As Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan lifted their skirts to enter, they indeed saw the hall filled with fine silks. Looking closely, most faces were familiar.

Wu Qi had always loved wearing red dresses. Today she wore a pomegranate-red gauze jacket and skirt. Seeing the two enter, she laughed heartily and came forward to greet them: “You’re late. Don’t you think you deserve punishment?”

Her manner was energetic, her voice clear and bright. Du Tinglan and Teng Yuyi both curtsied, smiling as they said: “We deserve punishment. Whether it’s drinking wine or composing poetry as a penalty, we won’t argue.”

They then addressed the group: “Sorry to have kept everyone waiting.”

The young ladies all smiled and returned their greetings.

Wu Qi enthusiastically led the sisters to their seats: “We were just discussing whether to view flowers first or have the poetry contest. Now this is perfect—two talented beauties have arrived. Why don’t we start with poetry? What do you think?”

As Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan took their seats, Li Huaigu was sitting next to them.

Li Huaigu wore gold-mounted jade hairpins in her jet-black double buns, with kingfisher feather ornaments on her forehead. Her lip rouge was as bright and moist as cherries, making her appear delicate as a flower.

She smiled gently: “Yu’er, Sister Lan.”

Teng Yuyi smiled sweetly: “Third Miss.”

Li Huaigu looked Teng Yuyi over: “Yesterday when I wanted to invite you out, your servants said you weren’t feeling well and couldn’t go out. I thought your rash hadn’t fully healed, but looking at you today, it seems almost completely better.”

Du Tinglan gave a light cough. Her sister hadn’t been unable to go out—she had disguised herself as “Young Master Wang” to visit the West Market. When Li Huaigu’s invitation arrived yesterday, she asked Butler Cheng to give that response.

Teng Yuyi feigned surprise: “So it was you who invited me out. Yesterday morning I woke up with a slight cold and had to rest in bed. When the servants came in to relay messages, I was in a daze and didn’t listen carefully. Thank you for your concern, Third Miss. The rash got better after taking the Jade Complexion Pills that day.”

As Li Huaigu was about to say more with concern written all over her face, someone spoke up from Du Tinglan’s other side: “Miss Du, Miss Teng.”

Teng Yuyi turned to look: “Miss Duan.”

This person was named Duan Qingying, Duan Ningyuan’s cousin. With phoenix eyes and fair skin, she inherited the Duan family’s noble bearing. Her face was somewhat broader than most ladies’, but the small crimson mole between her brows added a touch of beauty to her features.

Teng Yuyi had met Duan Qingying several times in childhood and recently encountered her again at Minister Liu’s birthday banquet. However, due to the broken engagement between the Teng and Duan families, the Duans weren’t as warm to Teng Yuyi as before. Particularly the younger generation like Duan Qingying showed some awkwardness in their attitude.

This time was no exception. Though Duan Qingying took the initiative to greet them, her smile seemed somewhat forced.

Du Tinglan had always been good-natured, but the Duan family’s handling of the broken engagement had been truly improper. She harbored some resentment toward the Duans, and seeing this, only offered a slight smile in return.

Teng Yuyi remained composed, returning a measured greeting before turning her attention to the others in the hall.

Wu Qi said: “Since everyone’s willing to have a poetry contest, let’s prepare the brushes and ink.”

Someone in the hall said reluctantly: “I don’t understand poetry at all. You all go ahead with your verses—I’ll just take a nap on the side.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Teng Yuyi looked over; it was one of Peng Zhen’s twin daughters.

Peng Huayue held her sister’s hand, covering her mouth as she laughed: “My sister speaks her mind directly, making everyone laugh. But Jinxiu isn’t wrong—she excels at cuju football, swings, and ball games, but she doesn’t like studying. If you make her face paper and ink to compose poetry, she probably couldn’t squeeze out a single line all day.”

Someone quickly agreed with a laugh: “The sun is so nice today, why stay cooped up in Cloud Meeting Hall writing poetry? I say we should go out to view flowers. There’s a swing in the peach blossom grove—we can enjoy both the flowers and take turns on the swing.”

The young ladies all preferred to move about outside, so they unanimously agreed.

Wu Qi smiled and had the maids gather tea and snacks, inviting everyone to move to the peach blossom grove.

In the grove, the ladies appreciated flowers while strolling and chatting freely. Spring breezes wafted through the grove, lifting the various colored scarves in the young ladies’ arms high into the air. These brilliant colors, accompanied by the gentle spring light, outshone even the peach blossoms on the branches.

Someone said: “They say this Yuzhen Daoist Nunnery has hidden mechanisms. During times of war or disaster, one can escape using the nunnery’s secret passages. But I’ve been here so many times and haven’t noticed anything.”

“Don’t forget this temple was built by a hundred Daoist masters on Princess Yuzhen’s orders. If any casual visitor could spot the secrets, wouldn’t those masters’ efforts have been wasted?”

Wu Qi chose the best spot for flower viewing and had the maids set up colored canopies and cushions. Suddenly, Zheng Shuangyin said: “After what happened at the West Market yesterday, I thought you wouldn’t come, but you did. Though your complexions do look much better than yesterday.”

Peng Huayue’s voice was somewhat tight: “We’re sorry for the scene yesterday. We’re distant relatives of Young Madam Jiang, the wife of the Rong’an Earl’s heir. Sister Jiang used to address our mother as Aunt, and though we haven’t had much contact with the Jiang family these years while we’ve been in Huaixi Circuit, that family connection remains. So when we heard about Sister Jiang’s incident yesterday, we were shocked into fainting.”

Peng Jinxiu pouted: “When Mother heard about Sister Jiang’s incident, she nearly cried herself to death. If Sister Jiang’s body weren’t still at the Court of Judicial Review, she probably would have taken us to pay respects at the Rong’an Earl’s mansion today. Mother worried we’d be sad too, so she forced us to go out—otherwise, my sister and I would have stayed home to keep her company.”

“I see.” Zheng Shuangyin and others sighed sympathetically.

A young lady surnamed Lin said anxiously: “Speaking of this, early this morning the Marquis of Wu came to inquire if anyone in our household was pregnant. I didn’t understand why at the time, but later asked my brother and learned there have been several such murders in Chang’an recently.”

“And all the victims were pregnant women,” another added. “The Marquis of Wu visited our mansion last night too, saying that if there were any pregnant ladies in the household, we must report it immediately. The officials are doing this because they fear the killer will target more pregnant women.”

As Teng Yuyi and Du Tinglan chose spots to sit on the cushions, Teng Yuyi happened to glance up and saw Duan Qingying clutching her scarf so tightly her knuckles had turned white.

Others noticed Duan Qingying’s distress and asked softly: “Qingying, are you unwell?”

Duan Qingying covered her chest and nodded: “This case frightens me. I can’t understand how there could be such vicious people in the world.”

Just then, maids brought over cherry milk pudding in crystal cups. Wu Qi noticed everyone’s changed expressions and took the opportunity to change the subject: “It’s not good to view flowers on an empty stomach. Let’s have something to eat first.”

Having heard the earlier conversation about the nunnery’s secrets, Teng Yuyi was pondering what mechanisms might be hidden. Moreover, having eaten too many Three Purities Cakes that morning, she couldn’t eat much more. Looking around, she spotted the swing nearby and immediately made up her mind. She walked to the swing frame, gripped the flower-decorated ropes on both sides, and sat down. With just a light push of her feet, the swing carried her floating in the spring breeze.

Today she wore a moon-white single-layer silk gauze dress with lotus patterns, with a water-colored scarf around her arms. The two light colors complemented each other extraordinarily well, creating an elegant and graceful effect. As she swayed among the flower shadows, she had the allure of a water lotus.

Everyone found her especially charming and beautiful, sincerely praising: “What a lovely beauty. Miss Teng, your clothes’ materials aren’t particularly rare, but your color combinations and needlework are always unique.”

Teng Yuyi smiled: “Some embroiderers in Yangzhou helped design the patterns. If you like them, I’ll bring the design samples for everyone to see next time.”

The ladies teased: “Why go to such trouble? We take turns hosting gatherings each month. Miss Teng hasn’t been back to Chang’an for several years—why don’t we have the next gathering at Miss Teng’s mansion?”

As Teng Yuyi was about to answer, she suddenly felt two cold gazes upon her.

Catching them in her peripheral vision, she smiled and responded: “I’ve been wanting to invite everyone to my humble home to play. I’ll write the invitations when I get back.”

As she spoke, she pretended to turn casually, only to see the group of ladies on the right chatting and laughing, as if that moment had been just her imagination.

Teng Yuyi was an expert at swinging. After swaying while seated for a while, she found it unsatisfying and simply stood up on the seat, asking Du Tinglan to help push. After just a few pushes, she soared high into the air. With her movement, the pair of pearl pendants in her hair began to sway, swinging back and forth continuously, casting two trembling rays of light against her delicate white cheeks.

Everyone became even more captivated. Li Huaigu took a xiao flute from a maid with a smile and brought it to her lips. The flute’s melody was gentle and intricate, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

After listening to several phrases, Zheng Shuangyin nodded: “People say the flute playing of the Bai father and son surpasses all others, but I think Third Miss Li’s skill is no less than theirs.”

Zheng Shuangyin was highly skilled in music and typically somewhat proud. For even her to look impressed showed how outstanding Li Huaigu’s flute playing was. Everyone listened in silence, their expressions becoming even more focused than before.

Just then, the melodious sound of a zither drifted over from beyond the nearby wall. Though the zither seemed casual, it effortlessly overshadowed the flute.

Li Huaigu appeared somewhat overwhelmed and quickly lowered her flute: “This is—”

The noble ladies looked toward the wall in the distance, blushing as they said: “Oh my, did the flute disturb His Highness the Prince? Don’t forget the Prince’s mansion is just beyond the western wall. Perhaps we disturbed His Highness’s rest, and that’s why he’s playing the zither as a warning…”

Just then, several elder Daoist priestesses came to serve tea. Hearing this, they smiled and said: “It’s no matter. We often chant sutras and ring bells in the nunnery. His Highness the Prince has the kindest disposition and would never be annoyed by such small things. We heard His Highness is entertaining friends from out of town today, and His Highness the Crown Prince is also present. This zither music must be for the guests.”

Peng Jinxiu’s round face reddened: “Even when I was in Huaixi Circuit, I heard His Highness the Prince was extremely skilled in music. Hearing this zither music today proves those words weren’t empty.”

Wu Qi: “Speaking of this, last time I heard Princess Changyi tell an amusing story in the palace. Once when His Highness the Prince was drinking at Chief Minister Zheng’s home, he heard someone playing a flute beyond the wall. His Highness said the person must be sitting on a stone slab while playing. Chief Minister Zheng didn’t believe it and sent servants to ask the neighbors—it turned out to be true! This shows how divine His Highness’s ability to discern music is. Princess Changyi also said the only thing in all of Chang’an that could rival His Highness’s zither was a jade flute. Can you guess who the flutist was?”

Several young ladies seemed to know this story but only smiled with reddened faces. Wu Qi’s gaze swept from left to right, yet no one spoke up.

Teng Yuyi, playing on the swing, had been paying attention to their conversation and couldn’t help feeling puzzled.

Just then, the elder Daoist priestesses smiled and said: “It must be the heir of the Prince of Cheng. The young heir used to visit the Prince’s mansion often, playing the flute with both skill and grace. Unfortunately, we’ve rarely heard it this past year. They say the young heir now works at the Court of Judicial Review and is too busy for such pastimes.”

Lin Chengyou? Teng Yuyi had once seen Lin Chengyou holding a jade flute on the eaves of Caifeng Tower. She’d thought he was merely playing around, not realizing he was truly accomplished in the art.

The young ladies’ gazes unconsciously turned toward the western wall, but after listening for a while, they heard only the lingering zither notes, with no flute accompanying them.

Du Tinglan looked up at Teng Yuyi. Her sister’s zither skills were exquisite and could surely appreciate the sophistication of this music, but due to their aunt’s death, her sister almost never discussed music in public. Even she couldn’t do anything about her sister’s peculiar nature.

She said gently: “With musical instruments, besides talent and skill, one needs internal energy to control the breath. I suspect the reason the heir of the Prince of Cheng’s flute could rival His Highness’s zither has something to do with this. Third Miss Li couldn’t keep up with the zither just now because she lacked internal energy, but in terms of technique, she wasn’t lacking at all.”

Everyone paused. Zheng Shuangyin deeply agreed, and remembering how Du Tinglan had won first place in naming last time, looked at her with new admiration and understanding.

Third Miss Li modestly said: “My minor skill doesn’t deserve comparison with Their Highnesses.”

Teng Yuyi gave Third Miss Li a meaningful look, then pushed herself one last time on the swing. She unexpectedly discovered two towering ginkgo trees beyond the peach grove. When standing beneath them, one couldn’t tell, but from this height, she could see the two ginkgo trees facing each other, looking somewhat like…

Teng Yuyi mentally exclaimed in surprise. People said the Yuzhen Daoist Nunnery’s layout had some mysterious aspects. Could this mystery…

Just then, several young ladies came to line up, one by one looking up and urging Teng Yuyi: “Miss Teng, it’s our turn to play.”

Teng Yuyi smiled and said “All alright,” gripping the flower-decorated ropes to dismount the swing.

***

Lin Chengyou dismounted at the entrance of Apricot Blossom Tower and went straight to the second floor, finding an elegant private room where Jiantian and Jianxi were indeed waiting.

The two mysterious rose to close the door, then whispered to Lin Chengyou: “Young Master, everything you requested is here.”

Lin Chengyou lifted his robe to sit down. On the table was a messy pile of items, all looking somewhat worn, with several volumes of strange records on top.

Lin Chengyou flipped through them: “Are these all records about the Moon Phase Child Spirit?”

Jiantian spoke first: “Indeed. Once a Moon Phase Child Spirit is created, it becomes an endless source of trouble. These demon children are simple-natured—if they recognize someone as their mother, they will certainly—”

Lin Chengyou smiled and interrupted them: “I already know what the two masters are saying, but I’ve searched through all the related records and found no mention of Moon Phase Child Spirits being able to cry. Yet in all three murder cases so far, people heard infant cries at the time. I invited you both here today to ask about this peculiarity.”

Jiantian was speechless, but Jianxi said: “That’s not hard to explain. Think about it—in the past, when Moon Phase Child Spirits caused trouble, our predecessors only knew afterward. Busy with exorcising them, how could they know the circumstances when these spirits left the mother’s body? Perhaps they do cry when they first emerge.”

Lin Chengyou raised his hand to close the record: “Besides this, there are several other puzzling aspects to these cases. Why was the first in Tongzhou, and the second in Chang’an? Were there no pregnant women in Tongzhou? Why did the killer need to move between two places?”

“Well—”

Lin Chengyou smiled: “I’ve mostly figured out the reason for this. Last night I checked Tongzhou’s local records. That inn is at the midpoint between Tongzhou and Chang’an, called the Peaceful Residence Inn. Can you guess why it’s called ‘Peaceful Residence’—”

“This name—” Jiantian and Jianxi looked at each other, “Was it for good fortune?”

Lin Chengyou: “I asked Judicial Officer Liu from Tongzhou. He said that place is always haunted by evil spirits. As for why, Officer Liu couldn’t explain, only saying there had been supernatural occurrences there, and the nearby mountain temple was built because of this. Things were peaceful in earlier years, but recently there have been frequent accidents in the area—people falling from cliffs or dying from horse falls. The innkeepers named it ‘Peaceful Residence’ hoping for good fortune.”

Jiantian pondered: “Originally peaceful, but frequent accidents in recent years… Could something evil be about to emerge?”

Jianxi shuddered: “This is too incredible. We’re in a prosperous era of peace—why are there so many supernatural occurrences?!”

Lin Chengyou rubbed his teacup, his eyes gazing out the window. Today’s weather was beautiful, with bustling carriages and horses in the street. Though quiet inside, the noise from downstairs was constant.

After contemplating for a while, he said: “Let’s set that aside for now… The first case in Tongzhou happened near the Peaceful Residence Inn. Don’t you think that’s too coincidental?”

The two Daoists asked in surprise: “Young Master means this was done by evil spirits? But that’s not right either. Never mind that we didn’t sense any demonic energy at the scene—just consider that couple in Tongzhou. As you said, the husband was killed with a butcher’s knife. If supernatural beings were killing people, why go to such trouble—”

Lin Chengyou suddenly said: “What if someone was secretly helping the supernatural beings? Don’t forget, that tree demon was just a minor spirit with a hundred years of cultivation—unless something unusual happened, it couldn’t suddenly become demonic. The corpse demon and the Golden-Robed Young Master had been underground for a month, yet Caifeng Tower never emanated any demonic energy. That night when I questioned the Golden-Robed Young Master about whether someone helped them break the formation, its hesitant expression clearly showed it had something to say… This string of puzzles remains unexplained.”

Jiantian and Jianxi’s expressions gradually became serious.

“With these fetus-taking cases, there are even more puzzles,” Lin Chengyou poured himself more tea. “Let’s set aside why someone would go to the trouble of creating Moon Phase Child Spirits—those strange infant cries at the crime scenes are truly baffling. Last night I searched through all the demon classics and strange records, and found one entry about ‘infant cries’ in a Gong Yu – Chapter titled ‘Naizhong.'”

Jiantian and Jianxi jumped: “Naizhong? Impossible—that’s the king of evil spirits who commands the yakshas and rakshasas!”

Lin Chengyou raised an eyebrow: “But don’t forget, Naizhong particularly loves to eat infant fetuses—”

Jiantian and Jianxi abruptly interrupted Lin Chengyou: “If Naizhong had manifested, Chang’an couldn’t possibly be this peaceful… No, no, no, this is impossible. Besides, Moon Phase Child Spirits are different from ordinary fetuses.”

“But if we try to explain these murders solely with Moon Phase Child Spirits, too many things don’t add up. Even if our predecessors never witnessed the birth of a Moon Phase Child Spirit, they would have heard its cries while fighting it afterward. Yet searching through all the records, there’s no mention of Moon Phase Child Spirits crying. However, if we change our perspective, those strange infant cries can be explained.”

Jiantian’s voice was tense: “What do you mean?”

“Someone is offering Moon Phase Child Spirits as food to Naizhong.”

Jiantian and Jianxi’s mouths fell open.

Lin Chengyou continued: “The demon classics say ordinary fetuses are easy to obtain, but Moon Phase Child Spirits are not. The difference lies in the mother. Because the mothers of Moon Phase Child Spirits witness their fetuses being removed before death, they often harbor tremendous resentment. The infant’s fontanel isn’t closed yet, and when struck by this resentment before the umbilical cord is cut, it gains consciousness at the moment of removal and transforms into a yin demon.”

Jianxi slapped his thigh: “If you say a Moon Phase Child Spirit is a yin demon, it has flesh and blood; if you say it’s supernatural, it’s full of yin energy. Young Master, Naizhong would reject such a half-yin-half-yang ghost fetus. Though Naizhong is the king of ten thousand ghosts, it consistently only commits evil in the world of the living and never consumes yin demons.”

Lin Chengyou suddenly said: “What if the mother’s final breath of yang energy was infused into the Moon Phase Child Spirit? Wouldn’t everything be different then? This breath of yang energy not only allows the fetus to cry but can temporarily suppress its yin demon energy. If Naizhong can’t sense the yin energy in the Moon Phase Child Spirit, it would eat it like an ordinary flesh fetus. And one Moon Phase Child Spirit often equals a hundred ordinary fetuses—after eating it, Naizhong’s power would greatly increase. I wonder if the killer keeps the victims conscious precisely to preserve their vital breath, to transfer it to the Moon Phase Child Spirit…”

Jiantian and Jianxi remained shocked but vaguely felt this made sense, as it explained both why someone would bother creating Moon Phase Child Spirits and why infant cries were heard at the scenes.

“…But…” Jiantian said dryly, “The latest records about Naizhong in the strange chronicles are from one or two hundred years ago. Such a great being suddenly manifesting must have a reason! They say this ghost king is incredibly intelligent and loves disguising himself as a monk to toy with mortals. It first traps people in a maze, then politely questions its prey. Those who can answer might escape the maze, but how many such clever people are there in the world? Once trapped, they’re immediately devoured. Moreover, such a being that heaven and earth cannot tolerate must show signs before manifesting. The Demon Classic says that before each of Naizhong’s manifestations, there must be shocking thunder in a clear sky—”

Before he finished speaking, a bolt of lightning suddenly split the clear, sunny sky outside the window, followed immediately by rolling thunder overhead.

Jiantian and Jianxi seemed struck by this thunderbolt, frozen in place.

Lin Chengyou looked uncertain and rose to examine the lightning from the window. Jiantian and Jianxi, hearts full of unease, also hurried to the window. That bright, serpentine lightning struck straight toward the city center, then transformed into a wisp of smoke, slowly falling into the marketplace.

The place wasn’t far. Jiantian and Jianxi craned their necks to determine the direction: “Is that—the Yuzhen Daoist Nunnery?”

Lin Chengyou’s expression changed. He turned and rushed downstairs.

***

In the Prince’s mansion, the seated guests showed traces of amazement at the flute music drifting from next door.

The Crown Prince listened for a moment, then nodded: “The technique is truly excellent, showing at least ten years of training. However, this person has no internal energy—otherwise, they could have kept up with Royal Uncle’s zither.”

The Prince of Chun’an stopped the zither strings: “Who’s viewing flowers in the nunnery today?”

The steward replied: “I hear Miss Wu Ruyun is hosting a flower-viewing gathering in the nunnery. Many were invited, including Chief Minister Zheng’s second daughter, General Teng’s young miss…”