Chapter 174
Chapter 174
A day later, two bodies were carried out of the Zeng family’s tofu shop by government runners.
The neighbors, unaware of what had truly happened, stood around the entrance whispering among themselves.
“How did the couple who ran the tofu shop die?”
“No idea. I heard they had both turned into dried corpses. Every last drop of blood had been drained from them…”
“What? Have they found out who did it?”
“I’m not sure. It sounds terrifying…”
“Come to think of it, has anyone seen Miss Qiao lately?”
“I haven’t.”
“It really has been quite a while. Could she have…”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Miss Qiao is such a good young woman; don’t curse her like that. She probably had business to attend to and traveled somewhere far away.”
“That must be it.”
…
As the officials and the crowd dispersed, the storefront gradually fell quiet again.
A breeze passed by. A lone figure slowly approached the shop and reached out to push the door, opening it only a crack.
Dust billowed as the door moved, making it clear that no one had cleaned the shop in days.
Xia Ximo stopped and covered her nose. Her cool gaze swept the interior before she raised the Soul-Ferrying Lantern in her palm.
“It is time to go.”
As soon as she spoke, a yin wind rose from the floor, and two figures appeared inside the shop.
They were the ghosts of the Zeng family’s twin sisters.
Before leaving the mortal world, they had wished to return “home” one last time.
Now that their wish had been fulfilled, they had no regrets left.
“Thank you for granting our wish, Miss.”
Holding hands, the sisters bowed deeply to Xia Ximo, then flew into the lantern together.
Xia Ximo stood where she was for a while, watching the faint glow in her hand fade away.
A moment later, she put the lantern away, took one more look at the shop, and gently closed the door before turning to leave.
Ren Fengjue was waiting for her beside the road at a nearby intersection.
“Is it… settled?”
“Yes.”
“Daoist Yan is already waiting for us at the crossroads below the mountain. Let us go.”
“All right.”
Xia Ximo remained sparing with her words, and Ren Fengjue did not mind in the least.
Yet after they had walked side by side for several paces, she suddenly stopped and looked him over.
At some point, Lord Ren had changed into a well-tailored dark teal robe. It accentuated his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and tall, upright bearing, giving him the stately air of a pine in the wind.
Noticing her gaze, he stopped as well. “What is it?”
Xia Ximo said nothing. She slowly withdrew her gaze, then inexplicably quickened her pace.
Yu Lang had not fully recovered after being poisoned by the gu, so Yan Zhengchu chose the smoothest road he could for their journey up the mountain.
As a result, though they set out at noon, they did not reach Mount Yunhe until sunset.
A group of youths at the mountain gate had been watching the road with anxious expectation.
The instant they saw Yan Zhengchu, their faces lit with joy.
“Senior Brother is back!”
“Wonderful! Senior Brother is back!”
At the shouts, the youths immediately rushed forward, vying with one another to help carry the luggage.
Burdened with heavy loads, Yan Zhengchu had climbed until his brow was drenched in sweat. At the sight of his junior brothers, however, a smile immediately spread across his face.
He introduced each of his traveling companions in turn.
As the principal guest, Ren Fengjue had not come empty-handed. He had purchased cold-weather bedding and provisions for the winter at the foot of the mountain and arranged for them to be delivered ahead of the group.
Now that they had arrived, he instructed Axia to distribute the exchanged silver pieces among everyone.
Yan Zhengchu saw it all and was naturally deeply grateful, thanking him several times over.
As Ren Fengjue gazed at every blade of grass and every tree on the mountain, his heart filled with emotion.
“I merely did what I ought to do for my Little Uncle. Why should you thank me?”
The sky was gradually darkening.
Yan Zhengchu led everyone directly to Mount Yunhe’s main hall.
By then, the junior brother in charge of meals had prepared the food and brought it out for the guests.
Yu Lang had long since grown ravenous. At the announcement that dinner was ready, he finally perked up, only to discover a huge basin of stir-fried radishes and another huge basin of stir-fried cabbage before him.
The only meat dish was a basin of stir-fried chicken, which did at least look delicious…
He was about to reach for it with his chopsticks when he noticed several of the younger boys nearby staring at the chicken with wide, innocent eyes, unable to look away.
Vice Minister Yu could not quite bring himself to eat it. He carried the basin of chicken over to them instead, then turned back and picked up a bite of greens.
At that moment, the junior brother who had done the cooking brought out a basin of charred roasted sweet potatoes and another of vegetables tossed in sauce.
As scions of prestigious families from the Capital, the visitors naturally found these dishes a novelty.
Yan Zhengchu introduced them with a smile. “You could never get either of these in Shangjing. You must try them.”
As he spoke, he picked up a roasted sweet potato with his bare hand and passed it to Yu Lang. “Young Master Yu is hungry. You try one first.”
Yu Lang had initially regarded it with distaste, but when he peeled away the skin and revealed the golden, sweet-smelling flesh inside, he could not help swallowing.
Ren Fengjue watched him take a bite and savor it with apparent delight. He peeled one himself, but handed it to Xia Ximo beside him.
“Try this, Miss Xia.”
Xia Ximo’s expression remained indifferent, but she accepted it readily enough.
The gesture naturally did not escape the notice of the other three.
Yan Zhengchu cleared his throat, suppressing a smile, and deliberately asked Axia, “Would you like me to peel one for you too?”
Holding back his laughter, Axia hurriedly grabbed one himself. “No need, no need. I can do it.”
The evening meal was hardly lavish, but everyone ate with great relish.
Afterward, Yan Zhengchu arranged sleeping quarters for them.
However, Mount Yunhe had few habitable rooms and limited accommodations. Thus, Xia Ximo, the sole woman among them, was given a room of her own.
Yan Zhengchu led Ren Fengjue, Yu Lang, and Axia to his room.
Yu Lang took one look and clicked his tongue again.
There were two beds inside, but both were exceedingly narrow. Even one person would have difficulty turning over on either of them; squeezing two people onto one would truly be a struggle.
Yan Zhengchu scratched his head in embarrassment. “Two of my junior brothers used to squeeze onto each bed together. It kept them warm in winter…”
Yu Lang had no habit of sharing a bed. He wanted to say something, but stopped himself.
Axia, on the other hand, was very considerate. “You two gentlemen can each take a bed tonight. There is no need to squeeze together.”
Yan Zhengchu said, “The mountain is nothing like the lowlands. It gets especially cold at night. If you don’t sleep in a bed and freeze, that will be troublesome too.”
“…”
The grown men exchanged awkward looks.
Ren Fengjue merely smiled. “It is all right. You can sleep first. I still need to meet Master Tianji tonight, and there is no telling when I will return.”
When they arrived, Master Tianji had been meditating in his room.
The disciple guarding the door said that their master had to circulate his qi through one minor heavenly cycle before he could conclude his meditation and receive visitors. At the earliest, that would be after the hour of the Boar.
Ren Fengjue had always observed proper etiquette. Anxious though he was, he still had to follow the rules.
Just then, a disciple came to the door and announced that Master Tianji had finished meditating.