WBICDPH Chapter 35 Part 1

Chapter 35: A Misplaced Trust

At the sound of that voice, Qiuqiu ignored Lin Jin entirely. Instead, the madam below reacted first, jerking her head up as if startled.

Lin Jin frowned slightly and had Han Ao help him down from the top of the wall.

He walked over, gathered Qiuqiu into his arms, then turned back and looked the madam over from head to toe.

“What are you doing?”

By now, the madam bore none of her earlier arrogance. She glanced at the young man in green standing before her, then at the green-eyed puppy curled obediently on his shoulder like a pet. Suddenly, she dropped to her knees with a loud thud. She even shuffled forward on her knees a few steps, reaching as if to grab the hem of his robe.

“Young master—it’s my fault, I deserve death! You—you were looking for that little wretch—no, Miss Xu, right? You were looking for Miss Xu’s body, weren’t you? It’s here! Right here, inside the wall! I’ll dig it out for you—myself, with my own hands! I beg you, please, spare my life. Please…”

Lin Jin stepped back to avoid her grasp.

“No need. Get up first.”

“No—no, I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare!”

“…”

Lin Jin was genuinely confused.

After hearing the story earlier, he had rushed straight to Mantingchun and had never interacted with this madam at all. He had no idea what had happened while he was gone to make her behave like this.

He glanced sideways at Han Ao.

“What did you do to her?”

Han Ao looked just as baffled. He scratched his head and said,

“What could I have done? After you left, Miss Liu and I did try asking about Miss Xu’s whereabouts, but she acted like a street thug—cursing, dodging questions, refusing to say anything. Who knew she’d suddenly change like this? Probably karma caught up with her.”

At that moment, Liu Fuxin leapt down from the other side with Second Master Qin. She didn’t spare the madam a glance, instead studying the wall behind them thoughtfully.

“This wall seems unusually thick.”

“Yes,” Lin Jin replied. “If what she said is true, Miss Xu’s remains should be inside this wall.”

As he spoke, something suddenly clicked.

No wonder, back in the alley, the ritual tools had failed to trace the source of the ghostly aura. It wasn’t because the soul-banner was cheap—it was because they had been standing right on top of the source the entire time.

And no wonder Xu Dongsi’s ghost realm was pitch-black and impossible to see through. Her ghost realm wasn’t formed by lingering obsession, but by the place where her body had been trapped.

Every clue pointed to the same truth. It had been obvious all along.

Lin Jin felt a pang of regret.

When he emerged from the ghost realm and found himself still in the alley behind Mantingchun, he should have realized it then.

Xu Dongsi had been sealed inside this wall—just as she had once been trapped inside Mantingchun itself—endlessly confined, night after freezing night, with no hope of escape.

She had saved many people, yet had never been able to ask those passersby to stop, to look back, to save her.

The madam, after knocking her head against the ground several times, lay motionless, too afraid to move. Lin Jin glanced at her, unsure how to feel.

“She murdered someone and hid the body for years. She deserves punishment,” he said calmly. “But that’s a matter for the mortal world. We have no authority here. Take her into custody and let the proper process deal with her.”

He then turned to Second Master Qin.

“Second Master, I’ll need to trouble you for some manpower.”

Qin Er naturally didn’t refuse such a small request. He snapped his fingers, and several shadow guards appeared from all directions. After receiving orders, some began dismantling the wall, while another lifted the madam—who didn’t dare raise her head—and personally escorted her back to the marquis’s residence to await judgment.

Lin Jin watched her being taken away. After a moment, his gaze drifted downward, landing on the scorch marks and smoke stains on her clothes.

He said nothing. Instead, he reached up and rubbed the puppy resting on his shoulder, speaking softly so only the two of them could hear.

“Couldn’t control your temper again? Went and did something bad?”

Something bad?

Xiao Lanqi ignored him, letting out a disdainful snort against his shoulder.

Lin Jin smiled faintly and continued to himself,

“Still… I have to admit, you did well this time. What’s this—our Qiuqiu knows how to help his dad worry less now?”

“?”

Xiao Lanqi had had enough. He pushed himself up on Lin Jin’s shoulder, clearly intending to lean over and bite his ear clean off. But before he could, a hand ruffled his head.

“I’ll make you something tasty when we get back.”

Xiao Lanqi froze. Begrudgingly, he eased up and didn’t bite the ear off—but he still chomped down hard enough that Lin Jin jolted and nearly yelped in pain.

How dare you touch this venerable one’s noble head—death is the only punishment!

Lin Jin, well aware of his little beast’s foul temper, didn’t argue. As usual, he wiped the blood from his ear with his sleeve and pretended nothing had happened.

People often say demonic beasts are wild and impossible to tame. If the madam’s confession really had been forced out by Qiuqiu, then Lin Jin was honestly pleased. Given His Highness’s temperament, he would normally either ignore such matters entirely—or just burn the problem to ashes. This time, though, he’d known restraint: extracted the truth without taking a life. That deserved praise.

So maybe his usual nagging hadn’t been completely wasted after all. The pup had learned through exposure. Clearly, this little jade-eyed hound wasn’t just clever—he understood human speech and grasped the meaning behind it.

Looks like I really am a gifted teacher, Lin Jin thought smugly. At this rate, if I wanted to, I could probably open a demonic beast tutoring academy someday.

He couldn’t help planting his hands on his hips, quietly pleased with himself.