WBICDPH Chapter 34 Part 1

Chapter 34: Darkness Beneath the Night Lights

“You are…?”

Lin Jin hesitated slightly, then ventured, uncertain,

“Lord Qin, the Old Marquis?”

“There’s no need for such formality,” the man replied calmly. “Just call me Second Master Qin.”

Second Master Qin gave a subtle signal to the shadow guards beside him. The tall men immediately bowed respectfully, then withdrew and vanished into the surrounding streets.

“At the teahouse earlier, there were too many people and too many eyes,” he explained. “It wasn’t convenient for me to reveal my identity. I originally intended to have my men invite you back to my residence for a talk, but they turned out to be a bit slow on the uptake and startled you instead. Please forgive the disturbance.”

His tone was courteous, and he even clasped his hands in apology.

With an elderly man speaking so humbly, it would have been impolite for them, as juniors, not to accept it.

The “Old Marquis Qin” from the story had now appeared in person. Lin Jin had countless questions he wanted to ask, but a run-down alley was hardly the place for a proper conversation. Second Master Qin, therefore, took it upon himself to lead the three of them back to his residence.

The marquis’s estate lay at the northernmost edge of Zhongyun City. When they entered, Lin Jin discreetly glanced at his map and confirmed that the estate alone occupied nearly one-sixth of the city’s area. The courtyards inside were extravagantly arranged—an odd contrast to the owner’s plain, scholarly appearance.

“Yesterday I heard that several immortal cultivators had arrived in the city,” Second Master Qin said as he took the seat of honor and had servants bring tea for the three of them. “I had already planned to invite you to my residence. Who would have thought fate would have us meet first at Zuixian Pavilion?”

He paused, then continued,

“If my guess is correct, the three of you are from Yanyu Mountain and are here to investigate the case at Mantingchun?”

“You…” Lin Jin was initially surprised that Second Master Qin knew this, but he quickly worked it out himself.

Assignments from Yanyu Mountain were never fabricated out of thin air. Every task slip in the mission hall originated from reports submitted by mortals, then verified by the outer sect. Only after confirming the incident’s authenticity and danger level would it be posted for disciples to choose.

Earlier, Lin Jin had found it strange that the Mantingchun case—buried for so many years—had required digging through old records just to identify the victim, with barely any locals even aware of ghostly activity there. If even the women of Mantingchun had concealed the truth out of fear for Xu Dongsì, they certainly wouldn’t have reported it. So who had?

Now, hearing Second Master Qin speak, Lin Jin finally had his answer.

Second Master Qin was perceptive enough to read Lin Jin’s expression and knew no further explanation was necessary.

He blew lightly on the tea leaves floating in his cup and said,

“Weren’t you looking today for the origin of the opera Refusing the Prince of Duan? I can tell you now—I had it commissioned. Just as you suspected, Chu Ji back then was Chujì. I turned her story into an opera and had Zuixian Pavilion perform it daily, all so I could wait for someone like you to come investigate what happened back then.”

Han Ao hadn’t paid any real attention to the opera that day and had no idea what it was about. Like Liu Fuxin beside him, he was completely lost as to what the old man and the young one were hinting at.

Lin Jin didn’t have time to explain. His focus was entirely on Second Master Qin.

“Then may I ask, Second Master—where is Miss Chujì now?”

At this, Second Master Qin paused. After a moment, he took a slow sip of tea and sighed softly.

“I don’t know.”

“What?” Lin Jin had thought he’d finally found a breakthrough, only to have it cut off by those two words.

“I was something of a friend to that girl, despite our age difference. Back then, just like in the opera, after Prince Rui ascended the throne, Chujì bid him farewell and returned from the capital to Zhongyun City. She came to see me first and borrowed some silver, saying she was going to find a friend. After that, she disappeared without a trace. It was as though she vanished into thin air. All these years, there’s been no news of her at all—like she never existed.”

Lin Jin thought for a moment.

“So you suspect that Miss Chujì’s disappearance is connected to the Mantingchun case?”

“Exactly. I’m only a mortal; my strength is insignificant before demons and ghosts. I’ve searched for her for years without any success. All I could do was take a chance and have the case reported to Yanyu Mountain. I never expected anyone to come—yet here you are.

“I admired Chujì greatly. I have no children of my own. To me, she was a close friend, a confidante, and even like a daughter. I cannot allow her to vanish without explanation. Alive, I want to see her; dead, I want to see her remains. If the three of you can fulfill this wish of mine, name your reward afterward—so long as it is within my means, I will see it done.”

“If Miss Chujì’s disappearance truly is related to this case, we will certainly uncover the truth. It’s just that…”

Lin Jin trailed off.

He had the distinct feeling that things were far more complicated than Second Master Qin made them sound.

According to him, Chujì had borrowed money to find a friend, very likely Dongsi. But Cuì Tang had said that Chujì had never returned to Mantingchun over all these years, which suggested that Chujì vanished on her way to find Dongsi.

But how could that be? Dongsi wouldn’t harm anyone, and even if she abducted someone, it would only be to briefly pull them into the ghost realm before releasing them. Chujì shouldn’t have—

Lin Jin’s thoughts abruptly stopped as he realized he had overlooked something crucial.

“There’s something else I don’t understand,” he said. “I heard that you once intended to take Miss Dongsi of Mantingchun as a concubine. Is that true…?”

Second Master Qin seemed to have anticipated the question and answered without hesitation.

“Dongsi—I know her. Mantingchun’s most famous courtesan of her generation. When Chujì returned from the capital, she met me at Zuixian Pavilion and mentioned her. The silver she borrowed was to redeem Dongsi. I felt that doing so herself might attract unnecessary attention, so I suggested that I, as a marquis, formally take Dongsi into my household as a concubine, then help the two of them leave the city, change their names, and start anew elsewhere.

“Chujì rejected the idea. She said it would frighten Dongsi and that Dongsi would never agree. So I didn’t press the matter.

“We discussed this in a private room, but somehow word got out. Before long, half the city knew.”

Lin Jin barely heard the rest.