At dusk, Qingchen led Ling Wu back and reached out to tear the notice from the board. A swarm of servants materialized on the spot, hoisted up a sedan chair, and bore the two of them off to the Shen residence.
Rich folks really were different. Even their travel sedan was this roomy.
Ling Wu sat inside, taking inventory of everything.
The thing could seat five or six people, and there was a little table in the middle set with tea and fruit of every kind.
By the time she'd finished a single cup, they'd arrived at the Shen estate.
The sight inside made her click her tongue. So the mortal realm had buildings this grand too. Pavilions and towers everywhere, the finest timber and stone—even the beaded curtains were strung with top-grade jade. Sheer luxury!
The grounds were a maze. If no one had been leading the way, Ling Wu figured she could have searched until midnight without finding Young Master Shen's quarters.
She stole a glance at Qingchen's expression: utterly unruffled. Clearly, he'd seen it all before.
Well, of course. Where His Excellency lived in the immortal realm made this look like a hovel.
But back up a bit. Earlier, Ling Wu had been cracking her knuckles, ready to march to the Li residence and catch the ghost—until Qingchen stopped her.
He said: "Doesn't Ah-Wu want to know why each household has its own evil spirit?"
"Master knows?"
Qingchen laughed softly. "Ah-Wu will know soon enough."
"And the ghost—"
"He won't hurt anyone."
With that assurance, Ling Wu decided to go to the Shen residence with Master first.
He'd said the ghost wouldn't harm anyone. The priority now was getting to the bottom of the whole affair.
When they arrived, a servant knocked and announced them. Getting no answer from within, he simply pushed the door open.
From a distance, all Ling Wu could see was a figure lying on the couch inside.
The servant gave the couch a gentle shake. The man opened his eyes, sat up slowly, looked toward the doorway—and locked eyes with Ling Wu.
He returned a polite smile, murmured something to the servant, and invited them in.
Hm. A well-mannered young lord, this one.
Ling Wu studied his complexion. Compared to that day, he was indeed far paler—only the demon didn't seem to be on him.
She looked left and right, trying to spot where the thing was hiding.
At some point, Qingchen had produced a yellow talisman and, with a hand seal, sent it into Young Master Shen's hand.
"Go rest somewhere else for a while."
Young Master Shen opened his mouth to ask something. Qingchen cut him off: "With this on you, the demon cannot come near."
Perhaps it was the rich immortal aura rolling off Qingchen that won him over—he really did take the talisman and leave, obedient as anything.
Soon, only Ling Wu and Qingchen remained in the courtyard.
"Ah-Wu." He called out suddenly.
"This disciple is here."
His smile was light as water, but his tone brooked no argument: "Go catch the demon."
M-me?
Ling Wu pointed at herself. Everything she wanted to say was written across her face.
"Didn't I say before that I'd take you down to the mortal realm for training? No day like the present. Let's see how your cultivation is coming along."
Having confirmed Qingchen wasn't joking, Ling Wu straightened her expression.
Master was here anyway. No way that demon could hurt her.
Steadying herself, Ling Wu marched straight into the room.
Click—the door bolted shut behind her. A yellow talisman held between her fingertips, ready at a moment's notice.
Her gaze swept every corner of the room until, at last, it landed on a wooden carving.
A little cat.
It lay curled up, tail arched high, the wood grain flowing along the curve of its spine, every strand of fur distinct. Look closely and it almost seemed soft. Gems were set in for the eyes—though the room was dim, they gleamed uncannily bright. The whole carving was startlingly lifelike.
"So it's you causing all the trouble!" Ling Wu formed seals with both hands, incantation murmuring under her breath, the talisman brightening steadily.
A "meowww" sounded. She paused.
The wooden carving shifted into the shape of a young woman. Amber eyes startlingly bright, the corners tinged peach-pink; two little cat ears poking up through her hair; a lotus-pink gown trimmed with silver ornaments everywhere. Her body still held the crouch of a cat, palms on the floor. Right now she was staring up at Ling Wu with huge blinking eyes, mewing pitifully.
"Don't kill me, don't kill me! I'm a good person—no wait, a good demon!" She eyed the yellow talisman in Ling Wu's hand in terror.
Oh. Just a little cat demon.
And she had to admit—that display did soften the heart.
Ling Wu kept her face stern and asked flatly: "Why have you been harming people here?"
The cat demon dodged the question, eyes shifty. "I'm a good demon. I don't hurt good people."
Ling Wu seized on the crack in her words. "And how is Young Master Shen not a good person? Explain yourself. Thoroughly."
The cat demon didn't want to talk.
"Did he betray you?"
Shake of the head.
"Did he raze your home?"
Shake of the head.
"Did you love him and get nothing back?"
The cat demon was speechless. "Have you been reading too many storybooks?"
"What's your name?" Ling Wu changed tack.
The cat demon clammed up again. Demons rarely gave out their names—a name known was a person lost, leaving you open to control.
Nothing extracted. Ling Wu had no patience for this, and started chanting again on the spot.
This time she showed no mercy. A ball of flame flew from her fingertips, and the cat demon howled.
"Meow, ow ow, meow, OW! Aoww!"
That yowling... torture for the ears!
"Are you going to talk or not?"
The cat demon's lips trembled. Sniffling and wiping her tears: "Yunshu. My name is Yunshu."
Ling Wu nodded, satisfied. "Now answer me one more question. Why were you harming Young Master Shen?"
Yunshu pouted, grudging. "Because he's getting married! When I was little, I fell into a butcher's hands—he meant to slaughter me and sell my fur. On the road, a scholar saved me. He's the reason I could cultivate and take this form at all. We demons repay our debts—of course I had to. He and Miss Li loved each other truly, but he died on the road to the exams, and even now his heart is fixed on her. He can't bear to watch her marry another..."
"That's his one last wish. Of course I couldn't ignore it."
"So you played ghost night after night to frighten Young Master Shen, and drained his yang energy while you were at it—hoping he'd become a ghost too?"
Yunshu nodded, face falling. "I truly couldn't bear it. But as long as Shen Ci dies, Miss Li will never remarry."
"If not Young Master Shen, there's always Young Master Wang, Young Master Zhang—how do you know she won't simply marry again?" Ling Wu didn't follow.
"Not everyone in Yulin City is as rich as the Shen family!" Yunshu shot back, then lowered her voice. "You don't know—Miss Li doesn't want to marry him at all. He's forcing it! The Shen family is rich and powerful. Whatever he wants, who would dare say no?"
"Forcing her how, exactly?" Ling Wu's gossip-soul blazed like a bonfire.
Yunshu leaned in closer, hand over her mouth. "Go on, ask around. This Shen couple loves charity, sure—but their son is a famous local tyrant. He especially loves abducting young women!"
"You got here late, that's all. When I first came to the Shen estate, the courtyard was full of girls he'd dragged back—like a whole pleasure house!"
Then she scratched her head. "But here's the strange part. He's never once entered any of their rooms. I'm starting to think he can't!"
The more Ling Wu heard, the more confused she got—and she scratched her head too. "So by your account, is Young Master Shen good or bad?"
Yunshu pondered for a long while and delivered her verdict: "Good-bad."
Ling Wu turned to stone on the spot.
How do you answer with an or?!