At the Gu residence, Gu Wan Yun’s body remained in her room. Master Gu was away on a trip, and Madam Gu, overwhelmed with grief, was no longer in her right mind. She insisted her daughter wasn’t dead and refused to let the court’s coroner examine the body.
Ban Xia’s cunning came into play as she approached Madam Gu, bowing deeply and introducing herself as a celestial master from Mount Mao, capable of exorcising demons and summoning souls.
Madam Gu believed her immediately, clutching Ban Xia’s wrist tightly. “Yes, yes! My daughter is merely possessed. Master, please bring her soul back quickly!” With that, she dragged Ban Xia into the room.
Inside, Gu Wan Yun’s corpse was cold, her neck and arms bearing wide, purplish strangulation marks. The blood pooling beneath her lower body had turned black and congealed.
There was no doubt—it was rape followed by murder.
As Ban Xia searched the room, she felt the same ominous presence: damp and cold, as if it carried the chill of centuries without sunlight.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she instinctively took a step back, accidentally bumping into the table behind her.
A copper coin rolled off the table and, by chance, landed at her feet.
She bent down and picked it up.
The eerie red stain on the coin was gone. Like the one she found in Yuanfang’s room, it was now an utterly ordinary copper coin.
Frowning, Ban Xia had no leads. She was about to ask a question when commotion erupted outside.
“Ya Jin! Ya Jin! I’ve finally found you!”
It was Chi Xue, clutching his flower. He had somehow found his way to the Gu residence and, disregarding all obstacles, rushed straight toward Xuan Ye.
Ban Xia stepped outside and was greeted by the sight of Chi Xue clinging to Xuan Ye like a koala, enthusiastically wiping his runny nose on Xuan Ye’s robes.
“Ya Jin! I finally found you!!”
No one could make sense of this strange exclamation, and Chi Xue repeated it over and over.
“I think you’ve got the wrong person,” Xuan Ye said, struggling to pry Chi Xue’s hands off him.
“No way!” Chi Xue shouted, pulling a tattered book from his arms. Flipping to a specific page, he showed it to Xuan Ye. “Look! The curved blade at your waist is exactly the same as this one in the book. Look at the inscription—‘Moonlight.’ Isn’t that right?”
Xuan Ye looked at him in slight surprise but said nothing, only watching him.
“This blade started glowing when it met you, as if it recognized you, didn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m not wrong!” Chi Xue leapt up and threw himself into Xuan Ye’s arms again. “The Moonlight Blade has existed for millennia and only ever acknowledges one master—the Ya Jin of our demigod clan. You must be Ya Jin’s reincarnation. Ya Jin, I’ve been searching so long for you!”
At that moment, Ban Xia approached, inexplicably irritated. She walked over with a cold laugh. “Young man, wherever you’ve come from, kindly speak while standing. Our Master Xuan happens to be straight.”
Chi Xue froze, let out an “oh,” and awkwardly climbed off Xuan Ye. Turning to Ban Xia, he asked naively, “Big sister, what does ‘straight’ mean?”
“Who’s your sister?” Ban Xia scoffed, ignoring him. She opened her palm to show Xuan Ye a copper coin. “I found this coin in Miss Gu’s room as well.”
Xuan Ye took the coin and examined it carefully but found nothing unusual.
Chi Xue, meanwhile, let out a loud “huh,” drawing attention.
Ban Xia ignored him and continued, “Before Miss Gu’s death, she was assaulted and then strangled—just like Lady Hou.”
Chi Xue made another loud “huh,” even louder this time.
Ban Xia turned sharply, glaring at him. “Excuse me, young man. What are you ‘huh’-ing about? Spit it out if you have something to say.”
“I… I don’t have anything to say,” Chi Xue stammered, flustered. “I just… I just found your words curious.”
“What’s so curious?”
Chi Xue lowered his gaze. “I… I’ve seen a coin like this before. But it had a red stain on it. And as for the assault… and the strangling… I’ve seen something like that too.”
Xuan Ye, who had been silent all this time, suddenly looked up sharply and asked, “Where did you see it? Take us there immediately!”
At Qi Feng Tower, Feng Yi woke up around noon. After drinking a bowl of sobering soup, she combed her hair, got dressed, and donned her cloak. Approaching the procuress, she announced, “I’m going out today and won’t be back tonight. Please bear with me.”
“Out again?” The procuress sighed. “My top performer, at least tell me where you’re going so I can explain to the boss.”
“Feng Yi doesn’t wish to say, but I’ll be back tomorrow without fail. I always keep my promises.”
The procuress sighed again, unwilling to offend her star courtesan. “Fine, go. Just come back early. And remember, if you really elope with someone, the boss will have my head.”
Feng Yi responded softly and stepped out of the courtyard. Pulling her cloak tighter, she looked up at the sky.
The autumn sun was warm, and the air carried a sense of freedom.
Squinting, she took a deep breath. Just as she took her first step, her foot landed on a copper coin.
It was an ordinary copper coin, except for a red stain in the center. As sunlight warmed it in her palm, it appeared to emit a faint red wisp of smoke.
Finding it intriguing, Feng Yi slipped it into her pouch and, without hesitation, walked onto the bustling street.
“It’s been picked up…”
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