Hearing Yan Kai’s words, Lu Sheng merely smiled, unbothered.
“In that case, I’ll just pass a message to the underworld in the city. If you need help, you can approach any of the clothing shops, pharmacies, or blacksmiths. They’ll all lend you their assistance.”
“That works too,” Yan Kai nodded. “Alright, since that’s settled, we’ll take our leave. First order of business—examining the Lily Flower Room.”
“Please, be my guest,” Lu Sheng replied with a composed smile.
“I’ll go too,” the female adventurer Zhuan Feng said as she stepped forward to follow them.
Watching the trio depart, Lu Sheng instructed his men to grant them free access throughout the Lu Manor. None were to hinder their movement.
Lu Quanan entered the hall just as the group vanished from sight. “Little Sheng, do you think those three will be of any use?” he asked, having overheard their conversation.
“Whether they’ll be useful or not doesn’t matter,” Lu Sheng answered calmly. “Just the fact that they could see through my condition and cure me with a single potion makes their fee worthwhile.”
“I’m giving you full authority to handle this matter,” Lu Quanan said seriously. “The entire Manor, myself included, will follow your command. Do as you see fit.”
“Thank you, Father,” Lu Sheng replied with a faint smile.
After Lu Quanan left, Lu Sheng returned to his bedroom. Little Qiao sat beside him, gently feeding him spoonfuls of nourishing bird’s nest.
Ever since his injury, he hadn’t dared to advance his martial arts. Expending energy and Qi with a damaged body was no different from courting death.
Now that the Yin Qi had been purged from his system, he finally allowed himself to ponder how he should chart his future path.
While sipping bird’s nest, Lu Sheng reclined lazily on a rattan chair in the courtyard, eyes half-closed beneath the dappled light filtering through the trees.
“Young Master, Miss Qingqing has been missing for several days now… Could she have…?” Little Qiao asked softly, worry clouding her delicate features.
“Don’t be anxious. Worrying won’t help,” Lu Sheng said with a calm shake of his head. “Leave these matters to the professionals. Even if we went, we’d only get in their way.”
“It’s just that seeing Second Mistress cry every day breaks my heart too,” Little Qiao murmured. “Young Master, do you think they’ll manage?”
“They should be able to uncover something. How much, though, I can’t say,” Lu Sheng replied, his tone casual though his thoughts wandered elsewhere.
He mulled over Yan Kai’s words carefully. The Taoist had no reason to deceive him—if he’d wanted money, that single bottle of Yang Returning Potion was already enough to earn him a fortune.
Now that such capable people were handling the matter, there was no need for anxiety. The Demonic Ghost within Lu Manor had already been eradicated; for the moment, they were safe.
Yet, Yan Kai had also mentioned that several more Demonic Ghosts still lurked within Nine Links City.
A heavy sense of unease welled up in Lu Sheng’s chest. It had taken everything he had to destroy just one. If there were several more…
“Leave me. I’d like some quiet,” Lu Sheng said suddenly.
Little Qiao bowed her head in acknowledgment, helping him onto the bed and pulling a blanket over him before quietly leaving.
The door closed behind her with a soft ka-cha.
After a moment, Lu Sheng opened his eyes and slowly sat up. He reached into the drawer beside the bed and drew out a folded packet of gray paper.
Unwrapping it carefully, he revealed a fine, grayish-white powder—the remains of the Demonic Ghost.
He wasn’t sure if it held any value, but anything left behind by such a being had to possess some form of significance.
So instead of discarding it, he sealed the powder away once more and hid it with utmost care.
Lu Sheng spread the fine gray powder across the tabletop, studying it under the dim light.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGhGjIEJDM
Looks like if I want to find out what this is good for, I’ll have to ask Yan Kai and his companion, he mused silently.
After carefully collecting the powder again, he placed it away and finally lay down to sleep.
When he awoke, the room was already dark. Candlelight flickered gently as Little Qiao moved about, lighting each one in turn.
She was only twelve this year—small and delicate, dressed in a simple white frock. As she bent forward to reach the candle stand, the hem of her dress brushed against her knees, her youthful figure outlined softly in the glow.
“Ahem…” Lu Sheng cleared his throat lightly, his voice calm but firm. Having rested, he felt clear-headed once more.
Startled, Little Qiao turned around at once. “Young Master, you’re awake! There’s still some fungus soup with vegetables in the kitchen—would you like a bowl?”
“What time is it now?”
“Almost the Hai hour,” she replied quickly.
Lu Sheng thought for a moment—the Hai hour fell between nine and eleven at night.
“So it’s already that late. Have those who went out earlier sent back any news?”
“You mean the Taoists?” Little Qiao asked for confirmation.
“Yes.”
“Brother Yuhan has been waiting outside for some time. There should be word,” she said.
“Let Yuhan in.”
Lu Sheng rubbed his temples, rising from the bed and putting on his clothes and outer robe with deliberate ease.
By the time he was dressed, Yuhan—the burly guard from before—entered the room and bowed deeply.
“Young Master.”
“Any news from Taoist Yan Kai?”
“Yes,” Yuhan replied, clasping his fists respectfully. “Taoist Yan Kai went to the Zheng Family earlier. About an hour ago, he resolved a similar missing-person case there. After that, he left for the old Xu Manor.”
At the mention of Yan Kai, a trace of awe appeared on Yuhan’s face. The man had managed to solve such a strange affair in so little time.
One had to understand what kind of creature that Demonic Ghost was—it could possess human bodies, soar through the air, move with terrifying speed, and its very presence reeked of deadly Yin Qi. Even Young Master himself had suffered injuries from it.
And yet, that Taoist had subdued such a monster with ease. He truly lived up to the name of an expert.
Lu Sheng, however, showed no surprise. “What about Miss Zhuan Feng?”
“She’s already found some leads,” Yuhan replied. “I’ve sent a few men to follow her out of the city. We should receive word from them soon.”
“They really are professionals,” Lu Sheng said, his tone both approving and admiring. “In just a single day, they’ve begun uncovering clues. Come, let’s eat together. I only hope my sister is safe.”
Neither Yuhan nor Little Qiao dared to respond. As servants, any reply to such words could easily bring them trouble.
Lu Sheng led them out of the bedroom, past the two guards stationed outside. In the courtyard, a table laden with dishes awaited them. A few servant girls were busily cleaning and arranging the utensils.
Taking his seat, Lu Sheng picked up his chopsticks and tasted a few bites in silence.
“News! Young Master! There’s news!”
A sudden shout broke the quiet night.
Lu Sheng rose to his feet instantly. A flustered houseman stumbled through the courtyard gates, panting heavily as he spoke.
“Second Miss—there’s news of Second Miss! She was found at the deserted Taoist temple outside the city!”
Outside Nine Links City, there were three Taoist temples—but only one stood abandoned.
It was in the northern outskirts, near the White Frozen Ocean, surrounded by a range of desolate mountains. The temple, ancient and silent, had long since fallen into ruin. No one knew which deity it once enshrined, nor when it had been built.
Lu Sheng, however, remembered it well. He had visited the place several times as a boy, seeking shelter there from sudden rainstorms while hiking.
“Is it the temple near the White Frozen Ocean?” Lu Sheng asked to confirm.
“That’s the one, Young Master,” the houseman replied hastily. “Miss Zhuan Feng said all the missing persons might be gathered in that Taoist temple. She also said we’re free to go investigate it ourselves.”
“And Taoist Yan Kai?”
“They’ve already gone ahead!”
Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed slightly. His body had only just recovered—charging into danger again would be reckless. Yet, this was a chance too good to ignore.
Ideally, he would have preferred Yan Kai to remain in Nine Links City for a longer period. However, judging from their movements, the Taoist and his companion didn’t seem intent on staying. They appeared more like travelers merely passing through, following a trail of clues.
It seems I’ll have to find a way to get him to reveal something about those rumored secret arts—the ones said to deal with ghosts, Lu Sheng thought.
His initial plan had been to obtain some of the cultivation methods practiced by those so-called immortality seekers.Now that Demonic Ghosts had proven real, perhaps the path to immortality itself wasn’t entirely a myth either.
“Gather ten men. We’ll go take a look as well,” Lu Sheng ordered at last.
“Yes, Young Master!” Yuhan responded promptly, bowing before hurrying off to make the arrangements.
............
The night wind howled through the mountains, carrying with it a biting chill.
In the darkness, a line of flickering red torches snaked forward along the mountain path. Their glow swayed against the black silhouettes of trees, illuminating faces tense with focus.
At the head of the group rode Lu Sheng, wrapped in a thick fur-lined coat, his expression unreadable beneath the wavering light. Behind him followed Yuhan and more than a dozen armed guards, their weapons—sabers, swords, bows, and spears—clinking faintly as they marched. Leather helmets shielded them from the cold, lending them the look of a small, disciplined battalion.
After traveling for about the time it takes a joss stick to burn, they finally found the narrow mountain road that led to the deserted Taoist temple Zhuan Feng had mentioned.
The cold wind bit into their faces as they advanced several hundred more steps. Soon, through the thinning mist and branches, the outline of an old temple emerged—a structure of faded yellow and gray, its walls cracked and mottled with age.
But tonight, the temple was far from silent. Within its shadowed confines, flashes of light flared intermittently, accompanied by faint, muffled shouts.
Lu Sheng strained to listen, but the roar of the wind drowned out nearly everything. Only when they drew within a hundred paces did he raise his hand sharply, signaling the group to halt.
Now, the cries were distinct—Taoist Yan Kai’s voice, fierce and commanding, echoing from within the temple.
“Young Master, what should we do?” Yuhan asked, his voice tight with unease, beads of sweat forming despite the cold.
“No need to rush,” Lu Sheng replied evenly, drawing his fox-fur cloak tighter around him. The thick white fur wrapped close to his neck, soft and warm against the freezing gusts. “If we move in now, we’ll only get in their way. Let’s wait.”
They stood waiting as the sparks from the temple grew brighter and brighter, each flash illuminating the treetops like distant lightning. Yan Kai’s shouts rang clearer now—sharp, forceful, and unyielding.
Lu Sheng watched in silence until, at last, the shouts faded and the temple fell eerily quiet once more.
Only then did he gesture for a torch. Taking it from one of the guards, he stepped forward without hesitation.
“Young Master—” Yuhan began, instinctively reaching out to stop him. But after a brief pause, he clenched his jaw and barked, “Follow!”
The rest of the guards and housemen stiffened. Fear prickled down their spines, but the iron discipline of the Lu Manor left them no choice.
And so, with their torches trembling in the wind, they followed close behind Lu Sheng—toward the silent, ancient temple that loomed ahead.
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