Translator: Henyee Translations
Editor: Henyee Translations
“What were you thinking?” After they were shown into their rooms, Liusu asked Qin Yi in disbelief. “Since when were you interested in investigating cases?”
Qin Yi was leaning against the window sill and sipping his wine when he said, “You have it completely wrong. Both of the Li siblings wanted to check this place out, so how could I say no? Our partnership hasn’t officially started yet, and this really isn’t the right time to fight over such trifles.”
Liusu was rendered speechless and found itself agreeing with Qin Yi. It hadn’t dealt with human beings for so many years that it had forgotten some of the basic rules.
“What really intrigued me is why Li Qinglin wanted to come here, because it’s very unlike him to care about such things.” Qin Yi watched the night sky outside and was lost in his thoughts. “If I were him, I would want to go back to the capital city as soon as possible after I found the alchemist I was looking for. Why would he let me ride that old horse and travel at my own pace? He didn’t even pressure me. And now, he’s gotten himself involved in this.”
Liusu said, “He probably just didn’t want to offend you, since you’re such an odd case. Li Qinglin is a very level-headed person, unlike that naive sister of his.”
“Maybe.” Qin Yi smiled. “Anyway, I think we can sit by and watch this time. That lady was eating Li Qinglin up with her eyes.”
Liusu chuckled as well. Li Qinglin was a handsome young man and was obviously from a rich family. It was only normal that a young woman found him attractive.
“Hey, clubbie, do you think that lady could be the one who killed her husband to inherit all his money?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like I can read minds.”
“Do you sense any demonic energy in the manor, then?”
Liusu said lazily, “I told you already when we ran into that demon spider. I’m so weak at the moment that I barely can keep myself together. Seeing things and speaking to you is the best I can do. If you want me to sense any demonic energy, you’re asking too much.”
“How can you teach me cultivation if you can’t even sense demonic energy?”
Liusu ground its teeth. “I know how to do it! I’m just too weak!”
“What are some other methods I can use to tell humans from demons?”
Liusu said matter-of-factly, “I have a thousand ways to do it if you’re willing to learn how to cultivate from me. But now, you’re on your own!”
Qin Yi was about to reply when he heard footsteps outside, and he immediately stopped talking.
There was a tap on the door, and Qin Yi opened it to find Li Qingjun outside.
“I want to talk to you about our investigation tonight.” Li Qingjun looked excited. She was obviously very interested.
Qin Yi sighed in resignation. “Your brother is the capable one here. Why are you here instead of talking to him?”
Li Qingjun looked around and lowered her voice. “Let me in first.”
Qin Yi moved aside and Li Qingjun quickly entered the room, shutting the door behind her.
“We’re not sure who’s behind all this yet. It could be human beings, ghosts, or demons. My brother can handle human culprits, but we’ll need your input if demons or ghosts are involved.” After some pause, Li Qingjun said in resignation, “Plus, my brother might not be able to come with us tonight.”
Qin Yi grinned. “Is it because Mrs. Zhang may visit him?”
“Yes. That’s why he might learn something if he stays in tonight. The two of us are going to run the investigation tonight.”
“Am I hearing things wrong, or are you supportive of your brother’s love affair?”
“Why shouldn’t I be?” Li Qingjun gave him a bewildered glance. “My brother is a prince with a lot of royal concubines in his palace. What’s wrong with a small love affair? If this woman really has nothing to do with the case, he can always take her back and make her his woman. But she seems very frivolous to me, and I don’t think my brother will like her.”
Her matter-of-fact tone amazed Qin Yi. Apparently in these ancient times, women found polygamy the natural state of marriage, which would make this place a paradise for some men.
At that thought, Qin Yi’s smile became a little ambiguous, and Li Qingjun snorted. “Men are always men.”
“Hey, isn’t that a double standard? Your brother gets to bring home a woman he likes, yet I’m being criticized over a smile?”
“That’s because your smile is so gross.”
“Mind your own smile. Your brother is the one having an affair, not me. Aren’t you worried that he’ll be infatuated by that woman?”
“That’s never going to happen,” Li Qingjun said casually. “Because he’s Li Qinglin.”
Qin Yi nodded. Although he hadn’t known the siblings for long, he had confidence in Li Qinglin as well.
Li Qingjun asked in a seemingly casual tone again, “You seem to be the type who’s not interested in worldly affairs, so why are you getting involved this time?”
Qin Yi said, “Traveling the world and helping others in the face of injustice is my dream as well.”
Liusu wanted to hit him in the head with the spiked club. “That wasn’t what you said a minute ago!”
Li Qingjun didn’t react to that claim and only smiled. “Any suggestion in regards to our investigation tonight?”
After some thought, Qin Yi said, “I think we need to examine the dead body of the master of this manor. He hasn’t been dead for more than seven days, has he? His body should still be in the mourning hall.”
Li Qingjun nodded. Examining the body would be the most direct method. The man was said to have died under unusual circumstances, so they should be able to find some evidence that way.
Thanks to the moonless night, the two of them were able to make it to the mourning hall unnoticed. Candles were still burning in the hall, and several people were keeping vigil beside the coffin. One of them had dressed up as a mourning son, but with his bluish face and bloodless lips, he looked rather emaciated. The young master of the manor was about the same age as that Mrs. Zhang, which indicated that she wasn’t the dead master’s first wife.
The young master was talking to some family retainers about the upcoming harvest. Qin Yi and Li Qingjun listened for a while outside the window, but they didn’t pick up anything useful. Li Qingjun then whispered in Qin Yi’s ear, “Hey, do you know any tricks that can make them go to sleep?”
Her breath made Qin Yi’s ear tickle. Smelling her pleasant scent, he was dumbfounded and forgot what he was about to say. Li Qingjun also realized how close they were to each other and blushed, but she quickly recollected herself and prompted him. “Oh, man up! Just tell me if you can make it happen or not!”
“Yes.” Qin Yi took out a little bag of powder. “Blow this powder into the hall, and they’ll drift off after they smell it.”
He had made numerous basic medicines in the past two months just to gain some experience with making elixirs, and he had taken quite a few with him. As it turned out, they were going to come in handy. Li Qingjun moved away from him and looked at him contemptuously. “No, why would you make a powder like that?”
Qin Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. “You need my medicine, but you despise me for having it. Do you not see how ridiculous that is?”
Li Qingjun snorted, snatched the powder from his hands, and prepared to blow it into the room.
The conversation inside just happened to finish at that moment, and the family bid the young master farewell. Li Qingjun was baffled, because she had assumed that those men would be staying with their young master for the vigil.
She was still thinking when she saw the way the young master stood alone in the mourning hall. A candle flame flickered in the night wind, giving his pale face a ghost-like quality, which sent a chill running down her spine.
After standing there in silence for a moment, the young master suddenly spoke. “Why did you let those three guests stay?”
There was no one else in the hall, and his voice sounded eerie in the silent night.
Another person wearing a mourning dress slowly walked in and said softly, “That young man has some internal energy that’s very important to me. Maybe I don’t need other men anymore. I thought you didn’t like to see me with other people…”
The young master sounded displeased but helpless. “Be careful what you wish for. Judging by the way he dresses, he has to be from a rich or influential family. You may bring us a lot of trouble.”
“As long as we keep it a secret, nothing will go wrong.” Mrs. Zhang caressed the young master’s chest with her fair hand and said softly, “Don’t worry about the ghost-hunter reward. There are no real cultivators. We’ve seen nothing but swindlers…”
The young master snorted. “Are those three people swindlers as well?”
“Not really…” Mrs. Zhang hesitated. “One of them is a girl, and the two men are both very clear-minded. That young Mr. Li is from a rich family and should be accustomed to seeing beautiful women. However, that young Mr. Qin is very composed, despite his coarse clothes. None of them are commoners…”
Qin Yi was a little baffled. As it turned out, acting normal could also give oneself up. He took a mental note of that.
The young master asked, “So, are you not afraid that they’re actually here to catch ghosts?”
Mrs. Zhang shook her head. “I didn’t sense any cultivation abilities. All they had was the internal energy of martial arts practitioners. Even if they’re here to hunt ghosts, I can still handle them.”
“Just admit it. You like that young Mr. Li!” The young master threw her hand off and turned to leave.
Despite his apparent anger, he still gave his tacit consent for Mrs. Zhang to seduce Li Qinglin. Mrs. Zhang stood there for a while, smiled, and left the hall as well.
Qin Yi and Li Qingjun exchanged awkward looks. All of a sudden, no one was left keeping vigil.
“Let’s go. We don’t need the sleeping powder anymore.” Once those two were gone and Li Qingjun made sure that no one else was coming in, she jumped in through the window, thinking that she was already cautious enough.
“Hey! Wait!” Before Qin Yi could stop her, she had already reached the coffin and tried to remove the lid.
There was a clicking sound, as though something was switched on. The ground next to the coffin opened, and Li Qingjun fell in.
“Gosh! That stupid woman!” Qin Yi rushed over to catch her, but he was only in time to grab her by the wrist. The momentum then pulled him down with her.
Thump! Luckily, the trap wasn’t too far down. Li Qingjun soon fell to the bottom of the pit before Qin Yi fell on top of her.