The moment he heard that a client had arrived, Qing Xuzi’s expression brightened entirely. He raised his voice to instruct Fuyuan: “See him in properly — I’ll be right there.”
With that he drained the tea in his hand, stood up, straightened his Daoist robes, took the whisk that Qin Yao passed to him, cleared his throat, and reassumed the manner of a renowned Daoist master of the age. He lifted his feet and walked out.
Qin Yao and A’Han followed close behind.
The three of them arrived at the front reception hall to find a middle-aged man seated in the guest’s chair. He had the air of a scholar through and through — refined features, clean and presentable clothing — yet his complexion was deeply overcast, practically stamped with the word “ill-fated.” Two servants stood behind him; master and servants alike wore the identical look of hollow, listless exhaustion.
Hearing the sound of Qing Xuzi and the others entering, the man looked up. The sight of Qing Xuzi’s immortal Daoist bearing immediately dispelled much of the hesitation that had been in his eyes. He quickly rose. “I have long heard of the Daoist Master’s great renown. My name is Pei Lin. There are certain troubling matters in my household, and I have come to ask the Master to come to our home and drive out the evil.”
He then gestured for the servant behind him to present a calling card.
Fuyuan received it and passed it to Qing Xuzi.
Qing Xuzi first took his seat in the main chair, then opened the calling card. Qin Yao read over his shoulder and saw it read: Pei Hansheng, Secretary in the Ministry of Revenue. She gave a sudden start and immediately looked up at Pei Lin — he was Pei Min’s father.
“Master Pei.” Qing Xuzi folded the calling card shut, stroked his beard, and said in a cordial tone, “Would you be so good as to tell me in detail what has been happening in your household? Please, speak freely.”
Pei Lin glanced at the small Daoist acolyte standing behind Qing Xuzi who kept staring up and down at him with frank curiosity. He felt faintly puzzled but, after a moment’s hesitation, decided not to think too much of it. He spoke in a grave tone: “Master, to tell you plainly, I have never in my life placed any stock in talk of spirits and strange occurrences. But ten days ago, a number of peculiar things began happening in my household—”
Qing Xuzi nodded encouragingly. “Please, go on.”
Pei Lin recalled the strange events of recent days, and a trace of fright crossed his face. He swallowed and continued: “It started with my wife. At night she would have terrible nightmares, saying she kept seeing ghosts wandering about the house, which made her so uneasy every evening that she could not bear to sleep. I suspected she was suffering a relapse of an old illness, that her constitution was ailing, and so I called in a physician to prescribe some remedies. She took several doses, but to no effect. That alone would have been one thing — but then these past two nights, not only my wife but I myself and several of the household servants have also begun having nightmares. That was when I knew my wife had been telling the truth all along.”
Qing Xuzi frowned. “Nightmares? What sort of nightmares?”
Pei Lin’s complexion went even more ashen at the question. Though it was the height of summer heat, it was as if he stood in the depths of midwinter, with wave after wave of chills running through him; his forehead was beaded with large drops of sweat. “Every one of us has had the exact same dream: a ghost wandering in all directions through the garden of our home. It moves in a bouncing, lurching gait, arms extended stiffly in front of it, fingernails an inch in length, sharp as blades — a dreadful sight.”
“What?” Qing Xuzi’s face showed unconcealed astonishment, and Qin Yao involuntarily let out a low gasp.
A jiangshi!
Pei Lin, seeing the reaction from master and disciple, felt confusion creep into his already frightened expression. “What is it?”
“Nothing — please continue,” Qing Xuzi said, already back to his normal composure, projecting the unruffled manner of a Daoist master who takes all things in stride.
Pei Lin nodded, drew a spotlessly white handkerchief from his sleeve to blot the cold sweat from his face, and went on: “If only my wife had been having nightmares, it might still have been written off as coincidence or an individual matter. But how could the entire household have the very same dream? And the ghost in the dream appeared particularly frenzied and disturbed, clawing and scratching at things everywhere — sometimes the perimeter wall in the outer courtyard, sometimes the flowering trees in the garden — first the outer courtyard, then the garden. At this rate, within a few more days it will break through into our chambers to do us harm. These past several days our entire household has been in a state of terror. My wife is especially distraught. She fears for our daughter, who has just returned from the Academy and is still young — she is terrified the child will also be tormented by this malevolent ghost. She urged me to inquire after your name and come to you for help without delay. Master, your cultivation is profound — please do not put this off any longer and come to our home at once to drive out this evil.”
Qing Xuzi had felt a surge of eagerness the moment Pei Lin began describing the ghost’s form, and now he did not hesitate for a moment. He said only, “This poor Daoist will naturally accompany you. There is, however, one matter I have not yet made clear: you said the disturbances in your home began ten days ago. I must ask — in the ten days before that, did you or your wife encounter any strangers, or visit any out-of-the-way places? The outskirts of the capital, for instance?”
Pei Lin thought for a moment, then shook his head decisively. “We did not.”
“And in recent days, has any stranger come to your home?”
“Our household receives mostly colleagues of similar rank. We have held no banquets of late, so no outsiders have come…” Pei Lin pondered. “Only — my eldest son returned home ten days ago and brought a few of his subordinate soldiers to sit for a short while, after which those young men left. They did not stay long.”
Qing Xuzi lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, then rose and said to A’Han and Qin Yao, “Prepare everything — we will go to the Pei household directly.”
Qin Yao quickly nodded and darted to the rear courtyard to get everything ready. She was deeply uneasy — she had had no idea that so many strange things had been happening in Pei Min’s home. No wonder there had been no word from her these past two days. And based on Pei Lin’s description, the creature in the dreams sounded very much like a jiangshi. In the space of just a few days — first Five Bull Mountain, then the Jade Spring, now the Pei household. She couldn’t help wondering whether the creature tormenting all three places was the same one.
She readied everything quickly, said a word to the steward Lu Da, and then climbed into the carriage with her master and A’Han, following the Pei household’s carriage.
Coming out of the palace, Lin Xiao was in a light and easy mood, both in body and mind. He had already handed off several matters under his charge in preparation for using the Flower Goddess Festival as an occasion to invite Qin Yao out — he had these two rest days free and could take his time making arrangements.
That day, though Yuan Jue had been summoned up the mountain, when Yuan Jue looked all around the area he found no sign of any wicked creature’s activity. And because Lin Xiao had been occupied with escorting the Emperor and the others back to the capital, there had been no opportunity to tell Yuan Jue in detail what Qin Yao had seen of the Jade Spring creature.
In the end, Yuan Jue had no choice but to spread a wide net of formations around the Jade Spring and wait. If the creature returned, once it fell into his formations it would inevitably be destroyed.
Having made these arrangements, Yuan Jue left several disciples behind to watch for any anomalies and descended the mountain.
When the Emperor learned of this, he simply said that for the time being he would not go to the Jade Spring Mountain for his summer retreat; they would wait until Yuan Jue and the others captured the creature before considering further plans.
That said, the Emperor thought of how Lin Xiao had gone almost an entire night without sleep in order to guard Kangping, and felt a genuine pang of guilt. He called Lin Xiao before him, offered many earnest and affectionate words, and then told him to go home and rest properly.
Lin Xiao rode out of the palace on horseback, thinking of how the next day he would at last be able to invite Qin Yao out, and a faint smile came to his face despite himself. Beside him, Jiang Sanlang noticed and could not resist shaking his head. “Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were getting married tomorrow — look at that insufferably pleased expression.”
“Get lost,” Lin Xiao replied with characteristic economy.
“Tomorrow is the Flower Goddess Festival — every unmarried young lady in the capital will be out watching the festivities, and Miss Qu will naturally be among them. Look at the way you’re already drunk without having touched a drop. Don’t tell me you’ve arranged to meet a certain young lady?” The less Lin Xiao would say, the more relentlessly Jiang Sanlang pressed him, determined to get the full story.
Lin Xiao said nothing.
Jiang Sanlang read his silence and broke into a laugh. “You won’t be straight with me even now. Fine. I’d been thinking: Miss Qu is a wonderful person, but her family standing is somewhat modest — I wasn’t sure your uncle and imperial uncle would agree to the match. But you’ve quietly arranged to get her into the Academy without a word, and with that determined look of yours, I’d say you’re planning to engineer a marriage decree by next year?”
Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow — neither confirming nor denying.
Chang Rong gave a quiet sigh behind them. In the whole of the capital, the only person who could get the Young Lord to let down his guard and be truly at ease was Jiang Sanlang alone.
“Wonderful, nothing could be better,” Jiang Sanlang laughed heartily and clapped Lin Xiao on the shoulder. “If that’s how it is, I’ll be waiting to drink the wedding wine! As for you — you’re acceptable-looking at best. Miss Qu is far more impressive — talent and beauty both. The two of you are perfectly matched, a truly heaven-made pair.”
He laughed loudly, but at the corner of his eyes and brows there lingered a faint shadow, as though something unpleasant had come to mind, and the laughter lost the bright, unguarded warmth it once had.
Lin Xiao noticed. He gave a quiet sigh to himself and said evenly, “The two of us haven’t had a proper gathering in some time. Since neither of us has duties on our hands right now, why don’t we go to Shanshui Tower for a drink?”
Jiang Sanlang started, then smiled. “Let’s go. Today you have cause for celebration — you’re buying.” He gave his horse a slap and rode ahead.