Wan Fu instructed people to prepare rice, flour, and oil, and offered money needed for Wan’en Temple, then returned to his room first.

Upon entering his room, he took out two cloth pouches containing incense cakes from his chest and threw them into the fire basin to burn.

When the incense cakes hit the fire, they immediately released a strange fragrance. As the aroma entered one’s nose, it inexplicably caused a feeling of irritation to arise in one’s heart.

Wan Fu hurriedly covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve.

These two incense cakes were sent to him along with a letter from “Young Master Zheng” who held Wan Quan’s debt note. He was instructed to wear these two incense cakes on his person.

Although Wan Fu was reluctant, since others held leverage over him, he had no choice but to comply. When worn on the body, the incense’s fragrance was very faint, barely noticeable unless carefully sniffed. Wearing them for these past days hadn’t posed any mortal danger, except for causing difficulty sleeping and anxiety.

For Wan Fu, insomnia wasn’t a big issue. But for Master Ke, who was already plagued by illness and constantly worried about Lady Lu’s ghost coming to claim his life, this anxiety was like adding frost to snow – it was truly life-threatening.

“Young Master Zheng” wanted Wan Fu to create ghostly disturbances in the Ke household, fabricating the illusion of Lady Lu’s ghost coming to claim lives, to wear down Master Ke’s resolve.

So following the letter’s instructions, Wan Fu had people make two wooden shoe molds from afar. When sprinkled with water, they would leave moist footprints.

Lady Lu had small feet and made her own embroidered shoes, which couldn’t be easily bought outside, but the shoe molds were simple to make. He would occasionally help Ke Chengxing fold clothes and organize books, subtly hinting at a woman’s midnight crying, which truly frightened Ke Chengxing out of his wits.

Ordinary maids couldn’t enter Ke Chengxing’s room, but Wan Fu could. Others might not know Lady Lu’s habits of folding clothes and organizing books, but Wan Fu, who stayed by Ke Chengxing’s side, understood them clearly. Yet Ke Chengxing trusted Wan Fu so much that he never directed his suspicions toward his servant. So Wan Fu struck while the iron was hot, suggesting they invite Taoist priests to perform an exorcism.

During those three days of exorcism, Wan Fu didn’t pretend to be a ghost to scare people, which made Ke Chengxing believe even more firmly that righteousness would prevail over evil, and that everything was indeed Lady Lu’s ghost causing trouble. When this commotion alarmed Madam Qin and Old Madam Ke, these two wouldn’t let Ke Chengxing continue with these ghostly matters in the mansion. With nowhere else to turn, when Ke Chengxing heard about the Blue Lotus Assembly as his final lifeline, he naturally believed in it wholeheartedly.

Wan Fu was secretly alarmed.

“Young Master Zheng” was truly frightening – he had never even entered the Ke household, yet seemed to have predicted every step of what would happen there, gradually leading Ke Chengxing toward the Blue Lotus Assembly.

As for what would happen at the Blue Lotus Assembly, Wan Fu didn’t dare to even think about it.

Having gone this far, turning back was impossible.

Old Woman Wan came in from outside, saw Wan Fu sweeping the burned ashes into one place, and immediately said irritably, “What exactly are you doing with these things all day?” She walked forward a few steps and urgently asked in a low voice, “Tell me honestly, how is Quan’er doing now?”

Wan Fu hadn’t told Old Woman Wan everything, only that Wan Quan owed gambling debts and he was trying to raise money to rescue him. Because this matter was so serious, and Old Woman Wan didn’t originally know the details of Lady Lu’s death, knowing would only put her in danger.

Not to mention “Young Master Zheng,” even Master Ke wouldn’t spare her.

So Wan Fu kept it from Old Woman Wan – after all, sometimes ignorance is bliss.

He stood up and thrust the bamboo broom into Old Woman Wan’s hands: “Soon, he’ll be back in a few days. Don’t let others notice anything, best to keep the master’s money hidden as long as possible.”

Old Woman Wan was affected by his serious demeanor and unconsciously nodded. Seeing Wan Fu heading out again, she hurriedly followed a few steps behind him and asked, “It’s time to eat, where are you going now?”

Wan Fu didn’t answer her and quickly disappeared outside the room.

…

Daytime always passed quickly.

After the number of people buying medicinal tea decreased, there wasn’t much else to do in the medical shop. Du Changqing took A’cheng home early, Yinzheng closed the shop’s main door, and after counting the remaining medicinal tea jars, it was already time to light the lamps.

The lanterns in the courtyard swayed back and forth. It had rained some days ago, and the lanterns had been dampened by the rain, making their decorative patterns blurred and appearing even more worn.

The kitchen’s small window was tightly closed, with some orange lamplight leaking through the window cracks, adding a touch of softness and tranquility to the small courtyard.

Lu Tong was making medicine in the back kitchen.

She had been very busy lately. When Du Changqing was spacing out in the shop, Lu Tong would often return to the small courtyard behind the shop first, diving into the kitchen for several hours at a time. Sometimes she would be busy until late at night, then rise again early the next morning to open the door.

Yinzheng stood in the corridor, looking at the lamplight through the window cracks, also very puzzled – wouldn’t her lady feel tired? Ordinary people would be exhausted from worrying so much, yet she maintained a clear spirit every day, showing no signs of fatigue.

A gourd ladle floated on the surface of the water in the blue stone vat before the corridor, creating slight ripples under the lamplight.

Yinzheng collected herself and pushed open the door, saying, “Miss…”

The entire back kitchen was filled with swirling smoke, and a strange fragrance hit her face.

This fragrance was very peculiar, seeming to mix with some pine fragrance, yet also like the sandalwood in temples – both rich and subtle, both clear and thick. When it entered the nose, it was like being forced to drink a mouthful of aged strong liquor that had been stored for many years, making one’s head feel swollen.

Yinzheng was stunned, and the next moment, Lu Tong’s stern voice commanded: “Get out!”

She rarely used such a severe tone with Yinzheng, who was startled and quickly retreated several steps, pulling the door closed. For some reason, her heart was pounding.

That room full of swirling smoke didn’t look like medicine-making, and that fragrance…

The cold wind outside dispersed the earlier shock, and the night was quiet in the small courtyard. Yinzheng’s wildly beating heart gradually calmed down. She thought for a moment, then went back to find a stool, placed it in the corridor in front of the back kitchen, and sat down to wait patiently.

After the oil lamp had burned through about half a cup of oil, the back kitchen door opened.

Lu Tong walked out, her brown cloth clothes had turned gray from the smoke, and there were traces of fatigue between her brows.

Yinzheng stood up and said softly, “Miss, there’s news back from Kuai Huo Lou. Wan Fu says everything is prepared, and tomorrow morning, Master Ke will set out for Wan’en Temple.”

She didn’t mention anything about the strange fragrance she had smelled in the back kitchen earlier, only smiled at Lu Tong: “Master Ke deeply believes in Wan Fu’s suggestions, I didn’t expect things to go so smoothly on that end.”

When Lu Tong first sent the incense cakes to Wan Fu, Yinzheng had been somewhat uneasy. Using someone to create ghostly disturbances was certainly one way, but that Old Madam of the Ke family didn’t seem easy to fool. If discovered, it would inevitably cause trouble when they came looking.

Who knew that in the incense cakes Lu Tong sent, she had also included a cooling balm? After Wan Fu secretly applied it several times to the rim of Old Madam Ke’s usual cups, she soon caught a chill when exposed to the wind.

With Old Madam Ke’s illness-ridden body unable to manage household affairs, she had no choice but to let Wan Fu stay by Ke Chengxing’s side to instigate and manipulate.

Getting Ke Chengxing to agree to go to Wan’en Temple turned out to be much easier than anticipated.

Yinzheng looked at Lu Tong: “But Miss, when do we depart?”

Lu Tong said calmly: “It takes half a day to climb the mountain. If we leave at noon tomorrow, we’ll reach the temple by evening. Stay overnight, and the Blue Lotus Assembly is the next day.”

She lowered her eyelids: “We’ll depart tomorrow afternoon.”