The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

More than half a month had passed since they arrived, and there was still no news of the Song family’s Second Young Master.

The news of the disappearances on Tuo Mountain could no longer be concealed. The imperial court dispatched the Dali Temple to investigate thoroughly. Those who had come for the bounty were sensible, quickly packing their belongings and leaving overnight.

Even Mo Xianghao and Lu Fengmian, whose journey was delayed due to the ghost bridegroom case, had started their journey back to the capital.

The sky was woven with golden and silver threads. The midday atmosphere was one of wind and dragonflies.

A few days ago, Lu Fengmian had drawn her sword out of righteous indignation to save a male bride who was about to be married to a ghost, but many people had tragically died in the subsequent mudslide. Morale was low and complaints were rife, so they had no choice but to stop briefly in the nearest town.

“We are strangers here. Excuse me, is there an inn here?” Lu Fengmian approached several passersby, but before she could finish her sentence, they shooed her away as if she were a viper.

This happened repeatedly. Lu Fengmian’s face darkened. She walked back to Mo Xianghao and said, “This problem is bigger than just the ghost bridegroom. I can’t report back like this. We have to go back before the imperial troops arrive.”

Mo Xianghao’s temples pulsed. She raised her hand and rubbed them haphazardly, nodding at the news.

“Don’t look so distressed. News of Young Master Song’s death reached the capital a few days ago, and these bodyguards have nowhere to go, so they have to follow us,” she added, seeing her friend’s low spirits.

“Fengmian, the girl we were commissioned to find is definitely gone. The reason we stayed too long is because—” Mo Xianghao gritted her teeth, “It’s because of that parasite.”

“Allowing them to follow us will only kill them.”

Lu Fengmian lowered her eyes. Everyone understood the logic, but how was she supposed to shake them off? Abandoning them in the desolate mountains would be no different from murder for profit.

“Then let’s do it now. If this place is safe, we’ll leave them here. We’ll find a dark and windy night, and the two of us will leave.”

The Song family was powerful. Lu Fengmian could not openly clash with them for a group of bodyguards who had no official rank or wealth. Whether she liked it or not, everything she said and did was leveraging her grandmother’s reputation.

Her grandmother favored her, but she was still an outsider and was disliked for being overly thoughtful.

The capable people who went to Tuo Mountain for the bounty had either left or died. The bodyguards might have to spend the rest of their lives on the mountain.

The Song family was currently busy preparing for the funeral. The matter of the Second Young Master would eventually be investigated. Surviving the mountain was difficult enough, so naturally, they wanted to follow capable people down the mountain.

“Hmph. Whether there are problems or not, there won’t be once I arrive,” Mo Xianghao scoffed.

After numerous inquiries, she finally learned from a well-dressed old woman that there was no inn in the small town.

They had no choice but to ask if there was a local mortuary nearby. Asking about a place for the dead seemed to offend the old woman, who stammered, refusing to give any coherent answer.

Lu Fengmian felt utterly helpless, but this was one of the few people among the dozen or so who were willing to talk. She then asked if there were any demons causing trouble recently, stating that as a demon slayer, it was her bounden duty to help.

In a peaceful area, such words would be met with spitting and curses for bad luck.

But Mo Xianghao was quickly proven wrong. The old woman visibly shivered and turned to leave in a hurry. However, after Lu Fengmian’s persistent pestering, she finally compromised.

She even wholeheartedly suggested that the group stay far away from that unlucky place and use her own guest rooms.

“I…” Mo Xianghao was dumbfounded.

She knew Lu Fengmian had the Gift of Sight from birth. Naturally, she had absolute trust in her friend. Yet, this woman hadn’t revealed anything before, only mentioning it now in a joking tone, using the shock of others to emphasize the truth of her words.

Lu Fengmian first placated the old woman, then turned back with a playful wink, “Trust me rather than trusting yourself.”

At this moment, Mo Xianghao shed her tired look and became serious. She watched as the woman surnamed Lu obediently accepted the offer of lodging, her expression suggesting she wanted to speak but hesitated multiple times.

From the moment they entered the town, others had been deliberately or unintentionally casting glances at them. This resistant, hostile gaze made them quite unwelcome.

Of course, earlier, Mo Xianghao had simply assumed it was poor local customs and a reluctance to welcome outsiders.

“It’s no big deal. We’ll leave after we sort this out,” Lu Fengmian said without lowering her voice. It was a statement addressed to everyone, and also a private message to Mo Xianghao.

They followed the old woman through winding paths to a narrow alley, entering a large residence through the side door. The layout inside was antique and elegant, with a pungent smell of money wafting in.

They occasionally encountered servants who greeted them, but the old woman merely hurried past, as if staying for an extra second would cause trouble.

Finally, the group stopped in front of the west wing. “You can stay in these two rooms at the end. I have things to do, so I’ll be leaving now.”

She refused to stay long, shuffling back the way she came.

Lu Fengmian watched her retreating figure with a clear gaze.

According to the news she had gathered, the youngest son managed this manor, and his only wife had been possessed and insane for many years. The old woman’s family was full of sentiment. Her son couldn’t bear to lock up his wife, but recently the woman had become increasingly delirious.

She was not only losing weight but also constantly paranoid. When alone, she often spoke incoherently, and her laughter was chilling. However, she was still conscious and had never done anything extreme.

Whether the husband’s family liked Madam Jiang was debatable. After all, her inability to bear children for seven years was reason enough to dismiss her from the Zhang family, yet they hadn’t abandoned their long-suffering wife.

“You and I are separated now. Sweet dreams,” Lu Fengmian shrugged and entered the room assigned to her.

Mo Xianghao sighed and rolled her eyes. She planned to visit the bodyguards who were housed in the woodshed first, and then scout the surrounding environment.

Just as she reached the corner, she met two familiar strangers.

The person who was slightly ahead of his companion said, “Well, well, isn’t this Mo Xianghao, Master Mo?”

The people who arrived, coincidentally, were the sullen-yet-flirtatious Xu Bufan and the monk with hair from Tuo Mountain.

“Heh, what’s up, Xu Bufan? Did you have to look for female companions all the way out here?”

The man called Xu Bufan frowned, annoyedly looking away. The monk in black robes, who was half a step away from him, bowed with his hands clasped and said, “Amitabha,” passing right by the two women.

“Oh.”

The commotion was significant enough to make Lu Fengmian, who was half-leaning into the room, turn her head.

The monk in black robes stopped in front of her door. Lu Fengmian was still holding the doorframe and peeking out, her eyes shining with a rare burst of curiosity.

“Little Benefactress, this trip, there are about five people that this humble monk has met before.” He bowed slightly and then turned to leave without a moment’s delay.

“Ah, oh, thank you.”

Lu Fengmian smiled sheepishly, not understanding why he suddenly told her this. She could only nod slowly and repeatedly in thanks, then quietly turned back into the room.

The monk spoke at a volume that was not low. Mo Xianghao, who was looking around, was not far away and clearly heard the conversation. Compared to Lu’s contemplative look, she was more bewildered.

Ignoring the fuming Xu Bufan, she noticed another familiar figure lingering in the distance—the martial artist who had mooched dinner from them when they left Tuo Mountain.

At this moment, he seemed to be hesitating whether to knock on the door. Just by looking at his vague silhouette, she could almost see beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

“There really are many people coming. I need to go investigate,” Mo Xianghao muttered to herself. She crept over quietly, intending to startle him.

The jade plate of the moon was faintly visible through the dark clouds, refusing to show its full face. Shifting tree shadows swayed on the paper window. The red candle in the tiled house illuminated most of the window paper, elongating countless human shadows.

Li Qinghuai had been wandering outside for most of the day, leaving her particularly drained when she finally found the woodshed. She loved leaning against walls, but since she was injured on her back, she could only lean at an angle, supported by her left arm.

“They said there’s something strange here, so they should have sent us to the county first and then come back themselves!” someone yelled, his face flushed. “Are you not treating human lives as lives?”

Just half an hour ago, the old woman had clearly explained the situation in the village.

For the past few months, they would hear beastly roars every few nights, and sometimes there would be footsteps on the roof tiles.

Most importantly, she had three sons, all living in this Zhang Manor. Two of them were married and had children. But the youngest son’s wife had been acting strangely lately, and the family suspected she was possessed.

Even though the old woman had lied about the duration of the possession, for some people, staying here was equivalent to jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Even the servant girl who delivered the food was implicated. Following instructions, she offered some comfort but was angrily silenced.

Li Qinghuai was unfamiliar with social etiquette and didn’t realize that comfort was useless in this situation.

She had to fight fire with fire.

The door was violently kicked open with a “clang.” Someone stood framed against the moonlight.

“What do you know? Can you even see the Yin energy?!” Li Qinghuai cleared her throat and began her performance. “There’s nothing here, and you’re still talking nonsense.”

“To be honest, I noticed too much Yin energy clinging to you all the way back in the wolf’s den.”

She erupted in a rage, her voice so loud it could be heard through several walls. “I was originally planning to go to the Boli Zen Temple in the county and personally ask a Grand Master to exorcise the evil. I am not talented, but I do have some connection with the Abbot there.”

“Who knew you would be so ungrateful, taking kindness for weakness. If you want to leave, then leave quickly. No one is stopping you.”

After hearing her speech, even the maid was stunned, unsure how to react.

The outburst left Li Qinghuai with a severe headache and a churning stomach.

The mountain mists drifted in unscrupulously, and the already dim candle flames flickered violently. The sparse, swaying tree shadows on the paper window were chilling, to say nothing of Li Qinghuai’s furious, distorted face.

Everyone, including herself, was no longer in the mood to think.

There was nothing more to say, and a period of silence followed. The maid saw Li Qinghuai wink at her, slowly grasping the meaning. She stammered out a couple of supplementary sentences, clearly unable to keep up the charade.

Although the speech wasn’t as effective as she had hoped, it still startled the others. No one dared to disrespect her again.

“Zhao Pan’er, is that you?”

Li Qinghuai blinked and smiled, “It is.”

She took steps further into the room. The old wooden floor creaked under her weight.

She found a central spot and stopped, looking around.

“Is your Master Lu not with you?”

A sunken-cheeked man replied, “She came, but she isn’t squeezed into the woodshed with us. It’s good enough that a noble lady like her doesn’t mind us slowing her down. How could she possibly stay with us?”

Li Qinghuai expressed her strong agreement, nodding frequently.

“But why is Master Zhao here?”

“Oh, there are quite a few people here. Many of them you know.”

“I was personally invited by the Zhang family’s old woman to stay for a few days to get rid of demons and evil spirits,” she said, looking at the man while holding her forehead. “You don’t need to worry too much. If even one hair on your body is harmed, I will mock Lu Fengmian’s professional competence.”