“Your fake son is truly filial.”…
“Are you Helan Wang?”
“Yes.”
“Can you see me?”
“Correct.”
Xu Jichun’s eyes flickered with curiosity as he circled around, examining him. “Father, have you also not reincarnated?”
“Father?” Helan Wang snorted coldly, not bothering to conceal the disdain on his face. His hawk-like gaze fixed on the mortal before him, while his left hand subtly formed a hand-seal within his wide sleeve. “I have no such foolish son!”
Faced with his biological father’s hostility, Xu Jichun blinked innocently.
In a single day, he had reunited with his mother and now encountered his father. Overwhelmed with excitement, he pulled a crumpled portrait from his sleeve. “Father, isn’t this you?”
Without needing a closer look, Helan Wang knew the man in the portrait was him.
Just as he was wondering why this foolish mortal possessed his portrait, Eighteenth Lady suddenly emerged from nowhere, shoved him to the ground, and immediately began pummeling him while straddling him. “Shameless scoundrel! Heartless betrayer! I’ve finally found you, you dog who abandoned your wife and child!”
Xu Jichun initially wanted to step forward and mediate, but Shu Chi, who had walked far ahead, turned back and saw him gesticulating wildly in front of the empty mansion gate. He hurried over. “Zi’an, what’s wrong with you?”
“Can’t you see?”
“See what? There’s only the two of us here.”
Xu Jichun looked around in confusion. Eighteenth Lady, who was thoroughly enjoying the fight, turned her head and urged him to leave. “Zi’an, go ahead. I’ll catch up shortly.”
“Alright then.”
“Zi’an, who are you talking to?”
“You, Brother Sizai.”
Though the afternoon sun blazed brightly, Shu Chi felt an inexplicable chill.
As the wind blew, he grabbed Xu Jichun’s hand and ran.
Once the two figures had completely disappeared, Eighteenth Lady scrambled off Helan Wang, sniffling and pretending to be pitiful as she begged for mercy. “Helan Wang, I stole the portrait. Don’t blame him.”
Having been beaten for no reason and hearing her words of fierce protectiveness toward Xu Jichun, Helan Wang trembled with rage, his lips quivering. “Who is he?!”
Seeing how genuinely angry he was today, Eighteenth Lady had no choice but to resort to her ultimate move.
She threw herself into Helan Wang’s arms, her voice hoarse and strained as she spoke. “He’s a good person willing to make offerings to me. He’s so pitiful—he’s never met his parents. I pretended to be his mother, and when he asked about his father, I couldn’t bear to disappoint him, so I secretly took your portrait and gave it to him.”
Though she spoke with heartfelt sincerity, Helan Wang mocked her just as Su Yingtang and Moyu’er had. “How could anyone make offerings to you? How could you possibly receive offerings?”
Furious, Eighteenth Lady shoved him away, rummaged through her small bag, and thrust a piece of paper in front of his eyes. “Three large bowls of pig trotters and twenty sheets of spirit money—I received them all!”
Helan Wang frowned deeply, turning the paper over and over in his hands.
After a long while, his expression softened, and he smiled as he congratulated her. “Your fake son is truly filial.”
“Of course.” Eighteenth Lady was in a hurry to get to the Lu residence and repeatedly reminded him before leaving. “About pretending to be his mother—if you ever see him in the future, remember to help me cover it up.”
Helan Wang waved a hand dismissively. “Go on.”
At the entrance of the Lu mansion, Xu Jichun claimed dizziness and deliberately delayed entering.
Shu Chi hesitated, pondering for a long moment before finally expressing concern. “Zi’an, do you need talismans to ward off evil? I have many; I can give you a few.”
Xu Jichun shook his head. “Since childhood, I’ve been impervious to all evils. I have no need for them.”
Shu Chi’s smile froze on his face. “Zi’an, be honest with me. Are you… being haunted by a ghost?”
Xu Jichun didn’t know how to explain it to Shu Chi.
After all, the ghost haunting him was no ordinary ghost—it was his own mother’s ghost.
“Brother Sizai, did my talking to myself today frighten you?” Unable to inform him of Eighteenth Lady’s presence, Xu Jichun had no choice but to take the blame upon himself. “I’ve been like this since I was a child. People in neighboring towns all say I’m a blood-stained ghost…”
The blood-stained ghost who brought death upon his own mother.
The blood-stained ghost who harms others and himself.
Having heard it so many times, he had grown numb.
Only his aunt, whenever she heard those three words, would become so enraged that she would grab a knife and rush to the homes of those children, demanding they apologize to him.
If they refused to apologize, she would swing the knife and chop their tables in half.
If they were willing to apologize, she would take his hand and cry all the way home.
As soon as Eighteenth Lady drifted over and heard Xu Jichun’s words, she immediately said, “Zi’an, you are not a blood-stained ghost.”
Across from him, Shu Chi, realizing his own indiscretion, also comforted him, “Zi’an, Brother Heyu’s death has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to blame yourself too much. Besides, I’ve never believed in ghosts or spirits.”
“Let’s go in.”
The Duke of Wei’s mansion, bestowed by the late emperor, was on par with Prince Shun’s residence.
A four-courtyard grand estate, with a golden plaque inscribed “Pillar of the State, Prime Minister” hanging high above the gate.
Since the reign of the founding emperor, members of the Lu clan had served as officials in the court.
By the time of the current Emperor Yanping, the Lu clan had produced twenty chancellors and seventeen grand preceptors.
Not to mention the numerous disciples taught by the Lu clan, spread throughout the Great Zhou dynasty.
Today, in the Lu family of Luòjīng, Duke of Wei Lu Fangjin holds the position of Grand Preceptor.
His eldest son, Lu Yanyou, serves as Left Chancellor; his second son, Lu Yanzhen, commands the Imperial Guard as the Divine Martial General.
All three father and sons hold the highest positions among officials.
Truly a family of illustrious officials, excelling in both civil and military affairs.
The Third Young Master Lu they were looking for was Lu Xiuyan, the only son of the Divine Martial General Lu Yanzhen.
Among the Lu family, Shu Chi only knew the eldest young master, Lu Xiumin.
Thus, he stepped forward to speak with the gatekeeper.
After a short while, he walked down the steps with a helpless expression. “Unfortunately, Third Young Master Lu is not at home today.”
Xu Jichun asked, “Where does this Third Young Master Lu often go?”
The question was, as usual, directed at Shu Chi, but his eyes remained fixed on Eighteenth Lady behind Shu Chi.
Shu Chi replied, “I don’t know.”
Eighteenth Lady said, “He likes to go to the training ground outside the city to practice martial arts.”
“Alright, then let’s try going to the training ground outside the city.”
“?”
Shu Chi followed him out of the city, half-believing and half-doubting.
Along the way, he casually asked Xu Jichun about his future plans. “Zi’an, do you want to become a Court Advisor or an Attendant?”
The initial official appointments for the top three scholars in the imperial examination were usually chosen between the sixth-rank Court Advisor and the eighth-rank Attendant.
“Both are capital officials; I’m not picky.” Xu Jichun quickened his pace, following behind the drifting Eighteenth Lady. “The future holds many uncertainties. As for me, right now I can only think of two things at hand: investigating the case and eating.”
He had received the tragic news suddenly this morning and, overwhelmed by grief, hadn’t taken a single sip of water or bite of food.
Now, not only was his mouth parched, but his stomach was also growling with hunger.
Shu Chi looked at Xu Jichun, who was five years younger than him, and burst into laughter. “Zi’an, Zi’an, no wonder Heyu insisted on introducing me to you. You truly are a remarkable person.”
Detached from worldly affairs, yet full of emotion and righteousness.
During the palace examination held in the Zhaojie Hall that day, most of the candidates trembled with fear.
Only Xu Jichun stood in the hall wearing a lanshan.
Facing Emperor Yanping and all the civil and military officials, he spoke confidently, never showing fear.
Eighteenth Lady enthusiastically suggested, “The position of Chengfeng Lang is good. I’ve heard that Chengfeng Lang merely copies books and writes characters every day, yet can reap benefits without effort.”
Xu Jichun said, “Then let it be Chengfeng Lang.”
He inexplicably began talking to himself again.
This time, Shu Chi was no longer surprised and even eagerly joined the conversation: “As your elder brother, I also think Chengfeng Lang is better. Firstly, you lack family support; secondly, you are too young. If you directly become Fengyi Lang, it might invite disaster. When a tree stands out in the forest, the wind will surely break it. Zi’an, Luòjīng can sometimes devour people…”
Many years ago, he had personally witnessed Luòjīng’s night swallow a man of extraordinary talent.
At the training ground outside the city, Shu Chi followed closely behind Xu Jichun, weaving left and right.
As it turned out, they actually managed to find Lu Xiuyan, whose whereabouts were unknown even to the Lu family’s gatekeeper.
Upon learning their purpose, Lu Xiuyan remained silent and instead lowered his head to polish his longsword.
Seeing that the city gates were about to close, Xu Jichun dared not delay and clasped his hands again to ask, “Third Young Master Lu, on the fourth day of this month, did you see Tang Zhien?”
The polishing motion unconsciously stopped. Lu Xiuyan glanced up at him and said, “If you take me along to investigate the case, I’ll tell you the truth.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Jichun and Shu Chi were immediately stunned.
“Brother Tang died tragically, and I also want to find the murderer. It’s just that I know nothing about investigating cases.” Lu Xiuyan sheathed his sword and placed his hands on their shoulders. “How about you take me along to investigate the case?”
Shu Chi spoke bluntly, “Third Young Master Lu, your family is prominent and influential. If something happens during the investigation, Zi’an and I would likely be unable to bear the consequences.”
“My martial arts skills—not to say second in the world, but I could even claim to be the best.” Lu Xiuyan lifted his chin slightly and continued enticingly, “Don’t you want to see the case files? Don’t you want to examine the corpse? My connections span the entire city. As long as you take me along, apart from the imperial palace, there is no door in this city you cannot enter.”
Before Shu Chi could speak, Xu Jichun stepped in first: “Alright, we can investigate the case together.”
After killing five people, the murderer of the heart-removal case had become increasingly skilled in his methods.
He believed that the Capital Prefecture was not intentionally delaying the investigation but genuinely could not find any useful clues. Just like them, even if they found that insignificant flaw, they could not confirm the murderer.
He remembered his master once saying that the first case committed by a murderer is the easiest to find flaws in.
Therefore, he needed someone to help him find the first case.
Lu Xiuyan, with his formidable martial arts and prominent family background, was indeed the best candidate.
Hearing this, Lu Xiuyan contentedly withdrew his hands from their shoulders. “Let’s go. Call that young lady, and I’ll take you into the city to investigate the case.”
“There are only three of us here. Where is there a young lady?” Shu Chi looked around in confusion.
“That young lady under the tree over there—didn’t she come with you?” Lu Xiuyan pointed at the banyan tree behind Xu Jichun.
Shu Chi and Xu Jichun both turned to look.
However, one saw nothing there, while the other saw the figure of Eighteenth Lady reflected in his eyes.
“Third Young Master Lu, there’s no one under the tree…” Shu Chi slowly turned his neck, his face as pale as a ghost.
Just as Lu Xiuyan was about to speak, Xu Jichun swiftly covered his mouth and whispered in his ear, “Third Young Master Lu, the woman under the tree is a Ghost. Brother Sizai is most afraid of ghosts. Don’t say anything more.”
“Mmph mmph…”
Lu Xiuyan nodded vigorously. Only then did Xu Jichun release his hand, turn around, and with a beaming smile, call Shu Chi and Eighteenth Lady to leave: “Let’s go, into the city.”
On the road, Eighteenth Lady leaned close to Xu Jichun and whispered, “Strange, how can he see me too?”
Regarding her confusion, Xu Jichun decided to let Lu Xiuyan answer himself: “Third Young Master Lu, why can you see Eighteenth Lady?”
“You said her name is what?”
“Eighteenth Lady.”
Author’s note: