Practically every morning upon waking, Lu Sheng could feel the change—muscles growing sturdier, strength thrumming hotter beneath his skin. His body was becoming a forge of might.
The cost, however, was steep. His appetite had doubled, devouring lavish meals of fresh fish, rich cuts of meat, and costly medicinal teas. Each meal alone could easily ruin an ordinary family’s finances.
He wasted no time on the road. Once within the city gates, he followed the familiar path straight to the entrance of Lu Manor.
The moment the gatekeeper spotted him, he straightened to attention. “Young Master is back!”
“Mm.” Lu Sheng replied curtly and walked inside.
Something in the air felt off—an undercurrent of urgency. Servants hurried about, and when they noticed him, their steps quickened further.
“Young Master is back!” someone cried.
“Young Master! Young Master is back!”
“Oh, it’s Young Master!”
A maid rushed over, breathless, eyes bright with relief—as if she had just found a miracle antidote after despair.
“Where’s Dad?” Lu Sheng asked.
Another maid ran up and bowed quickly. “The Family Head asks you to come over now.”
“Mm.”
Adjusting the long saber slung behind him, Lu Sheng strode with purpose toward the inner courtyard.
The inner yard lay unnervingly still, its quiet so profound it felt cold beneath the skin.
A few servant girls moved about listlessly—faces grim, steps hesitant. Those nearby murmured greetings as he passed, while others farther away remained distracted, their hushed voices carried to him by a faint breeze.
“Last night… I heard a woman crying again in Sister Yu’s room.”
“I heard it too. It sounded like it came from far inside. The guards went to check, but found nothing—no one… not even a shadow.”
“Stop talking about it. It’s too creepy.”
“Maybe it’s a female ghost?”
“Don’t spout nonsense! You’ll get punished if someone hears you.”
With his saber resting against his back, Lu Sheng crossed the stone bridge, catching every whispered word.
The Lily Flower Room—Sister Yu’s quarters at the rear of the manor—had become a forbidden place. No warnings were necessary; everyone kept as far away as they could.
His expression darkened. As he pieced together the rumors and the letter’s contents, a knot tightened in his chest.
What he feared had finally surfaced.
This world was riddled with danger—malice lurking in every shadow. Ordinary people had no means to resist these strange horrors. And if disaster like what befell the Xu Family came for the Lu Manor…
What strength did he truly have to stand against it? What could he rely on to protect himself? What could he rely on to protect his family?
His jaw tightened.
Female ghost? Then I’ll see what kind of ghost can withstand my saber.
A fierce light sharpened in his eyes, resolve hardening as he marched toward the Main Hall.
Everything he had built until now—every drop of sweat and blood—had been for this moment.
Stepping into the Main Hall of the inner courtyard, Lu Sheng immediately spotted Lu Quanan seated at the head. His father’s face was gaunt, fatigue etched deep into every line. Second Mother, Third Mother, and the others stood nearby, anxious and restless.
All his siblings and cousins were here—maternal and paternal alike. Outside of grand festivals, such a full gathering was almost unheard of.
Dozens of eyes turned to him as he entered—broad-shouldered, towering, the long saber strapped to his back exuding a quiet menace. For a brief moment, relief flickered across Lu Quanan’s face, but it quickly dissolved into dread.
“Little Sheng, you… ai. You shouldn’t have come back.”
“Dad, just tell me. What happened? Did Sister Yu die?” Lu Sheng asked without hesitation.
Days of relentless saber drills and the surge of Black Fury Qi through his veins had given him a sharp, intimidating edge. A faint murderous aura clung to him like a shadow.
The reminder stirred among the gathered family—this was the same Brother Sheng who had slain two vicious fugitives without blinking. If even murderers could not escape his blade… perhaps not all hope was lost.
Second Mother Liu Cuiyu stepped forward with a weary sigh. “Let me explain what happened.”
Lu Sheng took a seat to her right. “Please continue, Second Mother.”
Liu Cuiyu paused, steadying herself before she spoke.
“This all began with Sister Yu’s sudden death some time ago.”
Another sigh slipped from her lips.
“That day, someone from her family came asking if she had returned home. I told him she had left long before. He said they had waited for her endlessly and came to check here. I was about to send people to search when word arrived from the yamen… Sister Yu was found dead in an alley. She had been gone for several days—her body already cold as ice.”
“Afterward, I paid for Sister Yu’s funeral expenses myself. But just two days later, someone else from the Manor vanished. We sent people searching… they found the body in a river outside the city.”
Liu Cuiyu’s voice trembled, sorrow clouding her expression.
“Since that day, someone disappears every single night. We’ve uncovered nothing at all! Today marks the fifth day already. And every night, faint crying echoes from the Lily Flower Room—Sister Yu’s room. We searched it thoroughly, but found no one inside. Five people used to stay there; now, three are already gone…”
Lu Sheng’s face had turned as dark as storm clouds.
“What did the yamen say?”
Lu Chenxin snapped before anyone else could speak. “What could they say? They know nothing! They just gave some flimsy excuse to dodge responsibility and left!”
Lu Quanan shook his head, defeated. “I asked your Eldest Uncle to station men to keep watch through the night. But it’s useless. When there are many people present, the crying never starts. It only happens when few remain.”
Lu Sheng suddenly noticed another absence. “Where’s Qingqing?”
With a weary sigh, Lu Quanan replied, “She ran to the Zheng Family. Something happened there as well.”
Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed. “Something happened to the Zheng Family too?”
Second Mother Liu Cuiyu spoke up gently, “Not the same situation. They encountered bandits attacking their merchant caravans. That girl Qingqing somehow found a lead and suspects the bandits are tied to the Xu Family incident. She went out yesterday to investigate and hasn’t returned yet.”
Lu Sheng let out a sharp snort. “That lass is getting bolder by the day. As for what’s happening in the Manor—even if it isn’t a ghost, a skilled master of qinggong could manage something like this. What about Uncle Zhao? What does he think?”
“Your Uncle Zhao and the others were conscripted by the yamen to support troops outside the city,” Lu Quanan responded with a tight expression. “They still haven’t returned.”
Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed. “So someone is taking advantage of their absence—bold enough to skulk around here pretending to be a ghost?”
His judgment fell instantly: this was the work of a human hand, not demons or spirits. Even if it were something supernatural, it had to be treated as a man-made threat—for the sake of the Lu Family’s name and stability.
Lu Quanan understood at once and nodded. “Now that you say it… it truly does seem like someone’s doing.”
Lu Sheng rose slowly, fingers brushing the hilt of the saber on his back.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfWqWR4zPl
“The crying comes from Sister Yu’s Lily Flower Room at night, correct? I’ll stay there tonight. We’ll see if anyone else dares go missing.”
“But, Little Sheng…” Lu Quanan began, concern tightening his voice.
Lu Sheng lifted a hand, stopping him. “Don’t worry, Dad. I know what I’m doing.”
Whether the culprit was a human assassin or a ghostly trickster—its fear of crowds meant it wasn’t invincible.
If they couldn’t overcome such a minor threat, then should a monster capable of wiping out the Xu Family descend upon them, they would be nothing but lambs awaiting the butcher’s knife.
Liu Cuiyu’s worry seeped into her tone. “Little Sheng… be careful…”
But the rest of the family exhaled in relief. Their heavy cloud of dread loosened, if only slightly.
If Brother Sheng—who had slain fugitives before—claimed it was the work of a human, then perhaps it was true.
And if Brother Sheng was taking action… surely the perpetrator’s days were numbered.
When the discussion concluded, Lu Chenxin, Lu Tianxiang, Lu Yingying, and the others rushed out at once to spread the news.
By evening, everyone in Lu Manor knew—Young Master Lu Sheng had returned, and what had happened was judged to be the work of humans. Moreover, he would personally keep watch in the Lily Flower Room that very night.
As the news circulated, relief swept through the manor like a fresh breeze. Days of suffocating tension had strung every heart taut like an over-tightened lute string, threatening to snap at the slightest touch. Now, those frayed nerves finally loosened.
Though the threat remained unresolved, panic no longer choked the air. With Young Master watching over the haunted room, even if something occurred, he would be the first to confront it.
After grasping every detail of the situation, Lu Sheng ordered the Lily Flower Room to be cleaned and properly set up with a bedding mat. He would stay there alone tonight.
Some tried to persuade him otherwise, but faced with his iron-clad determination, they could only fall silent.
He instructed Little Qiao to return to his usual quarters. Then, gripping his saber in one hand and a pitcher of medicinal tea in the other, Lu Sheng strode alone into the Lily Flower Room.
The Lily Flower Room, Lily Leaf Room, and Lotus Room were the servant girls’ dormitories, situated close together like clustered petals. Lily Flower Room sat at the center.
He approached the entrance, saber at the ready. The adjoining yards lay empty and silent—every servant girl long driven away by the nightly wails.
He pushed open the door. The room was spotless—freshly arranged bedding, everything neatly in place. In the small courtyard, a meal box sat quietly atop the stone table.
Aside from that, the entire place felt abandoned.
Faint pink stains still clung to the grey-white stone surface—remnants of cosmetic powder, a trace of the women who once laughed and whispered here.
Lu Sheng’s gaze swept across the quarters.
The building and its little yard formed a compact square. The interior was divided into five narrow rooms lined in a row, a straight corridor leading him from the entrance to the courtyard. Outside, a well stood beside a stone table and set of stools, cold and still under the deepening dusk.
Lu Sheng took a seat near the well, posture firm and imposing. He opened the deep-red meal box, placing each dish carefully onto the table.
Three side dishes, one soup, and a bowl of steaming white rice—an indulgence that would bankrupt an ordinary family.
He raised his chopsticks and ate without restraint.
It took nearly an hour before he cleared every plate, leaving nothing behind. Only then did he release a satisfied burp.
Night draped slowly over the sky. Lu Sheng lit the lanterns and candles himself, filling both the courtyard and Sister Yu’s chambers with a steady glow.
The five rooms stretched in a narrow line, Sister Yu’s old quarters furthest inside. The light barely reached that end—eerie shadows pooling in the places the lanterns could not touch. Sounds from outside faded near silent when passing through those walls.
Saber in hand, Lu Sheng walked the corridor and stepped into the far room.
Inside, a black wooden bed stood beside a square table and three chairs. A cupboard and a dressing table completed the sparse arrangement.
Behind the dresser, a window was left half open—revealing a slice of absolute darkness beyond.
The candlelight flickered across the study table near the door, illuminating only half the chamber. The other half remained swallowed by the open window’s void, where darkness pressed against light like a silent threat.
Lu Sheng approached and leaned out to inspect the view.
The alley beyond faced directly toward a side entrance of the Lu Manor. From here, the narrow passage looked straight into a desolate, pale-colored door—lonely, sealed, and waiting.
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