“How could we servants know about these things.”
The little maid lowered her head and shook it, well aware of what she should and should not say.
Li Lingsu got up from the bed, walked to the table, braced his hands on the tabletop, and leaned forward, gazing down at the little maid with an aggressive posture, the corners of his mouth lifted:
“Little girl, you know, to be liked, you must be obedient and well-behaved.”
Dujuan’s little face flushed bright red in an instant. She lowered her head, not daring to look directly at Li Lingsu, and replied weakly,
“I just… know a little. Sir, you must promise not to let it slip, otherwise I’ll be in terrible trouble.”
His eyes were as bright as stars, his features handsome, his bearing extraordinary… Which girl yearning for love could resist his damned charm?
Li Lingsu sighed dramatically, as if chilled by the heights.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let it slip.”
He smiled as he made this promise.
“The young lady and the master have always been very close, but the young lady seems unwilling to marry into the Huangfu family. She pleaded with the master many times, and even refused to eat for several days because of it.”
Chai Lan was unwilling to marry into the Huangfu family, and even refused to eat to resist… Li Lingsu frowned, thinking, why hadn’t Xing’er told me this…
“And… and what about the relationship between the young lady and Chai Xian?” Li Lingsu asked after a pause.
“As close as siblings,” Dujuan said.
“Is there, um, any more romantic affection between them?” Li Lingsu probed.
“H-how would this servant know that…” Dujuan replied awkwardly.
He continued to ask about the relationships among the core members of the Chai family. When he asked about the relationship between Chai Xing’er and Chai Jianyuan, Dujuan said,
“Aunt and the master had had a falling out in the past.”
Li Lingsu narrowed his eyes and said calmly, “Oh? Tell me about it in detail.”
Dujuan hesitated, then said,
“It was years ago. Aunt’s previous husband was surnamed Liu. The Liu and Chai families were friends for generations, but later the Liu family fell on hard times. So aunt’s husband became a live-in son-in-law at the Chai residence. Later, he and the master went out together and met with an accident, he didn’t make it back alive.
“But I heard there was something fishy about his death, and aunt and the master had a huge quarrel over it…”
She paused and did not go on.
At this point, it was already well over the line, and as a maid, she didn’t know the details.
Xing’er’s former husband died under suspicious circumstances? Yet, during the time when I was together with her, why did I never hear of this… Li Lingsu frowned secretly.
He soon worked it out. Of course, they wouldn’t mention Aunt Chai’s late husband in front of me, her new lover.
“Thank you for telling me, Miss Dujuan!”
Li Lingsu produced a smile as warm as central heating, which in the depth of winter made the little maid feel entirely at ease, her cheeks rosy.
After sending away the maid named Dujuan, Li Lingsu returned to his room, flopped onto the bed, and tried to grasp the truth in the fog of confusion.
Chai Lan was unwilling to marry into the Huangfu family. If I were Chai Xian, wouldn’t it be simplest to just elope with her…
How did Xing’er’s former husband die? It seemed related to Chai Jianyuan? Otherwise, why would the two have had such a big row… Besides being the greatest beneficiary, now she had another motive for murder.
Li Lingsu let out a sigh, turned over and sat up, intending to go to the inn to pass the information he’d uncovered to Xu Qian.
“Really, I could easily investigate this myself. Xu Qian may have high cultivation, but that doesn’t mean he can investigate cases. Who does he think he is, Xu Qi’an?”
Li Lingsu muttered, but didn’t abandon the idea of reporting what he had found to the old man.
…
The Capital, Xu Manor.
In the inner hall, warmed by a charcoal brazier, Auntie was peeling oranges as she said,
“In a few days, when you go to Wang Manor, you must be well-mannered and restrained. Don’t let the ladies and womenfolk there look down on you, do you understand?”
As she spoke, she looked up from the orange towards her young daughter, who sat by her side, eagerly waiting for a piece.
“I’m talking about you!”
Auntie said crossly, “All you know is eat eat eat. Sooner or later, I’ll send you to the Sitianjian to study.”
Today, she was dressed in a jacket embroidered with cloud patterns, matched with a dark pleated skirt. In her exquisite hair bun, a jade hairpin and gold ornament shimmered. She looked both dignified and beautiful; at a glance, she had the air of a noble matron from a distinguished family.
Of course, anyone who knew Auntie would know she was a decorative pillow; beautiful on the outside, mostly fluff on the inside.
“Okay okay, then I can play with Sister Caiwei.”
Xu Lingyin, her hair in a child’s bun, said happily.
What she really wanted to say was that Sister Caiwei had lots of money and could always buy all sorts of tasty things.
But she was not the Xu Lingyin she used to be. Now… now she was…
“Mum, how old am I now?”
Xu Lingyin asked loudly.
Auntie ignored her and turned to Xu Lingyue,
“But you can’t let yourself be bullied either, understand? In big, powerful families like the Wang family, none of the ladies are easy to deal with. You are too soft, and won’t make a sound if you’re bullied.
“If you do get bullied, go to Simu. Just remember to look after yourself, do you hear? Oh, and the eldest and second sons of the Wang family are close in age to Lingyin. Children cause the most headache, you can’t reason with them… Don’t let Lingyin hurt them.”
Xu Lingyue murmured, “Understood, Mum.”
As Xu Erlang and the Lady Wang were to be engaged, the families had to visit each other for formalities. As the matron of the house, Auntie couldn’t show up casually; it would be beneath her dignity.
Thus, the social calls among the womenfolk would fall to the sisters, Lingyue and Lingyin.
But Auntie was worried. A woman as gifted and beautiful as she was, aside from having borne the rather promising Erlang, her other two daughters were mediocre.
Xu Lingyue was too timid, a softly spoken pushover. Xu Lingyin was not very bright, a simple-minded, rather silly girl.
Auntie was afraid they would be bullied at Wang manor.
It was not that she was worrying for nothing. In such great noble households, the sense of superiority was strong. Lady Wang was marrying down when she married Erlang, so how highly could the womenfolk of the Wang family regard the Xu family?
They might not put on sour faces, but there would surely be no shortage of subtle, pointed remarks.
With Lingyue’s timid temperament…
“Sigh!”
Auntie heaved an exasperated sigh.
She stopped thinking about such troublesome matters and complained, “That Yang Qianhuan, he was acquainted with your elder brother after all. I wrote to him, hoping the Sitianjian would take Lingyin as a disciple, but he’s been so slow to reply.”
As she peeled the orange, Xu Lingyue said, “Mum, the Sitianjian has already replied. I received a letter yesterday, but forgot to tell you.”
Auntie’s eyes lit up with delight. “What did the Sitianjian say?”
Xu Lingyue answered softly, “Senior Brother Yang said Lingyin’s talent was extraordinary, beyond what he could teach. He recommended her to the Jianzheng, but the Jianzheng paid him no mind, and wouldn’t even let him onto the Eight Trigrams Platform.”
So it was because Lingyin’s talent was extraordinary!
Auntie felt much better. After thinking for a moment, she decided it would be best to let her study from Lina for now.
By this point, Auntie had given up on trying to mould a well-bred lady from childhood. Instead, she hoped that Erlang and Miss Wang would marry soon and give her a granddaughter.
Since her own account was not up to par, she could only pin her hopes on her son’s account.
Thinking this, Auntie showed a trace of gratification:
“Simu is quite talented, intelligent, and although she is a girl, she has read many books. As for Erlang, he’s a born scholar. Their child is bound to be clever.”
As she spoke, she raised her hand. On her snow-white, slender wrist was a pair of emerald bracelets.
“These bracelets were given to me by your father when I married him. He said they were handed down by your grandmother. Grandma passed early, and couldn’t directly give them to her daughter-in-law, so she entrusted them to your father, so that when he married, he could personally pass them to his wife.”
Auntie reminisced about her youth, smiling, and said, “In future, I will pass them on to Simu. Well, just one, the other will go to Dalang’s wife.”
“Wow, so pretty!”
Xu Lingyin reached out her chubby little hand: “Mum, let me see, let me see.”
Auntie was very fond of her youngest daughter, so she took off a bracelet and handed it over, reminding her, “Be careful, don’t chip it.”
As she spoke, Xu Pingzhi entered the inner hall carrying his armour, long sabre at his waist.
Xu Pingzhi was now a Qianhu commander of the Yudao Imperial Guard, a high position with great authority, and had become a rising star among the capital’s Five Guards. Although he did not hold a noble title, even the ordinary nobility treated him with the utmost respect.
Auntie sniffed and frowned, “Why have you bought green oranges again? We have sweet ones at home.”
“I’ve developed a taste for sour things lately.”
With nephew and son absent, Xu Pingzhi lied without batting an eyelid.
Then, he noticed the bracelet on his youngest daughter Xu Lingyin’s wrist and was shocked:
“Why did you give her the family heirloom? What if she breaks it?”
Xu Lingyin raised her chubby little hand, showing off: “Dad, look! What do I look like?”
“What do you look like?”
Xu Pingzhi reflexively asked.
Xu Lingyin chirped, “Don’t I look like your mum?”
…Xu Pingzhi glanced at her, silently put down his helmet, and picked up his sabre scabbard.
Xu Lingyin’s wails echoed through Xu Manor.
…
Chai Manor.
Li Lingsu left his room, crossed the main courtyard, and saw that the household juniors all wore grave expressions, each carrying a sabre and guarding the entrances to corridors and courtyards.
“What happened?”
He approached one of the Chai family juniors and asked.
“Last night, a thief broke into the cellar.”
The Chai clansman replied in a deep voice.
The cellar… Li Lingsu was confused. Then he heard another junior nearby explain:
“The cellar is for storing walking corpses.”
Among the Chai Family’s side ventures was corpse driving, and the cellar was used to store bodies. In addition, some corpses had special uses: after their coming-of-age ceremony, Chai family juniors could collect a walking corpse from the cellar to use as a puppet.
Those from side lineages could only have ordinary corpses, while those of the direct line could collect blood corpses, these were carefully refined by seniors and had at least the combat power of the Refining Vitality stage.
If a blood corpse was refined into an iron corpse, one would be considered truly adept at corpse handling.
Iron corpses possessed strength and defence comparable to a sixth rank Bronze Skin and Iron Bones martial artist, though slightly weaker in combat as they lacked qi and the sharpened instincts of Refining Spirit.
“Xu Qian said that last night, Chai Xian broke into the cellar, searching for Chai Lan’s corpse… Chai Xian suspects Chai Lan is already dead.”
Li Lingsu immediately changed his mind. Instead of rushing to find Xu Qian, he first asked for the location of the cellar and then left.
Shortly after, he arrived at a secluded courtyard in the inner residence.
There, more than a dozen Chai disciples stood guard, barring his way.
“Young Master Li, this is the forbidden area of the Chai Residence. You cannot enter.”
Li Lingsu frowned, annoyed, and said, “You even dare block your uncle?”
He pushed them aside and strode into the courtyard.
The disciples looked at each other, uncertain what to do.
He descended the steps to the cellar and immediately cupped his nose: “It stinks!”
Soon, he saw rows upon rows of corpses, like motionless statues.
“That old scoundrel Xu Qian must love this place,” Li Lingsu muttered.
He had stayed with the shaman clans in the Southern Marches, so he knew exactly what corpse Gu Masters were like.
Li Lingsu tapped his brow, his pupils instantly turning pale, and his vision changed. These corpses were not mere undead puppets, their earth souls were tightly bound within their flesh.
It was like a stagnant pool, utterly silent.
Use the right method, however, and they could be awakened to become fearless warriors that did not know pain.
Among the shaman clans in the Southern Marches, the Heart Gu Masters who tamed beasts, the Corpse Gu Masters who controlled corpses, and the Poison Gu Masters who used invisible toxins, were always the most troublesome.
He walked deep inside, and after roughly a quarter of an hour finally saw some living people: a few Chai disciples guarding a wooden door.
The wooden door was half open, candlelight spilling out from within.
A cellar within the cellar? What could be stored inside? Li Lingsu approached and was stopped again.
“Who’s outside?”
Chai Xing’er’s cold voice came from inside.
“It’s me,” Li Lingsu replied.
After a short silence inside, Chai Xing’er said quietly, “Let him in.”
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