “That person detained your souls here to use this evil art to harm you. If that person is not dragged out, you will never be able to free yourselves. Tell me who that person is, and why treat you like this?”

The cries of the male ghost and female ghost stopped abruptly. The two seemed terrified to the extreme, first running around in the ground like headless flies, and subsequently huddling together shivering.

Lin Chengyou said with patience, “Don’t be afraid. No matter how that person tormented you before, as long as you state who that person is tonight, I dare guarantee there will never be such a thing again in the future.”

The male ghost and female ghost quieted down a bit, suddenly raising their arms to point at the position of their mouths.

Lin Chengyou’s expression changed, “You cannot speak?”

The male ghost whimpered meekly, while the female ghost roared several times in a rage. Regrettably, no matter how she struggled, in the end she could only emit muffled, strange sounds.

Lin Chengyou was shocked and furious, “That person dug out your tongues?”

While wailing, the two ghosts raised their arms before their chests, signaling Lin Chengyou to look.

Lin Chengyou seemed stunned. Teng Yuyi was standing a bit further away, and when she looked carefully, a thick sense of discomfort surged in her chest.

The ends of the Tian couple’s arms were empty; both hands had been chopped off clean at the root.

Lin Chengyou had a strange expression. Punishments in the mortal world tormented the physical body of the living, yet the Seven-Ray Guidance Mark abused deceased souls. Plucking out the tongue meant being unable to speak, and severing both hands meant being unable to write. Even if the Tian couple reincarnated in the future, they would be disabled children at birth.

This person was truly ruthless to the extreme.

He nodded slowly, “Although your mouths cannot speak, at least you can understand my words. Next I will ask a question and you answer a question. If correct, you nod your head; if wrong, you shake your head.”

The two ghosts nodded slightly, indicating they understood.

“Is the person who harmed you currently in Caifeng Tower?”

Tian Yunde and Madam Tian nodded in unison.

“In the small Buddhist hall?”

This time it was a shake of the head.

“How many strokes does this person’s surname have? One stroke? Two strokes?”

When reaching “twelve strokes”, the two ghosts had a strong reaction.

Lin Chengyou’s expression turned stern, “Twelve strokes?”

The two ghosts nodded desperately.

Teng Yuyi quickly searched in her mind, yet there were too many people in Caifeng Tower, and for a moment she couldn’t recall whose surname had twelve strokes.

Lin Chengyou regretted that he hadn’t brought a roster of the people in the tower. Calculating everything, he hadn’t calculated that the Tian couple couldn’t spit out a single word. If he sent someone to the front building on short notice, it would inevitably destroy the formation. Suddenly he remembered he had the testimonies recorded just this afternoon in his bosom. Although the list was incomplete, perhaps the killer was among them.

He held the red string firmly with his right hand, while his left hand was busy forming a hand seal. Neither hand was free, so he had no choice but to say to Juesheng, “I have a roster in my bosom. Take it out quickly and let Madam Tian point out who it is.”

Juesheng wiped his cold sweat and ran close. Knowing he must not touch the oil lamps and silver nails, he lowered his body and carefully probed his sword into Lin Chengyou’s lapel, stirring twice without feeling it, unable to help feeling anxious.

Lin Chengyou cast a glance at Juesheng, signaling him not to rush.

Juesheng nodded. Fortunately this time he touched it smoothly. Calming his mind, he gently pulled the booklet outward.

Lin Chengyou took advantage of this time to continue asking, “Was that person seeking revenge for Lady Rong?”

Tian Yunde seemed stunned, while Madam Tian roared maliciously. Although their reactions differed, the two ultimately shook their heads in unison.

Lin Chengyou’s expression almost cracked. Not for Lady Rong?

Before activating the formation, he wrote down the birth dates of three people in total, yet only detained two deceased souls. From this point of view, Lady Rong’s deceased soul had long reincarnated, and that person had never thought of dealing with Lady Rong either.

In fact, ever since he discovered that the murder case in Caifeng Tower had endless ties to the silk shop, he had thought about whether the killer was seeking revenge for Lady Rong. After all, Lady Rong suffered no small amount of torment after marrying Tian Yunde, and whether jumping into the well was taking her own life or being harmed by Lady Qi remained a mystery to this day. Now tonight, upon discovering that the detained deceased souls were precisely the Tian couple, he grew even more certain of this guess of his.

Who could have known that upon detaining and asking them, that person was actually not doing it for Lady Rong.

Could it be that the Tian couple had committed other wicked deeds that lost all conscience?

“How did you form an enmity with that person?”

Tian Yunde’s body shook, and Lady Qi also seemed to receive immense stimulation, bowing her body to hold her head and beginning to run around in circles again.

“Did you harm him/her?”

This time the reaction was even greater, and even Tian Yunde’s ghost shadow began to sway wildly.

Lin Chengyou cast a glance at the oil lamps. Having been tormented for so long, the two ghosts’ spirits were long incomplete. Let alone normal communication, receiving even a slight stimulation would cause them to panic and feel uneasy. He only hated that the oil lamps could not last long; once the lamps went out, the two ghosts would inevitably break free from the formation and flee.

He turned his head to look at Juesheng. Fortunately, after Juesheng went through these few experiences, he acted somewhat more composed, smoothly retrieving the booklet and opening it up to present before the two ghosts.

Lin Chengyou said to Tian Yunde, “If that person’s name is on the roster, point it out for the little Taoist priest to see.”

Lady Qi acted as if she hadn’t heard, still holding her head and running around blindly like a headless fly.

Tian Yunde, however, turned trembling toward Juesheng. Catching sight of something at a glance, his shadow leaned back in fear, his severed wrist abruptly pointing toward a certain place on the booklet.