wealthy Shen family
A girl dressed in snow-white stood outside, tilting her head slightly and smiling playfully. A brightly colored parrot perched on her shoulder, affectionately pecking at her earring.
Yan Dan couldn't help but ask, "How did you get in?"
The girl reached out and touched the parrot on her shoulder: "It told me that birds are the smartest things in the world, they know everything."
Tang Zhou's mind raced, unable to discern whether the other party was feigning ignorance or telling the truth.
The girl turned around, took a couple of steps, and seeing that they weren't following, she turned back and waved: "Hurry up, hurry up, the bird will lead us out." As she walked, she chattered with the parrot on her shoulder, sometimes laughing, sometimes getting angry, but her steps never stopped. She opened the mechanisms on the wall and walked quickly forward.
They wandered through the tunnels for a while, then suddenly their eyes lit up – they had emerged from a cave beneath a mass grave. It was evening; they had spent a whole day and night in the cemetery. Yan Dan took two steps closer, smiling, and asked, "Did the bird tell you who locked us in the tunnel?"
The girl turned her head away, her smile blooming like spring flowers: "The bird knows everything, of course it would tell me. The bird said it was a beautiful but wicked woman who was saved by someone but then repaid kindness with enmity."
Upon hearing this, Yan Dan exchanged a glance with Tang Zhou, then asked, "Then why did she repay kindness with enmity?"
The girl tilted her head, as if listening to the parrot on her shoulder. The parrot cackled twice, and the girl said, "It says that because that pretty older sister and that ugly older brother are very close, and you saw that older brother's secret, she wants to lock you up inside for the rest of your lives and never tell you the secret."
"A secret...?" Yan Dan repeated softly.
Tao Ziqi is a subordinate of the Shenxiao Palace Master, so this is quite possible.
"Miss, Miss, what are you doing here again?" The woman she had seen before came running over, panting heavily. "You're such a worry! I wasn't looking for you and you've disappeared again!" She unfolded the cloak in her hand and wrapped it around the girl, looking at Tang Zhou and saying calmly, "Thank you both for taking care of my young lady. Why don't you come and sit in my house for a while?"
Tang Zhou politely declined, saying, "We haven't been of any help, and it wouldn't be right for us to come and bother you. We can only appreciate your kindness in our hearts."
The woman nodded, her face grave: "That's good. Our Shen family is currently being haunted. A Taoist priest named Ling Xuzi said he would come to help exorcise the ghost, but he just arrived. He's acting crazy, crying and laughing, and he's no longer of any use."
Tang Zhou thought for a moment and said, "I am also a Celestial Master and I know Senior Ling Xuzi. Why don't I go to your residence to see the situation? I might have a solution."
The woman looked at him, hesitated for a moment, seemingly thinking he was too young and unreliable, but finally nodded.
The girl was overjoyed to hear they were going to her home, pestering them with nonsensical chatter. The woman watching sighed, "What a tragedy! My eldest daughter is frail and rarely leaves the house, while my second daughter is completely ignorant, born an idiot. My poor master..."
The Shen family was a well-known wealthy family in Qingshi Town. They built a large mansion in the suburbs, with two tall and strong guards standing at the gate.
As Tang Zhou stepped into the Shen residence, he heard Yan Dan say softly, "It really is eerily ghostly." He immediately sensed the aura of vengeful spirits around him: "Could you take me to see Master Shen? I have some questions for him."
The woman led them to the flower hall and had tea served: "Please have a seat, I'll go and call my master."
Yan Dan paced back and forth in the hall a few times, her eyes darting around before she smiled sweetly, "Senior brother, since you're planning to help them expel the ghostly energy, you don't expect me to follow you around all the time, do you? Look at this restriction..."
Tang Zhou glanced at her and said, "Just hang in there a little longer, and I'll help you untie it later."
Yan Dan was overjoyed and couldn't help but smile, but she was still a little suspicious and could only steal a few glances at the other person. However, Tang Zhou remained expressionless, and she couldn't discern anything from him.
A short while later, the head of the Shen family came out.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Tang Zhou changed the subject and got straight to the point: "To be honest, Mr. Chen, this house is indeed not very clean. Does Mr. Chen know the origin of this house?"
Master Shen was a pale-faced businessman with an ordinary appearance, quite unlike the young girl he had met earlier. His nails were very short, and his clothes were made of fine fabric, suggesting he was a man who knew how to enjoy life. Hearing Tang Zhou's words, he couldn't help but show a look of horror: "This house was purchased later. We consulted a feng shui master, who said the feng shui was excellent. My business has been stable these past few years, traveling for profit. How could the house be unclean?"
"It might be because someone was wrongfully killed in this house before."
"Would it be convenient to expel them? If you can help us with this, young master, just name your price."
Tang Zhou nodded: "It will only take two or three days, Master Shen, there's no need to worry. Your daughter helped us before, so we don't need to pay her any reward; just consider it as repaying a favor."
Master Shen smiled bitterly, "You mean my second daughter, Xiangjun? Alas, she is a kind and good girl, but unfortunately, she is a fool. Heaven is blind."
“I think Miss Shen’s eyes are clear; she may just be naive and inexperienced.”
"Sigh, I wish it were so too. If Xiangjun had even half the cleverness of her sister, I would be content." Master Shen paused, then waved his hands repeatedly, "Look at me, why am I saying so much nonsense? You two must be tired. Sister-in-law Hu, Sister-in-law Hu!" The woman who had brought them here earlier rushed over immediately.
"Aunt Hu, quickly arrange a private room for the two of you, and have someone boil more hot water for our distinguished guests to bathe." Master Shen gave a few instructions, then turned to Tang Zhou and Yan Dan, "If you two would like anything to eat, just tell Aunt Hu, and the kitchen will send it over."
Tang Zhou said calmly, "You're too kind. There's no need for such trouble."
Master Shen immediately replied, "Yes, yes."
Normally, Yan Dan would have been impatient with all the polite formalities, but Tang Zhou had just promised to help her lift the restrictions, so she was in a good mood and waited quietly to the side. Aunt Hu arranged for them to stay in the east wing; the two adjacent rooms had already been prepared.
Tang Zhou indeed removed the restraints from her hands, then led her to the guest room next door to rest. The remaining doubts in Yan Dan's heart also disappeared. After soaking in the hot water that was brought over for a while, she felt even more refreshed. After having dinner, she felt that she should start to carry out her escape plan.
As soon as she opened the door, she was suddenly struck by a flash of golden light. She staggered back a few steps and collapsed to the ground. Yan Dan looked closely and saw several talismans pasted on the door and threshold, presumably Tang Zhou's work. Her initial joy was suddenly doused with cold water, leaving her feeling utterly dejected.
A gentle evening breeze carried Shen Xiangjun's clear laughter and Tang Zhou's soft voice. The two slowly approached. The spotted parrot perched on Shen Xiangjun's shoulder; she occasionally chirped a few words to the parrot, then a few to Tang Zhou, her expression affectionate. Tang Zhou listened patiently, his head bowed.
Yan Dan hugged her knees, staring intently at Tang Zhou. Tang Zhou quickly sensed her gaze, exchanged a few words with Shen Xiangjun, and she immediately left with the parrot. Tang Zhou walked to the guest room door and chuckled softly, "Why are you sitting on the floor?"
Yan Dan laughed in anger, her tone surprisingly gentle: "Senior brother, if you're worried that people will run out and be haunted by evil spirits, just say so. Why put up so many talismans at the door?"
Tang Zhou smiled and said, "I was just afraid that you would do some naughty things, so I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. It's kind of you to understand my good intentions."
Yan's face turned cold: "When exactly do you plan to use me to refine pills?"
Tang Zhou walked into the guest room and sat down at the table: "There's no rush."
Yan Dan stood up and dusted off the dust on her clothes: "There are so many monsters in this world, yet you just won't let me go."
Tang Zhou looked at her in the twilight and slowly hummed in agreement: "Actually, I did think about whether or not to let you go. Your nature doesn't seem to be bad."
Yan Dan stared intently at him.
"But it's not much better. Perhaps I should let you stay with me for a while longer to temper your temperament?"
Yan Dan immediately said, "You'd better hurry up and refine me into a pill."
There were flickering lights in the courtyard, but these were no ordinary lights; they had an eerie, blue-green hue. After a while, the phosphorescent flames slowly died out on their own.
Tang Zhou quietly entered the courtyard, bent down, and picked up some soil from the ground. Just as he was about to return to his guest room, he suddenly heard a strange sound coming from the west wing, a sound that was both crying and laughing. The sound was vaguely familiar, as if he had heard it before. He quietly walked to the west wing, pressed himself against the door, and peered through the crack in the door.
An elderly Taoist priest in an apricot-yellow robe sat on the ground, beating his chest and stamping his feet, laughing and crying at the same time. It was Ling Xuzi. This man was a grandmaster of his generation, and it was a pity that he had fallen to such a state.
Tang Zhou turned his head and suddenly saw a flash of cold light before his eyes; a sharp longsword almost grazed him. Tang Zhou quickly caught the sword between two fingers, and saw that the person wielding the sword was none other than Shen Xiangjun! He was slightly taken aback, thinking that in the darkness of night, she might not have recognized him at first. He had just released his grip when Shen Xiangjun thrust her sword at him again, swift and ruthless.
Her face was gloomy, and her eyes were fierce; she seemed like a completely different person from during the day.
Tang Zhou didn't want to hurt her, so he used the scabbard to lightly touch her shoulder acupoint. Shen Xiangjun loosened her grip, and the long sword clattered to the ground. He turned around, lightly stepped forward, and floated away.
To return from the west wing to the east wing, one must pass through the courtyard. A man slowly approached; it was Master Shen. He carried a basket on his back and dragged a hoe, looking quite strained. He untied the basket and placed it aside, then picked up the hoe and began digging a hole. Tang Zhou moved nimbly, circling around to a nearby tree without making a sound.
He dug for a long time, more than three feet deep, before stopping. He picked up the basket at his feet and slowly emptied its contents into the pit. Tang Zhou, hiding in the tree, could only see his profile and couldn't make out what he was burying. He thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered that the hairpin he had helped Tao Ziqi find was still with him, so he aimed at a distant brick and threw it.
The hairpin made a clinking sound when it hit the ground, and Master Shen immediately went to investigate.
Tang Zhou leaped down from the tree branch and peered into the pit by the moonlight. Finding it too dark, he reached in and took some soil from it, adding it to the bag of dirt he had brought earlier. Just as he finished, he heard Master Shen's footsteps approaching again. His figure moved like a wisp of smoke as he returned to the east wing guest room.
The talismans on Yan Dan's door were still neatly pasted up, and the candles inside had been extinguished, presumably she was asleep. Tang Zhou returned to his room and examined the things he had retrieved by candlelight. The soil in the bag was very mixed, probably from frequent stirring. What Master Shen had buried was even stranger—a few fresh peach petals. Tang Zhou found it odd; why would a merchant bury flowers, especially freshly picked petals? Why was the soil in the courtyard so mixed? Did someone frequently dig and bury something there?
He blew out the light, quickly washed up, and lay down on the bed, but his mind was preoccupied, and he couldn't fall asleep. In his hazy state, he felt someone standing in front of his bed. He suddenly woke up, only to find the area in front of his bed empty, and the door had been blown open by the wind, rattling loudly.
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