Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Lin Zhu had just set the cap over the bottle of medicated oil. His hand jerked at Cheng Miao’s words, spilling nearly half of it.
He hurriedly wiped himself with a towel, but the smell only grew stronger. With no other choice, he returned to his room and changed his clothes.
By the time Lin Zhu came back, Cheng Miao had largely untangled her thoughts. She motioned for him to shut the door tightly, and the two moved into the inner room to talk.
“The initial instance hint, the Chang Residence, Madam Chang’s family name being Wei, and everything that happened tonight all prove that we’re inside the story of Gejin from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.”
“I know that one! It’s about a flower demon, right?” Lin Zhu raised his hand as though answering a question in class, making Cheng Miao smile. Even a top student his age enjoyed reading outside the curriculum. It was hardly surprising that he knew the story.
“I just don’t remember it very clearly.” Lin Zhu adjusted his glasses, a little embarrassed, and looked eagerly at Cheng Miao.
Resting her chin on one hand, Cheng Miao watched the flame flicker inside the lamp and calmly recounted the tale.
“Chang Dayong, a native of Luoyang, adored peonies. While staying with a friend in Caozhou, he lingered among the peonies in his friend’s garden every day, composing poetry. When his travel money ran out, he pawned his own clothes so he could remain until the flowers bloomed.”
“One day, Chang Dayong encountered a celestial-looking young woman and an old woman in the garden. After being scolded, he alternated between regret and longing for the young woman. Within days, he had wasted away.”
“Three days later, the old woman brought him a cup of something she claimed was poison prepared by Lady Gejin. Chang Dayong decided he would rather drink poison than die of longing, so he swallowed it. A wondrous fragrance filled his senses. When he woke from his sleep, his illness was gone. From then on, he became even more devoted and knelt in the garden to pray every day.”
“What followed was the sort of secret, wall-scaling courtship common in old stories. Chang Dayong even met Gejin’s younger sister, Yuban. After many days, Gejin dug silver from the garden to support him. The two returned to Luoyang and married, and Yuban later married Chang Dayong’s younger brother.”
When Cheng Miao stopped, Lin Zhu asked eagerly, “What happened after that?”
Cheng Miao shook her head. “We should be at that point in the story now. The later events haven’t happened yet.”
“In other words, Chang Dayong only knows that Gejin’s family name is Wei. He doesn’t yet know that Lady of Cao is the name of a peony, much less that this variety is called Gejin Purple.”
“That means what happens next won’t necessarily follow the original story.” Cheng Miao frowned. This instance had strayed far further from its source than The Three Little Bears’ Home. In the original, Gejin and Chang Dayong were deeply in love, and although Gejin was a flower demon, she had never harmed anyone. This instance was entirely different.
Lin Zhu understood and nodded, then asked the most important question. “What happened to Young Master Chang in the original?”
Cheng Miao’s gaze darkened as she stared into the candlelight. “Chang Dayong and his brother confronted Gejin and Yuban about being flower demons. The sisters flew into a rage, threw their children to the ground, and vanished.”
Lin Zhu stared at her. Threw them to the ground?
No wonder their mission was to save Young Master Chang.
“Then we can tell Master Chang who Madam Chang is in advance and warn him to keep quiet,” Lin Zhu suggested, slapping the table as ideas poured out. “Or we can destroy the clue that would reveal her identity, so he never learns what she is.”
No.
Cheng Miao finally saw the crucial connection. She stood and paced across the room. “In this instance, Gejin and Chang Dayong aren’t in love, and she’s intensely jealous. Discovering her identity may not be enough to enrage her into killing the children.”
“The Lady of Cao clue was meant to help us identify Gejin. It wasn’t telling us to follow the original story to clear the instance.”
Lin Zhu could not quite keep up with Cheng Miao’s racing thoughts, but he still tried to formulate a question. A top student’s experience had taught him that listening and asking questions were the fastest ways to improve. “Then what good does knowing Madam Chang’s identity do us?”
Cheng Miao turned to him with a smile. “Gejin is a flower demon, but a flower demon is still a flower. You read an entire roomful of books. Didn’t you find any weaknesses of peonies?”
Of course. Lin Zhu slapped his forehead, only to hit the swollen lump and bare his teeth in pain. “Peonies fear fire and flooding, but neither is easy to arrange. They also can’t tolerate strong, unusual smells.”
“Musk!” they exclaimed in unison, then exchanged knowing smiles.
Yes, musk.
Every television drama said that burying musk in the soil could keep even a tree from flowering.
“See?” Cheng Miao had grown quite fond of Lin Zhu. Around people she liked, she could never maintain her aloof expression. Her eyes curved with her smile. “Your Item is about to become useful, isn’t it?”
Lin Zhu was briefly dazzled by her smile. When he recovered, he nodded as rapidly as a pecking chick.
Cheng Miao stretched, fatigue showing between her brows. “Let’s rest. Nothing else should happen tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll go find Master Chang.”
A hole gaped in the outer room’s window, letting the wind whistle inside. Afraid of alerting the enemy, Cheng Miao had not summoned servants to replace it in the middle of the night.
Although Lin Zhu believed her deductions, he no longer dared sleep in the outer room. He carried over a quilt and made a pallet on the floor instead.
He tossed and turned like food frying in a pan. Even after Cheng Miao’s breathing steadied, he could not fall asleep. At last, he whispered, “Sister Miaomiao?”
“Mm?” Cheng Miao did not want to open her eyes, so she answered with a sleepy hum.
“Why could I see the female ghost while the branch attacked you?” That question had been tormenting him and refused to let him sleep.
Cheng Miao rolled over, turning her back to the outer room, and settled her breathing again. “She attacked me because Chang Dayong wants to take me as his concubine. She got jealous, so she used her true body against me. You probably saw the ghost because you mentioned ghosts at breakfast. The rules allowed her to scare you with one.”
Her voice grew softer as sleep pulled her under, but she struggled to finish. “It was probably just an illusion meant to frighten you and keep you from interfering with her attack on me. She’s a flower demon. If she wants to hurt someone, she still has to use her true body. She couldn’t have known you’d be the rare person who isn’t scared of ghosts.”
Hearing Cheng Miao’s breathing deepen, Lin Zhu dared not speak again. He carefully turned onto his side. Perhaps having Cheng Miao nearby made him feel safe, because he soon drifted off without realizing it.
Early the next morning, before Cheng Miao opened her eyes, she heard Lin Zhu draw a soft, startled breath in the outer room.
She never dared sleep deeply inside an instance, but she still needed rest. The slightest sound woke her from her light slumber.
“What is it?” Her voice was blurred with sleep. Cheng Miao cleared her throat and saw Lin Zhu scramble inside carrying an empty copper basin.
“The… the hole in the window is gone!”
Worried that Gejin had marked him, Lin Zhu had barely rested. At dawn, he decided to wash up and bring Cheng Miao some water.
He was not truly a pampered young master, after all. He understood perfectly well that if he wanted something done, he could do it himself.
But as he rubbed his eyes and lifted the basin, he noticed something was wrong before he even opened the door. Looking carefully, he discovered that the glaring hole in the window from last night had somehow repaired itself.