Dark Blue Frost - Chapter 7
Chapter 7: The Mystery of the Dye Vats
Early the next morning, Qian se and Qing xuan arrived at the Zhao family’s troubled dye workshop.
Before they could get close, they saw a crowd gathered at the entrance.
Officials in blue robes, armed with swords, were shouting fiercely and shoving the onlookers—mostly gossiping women—away.
“What are you all doing here? There’s nothing to see! Scram, scram!”
Qian se stopped in her tracks, gazing at the workshop from a distance.
She could feel the overwhelming resentment emanating from the place, overshadowing the accumulated fortune and blessings of generations.
A cold, sinister wind blew toward them, carrying a faint scent of blood, mixed with the stench of decay.
She subtly calculated with her fingers, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly.
As expected, it was the work of the Rakshasa Demoness!
Moreover, judging by the intensity of the resentment, this Rakshasa Demoness was quite powerful.
If Qing xuan were to face her alone, it might not be appropriate.
If he were accidentally injured—
Qing xuan, seeing Qian se stop, also halted and cautiously observed their surroundings.
The gossiping women, driven away by the officials, had retreated to a distance but were still chattering in small groups, exchanging rumors.
“Another person died in the dye workshop this morning. Their flesh and blood were drained, and their skin was hung on a bamboo pole, dripping with blood…”
“It was Old Li, the night watchman. I don’t know how he ended up in the dye workshop…”
“Knowing there’s a ghost haunting the place, he still went… Isn’t that just asking for death?”
“Maybe he was bewitched by the ghost…”
“If this keeps up, who would dare to go out after dark?”
“I heard even the officials are at their wits’ end. They said if more people die, they’ll shut down the workshop…”
As Qing xuan listened, he felt someone tugging at his sleeve.
Surprised, he turned around and saw the simpleton he had met in the Night Weeping Forest.
The boy’s hands were dirty, drool hanging from his mouth, and his face was smeared like a little dirty cat.
Yet, he grinned foolishly at Qing xuan, making incoherent sounds: “br… brother…”
As he struggled to speak, the drool dripped to the ground, a pitiful sight.
If not for the fine clothes he wore, no one would believe this was the young master of the Zhao family, the wealthiest in Hongchou Town.
He looked more like a neglected orphan!
Qing xuan didn’t dislike him.
After all, he had once been a street urchin himself, dressed in rags, his face filthy, scavenging for food just to survive.
He crouched down, smiling kindly, and used his sleeve to wipe the drool from the boy’s mouth, then playfully tapped his nose.
“Hey, little guy, you actually remember me!”
Seeing Qing xuan smile, the simpleton laughed even more joyfully, his eyes curving like bean pods.
He mimicked Qing xuan’s gesture, trying to tap Qing xuan’s nose.
Though mentally challenged, the boy was quite handsome.
If he were normal, he would surely be adored by many.
“Excuse me—”
Just as Qing xuan was playing with the boy, a unfamiliar voice interrupted.
He looked up and saw a man around forty years old, dressed in simple blue clothes, with a humble demeanor.
“Are you two the kind souls who found our young master yesterday?”
“You are—”
Qing xuan scratched his head, quickly guessing the man’s identity from his words but not daring to answer directly.
He stood up and glanced at Qian se, who looked solemn, her brows deeply furrowed, as if lost in thought.
The man remained respectful, bowing slightly.
“I am the steward of the Zhao family.”
Qing xuan was pondering how to respond when Qian se, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
“Where is Zhao Fugui now?”
She turned her head, her pale lips pressed tightly together, her eyes sharp and piercing, filled with a hidden intensity.
The self-proclaimed steward turned to look at the woman before him, feeling strangely disoriented.
Though she was right in front of him, her features seemed blurred, as if veiled by a mist, and her voice sounded distant.
Moreover, she had directly addressed his master by name—something no one in Hongchou Town would dare to do!
“My master—”
He instinctively shrank his neck, shivering.
“My master is currently inside the workshop dealing with the officials.”
Qing xuan, seeing Qian se enter the workshop, immediately took the simpleton’s hand and followed.
When the steward tried to enter, he was harshly stopped by the officials guarding the entrance.
Only after some explanation and forced smiles was he allowed in.
Once inside the workshop, Qing xuan saw Qian se standing in the courtyard, her sharp eyes fixed on the row of dye vats.
He immediately sensed that the vats were the source of the problem.
Zhao Fugui, the master of the Zhao family, was busy dealing with the officials.
When his steward rushed in and pulled him aside, he thought something had happened.
After a whispered conversation, he raised his eyebrows and glanced in the direction of Qian se and Qing xuan.
Then, with his short, stubby fingers, he repeatedly poked the steward’s head, deliberately raising his voice to scold, “What do you mean, the kind souls who found our young master? How do we know they’re not just swindlers? Give them a few coins and send them on their way! Why bring them here? Do you think I don’t have enough to worry about?”
Qing xuan clearly heard Zhao Fugui’s disdainful words, but Qian se seemed unfazed.
She glanced at Zhao Fugui, and when their eyes met, Zhao Fugui’s gaze went blank, as if he had lost control of his mind.
He walked over to her and stood respectfully before her.
Qing xuan knew his master was powerful, but he wasn’t sure what spell she had cast this time.
He quietly stood to the side, holding the simpleton’s hand.
The steward, however, was so shocked his jaw nearly hit the ground!
Qian se continued to stare at the row of dye vats, her deep, pale features now appearing fierce and imposing.
“When did the trouble at this workshop start?”
Zhao Fugui’s eyes were vacant as he answered, “Around July this year. The workers who stayed overnight said they kept hearing strange noises and suspected thieves, so I sent more workers to stay with them. About ten days later, just before the Ghost Festival, the incidents started.”
Calculating the time, it had been less than three months since the Ghost Festival, and already over a dozen strong men had died.
No wonder the Rakshasa Demoness’s power had grown so quickly.
However, the Ghost Festival was when the gates of the underworld opened, and spirits roamed freely.
If the Rakshasa Demoness had appeared then, even if she was difficult to subdue, the underworld officials should have reported it.
Why was there no news at all?
Thinking this, Qian se remained calm and continued, “Has any woman in your family died unexpectedly in the past year?”
“Died unexpectedly?”
Zhao Fugui repeated, murmuring unconsciously, as if about to answer, when suddenly the steward let out a shrill cry!
“Don’t touch them! Sir, you can’t touch these dye vats!”
The steward rushed to the vats, using his body to block the officials who were about to smash them!
This commotion snapped Zhao Fugui out of his trance, and he immediately shouted, rushing over, “Sir, these dye vats are heirlooms of my family, protecting our feng shui. If you smash them, you’ll be destroying our livelihood!”
Sweat poured from his forehead as he anxiously circled like an ant on a hot pan.
Seeing that the officials were reluctant to back down, he reluctantly pulled a few silver ingots from his belt and handed them over, ingratiatingly saying, “Sir, a small token of appreciation!”
Qing xuan watched as the Zhao family master and servant desperately protected the dye vats.
Though he knew the reason, Qian se didn’t rush to explain.
Instead, she lowered her voice and said to him, “The incidents started when the gates of the underworld opened. It seems someone is behind this.”
Qing xuan took note, nodding slightly, though not fully understanding.
He thought about the questions Qian se had asked earlier and began to piece things together, observing the Zhao family’s every move.
When Zhao Fugui and his steward returned, Zhao Fugui, now fully conscious, didn’t dare show any disrespect to Qian se.
He cautiously asked, “Are you two… sorcerers?”
Qing xuan didn’t confirm or deny, merely glancing at him.
“There’s a ghost in this workshop. It fed on human flesh and blood last night, so it probably won’t appear tonight. We’ll have to wait a few days.”
Qian se paused, then turned to leave the workshop, her tone sharp and commanding even as she spoke flatly, “We’ll stay at your residence for now and deal with this ghost for you.”
Zhao Fugui was so intimidated by her aura that he was speechless for a while.
The steward, however, blinked and muttered softly, “A sorcerer came half a month ago, saying he could deal with the ghost, but—”
“What?”
Though the steward’s complaint was soft, Qian se heard it clearly.
She turned abruptly, her icy gaze fixed on him, a faint, eerie smile on her lips.
“You don’t trust us?!”
“No! No!”
The steward shrank back, waving his hands frantically.
Zhao Fugui, being a businessman who had seen many big scenes, knew that the man and woman before him were no ordinary people.
He put on a pitiful expression.
“It’s not that we don’t trust you, but the officials said if more people die, they’ll shut down the workshop. Sorcerer, you must deal with this ghost! My whole family depends on this workshop for our livelihood. We can’t let the officials shut it down!”
Qing xuan understood the fear behind Zhao Fugui’s words but didn’t point it out.
He simply nodded slightly.
“We’ll handle the officials. If we fail to deal with the ghost, any consequences will be on us, not you.”
“Then, as for the reward—”
Zhao Fugui’s eyes lit up, but then his scheming mind quickly thought of the next question.
“What about the compensation—”
“Those who follow the Dao do not seek gold or silver,” Qian se interrupted him, her words crisp and clear.
Seeing his delighted expression, she raised an eyebrow in disdain and added, “We’ll stay at your residence, so you’ll naturally provide good food and drink.”
Though she didn’t consume mortal food, Qing xuan was different.
He was still growing and had a big appetite.
She couldn’t let him go hungry.
“Also—”
She paused, thinking for a moment, then looked at Zhao Fugui and calmly stated her final request.
“Since your family runs a dye workshop, if we deal with this ghost, you can give us some fine fabric as compensation.”
Hearing that they didn’t want money but only some fabric, Zhao Fugui nodded repeatedly.
His family had been in the dye business for generations, and fabric was piled high in their warehouses.
He didn’t mind giving some away.
Qing xuan, however, was puzzled by Qian se’s request.
On the way to the Zhao residence, he finally found a chance to quietly ask, “Master, what do we need the fabric for?”
“Since you’ve been with me on Yan Mountain, I haven’t paid much attention to your daily needs,” Qian se said without turning around, her tone unusually gentle compared to her usual sternness.
“We’ll use the fabric to make you some clothes.”
“Master—”
Qing xuan was stunned.
He hadn’t expected his master to think of such a small detail for him.
A warm feeling spread through him, seeping into his skin, flesh, and bones, warming his eyes and heart.
Knowing this wasn’t the time for sentimental words, he suppressed the warmth in his heart.
Thinking back to earlier, when Qian se had been about to extract some information from Zhao Fugui but was interrupted by the steward, he felt a bit frustrated.
“Master, I think Zhao Fugui is quite suspicious, but I can’t figure out his intentions—”
“To know his intentions is simple,” Qian se said, glancing at Zhao Fugui, who was striding ahead with his head held high.
“Tonight, try entering his dream.”
“Ah? Enter his dream?!”
Qing xuan was stunned, standing still until Qian se had walked far ahead.
Then he hurried to catch up, unable to hide the glee on his face!
If he wasn’t mistaken, his master was planning to teach him the “Dream-Entering Technique”!
