Chapter 59

The person guarding the door was a familiar face, the Liu household’s stewardess who had come pleading a few days earlier.
She, too, remembered Shen Qing. Seeing Shen Qing dressed in men’s clothing, she stared for quite some time before recognizing her. “Miss… Shen?”
Shen Qing offered her a reassuring smile. “Stewardess, please rest easy. Moving Madam Liu and her daughter to this guesthouse was my idea. The Liu household has been targeted by demonic forces. His Highness has urgent matters that require him to remain at Yuanchun House. To ensure your mistress’s safety, I had no choice but to resort to this.”
“Prince Cang…” The stewardess suddenly recalled the rumors spreading like wildfire through Chang’an about the Shen family’s daughter being betrothed to Prince Cang. At once, it no longer seemed strange. But when she heard that demonic forces had set their sights on the Liu family, she couldn’t help sucking in a sharp breath.
“But there are still others back at the residence…” Though they were merely lowly servants, years of shared life had bred affection.
“Don’t worry,” Shen Qing said. “The demons’ primary targets are Minister Liu and his wife. For now, the others in the residence are safe.”
Shen Qing had been about to ask to see Liu Wanxiu and her mother, but upon noticing that the stewardess was clearly a few years younger than Madam Liu, she abruptly changed her mind. “May I ask, how many years have you served in the Liu household?”
Though puzzled, the stewardess answered honestly. “This servant entered the household when the young miss was born. It has been fifteen years now.”
“Then have you ever heard Madam Liu mention, or seen, this so-called elder sister?”
“I haven’t. From the moment the young miss was born, I watched her grow up. I’ve never seen her have a close elder sister.” This was precisely what puzzled her as well, why her mistress would suddenly claim that the young miss had once had an elder sister she was close to.
Shen Qing felt a twinge of disappointment. Then she reconsidered. If the Ah Chou case had been enough to make Minister Liu and Madam Xing seal their lips so tightly, leaving not the slightest opening, then quietly replacing all the household servants over the years would hardly have been difficult.
The stewardess seemed to recall something else. “But when the young miss was five, something strange did happen.”
“What was it?” Shen Qing asked.
“When the young miss was five, she fell gravely ill and lay unconscious for seven full days. After waking, she kept crying to see her elder sister. But there was only the young miss in the household, where could an elder sister come from? When no one could find this ‘elder sister,’ the young miss cried and made a fuss, growing thin for quite some time. Fortunately, she was still You’and didn’t retain memories. After a few months, she forgot about it, and her health improved.”
Shen Qing pondered this. That meant the memories within Liu Wanxiu’s “realm” had all truly existed. At this point, even if she questioned Madam Liu directly, the woman would never speak honestly. In that case, waiting obediently for the Xisangyao to arrive would suffice.
Perhaps after a proper fright, she might finally tell the truth.
Before leaving, Shen Qing decided to have the stewardess deliver a message. “Those who sow karmic evil will destroy themselves. For ten days, the young miss will remain safe, but after ten days, she will certainly die. If you wish for your daughter to live, think carefully about confessing what was done back then. Perhaps Liu Wanxiu may yet have a sliver of hope.” She returned the jade carp to her.
The stewardess was utterly confused, but she conveyed the words faithfully to Madam Liu.
When Madam Liu received the jade carp, she thought something had gone wrong. With reddened eyes, she grabbed the stewardess in agitation. “Didn’t I already give her the item? Why was it returned? Is Wanwan beyond saving, or has something happened to Miss Shen?”
After days of strain, Madam Liu’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point. The slightest disturbance was enough to send her spiraling.
The stewardess’s eyes reddened as well. She soothed her softly. “No. Miss Shen said the Liu household has been targeted by demons. To protect you and the young miss, she entrusted Prince Cang to move us to the guesthouse near His Highness, just in case.”
She frowned. “And… Miss Shen asked me to pass on a message. She said that within ten days, the young miss will be safe, but after ten days, she will surely die.”
“Those who sow karmic evil will destroy themselves. If you want the young miss to live, think carefully about confessing what you did back then. Perhaps she may yet have a chance.”
Madam Liu froze. Her lips trembled as she turned stiffly toward her unconscious daughter on the bed. “Those who sow karmic evil will destroy themselves…”
She shook her head blankly. “But I had no choice. I truly had no choice…” After murmuring to herself, she suddenly whipped her head around and clutched the stewardess. “Say it again. Why did Prince Cang move us here?”
“Because the Liu residence was targeted by demons, it’s not safe…”
With a soft thud, Madam Liu collapsed onto the floor.
“Those who sow karmic evil will destroy themselves. Those who sow karmic evil will destroy themselves. Hahaha…” Clutching her head, she laughed and cried at once, tears streaming down her face. “She’s come back after all…”
The stewardess didn’t understand what Madam Liu was saying. She could only kneel silently beside her.
On the first day, Yuanchun House closed its doors, announcing a temporary shutdown for internal reorganization. Inside, all was calm.
Madam Liu sat by the window all night. By morning, the black in her hair, what little remained, had rapidly turned white.
On the second day, several unfamiliar presences appeared inside Yuanchun House. The women inside shut their doors tight, talismans plastered across the entrances. Only a handful of white-robed, sword-bearing disciples patrolled the corridors, all of them from Dongshan Temple.
Liu Siyuan continued to refuse to speak. Madam Liu made no move. Madam Xing feigned madness, insisting whenever Ah Chou was mentioned, “This one truly doesn’t know.”
Everyone else in the building was interrogated, but the people from that time had either scattered or died. The only two who had known Ah Chou clearly, Haitang and Shanchahua, two elderly women, had both been murdered. Upon closer investigation, it emerged that anyone in Yuanchun House with even a little experience had, like the Liu household servants, been quietly replaced over the years.
Yet in a place that favored novelty and discarded the old, faces coming and going was the most ordinary thing in the world.
At that moment, Shen Qing looked at the small black snake coiled around her wrist, no larger than a jade bracelet, and couldn’t help exclaiming, “You can get even smaller?”
The black snake flicked its tongue, straining as it tried to compress its body further. It shrank itself down another ring at a time, until it was no thicker than a hairpin, only then stopping, its tongue still stuck out, unable to retract in time.
These past days, Qiuren had been raised by Li Daoxuan into a decidedly pampered state, soft and well-fed. It had also gone far too long without tasting blood. Just shrinking itself like this had nearly exhausted it.
When Shen Qing pressed a finger down on it, it merely lifted its head slightly and rubbed against her fingertip. After finally pulling its tongue back in, it coiled itself around her wrist and went completely still.
Once she had played with it enough, Shen Qing propped her cheek on her hand and gazed out through the lattice window at the sky.
The blazing sun hung high above, the sky cloudless for miles, without even a hint of breeze. Perhaps recalling the sight of Shen Qing drenched in sweat a few days earlier and knowing she feared the heat, Gu Yun had someone send over several plain silk sachets. Upon opening them, she discovered they were the very same cooling pouches Li Daoxuan had given Gu Yun that day.
Although Li Daoxuan had already handed her the formula, making these pouches still took time, and the servants had yet to deliver them. These sachets happened to solve her most urgent problem, so Shen Qing accepted them without ceremony.
As she peeled lotus seeds in her hand, Shen Qing thought for a moment, then portioned out some into a jade cup, preparing to send them to Gu Yun.
She had originally picked these lotus seeds to bring home for her parents; now, it was just right to share some with Gu Yun as a token of thanks.
She pushed the door open just as a disciple happened to be patrolling past. Shen Qing called out, “Little Daoist, please wait.”
The disciple was one of the group who had once eaten and hunted demons with Li Daoxuan at Youjian Tavern. Naturally, he recognized Shen Qing. Seeing her dressed in men’s clothing, he pretended ignorance and asked, “What does the young master require?”
“Could I trouble you to deliver this to Gu Yun for me?”
Hearing Shen Qing address Gu Yun directly by name, the disciple’s gossip instincts instantly flared. He pricked up his ears while keeping his hands moving. “No problem.” He took the jade cup from Shen Qing.
Inside lay plump, white, glossy lotus seeds, neatly arranged and utterly tempting.
He quietly widened his eyes. “Did you peel these yourself, young master?”
It was only a few lotus seeds, yet the other party seemed overly astonished. Shen Qing felt a flicker of doubt and replied, “I did.”
The disciple immediately realized his reaction had been excessive. He chuckled awkwardly and hastily smoothed things over. “Ah, well, I’ve always liked lotus seeds too. I once tried peeling them myself, but I’m terribly clumsy and couldn’t manage even after ages. So seeing you peel so many so neatly, young master, I couldn’t help but admire you.”
Hearing this, Shen Qing reluctantly dispelled her suspicions. She turned back into the room and brought out another cup of lotus seeds, handing it to him. “This one’s for you, little Daoist.”
The disciple was utterly flattered. “No, no, I couldn’t possibly, ”
“You’ve been patrolling the building these past few days. It’s hard work. You should have some lotus seeds. Just take them,” Shen Qing said. Before he could respond, she closed the door.
The white-robed disciple stared blankly at the two cups of lotus seeds in his hands, stunned into stillness. When he reached the corner, he suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine. He stiffly looked back, only to see Li Daoxuan standing in a patch of shadow, sword cradled in his arms, as if he had been there for some time.
He jumped in fright, nearly drawing his sword. Once he recognized the man, he exclaimed, “Damn it, Li A-man, you scared me half to death!”
Li Daoxuan’s expression was unreadable as he stared at the two cups of lotus seeds in his hands. He had just seen Shen Qing call the man over and personally hand them to him.
Zhang Qingcheng noticed Li Daoxuan’s fixed gaze and narrowed his eyes before suddenly smiling in understanding.
“Oh, these?” he said proactively. “Lady Shen gave them to me. This one she asked me to deliver to Gu Yun, ” He paused deliberately, lifting his eyes to sneak a look at Li Daoxuan’s reaction. Seeing no response whatsoever, Zhang Qingcheng hesitated.
Had he guessed wrong? Did Li A-man not like Lady Shen after all?
“And this one,” he added pointedly, “Lady Shen personally peeled for me out of consideration for my hard work.” He emphasized the words “personally peeled.”
To his disappointment, Li Daoxuan’s expression did not change in the slightest. His face remained stiff and indifferent, as though he hadn’t heard a single word. He said matter-of-factly, “I’m going to interrogate someone. Deliver it quickly and come back. Don’t give the great demon any chance to exploit an opening.”
With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and strode away.
Zhang Qingcheng hissed softly. “How strange. Could it be Li A-man really doesn’t like Lady Shen? Was this marriage entirely the Emperor’s decision?” Shaking his head, he walked toward the neighboring guesthouse.
The two of them sat cross-legged by the wooden stairs, hugging the lotus seeds Shen Qing had personally peeled and munching away. Zhang Qingcheng said, “Gu Yun, are you sure you’re not fooling us? From what I can see, A-man doesn’t look even remotely moved.”
Gu Yun replied with absolute certainty, “There’s definitely something going on. I’m telling you, back at Mount Li, Qiuren latched onto Lady Shen from the start and followed her everywhere. And now look, he’s let Qiuren out again to stay with her.”
He popped a lotus seed into his mouth. “You know how important Qiuren is to him,” chew chew chew, “better than anyone,” chew chew chew.
Zhang Qingcheng pondered briefly. “But Qiuren isn’t A-man. What if it’s Qiuren who likes Lady Shen?”
“No. Absolutely not.” Chew chew chew.
Zhang Qingcheng grew irritated at his stop-and-start speech and punched him in the stomach. “Finish eating before you talk.”
Gu Yun gagged violently, nearly vomiting up last night’s meal. Clutching his mouth, he forced the lotus seed down and pointed shakily. “You, you, you, ”
“All right Beauty Zhang,” Gu Yun continued once he recovered, speaking frankly. “You know A-man’s temperament. If there’s something he doesn’t want to do, ten oxen couldn’t drag him into it. Have you forgotten that noble young lady back then who fell for him and was determined to marry him, even following him to Dongshan Temple to suffer?”
Speaking of her, Gu Yun couldn’t help but feel genuine admiration. “Her parents couldn’t stop her and had no choice but to send her up there. She was persistent too, she endured two whole years at Dongshan Temple and even alarmed the Emperor himself.”
“And what happened in the end?” Zhang Qingcheng asked.
“Li A-man would rather give up the luxuries of Chang’an than see her. First he caused a scene with sword in hand before the Emperor, then he followed his master on travels. He didn’t come back until the girl, unable to wait any longer, got engaged to another young lord. Only then did A-man return, and he was noticeably thinner by the time he did.”
Because Zhang Qingcheng’s name sounded similar to “qingcheng” (peerless beauty), and because he was fair-skinned and delicately handsome, his brothers often teased him by calling him “Beauty Zhang.”
At first he’d been furious and beaten them all up. Later, perhaps numbed by repetition, he seemed to accept the nickname just fine.
“So if the Emperor managed to bestow this marriage smoothly,” Gu Yun concluded, “then A-man must have agreed to it.”
Hearing this, Zhang Qingcheng instantly felt it made sense and nodded.
The two brothers continued chewing their lotus seeds.
When the cups were nearly empty, Zhang Qingcheng suddenly asked, “Wait, Lady Shen is A-man’s fiancée. If she’s peeling lotus seeds, shouldn’t she be peeling them for A-man? Why did she peel them for you instead?”
Gu Yun waved his hands hastily. “That’s only because I saw she was suffering from the heat and sent her a few cooling sachets. Lady Shen probably returned the favor with the lotus seeds because of that.”
Zhang Qingcheng nodded thoughtfully.
While drawing talismans, Shen Qing accidentally dirtied her hands. Just as she was about to call someone to fetch water so she could wash up, she opened the door and found a statue-like figure standing right outside.
Ever since the two of them had quarreled inexplicably that day, they hadn’t seen each other again. Catching sight of him so suddenly, Shen Qing felt momentarily dazed. “What are you doing here?”
Li Daoxuan said nothing.
Seeing that he refused to speak, Shen Qing didn’t bother courting rejection. She simply stepped around him, intending to find someone to prepare water.
What she didn’t see was the flash of bewitching red light that flickered through Li Daoxuan’s eyes. The next instant, Qiuren, hidden on his wrist, suddenly woke, swelling several times over before crawling onto Shen Qing’s waist.