Chapter 53

A chant in the air shifted to suit the moment:
“Blue skies stretch long, green waters ripple.
In the mortal world I bow, alone I cross the dark river”
“Crossing the river alone is truly arduous. If I hadn’t transformed into the Bai Shuisha, I might never have seen you. During the days you weren’t here, I was so lonely that life felt no different from death. Ranran, never leave me again.” He held the girl in his arms tightly.
Shi Ranran gently stroked his head, her red lips slightly parted. “Good boy…”
Shi Changfeng looked extremely aggrieved, holding her waist tightly.
Before long, with the sounds from the underground palace, a newlywed couple bowed by the riverside.
“The incense drifts, the candles shine; bride and groom ascend the floral hall!”
“First bow to heaven and earth, giving thanks for creation, praying for blessed union!”
“Second bow to elders, grateful for parents’ nurturing!”
“Spousal bow, wishing mutual love and respect, harmony and understanding!”
“Ceremony complete!”
After the bowing, Shi Ranran, her patience nearly exhausted, ripped off her veil.
In Shi Changfeng’s eyes flickered tiny sparks of warmth. He gently drew the veil from her hand, placed it back properly, and then, with full ceremony, removed it himself, again and again, without complaint.
Shi Changfeng said softly, “Ranran, I am yours now.”
He added, “I also brought you a gift today.”
With that, he turned with Shi Ranran, when a clear, childlike voice called: “A-jie!”
Shi Ranran’s smile vanished. She narrowed her eyes almost dangerously, but then a small, soft hand wrapped around her waist. A five-year-old bundle blinked up at her, full of admiration. “A-jie!” The girl was clearly five-year-old Liu Wanxiu, yet this was only her spirit, tormented by memories.
“Who told you to bring her here?” Shi Ranran’s eyes were red; she grabbed Shi Changfeng by the neck, her sharp fingers digging deep.
With her motion, Shi Changfeng’s neck was instantly squeezed into a thin ring, blood trickling into the crimson collar.
He closed his eyes with satisfaction. “I knew Ranran couldn’t bear to part from your little sister, so I brought her spirit to stay by your side forever, and to make her mother suffer in grief.”
“Presumptuous! How could I possibly care about that fool!” Shi Ranran snapped.
Shi Changfeng’s gaze, snake-like, climbed to her eyes. He amended his words: “Then I misjudged. Ranran, you want revenge, right? Ten years ago, you missed your chance. Now, I’ve brought her spirit up; even if it’s just one soul, it can vent some of that anger.”
His gaze was lingering, his tone seductive. “So, Ranran… kill her.”
Shi Ranran twisted her lips, the mole between her brows deepening in red. Looking at the tiny figure staring at her unblinking, she drew her hand back, fingers clawed, aiming at little Wanxiu’s face.
Shi Changfeng didn’t flinch as he touched his neck. If one looked closely, the wound was slowly healing, save for some residual blood.
He smirked, waiting for Shi Ranran to deal with the irritating little thing.
Little Wanxiu, unaware of what awaited her, still remembered the night with her sister by the red carp. Seeing her sister raise her hand, she instinctively held Shi Ranran’s wrist like a priceless treasure, gently blowing on it.
“A-jie, it doesn’t hurt. Wanwan will blow on it, the bad carp has been chased away.”
Shi Ranran froze.
The smile on Shi Changfeng’s lips disappeared.
In the main hall of Yuanchun Pavilion, several cooks, tied up, were surrounded in the center. Standing in front of them was the young master, none other than the famed Prince Cang, accompanied by a meticulously groomed young aide from Dongshan Temple.
The lead maid, her eyes swollen as if she’d cried over peaches, glared at the now transformed assistant, Shen Qing, eyes squinting to the extreme. She muttered “you, you, you” repeatedly, but dared not speak openly with Prince Cang nearby.
Her mind exploded in anger. This girl actually had some connection with Prince Cang, no wonder Prince Cang had just defended her. Her sense of justice was completely skewed!
Li Daoxuan observed the six tied suspects with a grave gaze. Beside him, Shi Qinglan had already checked the suspects, reporting, “All personnel inside the building have been investigated. There are six suspects, all with the thick calluses mentioned by Your Highness. Four are rear-yard cooks with knives, two are male clients within the tower.”
Yet after questioning, each had proof they weren’t at the scene. The trail ended there.
Shen Qing, seeing this, couldn’t help but suspect. Weren’t the skinning acts done by the Xi Sangya? Why, then, mobilize so many to apprehend these people? She asked, “If it was a monster who killed them, why search for so many suspects?”
Li Daoxuan leaned close, whispering to her, “Why are you so certain the killer is a monster? Why couldn’t it be a human?”
Shen Qing almost raised her voice in shock. “You mean…”
“Calm, Shen Qing. The victims were skinned and bled to death. The cuts are on the neck, and no residual monster aura remains. Since it wasn’t a monster, I must find the culprit among humans.”
Shen Qing clenched her palms, noticing her hands were cold with sweat.
If it wasn’t a monster, had she guessed wrong? Had the Xi Sang demon not appeared? Then what explained the phenomenon in the sky? She clearly remembered that only Wuming, already refined by You Daozi, and the White Eater Fiend could trigger such phenomena. But she also recalled that the Bai Shuisha was home…
“Your Highness! A suspect is escaping!” a distant voice shouted, snapping Shen Qing out of her thoughts.
Everyone rushed to Yuanchun Pavilion courtyard. An old woman with graying hair darted under the eaves, familiar with the terrain, leaving the martial practitioners slightly behind.
The old woman moved like the wind, her posture agile, betraying no sign of her advanced age.
Suddenly, the woman seemed to sense something, glancing at Shen Qing before turning sharply toward her.
Before Shi Qinglan could draw his sword, a red-clad figure rushed forward, kicking the old woman aside.
The old woman fell heavily. A flash of snow-like light appeared; Li Daoxuan’s sword was already drawn, pointing at her heart.
The old woman seemed confused, her eyes cloudy, staring at Shen Qing, attempting to rise, her posture eerie.
Li Daoxuan frowned impatiently, moving the sword closer to her chest.
“Wait!” Shen Qing grabbed his arm. “Don’t hurt her!”
Li Daoxuan stared at her for a few seconds. Shen Qing’s gaze was firm, holding onto the arm wielding the sword, refusing to let go. “She won’t hurt me. She must know something. I need to find out.”
Shen Qing clearly saw no malice in the old woman’s eyes, only a look as if seeing an old acquaintance.
Seeing Li Daoxuan unmoved, she added, “Li Daoxuan, aren’t we partners? Since we’re working together, you must trust me. I saw something in Lady Liu’s ‘realm,’ something related to another powerful monster. The clue is in her mouth.” She pointed to the old woman, Ah Si.
Li Daoxuan’s dark lashes drooped as he weighed the situation. Finally, he relented, withdrawing his sword. “I’ll give you the time of one incense stick.”
Shen Qing’s eyes curved with a smile. “Good.”
Li Daoxuan was unsettled by her bright smile and turned his gaze away. “Let go.”
Shen Qing only then realized she was still holding his arm and obediently released him.
Approaching the old woman Ah Si she saw the woman staring blankly into her eyes, a dazed, trance-like expression on her face. Shen Qing tentatively spoke, “Grandma?”
Ah Si seemed to regain some clarity. Her eyes focused on Shen Qing, and finally, she spoke: “Ah Chou?”
Shen Qing’s heart skipped a beat. Playing along, she crouched down, affectionately took the old woman’s hand, and smiled. “Grandma, it’s me.” Indeed, the old woman had mistaken her for someone else.
“Good child, you came back and didn’t even tell me. I made lotus soup for you, but you left without a word. The soup’s gone cold.” The old woman rambled incoherently, jumping from topic to topic.
Shen Qing patiently listened to her chattering for a while. When the moment seemed right, she asked suddenly, “Grandma, did you… kill them?”
The talkative old woman instantly fell silent. She cast a cautious glance around, then quietly hooked her arm around Shen Qing’s shoulder, guiding her closer.
Beside them, Li Daoxuan narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the old woman’s movements. His hand on the sword tensed, ready to strike.
Ah Si sat down on the ground, leaning close to Shen Qing’s ear, whispering, “Don’t worry, Grandma already avenged you quietly! Those two girls… they went too far! And the others… Grandma hasn’t had a chance to avenge you yet, just wait a little longer.”
She carefully pulled a small paper packet of unknown material from her bosom and pressed it into Shen Qing’s hand.
“The lotus seeds are ripe. You always liked to float on the boat picking lotus. Unfortunately, the old boat was smashed by them. Grandma couldn’t help, so I bought an old one.”
“This year, Grandma collected a lot of lotus seeds. No time to make soup, so you’ll have to make do for now.”
Shen Qing’s mind conjured the image of the Xi Sang demon skillfully nesting in the lotus boat. She was eager to know who Ah Chou was; her instinct told her that Ah Chou had a significant connection with the Xi Sang demon…
She set the lotus seeds down and tentatively asked, “Grandma, do you remember the mole on my forehead?”
To her delight, Ah Si indeed touched her smooth forehead, puzzled. “Yes… Ah Chou, where’s your forehead mole?”
Shen Qing’s breath caught, her hand trembled, and she was momentarily speechless.
Seeing her hesitation, Ah Si asked again, puzzled, “Ah Chou, why isn’t your mole there?” Suddenly, her eyes sharpened. “No… you’re not Ah Chou. Ah Chou is long dead, killed by them.”
Before Ah Si could strike, Li Daoxuan swiftly pulled her behind him. The move was so fast that Shen Qing had to grab his shoulder just to maintain her balance.
Poking her head out from behind him, she saw Ah Si charging directly toward Li Daoxuan’s blade.
Li Daoxuan frowned and withdrew his sword. Shen Qing cried out, “Don’t, ” her voice faltering midway.
“Wounded in the chest, even a great immortal can’t save her,” Li Daoxuan said calmly.
She had collided with the sword intentionally, determined to die.
No one knew what Ah Si thought in her final moments. She glanced at Shen Qing, then at the lonely boat in the lake, and finally, her body fell back like a drifting leaf, plunging into the water.
Her fall was like a drop of clear water into ink; many brightly colored carp surged up, covering her. Blood and red water intertwined, blooming slowly across the lake in a vivid painting of carp playing in the water.
The painting was red. Red with blood.