WBICDPH Chapter 27 Part 1

Chapter 27: Old Matters of Years Past

“Dong Si?”

The portly official of the City Administration leaned lazily back in his chair, idly turning the wooden plaque over in his hand while casting a sidelong glance at the three people standing below.

“Yes. This Miss Dong Si is very likely connected to the case we’re investigating. We hope you’ll grant us a bit of convenience, sir.”

Lin Jin had originally assumed that the Dong Si they were looking for was much like the other flower girls who had gone missing before—someone from the lowest rungs of society, unknown and unremembered by anyone. That was why they had come to the City Administration, hoping to find something akin to a modern personal record. To his surprise, however, the moment the official heard their purpose, his brows lifted in mild astonishment.

He then tossed the wooden plaque back to Lin Jin, slumped further into his chair, and said languidly, eyes half-lidded:

“No need to search the archives. Dong Si? Go out onto the main street and stop any man at random. As long as he’s lived in Zhongyun City for more than ten years, he’ll be able to tell you a thing or two about her.”

“Oh?” Lin Jin paused. “Please, sir, go on.”

The portly official scratched his chin, glanced at them again, then called out toward the distance:

“Xiao Wu! Bring three chairs over for these young immortals, and pour them some tea. You’ve grown too used to idling about—can’t even tell when guests need attending to?”

The clerk answered quickly. Lin Jin understood at once: the official was willing to talk at length.

He took a seat on one of the chairs the clerk brought over and accepted the teacup handed to him. The cup was hot, and the tea leaves floated on the surface, slowly spinning.

“You lot come from the immortal mountains, and Zhongyun City is out of the way. Normally, you wouldn’t know our local stories. This Miss Dong Si you’re asking about—go back a few years, and she was like a star in our city. Since you’ve already traced things back to her, you must know about Mantingchun, yes? Dong Si was Mantingchun’s top courtesan back then. What’s the name of the current top courtesan now? Hah, I’ve forgotten. She’s famous enough, I suppose, but compared to Dong Si in her prime, she doesn’t even come close.”

The official blew lightly on his teacup and took a sip. A trace of nostalgia crept into his eyes.

“Back then, when Dong Si danced—she leaned into the clear breeze, her ornaments trembling softly. Graceful and radiant, urging the beat of the clappers on. Not just stunning enough to topple cities—one glance back was enough to break ten thousand hearts.”

He recited the verse with fervor, lost in memory. A moment later, he slumped back again with a heavy sigh.

Lin Jin and Han Ao exchanged a look, both seeing the same word in the other’s eyes: confusion.

“At the height of her fame, even officials from the imperial capital competed to buy her company. I heard that once, her price reached an astronomical sum for a single night. People crowded outside Mantingchun just to catch a glimpse of her, wearing down the threshold with their feet. And this girl—not only could she play music and dance, but she was also gentle and considerate too. Just a few words from her could soothe a man’s heart. It’s just a pity…”

At this, the portly official sighed again.

Lin Jin had finally endured the long-winded preamble, only to have the crucial point dangled just out of reach. He couldn’t help asking impatiently:

“A pity how?”

The official cast him a slow glance before continuing:

“A pity that something happened to her. One day, all of a sudden, it was as if she’d withered. She snapped a string while playing the zither, and later injured her leg during a dance. Forget dancing—she could barely even walk, and ended up a cripple. After that, she hardly smiled anymore, and she wasn’t as warm or understanding as before. Her popularity slowly faded.

“You tell me—women who make their living off beauty, once they lose all that, who’s still interested? She still had a pretty face, sure, but beauty is the most fleeting thing of all. A few more years passed, Mantingchun filled up with younger, fresher girls, and she herself grew older. She was pushed aside into some forgotten corner.”

“….”

Lin Jin frowned slightly.

He recalled the Dong Si he had seen the night before in the ghost realm—disheveled and exhausted, just as the official described, like a flower past its season, withered and fallen.

But then why were her eyes covered? And what about the blood that had poured from her throat when she opened her mouth?

Thinking of this, Lin Jin asked another question:

“Then, sir—what became of Miss Dong Si in the end?”

“In the end?” The official dug a finger into his ear and smacked his lips, thinking. “I don’t remember. Why would I bother remembering that?”

Hearing this answer, Lin Jin fell briefly into a daze. It was then that the clerk who had been listening quietly at the side suddenly spoke up, stammering:

“Um… sir, Immortal Lords—I know.”

“Hm?”

Everyone in the hall turned to look at him in surprise. The portly official’s eyes widened.

“Then let’s hear it.”

It was the first time Xiao Wu had ever been the focus of so much attention, and he shrank back instinctively.

He looked about nineteen or twenty, thin as a reed, his oversized clothes hanging awkwardly on a bony frame. His face was covered in pockmarks, and when he tried to make himself small, he practically disappeared from notice.

Under so many eyes, he seemed uncomfortable. He kept his head lowered, staring at his toes, and spoke hesitantly:

“Later on, Old Marquis Qin of Zhongyun City said he wanted to redeem Miss Dong Si, to take her home as a concubine. But before that ever happened, Miss Dong Si disappeared.”

“Old Marquis Qin?” The portly official straightened slightly. “Now that you mention it, I do remember something like that.”

A moment later, he suddenly clapped his hands in excitement.

“Yes, yes, that’s right! Hah—Old Marquis Qin was notorious for… never mind. I remember Dong Si didn’t want to enter his household and suffer under him, so she secretly ran off with an old lover. At least, that’s what the madam at Mantingchun said.”

“That’s not true! It’s all nonsense!”

Xiao Wu reacted sharply. Lin Jin raised an eyebrow, watching him.

Xiao Wu didn’t notice. By now, he wasn’t stuttering at all.

“Miss Dong Si didn’t run away—she vanished! The madam was just lying to placate people. Miss Dong Si never had any lovers, and she didn’t run off. She must have been killed by the madam!”

“Don’t spout nonsense!” The portly official scoffed. “Why would anyone bother killing an aging, crippled prostitute? And that was so many years ago. Back then, what were you? A brat who hadn’t even grown all his hair yet. What do you know about Dong Si, about lovers? Did she whisper it all in your ear?”

He clearly didn’t take Xiao Wu seriously. With a disdainful snort, he drained his teacup in one gulp and then said to Lin Jin:

“That’s all I know. If you, young immortals, still have doubts, go ask around elsewhere. It’s cold outside and the roads are slippery. Take care—no need to see you out.”

The City Administration office was far from Zhongyun City’s bustling main street. The road outside was quiet, covered in white snow with only a few scattered footprints.

After walking in silence for a while, Liu Fuxin spoke to Lin Jin:

“Master Lin, how credible do you think that ending to the story is?”

Lin Jin paused, about to answer, when a voice suddenly called out from behind them:

“Immortal Lords!!!”

He turned instinctively and saw Xiao Wu running out from the City Administration.

In the wind and snow, he looked like a wobbling bamboo pole, nearly slipping as he ran.

Whether from the cold or the exertion, Xiao Wu’s face was flushed red, white breath billowing from his mouth with each gasp.

He looked at all three of them in turn, then reached out and grasped Lin Jin’s wrist with both hands.

“Immortal Lord! Please—I beg you—please find out what really happened to Miss Dong Si. She didn’t run away. She didn’t have a lover. She was betrayed—she was murdered! Someone definitely harmed her. Please, you must give her justice. I beg you!”

As he spoke, Xiao Wu bent his knees, about to kneel, but Lin Jin reacted quickly and grabbed him.

“There’s no need for that. If things truly are as you say, we won’t allow anyone’s injustice to go unanswered.”

Xiao Wu looked up and met Lin Jin’s gaze.

For a brief moment, Lin Jin thought he saw tears shimmering in his eyes. Before he could be sure, Xiao Wu sniffed and turned away.