Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Pursuit

Lu Chenyuan was still bustling about in the main hall, his hand moving ceaselessly with the rag, though his heart had already flown to the clouds above. Out of the corner of his eye, he kept a constant watch on the regular patrons at several tables. Suddenly, his heart sank as he thought to himself:

“This isn’t good!”

The reason for his alarm was that the middle-aged scholar who had come here for two days straight, sitting in silence and steeped in sorrow, had left alone before the appointed hour and had not been seen since. This place was a den of all sorts, and lately strange incidents had been occurring with alarming frequency. Just the day before, the officers from the Demon Suppression Bureau had come to question everyone about a missing person—tension hung in their words like a drawn bow. The scholar, frail and bookish, had gone out alone and hadn’t returned; there was undoubtedly something amiss.

As anxiety gnawed at him, Lu Chenyuan glanced toward the counter. Qian Dahai was nowhere to be seen at the moment, doubtless still upstairs in a private room, entertaining the invitation of Young Master Chu. This was an opportunity not to be missed!

Lu Chenyuan’s mind raced, and a plan took shape at once. He knew there might be danger ahead, and it would be unwise to go unarmed. Without drawing attention, he tossed the rag into the washbasin and turned, heading for the kitchen.

Inside, the air was thick with oil and steam—the busiest time of the evening. After working here for more than ten days, Lu Chenyuan was well-acquainted with every corner. Waiting until the cook was distracted, laughing loudly with another, he slipped quietly to the wooden rack where the knives hung and reached for a boning knife.

Its blade was thin and long, forged from seasoned iron, steeped for years in the scent of meat and oil. The edge was honed keen, glinting with a cold, ghostly sheen in the light of the stove. Lu pressed the knife close to his arm, hiding it within his sleeve, and turned to make his way toward the back courtyard.

At that very moment, he felt the unmistakable prickling of eyes on his back, as though needles pressed against his skin. Lu Chenyuan tensed inwardly, yet his steps did not falter. Feigning ignorance, he passed through the kitchen at an unhurried pace, making for the side door that led to the rear yard.

The one following him was another inn servant by the name of Wang Ergou. Seeing Lu Chenyuan head for the back, Wang’s suspicions were allayed, and he crept after him, careful to make no sound.

In the rear yard, only an old locust tree swayed in the night wind. The place was utterly silent, not a soul in sight. Wang Ergou felt a wave of confusion—had the boy sprouted wings and flown away? As he looked around, searching, he suddenly felt a chill at his neck. An icy blade pressed against his skin, and a cold voice sounded behind him:

“Speak. Why are you following me?”

Wang Ergou’s soul nearly left his body. His legs turned to jelly and he nearly collapsed. Turning, he saw the impassive face of Lu Chenyuan and managed a smile uglier than a grimace, stammering:

“Lu… Brother Lu, it’s me! I just came out for a quick break, you… what are you doing?”

Lu Chenyuan’s eyes grew colder as he tightened his grip. The tip of the boning knife bit into Wang’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

A sharp pain jolted Wang, and all his streetwise bravado was instantly swept away by the killing intent he sensed. He dared not utter another excuse and immediately spilled everything: how Qian Dahai had instructed him to keep watch, every detail confessed without omission.

“... The shopkeeper said you seemed unsettled these days, and he worried you might cause trouble outside, so he had me keep an extra eye on you. If you left the inn, I was to let him know.”

“Brother Lu, I swear it’s all true! Please, don’t tell the boss I told you!”

Lu Chenyuan’s gaze flickered as he listened, a cold smile in his heart.

“What a fine excuse—afraid I’d cause trouble? If Qian Dahai were truly concerned, why send someone to spy on me in secret? This isn’t how one treats a guest; it’s the conduct of someone guarding against a thief!”

Recalling that conversation with Shangguan Chuci about “butchers and fattened sheep,” his suspicions only deepened.

He said nothing more, merely giving Wang a long, cool look before speaking in a flat tone:

“I know about this now. Keep quiet…”

He paused mid-sentence, his gaze flashing, then abruptly changed his mind. “Never mind.”

“What?” Wang was startled, not grasping the shift in tone. Suddenly, he felt a sharp blow to the back of his neck—a precise strike to the Wind Mansion acupoint. Darkness swallowed him before he could utter a sound, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

Lu Chenyuan withdrew his hand and regarded the unconscious servant, thinking to himself, “It’s safer to knock you out for now. Rest easy—you’ll wake up in a few hours.”

He dragged Wang into the woodshed, hiding him among the dry straw, then wasted no time. With a flicker, he slipped out the side gate and disappeared into the gathering dusk.

Blending into the crowds of the marketplace, he searched in all directions for the scholar, but found no trace. Rounding a street corner, however, his eyes caught sight of several familiar figures.

They were the very same sinister cultivators he had noticed before!

Lu Chenyuan’s heart clenched. He immediately held his breath and followed them from a safe distance.

...

After purchasing the worthless calming incense at a hefty price, Shangguan Chuci watched as Qian Dahai departed, his face wreathed in satisfaction. The corners of her lips curled ever so slightly, betraying the faintest trace of mockery.

She sat quietly in her room for a while. Hearing footsteps below, she knew Qian Dahai had returned to the counter. Rising with graceful composure, she descended the stairs.

She had intended to seek out Lu Chenyuan to offer a few hints about the situation—if not to speak plainly, then at least to give him some warning and avert any misunderstandings. Yet, searching the main hall, she found no sign of the young man.

A thought struck her. “Perhaps he went to the woodshed in the rear courtyard to rest?”

Without alerting anyone, she passed through the hall and entered the back. The shed door was ajar, no lamplight visible through the crack—only a heavy, stagnant silence.

With brows gently furrowed, Shangguan Chuci pushed open the door. Only a few slanting rays of sunset filtered in, shrouding the shed in gloom. Her eyes swept the room—the bed was empty. Her gaze sharpened as she noticed the straw piled in the corner. Though it appeared carelessly scattered, she sensed a deliberate effort to disguise something.

With delicate steps, she approached the straw. Her slender white jade fan flicked aside the upper layer, and the sight beneath made her heart sink.

There, curled in the straw, was the servant Wang Ergou, eyes tightly shut, unconscious.

A chill ran through Shangguan Chuci’s heart.

“Someone’s been hidden here! Has Lu Chenyuan left of his own accord, or has he already met with misfortune and been abducted?”

Though startled, she remained calm and bent down at once. A fair hand hovered at Wang’s nostrils—his breathing was steady, clearly not dead. Two fingers pressed to his wrist: the pulse was weak but regular, with no sign of poison.

Relieved, she probed the Wind Mansion point at the back of his neck. Instantly, she detected the stagnation of the meridian, clear evidence that he had been knocked out with a deft technique.

“So that’s it…”

Shangguan Chuci’s mind worked swiftly, piecing together the sequence of events.

“Qian Dahai must have set this man to spy in secret, only to be discovered by Lu Chenyuan. He acted first, knocked out the watcher, hid him here, and slipped away to investigate.”

Understanding this, her initial alarm melted into a mixture of amusement and admiration.

Without hesitation, she turned toward the shadowy corner and called softly, “Uncle Shen.”

At her words, a black-clad figure emerged soundlessly from the darkness. It was Shen Guizhou, her guardian of the Watching Waves rank.

He said nothing, awaiting her command.

“Take this man back to my room. Do not alert Qian Dahai,” Shangguan Chuci said coolly.

Shen Guizhou bowed, answered “Yes,” and with a swift motion slung the unconscious Wang Ergou over his shoulder. He melted into the deepening shadows by the wall, vanishing without a trace.

Only then did Shangguan Chuci restore the straw pile to its former state, erasing all evidence.

Standing alone in the dim woodshed, her heart stirred with a thousand emotions, which finally resolved into a soft, wistful sigh.

“In the end, I was a step too late. My careful preparations have been outpaced by him. I only hope this won’t plant any seeds of misunderstanding between us.”