Li Si stepped into the side hall, and the strange sound vanished once again. Li Si looked around. This side hall displayed only a few pieces of furniture—a worn wooden bed, two armchairs, and a four-cornered pear wood table. And also, one dead person.
Ren Youcai still glared with eyes wide open. During the day, Ren Ling had tried many times to close Ren Youcai’s eyes, but each time he closed them, the next second, Ren Youcai’s eyelids would open again. After multiple attempts, Ren Ling finally shook his head and sighed, saying that his father died with eyes unclosed, unwilling to shut them.
Li Si met Ren Youcai’s gaze. This wasn’t the first time he had stared at a dead person, but never before had he seen more fear in anyone’s eyes than what he saw in Ren Youcai’s. This endless terror was deeply carved into Ren Youcai’s gaze from the instant before death. Li Si felt that perhaps Ren Youcai didn’t die with eyes unclosed—rather, he didn’t dare close his eyes. What kind of inexplicable terror made Ren Youcai so frightened that he would rather die with eyes open than dare to face it? Li Si couldn’t figure it out or understand it.
The smell of death permeated the air, making Li Si very uncomfortable. Ren Youcai lay peacefully on the bed. Li Si recalled what his old friend Lao Sitou had once said to him—that the “words” a dead person tells you are far more reliable than those spoken from a living person’s mouth, because the living can lie, but the dead cannot.
Li Si carefully examined Ren Youcai’s corpse again. Apart from the plum blossom sword wound at the chest, there were no other injuries. Li Si also discovered no other suspicious points. Even so, Li Si still vaguely felt something was amiss. Since there were no clues, staying in this morgue was useless. Li Si covered the body with the burial cloth again and prepared to leave.
But at the instant Li Si turned around, that hair-raising sound rang out once more: “Jie…” This time Li Si heard clearly—this faint strange sound came from the corpse beneath him—Ren Youcai.
Though Li Si didn’t believe in ghosts and spirits, at this moment his heart still felt somewhat creeped out. He slowly lowered his head. The eerie sound emanated from Ren Youcai’s mouth. The question that had been trapped in Li Si’s mind finally surfaced—Li Si remembered that before death, Ren Youcai struggled to speak but couldn’t say even half a word. Could he have a second hidden wound?
Li Si’s hands pried open Ren Youcai’s tightly shut mouth. A rank, foul breath rushed out, making one want to vomit. Li Si held his breath and nervously stared into Ren Youcai’s mouth. Apart from several patches of dried blood at the corners of his mouth, there was nothing unusual. At this moment, the sound disappeared again.
Li Si even felt he was somewhat mentally confused. In fact, since returning from the Afterlife Forest last night, Li Si had always felt something was off about himself, yet couldn’t say what.
An ice-cold hand suddenly grabbed Li Si’s clothing. Li Si came back to his senses and discovered this hand belonged to… Ren Youcai! Li Si instinctively wanted to break free. Ren Youcai beneath him shook violently. With a sharp shriek, Li Si saw a round black object shoot out from Ren Youcai’s throat like a black arrow, piercing straight into the wall to a depth of an inch. Ren Youcai’s hand loosened, and his originally glaring eyes slowly closed.
Li Si walked to the opposite wall, channeled internal energy into his fingers, and dug out this black object. The black object was covered with a layer of black dried blood. Li Si wiped away the black blood, and a soft radiance immediately burst forth. Li Si held it in his palm, his heart shocked, and three words unconsciously escaped his mouth: “Night-luminous pearl!”
The black object that shot out from the already deceased Ren Youcai’s mouth was precisely the night-luminous pearl among the treasures stolen by the Pingyang Pond thief. But why would it appear in Ren Youcai’s throat? What connection did that thief have with Ren Youcai’s death? Li Si felt matters were far from as simple as he had imagined.
Li Si felt too many doubts swirled in his mind, intertwining with each other, and he struggled to grasp a single thread. Li Si closed the door and walked out of the side hall. A sinister cold suddenly assaulted his back. Li Si abruptly turned around and discovered a floating white shadow standing by the small water pool where he had stopped earlier, coldly gazing toward him. Li Si couldn’t help but shiver. He once again recalled those ghostly hands beckoning to him in the Jade River. Whether ghost or human, this time Li Si had to find out the truth.
Li Si rushed out. The white shadow truly leaped out of Ren Residence like a specter. Li Si followed closely behind. The night road was desolate. After following for who knows how long, Li Si suddenly stopped. The white shadow had vanished without a trace. Before him was a cold river.
Where was the person?
Li Si gazed at the vast, endless Jade River in the dark night. For the first time, his heart harbored a hair-raising thought: could everything truly be as they said—that the one who murdered Ren Youcai was the malicious ghost of the Jade River who died unjustly many years ago?
At dawn, Little Qizi suddenly cried out, “Uncle Wine, come quick, come see!” Little Qizi stood at the corner of Linglong Wine Pavilion, facing the placid, cold Jade River, gesticulating wildly.
Old Wine Head slowly walked over. He hadn’t slept well last night, constantly having nightmares. Early in the morning he was awakened by this Little Qizi, and feeling stifled, he asked, “You childish behavior—why do you never let me sleep well!”
“No, Uncle Wine, there’s really something this time. Come quickly and look at the Jade River.” Little Qizi couldn’t wait. He pulled Old Wine Head to the pavilion’s edge. Old Wine Head saw that the calm, waveless Jade River was actually rippling with countless black dots, like black sesame seeds scattered on the river surface. Little Qizi hurriedly cast his fishing net, and when he pulled it up shortly after, the net actually contained several huge black fish—only these black fish had long been dead.
Old Wine Head saw several green threads flowing in the fish eyes. He bent down and split open the fish belly. The fish blood was completely murky, and the white fish meat had also turned black. Old Wine Head’s gaze became murky again. After a long while, he finally spoke one sentence: “These fish were all poisoned to death.”
Old Wine Head shook his head, tossed the fish aside, and returned to the wine pavilion. Little Qizi looked at the pitch-black dead fish and fearfully threw them back into the Jade River.
With a “creak,” the elegant room’s outer window was gently pushed open. A lotus-white arm leaned obliquely against the window lattice. Qiangong Linglong gazed at the Jade River, her gaze gradually converging into a point. That point blurred into the silhouette of a man. She murmured, “Did he… truly return?”
Behind Qiangong Linglong, inside the elegant room, another sinister, heavy voice suddenly rang out, “If he returns, he’s just a ghost. He can’t possibly be alive. However, recently Yeqiao has indeed had constant strange occurrences. I’ve also seen a white shadow before. Could it be that outsiders know our secret?”
“No.” Qiangong Linglong denied. Her gaze never turned back—she only gazed out the window at the Jade River, her heart harboring a certain hope deep within.
“These times are truly unsettled. I always feel something major is about to happen. Miss should also be careful.”
Qiangong Linglong nodded slightly.
“By the way, regarding that constable who chased the thief here from the prefecture, we definitely can’t let him discover anything. Do I need to make him…”
“No. Enough blood has already flowed in Yeqiao. I don’t want to see any more people die. We only need to wait quietly and not create more trouble.” Qiangong Linglong’s words were gentle but carried irresistible authority.
The elegant room fell silent for a long time. The other voice didn’t speak again. At this moment, a knock sounded at the door. Qiangong Linglong asked, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Old Wine Head, Miss.”
“What is it?”
“Someone wants to see Miss. He says he’s a constable who came to apprehend a thief.” Old Wine Head hadn’t spoken a few sentences before he began coughing.
Qiangong Linglong focused her gaze and turned back, saying to the person in the elegant room, “You were right—this constable is somewhat difficult to deal with, but I’ll handle it.”
Qiangong Linglong opened the door to the elegant room. Old Wine Head had been waiting. Qiangong Linglong said, “Prepare the finest ‘Drunken Linglong.'” Old Wine Head nodded in response. His gaze inadvertently looked through the slightly open door crack into the elegant room. Earlier he had vaguely heard Miss speaking with another person, but at this moment there was no second person in the elegant room.
The wine had been served, and Li Si had already sat down. Accompanying them was also Yeqiao Town’s magistrate Gao Qi. Gao Qi’s gaze kept drifting, as if deliberately avoiding Li Si’s eyes looking toward him. When Gao Qi raised his head, he saw Qiangong Linglong descending like a lotus scattering moonlight. In all these years in Yeqiao Town, Gao Qi’s heart had always hoped that every day he could see her. No words were needed—he didn’t even need her to notice him. Just quietly watching her was already an endlessly memorable enjoyment.
Qiangong Linglong gracefully bowed. Li Si returned the courtesy. The three sat around a pear wood table by the window. The wine had been poured full. Qiangong Linglong raised her cup first and said, “I’ve heard Chief Constable Li has come from afar. That you can grace Linglong Wine Pavilion is already Linglong’s honor. No need for many words—please.”
Qiangong Linglong appeared gentle and delicate on the surface, but her manner was clean and decisive. She drained the cup instantly. Li Si and Gao Qi exchanged glances, both thinking that as imposing men, how could they lag behind a frail woman in drinking? The two raised their cups together and poured the wine down their throats. Li Si had traveled north and south and could be said to have drunk all kinds of good wines and strong wines, but the rich mellow fragrance contained in this cup, and the endless aftertaste between lips, throat, and stomach, was an experience he’d never had before. After one cup, an icy cold energy rose from the dantian, transferred to the heart, then turned from cold to hot, circling tightly around the entire heart, making one feel cold from inside out first, then hot—the feeling was indescribably wonderful.
Li Si originally wanted to praise it well, but thinking of the purpose of this trip, he only said two words: “Good wine!”
Gao Qi’s pale complexion gradually reddened. His gaze began to boldly rest on Qiangong Linglong’s face. Li Si then cupped his hands slightly and said, “Actually, coming to your esteemed pavilion this time, there’s a matter I’d like to ask Miss Qiangong about.”
“Please speak.” Qiangong Linglong filled the wine cups before the three. Li Si smelled a faint orchid fragrance on her body that confused one’s mind and spirit. He steadied his wits and said, “I presume Miss Qiangong already knows about Ren Youcai being brutally murdered. And I heard from the Ren family servants that the last person Ren Youcai saw was Miss Qiangong. He came to Miss’s Linglong Wine Pavilion this morning, and after returning home at noon, he died tragically at home. What I’m curious about is, did Ren Youcai say anything to Miss?”
Qiangong Linglong understood the purpose of Li Si’s visit and nodded slightly, “Yes.”
“What was it? Can Miss Qiangong tell me?” Li Si gazed at Qiangong Linglong, only feeling that the longer he looked at this woman, the worse his self-control became.
“When Boss Ren came to my wine pavilion, I accompanied him in drinking. During that time, he only spoke of one matter.”
“What matter?”
“Seeing a ghost.” Qiangong Linglong’s vermillion lips lightly parted to utter two words.
Li Si’s brows couldn’t help but furrow. He immediately asked, “Miss Qiangong, have you heard of the person Yan Zige?”
A trace of dimness passed through Qiangong Linglong’s eyes, bright as a clear lake. She spoke softly, “I’ve heard of this person, but I don’t know much about him. He rarely came to my wine pavilion to drink. I know he was a swordsman who could be said to be famous throughout the realm at that time. Later, he perished at the west bank of the Jade River.”
“The ‘Weimei Divine Sword’ Yan Zige died inexplicably, but I wonder—the ghost that Ren Youcai spoke of seeing, could that ghost refer to Yan Zige?” Li Si matched up the people and questions in his mind one by one.
Qiangong Linglong suddenly smiled, saying lightly, “It seems I have no way to help Chief Constable Li, because since childhood I haven’t liked these ghostly and supernatural things. So when Boss Ren said he saw a ghost, I didn’t ask deeply. Moreover, at that time Boss Ren had already drunk half a jar of ‘Drunken Linglong’ and wasn’t clear-headed. I didn’t take it seriously either. Therefore, I don’t know who this ghost refers to.”
“Ah, I see.” Disappointment showed on Li Si’s face. He set aside the doubts in his heart. With a glance, he noticed that Gao Qi beside him had already drunk quite a bit. His face was flushed red, his gaze staring fixedly at Qiangong Linglong. Li Si felt this was impolite. Thinking back, he had encountered Gao Qi near the wine pavilion, seen him hesitating uncertainly, and accompanied him to Linglong Wine Pavilion together to inquire about the case. Looking at the situation now, this Gao Qi harbored romantic feelings for Qiangong Linglong. It would be better not to create more troubles for Miss Qiangong. Thinking thus, Li Si tugged Gao Qi’s arm and said, “Magistrate Gao, I’ve finished asking what I needed to ask. I think we should take our leave and not disturb Miss Qiangong’s business.”
The infatuated Gao Qi suddenly shook off Li Si’s arm, stared at Qiangong Linglong’s face, shook his head and said, “Miss Qiangong, do you still miss him?”
With those words, Qiangong Linglong’s slender hand gripping the wine cup trembled slightly, spilling a bit of wine. Li Si’s gaze fixed on Qiangong Linglong. Gao Qi swayed as he stood up and walked out of the wine pavilion with a sigh at every step.
Li Si said, “Excuse the rudeness.” After speaking, he also hurried out in pursuit.
Qiangong Linglong gazed at the “Drunken Linglong” in her hand, raised her head and drank the wine down. Sour, sweet, bitter—all kinds of flavors and all manner of feelings suddenly surged together to her heart and brows.
Li Si chased out but Gao Qi’s figure was nowhere to be seen. However, what Gao Qi had just said aroused Li Si’s suspicions. The “him” that Qiangong Linglong still missed—could it be Yan Zige? If so, Yan Zige and Qiangong Linglong weren’t merely acquaintances by hearsay, but old friends, or perhaps even closer.
Li Si felt he had already touched upon the thread in that tangled mess—he just needed to grasp it. Looking at the sky, Li Si walked toward the place at the town entrance where Wu Wen was hiding.