WBICDPH Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Spring Blossoms Fill the Courtyard

The sight of two men and a dog dining at the same table was so novel that the waiter initially frowned when he saw the puppy on the table. But once Lin Jin generously tossed him a silver ingot, all objections vanished.

The opera downstairs continued, lively and loud. Lin Jin ate absentmindedly, his eyes constantly drifting toward the stage.

Two main characters stood onstage—one a richly dressed man, the other clearly a woman disguised in plain white scholar’s robes. They tangled back and forth for quite some time. Lin Jin couldn’t fully understand the lyrics, and by the end of the play, he felt utterly confused.

At last, the nobleman changed into imperial robes, standing high above. With a sweep of his sleeve, the white-robed “man” let her hair fall loose, revealing her true identity.

“Today, I grant you two clear paths. Choose—will you be my woman, or remain a man?”

Hearing this, Lin Jin pieced things together.

It seemed the heroine had disguised herself as a male strategist serving the hero, likely a prince. With her help, he achieved great success and ascended the throne. Now, he offered her two choices—becoming his woman or remaining a man.

To be a woman meant entering the harem; to be a man meant becoming his official and continuing to serve him.

Lin Jin eagerly anticipated her answer. He put down his chopsticks, grabbed some melon seeds, and stared intently.

The heroine didn’t answer directly.

She tidied her hair and bowed deeply.

“Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

The emperor’s expression sharpened.

“What do you mean?”

Her voice was gentle yet firm.

“I have stood long amid wind and snow. Now I only wish to brush the snow from my sleeves and become a pool of spring water…”

She bowed lower, then finished softly:

“To gift to the one who appears in my springtime dreams.”

For some reason, Lin Jin found the ending underwhelming. He almost wanted to mutter, That’s it?

Sure enough, the plot followed the most classic route—the heroine rejected one man, resigned her post, flew off to find another man, and achieved a happily-ever-after ending.

Lin Jin’s dissatisfaction must have been obvious because even Han Ao noticed.

Han Ao chuckled and glanced downstairs.

“Isn’t that a pretty complete ending?”

Lin Jin nodded and sighed, about to say something when the waiter arrived with another dish.

Lin Jin glanced up and casually asked:

“Hey, what play is this?”

The waiter grinned.

“It’s called Lady Chu Gracefully Rejects Prince Rui. It’s based on the story of His Majesty and Lord Chu Ji.”

Lin Jin raised an eyebrow. “Lord Chu Ji?”

“You don’t know Lord Chu? He was once His Majesty’s strategist. After His Majesty ascended the throne, Lord Chu had no interest in wealth or rank and resigned to live in seclusion.”

“Oh… so was Lord Chu truly a woman?”

The waiter laughed.

“Sounds like you really don’t know court affairs. Women being allowed to study, take exams, and enter the office only began after the current emperor ascended the throne. Before that, how could Lord Chu have been a woman? What kind of respectable family would let a daughter wander about as a strategist, constantly mingling with men? This play’s just a local fabrication. Compared to court politics, common folk prefer romantic drama—half the people here came just for this play.”

With a smile, the waiter went back to work.

Lin Jin pressed his lips together and said nothing more. He picked up his chopsticks again, as usual, placing the first bite of each new dish onto Qiuqiu’s plate.

When the play ended and a new one began, Lin Jin stopped paying attention. As if suddenly remembering something, he looked at Han Ao.

“Hey—speaking of romance, if you follow the original plot, what are you planning to do about the love lines? Ignoring the brief flings, there are five female leads in this book. Are you really going to be some kind of Playboy?”

At this, Han Ao’s face instantly turned red.

As a pure college student raised in modern times, Han Ao could not handle that implication.

“What are you thinking?! I’m a die-hard believer in true love! Dating five people at once—where’s the virtue in that? I don’t care about romance routes. They don’t affect leveling anyway. I won’t pursue people I don’t like. And the one I do like—even if she’s just an NPC, she’s the only one I’ll like.”

“Ahh, I see,” Lin Jin teased.
“Just say who it is.”

“…”
Exposed, Han Ao turned even redder. He stuffed a piece of osmanthus cake into his mouth and mumbled:

“Ruh-hu hmm.”

“Who?” Lin Jin asked.

“Liu Fuxin!” Han Ao swallowed and said awkwardly.
“Why do you think I stuck with this bloated novel for so many years? At first, it was teenage cringe; later, it was love. If not for her, I’d have dropped it long ago—even if she barely appears, I still loved reading her parts.”

Lin Jin nodded knowingly.

Among the five female leads of Records of the Proud Immortal, Liu Fuxin indeed had little screen time, yet immense popularity—nearly rivaling the main heroine, Jiang Xianrou. Before even reading the book, Lin Jin had often seen fans of these two characters tearing each other apart online—nothing short of bloodshed.

Still, Liu Fuxin’s character was undeniably appealing. If summed up in one phrase, she was a “white moonlight.”

A medical cultivator known as the Bright Moon Healer, she wandered the world saving lives, gentle yet brave, righteous and kind. Her medical skills could revive the dead. She saved the male lead multiple times and, after joining his harem, became his strongest support healer.

“I get it,” Lin Jin said.
“So you’ve been pushing your favorite for years and finally broke through the fourth wall to meet her? Though her appearance is still a long way off—you’ll have to wait.”

“Yeah, but that’s fine.”

Han Ao clenched his fist, hyping himself up.

“I’ll cultivate harder, become better, and make sure she meets the best version of me!”

“Good man,” Lin Jin said, giving him a thumbs-up.

They more than made up for a month of bland meals at Yanyu Mountain, leaving Drunken Immortal Pavilion full and satisfied.

With the immediate problem solved, what remained was the massive mission hanging over them.

Normally, the mission bamboo slip should contain detailed information. But whether due to age or other reasons, this one was painfully vague. They only knew it involved missing girls in Zhongyun City—no details about the victims or the perpetrator.

After flipping the slip back and forth several times, they finally accepted the lack of information.

“This is ridiculous,” Han Ao sighed heavily.
“No clues at all and we’re supposed to investigate? I’m starting to doubt whether this even happened. The city feels so peaceful—adults, kids, young men and women everywhere. Doesn’t look like a place where people keep disappearing.”

Lin Jin opened the map and zoomed in on the city.

“If it’s recorded in the bamboo slip, it happened. If missing information prevents progress, we can apply to cancel the mission—but that would seal it permanently. The case would never be solved, and if the ghost is still here, more innocent girls could suffer.”

“So let’s at least try. There’s a place called the City Administration Office—sounds like a government office. Let’s ask there.”

Han Ao raised an eyebrow at his seriousness.

“Lin, aren’t you getting a bit too emotionally invested? It’s all a preset story. We’re just completing a quest—whether people suffer or not doesn’t really have anything to do with us, does it?”

“…”
Lin Jin paused, as if realizing something.

Before he could respond, Han Ao continued:

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. The mission’s tied to both of us. If you want to investigate, go ahead. I’m not good at brainwork—I’ll just help where I can.”

Lin Jin said nothing and stuck to his plan.

Following the map, they headed toward the City Administration Office. But while passing through a certain street, Lin Jin noticed a crowd packed tightly around a building.

“Father! Frost begs you—please don’t do this! I’ll work hard, I’ll earn money, I’ll take care of you and my brother—please, Father!”

A girl’s anguished cries pierced the snowy wind of Zhongyun City, sounding especially desolate against the endless white.

Lin Jin instinctively pulled Han Ao over. At the center of the crowd, a young woman in plain white knelt in the snow, clutching the sleeve of a middle-aged man.

The cold was brutal, the snow relentless, yet she wore only thin clothing. Her face was red from the cold, her fingers swollen and purple with frostbite.

She was trembling—whether from the cold or something else, it was hard to say.

The man, wrapped in a patched padded coat, held a bulging coin pouch. He kicked her away.

“You worthless thing—how much money can you make? Keeping you around just means another mouth to feed. Better to sell you early, get some money, and save up for your brother to marry.”

“…?”

Selling a daughter for money?

Lin Jin looked from them to the small building beside them.

At the front stood the tragic figures and onlookers. To the side stood an old madam with a flower in her hair and garish makeup. Behind her were several young women dressed similarly—faces blank, eyes filled with long-accumulated numbness.

The building itself was lavishly decorated. The scent of wine and powder drifted out into the snow, rising into the air and passing beneath the flamboyant signboard above the door:

Spring Courtyard Full.