Chapter 43

Shen Qing steadied her trembling, weakened body and slowly stood up, wiping the cold sweat from the tip of her nose.
Not being afraid of death was nothing more than nonsense she had spouted to intimidate the other party. As for her guess that Bai Shuisha had hidden the Xisangyao’s corpse, that too had been an improvised conjecture born of desperation.
She had not expected Bai Shuisha to truly take it to heart, she had accidentally struck straight at his weak spot.
In her previous life, after Bai Shuisha’s death, the Xisangyao fled for many years, committing countless atrocities. Shen Qing had tried to approach the matter through the yao’s origins, attempting to deduce where her corpse might be hidden. Yet no matter how thoroughly she searched the archives of the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, she found no records related to the Xisangyao’s background.
Her senior brother once said that before Bai Shuisha died, he had said: You will never find her.
At first, her senior brother had not understood what those words meant. But after the Xisangyao massacred the Shen household, and after they searched fruitlessly for a long time without ever catching her, they finally understood.
Without finding the Xisangyao’s corpse, there was nothing they could do to her.
Thus, her senior brother surmised that Bai Shuisha had hidden the corpse and may have even erased all records concerning the Xisangyao’s origins.
Shen Qing had always been half-believing, half-doubting this speculation. Now, having seen Bai Shuisha’s reaction firsthand, she was certain.
What she could not be sure of was whether Bai Shuisha would relocate the corpse because of her words. But after calming herself and thinking it through carefully, Shen Qing felt the likelihood was zero.
In her previous life, they had used divination, arrays, soul-summoning, and every miscellaneous technique imaginable, yet still failed to find the corpse. That meant the hiding place was special. If the corpse was already in such a secure location, how could he move it so easily?
Shen Qing bent down to pick up the strand of black hair Bai Shuisha had left behind. She carefully wrapped it in a talisman paper, sealing off its scent, then stored it in her brocade pouch. As she straightened up, a flash of ruthlessness passed through her eyes.
She then returned to the bed and lay back down in the same position as before.
Only moments later, the people in the room whom Bai Shuisha had immobilized suddenly awoke.
In their eyes, Shen Qing was finally “coming to” slowly.
Madam Liu was the first to step forward and carefully help her sit up. “Lady Shen, may I ask how my Wan’er is doing?”
To avoid alerting the enemy, Shen Qing had no intention of telling them what had just happened. Instead, she put on a grim expression and said to the expectant Madam Liu, “Lady Liu’s situation is rather special. It seems she has been trapped by a nightmare, which is why her soul has yet to return.”
Shen Qing lifted her gaze, thoughtful. “May I ask whether Lady Liu has any sisters or brothers?”
At these words, Madam Liu looked puzzled. “Why does Lady Shen ask this?”
“When I was summoning Lady Liu’s soul, it seemed as though I heard her soul calling out something… ‘elder sister.’ That’s why I asked. Previously, even the lotus hairpin failed to awaken Lady Liu’s soul.” Shen Qing showed a troubled expression. “I thought that if we could bring an item belonging to someone she holds dear, there might be a better chance of summoning her soul back.”
“One must know that the longer the soul remains separated from its host body, the harder it will be for Lady Liu to awaken. If too much time passes, I fear that even Master You Daozi himself might not be able to call her soul back. Surely, Madam would not wish to see Lady Liu live out her life in a dazed, foolish state?”
These words drained all color from Madam Liu’s face. The thought that her daughter might become simple-minded in the future filled her heart with terror and despair.
In a panic, Madam Liu cried, “Please, Lady Shen, save my daughter! I, I’ll do anything you ask! Wan’er truly has no sisters or brothers. Where am I supposed to find the things you want? Could you use my blood, my flesh instead? Wan’er is flesh that fell from my own body, if using my blood and flesh can open a path for her and bring her back, would that be acceptable?”
At this moment, Shen Qing was frighteningly cold. It was as though she had stepped out of her flesh-and-blood body, her soul floating high above, coldly observing Madam Liu’s heartbroken pleas for her daughter.
Under normal circumstances, she would have been moved. She would have helped Madam Liu up and assured her that she would do everything in her power to retrieve Lady Liu’s soul.
At this moment, Madam Liu and Liu Wanxiu’s family were very likely entangled with that Xisangyao. Shen Qing could no longer put herself in their shoes or empathize with them.
She wore a look of difficulty, her eyes full of apparent sympathy, and hurried to help Madam Liu up. Yet her words were merciless: “I’m afraid it’s impossible. Even if your entire body’s blood and flesh were laid down as a path, it still wouldn’t bring Lady Liu back.” She lowered her gaze, eyes showing pity, yet beneath the skin lay falsehood and indifference. “I believe you understand the principle of going to the root of the problem and removing the source.”
“Lady Liu’s soul has been trapped by obsession. In her memories, there’s an elder sister. Only by finding something related to that elder sister can I do my utmost to break the obsessions and bring her back to reality,” she said, half-truthfully.
It was true that the soul was trapped, and true that there was an elder sister in the memories, but the rest of her words were pure fabrication, meant only to bluff Madam Liu.
If there truly were an elder sister, the Xisangyao’s identity would become clear, leaving only Bai Shuisha to be reckoned with.
Once the identity was determined, it would be far easier to track their corpses and discover who behind it all had been targeting the Shen family, and her.
Madam Liu felt as if the sky had collapsed upon hearing Shen Qing’s words. “Where on earth am I supposed to find something from this ‘elder sister’ out of thin air? What am I to do?!”
Seeing Madam Liu genuinely troubled, Shen Qing said, “Why not investigate? Perhaps when Lady Liu was young she played with some neighboring sister you’ve forgotten. Memories do not lie.”
At this, Madam Liu actually found some sense in it. “Alright! Alright! I’ll check, I’ll check right away!”
She hurriedly turned to leave, then, as if remembering something, came back. In her anxiety, she had even forgotten to ask how her daughter should be cared for next.
“I… I don’t know how Wan’er should be placed right now. You said the soul, once separated too long, may never return. Is there a time limit? Exactly how many days…”
Shen Qing said, “Three days. Once three days pass, even a Da Luo immortal would struggle to save her.”
Madam Liu’s face instantly drained of color. Fine lines multiplied around her eyes. She stammered, “Three days… how could it be just three days… so short… how can I possibly investigate…”
Shen Qing watched her quietly. For a moment, the already aged woman looked even more ravaged by time, her suddenly stooped back giving her the appearance of a very elderly woman.
“That depends on you, madam. What I can do is do my utmost to summon Lady Liu’s soul. Whether I succeed or fail rests entirely on this attempt.”
Madam Liu choked back sobs. “Thank you, Lady Shen, for helping today.” She lifted her rough, cracked hand and slowly caressed her daughter’s face.
The palm was dry, the knuckles swollen like tree roots, a pair of hands worn by years of labor.
Before Liu Siqing passed the imperial examinations, the couple had endured hardships, doing the hardest work themselves. Even after Liu Siqing became a scholar, the mark of past suffering remained, making them appear older than others of the same age.
“When Wan’er was born, I was nearly forty, so from her youth she bore many eyes and pressures not meant for one her age.” Madam Liu’s eyes brimmed with sorrow. “I know they laughed at me, calling me an old clam producing pearls, mocking me for giving birth to a daughter, saying that the Liu family would have no heirs.”
“But I hold no resentment, for she is a treasure I begged from heaven with all my might.”
At this, Shen Qing’s eyelashes trembled slightly; for the first time, she felt a flicker of emotion.
Madam Liu continued, “I cannot bear to see her suffer, to see her in pain. I wish I could carry her with me at all times and protect her. Now that she endures such needless hardship, my heart feels utterly shattered.” Tears streamed down her face as she lifted her skirt and knelt before Shen Qing. “If you can save her, please, Lady Shen, do everything you can. My life, my flesh, I will give it all if needed.”
“I thank you in advance, Lady Shen!” Her back stooped instantly as she bowed deeply to the ground.
Her words were full of reason and deep emotion.
Shen Qing was stunned, yet reacted quickly to avoid her fall. Her heart was both angry and bitter: Madam Liu had knelt to a junior to plead for her daughter. Such devotion deserved admiration, yet it also placed Shen Qing in a perilous position.
If this matter became public: should Liu Wanxiu be saved, it would be a great honor; should she fail, Shen Qing would be seen as incompetent, an indirect “culprit” despite the circumstances.
Such a cunning move, truly, everyone surviving in Chang’an was no simple soul, all smooth, seasoned, and wily!
Shen Qing’s remaining sympathy evaporated entirely at this kneeling.
Since Madam Liu had pressed her using her seniority, Shen Qing decided there was no need for further conscience; she would seize this opportunity fully.
Shen Qing moved deftly to help Madam Liu to her feet. “We cannot sit idle. Lady Liu’s spirit is unstable. We must find a place heavy with killing energy and use that energy to suppress the remaining fragments of her soul. Otherwise, before I can summon her, she might die from losing her remaining soul.”
Madam Liu steadied herself with Shen Qing’s help, alarmed. Her hands trembled. “My daughter… she might still die? What kind of place has this killing energy?”
Shen Qing explained, “To my knowledge, killing energy exists in the worst of criminals. To stabilize Lady Liu’s soul, we need sufficient killing energy. Such energy likely only exists in the territory of bandits.”
Madam Liu swayed unsteadily. Shen Qing supported her, eyes lighting up. “I know! There’s one more place where the killing energy is extremely strong!”
“Where?!” Madam Liu’s eyes flickered with hope.
“The Zhaoyu Prison,” Shen Qing said deliberately, word by word.
Leaving the Liu residence, Shen Qing immediately ran into a frowning Liu Jiyue. She wore a calm expression.
Everything that needed to be done was already done, could Liu Jiyue be intending to attack her?
Seeing Shen Qing emerge, Liu Jiyue realized she had taken on the task of saving Lady Liu. Anger caused her to lean back. She immediately pinched a small paper doll and stepped quickly toward her.
At this moment, Madam Liu, seeing Liu Jiyue, rushed forward first. “Thank you, Deputy Liu and Lady Shen, for coming to help. Truly, thank you!”
Shen Qing grabbed Liu Jiyue’s arm and pulled the confused girl toward the carriage, raising her voice: “Madam, there’s no need to thank us. Just follow my instructions. My senior brother and I will discuss the strategy back at the pavilion. We will do our utmost to save Lady Liu!”
Madam Liu, hearing this, wept with gratitude again.
After finally escaping Madam Liu and dragging the fuming Liu Jiyue into the carriage, Shen Qing let out a sigh of relief.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was extremely tense. Liu Jiyue said coldly, “Speak. Why rush to summon Lady Liu’s soul? You claim a deep bond with her? I don’t believe it.”
How could someone you had met just once instantly become a close friend?