Qin Yao was not surprised to see Xia Di here. Today was the birthday of the Jinghai Marquis’s only daughter, and he had surely invited many noble and aristocratic families to the banquet. The Wei Duke’s estate was now extraordinarily influential — there was no reason they would not be on the guest list.

Seeing Xia Di dismount and walk toward her with a smile, Qin Yao decided to ignore him entirely. She grabbed Feng Chuyue and made straight for the entrance.

But the moment she took a single step, Feng Chuyue tugged at her sleeve, her face flushing slightly. “A’Yao, this young gentleman is speaking to you.”

At that, Qin Yao’s patience finally broke. She turned and glared at Feng Chuyue. “Feng Chuyue, don’t forget that we came today for the banquet. It’s already getting late — if we keep dawdling here instead of going in, are we waiting for people to say we have no manners?”

“Oh?” Xia Di had by now reached Qin Yao’s side. Hearing this, he raised a brow and smiled. “Miss Qu’s temper is still as fiery as ever. We’re acquaintances, after all — can’t you even greet me when we meet?”

Qin Yao released Feng Chuyue’s hand, gave Xia Di a clean and decisive bow, and tugged the corners of her mouth into a smile. “Greeting done. Farewell!”

Seeing Qin Yao turn to leave, Xia Di quickly stretched out an arm to block her path. “What kind of greeting is that? At least say a word or two before you go.”

The few dissolute young men behind him saw this and couldn’t help laughing and egging him on. “Xia Er, don’t be too eager — careful you startle this young lady.” As they spoke, their gazes swept over Qin Yao brazenly, filled with impudent and flippant intent.

Yet Xia Di had the sort of temperament that permitted himself liberties he would not tolerate from others. He could tease Qin Yao himself, but he would not allow others to be insolent. He turned and swept a cold glance over the men behind him. Only when they all had the good sense to shut their mouths did he turn back and address Qin Yao with a serious expression. “Regarding the incident at Dayin Temple last time — I owe you a great debt of gratitude for saving me. I intended to call upon you in person to express my thanks, but later I heard my sister say she planned to visit you at the Qu residence together with Kang Ping, so I did not wish to overstep. Has Miss Qu’s injury healed?”

Qin Yao had been quietly forming a hand seal in secret, preparing to teach Xia Di a lesson — but at his words, her movements paused. When had Xia Yan and Kang Ping ever visited her? How was it she knew nothing of it?

Thinking it over, if Xia Yan and Kang Ping had truly intended to express their gratitude, they would not have come quietly without a word. In all likelihood, they had never intended to visit her at all — yet they wanted to make a show of it in front of others.

She laughed coldly to herself. Those two royal princesses could put on whatever airs they liked. She had no interest in being used as their target, in accepting a favor that did not exist. So she deliberately put on an expression of pure bewilderment and said, “Yi Su Commandery Princess and Princess Kang Ping came to visit me?”

Though Xia Di was a dissolute young man, he was also extremely sharp. With just that one sentence, he immediately realized the two accounts did not match. He thought briefly, then moved to smooth things over for his sister and Kang Ping.

But Qin Yao had no more interest in listening to his excuses. She took hold of the still-dazed Feng Chuyue and walked past Xia Di straight into the manor.

Feng Chuyue had been left standing there awkwardly for a good while, and had long wanted to get a word in — but Xia Di had not so much as glanced at her, so there was no room for her to speak. Now she watched Qin Yao drag her away without even letting Xia Di finish his sentence, and felt a start of alarm inwardly, thinking Qin Yao had no sense of tact.

Who was Xia Di? The eldest legitimate grandson of Wei Duke, the founding war hero; the second son of Princess De Rong — a true scion of the imperial bloodline through and through. Though he had later followed his parents into exile in Shu, it had not diminished in the slightest the way people fawned over him and raised him up like the moon surrounded by stars.

It had always been him making others lose face. No one had ever dared give him a cold reception.

Now, seeing Qin Yao clearly refuse to give him any regard, he inevitably found his pride stinging. Though he knew he was being a little reckless, he still could not help wanting to stop her and tease her a little more.

He was just about to speak when from the corner of his eye he glimpsed something cutting through the air at great speed, aimed squarely at his shoulder. He tensed, quickly gathered his energy and leapt back, evading the attack.

There came a sharp crack — something grazed the hem of his robe and struck the stone block beneath the eave, then rolled and tumbled down the steps, rolling a good distance before coming to rest. When everyone looked closely, it turned out to be a small stone.

Qin Yao and Xia Di both froze, then simultaneously turned their heads toward the direction the stone had come from — and saw the branches of a large tree by the road rustling faintly, a shadow seeming to flash past.

The others didn’t know what had happened and urgently asked Xia Di. Xia Di’s face darkened as he stared at the tree and ordered his attendants: “The person has run that way — go after them. Search thoroughly and don’t miss anything.”

Qin Yao had no interest in whoever had attempted to strike Xia Di. Seeing his attention finally diverted, she quickly pulled Feng Chuyue and made her way into the Qin manor.

Chang Rong and Wei Bo sprinted to a different alley, cast wary glances in every direction, then swaggered down from the wall and made their way back around to the Jinghai Marquis’s estate.

As Chang Rong walked, he thought to himself — no wonder the Young Lord had, out of the blue, sent them to protect the little Daoist girl, instructing them that no matter who was making trouble for her, they were to act without hesitation, with no need to hold back. It turned out the Young Lord had been guarding against Second Young Master Xia all along.

——————————————————————————

The moment Qin Yao and Feng Chuyue entered the flower hall, Qin Yuan rose from the host’s seat and came toward them.

“A’Yao.” Her face red with delight, she took Qin Yao’s hands. “You’re the guest of honor today — everyone has been waiting for you.”

Qin Yao smiled and presented the birthday gift she had brought. “A humble birthday gift — please don’t think it too plain.”

She then introduced Feng Chuyue to Qin Yuan: “She’s the younger sister of my brother’s classmate, just arrived in Chang’an from Yuanzhou. Today I thought your manor would surely have wonderful food and entertainment, so I shamelessly brought her along to join in the fun.”

Qin Yuan had already met Feng Chuyue once at the Piaoxiang Tower. Though she had made quite an impression by paying respects to her father without being formally introduced, Qin Yuan was by nature generous and gentle, and did not let that give rise to any prejudice. She smiled and nodded at Feng Chuyue. “Welcome, Miss Feng. Feel free to eat and enjoy whatever you like later — no need to stand on ceremony.”

Feng Chuyue was so delighted she hardly knew what to do with herself. She paid her respects to Qin Yuan and followed Qin Yao to a seat along the side of the hall.

Qin Yao took a careful look around the hall’s guests and realized that most of those present were fellow classmates from the academy she had seen at the night banquet at the Wei Duke’s estate. Wang Yingning and Chen Yuqi were also conspicuously present.

The two of them reacted very differently at the sight of Qin Yao and Feng Chuyue.

Wang Yingning smiled faintly, winked at Qin Yao with an easy familiarity, and gave Feng Chuyue a smiling nod.

Chen Yuqi, on the other hand, gave Feng Chuyue a contemptuous look up and down, curled her lip, and turned her head away to whisper with the person beside her — from beginning to end, she never looked at Qin Yao.

Qin Yao felt even acknowledging her would be an effort wasted. She simply flashed Wang Yingning a playful, toothy grin by way of greeting.

On the seat of honor at the other side of the hall sat Xia Yan. She was dressed today in a pink top and a moon-white pleated skirt, a row of gleaming pearls the size of thumbs across her head — regal but not ostentatious. She sat quietly in her chair, a picture of elegant refinement and impeccable grace.

Qin Yao had just taken the tea offered by a servant when she caught from the corner of her eye what seemed to be Xia Yan looking at her. She turned her head — and met Xia Yan’s deep, well-like gaze.

But in the blink of an eye, a warm and amiable smile spread across Xia Yan’s face. She rose on her own initiative and walked over to Qin Yao, speaking earnestly in a low voice. “A’Yao, I truly must thank you for what happened last time. I had wanted to come in person to express my gratitude, but I’ve been ill and confined to the house these past days. I’ll come to call on you in a couple of days — I absolutely must properly show my appreciation then.”

Qin Yao rose and returned the courtesy, then smiled lightly. “What happened that day was nothing at all. You need not keep it in mind, Commandery Princess. Has your health improved?”

They exchanged a few pleasantries and each returned to their seats.

Of all the guests in the hall, everyone save Wang Yingning and Qin Yuan more or less ignored Feng Chuyue — deliberately or otherwise.

But Feng Chuyue did not seem to mind. She looked around with open curiosity at everyone’s hairpins and clothing, a faint gleam of envy in her eyes.

Qin Yuan at this point rose to attend to her guests, offering tea and suggesting they play some guessing games or riddles while waiting for the meal to begin.

Her bearing and manner were visibly more confident than before, yet her social graces still fell short of those of Xia Yan and Wang Yingning. After just a few exchanges, she couldn’t help the color rising in her cheeks.

Before long, a servant announced from the doorway: “The Marquis has arrived.”

The young women stopped their chatting and all turned to look at the entrance.

Qin Cheng strode in wearing a sapphire-blue long brocade robe, a jade belt at his waist, moving with the power and ease of a dragon.

Feng Chuyue’s face flushed, and she couldn’t help stealing glances at Qin Cheng. But Qin Cheng walked directly to Qin Yuan’s side, said something to her in a low voice, then turned and smiled at the assembled guests. “Thank you all for gracing A’Yuan’s birthday banquet today. A’Yuan has a shy and retiring nature and is not very good with words — if she has failed to attend to you in any way, I ask your kind understanding.”

The guests all rose and offered their thanks for the warm reception from father and daughter.

Qin Cheng showed a look of gratified pleasure, and then had a servant beside him bring out a black sandalwood jewelry box, which he presented to Qin Yuan. “Yesterday Father was occupied with official affairs and returned home quite late, and didn’t have time to give you this birthday gift. Open it and have a look — do you like it?”

Qin Yuan’s eyes curved into crescents with her smile. She happily took the box and, under the admiring gazes of everyone present, lifted the lid.

Inside lay a string of deep red, translucent red coral necklace beads. Every single coral bead had been carved into the shape of a magnolia blossom, its petals layered one upon another, unfurling slowly, blooming before everyone’s eyes.

It was remarkably distinctive and exquisite. The guests all exclaimed in admiration, and Feng Chuyue in particular looked as though she had caught an illness of envy, wishing she could fix her very eyeballs to those coral beads.

Qin Yao, however, recognized at a glance that this strand of beads was the very same one she had seen the previous day at Runyu Pavilion. She was stunned for quite a while before she slowly raised her eyes to look at the Jinghai Marquis.

How could there be such a coincidence — the Jinghai Marquis was actually the “regular patron” the shop owner at Runyu Pavilion had mentioned yesterday?

Seeming to sense Qin Yao’s gaze, the Jinghai Marquis turned and gave her a slight nod. Qin Yao quickly straightened up and smiled back in return.

After a moment, she let the matter go with a measure of calm. Even if the jewelry shop the Jinghai Marquis and the dancer Rou Qing frequented turned out to be the same one, what did it prove? Runyu Pavilion may not have had the same resounding name as Zhaixin Tower, but the craftsmanship of its pieces was exceptional. If it could attract the Marquis, it could naturally attract other powerful families of Chang’an.

Though she reasoned thus, Qin Yao had already grown suspicious. After the midday meal, she made the excuse of wanting to tour the gardens, quietly tucked a Finger-Yin talisman into her palm, and began to survey the manor inconspicuously.

But even after wandering through every corner of the garden — and even accepting Qin Yuan’s invitation to tour her private chamber — the Finger-Yin talisman in her palm gave not the slightest reaction.

She couldn’t help regretting that she hadn’t brought the compass her Master had given her.

That day at Qingyun Temple, after the three of them — Master and disciples — had settled on a plan to deal with the malevolent entity, Master had retrieved two compasses from the storeroom and given one each to her and her senior brother. These compasses were unlike ordinary ones. No bigger than a palm, they were made with extraordinary precision and delicacy — small enough to be concealed on one’s person without attracting notice.

After giving them the compasses, Master had instructed them to take turns, from that very day, patrolling the area around Pingkang Ward with the compasses in hand. The malevolent spirit’s evil energy pierced the heavens, he said — without a special method, it could not easily be concealed. If it appeared within the compass’s range, the compass would give a sign. He also told her and A’Han that while these compasses were not as powerful as the Wuya Mirror, they were far more convenient to use. Without needing to cast a spell, they could sense demonic energy within thirty feet, making them exceptionally responsive.

Unfortunately, when she had set out for the banquet, Qin Yao hadn’t thought to bring the compass along. For now, she could only make do with the Finger-Yin talisman.

——————————————————————————————

She lingered in the Jinghai Marquis’s manor until dusk, gained nothing of consequence, and had no choice but to take her leave.

At the gate, Qin Yao was startled to discover that Feng Chuyue had not come out with her. She asked Wang Yingning and the others on both sides — none of them knew where Feng Chuyue had gone.

Alarmed, Qin Yao was about to go back inside to search for her when Feng Chuyue came hurrying out with a servant, saying only that she had gone looking for a place to relieve herself in the garden and had nearly gotten lost.

Qin Yao had spent the entire afternoon quietly probing the manor’s situation and had paid no attention to Feng Chuyue’s whereabouts. Now, seeing that Feng Chuyue’s cheeks were rosy, her lips a vivid red, and her eyes bright and glittering, Qin Yao found it somewhat strange and couldn’t help looking at her an extra moment.

On the way back, Qin Yao asked Feng Chuyue, “A’Yue, where did you go just now?”

Feng Chuyue’s gaze flickered slightly. She smiled and said, “I was walking around the garden with everyone admiring the scenery. But later I noticed you kept going off by yourself in a daze — when I tried to talk to you, you didn’t respond, so I had to go off on my own. Who knew the Marquis’s garden would be so enormous? I wandered and wandered and got lost. Lucky for me I ran into several of the manor’s servants — otherwise I’d probably still be wandering around in there.”

Qin Yao felt her heart thud. She looked at Feng Chuyue with a deep, heavy gaze. “A’Yue, you’re new to Chang’an. You don’t know that many places here look prosperous and wealthy on the surface, but are in fact the best at concealing filth beneath a fair exterior — nothing like as bright and clean as they appear. When you go out day to day, you must be careful to always keep your guard up, and not be quick to trust people.”

Feng Chuyue was first taken aback, then laughed. “A’Yao, you’re so young — how do you talk like an old fogey even older than my brother?”

As she spoke, she made to playfully tweak Qin Yao’s cheek. Before she could get close, Qin Yao caught her wrist in a reverse grip and said seriously, “A’Yue, do you know that in Chang’an these past days, there have been several horrifying cases? The victims had their throats gouged out, or their eyes gouged out — and every one of them was a young woman close to our own age. Terrifying.”

Feng Chuyue’s expression changed abruptly. She clapped her sleeve over her mouth in alarm and said in horror, “Their throats and eyes… gouged out?”

Qin Yao nodded. “Isn’t it utterly depraved? I heard that the person behind it all is likely someone of wealth and power, who takes pleasure in torturing and killing young women. Those women, for reasons unknown, seem to have been enticed into willingly laying down their lives.”

At this, Feng Chuyue fell into thoughtful silence for a moment, then forced a smile. “Who would ever willingly go to their death? Something like this is most likely just a rumor blown out of proportion — not to be trusted. But still, you’re not wrong. If Chang’an has been unsettled of late, the best thing is for us to go out less, so we don’t get hurt by anyone dangerous.”

Qin Yao did not let the matter rest at that. She continued to look steadily at Feng Chuyue. “A’Yue, I think that before the culprit in these cases is caught, we should not go out at night and should not be quick to trust anyone. If you’re uncertain about something, ask your elder brother for advice — only do it if he agrees.”

Feng Chuyue looked increasingly puzzled. “You make it sound as if someone truly is out to get me. But don’t worry — I value my life most of all. You say not to go out, so I won’t go out.”

Qin Yao felt her heart settle a little.

The carriage arrived at the Qu estate. Lu Da was about to stop the carriage when Qin Yao told him to keep driving — she would personally send Feng Chuyue home.

When they arrived at the Feng residence, Qin Yao wanted to say a few more words to Feng Boyu — only to find, upon entering, that Feng Boyu was still occupied at the court office and had not yet returned home. Qin Yao thought for a moment, then went to the study, picked up a brush, and wrote a letter. It was packed full of instructions, urging and exhorting in every possible way, and she entrusted Feng Chuyue with delivering it to Feng Boyu without fail. Only then did she let the matter rest.

————————————————————

Qing Xuzi and his disciples had already been searching the streets of Chang’an for several nights.

Night after night, Pingkang Ward had been entirely calm.

The Jinghai Marquis’s estate had also shown none of the unusual activity Qin Yao had anticipated. Every night when the watch reached the hai hour, the entire manor would go dark and retire to sleep, keeping stricter hours than any other noble household.

Qin Yao gradually began to wonder whether she had suspected the wrong person. Perhaps the Jinghai Marquis really had only happened by chance to purchase a strand of jewelry at Runyu Pavilion that day, and had no connection whatsoever to the deaths of those women as she had imagined.

The three of them had also not kept to the rotation they had originally planned, with each taking a turn patrolling through the night. Qing Xuzi was, after all, getting on in years — after standing watch for a full night, his color would be quite poor. Qin Yao couldn’t bear to watch, so she firmly pressed him to return to Qingyun Temple to rest, telling her Master that from here on, his share would be divided between herself and A’Han.

As for A’Han, he remained troubled by the female ghost that had harassed Qin Yao in the days before, afraid she might come again to ambush her. Even on nights when it was his turn to rest, he would still accompany Qin Yao on her patrols.

Neither of them was made of iron. Patrolling the streets whole nights like this, A’Han was gradually showing signs of exhaustion. On this particular night, Qin Yao saw A’Han was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. With much coaxing, she persuaded him to stay behind at the Qu estate to rest. Before she left, she made an agreement with him: if anything went wrong, she would send up a signal flare.

And so, with the signal flare and compass tucked into her bosom, the Soul-Devouring Bell hanging at her throat, Qin Yao set out from the Qu estate. She walked along the length of Hanochun Lane where the Qu estate was situated, then headed straight for Pingkang Ward.

The night was deep and spread wide, with few pedestrians, and an exceptional loneliness.

Though Qin Yao did her best to keep to dark and inconspicuous paths, she was still spotted by a night patrol officer. The officer’s lead man called out for her to stop and demanded to know why a little Daoist was wandering the streets in the middle of the night.

Qin Yao had no choice but to produce the token Lin Xiao had given her, saying only that she was performing an exorcism for a certain distinguished personage, and that as it concerned the person’s private affairs, she could not elaborate.

The lead patrol officer saw the token and, without another word, obediently let her pass. On the several further occasions he encountered her in the street that night, he acted as though he hadn’t seen her at all, letting Qin Yao go about her business freely.

Qin Yao couldn’t help marveling that the token bearing the Lin surname was truly remarkably effective — saving her no small amount of trouble.

She patrolled a circuit through Pingkang Ward. The compass showed no activity. The occasional wandering lonely ghost that drifted by posed no real threat to passersby, and Qin Yao didn’t bother expending the effort to deal with them.

When she reached Shuangyan Lane where the Jinghai Marquis’s manor stood, Qin Yao lightly leapt up and began to move swiftly along the eaves of the buildings by the road, planning to complete the fastest possible survey of the area around the manor and then return to Pingkang Ward.

She was halfway through when, from the roof tiles behind her, there came a faint sound. In the absolute stillness of this hour, that sound was piercingly distinct to her ears.

Qin Yao tensed, swiftly spun around — but saw only moonlight bright and clear, the ground ahead a pale expanse of frost-white, with nothing whatsoever out of the ordinary.

Qin Yao peered suspiciously around on tiptoe, hesitated briefly, then turned back the way she had been going and continued moving swiftly along the eaves just as before.

Chang Rong and Wei Bo were crouched at the corner of the street, not even daring to breathe. The Young Lord had said the little Daoist girl was sharp-eyed and quick — those words proved entirely true, not one bit off. One careless moment and she would discover them.

They had no idea why, these past nights, she insisted on coming out every other night to patrol the streets. She didn’t look like she was exorcising demons — she looked more like she was searching for someone, tirelessly making her way back and forth through Pingkang Ward night after night without showing a trace of fatigue, which meant they had no choice but to follow behind her just as carefully, not daring to relax for an instant.

They, at least, could manage — they rotated shifts, so they could always find a way to rest. But the little Daoist girl patrolled so frequently. One had to wonder whether her body could hold up.

It was a pity that in these days, the Young Lord not only had to investigate the matter of Dayin Temple but also had to drill the Imperial Guard day and night in preparation for the autumn hunt. Every time they went to the palace to find him, nine times in ten they couldn’t get near him, and there was simply no way to report to him on the little Daoist girl’s condition.

“I wonder when these days will ever come to an end,” Wei Bo couldn’t help muttering, leaning back against the wall with a long sigh.

Chang Rong sat down beside him as well and shook his head with a wry smile. It was the first time he’d found himself thinking that if the little Daoist girl could just hurry up and marry the Young Lord, it wouldn’t be the worst outcome. It would at least save them from having to worry about both the Young Lord’s safety and the little Daoist girl’s safety at the same time, rushing back and forth until they were utterly worn out.

Besides, from his observations these past days, the little Daoist girl’s character was truly beyond fault — capable and decisive, not the least bit pretentious. Except that her family background was not particularly prominent, there was really nothing about her unworthy of the Young Lord. He just wondered what method the Young Lord planned to use to marry her.

While he was still mulling this over, Wei Bo suddenly yanked at his sleeve and lowered his voice. “Where’s Miss Qu? How did she just vanish in the blink of an eye?”

Chang Rong jolted upright and looked to the rooftops — and indeed Qin Yao was nowhere to be seen.

He quickly drew on his energy and leapt with Wei Bo along the eaves, chasing far ahead — only to find nothing but dead silence all around, the broad moonlit lane completely empty of people. The little Daoist girl had, just like that, vanished right before their eyes into thin air.