Master Shen cleared his throat, the pallor on his face easing. “This is my eldest daughter, Yijun. Yijun, this is Master Tang Zhou, and this Miss Yan Dan is Master Tang’s junior sister.”
Shen Yijun approached the table, her gaze sharp as blades, fixed on Tang Zhou. “So it was you? What were you doing sneaking around my house last night?”
Yan Dan’s chest tightened with envy. If only she could speak to Tang Zhou with such fearless audacity—but she dared not.
Master Shen hastened to intervene. “Yijun, Master Tang is a guest! How can you speak so?”
Tang Zhou replied calmly, “Last night, I heard crying. The sound seemed familiar, so I investigated—and saw Senior Ling Xuzi with your daughter.”
Master Shen’s gaze turned stern, addressing his eldest. “Now that Master Tang has explained, are you satisfied?”
Yan Dan watched the exchange closely, sensing an unspoken tension. Shen Yijun’s eyes, still fierce, met theirs. “The Shen family has nothing for you. Leave as soon as possible.”
Master Shen stamped his foot, his anger evident. “Shut up! You… you’re trying my patience!”
Shen Yijun’s lips curved into a strange, almost cruel smile as she turned and walked out of the flower hall.
Leaning over, Yan Dan whispered to Tang Zhou, her voice tinged with curiosity, “Tang Zhou, what did you do last night to earn that glare?”
Tang Zhou gave her a sidelong glance but remained silent.
Master Shen’s face flushed and paled in turns, forcing a weak smile. “Yijun has been a loner since childhood, a little cold-tempered. It’s my fault as a father.”
Tang Zhou offered a faint smile. “It’s nothing, Master Shen. But we should focus on the task at hand. Noon is best to exorcise the evil spirit—the yang energy is strongest then. Until then, the courtyard must remain clear.”
Master Shen nodded. “Anything else you need? I’ll have the servants prepare it.”
Tang Zhou’s calm voice reassured him. “My junior sister can assist.”
Yan Dan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Most of her magic had been sealed; she couldn’t squander even a trace.
As they walked to the courtyard, the silence confirmed Master Shen’s orders. Tang Zhou asked casually, “Do you often bury flowers?”
Yan Dan’s lips twitched. “Did you see a female ghost burying flowers last night? Resentful spirits here are weak—they won’t take shape like mortals. I certainly wouldn’t do such mundane acts.”
Tang Zhou’s eyes darkened with thought. “The one burying the flowers was a man. If it were a woman, I wouldn’t ask.”
The sting in his words made her bristle. “Since it was a man… could it be Mr. Shen?”
Tang Zhou nodded subtly.
Yan Dan’s mind raced. “I have two suggestions. One: ignore any strangeness, drive away the spirit, and leave. Safe and convenient. Two: investigate thoroughly—trace every clue—but danger awaits. Most will die before uncovering the truth.”
“I agree, the first path is safer,” Tang Zhou said.
A cold voice interrupted. Yan Dan turned to see a slender woman leaning against the moon-shaped door outside the courtyard. Shen Yijun. Her eyes were ferocious, lips curling into a chilling smile.
“Anyone near here is already a living dead. Do you still wish to truly die?”
Shen Yijun’s figure vanished down the corridor. Tang Zhou tapped his sword’s scabbard, decision made. The courtyard held the secrets, and he would uncover them.
Yan Dan grabbed his sleeve. “Wait. Consider her intentions. She told us to leave twice now without informing Master Shen. She must know something—but cannot speak. The secret is extraordinary.”
Tang Zhou nodded. “Perhaps she only knows fragments.”
Yan Dan’s lips curved. “Or perhaps she is trying to manipulate us—warning us or luring us into a trap. Either way, caution is needed.”
Tang Zhou smiled faintly and approached the courtyard. Yan Dan added thoughtfully, “There’s a third possibility: she knows those who are reckless will ignore danger. She speaks mysteriously to tempt them into the trap.”
Tang Zhou glanced at her. “Do you think I’d fall for a trap so easily?”
Yan Dan shook her head.
“You want the truth, don’t you?” Tang Zhou pressed. “From Qingshi Town’s mysterious deaths, to cemetery sightings, to Shen family events—they must be connected.”
Yan Dan’s eyes softened. “Yes… but compared to the secret, I want to remove you from danger first.”
Tang Zhou inclined his head. “Then help me. You’re the only one I trust in the Shen family.”
Flattered, she smiled. “You’re already capable. Do you truly need me?”
Tang Zhou’s expression softened. “Help me dig up the body we saw in the haystack.”
Her voice trembled, soft yet mournful. “Though I’m a demon, I am still a woman. How can I bear such rough work?”
Tang Zhou’s brow lifted. “Aren’t all of you alike?”
Yan Dan’s eyes flashed. “Where did you hear that? We are not the same!”
“Never mind. I’ve known you long enough—I never saw you as a woman.”
Her teeth clenched, then she whispered, “You… are really something.”
Squatting beside the pit, Yan Dan examined the skeleton, her gaze meticulous. Tang Zhou watched, unable to meet her eyes. She pretended he was moved by her wisdom, yet knew some things were better left unsaid.
After a pause, Tang Zhou asked quietly, “You only have half a heart?”
Yan Dan waved her hand teasingly. “Tang Zhou, are you possessed? Feeling dizzy?”
He slapped her hand gently. “Just asking.”
Her interest piqued. “If I said I only have half a heart, would you believe it?”
Tang Zhou looked at her. “Do you expect me to?”
Yan Dan shrugged playfully. “Just wondering.” She dusted herself off, then suggested, “There might be more under the ground. Shall we dig them up?” She turned, then reconsidered. “I’ll sit by the lotus pond. Think it over—you may find the truth sooner than expected.”
Tang Zhou stared at the skeleton. No scars. No violence before death. Yet so many vengeful spirits haunted the house. Shen Yijun and Shen Xiangjun—so alike, yet so distinct. Why the warnings? Why the secrecy?
Covering the bones with soil, Tang Zhou noted the shallow grave—recently disturbed, recent enough that Master Shen must have known. Yet why remain silent?
He wandered the courtyard and found Yan Dan at the lotus pond, tossing fish food to the eager koi.
She glanced up and asked, “Do you believe I can understand fish?”
Tang Zhou’s expression remained unreadable. Yan Dan sighed, amused. “You don’t believe me with fish, but believe someone with birdsong? How curious!”
He nodded. “The second Miss Shen is more trustworthy than you. Some people may possess special talents.”
“They are sisters. Though alike in appearance, their personalities differ. Only extreme circumstances could shape such contrasts.”
Tang Zhou listened.
Yan Dan continued, distant. “I have a sister, too. People often mistake us for one another. But unlike her, I’m always the shadow, never the original.”
Tang Zhou said softly, “Even the same face carries its own truth.”
Yan Dan’s lips curved in a faint smile. “Perhaps a hundred years from now, you will meet her… and sympathize even more. She shares my face—but not my heart.”
She scattered the final bit of fish food, her robes fluttering like a fairy’s wings over the lotus pond.
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