Yan Zhu had barely dozed off for a moment when the flying sword slowly drifted downward. At the grand entrance of the Chang residence, a large crowd was anxiously waiting in a dense throng.
“Immortal Lord Yu Li, you have finally arrived.” The man standing right at the front, presumably the master of the Chang household, looked delighted at the sight of them and immediately hurried forward.
Yu Li approached with a cold expression, casually tossing the already-sheathed long sword behind his back. It landed precisely into Yan Zhu’s waiting arms.
Looking down at the antique-styled sword in his arms, Yan Zhu felt a stirring of emotion. He was naturally very familiar with this weapon, having crossed paths with it quite a few times before—it was none other than the Immortal Lord Yu Li’s personal sword, Duanmeng (Dream Breaker).
The sword had a considerable weight to it, but having resigned himself to his fate, Yan Zhu said nothing and obediently hugged the sword as he followed close behind.
“What on earth is causing mischief here?”
The master of the Chang household, Chang Yu—a middle-aged man with a full beard—wore a troubled expression as he glanced nervously at the crowd behind him. “If the Immortal Lord will please step inside with me first, we can discuss this in a room. Yes, let’s talk inside.”
Yu Li didn’t speak further. He cast a cool, indifferent glance at the surrounding people and stepped into the manor.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, a wave of chilly, gloomy air rushed toward their faces. Although it was a bright and clear day outside, not an ounce of warmth could be felt. Even Yan Zhu, who possessed not a shred of cultivation, could sense that something was unmistakably wrong.
Leading the way ahead, Chang Yu’s legs trembled visibly as he forced himself to press onward.
Upon reaching the main hall, that bone-chilling coldness finally dissipated. Emerging from the bright outdoors into the dimly lit room, Yan Zhu’s eyes took a moment to adjust, and he narrowed them to look around.
At that single glance, the corners of his mouth curled into an amused smirk. No wonder the room is so peaceful, he thought; it turns out there is something suppressing it here.
“Did you figure anything out?” Yu Li glanced at him and asked calmly.
“No, not at all. I’m merely a mortal body, so naturally I can’t discern anything,” Yan Zhu immediately denied, terrified of being exposed.
Chang Yu’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them with suspicion and uncertainty, still unable to figure out their relationship.
However, this was hardly the time for gossip; saving their own lives was paramount.
“Immortal Lord Yu Li, and this young immortal lord as well, you simply must save our Chang residence!” Chang Yu looked toward the two lifelines beside him, crying tears of snot and sorrow. “By now, more than ten people have died in the manor. We’ve invited practitioners of the immortal arts several times, but none of them could do a thing. If we weren’t completely at our wits’ end, we wouldn’t have troubled you to make this trip.”
Hearing himself addressed as an immortal lord so abruptly, Yan Zhu found it both funny and absurd. Back in the day, his reputation alone was enough to stop crying children in the middle of the night; he never imagined that in this second life, he would receive such treatment.
Beside him, Yu Li merely gave him a detached glance and said, “Tell me, what exactly is causing this havoc? The letter I received only mentioned spirits and ghosts—is it a demon, or a ghost?”
Chang Yu hurriedly raised his sleeve to wipe his face, let out a long sigh, and slowly spoke.
“It is a ghost—a female ghost, to be exact.”
“When a wronged spirit comes to exact vengeance, there is always a debtor for every debt and a perpetrator for every crime,” Yu Li said. “Why would she implicate your entire household?”
Chang Yu stammered and faltered for a long while without being able to offer a coherent explanation.
Yu Li’s expression grew even colder. “It seems Magistrate Chang is not truly sincere about hiring us to catch this ghost. In that case, since I have other important matters to attend to, I shall take my leave.” With that, he turned decisively and walked away.
Behind him, Chang Yu could no longer afford to keep hiding things. He hurriedly called out, “Immortal Lord Yu Li! Immortal Lord Yu Li, please don’t! I’ll talk, I’ll talk!”
Yu Li halted his steps, though he did not re-enter the hall, merely standing at the doorway and quietly watching him.
With a bitter expression, Chang Yu sighed. “To speak of this matter, it’s all the fault of that rebellious son of mine in the Chang family. He was unconventional and unruly, philandering everywhere, and that’s what brought down this tragic calamity!”
“Where is your rebellious son?” Yan Zhu asked first, not showing a shred of politeness in his tone.
Chang Yu’s lips trembled for a moment as he muttered, “I sent him away to his maternal grandfather’s home.”
Drawing out his tone with a sudden realization, Yan Zhu said, “Oh, so the debtor has run away, no wonder! Since the female ghost lost her target for revenge, of course she’d vent her anger by killing everyone connected to him.”
Chang Yu immediately dropped to his knees and performed a deep, formal kowtow before them. “I beg the two immortal lords! Chang has only this single seedling of a son; without him, my Chang family line will be broken.”
Yan Zhu chuckled again. “You really are an affectionate and devoted father, willing to risk the safety of your entire household for the sake of your precious son. Well then, are you willing to die in place of your good son?”
Beside him, Yu Li cast a disapproving look in his direction. “Xianyan.”
Yan Zhu looked back at him with a beaming smile. “I’m right here. Is there something the Immortal Lord needs?” Was there anything wrong with what he said? If one owed a debt of life, naturally it had to be paid with a life.
If you asked him, they shouldn’t even have made this trip in the first place; it was entirely superfluous.
“This…”
Seeing Chang Yu wear an expression as if he had just swallowed something foul, Yan Zhu kindly added, “Of course, it doesn’t have to be just you. Anyone of direct blood relation will do—meaning your wife could also pay with her life. Wife, child, or yourself, Magistrate Chang, pick one.”
Chang Yu stammered and faltered for another long moment without uttering a word. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Yu Li as if looking at a straw raft in a shipwreck. “Immortal Lord Yu Li, I beg you to save our Chang residence.”
Yu Li looked down at him coldly and detachedly. “What he said is not wrong. A life debt must naturally be repaid with a life. If she cannot find the true culprit, she will not easily let the matter rest. For matters of a grievance having its own master and debtor, the major immortal clans generally do not interfere.”
With a face as gray as death, Chang Yu slumped to the ground, trembling and shaking for a long while without being able to stand back up.
Then, Yu Li shifted his tone and continued, “However, since she has already indiscriminately killed over ten people, I will naturally handle the matter. Otherwise, if the ghost turns ferocious and eventually transforms into a calamity, a radius of ten miles around you will be plagued with unrest.”
Chang Yu’s defeated, ash-colored eyes suddenly brightened, and he frantically kowtowed a few times, trembling. “Thank you, Immortal Lord! Thank you, Immortal Lord.”
Yu Li frowned, slightly turning his body to avoid the kowtows directed at him, and asked, “What were the identities of the dozen or so people who died? Did the incidents happen during the day or at night?”
Regaining his breath somewhat, Chang Yu hastily replied, “Those dozen or so people who died were domestic servants of the manor, and all the incidents happened at night. I suppose that female ghost’s cultivation is still not strong enough to dare show herself during the day.”
From the side, Yan Zhu added another slow, sarcastic jab. “And you said her cultivation wasn’t enough? Even if her cultivation isn’t high, she’s still toying with you lot like a cat playing with mice.”
With a cool and indifferent expression, Yu Li glanced at him before turning his gaze back to Chang Yu on the floor, continuing his questioning: “Did those dozen or so deceased people have any connection or involvement with the female ghost?”