Chapter 12: That demon at Yichun Tower is very likely Peony! ...
The image shows a tall, slender woman in a fiery red dress, both beautiful and eerie, standing in the courtyard with a vacant gaze.
All that was projected was a blurry image, without a sound. The four of them frowned as they stared at Fang Wuyan in the image.
She took out a white silk ribbon from her bedroom, then slowly lifted out a low table, tied the ribbon tightly, stood on the table, looked ahead, parted her red lips slightly, recited a few words, and resolutely pushed aside the low table she was standing on.
With a violent struggle, her made-up face quickly turned red and then purple, her eyes bulged and became bloodshot, and two lines of clear tears slid down from the corners of her eyes, just like her life, slipping away unnoticed and dripping into the dust.
The image shattered, turning into shimmering golden light that streaked through the air and landed in Bai Yuheng's palm.
After a heavy silence, Cui Mingcan broke the silence.
"It seems that Fang Wuyan really did hang herself."
Cen Ying rested her chin on her hand in thought, "Then why did the mission we received say there was a demon? Aren't demons and ghosts different?"
"This is really a headache..." Cui Mingcan couldn't guess either, "But did you guys notice what she said just now?"
"You can read lips?" Bai Yuheng asked in surprise.
Cui Mingcan replied confidently, "No."
Cen Ying rolled her eyes and retorted, "Then what did you ask?"
Anyone with eyes can see that she said something.
She mentioned peonies.
Li Tiankuo, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
Cui Mingcan's eyes lit up: "You can actually read lips!"
Li Tiankuo ignored him and looked at Bai Yuheng. Bai Yuheng met his gaze and asked, "Did she say anything?"
He nodded and said, "She said, 'Sister Peony, I'm sorry, I have to break my promise.'"
"peony?"
“It’s that peony again,” Cen Ying said. “The old man just said that Fang Wuyan only had one close friend with whom he had a very deep friendship. Everyone only found out about it on the day the peony was thrown into the coffin.”
"It seems that this peony must know the cause of Fang Wuyan's death."
Bai Yuheng: "Where did the old man say that peony was?"
Cui Mingcan answered quickly: "Yichun Tower".
Yichun Tower.
The four stood in a corner opposite Yichun Tower, their faces showing hesitation.
"Heh, didn't someone look down on being with us? Why did they come along?" Cui Mingcan still held a grudge against Li Tiankuo's words and said sarcastically.
Unfortunately, Li Tiankuo ignored what he said and didn't even spare him a glance.
"..." Cui Mingcan felt like he had punched cotton, having only made himself angry, and decided to ignore the person as well.
"Are we sure we want to go in dressed like this?" Cen Ying looked down at her neatly pressed men's clothing and asked doubtfully.
"You don't know this, do you? We who come down the mountain for training must adapt to the place and the time. This Yichun Pavilion is a place for men to have fun. Only men who seek pleasure would come here. Why would ordinary women come here? That's why we have to disguise ourselves."
"Brother Bai is right." Cui Mingcan put his arm around Bai Yuheng's shoulder, deeply agreeing. "Cen Xiaoying, you're too rigid!"
Cen Ying rolled her eyes at Cui Mingcan, touched her beard, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Then why do I have to wear such an ugly beard?"
Bai Yuheng found her appearance adorable, helped her smooth down her beard, and laughed, "That must be because you're so beautiful, the kind of woman you can recognize at a glance. How about this, I'll cast an illusion spell on you to slightly alter your appearance."
"Okay, okay!" Cen Ying's eyes lit up with anticipation.
Cui Mingcan also chimed in, "Me too! Me too!"
"what would you like?"
"Yu Heng, do you have any illusion magic that makes you look handsome?" He blinked. "Teach me, please?"
Bai Yuheng snorted: "Yes, but I won't teach you."
Why?!
"Of course, it wouldn't be of any use even if I taught you! No matter how you change your face, you'll never be good-looking!" Cen Ying laughed at him.
"How could that be! I'm handsome, dashing, and debonair!"
Bai Yuheng suppressed a laugh and said, "I can teach you, but it depends on your performance. We'll talk about it after you perform well."
"Heh heh, Yu Heng is still the best to me," Cui Mingcan scoffed. "Cen Xiaoying, you really are a vicious snake!"
"Alright, alright, stop arguing, let's get down to business." Bai Yuheng stopped the fight in time.
Li Tiankuo, carrying his sword, followed closely behind and walked in without looking to the side.
As soon as they entered, a group of fragrant, soft, sweet and charming women swarmed over and surrounded the four of them.
"Oh~ is this your first time here, gentlemen?"
"Would you like your sister to have a drink with you? Hmm?"
"Sister, your skills are amazing! Would you like to come with me?"
"Young man, you are so handsome!"
"Wow~ Is your sword real, young master?"
"My lord looks so majestic holding the sword, may I touch it..."
...
With everyone talking at once, the noise and crowding made the four of them helpless for a while.
Just as the man's hand was about to touch the hilt of the sword, Li Tiankuo's expression turned cold and stern. With a "whoosh," the sharp, gleaming sword was drawn from its sheath.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
"Ahhh! Someone's going to kill me!"
The girls screamed in terror at his cold demeanor and the drawn sword.
"Ladies, don't be afraid, don't be afraid..." Bai Yuheng reassured everyone, while gesturing for Li Tiankuo to sheathe his sword. "Although our brother looks fierce, he doesn't mean any harm..."
"Then make him put the sword away!" the girl in purple said, still shaken. "Who would bring a sword to a brothel?!"
Bai Yuheng glanced at Li Tiankuo and took out the prepared silver: "This is just a small token of my appreciation, to treat the ladies to a cup of wine to put their minds at ease. I hope you ladies won't take it to heart."
"Your husband is truly thoughtful."
Seeing that he was well-mannered and generous, the woman in purple approached him seductively: "My lord, would you like me to have a drink with you?"
His alluring eyes were captivating, and he nestled against her softly.
"..." Bai Yuheng looked embarrassed for once, but in an instant, she changed her expression, put her arm around the woman's waist, and teased, "I am naturally more than happy to accept the invitation of a beauty."
"My lord has such a sweet tongue~"
Bai Yuheng led the woman in purple away, then turned back to signal them to proceed.
"It's too noisy outside, why don't we go somewhere quieter?"
"Okay~"
Cen Ying led a woman in a green dress away, and Cui Mingcan followed suit, pulling a woman in a pink dress along with him. Li Tiankuo glanced at them, and the other women were all frightened by his indifferent gaze and the sword in his arms, and they all looked away, not daring to meet his eyes.
"..."
Li Tiankuo strode after him.
The group then went into separate private rooms.
The door closed.
The woman in purple teased, "Do both gentlemen want Zijuan to serve them all?"
Bai Yuheng glanced at Li Tiankuo, who had followed alone, and said to Zijuan, "Miss Zijuan, just pretend this person is invisible."
Zijuan smiled faintly and remained silent, taking it as a unique kind of fun from a distinguished guest.
"My lord, come here~" The woman in purple poured a cup of wine and fed it to Bai Yuheng.
"Dear sister, I want to ask you about someone."
The woman in purple smiled and said, "Speak, my lord, I will tell you everything I know." "We came from the capital to travel and enjoy the scenery. We happened upon Furong Town, and the locals told us that Yichun Pavilion has four beauties, each more beautiful than the last, with captivating charm… but the Peony Maiden is the most stunning. I've heard that even the most beautiful woman in the capital cannot compare to her…"
The woman in purple secretly rolled her eyes and said reproachfully, "So, my lord came here specifically to see Peony."
"Hey, that's not right. In my opinion, Miss Zijuan is more beautiful than many girls I've seen, especially her eyes. They're so affectionate and captivating. I saw you as soon as I came in."
"Oh, you're so good at praising people, my lord~" This was clearly a perfect compliment. Zijuan was most proud of her eyes, which were lively and affectionate, and could easily entice a man to come.
“Since you already have Zijuan, then you shouldn’t see Mudan, right?” Zijuan laughed. “You’ve come at the wrong time. Mudan hasn’t come out to greet guests for more than half a month. I’m afraid she won’t even be able to see you.”
"Hey, I'm just curious," Bai Yuheng said, trying to smooth things over. "Good sister, tell me about it."
"Hehe, since you're so curious, I'll tell you." Zijuan took a sip of wine and said slowly, "Peony hit her head, ruined her face, and messed up Master He's business. Now she's being kept locked up by Madam!"
Bai Yuheng paused for a moment, then pressed on, "Do you know where you're being held?"
Zijuan's eyes darted around, and the corners of her lips curled up: "My lord, I'm telling you this at the risk of being punished by my mother. If she finds out, I'll be in big trouble!"
Bai Yuheng had a sudden inspiration. She took out a silver ingot from her purse, placed it on the table, and smiled, "Now, can Miss Zijuan speak?"
“…Of course.” The heavy silver coin landed in her hand, and Zijuan’s smile became much more genuine.
Half an hour later, the four of them met in a quiet private room.
After discussing the details they had gathered, Bai Yuheng pondered for a while before summarizing: "It is currently known that the recent spate of deaths in Furong Town is related to Fang Wuyan, the wine seller. Our mission is to capture the demon causing trouble in Furong Town. This demon is very likely related to Fang Wuyan's death, but its origins are still unknown."
Cen Ying continued, "Fang Wuyan's last words were about her close friend Mudan. Mudan, in turn, attempted suicide when Fang Wuyan was being prepared for burial. The sisters were very close. And Mudan was imprisoned by the madam after Fang Wuyan's death. So she is very likely the murderer who killed those men to avenge Fang Wuyan."
"So, that demon is very likely Peony!"
Bai Yuheng frowned as she recalled, "We saw that corpse today, and there was no demonic aura on him."
"Could it be that it's been covered up?" Cui Mingcan pondered, stroking his chin.
"Go and meet that Peony Girl and you'll find out."
The four bypassed the guards and arrived at the house where the peony was being looked after.
Bai Yuheng touched the windowsill with her hand, and a golden snake crawled out and entered the room.
After a while, the golden snake crawled out.
"The peony is not inside the house."
"What's going on?"
"Either Zijuan and the others lied, or the news they heard was deliberately spread by the madam, or perhaps that Peony girl really is a demon who created an illusionary figure and then ran away," Cen Ying guessed.
"Does anyone remember what the middle-aged man said after the old man scared a young man today?" Bai Yuheng suddenly brought up the matter.
"..."
All three of them were lost in memories.
"Friend!"
Cui Mingcan looked up and suddenly realized, "That's right! The old man and the others said that those who died were all close friends!"
“Drowned, hanged, injured in falls…” Bai Yuheng recounted the people the old man had mentioned who had been murdered.
"If Peony isn't here, then she..."
The four of them suddenly met eyes and immediately understood.
"Oops!"
A note from the author:
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