Half a quarter-hour later, Xue Yu and Su You emerged from the morgue one after the other. Before leaving the enforcement hall, Xue Yu deliberately stopped and asked the two disciples squatting at the entrance, complaining about the enforcement hall’s identity tokens.

“In recent years, the Sacred Lands’ prestige has reached its zenith. Not only do various immortal cultivation families and sects regard them as the ultimate authority, but even mortals have begun to blindly follow them, mentioning the Sacred Lands rather than the court when encountering problems.” As they walked, Xue Yu spoke in a light tone to the person beside her: “The previous three Human Emperors each had their characteristics, but all were obsessed with palace beauties and had no heart for governance. Now that the new Human Emperor has taken the throne, he has been continuously consolidating power back to himself. Though he doesn’t say it openly, he’s particularly wary of the Sacred Lands in his heart.”

“The Sacred Lands don’t wish to compete with the court for supremacy, so when traveling in the mortal world, we should be careful everywhere and act with discretion.”

Xue Yu rubbed the uneven patterns on the enforcement hall token in her hand, indifferently lowering her eyelashes. The tassels attached to the jade pendant at her waist swayed back and forth with her movements, like a butterfly chasing the spring breeze. “When Chen Jianxi appeared that day, everything was suspicious, yet he revealed no clues. I could have detained him on the spot and forcibly searched him.”

“But if I had done that and found nothing afterward, we would have faced a deliberately orchestrated rumor campaign by the court.”

Xue Yu had spoken more in these past two days than in an entire month normally. She paused, somewhat unaccustomed to it, then continued: “Today, there appears a rumor of Sacred Land inheritors forcibly breaking into the city lord’s mansion for no reason. Tomorrow, the news spreads of Sacred Land disciples entering wealthy merchants’ homes to arrest people without evidence. The reputation the Sacred Lands have accumulated over millions of years could collapse overnight.”

People like her and Shan Shu could solve most problems by revealing their identities as Sacred Land inheritors, but they couldn’t—not because they wouldn’t take shortcuts, but because the higher one’s position, the heavier the responsibilities they bear.

She taught meticulously, and Su You listened carefully. He was far more intelligent than ordinary people, understanding immediately upon instruction, and could even extend many concepts to other situations after she barely mentioned them.

The entire process was smoother than Xue Yu had imagined, not as complex and troublesome as expected.

This improved her mood somewhat.

From the enforcement hall to the Xie family in the south of the city, the two of them walked through streets and alleys, taking about half an hour. When their steps stopped before the Xie family estate’s entrance, the sun had already climbed to the center of the sky.

Golden light like rice ears fell generously from overhead, and the wind passing through the courtyard carried an unusually warm temperature, making people squint unconsciously, their bones becoming lazy throughout.

Su You stepped forward to knock on the door.

Only after the third knock did a servant woman around fifty, dressed as a household servant, push the door open a crack from inside. Seeing Su You’s face, those wrinkled features trembled and froze for a moment, then she came to her senses and quickly glanced behind him. Seeing no grand entourage, she resumed her meticulous, cold demeanor: “What do you want?”

Without waiting for them to speak, the woman impatiently continued: “Whatever it is, my master just instructed that we’re not receiving guests today.”

The next moment, Su You produced two enforcement hall tokens, his tone clear and gentle as a spring breeze, yet his words brooked no refusal: “Enforcement hall conducting an investigation. We have matters to inquire about. Please quickly inform the Xie family head.”

The woman had never encountered such a situation. Looking at those two tokens carved with fierce patterns, her momentum deflated. After a long while, she stammered with an awkward smile, her face trembling with every word: “My lords, please wait a moment. Allow this servant to enter and report.”

After speaking, the woman fled back into the estate like an escaped convict.

While they spoke, Xue Yu had been looking up to observe this residence. Su You followed her gaze upward, seeing a massive locust tree growing from within the inner courtyard, its canopy like a pavilion, so lush it seemed to have grown for hundreds of years and was about to become a spirit.

“Among common folk, locust trees attract ghosts.” Xue Yu pointed at the tree from a distance, her expression unreadable: “People in the mortal world pay attention to such things, especially merchants who are particularly superstitious. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t allow such a locust tree to grow in their home.”

Su You lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on his own distinctly veined palm. Logically, he also had a half-ghost clan bloodline, yet he had never reacted to things that attracted or repelled ghosts.

For this reason, during those rare and precious days before ascending the Judgment Platform, he had tried various methods, even capturing small ghosts to test. In the end, the little ghosts were terrified and fled like smoke, while he remained expressionless, facing rooms full of soul-summoning bells and ghost-binding locks.

Just like now, looking at that absurdly large locust tree, his heart felt no disturbance.

“Miss, do you think the Xie family is suspicious?” Su You’s lips moved slightly as he asked.

Xue Yu frowned as she gazed into the distance, contemplating for a long time before saying: “Let’s see more. We’ll decide after meeting the Xie family head.”

“Before coming, I investigated the Xie family.” The young man possessed a voice even gentler than a spring breeze. When he spoke those words, with just slight pauses and stops, his rising intonation carried an indescribably alluring quality: “They opened a Treasure Pavilion in Suzhou city, selling cosmetics and jewelry for noble ladies and wives, as well as some spiritual treasures and talismans with limited effectiveness. Because the styles are novel and exquisite, and the prices aren’t outrageous, they’re very popular among local officials and nobles.”

“This Treasure Pavilion belongs to the Xie family.”

Just as he finished speaking, the Xie family’s main gate was pushed open from inside again.

This time it was particularly formal. A man around forty, dressed in luxurious and refined clothing, courteously bowed to Xue Yu and Su You. Due to his protruding belly, bending over was especially difficult. He laughed heartily with a genial tone: “I didn’t know immortal masters from the enforcement hall were visiting. My clumsy servants have been negligent—if they’ve offended you two, I, surnamed Xie, apologize on their behalf first.”

Speaking thus, he led them inside all the way.

The Xie family estate was very refined. From the entrance, it presented an ancient charm, with winding corridors and pavilions surrounding artificial mountains and lakes, offering exquisite scenery at a glance.

Xue Yu disliked speaking, so Su You spoke before her. Looking at the Xie family head, whose fingers wore colorful gemstone rings, he asked slowly: “Has Master Xie heard about what happened at Yun Ji Restaurant this morning?”

“I don’t deserve to be called master by the young immortal. My surname is Xie, given name Hai. Young immortal, please just call me by name.” Having walked this distance, Xie Hai stopped to catch his breath heavily, smiling at them both: “To be honest with you immortals, today my estate closed its doors to guests precisely because of this matter.”

“Once the Yun Ji Restaurant incident occurred, all the families in the southern part of the city were alarmed. I, Xie, am usually hospitable, with countless comings and goings in this residence and numerous acquaintances. When something like this happens, many people come to inquire, which is truly bothersome, so I—”

Xie Hai was middle-aged and rotund. When he smiled, the flesh on his face squeezed his eyes into mere slits, making him appear not fierce but rather approachable. “When my servant reported just now, I knew you immortals had come regarding this matter. However, to be honest, though this estate looks modest, it’s quite large. Even without much attention to ceremony, we still have nearly a hundred servants. I’m usually busy with the Treasure Pavilion business and haven’t managed to become familiar with all the household servants. If this incident hadn’t occurred, I truly wouldn’t have known about this person Liu Er.”

This was the truth. Su You nodded: “Great demon attacks on humans are rare and of a vicious nature. For the safety of Suzhou’s citizens, we must make this trip and ask some questions.”

“Of course, this is proper.” In this world, cultivators often held a higher status than most mortals. No matter how successful Xie Hai’s business was, he was just a merchant—neither imperial relative nor holding an official position—so naturally, he maintained a very humble attitude. “I’ve already instructed servants to gather those who usually associated closely with Liu Er in the side room. Whatever you immortals wish to ask, please ask freely. Whatever my Xie family can cooperate with, we’ll cooperate fully without question.”

Su You’s peach blossom eyes rippled with gentle laughter, his official rhetoric even more seamless than Xie Hai’s: “In that case, we’ll trouble you.”

He was meticulous in his work and always handled matters with perfect discretion. Xue Yu only listened quietly without interrupting, dispersing her attention to various corners of the estate, until she finally saw that unusually thick and robust locust tree and suddenly stopped.

Seeing it from outside the wall was different from truly beholding its full magnificence—it was difficult not to pause before such vibrant prosperity and vigor.

Su You followed Xue Yu’s gaze, his face more captivating than any courtesan’s, showing a hint of gentle, seemingly surprise. He turned his head toward Xie Hai: “This tree—is it a locust tree?”

This question must have been asked by many people before, so Xie Hai answered smoothly, as if he had memorized certain lines: “Yes, it’s a locust tree. Our Xie family moved to Suzhou forty years ago. Learning that the estates in the southern part of the city had good locations and were usually quiet, we developed the idea of settling here. But there weren’t many available estates then. After my parents discussed it repeatedly, they still preferred this place and bought it the next day.”

“This locust tree was already here then.” Xie Hai rubbed his hands and smiled: “Heh, don’t laugh at us, immortals, but common folk, especially merchants, always have various taboos. Rumors that locust trees attract ghosts are known to every household. At that time, my father said this estate was good in every way except that this tree spoiled the scenery.”

“So the day after moving in, my father prepared to have the household steward remove this tree.”

“But the estate’s previous owner said the house and tree were one—if we Xies wanted to cut down this tree, he absolutely wouldn’t sell the estate.” Xie Hai continued: “I was still small then, barely born, so I only learned bits and pieces about this from servants later.”

“My father was puzzled at the time, because the estate’s previous owner also came from a merchant family and had once built up quite a successful business. The famous Jinxiu Pavilion had three branches in Suzhou alone, monopolizing most of the business from officials and nobles. Later, thinking about it, since they were both merchants and that person had lived well with a flourishing business without any scandals, perhaps this tree not only didn’t attract ghosts but might even attract wealth, so it has remained until now.”

After speaking, Xie Hai asked Xue Yu somewhat nervously: “This tree—there’s nothing wrong with it, is there?”

“No.” Xue Yu was economical with words. She withdrew her gaze from the locust tree: “Let’s go ask questions in the side room.”

Xie Hai breathed a sigh of relief, repeatedly agreeing. The white-bearded, white-haired old steward led the way forward.

After walking a few steps, Xue Yu was inexplicably compelled to glance back again. Just then, a gust of wind blew, making the leaves rustle incessantly. From her angle, the tree looked like a gigantic baby face with upturned eyes, showing her a pure and innocent smile.

Xue Yu completely withdrew her gaze and followed the steps of those ahead into the small courtyard around the corner.

In the side room stood several anxious middle-aged men, dressed decently enough, all appearing honest-faced at first glance.

“You’ve all heard about Liu Er’s incident today.”

Xie Hai straightened his chest: “These are two immortal masters from the city’s enforcement hall, here specifically to investigate this matter. Now, whatever they ask you, answer honestly. If anyone conceals information…” He snorted coldly through his nose, drawing out his voice: “When demons target you later, this master can’t save you.”

Visibly, the two or three servant women and four or five kitchen workers all shivered and shrank their necks.

For ordinary people who had lived their entire lives among common folk, the deterrent power of demons was far greater than prison disasters.

Liu Er’s death—leaving no complete corpse—made them tremble with fear each time they thought of it.

“Everyone needn’t worry. Just answer truthfully to whatever we ask. Leave catching demons to us.”

If Xie Hai had been playing the stern role with threats and intimidation, then when Su You took over, the meaning changed completely. With his naturally excellent appearance and gentle speech, he appeared as a thoroughly reliable figure to these aged servants and kitchen workers.

After speaking, Su You looked toward Xue Yu.

“You ask.” Xue Yu nodded slightly at him, her face cold as frost. When she lowered her eyes in thought, she appeared particularly distant.

“Who was usually close to Liu Er?” As soon as Su You spoke, those standing before them began pushing each other back and forth, none willing to step forward first.

His expression gradually grew cold, the illusory smile in his eyes dissipating like foam.

“Ouch! Stop pushing! You stepped on my foot!” Just as Xue Yu’s patience for cold observation reached its limit, the woman, squeezed to the back, let out a loud cry of pain, her entire face contorting as if her features had changed shape.

She was the first to step forward, head bowed and eyes lowered, spilling everything at once: “Two immortal masters, we don’t have much interaction with Liu Er. It’s just that we all serve in the same household, see each other constantly, and are all similar in age, so we could talk a bit more than with others.”

This woman had a straightforward personality. Thinking that Liu Er was already dead, continuing to be evasive about this, and that might mean she’d be the next to die.

She figured the more she said, the greater the chance these two demon-catchers had of success, so she began rattling off like spilled beans: “Liu Er was never honest normally, liked to be lazy and cunning. Despite his age, he still loved staring at passing maids and servants, his eyes lecherous and bright whenever he saw a woman. Usually idle and not doing proper work, he’d go out carousing with Qian San as soon as he got his monthly wages, coming to work the next day still reeking of alcohol.”

“Aunt Su, you! Don’t slander people!” Upon hearing this, the man standing on the far left couldn’t contain himself. His face flushed red as he stammered loudly.

The servant woman called Aunt Su rolled her eyes and said to Xie Hai, “Master, I’m not lying. Everyone has seen Liu Er’s usual behavior. I wouldn’t even count as acquainted with him despite trying.”

“This time, when he had his accident, it’s quite possible he directed his lustful courage toward a demon and brought disaster on himself.”

After saying this, Aunt Su turned her head to the side and asked the other two servant women: “Where am I wrong in what I said?”

Having served together for so long, even if they usually found Liu Er disagreeable, now that he was dead, out of respect for the deceased, they couldn’t speak such sharp and direct words, so their faces showed some discomfort.

Aunt Su seemed to know what they were thinking and muttered loudly enough for all to hear: “It’s not that I speak harshly.”

“Liu Er died so miserably, not even leaving a complete corpse. That demon must have hated him extremely. If it thinks Liu Er was close to us and follows the trail to us, who can I cry to then?”

This seemed like self-analysis but was meant for others to hear.

Sure enough, someone soon gritted their teeth and stepped forward to testify: “Master, Aunt Su is right.”

Su You’s ink-like pupils turned to the man whose face had turned completely red: “Qian San?”

When that gaze fell on him, Qian San felt an indescribable coldness crawl up his spine to his skull. His mind went blank for a moment, and when he came to, those peach blossom eyes were still the same, even seeming to hold some inexplicable natural gentle smile when examined closely, as if the young man before him possessed infinite patience.

“Yes.” Qian San’s teeth chattered as he couldn’t help defending himself: “Yes. But I didn’t do anything.”

“Yesterday, were you with Liu Er?”

“Yes, yes.” This time, Qian San’s face turned ashen as he voluntarily recounted yesterday’s events: “The day before, the household had just distributed monthly wages. Yesterday evening after work, Liu Er invited me to drink tea at Yun Ji Restaurant—he went there often, and the shop assistant there was his fellow villager who always gave us extra tea.”

“After drinking tea, as evening fell, I prepared to go home. I saw him heading toward the south of the city and couldn’t help asking.” At this point, Qian San’s face grew even redder, taking on a charcoal-like color.

Su You looked at him: “Word by word, tell us in detail.”

Qian San squeezed his eyes shut firmly, then decided to break the jar completely, recounting last night’s situation in full detail.

Last night the moon was extraordinarily beautiful, its cold radiance spreading across the ground. Tree shadows were stretched long by lamplight like water plants and algae floating in shallow water, or like some fierce, twisted ghostly apparitions.

Qian San was quite surprised to see Liu Er returning to the southern estate instead of going to Frost Moon Tower for pleasure, and teasingly said: “Have you reformed today? Or is the courtesan Hong Ye from Frost Moon Tower not alluring enough for you anymore?”

“Who says I’m going back to the estate?” Liu Er thought of something, sneakily approaching and whispering in Qian San’s ear: “Four estates further into our neighborhood, a new household has moved in. This household keeps its gates closed, has no men inside, only a woman who is as beautiful as a flower.” Not knowing how to describe such beauty, he could only repeat: “Courtesan Hong Ye is nothing compared to her.”

Qian San was shocked. Looking at Liu Er’s yellowish, gleaming eyes, he didn’t know what to say for a moment. After a long while, he came to his senses and lowered his voice: “Are you insane?! Those who can live in the south of the city—what kind of families are they, what status do they have? If you do such things, don’t you want to live?!”

But such men, especially men driven by lust, simply had no brains.

Liu Er said with complete indifference: “I’ve observed. That woman is most likely some outer chamber mistress kept by officials or nobles who dare not bring her home. There are no servants in the estate either.”

Once he explained, Qian San understood. No men, no servants to attend her—even if she were truly violated, she probably wouldn’t dare report to officials or make a big fuss.

That night, Qian San looked at his wife and children sleeping beside him, his conscience tormented all night. Who knew that early the next morning, he’d hear news of Liu Er’s horrific death.

After hearing this, Xie Hai was immediately furious, his genial face completely darkening: “I had no idea that my Xie household had servants with such outrageous audacity.”

Those servants and kitchen workers standing in a row immediately knelt in terror.

Xue Yu’s glass-like pupils calmly settled on Qian San as she spoke her first words since entering the room: “Where?”

Qian San tremblingly extended his hand, pointing west: “The fifth estate deep into the alley, the one with red lanterns hanging at the entrance.”

Xue Yu turned and left, Su You following closely behind.

“Despicable wretch!” Xie Hai cursed angrily, forcefully flicking his sleeves. Looking at the two figures departing in the distance, having no time to settle accounts, he turned and hurried after them with his round belly.

“Two immortal masters.” Xie Hai caught up with difficulty, extending his sleeve to wipe sweat, revealing eyes full of guilt: “I’ll go with you. I’ll lead the way.”

Then he looked toward the steward beside him, instructing: “Quickly prepare generous gifts and send them over afterward.”

But Xue Yu didn’t wait for him at all. With a light touch of her toes, her figure instantly teleported over the high red wall. In the blink of an eye, she was already a hundred meters away on the other side, leaving only the clear sound of jade ornaments clinking, dispersing gently in the air.

“This—” Xie Hai was dumbfounded, rubbing his hands as he looked at the other person with an excellent temper still remaining in place: “What should we do? Can this demon still be captured?”

“If it’s not captured, what if it targets our family?” Xie Hai had originally thought nothing of it, but after hearing Qian San’s words, he suddenly felt apprehensive and began worrying about this and that. “Young immortal master, this demon can be captured, right?”

“My management has been lax. I’ll pay whatever compensation is needed.” After speaking, Xie Hai quickly made assurances.

After finishing, Xie Hai looked up at Su You and discovered that the young man’s beautiful peach blossom eyes had somehow drooped down, creating a line neither deep nor shallow. His original spring-like gentle warmth had transformed into a kind of indifferent, inhuman detachment.

The previous gentleness, obedience, and patience all seemed completely feigned. Once that cold-as-frost woman left, he revealed his true nature.

He lightly uttered three words: “Don’t know.”

Xie Hai was like someone whose throat had been gripped, instantly silenced.

As if remembering something, Su You frowned slightly with apparent intolerance, finally also leaping over the outer wall.

Following Qian San’s description, they quickly found the estate with red lanterns hanging at its entrance. Su You stepped forward to knock.

After a long time, the door was pushed open from inside. Indeed, there were no servants inside—the one who opened the door was a woman with a married woman’s hairstyle, bright eyes, and a lively, radiant beauty like a young girl.

Xue Yu carefully observed her expression, then, as if noticing something, her gaze moved downward to the woman’s slightly but noticeably protruding belly.

“You are…?” The woman’s voice was sweet and clear. She smiled very kindly, with small dimples on both cheeks.

Su You then stepped forward, producing those two enforcement hall tokens and repeating the prepared explanation: “We are disciples from the enforcement hall. Earlier, there was a murder at Yun Ji Restaurant, and we’ve been ordered to investigate.”

“A murder?” The woman looked completely ignorant, then opened the door wide, smiling somewhat embarrassedly: “I just moved here recently, and my condition isn’t convenient. The estate is quite messy—please don’t laugh at me, masters.”

“Masters, please come in quickly.”

Perhaps women about to become mothers were particularly gentle. The woman lightly caressed her belly and sighed softly: “Must have been a poor soul too.”

Hearing this, Xue Yu knew that Liu Er’s filthy and evil thoughts had been prevented from realization for some reason.

She glanced into the small courtyard behind the woman—it was indeed empty and bare, with few flowers, grass, or trees. Su You went through the motions of looking around, then shook his head at Xue Yu.

Xue Yu looked at the woman, nodded: “Sorry to disturb you.”

After speaking, she turned and walked into the deep, narrow alley, then stopped at a certain moment.

She frowned and looked back, meeting the gaze of the woman whose mouth held a gentle smile, reminding her somewhat stiffly: “It’s dangerous for a woman to live alone. If possible, you should buy some servants to attend you.”

The woman leaned against the door and nodded, responding to the stranger’s kindness gently and seriously: “Thank you for the reminder, miss. This matter was already arranged yesterday—the human trafficker will bring people shortly.”

Xue Yu said nothing more.

The rest of the way passed in silence until they turned a corner, when Xue Yu slowly stopped. Su You followed step by step, and at one moment, when he looked up, he saw her seemingly wearily pressing her brow, her voice cold: “She’s also with child.”

“Yes.” Su You’s voice was so light it seemed afraid of disturbing her, as if curious how she would answer, or perhaps simply inquiring: “That demon—do we still pursue it?”

If there had been no demon, today’s victim would have been a completely innocent woman and an unborn child.

Liu Er was the one with evil intentions first, so naturally he was the one who deserved to die.

But killing in the city center and using Soul-Binding Ropes to trap souls—all were beyond what the Sacred Lands and the court could tolerate.

What about her then?

What would she think? If they truly caught that demon, what would she do?

The young man turned his head, his gaze falling on her profile, quietly waiting for her answer.

“Pursue.”

However, the struggle, hesitation, and conflicted expressions he had imagined didn’t appear at all. Xue Yu answered decisively and firmly, as if that momentary anger had been a mere illusion. She said, “Go investigate that locust tree at the Xie family. After returning, have Chao Nian and Qing Luo take turns guarding in front of this woman’s estate.”

“Have the Sikong brothers come see me.” Xue Yu said, “Also, send word to Shan Shu, asking her to come to the enforcement hall.”

After speaking, she calmly looked back toward the southern part of the city, saying each word softly: “Within three days, I’ll finish this mission.”

A development completely different from what he had imagined.

Su You’s ink-dark pupils, for once, blinked in bewilderment.