The gatekeeper saw that this young gentleman was handsome and refined, with an extraordinary bearing that made him look nothing like a swindler. After a moment’s hesitation, he said,
“Please wait here, young master!”
He turned and hurried into the residence. Around a quarter of an hour later, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, and a woman came running out. She wore a simple, elegant long dress, her brows arched like distant ink, her lips were like cherries, her skin so fair and delicate that it seemed as though a pinch could produce water.
She was a mature woman, just over thirty, dressed plainly, yet unable to conceal her stunning figure. A white flower was tucked into her hair, but what drew the most attention was the faint sorrow between her brows, evoking an inexplicable sympathy from others.
“Xing’er!”
With a gentle smile, Li Lingsu greeted her with the demeanour of a graceful gentleman untouched by the world.
Chai Xing’er stared blankly at him, her eyes turning red as she spoke coldly,
“Didn’t Young Master Li call himself a wanderer of the jianghu, unattached, claiming only the rivers and mountains as home? What wind blew you to my door today?”
Li Lingsu sighed, “He who still has attachments cannot go far. In the end, he will return to the side of his beloved.”
Chai Xing’er turned her face away, stubbornly refusing to let her tears fall.
This guy must have left without saying goodbye, probably just left a letter or something… Xu Qi’an quietly guessed.
Otherwise, this young widow’s resentment would hardly be so strong. Moreover, compared with the Dongfang sisters and Wenren Qianrou, this Chai family lady’s personality seems to be on the strong-willed side…
Li Lingsu opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something sweet, but then, sensing the situation was not right, he coughed and said,
“This senior is a friend of mine, we’re travelling together through Xiangzhou. We heard of what happened in the Chai Residence, so we came to see if we could help in any way. Xing’er, just say whatever you need.”
The young gatekeeper was stunned. This young master actually called Aunt Chai “Xing’er” so familiarly.
Taking a deep breath, Chai Xing’er nodded to Xu Qi’an, her voice cold but polite,
“A guest from afar, please come in, Senior.”
If there really were no feelings left, she would surely have thrown us out now… another woman devoured by a heartless man… Xu Qi’an cupped his fists and took the little mare into the residence.
After handing the little mare over to the Chai family servants for proper care, the three of them followed Chai Xing’er to the main hall.
“Xing’er, did Chai Xian really kill the Chai family head?”
When Chai Xing’er had sent the servants away, Li Lingsu finally blurted out, “That can’t be right. Chai Xian always had a gentle nature, he’s not the type for such a heinous crime. Could there be some misunderstanding?”
“Misunderstanding?”
Chai Xing’er’s fair face displayed a cold sneer. “I saw it with my own eyes, the whole Chai Residence saw it, how could there be a mistake?”
Li Lingsu mused, “Perhaps a criminal disguised himself?”
Chai Xing’er shook her head. “A disguise could not fool my eyes. What’s more, his fighting style, possessions, and corpse-controlling techniques all prove it was him. The face may change, but those things do not.”
Li Lingsu was left speechless. After frowning for a while, he voiced the question that had always bothered him, “But why would he do such an atrocious thing?”
Chai Xing’er replied,
“Because my big brother intended to marry off Xiao Lan to the Huangfu family. You know that Xiao Lan and Chai Xian grew up together, and he has always loved her. When he found out, he repeatedly pleaded with my brother to reconsider, saying he wanted to marry Xiao Lan himself.
“Though Chai Xian is talented, my brother felt that marrying Xiao Lan to him would be nothing but icing on the cake and would not bring the family real benefit. If we allied with the Huangfu family through marriage, it would be far better for the Chai family’s future.”
Chai Xing’er was the younger sister of the Chai family head, and her late husband had once been a son-in-law who joined the Chai family.
By this point, Li Lingsu was frowning even more deeply. “But Xiao Lan doesn’t love him, she only sees him as a brother. By the way, where is Xiao Lan?”
Hearing this, Chai Xing’er’s expression became sorrowful. “Xiao Lan was kidnapped.”
Prompted by Li Lingsu’s questions, she recounted the event in detail. On the day it happened, everyone in the residence was startled by the commotion and rushed to the head’s quarters, where they found the family head already murdered and the culprit none other than the adopted son, Chai Xian.
Realising he had been exposed, Chai Xian ran amok, using four iron corpses to carve a bloody path out and then disappeared.
“When I was dealing with the aftermath, I discovered that Xiao Lan was already gone from her room. For more than half a month, I have sent people everywhere to look, but we have not found any trace of her.” Chai Xing’er’s face was full of worry.
Li Lingsu asked, “Xing’er, have you not found anything unreasonable about the case?”
Chai Xing’er replied lightly,
“When he fled the residence that day, I tried to stop him myself. If there was anything odd about it, it was that Chai Xian’s cultivation had suddenly advanced dramatically, equalling my own.
“But you know that the Chai family’s corpse-controlling art evolved from the shaman clans’ corpse Gu techniques. Only the practitioner himself can control them, it is extremely difficult for outsiders.”
Li Lingsu drew in a sharp breath, his expression grave and puzzled. He instinctively felt there were many unreasonable points to the case, but he could not piece them together or even find a way to begin investigating.
Seeing him frowning, Chai Xing’er said coldly,
“You think Chai Xian is innocent, and want to clear his name?”
Li Lingsu shook his head. “No, I want to find out the truth for the Chai family. Since I’m here, I’ll get to the bottom of this for you.”
Chai Xing’er looked at him coolly. “And do you have any clues?”
Li Lingsu fell silent and shook his head.
The elegant, sorrowful lady let out a cold laugh. “Do you think you’re Silver Gong Xu, solving bizarre cases?”
Li Lingsu could only give a wry smile. “Xing’er, is there any need to mock me? I know you resent that I left without saying goodbye…”
Knock, knock!
At that moment, the sound of knuckles rapping on the table interrupted the bickering pair. Chai Xing’er frowned and looked at the man in green.
Xu Qi’an said slowly, “There are a few things I’d like to ask, young miss.”
Young miss… Chai Xing’er’s brows twitched.
“His identity is extraordinary. Even the Chai family’s ancestor is like a child before him,” Li Lingsu quickly transmitted his explanation, worried his confidante would offend Xu Qian and irritate this old fellow.
Chai Xing’er understood what “longevity” meant, her expression changed slightly and she immediately became much more respectful and gentle,
“Please ask, senior.”
“How did the family head, Chai Jianyuan, treat Chai Xian? And what sort of person was Chai Xian?” Xu Qi’an asked.
Chai Xing’er replied,
“As a child, Chai Xian was an orphan, often bullied. My brother pitied him and adopted him as a son, not only raising him but also teaching him corpse-controlling arts and martial cultivation. To say he was kind to him would be no exaggeration.
“As for Chai Xian himself, before this tragedy, everyone thought him honest and sincere.”
Xu Qi’an nodded. “So, the family head treated him as a true son, and by reputation, he did not seem the sort to repay good with evil. Even if he did resent the family for marrying off Miss Chai, wouldn’t it be better to simply elope with her, rather than commit murder?”
Exactly! Li Lingsu clapped his hands. That was why he found this case so full of contradictions.
Chai Xing’er furrowed her brow in thought and said, “You are right, senior, but I fought him myself that day. It was certainly Chai Xian, and many in the residence can confirm it. Those iron corpses were also his.”
There are witnesses… Xu Qi’an analysed, “The corpse Gu can be overridden from above, a powerful corpse Gu master can send a child Gu to forcibly control another’s puppets. If someone impersonated Chai Xian and took over his iron corpses, what then?”
Li Lingsu mused, “That would explain the sudden leap in strength. So it wasn’t really him?”
Chai Xing’er shook her head. “No. If someone had impersonated him, surely they would have hidden their strength, not revealed it. Besides, there are so few with such power, and what would their motive be? Just to frame Chai Xian?”
Xu Qi’an gazed at her for a long moment, then smiled. “In that case, we will have to conduct a thorough investigation. Of course, if we can capture Chai Xian alive, it will be even simpler.”
…
The capital, the Sitianjian.
In the great hall on the second floor, Yang Qianhuan stood by the window, facing the glass, with his back to the crowd.
Behind him were more than twenty arcanists. They all belonged to Yang Qianhuan’s faction and were known within the Sitianjian by their peers as the “Back-of-the-Head Clique.”
This was clearly an impolite and mocking name.
But other factions had similarly unflattering names. For example, Song Qing’s group was called the “Madman Clique,” Sun Xuanji’s the “Mute Clique,” and Zhong Li’s the “Gloomy Clique.”
Chu Caiwei, as her rank was too low, was not yet eligible to take disciples on behalf of her master, so she had no faction.
But next year, she would be qualified to take some.
To return to the point, the atmosphere in the hall was tense, with everyone looking grim.
“Didn’t we say we were closing the shop? When will this end? Are they leaving us any way to make a living at all?”
“This is absurd! Are these troublemakers trying to bleed our Sitianjian dry?”
“If things really get out of hand, let’s call in the Imperial Guards to suppress them.”
“But if we do that, Senior Brother Yang’s reputation will be utterly ruined.”
“It’s already as bad as it can get anyway…”
The arcanists all spoke at once, discussing dejectedly.
Some time ago, Senior Brother Yang, on a sudden whim, decided to open a shop in the city to do good deeds. The citizens of the capital, whenever they encountered troubles or injustices, could seek the help of the nation’s hero, Yang Qianhuan.
At first, the people did not believe such a good man could exist in this world. The “Good Man Yang Qianhuan Agency” had no visitors at all, but this did not hinder Senior Brother Yang, who possessed both talent and wisdom.
He arranged for someone to play the part, a suffering woman whose husband was addicted to gambling, her mother-in-law gravely ill with no money for treatment, and with no other way out, she sought help from the Yang Qianhuan Agency.
The man who aspired to become the King of Heroes, Yang Qianhuan, helped this pitiful woman without hesitation.
After that, more and more people sought help from Yang Qianhuan and were satisfied. Word spread quickly, and Yang Qianhuan of the Sitianjian became a household name as a renowned philanthropist.
But it was not long before things changed.
The people became like a bottomless pit, relentlessly freeloading off Yang Qianhuan, taking his help for granted, and cursing him if they were not satisfied.
Bereft of hope for his grand cause, Yang Qianhuan, bruised from being taken advantage of, shut down the shop in despair and retreated to the Sitianjian.
Yet the people did not let him go, gathering in crowds outside the Star Observation Tower, demanding justice.
They had clearly agreed to freeload until the end of time, one should have a sense of contract spirit.
Yang Qianhuan looked down from the window and saw more than a hundred people gathered in the great square outside the Star Observation Tower.
“What are these cases? Read them out.”
His tone was low and world-weary, like someone who’d been battered by society and was full of stories.
The white-robed arcanists let out a sigh of relief. One of them grabbed the thick pile of letters on the desk, unfolded the first one, glanced through it and said:
“Auntie Zhang from Gulu Street says that Auntie Yang next door has a new grandson, and she wants one too. She hopes the Sitianjian can do something about it.”
Yang Qianhuan nodded; this was not a difficult matter. Although Sitianjian had suffered heavy losses lately, they could still afford the price of some medicine.
“Prescribe some kidney-tonifying and yang-strengthening medicine for her son,” he said.
That white-robed arcanist pulled a strange face. “But Auntie Zhang only has three daughters. How does she have a son?”
”…Next letter,” Yang Qianhuan said in a deep voice.
“Manager Wang from Xinghua Street says a new shop has opened next door, stealing his business. He hopes the Sitianjian can help drive them away.”
“We don’t do anything illegal. Next letter.”
“Xiaocui, a maid from the Zhao residence on Pingkang Street, thinks she’s prettier and has a better character than her mistress and is unwilling to remain a servant. She asks us to help her become a young mistress of a wealthy family.”
Yang Qianhuan stifled his words for a long time. “Be born to a better family in your next life. Next letter.”
“Li Er from Li Family Village, his wife is six months pregnant and about to give birth. The Li family has only had one male heir per generation. He wants to buy some medicine for his wife’s pregnancy, but he has no silver, so he’s turned to us for help.”
Before Yang Qianhuan could speak, the arcanist said helplessly, “Providing some pregnancy medicine is easy, but honestly, what Li Er needs to do first is forgive his wife.”
Yang Qianhuan, exhausted, waved a hand. “Next letter.”
“Rascal Liang San hopes to find an easy job that can make him rich overnight, or, even better, wants the Sitianjian to give him a mountain of gold.”
Yang Qianhuan sighed. “We don’t have a mountain of gold. If he wants a job that makes him rich overnight, they’re all written in the Great Feng laws. Tell him to pick one he likes himself.”
“Eh, this one’s from the mistress of the Xu family, Silver Gong Xu’s auntie.” The white-robed arcanist spoke in surprise.
Yang Qianhuan softened his tone a little. “Read out what she wants. I’m acquainted with that scoundrel Xu Qi’an. For his auntie’s sake, I’ll do my best to help.”
The arcanist nodded and said:
“She says her youngest daughter has too big an appetite, and their household is so poor they’re almost out of food. If possible, she’d like to send her youngest daughter to Sitianjian to learn a craft, living and eating here. Her daughter has a teacher as well, a girl from the Southern Marches, who would come along and hopes we don’t mind.”
… Exhaustion coloured Yang Qianhuan’s tone. “Too dim-witted, not cut out to be an arcanist, unless Teacher Jianzheng personally teaches her.”
What were these absurd requests!
In the quiet corridor, soft footsteps sounded.
Zhong Li came to the doorway, poked her head around the dim corridor and whispered:
“Senior Brother Yang, why are you back?”
Yang Qianhuan’s voice was hollow. “The mortal world is not worth it. I intend to rest here for a while.”
He paused, then asked suspiciously, “Junior Sister Zhong, I remember you said my idea was excellent, and sure to make a name for myself.”
Zhong Li replied with innocent honesty, “Did I say that? I can’t remember.”
”…”
Zhong Li asked in a small voice, “How is your enterprise going?”
Yang Qianhuan thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, “I think regicide would be safer after all.”
…
Chai Manor, Xiangzhou.
In the rear garden pavilion, Mu Nanzhi wrapped in a fox-fur cloak, threw a handful of feed into the pond, causing the koi carp to scramble for food.
At the stone table behind her, Xu Qi’an threw poisonous plants and fruits into a mortar to be ground, then scraped the paste out with a porcelain spoon and ate it.
He had never stopped taking poison, and was extremely glad to have brought the reincarnated flower goddess with him on his travels. Every so often, he could eat rare, high-quality mutant poisons and fruit.
He was also glad to have brought his little mare. Interacting with her alleviated the aftereffects of the Heart Gu.
For the aftereffects of the Corpse Gu, Xu Qi’an had recently found a brilliant solution: to manipulate Hengyin’s corpse, making him speak and carry out tasks, the purpose, to “dance with the corpse.”
Just like this very moment…
Li Lingsu hurriedly ran over. Hengyin, standing guard outside the pavilion, blocked him and said gravely,
“Benefactor, please don’t be an unwanted guest.”
Li Lingsu gave him a surprised look, too rushed to wonder why this dead man was suddenly talking. He brushed past and entered the pavilion, saying seriously,
“Something’s gone very wrong. I just heard from the housekeeper that some monks arrived, and the lead one called himself Jingxin.”
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