14 The Devouring House (Part Ten)

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Haichao and Liang Ye hid behind the hibiscus bushes, listening to Steward Li’s chanting: “The young lady is displeased and wants to vent her anger on this old servant, causing me to stumble and develop a sore on my head. I have nothing to say…”

As he chanted, he pulled some paper offerings from a bundle beside him and threw them into the fire. Haichao realized he was burning joss paper.

“This old servant, with half his bones in the grave, has little time left. It’s only right to serve the young lady sooner rather than later. I fear if the young lady harms anyone unjustly, it would harm her virtue. My death would be of no regret, but I mustn’t be a burden to her…”

Haichao was confused by his roundabout words, uncertain whether he wished to live or die.

Steward Zhao continued, “Young lady, as the saying goes, when a person dies their debts are cleared; all grudges and kindnesses should be set aside. If I die, then who will offer sacrifices during the seasons and festivals? If the young lady spares me this time, I will go to the Great Awakening Temple to light a perpetual lamp for you, recite sutras daily to pray for blessings, and ask the Buddha to ensure you are reborn into a good family…”

He said a few words, grabbed handfuls of joss paper from the bundle, and threw them into the fire, the flames leaping higher as the bundle grew thinner until only a thin layer remained.

He wiped his face, sniffed, and with a choking voice said, “If the young lady truly cannot let it go and insists on retribution, then don’t take it out on the wrong person. Every grievance has its cause; I’m timid and afraid of trouble, but I’ve never harmed you from start to finish…”

Haichao grew sleepy listening to his rambling, her legs growing numb.

“When will this singing end?” she murmured quietly.

“Soon,” Liang Ye whispered.

Just then, the chanting abruptly ceased. Steward Li stood up and pulled something from his robe.

Liang Ye and Haichao exchanged a glance and almost simultaneously rose.

The rustling of branches sounded. Li stopped and looked alertly in their direction. “Who’s there? Who’s there?”

Before he finished speaking, the two had stepped out of the bushes.

Fear flashed across Li’s face, but he forced a grim smile. “In the middle of the night, what are two immortals doing in the garden?”

Liang Ye replied, “I’d like to know as well. Why is Li the layman secretly making offerings at this hour?”

Haichao’s eyes fell on Li’s hands, tightly clutching something.

“What do you have in your hand? Show us.”

Li’s cheek twitched, the flesh quivering. “Nothing… nothing at all…”

Liang Ye pressed, “But what about the young lady’s name and birth details you mentioned?”

Li was startled, blurting, “How do you know that?”

He looked between Liang Ye and Haichao, finally wearing a startled expression. “Ah, you’re tricking me!”

He suddenly threw the item into the fire.

Haichao had anticipated this and quickly stepped forward, ducking deftly to scoop the object from the flames—it was a small red silk pouch.

Li lunged desperately to snatch it back, but Haichao sidestepped and Li grasped at empty air. Before he could recover, Haichao tossed the pouch to Liang Ye. “Catch.”

Without a word, Liang Ye’s sleeve flicked and the pouch landed neatly in his hand, as if rehearsed countless times before.

For a moment, Haichao was dazed. Then she spun around and seized Li, twisting his arm. “If you don’t calm down, don’t blame me if I break your arm!”

At the same time, Liang Ye unfolded a white folded paper from the pouch and scanned it. “Who is Su Luoyu?”

At the name, Li stopped struggling and glared at Liang Ye with fury. “Who exactly are you?”

Haichao smiled, “We’re Taoist priests.”

“If you’re Taoists, just catch demons and dispel evil. Why torment a poor old servant?”

Liang Ye ignored him and tossed the paper into the fire. The light paper fluttered like a white butterfly before the flames devoured it.

“Looking at the birth and death dates, this young lady died six years ago at twenty-five,” he said calmly. “You call her young lady, so she must be from the Su family.”

Li’s resentment grew; he no longer showed respect but spoke sharply. “So what? The old master had a daughter, the young master a sister. They were siblings and harmonious. It’s just that the young lady had a tragic early death. What’s so strange about that?”

Liang Ye nodded. “Indeed, nothing strange.”

Li eyed him suspiciously.

“The strange thing is the Su mansion is haunted, and Li immediately assumed it was the vengeful spirit of this Su lady. Why?”

“Yes,” Haichao prompted, realizing she almost let Li mislead her. “You said if you died, no one would offer sacrifices for the Su lady. Doesn’t she have a biological brother? How could no one worship her?”

Li rubbed his nose, avoiding her gaze. “The young master… there’s some discord between the siblings…”

“What discord? A sister dies and no one worships her? Sounds like hatred to me!” Haichao said. “Oh, no wonder you blamed the haunting on Su lady—did you all conspire to kill her?”

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Li repeated nervously, “No, no! I never harmed anyone!”

Haichao snorted.

“Did Su lady marry?”

Li hesitated, then nodded.

“Then why live with her brother?”

“Blame that faithless man!” Li’s face showed genuine grievance. “The young lady was naive, only saw appearances, secretly pledged herself to a scholar without the old master’s knowledge. That man was ungrateful, only after the family fortune, using her dowry to secure a position in the capital…”

Haichao glanced at Liang Ye, interrupting, “Was he the one who became a top scholar, then abandoned her to marry a high official’s daughter?”

Li’s eyes rolled. “Not that high, only passed the imperial exam, but he did abandon her to marry a superior’s daughter… How did the little immortal know?”

Haichao glanced at Liang Ye, sneered, “Such stories are common. Clearly a man’s betrayal, but in the end, it’s the woman’s fault for poor judgment. Everything benefits you men, and women take the blame, right?”

“Yes, it’s the man’s fault. Little immortal, your lesson is well received,” Li said cautiously. “The young lady was desperate and returned to Shu Prefecture to rely on her brother.”

“Did Su Luoyu have children?” Liang Ye asked.

“No,” Li insisted. “The young lady returned alone.”

He added, “That faithless man divorced her, claiming she was barren! After returning to Shu, she lost heart and didn’t want to remarry. Where would children come from?”

He glanced at Liang Ye’s expression. “The young lady was proper, never left the main gates, only went to temples to pray. The young master ran the household strictly…”

“Since she sought her brother’s help, they must have been close?”

“They were always very harmonious siblings.”

“Then why did no one worship the sister after her death?”

Li was momentarily speechless, glanced at the dying fire, and whispered, “After she was divorced, she became confused…”

He tapped his head. “Later, she did something foolish and angered the young master…”

“What foolish thing?” Liang Ye asked.

“I don’t know the details,” Li said. “One day the young master and young lady argued behind closed doors, and he confined her…”

“When was this?” Liang Ye asked.

“About two months before her death,” Li wiped sweat from his brow.

Liang Ye looked at him. “How did the young lady die?”

“S-she died of illness…”

“What illness?”

“Consumption. The young lady died of consumption.”

“Was she still confined when she died?” Liang Ye asked.

Li hesitated, unsure whether to nod or shake his head, then nervously said, “Yes.”

“Did she receive medical treatment?”

Li stammered, “The young lady was stubborn and confused. The young master wanted her to submit but left her to suffer. By the time he noticed her condition was serious, it was too late…”

“What great offense warranted two months of confinement?” Haichao asked.

Li hesitated, then with a sorrowful face said, “Please have mercy, don’t make things harder for this old servant. I’m just a servant. When the siblings talk behind closed doors, how would I know?”

No matter how Haichao pressed, Li’s mouth remained tightly shut like a clam, refusing to open. She grew frustrated and twisted his arm hard.

Li howled in pain, “Are you Taoists or bandits?”

Haichao sneered, “Who I am doesn’t matter. If you don’t speak, I’ll break your arm.”

Cold sweat poured down Li’s forehead, yet he insisted he knew nothing. Eventually, his pleading ceased, and he sealed his lips in silence.

Liang Ye said, “Let him go.”

Haichao couldn’t actually break his arm and huffed, releasing him.

Li seemed grateful, stepping back quickly and pleading, “Please don’t tell the young master about tonight. I was mistaken before. The young lady was kind-hearted in life; even as a ghost, she would be benevolent. She died six years ago and never entered this mansion. The one causing trouble isn’t her…”

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Haichao glared. “You don’t want to leave?”

Li quickly shut up and hurried away, not even bothering to take his lantern.

Haichao picked up the lantern, still dissatisfied. “He’s lying. He definitely knows more. We shouldn’t have let him go just now…”

“If he’s determined to hide the truth, no amount of questioning will make him speak,” Liang Ye said. “Even the timid have secrets they’d rather die than reveal. Perhaps that’s exactly why he’s so hesitant.”

Haichao had to admit he was right. She had nearly broken Li’s arm just now, and he still refused to talk. She wouldn’t push further.

“That old man’s mouth is tighter than an oyster’s.”

“No matter. He gave us plenty of clues,” Liang Ye comforted her. “It’s only the first night; the mystery won’t be so simple. We have a lead—tomorrow we’ll continue investigating.”

He looked up at the moon now high in the sky, taking the lantern from Haichao. “Let’s return and rest.”

As they walked toward the guest quarters, Haichao suddenly remembered something. “How did you know Steward Li would come here?”

Liang Ye briefly explained. He had hinted that Li was haunted by a ghost but only said part of it, planting fear in his mind. Then Cheng Hanlin “kindly” helped resolve it. Li was already mostly convinced.

“A little trick made him see the ghost himself, so he believed it fully and followed Cheng Hanlin’s instructions to make offerings to the spirit at the northwest corner of the Su estate’s garden. That side is crowded with inns and guests, so to avoid suspicion, the only secluded spot is by the pond, hidden behind the flower grove.”

“How did you make him see the ghost?” Haichao asked.

“Look at my feet,” Liang Ye said.

Haichao looked down, startled to see beside Liang Ye’s shadow another shadow, shorter and aligned as if an invisible person pressed close to him.

Recovering from the shock, Haichao realized this was the trick he mentioned.

“How did you do that?” she asked.

Liang Ye took a yellow talisman from his sleeve and handed it to her.

Haichao took it, noticing twisted runes drawn on the paper.

“Watch,” Liang Ye said.

Haichao looked down. The shadow beneath Liang Ye’s feet had quietly slipped over to her.

“Last night, Cheng Hanlin and I tested over a dozen bird-script talismans; most were useless. This ‘shadow’ talisman was one of the few that worked.”

As Liang Ye explained, he lit the talisman in the lamp’s flame. As the paper burned away, the shadow faded like ink in water, edges blurring until it vanished.

The ruse was easily exposed, but Li wasn’t a fool with no guile. Deceiving him wasn’t easy. Liang Ye was a patient and meticulous hunter, calculating every step and manipulating hearts perfectly to trap a man like Li.

When had he learned all this? What had he experienced in the three years apart? Had he truly lost his memory? Why was he so different from the young scholar of three years ago?

Haichao couldn’t help but look at him as they passed through the woods, moonlight spilling through thinning branches, casting his face in flickering light and shadow.

Sensing her gaze, Liang Ye paused and turned slightly. “What is it?”

Haichao quickly looked away. “Nothing.”

“What were you looking at?”

“Your sly and cunning nature! Let’s go!”

Liang Ye’s lips curled in a faint smile.

That smile was infuriating. Haichao didn’t look at him again.

They safely crossed the bamboo path, seeing the lights of the guest quarters. Cheng Hanlin and Lu Wanying had evidently returned.

Just as Haichao reached to push open the half-closed gate, she remembered Lu Wanying’s instructions and slipped her hand into her sleeve, feeling the smooth, cool porcelain vial.

Holding the vial in her palm, she hesitated, glanced at Liang Ye’s injured leg, then looked away, coughing awkwardly. “Your leg… you’re not limping, are you? Of course, if you are, that’s not my problem…”

“Just a surface wound,” Liang Ye said. “No need to worry.”

“Only a fool would worry about you!” Haichao shot him a glare, then swiftly drew her hand from her sleeve and tossed the warm vial at him. “Sister Lu kindly gave me medicine for you.”

Without waiting for his reaction, she pushed the door open and hurried into the main house.