“You are a female ghost, I am a man…”
After twenty-two years, not only had he seen his birth mother, but he had also inadvertently learned his father’s name.
Xu Jichun lifted his sleeve to wipe away his tears, his expression both content and desolate.
For as long as he could remember, his aunt had been his only family.
The children from the neighboring town refused to play with him, whispering behind his back that he was a bastard child.
Xu Jichun murmured the name “Helan Wang”: “So my father is called Helan Wang…”
Seeing his forced smile, Eighteenth Lady patted his head comfortingly: “How about I give you a portrait of your father?”
Xu Jichun: “Really?”
Eighteenth Lady: “Wait for me in your room. I’ll go back to the tower to fetch it.”
In the room of the narcissistic ghost Helan Wang, there were many portraits piled up.
She could take one to give away—surely it wouldn’t be a problem?
Xu Jichun nodded obediently: “Alright, I’ll wait for you in my room.”
Retracting her left foot from the wall, Eighteenth Lady turned back and repeatedly reminded him: “That heart-ripping murderer specifically targets scholars. You must wait for me in your room!”
“Okay!”
Eighteenth Lady swiftly floated back to Fúshān Tower.
On the third floor, the doors of all three rooms were tightly shut.
She tiptoed upstairs, skirting along the wall until she reached Helan Wang’s door.
On even-numbered days, Helan Wang would wander into the city, not returning until midnight.
Today was the twenty-second day of the fourth month—an even-numbered day.
Eighteenth Lady peeked through the door crack for a while, and after confirming that no one was inside, she quickly pushed the door open.
She was a frequent visitor to this room.
Finding a portrait was naturally a breeze for her.
After searching just three spots, she unearthed a portrait of Helan Wang.
Silver hair flowing, robes as dark as ink, a face as enchanting as a demon’s.
Gazing at it evoked both fear and fascination.
“Not bad, not bad.”
Eighteenth Lady opened the door, satisfied, only to bump straight into the ghost in the portrait.
Locking eyes, she first bared her front teeth, her eyes curving into crescents, adopting an extremely ingratiating expression: “I’ve come to bring you something to eat.”
Helan Wang stood over eight feet tall, his gaze easily passing over her head to the empty table in the room: “Where is the food?”
Eighteenth Lady looked up with a foolish grin: “Heh heh, I ate it.”
The more one says, the more mistakes one makes; saying nothing avoids errors.
Eighteenth Lady excused herself, claiming she had something to do, and vanished in a flash.
“What is she feeling guilty about…” Helan Wang stared at the distant fleeing figure.
Su Yingtang, leaning against the doorframe watching the scene, raised an eyebrow lightly: “Probably has a secret she doesn’t want you to know.”
“Get lost.”
“Helan Dog, don’t think I can’t out-insult you!”
Slam—
Both doors closed simultaneously, and Fúshān Tower fell into silence.
After descending the stairs, Eighteenth Lady sprinted all the way to the Gaosheng Inn.
As soon as she entered the room, she was already panting heavily: “Here, your father’s portrait.”
Xu Jichun unfolded the crumpled paper and examined it carefully.
The paper was covered in creases, but the demonic beauty of the man in the portrait was still faintly visible: “Father… isn’t quite what I imagined.”
Sometimes, he would look into the mirror, trying to find traces of his father in his own reflection.
In his imagination, his father should have been a gentle and refined scholar.
But today, he learned that his father was actually a jade-faced Asura, stunningly beautiful yet ghostly.
Xu Jichun rolled up the portrait and casually teased: “Eighteenth Lady, you truly have unwavering affection for Father. Even after all these years since his death, you still keep his portrait.”
Eighteenth Lady: “After all, he is your father.”
For the remaining half-hour, Xu Jichun sat by the window reading, while Eighteenth Lady lay on his bed, snoring loudly.
Today was a day of fluctuating warmth and chill, with occasional cold drafts sneaking into the room.
Xu Jichun was deeply engrossed in his book when the door to his room was suddenly pushed open.
There was no time to wake Eighteenth Lady and have her leave. He could only watch helplessly as the visitor entered the room. “Zi’an, come with me to the Capital Prefecture Office immediately! We must demand justice for Heyu!”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as Xu Jichun’s eyes darted around nervously. “Can’t you see?”
The visitor was utterly confused. “See what?”
Eighteenth Lady spoke up at just the right moment. “He can’t see me.”
Xu Jichun sighed in relief. “You scared me half to death.”
The visitor grew even more puzzled. “Did I frighten you?”
Xu Jichun waved a hand dismissively. “Brother Shizai, wait for me outside for a moment. I’ll change my clothes and we’ll go.”
Once the door closed, Xu Jichun began to undress.
Halfway through, bare-chested, he turned to look at the woman behind him who was staring intently. “Eighteenth Lady, could you please close your eyes and turn around?”
Eighteenth Lady blinked, confused. “Why?”
Hearing this, Xu Jichun grabbed his undershirt, at least covering his exposed upper body. “You are a female ghost, and I am a man…”
Eighteenth Lady blinked again, seeming to understand, yet not quite.
However, sensing that Xu Jichun seemed displeased? She obediently covered her eyes with her hands and turned around, urging, “I’ve turned around. Hurry up and change.”
Not daring to delay any longer, Xu Jichun swiftly changed into fresh clothes and pushed the door open to leave.
Shizai, whose given name was Shu Chi, was a native of Luòjīng and had been close friends with Zhao Guangning for many years.
According to Shu Chi, he had passed by the Southern Market that morning and overheard several commoners saying: Five days ago, Prince Shun’s residence had lost a jade ruyi scepter. The Capital Prefecture Office was busy hunting down the thief to curry favor with Prince Shun and had no intention of investigating the heart-removal case at all.
He hadn’t believed such rumors initially, but after rushing to the Capital Prefecture Office to inquire, he indeed saw most of the officers searching the streets for the thief.
After hearing this, Xu Jichun was also furious. “If the Capital Prefecture Office had investigated the case diligently, Brother Heyu would not have died so tragically!”
The two men and one ghost set out for the Capital Prefecture Office, with Eighteenth Lady following behind them. As they passed by a residence in the Anye Ward, she drifted to Xu Jichun’s side and, pointing at two adjacent mansions, said with a laugh, “Both of these belong to Minister Qin of the Court of the Imperial Granaries. The one on the left houses one of his mistresses, and the one on the right is home to a lady friend of his. The two ladies live next door to each other. Minister Qin often visits his mistress in the first half of the night and then climbs over the wall to see his lady friend in the latter half. He’s kept quite busy.”
“How do you know that?”
“Zi’an, I didn’t say anything.”
“I wasn’t asking you.”
“Then… were you asking the Ghost?”
After walking for two ke, the two men and one ghost arrived at the Capital Prefecture Office located in the Xiuwen Ward.
Shu Chi politely negotiated with the officer. “This student is not here to cause trouble. I merely wish to inquire about the progress of this case.”
The officer at the entrance replied expressionlessly, perfunctorily, “It has been recorded. Go back and wait for news.”
With no other choice, Xu Jichun had to invoke his status as the Tanhualang. “This student is the newly appointed Tanhualang. I would appreciate it if you could announce my arrival.”
Upon hearing he was the Tanhualang, the officer’s tone softened. “Lord Wang is extremely busy with official duties today. The Tanhualang may come another day.”
Another day, another day.
That meant a day that would never come.
Xu Jichun cupped his hands, wanting to ask one more question, but Shu Chi pulled him away. “Zi’an, it’s useless. Why waste your breath on them?”
He was born in Luòjīng and raised in Luòjīng.
He understood the sycophantic faces of the capital’s officials better than anyone.
Even so, Xu Jichun remained unsettled. “When I studied as a child, my teacher and master taught me to speak out against injustice. Now, Brother Heyu has died tragically because of me. My conscience is uneasy.”
Shu Chi looked up to the sky with a long sigh. “For now, we can only hope that Prince Shun’s jade ruyi is found quickly and that the Capital Prefecture will seriously investigate Brother Heyu’s murder case.”
Speaking of investigation, Xu Jichun stopped in his tracks and suddenly had an idea. “Brother Sizai, to be honest with you, my mentor is an otherworldly master who solves cases with divine insight. I have studied under him for many years and have gained some understanding in the art of investigation.”
Shu Chi: “Zi’an, are you suggesting… we investigate this case ourselves?”
Xu Jichun nodded. “What do you think?”
Though his words were directed at Shu Chi, his eyes were fixed on Eighteenth Lady behind him.
“Alright!”
Shu Chi and Eighteenth Lady answered simultaneously.
One was a desperate attempt, the other brimming with eager excitement.
With both the human and the Ghost in agreement, Xu Jichun turned around and headed toward Xunshan Ward, where Zhao Guangning had been killed.
Zhao Guangning died in a corner of the ward.
They knew neither the condition of the body nor whether there were any witnesses. Fortunately, Eighteenth Lady had overheard a few words while passing by earlier that morning: “The coroner said he was first ambushed and knocked unconscious. The killer, perhaps fearing he wasn’t dead enough to resist, then slit his throat with a knife, cut open his chest, removed his heart, and left.”
The place where Zhao Guangning met his violent end was stained with blood.
Shu Chi couldn’t bear to look for long and stood up, stepping aside to cover his face and weep in sorrow.
Xu Jichun crouched down to carefully examine the bloodstains, while Eighteenth Lady hovered beside him, muttering, “There’s one thing that’s very strange…”
Xu Jichun unconsciously responded, “What’s strange?”
Shu Chi, in the middle of crying, opened his eyes in confusion. “Zi’an, are you asking me?”
Xu Jichun looked up with an awkward smile. “I like talking to myself.”
Eighteenth Lady: “If he really intended to go to the Southern Market to buy an inkstone last night, he shouldn’t have taken the route through Xunshan Ward.”
Xu Jichun suddenly understood. “It’s farther!”
Zhao Guangning had parted ways with his friends in Gōng’ān Ward last night. To reach the Southern Market, he only needed to pass through the two wards northwest of it.
But Xunshan Ward lies northeast of the Southern Market—neither adjacent to it nor home to any painting and calligraphy shops selling inkstones.
With the curfew approaching, how could Zhao Guangning, who had already passed the imperial examination and become a jinshi, risk taking such a detour to Xunshan Ward?
Xu Jichun: “I wonder who the other victims are? And whether, like Brother Heyu, they were found in places they shouldn’t have been?”
Eighteenth Lady: “I know who one of the other victims is!”
“Who?”
“I’ll take you to find him.”
Eighteenth Lady led the two of them through twists and turns until they arrived at the gate of a residence in Zunxian Ward.
Tang Residence
“Zi’an, all the victims of the heart-removal case are juren candidates. But the Tang family are merchants, and the sons of merchants are not allowed to take the imperial examinations.” Shu Chi hesitated at the gate, unwilling to step forward.
“The victim is Tang Zhi’en, an adopted son of the Tang family, registered as a commoner,” Eighteenth Lady floated beside Xu Jichun to explain.
She spoke one sentence, and Xu Jichun repeated it.
Seeing his confidence, Shu Chi stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Not long after, a young boy’s head peeked out from behind the half-opened door. “Who are you looking for?”
Shu Chi politely asked, “I would like to inquire about your elder brother…”
Before he could finish, the door slammed shut abruptly.
Shu Chi stumbled back three steps in fright, then helplessly spread his hands and looked toward Xu Jichun in the corner.
Eighteenth Lady: “Zi’an, you go knock. Just say, ‘I know who killed your brother.'”
“Huh?”
“Listen to me, this will definitely work.”
Xu Jichun did as she said.
In a flash, the person who opened the door was still the same young boy. “Who are you looking for?”
Xu Jichun: “I know who killed your brother.”
The boy: “Come in quickly!”
Led by the boy, the two humans and one Ghost entered a study.
As soon as they took their seats, the young man angrily asked, “Elders, who exactly is the villain that killed my brother?”
Xu Jichun: “We would first like to ask where your sworn brother died?”
Young man: “Why are you asking about that unlucky ghost?”
Xu Jichun: “Not at all, not at all. Because I suspect that the person who killed my brother and the one who caused your sworn brother’s death are actually the same person.”
The young man sprang up from his seat: “No wonder my brother went out with that unlucky ghost that day and came home vomiting blood nonstop!”
Shu Chi was utterly confused: “Isn’t your brother your sworn brother?”
Young man: “My brother is my pet pug.”
“…”
Xu Jichun raised his hand and coughed lightly: “May I ask how we should address you, young master?”
Young man: “You can call me Tang Fifth.”
“Fifth, you said your brother once went out with your sworn brother. When did they leave? And where did they go?”
“At three quarters past the hour of You on the fourth day of the fourth month, that unlucky ghost took my brother away, saying he was going to meet a friend in Jiashan Ward. At the end of the hour of Xu, my brother came home alone, with blood continuously dripping from the corner of his mouth. The next day, the officials asked me to identify the body, and only then did I learn that the unlucky ghost had died in Zeshan Ward.”
Xu Jichun was unfamiliar with the layout of Luòjīng and hesitated several times, unsure how to proceed.
Fortunately, Eighteenth Lady was there to add: “From the Tang residence to Jiashan Ward, one would never pass through Zeshan Ward.”
Just like Zhao Guangning, Tang Zhi’en, who should have appeared in Jiashan Ward, ended up dead in the more distant Zeshan Ward. And the brother likely witnessed the murderer killing Tang Zhi’en and was kicked in the abdomen by the murderer, ultimately leading to his death.
Xu Jichun: “Fifth, who was the friend your sworn brother was meeting that night?”
Tang Fifth: “Third Young Master Lu. He quite liked my brother and would occasionally have that unlucky ghost bring my brother to see him.”
Eighteenth Lady on the left said: “Third Young Master Lu is the grandson of Grand Preceptor Lu, Duke of Wei.”
Shu Chi on the right also said: “Third Young Master Lu is the grandson of Grand Preceptor Lu, Duke of Wei.”
Xu Jichun nodded to both sides, thanked Tang Fifth, and then left.
The residence of the Duke of Wei was far away in Luobin Ward, so the two humans and one Ghost walked there, one in front of the other.
Passing by the entrance of a mansion, Xu Jichun, who was walking at the back, brushed past a man in a red robe who had just pushed the door open.
“Father?”
“Hmm?”
Author’s note:
Ran into the first stepfather around the corner [dog head holding a rose]