Teng Yuyi placed a medicinal pill in her mouth. The medicine was as sweet as honey, with a cool, ethereal fragrance. Under normal circumstances, it would have helped generate saliva and relieve pain, but at this moment her throat felt like wood, completely numb, and taking the medicine showed no signs of improvement.

Gu Xian hadn’t expected Teng Yuyi to be able to speak immediately. Seeing her peaceful expression, he thought the medicine must have had some soothing effect, and said gently, “This medicine can only treat the surface symptoms. To cure the root cause, you’ll need to take internal medicine as well. Miss Teng, if you feel better, you can carry this medicine with you from now on. You may take one pill whenever you feel unwell, regardless of the time.”

Teng Yuyi nodded with a smile.

Lin Chengyou stood watching nearby, surprisingly silent.

After Gu Xian finished dispensing the medicine, he turned and noticed Lin Chengyou’s strange smile. He paused for a moment, about to ask if Lin Chengyou knew Teng Yuyi, but before he could, Lin Chengyou took Azhi’s hand and walked toward the head seat first: “It’s getting late, please everyone take your seats.”

Gu Xian sat down casually: “I haven’t asked you yet, what did you do with my Ruyi stallion that you took away the other day?”

Lin Chengyou accepted the guest register handed over by a serving girl and replied casually: “To see whether the Ruyi stallion runs faster or my Purple Wind.”

“So who won?”

Lin Chengyou looked up with a smile: “What a joke, of course, my Purple Wind did.”

Gu Xian sighed lightly: “One race doesn’t prove anything. My Ruyi stallion is a bit old. Let’s have more races later.”

“Eh, then it’s settled, but don’t forget, my rule has always been that the loser has to forfeit their horse.”

Teng Yuyi accepted the tea handed over by a servant, quietly pondering that Gu Xian not only knew Lin Chengyou, but their relationship seemed quite good.

After everyone was seated, Lin Chengyou smiled and said: “My sister holds a poetry gathering every fortnight, and I’m grateful to all you poetry masters for gracing us with your presence. Previously, our mother would accompany my sister as hostess, but since our parents went traveling, these gatherings have been suspended for nearly half a year. Today my sister is reviving society, and as her brother, I should stay to accompany everyone. However, I have urgent matters to attend to and must leave first. To express my apologies, I’ve prepared some writing implements as compensation. Please accept them for my sister’s sake.”

With that, he clapped his hands, and servants filed in, each carrying a white sandalwood tray, placing them in turn on the guests’ tables.

The trays contained sets of writing brushes, inkstones, and ink, all of the highest quality. The stack of letter paper, whether made from mulberry bark or ramie, was smooth, thick, and uniform, showing ink perfectly—ideal for transcribing poetry.

The inkstones were Dragon’s Whisker stones, with each stone’s base already inscribed with the guest’s name in a small seal script. This way, even the most modest guest could honorably take this generous gift home.

The guests couldn’t hide their surprise. Among those attending tonight’s poetry gathering were not only scions of noble houses but also many poor scholars from humble backgrounds. While this set of writing implements might not mean much to wealthy households, for students with empty purses, it was like sweet rain after drought.

This brought joy to all the guests, earning everyone’s admiration.

Teng Yuyi didn’t touch the writing implements, but Du Tinglan showed slight surprise.

The Princess was only nine years old, so she couldn’t have arranged everything so thoroughly. This must have been arranged by the Crown Prince of the Cheng Kingdom. What was particularly thoughtful was that he gave writing implements rather than gold or silver, greatly respecting the dignity of the solitary scholars. Lin Chengyou was also generous—just that stack of thick letter-paper alone would be enough for each person to use for nearly half a year.

Though this man appeared carefree on the surface, who would have thought he would put much thought into even a small poetry gathering just to make his sister happy?

Seeing how happy the young lords and ladies were, Princess Jingde also imitated her brother’s tone and instructed her maids: “Now that all the poetry masters have arrived, quickly bring out the refreshments. Remember that everyone has different preferences for snacks, don’t mix them up.”

The maid smiled while holding the guest register: “This servant has verified everything multiple times, we wouldn’t dare make any mistakes.”

After chatting briefly with Gu Xian, Lin Chengyou rose and walked to the head seat, sitting next to the old scholar who had been dozing. He coughed once: “Master?”

This old scholar was a famous grand tutor of the current dynasty, known as Master Yu. He was a teacher specially invited from the Imperial Academy by the Cheng Kingdom’s palace to host the poetry gatherings each month. Disturbed by Lin Chengyou’s cough, he slowly lifted his eyelids, and upon seeing Lin Chengyou, his expression instantly turned to terror.

Lin Chengyou smiled: “Master, sleeping well?”

Master Yu shook his sleeves and wiped his sweat: “Yes, yes, very well.”

“Although Azhi is responsible for entertaining guests today, you, Master, are in charge of overseeing everything. Please take care not to let Azhi make mischief.”

Master Yu nodded solemnly: “The Crown Prince may rest assured.”

Lin Chengyou glanced at two old servants behind him, who nodded and approached Master Yu’s back, one carrying refreshments, the other carrying toiletries, sitting down on either side.

The one on the left said: “Master, please have some preserved apricots.”

The one on the right said: “Master, please freshen up.”

Master Yu, caught between them, sat as if on pins and needles. Forced by the servants to clean up, his drowsiness instantly vanished. He accepted the tea personally handed over by Lin Chengyou, his face full of resignation: “Crown Prince, you may leave with peace of mind. With this old man here, tonight’s poetry gathering will certainly be proper and orderly.”

Only then did Lin Chengyou release Master Yu. He then said to Azhi: “Commander Chang is just outside the water pavilion. Don’t be too mischievous. If you upset Master Yu, don’t expect your brother to go apologize at the Imperial Academy.”

Azhi pouted in disagreement but nodded her little head.

Lin Chengyou let out a laughing snort and stood up: “Everyone, please enjoy yourselves. Pardon me for leaving first.”

The guests naturally rose slightly to bid farewell. When passing by Lu Zhao’an, Lin Chengyou suddenly stopped: “Might you be this year’s top-scoring Lu scholar?”

Lu Zhao’an bowed: “Lu greets Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Lin Chengyou smiled warmly: “I’ve long admired you. I had heard that Young Master Lu possessed talent worthy of selection from ten thousand, and seeing you today, you are indeed extraordinary. Forgive my early departure today. Another day, I must have a proper drink with Young Master Lu.”

Lu Zhao’an maintained his unperturbed demeanor: “I’m deeply honored by the Crown Prince’s regard.”

Zheng Shuangyin lowered her eyes but had been paying attention to the conversation between Lu Zhao’an and Lin Chengyou. Seeing Lu Zhao’an handle himself so well, her face slowly flushed pink.

Teng Yuyi watched Lu Zhao’an with interest. If she hadn’t already known of his despicable nature, just looking at this neither humble nor arrogant appearance, anyone would think him noble and upright. Looking at Zheng Shuangyin’s expression, she probably not only knew that Minister Zheng intended to arrange her marriage with Lu Zhao’an but also quite approved of him.

She smiled as she observed Zheng Shuangyin, silently calculating in her heart when Du Tinglan suddenly grabbed her hand and secretly wrote in her palm: Lin Chengyou already knows about Lu Zhao’an inviting me to the bamboo grove. Inviting Lu Zhao’an today, does this mean he’s started investigating Lu Zhao’an?

Teng Yuyi shook her head; she couldn’t figure out what game Lin Chengyou was playing either.

After exchanging a few words with Lu Zhao’an, Lin Chengyou took his leave.

Master Yu cleared his throat: “Recently, our Four Seasons Poetry Society has become famous in Chang’an for repeatedly producing excellent works. In this old man’s view, as long as we continue to hold these gatherings long-term, the Four Seasons Poetry Society will certainly become Chang’an’s most renowned poetry society. Unfortunately, when the Princess turns ten next year, for the sake of propriety between men and women, these gatherings can no longer be held.”

Everyone showed regret: “When that time comes, why not separate the men’s and women’s seats?”

Master Yu stroked his beard: “That will depend on the Princess Consort’s wishes. Today we’re reopening the society, and there are many new friends present. As I am the Princess’s teacher, I must explain the rules again. The Four Seasons Poetry Gatherings have always been informal, but there are some traditional customs that new friends should know in advance. The gathering is held once every fortnight, with one topic set each time, either five-character or seven-character regulated verse, and after completion, the best works are selected by everyone.”

A strange sound came from somewhere, gurgling and rumbling, like someone’s stomach growling from hunger, suddenly interrupting Master Yu’s words.

Master Yu coughed once, and Azhi exclaimed in surprise: “Must be one of our poetry masters who’s hungry!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“How can anyone compose poetry on an empty stomach?” Azhi enthusiastically instructed the maids, “Then let’s bring out the food and wine first.”

Master Yu reminded Azhi from the side: “Princess, it’s getting late. While the food and wine haven’t been served yet, why not set the poetry topic first?”

Teng Yuyi looked out the window. Though she had only left home in the afternoon, unknowingly it was already near dusk. The orange-red sunset reflected on the water’s surface, rippling with fragments of light.

Princess Jingde tilted her head in thought, then turned to Zheng Shuangyin: “Sister Zheng is Chang’an’s famous talented lady of the curved brow. Today, let Sister Zheng set the topic.”

Zheng Shuangyin bowed slightly, looked up at Master Yu’s white hair, apologized, and said with a smile: “‘How long can graceful eyebrows last? In an instant, crane-white hair becomes disheveled as silk.’ Why not take ‘white hair’ as our topic, unrestricted in rhythm, composing two seven-character regulated verses, with the most transcendent in meaning being judged superior? What does the Princess think?”

Master Yu was utterly surprised that the poetry had come to focus on him and was momentarily stunned.

Princess Jingde nodded: “Good, good, good, finally something other than pine, bamboo, chrysanthemum, and plum. I’m tired of those topics. What do you all think?”

Everyone hurried to agree: “This topic is excellent, though difficult to develop.”

Princess Jingde then turned to Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan: “Miss Teng, Miss Du, this is your first time attending, you must feel somewhat constrained. If you find it unsuitable, you can tell us. What do you think of today’s topic of ‘white hair’?”

Du Tinglan bowed slightly: “Traditionally, poems about white hair easily slip into a tone of lamentation. Miss Zheng chose white hair as the topic but emphasized that ‘the most transcendent in meaning will be judged superior.’ To write off white hair without self-pity, avoiding clichés is quite innovative.”

Zheng Shuangyin looked at Du Tinglan with slight surprise, while Teng Yuyi took the opportunity to wink at Zheng Shuangyin.

Zheng Shuangyin was startled, unconsciously receiving friendly smiles from both Du Tinglan and Teng Yuyi.

Seeing the three of them like this, Azhi became even more excited: “Then let’s set ‘white hair’ as the topic. You can contemplate it in your mind first, and after the meal, write it down on paper. I will take the top three poems to show to His Majesty and the Empress in the palace, and the remaining unselected ones will also be collected into a volume.”

At these words, while the noble ladies remained calm, the young scholars’ spirits were lifted. If the Princess could directly present their poems to His Majesty, it would increase their chances in future imperial examinations. So everyone racked their brains, either gazing out the windows or sitting in contemplation.

By the time the food and wine were served, the sky outside had turned inky blue. Everyone returned to their seats to dine, still appearing somewhat distracted.

The maids placed food boxes in front of each person in turn. As there was one table per person, the food boxes were prepared according to headcount. However, when they reached Master Yu, they were shocked to find one box missing.

Azhi asked in surprise: “Why is there one missing?”

The maids looked troubled. When they had collected the food boxes from the kitchen earlier, they had carefully checked the list with the kitchen staff and only accepted the boxes after confirming there were no errors. For a box to be missing now was impossible unless the list was wrong, but earlier when they had presented the writing implements to each guest, there had been exactly the right number, neither more nor less.

The head maid took responsibility: “We must have forgotten one. This servant will go to the kitchen right away to fetch it.”

“Go on then,” Azhi sighed and respectfully pushed her food box in front of Master Yu. “Teacher, please eat first.”

Master Yu hurriedly pushed it back: “Princess, you first.”

As the two of them pushed back and forth, the guests didn’t dare to start eating.

Teng Yuyi watched the maids at the door, feeling something strange. The Prince and Princess Consort of Cheng managed their household well, and in such a large palace, everyone conducted themselves properly. With just over forty guests at the poetry gathering, how could such a mistake occur?

Fortunately, the maids quickly returned with another food box. Azhi didn’t question further and had them set it down and withdraw.

“It’s all because of the servants’ carelessness,” Azhi said with a naive smile. “Sorry to keep everyone waiting, please begin eating.”

Only then did the guests start their meal. The evening breeze blew gently, making the lanterns under the eaves creak softly. Teng Yuyi had just taken a bite of the fragrant diced raw fish when she felt the Little Cliff Sword in her sleeve grow hot.

She thought to herself, could this little old fellow be stirring up trouble after smelling the wine’s fragrance? He had no sense of occasion. It seemed the previous disciplining hadn’t been enough. She was fond of wine, so she understood Little Cliff’s struggle, but if she didn’t control it and the little old fellow couldn’t resist jumping out, that would be terrible.

She flicked her sleeve inward, both to comfort and warn—if it couldn’t even resist the temptation of one cup of wine, how could it go out with her in the future?

Little Cliff seemed somewhat afraid of Teng Yuyi. After her flick, it immediately behaved better, the blade quickly cooling though remaining slightly warm.

Teng Yuyi relaxed and continued eating quietly.

At this moment, maids came in with fruit, when suddenly there was a clear crash—a maid had dropped her tray of dishes.

Du Tinglan and Teng Yuyi exchanged surprised glances. What was going on? This could certainly be considered discourteous, and unlike the others, this maid appeared to be a long-time servant of the household.

Princess Jingde grew angry: “Weirui, what’s wrong with you today?”

Weirui said in panic: “Reporting to the Princess, there—there are extra people in the water pavilion.”

“Extra people?” Azhi was thoroughly confused. “What do you mean extra people?”

Weirui looked around in distress: “We servants counted the portions of fruit several times before bringing them in. Because we missed a portion of food earlier, this time we specifically added an extra portion. But after serving everyone, somehow another portion is—is missing!”

Master Yu was stunned: “If a portion is missing, it’s missing. Why make such a fuss? With many people, mistakes easily happen. Perhaps you weren’t paying attention and gave someone an extra portion.”

“Absolutely not.” Weirui shook her head desperately. “We servants made a mistake before, so this time we were extra careful, presenting one portion to each guest, ensuring we wouldn’t give too many or too few. Besides, the tables can’t hold two plates, so how could we have miscounted?”

Gu Xian had been listening quietly and now put down his wine cup to ask: “Could you have miscounted the number of people? Perhaps when you were counting heads earlier, some guests were in the washroom?”

Weirui shuddered: “Absolutely not. This servant has been stationed at the door with others since afternoon. After the Crown Prince left, no one has entered or left the water pavilion.”

As she spoke, she scanned the people in the pavilion, as if trying to find out who was extra, but grew more terrified as she looked.

Teng Yuyi unconsciously joined in searching the seats, but before she could figure anything out, the Little Cliff Sword grew scorching hot again.

Teng Yuyi’s heart tightened—this was the second time Little Cliff had done this. She quietly drew the sword from her sleeve, warily surveying her surroundings. Outside the windows, night had fallen, and palace lanterns were lit inside and outside the pavilion. Everyone’s faces were half-hidden in the lamplight, making it impossible to spot anything unusual at first glance.

Princess Jingde said in surprise: “If no one has entered or left, why not check against the guest register again?”

“Indeed,” the old scholar rebuked, “Such panic and shouting—where are your manners!”

Weirui was ashamed of her conduct and repeatedly kowtowed. A maid immediately brought the guest register, tremblingly handing it to Weirui.

Weirui bowed and retreated to the side, barely composing herself before beginning to check names, starting from the men’s seats on the east side.

The guests lost their appetite for food and wine. Though they couldn’t say exactly what felt wrong, suddenly the pavilion grew cold. The night wind rushed in through the windows, making the letter paper on the tables rustle. The lamplight in the four corners flickered constantly, causing the room to alternate between bright and dim.

Teng Yuyi had brought many talismans with her, but strangely they showed no reaction. She certainly didn’t believe that the Blue Cloud Temple’s talismans would be less effective than the East Ming Temple’s divine powers, but if there were evil spirits present, the talismans should have self-immolated in warning.

The first two times they had only counted heads, but this time the maids were more careful, matching each person’s appearance with the names in the register.

Weirui finished counting the men on the east side and moved on to the women on the west side. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss.

Soon she reached the three young ladies in the corner, who should have been the daughters of Minister Meng, Reminder Wang, and Rectifier Li…

When counting Miss Meng, the maid’s eyes widened. She looked down at the register, then up again, stammering: “Sister Weirui, were guests added at the last minute? The young lady to the right of Miss Meng isn’t recorded in the register.”

Weirui’s face instantly turned white: “Only three guests were added at the last minute: Miss Teng and Miss Du in the women’s section, and Young Master Lu in the men’s section. Look carefully—is that Miss Teng or Miss Du?”

Everyone was startled. Earlier when discussing the poetry topic, the Princess had specifically addressed both Teng and Du, and now these two were sitting properly in their original places, so the person in the corner must be someone else.

They turned to look in horror. The back row wasn’t as well-lit as the main hall, and in the dim light sat a young woman with a high chignon and double buns.

The young woman was bent over, eating something from the table. She ate very slowly and carefully as if she had been hungry for too long, and nothing but the food and wine before her could catch her attention.

A sense of foreboding welled up in Teng Yuyi’s heart. No wonder Little Cliff had warned her repeatedly. The Cheng Prince’s mansion was heavily guarded, with escorts all around the water pavilion. When had this woman appeared? How had no one noticed?

The strangest thing was Miss Meng’s reaction—why was she unmoved by the sudden appearance of a stranger beside her?

Several young ladies nearby fled their seats in fright, but Miss Meng remained motionless. She smiled down at her table, as if extremely satisfied with the food and wine, or as if listening intently to someone speaking.

The daughter of Reminder Wang, who was close friends with Miss Meng, tremblingly approached to pull at her: “Aning, that person to your right—”

But as soon as she touched Miss Meng’s clothes, Miss Meng fell sideways with that eerie smile still frozen on her face.

This disturbance caught the young woman’s attention. She twisted her neck, turning her head very slowly. Before anyone could see her face, several puffing sounds were heard, and the water pavilion was plunged into darkness.

It all happened too quickly. Princess Jingde cried out in alarm: “Uncle Chang!”

The sound of hurried footsteps approached from all directions as people surrounded the water pavilion. Robes rustled outside the windows as figures leaped in from both sides.

“Light the lamps! Catch the intruder!”

It was a middle-aged man’s voice, deep and resonant, suggesting considerable inner power. His rapid speech revealed an impatient temperament.

“Commander Chang, we can’t light the lamps.”

“Nonsense! How could perfectly good lamps not light?”

“Several of us have tried, sir. Perhaps the tinder is damp, but we can’t make any fire at all.”

“Then hurry to the storehouse and bring night pearls!”

Many guests had flint stones hidden on them and took them out to try, but all attempts failed. The woman had already been strange enough, and now in the darkness, people couldn’t help but feel afraid. No one could sit still, and they all rushed toward the exit.

Teng Yuyi had been prepared and was the first to leave her seat, pulling Du Tinglan with her.

But before the two could be the first to escape the pavilion, the scholars behind them caught up. In their panic to flee, they forgot all their refinement, and with unexpected strength, they knocked Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan down by the door.

Teng Yuyi cursed inwardly—she should have practiced martial arts properly. When fleeing for one’s life, nothing was more useful than raw strength.

She struggled to her feet only to be knocked down again. The doorway was narrow, and everyone was desperate to escape.

Du Tinglan held Teng Yuyi tightly, realizing they couldn’t get up quickly but fearing Teng Yuyi would be trampled. In her panic, she focused on protecting Teng Yuyi first.

Suddenly, Teng Yuyi found extraordinary strength, groping for and grabbing the door frame, forcefully pulling both of them up. But when they got out, they were dumbfounded—all the palace lanterns by the lake had gone out, leaving the entire prince’s mansion pitch black. Forget escaping—they couldn’t even tell which direction was which.

Many people had run out onto the curved corridor, all at a loss.

“Does anyone have a flint? Quickly, try again!”

The sound of striking flint stones followed, and then someone cried in terror: “It’s still not working! What should we do?”

“Stay calm. We can only wait for the mansion guards to lead us out now. Don’t run around in the dark—you might fall into the lake.”

“Was that woman human or a ghost?”

Someone said tremblingly: “Don’t—don’t talk about it. I’m worried she might be among us right now.”

The young ladies couldn’t contain their fear and began screaming. Just then, a light suddenly appeared on the shore, as if servants in some pavilion had found working tinder and lit the corridor lanterns.

“There’s light over there!” Everyone finally had a direction and surged toward the shore.

Teng Yuyi still hesitated, but at that moment, more people emerged from the water pavilion. Terrified that the eerie woman might be pursuing them, everyone fell into extreme panic. Disregarding the water all around, they pushed and shoved to escape.

Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan were pushed along with the crowd and made it to shore. Strangely, the servants from various households who had been waiting on shore had all disappeared.

Teng Yuyi couldn’t find her two fake maids and could only follow the crowd. As they got closer, they realized it was a quiet small courtyard in the garden, its gates wide open, brightly lit inside and out.

Just as everyone was about to rush into the courtyard, they heard people catching up from the small path behind them. In the light, they could see it was a group of mansion guards.

The middle-aged man in the lead must have been Commander Chang, and he was carrying Princess Jingde on his back.

Behind him was Gu Xian, who was also carrying someone—looking carefully, it was the elderly Master Yu, who lay motionless on Gu Xian’s back, apparently having fainted.

Princess Jingde cried: “I want my brother! Quickly call my brother back!”

Commander Chang said: “We’ve already sent someone on horseback to find the Crown Prince. Don’t worry, Princess. It’s just a small thief. We’ve set up a dragnet around the area and will catch this person soon.”

At this moment, someone else caught up: “Commander Chang, we’ve searched everywhere inside and outside the water pavilion but found neither the strange woman nor Miss Meng. With three layers of guards on watch, they couldn’t have escaped so quickly unless that woman took Miss Meng underwater.”

Everyone remembered how Miss Meng had fallen over with that smile on her face, and couldn’t help feeling frightened. The Wang and Li girls, being close friends with Miss Meng, began crying softly.

Princess Jingde stopped crying: “Don’t let that thing take Miss Meng away. Quickly think of a way to save her.”

Commander Chang said: “No matter how supernatural this woman is, she’s still dragging Miss Meng along. In such a short time, they couldn’t have gone far. Leave thirty men to escort the Princess out of the mansion. The rest will seal off the area around the water pavilion. If your eyes can’t see, use your ears to listen. At any sound, immediately cast the net to save the person. Don’t miss any corner of the garden—don’t let that person escape.”

“Yes, sir!” The guards departed with their orders.

Suddenly, Master Yu on Gu Xian’s back stirred and began groaning in pain.

“What’s wrong with the Master?”

Gu Xian said: “It was too chaotic in the water pavilion earlier, and the Master accidentally twisted his foot. We should leave this place quickly and find a physician.”

Everyone was anxious: “It’s pitch black all around, and we’re unfamiliar with the mansion’s layout. If we run out blindly, we might twist our ankles like Master Yu. Since there are lights here, why don’t we rest inside first and leave after that woman is caught?”

Gu Xian looked up at the lanterns in the courtyard, hesitation crossing his face. But everyone was already impatient to go inside. Teng Yuyi quickly grabbed Du Tinglan.

Du Tinglan understood and called out: “Everyone, please wait!”

The crowd stopped in surprise.

The Little Cliff Sword in Teng Yuyi’s sleeve began to grow hot. She hurriedly wrote in Du Tinglan’s palm: “The entire mansion is dark, yet only this place has lights—it might be a trap. We shouldn’t linger here but should leave the mansion quickly.”

Du Tinglan relayed this, and many people began to doubt it. Gu Xian glanced at Teng Yuyi with approval: “Miss Teng makes sense. If you don’t believe it, try your flints. If you still can’t make fire, who lit the lanterns in this courtyard?”

Everyone tried and indeed couldn’t light anything. Frightened, they began backing away.

“Something’s wrong. We were panicked earlier.”

“That was close—fortunately we didn’t go in.”

Commander Chang cursed: “Such a bold evil spirit, daring to cause trouble in the Prince of Cheng’s mansion! Don’t be afraid, everyone. I’ll escort you out immediately. I’ve been in the mansion for years and can move freely even without light.”

Everyone huddled together fearfully, following Commander Chang. Teng Yuyi happened to look up and saw Lu Zhao’an sticking close to Commander Chang and Princess Jingde.

This man certainly valued his life, knowing it was safest to stay near these two at the moment.

As they walked, it grew dark ahead again. Strangely, in such a large mansion, they couldn’t hear any servants moving about.

Fortunately, Commander Chang walked both steadily and quickly. With him leading the way, they should soon be out of the garden.

The night was ink-black, the wind whistling. No one dared speak along the way. It was extremely quiet all around, with only the sound of breathing and footsteps in their ears.

Darkness truly could destroy one’s will. Most people were drenched in cold sweat. Although so many people were crowded together, they felt desolate. Suddenly, someone tremblingly said: “Wait!”

Everyone’s hearts contracted: “What’s wrong?”

The voice belonged to Miss Li, daughter of Reminder Li. She seemed terrified beyond measure, gathering all her courage to speak. The crowd first fell into an extraordinary silence, then exploded into chaos, everyone scrambling away, afraid that thing might be right beside them.

The guards identified the source of the sound and thrust their swords in that direction, but the space was empty. Not only was the eerie woman gone, but Miss Li wasn’t in her original position either.

Someone called urgently: “Miss Li!”

“Miss Li! Where are you?”

After several calls, there was no response from Miss Li. In such a short time, another person had vanished right under their noses.

Commander Chang was both shocked and angry. Everyone was immediately terrified out of their wits—there was still a long way to go before leaving the mansion. What if they encountered that thing again?

Next to them was the flower hall. Someone frantically climbed the steps and pushed open the sliding doors: “I won’t go any further. If we’re not scared to death, we’ll be taken away.”

Zheng Shuangyin, still shaken, quickly said: “The flower hall is pitch black and the doors were closed—that thing probably isn’t inside. Why don’t we have two people check at the door, and the rest go in one by one? After everyone’s inside, we can close the door. That way we won’t worry about that thing mixing in among us.”

“Yes, yes, that’s best. We can wait until the Crown Prince arrives before coming out.”

After losing two people in succession, no one dared to continue forward recklessly before catching that thing. Commander Chang said: “We’ll guard the door and let people in only after checking them.”

Princess Jingde had calmed somewhat: “Uncle Chang, you weren’t in the water pavilion when it happened, so you might not recognize that woman. Besides the guards, we need someone from the poetry society to help identify people. Unfortunately, without light now, we’re as blind as bats—how can we tell who’s who?”

Teng Yuyi drew out the Little Cliff Sword, only regretting that there wasn’t even moonlight tonight. Otherwise, the blade would have had some unique luminescence that could barely illuminate people’s features.

Commander Chang held his sword across his chest, but it too was dull without any light. They couldn’t just wait helplessly in the darkness anymore. He urgently asked the guard beside him: “We sent someone to the storehouse for night-pearls earlier—why haven’t they returned?”

Gu Xian suddenly said to a guard beside him: “Take the Master.”

The guard thought Gu Xian was tired from carrying and hurriedly took Master Yu onto his own back. Gu Xian searched in his robes for a moment, and suddenly a pure, luminous object appeared in the darkness, probably a night-pearl or something similar. Though its light couldn’t compare to lanterns, it could at least illuminate the person before them.

He held the night-pearl up to his face, the light clearly revealing his features—deep-set features with jade-like complexion.

“If Commander Chang hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten I had this. This can illuminate faces clearly—we needn’t worry about that thief sneaking past. Commander Chang, you lead people inside first, leaving two guards to help me watch the door.”

Gu Xian was after all an honored guest of the mansion. Commander Chang hesitated, but the others were either scholars without fighting skills or young ladies, far less resourceful than Gu Xian, so he didn’t argue further: “We’ll do as Master Wen suggests.”

So beginning with Commander Chang and Princess Jingde, people lined up to enter one by one. When it was Teng Yuyi’s turn, she felt the blade of Little Cliff Sword—it was cool as water, suggesting there was nothing unclean inside, so she finally went in with peace of mind.

Commander Chang settled Azhi but didn’t dare leave, yet worried about the situation outside, so he could only stand guard at the door with his sword.

Everyone sat cross-legged in the flower hall. Though still pitch-black, it felt somewhat more secure than their earlier panic-stricken state.

Teng Yuyi sat leaning against a pillar, her mind full of questions. That day when Princess Jingde merely went to the Marquis Zhenguo’s mansion for a banquet, Lin Chengyou had forced Juesheng and Qizhi to disguise themselves as maids to accompany her. Today the Princess was holding a poetry gathering in the mansion—why did Lin Chengyou feel comfortable leaving?

Little Cliff Sword had warned repeatedly; that thing was almost certainly an evil spirit. Recently, the demon from Caifeng Tower had broken through the formation, and Lin Chengyou must have set up defenses inside and outside the mansion. What kind of evil spirit could it be that even Blue Cloud Temple’s formations couldn’t stop it?

She took out an embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve, covered the sword’s blade with it, then wrote on Little Cliff: “Come out, I have questions for you.”

Little Cliff Sword lay quietly under the handkerchief, showing no reaction.

Teng Yuyi continued writing: “Oh, I understand—you’re afraid.”

Little Cliff Sword suddenly grew hot, showing its indignation.

“Not afraid? Then why don’t you dare come out?”

Though Du Tinglan had long known this jade sword was sentient, she couldn’t understand Teng Yuyi’s actions and whispered: “Ayu, what are you doing?”

Calling it out to help.

She waited patiently for a moment, then saw the handkerchief bulge upward as something stood up underneath—it was the little old man.

The little old man hid under the handkerchief, walking back and forth along the blade. Teng Yuyi continued using the handkerchief as cover and wrote: What kind of being is that woman?

Little Cliff sat cross-legged and wrote in Teng Yuyi’s palm: “I don’t know either—not demon, not evil spirit, not ghost.”

Teng Yuyi was somewhat surprised that even Little Cliff didn’t know its origins.

Why did this thing break into the Prince of Cheng’s mansion tonight? What was its purpose?

Little Cliff: For you.

For me? Teng Yuyi nearly dropped her jaw in shock.

Little Cliff wrote quickly: This thing was the other being trapped under Caifeng Tower’s formation. It had broken out before that, and for some reason has targeted you. I guess it’s either related to the illusion you saw on the second floor, or it blames you for hitting the golden-robed young master twice.

The golden-robed young master? That handsome demon wearing flowers?

Going round and round, it still came back to that night at Caifeng Tower.

Teng Yuyi tried to calm herself: That day Juesheng mentioned this thing was likely a corpse demon.

Little Cliff started: So it’s a corpse demon! No wonder I couldn’t guess its identity. This thing has clearly jumped beyond the three realms and exists outside the five elements.

Teng Yuyi: Though I only glimpsed it earlier, I could see that thing clearly had the appearance of a young woman. It would make more sense to say she was transformed from a flower spirit—how could she be a corpse demon?

Little Cliff: Miss Teng, this shows your lack of understanding. Corpse demons are neither evil spirits nor demons. They appear lifelike, can eat food and drink wine, and can even walk in daylight. If you don’t check their breath, you can’t tell they’re dead things at all. Miss Teng, you’re in trouble—once a corpse demon latches onto you, there’s no escaping it.

Teng Yuyi’s scalp tingled: Don’t tell me that wherever I go from now on, this thing will come looking for me?

Little Cliff wrote heavily and forcefully: That’s exactly right.

Teng Yuyi felt half her body go cold.

Little Cliff: If you don’t want to wait helplessly for death, you can only find a way to eliminate her.

Teng Yuyi: Don’t joke about this. That blind Founding Master of East Ming Temple had such profound cultivation, yet he lost his life trying to suppress this corpse demon and the golden-robed young master. Now that this thing has broken free, even the Prince of Cheng’s mansion’s formations can’t stop her—what can I do?

Little Cliff: Remember what I told you that day? I’m probably not wrong—you were able to be reborn, likely because you borrowed a life. That night in the bamboo grove dealing with the tree demon was to save your cousin, and later at Caifeng Tower you encountered two demons. Though it was unlucky, it might also be your fortune. After all, they’re powerful demons coming right to your door. If you can truly eliminate them, maybe you can break the curse of borrowed life.

Teng Yuyi: You’re saying I’ll encounter more demons and evil spirits, with just the Little Cliff Sword? I have no fighting skills—even with the most powerful magical weapons, I couldn’t handle monsters like these.

Little Cliff: Yes, you only have the Little Cliff Sword, but you’re cunning and clever. This hasn’t even started yet—why admit defeat in advance?

As the two of them communicated silently, others in the flower hall were also whispering. Suddenly, a strange scratching sound came from outside the window, like claws slowly scraping across the window frame.

Little Cliff trembled: Miss Teng, you’re on your own now—that thing has come. What happens next is up to you.