Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Fresh paper had been pasted over the window, clean and bright, as if nothing had happened the night before.
Lin Zhu refused to believe the attack had been a dream. His forehead still hurt. When he glanced at himself in the bronze mirror after waking, the swelling had subsided, only to leave an even more alarming purple bruise.
If it was not a dream, there was only one possibility. Someone, or something, had entered while they slept and repaired the broken window.
Perhaps a female ghost or flower demon had shared the room with his sleeping body. It might even have bent over him, bringing that black-haired face close to his own…
Even Lin Zhu, who was not afraid of ghosts, broke into a cold sweat at the thought.
Cheng Miao got up and inspected the outer room. The window paper had indeed been replaced. The flower demon was surprisingly meticulous. Now they had no evidence that last night’s events had ever occurred.
“All right. This only proves that the rules severely restrict the flower demon when it attacks people. Otherwise, it would’ve skewered us with one branch long ago.” Cheng Miao slowly exhaled and motioned for Lin Zhu to stop dwelling on it.
The boy was naturally easygoing. Her explanation made sense, so he relaxed.
Cheng Miao declined the servants’ help and efficiently dressed and washed on her own. Only when the two sat down over bowls of congee did she voice her suspicion. “I don’t think last night was the first time something like this happened.”
Lin Zhu was biting into a steamed bun. He hurriedly swallowed so he could answer, only to choke and turn scarlet. Several gulps of congee finally cleared his throat. “Why?”
“Think about it. Plenty of servants saw Chang Dayong come looking for me. Their master visited the daughter of a family friend during the afternoon rest, yet nobody gossiped about it.”
“Even if the household is strictly managed, I watched the maid who removed Chang Dayong’s used cup. She looked cold, almost repulsed.”
“And now that we know how greedy and lustful Chang Dayong is, this can’t have been his first time. What happened to the women he harassed before? The Chang Residence replaces its servants every six months. Did those people know something?”
Cheng Miao was almost finished eating. She idly poked a steamed bun in the basket with her chopsticks, leaving tiny dents across its surface.
Lin Zhu stared at the pitted bun. “If the servants know what’s going to happen, they might avoid us because they don’t want to get involved. But if even the servants know Madam Chang is dangerous, how could Master Chang not know?”
A detail from the previous day flashed through Cheng Miao’s mind. “He does. When I mentioned Gejin’s beauty, Chang Dayong’s first reaction was fear. He definitely knows something is wrong with her, but he’s too afraid to show it.”
“In other words, Madam Chang can’t possibly kill the children just because Master Chang suspects her in this instance. He’s suspected her for a long time,” Lin Zhu concluded. His mind worked quickly, and he was settling into the instance more with every passing hour.
Cheng Miao nodded at him in approval. “Time for us to go out.”
Neither Master Chang nor Madam Chang appeared that morning. Cheng Miao informed the steward, then left the residence with Lin Zhu.
“Sister Miaomiao, did you think the steward was looking at us strangely?” Lin Zhu hugged himself and rubbed his arms.
Cheng Miao pulled one of his hands down. “You’re a young master right now. Don’t behave like that.”
Blushing, Lin Zhu lowered his arms. Without any pockets, however, his hands still felt awkwardly empty. He pulled the fan from his belt and carried it instead.
Once he was among the crowd, Lin Zhu’s unease finally faded. A busy Taoist temple stood nearby, thick with incense and worshippers, and its lively atmosphere dispelled some of his anxiety.
Cheng Miao narrowed her eyes as she recalled their departure. The steward’s half-smile, the meaningful look he had given her while explaining that Master Chang had spent the night away and Madam Chang was busy, leaving them free to amuse themselves…
The steward knew something.
“He may be one of Gejin’s people. Be careful.”
Lin Zhu reached the same conclusion and obediently nodded. Then he suddenly spotted something. Stretching his neck slightly, he tugged Cheng Miao’s sleeve and lowered his voice. “Sister Miaomiao, look. I think that’s Li Cheng.”
Cheng Miao glanced over without drawing attention. It was indeed Li Cheng and his partner. Dressed as Taoist priests, they tended a small fortune-telling stall beside the road outside the temple. Li Cheng’s shrewd eyes swept the crowd with intense concentration. The thin man’s face was wrapped in gauze, and blood had begun to seep through.
Li Cheng also noticed Cheng Miao watching him coolly from among the crowd. He gave a faint nod, and she led Lin Zhu into a nearby alley.
Red scraps of spent firecrackers littered the ground, filling the air with sulfur. Cheng Miao glanced at the fireworks shop beside them, then quietly said something to Lin Zhu through the acrid haze.
He nodded as he listened. A moment later, he hurried toward the shop with his fan in hand.
When Li Cheng arrived with his partner, Cheng Miao was waiting calmly beside a scholar tree in the alley.
“This is my teammate, Jiang Qi.”
The thin man nodded at Cheng Miao and flashed a row of white teeth.
Her gaze settled on the gauze covering his face. “How did that happen?”
“Don’t ask.” Jiang Qi looked thoroughly frustrated. “There’s a monster in this instance.”
Li Cheng studied Cheng Miao. He had noticed her composure back at the Knowledge Library, but he had not expected this. After one day in the instance, everyone in his group had suffered at least some injury, yet she and the high-school student appeared unharmed. She possessed not only mental resilience, but real strength.
“Want to cooperate?”
When Cheng Miao showed no rejection, Li Cheng added tentatively, “You’re clearly an experienced player. You know that even when our missions differ, exchanging information benefits everyone.”
Cheng Miao remained silent. Since he had proposed the alliance, Li Cheng sensibly shared first.
“You can probably tell that our roles are Taoist priests. We discovered a demonic creature in this instance, likely some kind of plant. You’ve seen A Chinese Ghost Story, right? Something like the Black Mountain Demon.”
Cheng Miao showed no surprise. Li Cheng could not determine whether she already knew or simply concealed her thoughts too well for him to read.
“I ran into my other two teammates earlier. Their roles are traveling physicians, and they’re treating Second Master Chang at the Chang Residence. Considering our missions together, I’m guessing your objective also concerns that household.”
Li Cheng had not become the leader of an experienced group by chance. In only moments, he had identified their common target.
Cheng Miao stopped testing him. This mission likely had no opposing factions. “Yes. We’re old family friends who came to seek refuge at the Chang Residence.”
The fact that she answered at all was encouraging. Li Cheng relaxed, while Jiang Qi’s eyes widened beside him. “Then have you found anything wrong with the Chang Residence?”