“My younger sister went missing when she was eight years old. Come to think of it, nearly eight years have passed since then.” Li Yusheng set down his teacup and turned to look at the sky outside the window, as if sinking into a distant memory. “She used to be the prettiest, smartest, and most adorable girl in our village. Everyone in the village loved her dearly…”
“It’s a pity that worldly fortunes are unpredictable. On that most ordinary of ordinary days, Dad went up the mountain to hunt, and Mom and I went out to wash vegetables. I was possessed by some evil whim at the time, and seeing that the fish in the pond were exceptionally large, I swore up and down that I would catch one and bring it back to stew fish soup for my younger sister.”
“Later on, after the fish was caught, Mom and I returned home late, and my younger sister had also… gone missing.”
“It’s my fault, it’s all my fault. If I had been able to get home earlier that day, maybe my younger sister wouldn’t have…”
Li Yusheng’s voice grew softer and softer, finally fading into a long, drawn-out sigh.
The two juniors cupped their teacups, their eyes wide as saucers, listening in a daze. Feiyi even began to earnestly reflect on whether her initial attitude toward Li Yusheng had been a bit too harsh.
“Brother Li must not think like that.” Song Lianzhou gently set his teacup on the table, pulling the man’s thoughts back. “If anyone is at fault, it should be me. If I hadn’t brought it up, Brother Li wouldn’t have been reminded of these heartbreaking matters.”
Li Yusheng gave a bitter smile. “It’s just an old, bygone matter; it’s simply a bit painful to recall. Today, I should have properly hosted all of you guests, but instead, I ended up making the guests listen to my worries.”
“However, why did your younger sister suddenly go missing? Following the location where she was last seen to search, were there no clues at all?”
“None. We asked everyone in the village, and only a neighbor saw my younger sister run out from home. My parents and I searched tirelessly day and night for dozens of days, practically turning the entirety of Qishan upside down, yet we didn’t find any trace of my younger sister.”
Li Yusheng lowered his head, his hands gripping tightly against the edge of his clothes. “Qishan is only this large where could she possibly have run off to? It’s simply as if she vanished into thin air.”
Song Lianzhou narrowed his eyes slightly, his breathing throwing off its rhythm for a split second.
It was too similar.
The disappearance of Li Yusheng’s younger sister was far too similar to the case of the missing maidens around Qishan.
Ye Xisheng suddenly spoke up, “I wonder if Brother Li could tell me your younger sister’s full name and date of birth?”
Naturally I can. Her name is Li Nianshang.” Li Yusheng recited her Eight Characters of birth as well, then asked with some perplexity, “Why does Brother Ye ask about this?”
“I’ve studied a bit of divination and calculation arts, and I can cast a hex for your younger sister.”
Li Yusheng gave a bitter smile. “So many years have passed, and my parents and I have long since stopped holding out any hope. Brother Ye needn’t trouble yourself.”
Ye Xisheng didn’t reply, falling silent with closed eyes for a few seconds before saying, “The reading is out. It is the hex of the Pit (Kan). Your younger sister’s life is still safe; she is merely trapped in a place and unable to break free.”
“However, your younger sister’s destiny is marked by a sign of peace, prosperity, and wealth. She is only temporarily lost, and before long she will surely break through her predicament and regain her freedom.”
“Brother Ye doesn’t need to comfort me further.” Li Yusheng curved the corners of his lips. “With no news or echoes for so many years, my parents and I have already prepared ourselves for the worst in our hearts. Moreover, we pray to the Holy Maiden day after day with no results; presumably, Nianshang has long since…”
Seeing the look of sorrow on his face, Ye Xisheng knew that saying more would be futile, so he stopped speaking altogether.
The people in this village had been isolated from the outside world for far too long, and their hearts held only a single deity they trusted only that single deity. Even if Ye Xisheng was telling the absolute truth, Li Yusheng would not believe it.
Just as the atmosphere grew heavy, Li Mother timely emerged from the kitchen, breaking the slightly oppressive mood: “Come, come, time to eat! Goudan, go urge your dad; it’s already this late and he still isn’t back…”
“Understood,” Li Yusheng acknowledged and was about to head out the door when he suddenly noticed Li Father walking in from the entrance. “Dad is here, and alongside him is… the Village Chief? Why is the Village Chief here?”
The Village Chief was a kind-faced, white-bearded old man whose eyes were squeezed into the folds of his face, making him look at first glance as though he were speaking with his eyes closed.
The Li family held him in high regard, respectfully welcoming him into the house.
“Your dad mentioned you brought back a few guests, so I specifically came to take a look.” The Village Chief stroked his beard with a cheerful smile, shifting his gaze toward the four of them. “These four must be them, right?”
“To think there is even such an adorable little girl.”
Feiyi, who had been spacing out and wandering beyond the heavens this whole time, lifted her head in confusion: ?
If Li Yusheng and Li Mother’s reactions could be explained by having their own reasons, the Village Chief’s remark felt truly abrupt. Even with her thick-headedness, she should have realized something was amiss: although she was the only girl among the four of them, the people in this village paid far too much attention to her.
“Yes,” Li Yusheng introduced. “The four guests are very interested in our village’s ritual, so I invited them to come witness it.”
“I see, I see. For so many guests to come and witness it this year is truly the fortune of our Fanggu Village.” The Village Chief cupped his hands repeatedly in greeting. “However, to speak the truth in shame, since you have come from afar, we originally should have used our highest etiquette to host you. Unfortunately, all the guest rooms allocated for previously arrived guests are already fully occupied, and at present, there is only one vacant guest room left in the village.”
Before Song Lianzhou could say anything, Li Yusheng eagerly chimed in, “Village Chief, our family still has a spare room. Let Song-xiong stay with us.”
“Since they were guests I brought up the mountain myself, I should also fulfill the duties of a host.”
Li Mother also added, “Guests need not worry; the spare room in our house is plenty big, and we clean it regularly.”
“Splendid indeed. I wonder what the guests think of this arrangement?”
Song Lianzhou said, “We leave everything to the Village Chief’s arrangement.”
“Then it’s settled.” The Village Chief smiled cheerily. “The three guests will temporarily stay here, and this little girl…” He patted Feiyi’s braid. “Later on, Grandpa will take you to look at your guest room, alright?”
Feiyi: “Huh?”
Song Lianzhou: “I shall accompany my younger sister. She is still young, and it might be somewhat improper for her to stay alone.”
Village Chief: “She won’t be alone. Sharing the room with her is another young girl a few years older; it would actually be improper for you to go along, honored guest.”
Noticing the polite refusal embedded in his words, Song Lianzhou frowned slightly. “This is truly…”
Suddenly, he felt someone gently tug at his sleeve. Turning his head, Song Lianzhou saw Feiyi blinking at him before replying in a crisp, clear voice, “Alright, thank you, Grandpa Village Chief!”
Song Lianzhou was startled, then relaxed his mind slightly.
He had almost forgotten—after applying her disguise, Feiyi only looked young; in reality, she was also an expert at the early Nascent Soul stage. When Gu Qingci assigned this task to Feiyi and Qingmiao, her original intention was also to let them gain some practical experience.
Thus, the sleeping arrangements were settled just like that.
After everyone finished their meal, the Village Chief prepared to take Feiyi away, and Qingmiao volunteered himself to go along and help with tidying up. Knowing that Qingmiao was going to scout for intelligence, Song Lianzhou raised no objections and let them go. The group agreed to meet up at the village entrance shortly after.
Left behind, Song Lianzhou and Ye Xisheng were led by Li Yusheng to a room located on the other side of the small courtyard.
“Song-xiong, Ye-xiong, you can rest here for a bit,” Li Yusheng smiled. “If you need anything, just give me a shout.”
After helping tidy up a few things, Li Yusheng finally took his leave. Ye Xisheng closed the door, and as he watched Song Lianzhou busily organizing their belongings in the room, a smile crept across his face. He walked over to the table, rested his chin in his hand, and quietly watched him.
After observing for a moment, he suddenly dropped a question out of nowhere: “Does Senior Brother sense anything amiss?”
Clack. Song Lianzhou placed his favorite teacup onto the table, producing a crisp, clean sound.
Without raising his head, half of his face submerged in shadows, his expression turned murky and obscure: “Numerous suspicious points.”