Blood did not show on tree bark, and the body hanging high above was far too conspicuous — everyone’s attention had been fixed on the corpse. No one had noticed the surrounding trees. Now that someone had wailed it aloud, the crowd finally realized something was wrong.

The moment that line of blood-written characters entered her eyes, Ren Yao felt a chill shoot from the soles of her feet all the way up to her scalp. She almost suspected someone had put a curse on her — why did she keep running into things like this lately?

She had been too afraid to look at the corpse earlier and had leaned against that very tree for quite some time. The thought that her clothing might have brushed against the blood made Ren Yao’s back go numb with revulsion.

Compared to Ren Yao, Xie Jichuan’s step back was elegant and composed. Had Ren Yao not heard him sigh in that equally elegant voice, “How terrifying,” she might have believed his act entirely.

Xie Jichuan’s voice was very low, and his air of unhurried aristocratic poise was so convincing that no one except Ren Yao caught the moment. Ren Yao gave him an indescribable look and decided it was safer to stay close to the Ming siblings after all.

At least Ming Huazhang would actually step forward when something happened, whereas Xie Jichuan would only calmly slip behind everyone else.

The crowd scattered in a panic. Sure enough, Ming Huazhang once again moved against the tide and walked over. He crouched down, studied the characters on the tree carefully, then gently pressed at the surrounding bark. Ren Yao watched with her skin prickling, and asked, “Something this eerie — and you move in closer for a better look?”

Ming Huashang had come over as well. She examined the tree branch from which the body hung and then looked at the blood-written words. “This seems to be exactly the direction Wei Zi’s eyes were gazing in.”

Jiang Ling came bounding over, flushed with excitement. “Well? Well? Was I right? We’ve all seen the blood writing now — is the snake ghost coming to find us?”

Ming Huashang was momentarily speechless. Why did he actually sound eager? She said, “Those who look upon me shall die — what exactly does that mean? Who was the first person to find Wei Zi?”

A maidservant in the crowd answered, trembling head to toe: “It was this servant. Around the Hour of the Dragon, the young miss grew hungry. When the kitchen failed to send breakfast for a long time, she sent this servant to inquire. This servant had never been to Feihong Garden before and was unfamiliar with the paths. She strayed down the wrong road by mistake. From a distance, this servant spotted a flash of red over here, assumed it was a passerby, and came closer to ask directions — only to find, to her horror, that it was…”

The young maidservant looked utterly shattered. After discovering the body, she had been frightened half out of her wits, and had crawled and stumbled back to the courtyard to report the news. Her young mistress had been equally terrified — she dispatched someone to notify Princess Taiping and at the same time sent the maidservant back out to gather information.

Clearly terrified, the maidservant did not dare leave either, which made it convenient for Ming Huashang to question her. Ming Huashang asked carefully what time she had found the body. The maidservant did not know the exact hour and could only estimate from the time it had taken her to walk there — at least the second quarter of the Hour of the Dragon.

Ming Huashang nodded. “Although the second quarter of the Hour of the Dragon is early, many people were awake by the fourth watch today. You may not have been the first person to come here. The handwriting here also differs from what was found yesterday. Perhaps someone is playing tricks, deliberately writing on the trees to frighten people.”

Ming Huashang’s words prompted the crowd to reconsider. One of the servants of the Princess’s household summoned her courage and looked closely, then went pale with horror. “This… this is Wei Zi’s handwriting!”

The crowd erupted in screams. Ming Huashang’s breath caught — she had meant to reassure people, but she seemed instead to have confirmed that a malevolent ghost had committed the murder.

One woman reacted more violently than the rest, her eyes rolling back as she fainted. Everyone was already like startled birds — when she collapsed, not a single person dared catch her. They shoved each other frantically instead, crying out: “Ah, someone else is dead!”

The woman hit the ground, her head striking the surface with a dull, heavy sound. Ming Huashang winced just watching, and quickly called out, “She is not a ghost — she only fainted from fright. Someone come and help her!”

After a flurry of frantic hands, the unconscious woman slowly came to. The moment she saw people around her, she became extremely frightened and screamed, covering her eyes. “Go away — all of you go away — don’t look at me!”

Ming Huashang felt something was off about this maidservant’s reaction and hurried to ask, “What is the matter? Do you know something?”

The maidservant pressed her hands over her own eyes with all her strength. Ming Huashang could only watch her red lips open and close, as though she were staring into the face of some eyeless creature: “I remember now — yesterday, Wei Zi went to find Chi Lan. She called her somewhere secluded and berated her for a very long time. It must be Chi Lan who harbored resentment and came back to kill Wei Zi last night!”

The maidservant went round and round in frenzied, rambling speech, and it was clear her mind was no longer sound. Ming Huashang had meant to ask about the details of the previous day, but the maidservant was in no state to be questioned. Ming Huashang could only have someone escort her back to her room to rest.

First the dead woman’s writing had appeared, and now an eyewitness confirmed that Chi Lan and Wei Zi had met. The crowd erupted in chaos. No one dared linger to watch any longer — they covered their eyes and fled in every direction, terrified of becoming a scapegoat by accident.

Xie Jichuan sighed, looking pained. “Why did the road down the mountain have to be blocked last night of all nights? I desperately want to leave.”

He was not alone. By now, everyone in the mountain villa probably wished they could run. Two murders had occurred in succession, and talk of a malevolent ghost claiming victims was spreading like wildfire. The first to die had at least been an ordinary maidservant; now, it was Princess Taiping’s personal attendant.

Who knew who the next scapegoat in the ghost’s sights would be?

The young lords and ladies no longer had the composure to maintain appearances. The mountain road was blocked, however — it was as if even the heavens were helping the snake ghost, trapping them in this snow-bound mountain, leisurely savoring the desperate struggles of prey before the kill.

Ren Yao recalled that she seemed to have encountered Chi Lan at some point, but could not remember whether she had looked the woman in the eyes. This uncertainty was the most tormenting thing of all. Ren Yao kept going back over the events of the previous day, and the more she thought, the more frightened she became.

Ren Yao had not slept well the night before, and now her face was ashen, her mind beginning to grow hazy. Ming Huashang noticed her poor color and said to comfort her, “Ren Jiejie, you need not worry. Even if there truly is a ghost, it will not come after you.”

Jiang Ling was intensely curious. Setting aside his grudge with that “mannish woman,” he pressed close and asked, “How do you know?”

“A guess.” Ming Huashang said, “If what that maidservant just said is correct, and Chi Lan encountered Wei Zi before she died, then the scapegoat must be chosen from among those she met in life.”

Jiang Ling scratched his head, not quite following. “What do you mean?”

Ming Huashang held up her fingers one by one. “Let us first assume we are the ghost, and trace the logic of how it finds a scapegoat. To begin: a certain person traveled from Fangzhou to Luoyang and for some reason came to haunt us. Then that person came to Mount Mang to attend Princess Taiping’s banquet and brought us into the mountain villa. We killed Chi Lan first. Chi Lan became the scapegoat, and we were freed. But after Chi Lan was bitten to death by a snake, she herself became a new snake ghost. She fixed her sights on Wei Zi, someone she had recently seen and quarreled with, and resolved to pull Wei Zi into becoming her scapegoat. Now Wei Zi is dead. Following the same logic, she ought to go after someone she cared about most — someone who looked directly into her eyes not long ago.”

“Precisely.” Ming Huazhang spoke, his words concise and clear: “The most recent people Wei Zi encountered are the next targets.”

Jiang Ling understood this time, but felt something was oddly off. “Assuming you are a ghost — what a strange angle to take.”

Ren Yao had no leisure to scorn this ignorant fool. She hurriedly cast her mind back over whether she had seen Wei Zi in the past two days. She confirmed it three times over and finally allowed herself to exhale with relief. “Thank heavens — I never saw Wei Zi.”

Just now had been their very first meeting — only she had not expected the first meeting to be Wei Zi’s corpse.

Ren Yao felt as though a great weight had lifted from her. Human joys and sorrows, however, do not align — Jiang Ling gave a cold snort and said, “I saw her.”

“So did I.” Ming Huashang raised her hand weakly. “Yesterday, as I was taking my leave of Princess Taiping, I happened to run into Wei Zi returning. I looked up — and our eyes met directly. And furthermore, I also saw Chi Lan.”

Yesterday in the inner hall, Ming Huazhang had had his back to the door with his eyes lowered and had not made eye contact with Wei Zi — but Ming Huashang was certain she herself had seen her.

She still remembered Wei Zi’s expression and manner at the time. Jiang Ling had not been wrong — Wei Zi had indeed had a very beautiful pair of eyes.

Xie Jichuan clicked his tongue in a sound half-sigh, half-something else. “Second younger sister, your luck really is something.”

Ming Huashang said with a light laugh, “Then do you all still dare keep my company? What if Wei Zi latches onto me and I become a scapegoat — the rest of you will be in danger too.”

Ming Huazhang did not find this joke the least bit funny. His face darkened and he said in a low, stern tone, “Er Niang, do not say such things.”

Ming Huashang fell silent, chastened. Ming Huazhang composed his expression and after a moment’s thought said, “Regardless of whether someone is playing ghost or whether this is truly supernatural, given the current clues, the next target should be someone who recently encountered Wei Zi. The most pressing matter is to gather those who had contact with her in one place. I want to see just what sort of ghost is making trouble.”

Ming Huashang dared not joke carelessly again. She sidled up to Ming Huazhang with a conciliatory air and said, “Second Elder Brother, there is no need to be overly anxious. Fortunately, when I went to pay my respects to Princess Taiping yesterday, Wei Zi was not in attendance beside the Princess. The number of people who saw her ought to be small and should be easy to trace.”

The moment these words left her mouth, Ming Huashang went rigid. The expressions of the others shifted as well.

Princess Taiping?

Ming Huazhang went to seek an audience with Princess Taiping and was refused without the least surprise.

The Princess was unwell and would see no visitors.

Understandably so — after something like this had happened, who would still be in the mood for visitors? Now the entire villa was rife with whispers, with rumors circulating that the snake ghost was searching for a scapegoat. Even though the guests were all well-read individuals who did not believe in ghosts or spirits, at this moment they were all somewhat unsettled.

One uncanny incident followed another. Could it truly be a ghost? In no time, reports of illness were appearing everywhere. Every door and window was closed shut, visitors turned away, everyone afraid that they might accidentally look into someone’s eyes and become a scapegoat.

Ming Huazhang met with a closed door at Princess Taiping’s residence. As he walked out of the palace, Ming Huashang asked, “Second Elder Brother, what do we do now?”

Wei Zi had been Princess Taiping’s personal attendant. The Princess was the most likely candidate to be chosen as the next target. But Princess Taiping was unwilling to cooperate — she did not want to so much as see them, let alone speak with them.

Ming Huazhang thought for a moment. “That grove is rarely frequented. As her most capable attendant, Wei Zi would not normally have gone somewhere like that without reason. Ask those who shared quarters with Wei Zi last night — they may know something.”

The mood in Feihong Garden was one of panic. When Ming Huazhang and his companions arrived at the courtyard where the maidservants lodged, the servants inside screamed in fright and hastily slammed their doors. But Ming Huazhang was resolute. He stopped at one door, raised a knuckle and rapped against the door panel, saying, “I am Ming Huazhang of Zhenguo Duke’s household. I have a few questions to ask. Please open the door.”

Jiang Ling had followed along to watch the spectacle and added his voice: “Yes — it’s us, we’re not ghosts. It’s not like we’re going to eat you. Open up!”

When a young lord of Zhenguo Duke’s household and the heir of Marquis Jiang’an had come calling, the maidservants dared not give offense. A moment later, the door reluctantly opened a thin crack. “This servant respectfully greets the young lord and young miss.”

Behind the crack was a graceful maidservant. Her manner of greeting was poised and lovely, but her eyes remained fixed on the ground the entire time — she would not lift them even to look at the young man whose reputation as a jade beauty was known throughout Luoyang.

Ming Huashang found it faintly amusing. This was probably the first time a woman had given Ming Huazhang such a cold reception. Ming Huazhang himself appeared entirely unaffected by it, and asked calmly, “Did Wei Zi live here?”

At the name, the maidservant trembled even more. She pointed with a shaking finger in a certain direction. “Wei Zi was favored and did not share quarters with us. She has a room of her own.”

Ming Huashang followed the gesture and turned her head. Ahead, a room stood with its doors and windows tightly shut, and in broad daylight it gave off an eerie air. Ming Huazhang continued, “Has anyone touched her room?”

The maidservant shook her head vigorously. Now that Wei Zi had become a ghost, who would dare touch her things? Ming Huazhang asked, “Last night — you saw her return to her room?”

The maidservant nodded. “That’s right. Yesterday, after that… incident occurred, the Princess was distressed, and Wei Zi waited on her in attendance. She did not come back until the first quarter past the Hour of Pig. I saw Wei Zi go into her room with my own eyes — anyone else here can vouch for it.”

“After she went in, did she come out again?”

“No.” The maidservant kept her head bowed. “Wei Zi was proud and did not like to be spoken to. We all knew her temperament and dared not approach her uninvited. Last night she returned with a dark expression and did not come out after she went in. We did not dare ask, and kept our distance.”

Jiang Ling stood in the back and, in what he evidently believed was a quiet voice, said to Ming Huashang, “She went in and never came back out, yet this morning she was hanging in the grove. It must have been the ghost.”

Ren Yao brought up the rear. She had not wanted to come at all, but she was even more afraid of being left alone, so she had steeled herself and followed along. Hearing Jiang Ling’s words, she made no effort to hide her contempt and rolled her eyes enormously.

Jiang Ling sucked in a sharp breath and rolled up his sleeve, ready to pick a fight with Ren Yao. “What do you mean by that? I’ve been showing consideration for you as a woman — don’t be so ungrateful…”

“Enough. Speak less. Don’t interrupt.” Xie Jichuan, still wearing the smile of a refined young nobleman, stepped between them and caught Jiang Ling. For all that Xie Jichuan looked slender and scholarly, when he seized Jiang Ling — notorious for riding horses and raising leopards, known for growing tall without growing sense — he pulled him back with a single effortless hand.

Ming Huazhang paid no attention to the scuffle behind him. His expression was calm and intent, like freshly fallen snow, unmarred and clear. “After she went inside, did any of you hear anything out of the ordinary?”

The maidservant seemed puzzled. She thought for a moment and gave a small shake of her head. “There should have been… nothing. Last night was completely quiet. This morning at the fourth watch the mountain road was blocked, and we were roused to serve and pass along messages. We didn’t notice anything unusual.”

The maidservant never once dared raise her head, and her body trembled in fine, continuous shivers throughout her answers. Ming Huazhang could see that they believed utterly in the ghost, so he did not press them further. “Might I go and look inside Wei Zi’s room?”

The maidservant hesitated. Princess Taiping had expressly forbidden it — but the person standing before her was Ming Huazhang, and she dared not refuse. She could only say, “The young lord may look from the doorway. Beyond that, this servant has no authority. The Princess has given orders that no one is to speak of the deceased. Please do not put this servant in a difficult position.”

Ming Huazhang understood. Two maidservants of the Princess’s household had died in succession — one of them Taiping’s own close attendant. The Princess was certainly in a foul mood right now, and the last thing she wished to hear was anything related to death.

Ming Huazhang thanked her. Even addressing a maidservant, his bearing and expression were the same as when facing Princess Taiping or Prince Wei — measured and appropriate, making no distinction between high and low. He walked to Wei Zi’s door and pushed it gently open.

Ren Yao did not dare go near. Xie Jichuan had not moved either, so she took the opportunity to stop as well. She had absolutely no desire to know what lay inside — yet a certain brainless fool was giving a startled, running commentary of everything he saw. “Oh, completely clean. The bedding isn’t even folded. I knew it was the ghost — otherwise how could there be no sound at all!”

Ming Huashang poked her head out from beside Ming Huazhang and looked carefully into the room. It was true — the room was unsettlingly serene, with various small objects scattered casually about. Ming Huashang could easily imagine the owner setting them down without a second thought. There was no sign of a struggle or fight anywhere in the room. The bedding was turned back on one side, the other half trailing to the floor, as though the owner had risen hastily and would be back to sleep soon.

Had she not known in advance, Ming Huashang could not possibly have imagined this was a dead woman’s room. Everything looked so natural — as if Wei Zi were perfectly alive, had simply risen in the night, and had suddenly vanished.