WBICDPH Chapter 26 part 2

Lin Jin was wearing a long robe the color of green mountains. On the back, the fabric—once a solid color—was now smeared with many dark handprints.

“There are a lot of black handprints… wait, no.”

Han Ao leaned in closer, and when he realized what they were, his face changed in shock.

“They’re bloody handprints! What did you run into?”

“….”

As expected.

Lin Jin scooped up some snow and scrubbed the blood off his hands. He didn’t answer Han Ao’s question, only glanced toward Liu Fuxin standing nearby.

She looked more disheveled than before. Her hair and clothes were in disarray, the edges of her garments stained with blood. Standing in the snow, she frowned slightly and rubbed her temples, as if she still hadn’t recovered from the dizziness.

Unless something unexpected had happened, there should have been only three people in the ghost domain—himself, Liu Fuxin, and the ghost woman who ruled it.

Lin Jin had originally assumed that the person pushing him and urging him to leave had been Liu Fuxin. But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Bloody handprints… The ghost woman had suddenly vomited blood earlier, her hands stained red at the time. But why would she push him to leave while simultaneously fighting Liu Fuxin?

And thinking back, right after the ghost woman coughed up blood and turned into smoke, Liu Fuxin had appeared behind him. Could those two events be connected?

Lin Jin hesitated. He hadn’t wanted to say anything, but once he saw that Liu Fuxin looked a little better, he couldn’t help asking,

“Miss Liu, may I ask—who were you fighting just now?”

Liu Fuxin paused briefly, then answered honestly,

“The master of the ghost domain. Though I couldn’t see her, it should have been the same young woman we both encountered. Why?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just a bit confused. After all… she seemed rather gentle. Not like someone who would attack others so easily.”

What he meant was: what did you do to provoke her into attacking you?

Though Lin Jin tried to phrase it tactfully, it was still a question of suspicion, and it wouldn’t sound pleasant to most people.

Han Ao, for one, quietly patted Lin Jin, reminding him,

“Hey, what are you getting at?”

“Nothing. Just asking.”

In truth, this wasn’t a big deal. Liu Fuxin was a physician, but also a cultivator who exorcised demons and slew ghosts. In the original story, she was an impeccably upright character. There was nothing strange about her fighting a ghost. Still, Lin Jin trusted his instincts, and he’d always been the kind of person who needed answers to his doubts—even if it made him seem a bit sharp.

Fortunately, Liu Fuxin didn’t seem to mind his bluntness. She smiled faintly, then took something from her sleeve and showed it to him.

“Perhaps because I took this from her.”

“Hm?”

Lin Jin looked and saw a small wooden token resting in her palm.

It was made of walnut wood, carved with delicate patterns around the edges, with a tassel hanging from the end. Time had not been kind to it—both the wood and its decorations were corroded by grime, making its original appearance hard to discern.

The object looked oddly familiar to Lin Jin. After a moment’s thought, he remembered seeing an identical wooden token at Cuetang’s waist. At the same time, he finally recalled the source of that familiar scent in the ghost domain—it had come from Cuetang’s room.

Back in Manting Spring, the air had been thick with the smell of wine and sweet cosmetics, but only Cuetang’s room carried a pleasant floral-fruity fragrance, which was why it had left such a strong impression on him.

“I couldn’t find any information about her within the ghost domain, so I had no choice but to start with her possessions. I know this was a bit improper, but there was no other way. Under the circumstances, I had to resort to a bit of… petty theft. You two must keep this a secret for me.”

Perhaps embarrassed, the tips of Liu Fuxin’s ears were slightly red.

Lin Jin felt even more embarrassed. He sincerely apologized, then took the wooden token from her to examine it more closely, asking,

“Did you notice that the ghost’s attire was also somewhat similar to Cuetang’s?”

Liu Fuxin nodded.

“You two probably haven’t had much contact with the mortal world. I’ve traveled among mortals for many years, so I know a bit more about these things. Judging from the ghost’s hairstyle and clothing, she was likely, like Miss Cuetang, a courtesan of Manting Spring.”

“A courtesan…”

Lin Jin repeated the words absentmindedly as he tried to make out the carved characters on the wooden token.

The light was still dim, and the token was caked with grime, making it hard to see. He scooped up another handful of snow and rubbed it firmly over the surface.

Little by little, the bloodstains and dirt dissolved away with the snowmelt, finally revealing two neatly carved characters—

Dong Si.