Chapter 121: Extra—Intrusion (Part Two)

Hearing this, the two exchanged glances. Lan SiZhui became excited.

Wei WuXian, “I’m ready to listen to your story.”

After thinking for a moment, Young Master Qin began slowly, “The story isn’t very interesting. I don’t know her very well either. As a child, I grew up in my grandmother’s house in a remote village. She was one of the maids in my grandmother’s house. Since we were about the same age, we often played together.”

Wei WuXian, “That’s called a childhood friend—why did you say you didn’t know him?”

Young Master Qin, “Because as we grow older, we grow further apart.”

Wei WuXian, “Think about it for a moment. Have you ever offended this servant?”

Young Master Qin, “There was one incident, although I am not sure how serious it was.”

Lan WangJi, “Continue.”

Young Master Qin, “That servant always served my grandmother by her side. Because he was quick at work and was about the same age as me, my grandmother liked him very much, often praising him for his intelligence. As a result, he also became somewhat arrogant, always following our clan’s juniors without any regard for the difference between master and servant. Later, my grandmother even allowed him to attend school with us.

One day, the teacher left us with a difficult problem. In the middle of the discussion, someone came up with the first answer. Just as the whole class was agreeing, the waiter suddenly spoke up and said the problem was wrong.

Young Master Qin, “At that time, that servant had only been in school for a few months, while we had been in school for several years. It goes without saying who was right. Soon, someone proved him wrong. However, he was very stubborn, insisting that the previous person answered incorrectly to show him how to solve the problem. Eventually, the whole class got annoyed with him and collectively expelled him.”

At this point, Lan SiZhui couldn’t help but speak up, “Young Master Qin, although he annoyed you, he never did anything too extreme… Why chase him away?”

Wei WuXian, “Young Master Qin, it seems like your entire junior group has offended him. Do you have a special position in this? Otherwise, he wouldn’t just be looking for you, but would be visiting all the members of the group as well.”

Young Master Qin, “Back then, I was the one who first told him to leave. It was just a casual remark at first, but who would have thought that everyone had long since grown fed up with him, and things escalated. Surprisingly, he turned out to be a hothead. He went back, told my grandmother he wouldn’t be coming again, and then he never came back.”

Wei WuXian, “I’ll ask you two more questions. You must answer them honestly, Young Master Qin.”

Young Master Qin, “Please do.”

“My first question.” Wei WuXian’s eyes lit up, “You said ‘someone has the first answer’. Is this ‘someone’ by any chance you are?”

After a pause, Young Master Qin replied, “Is it important?”

Wei WuXian, “Then, my second question—regarding the solution to the problem, in the end, who is right and who is wrong?”

Young Master Qin wore a displeased expression. He flung back his sleeves, his voice cold, “That incident happened many years ago. Please forgive my inability to recall every detail. But honestly, who hasn’t acted impulsively when they were young, doing inexplicable things, meeting inexplicable people. Please don’t get involved in incidents like this. Right now, all I want is to resolve this matter as soon as possible.”

Wei WuXian grinned, “Yes. I understand, I understand.”

Lan WangJi, “When did he die?”

Young Master Qin, “About two years ago, I think.”

Wei WuXian, “Two years? Not bad, not an old corpse, but not fresh either. How did he die? Suicide?”

“No. I heard he was drinking in the middle of the night before he fell and died.”

“If it wasn’t suicide, the situation isn’t that bad. Young Master Qin, is there anything else?”

“NO.”

“Then, please go back first. The amulet will be brought to your residence later. If you remember anything else, please let us know as soon as possible.”

After they returned to the cottage, Lan SiZhui closed the door and let out a sigh of relief, “Young Master Qin… He really… really…”

Lan WangJi suddenly spoke up, “Two years.”

Wei WuXian, “Yeah. Two years is a bit strange.”

Lan SiZhui, “Strange?”

Wei WuXian took out a blank talisman from his sleeve. “If a hateful creature wants revenge, it will usually start haunting on the seventh night after its death. Those that take a little longer sometimes start after a year. Since it’s already turned into a vicious corpse, why does it take two years to visit it?”

Lan SiZhui guessed, “Could it be that he couldn’t find Young Master Qin’s new address in these two years?”

He imagined the corpse knocking on door after door at night, peeking in to see if Young Master Qin was inside. A chill ran down his spine.

However, Wei WuXian dismissed that suspicion, “No. The corpse used to be friends with Young Master Qin. It wouldn’t be hard to find him by his scent. And if it’s as you say, it’s highly likely that the corpse would have made some mistakes along the way, so there shouldn’t have been just one incident of a vicious corpse slamming into someone’s door. Lan Zhan, you’ve read more files than I have, and you remember things better. In these two years, have you ever seen a similar report?”

He entered the study as Lan WangJi replied, “Not yet.”

Wei WuXian, “Exactly… I can’t find the cinnabar, Lan Zhan.” He took out a brush, “I just used it last night! Did you guys see the cinnabar?”

Lan WangJi also came in and got him some cinnabar. Wei WuXian dipped the tip of his brush into the tiny cup before pouring himself some tea and sitting down at the table. With the tea in his left hand and the brush in his right, he scribbled on the talisman paper without looking, saying to Lan WangJi, “If you don’t remember, it must not have happened. So, there must be another reason why it hasn’t had any effect on Young Master Qin for two years. Alright, I’m done.”

He took a talisman that was still wet with cinnabar from the table and gave it to Lan SiZhui, “Bring this to him.”

Lan SiZhui took it and examined every detail, though he didn’t understand a single thing. Having never seen such wild and unrestrained runes in any book, he couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Wei… This… Isn’t random scribbling, right?”

Wei WuXian, “Of course.”

“…”

“I never use my eyes when drawing talismans.”

“…”

Wei WuXian grinned, “Don’t worry. It’ll definitely work. By the way, SiZhui, you don’t really like Young Master Qin, do you?”

Lan SiZhui thought about it, “I don’t know either.” He answered honestly, “He’s never done anything wrong, but I probably find it difficult to deal with people with that kind of character. I don’t really like his tone when he mentions the word ‘servant’…”

He paused at this point. Wei WuXian didn’t notice, “Typical, typical. Most people in this world look down on servants. Servants sometimes even look down on themselves… Why are you two looking at me like that?”

Halfway through the conversation, he interrupted, unsure whether to laugh or frown, “Stop—is there some misunderstanding here? How can I compare? Lotus Pier is no ordinary household. I’ve beaten Jiang Cheng far more times than he’s beaten me!”

Lan WangJi didn’t say anything, but instead hugged him silently. Wei WuXian couldn’t help but smile. He hugged back, rubbing Lan WangJi’s back a few times. Lan SiZhui coughed. Seeing Wei WuXian’s confidence, completely oblivious to the word ‘servant’, he finally felt at ease.

Wei WuXian continued, “But he will most likely come again.”

Lan SiZhui was silent for a moment, “Is this matter still unresolved, even today?”

Lan WangJi, “He hasn’t said everything yet.”

Wei WuXian, “Yes. This isn’t the first time, after all. We can’t deal with these people any other way—we have to squeeze their words out bit by bit. We’ll see after tonight whether he’ll tell us everything tomorrow.”

As expected, the next day, while Lan SiZhui was practicing his sword outside the Bamboo Hut, Young Master Qin came again.

When he came, he immediately stated clearly, “I don’t care!”

Lan SiZhui hurried over, “Wait a moment, Young Master Qin! My two seniors are still… still cultivating! They are at a critical juncture and must not be disturbed!”

Hearing this, Young Master Qin didn’t immediately barge into the courtyard, but he still showered Lan SiZhui with his overflowing hatred, “I don’t want to hear about curing the symptoms, but not the root! I want this thing to never come near me again!!!”

The second night, Young Master Qin still couldn’t sleep, reading in the main hall. Not long after, the gruesome corpse—the servant—returned.

He still couldn’t get inside the house, jumping around outside and occasionally slamming the door. Somehow, he didn’t tear the wooden and paper windows. Soon, the sound faded into the distance. Young Master Qin, who hadn’t slept well in days, finally couldn’t take it anymore. Losing focus, exhaustion set in, and he fell into a deep sleep.

After some time had passed, amidst the fog, he suddenly heard three distinct knocks on the door. His body tensed and his bones straightened, and he immediately woke up.

A woman from outside the door shouted, “My husband.”

Young Master Qin had just woken up from his sleep, still in a daze. Hearing Mrs. Qin’s voice, he got up and was about to open the door. He immediately remembered that over the past few days, Mrs. Qin had been crying and complaining that she couldn’t live like this anymore. Just yesterday, he had packed up and left for his parents’ house. If he had come home afraid, how could he have dared to go home alone in the middle of the night?

A curvy woman’s figure was reflected in the paper window. She indeed looked like his wife. However, Young Master Qin didn’t dare jump to conclusions. He silently drew his sword and asked, “My dear, why have you returned? Are you no longer angry?”

The woman outside the door spoke in a flat tone, “I’m back. I’m not angry. Open the door for me.”

Young Master Qin couldn’t open the door yet, pointing his sword at it, “Honey, it’ll be safer for you if you’re with your parents. What if he hasn’t left yet and is still wandering around this house?”

Silence came from outside the door.

Young Master Qin felt sweat coming out of his palms that were holding the sword.

Suddenly, the woman shouted in a loud voice, “Open the door now! The ghost is coming! Let me in!”

Madam Qin, whether real or not, clung to the paper window and screamed. Young Master Qin’s scalp tingled. Clutching Wei WuXian’s talisman, he suddenly felt his blood rushing through his body. Holding his sword, he charged out…

Young Master Qin, “Then a pile of something fell on my face, making me pass out.”

Wei WuXian, “What made you faint?”

Young Master Qin pointed at the table. Wei WuXian glanced at it before bursting out laughing, “Why fruit?

Young Master Qin was angry, “How should I know?!”

Wei WuXian, “Of course you know. No one would know except you. All these creatures tend to hold grudges. Have you thrown fruit at them before?”

Young Master Qin fell silent, his face still grim. From the look on his face, Wei WuXian was certain his guess wasn’t completely off, but of course, he wouldn’t admit it himself. Therefore, he didn’t ask any more questions. When Young Master Qin spoke again, the topic had changed as expected, “This morning, I asked someone to ask my in-laws. Last night, my wife didn’t leave the house at all.”

Wei WuXian, “It’s something specifically used to break through a house’s protective barrier, sometimes seen in ancient books and records. The creature itself isn’t dangerous, but because it can mimic the voices and shapes of those close to the homeowner, it often pairs up with creatures that can’t get through the door, helping them trick the owner into opening the door themselves. What a helper that vicious corpse has found.”

Young Master Qin, “Whatever the case, it’s useless for me to know. Young Master, the second door has already been broken. It has already entered my main hall. If I may, could you please tell me that I don’t need to do anything a second time?”

“Young Master Qin,” Wei WuXian replied, “Let’s think about it together. This second door was opened by you yourself. If it weren’t for my talisman, I wouldn’t dare say what you look like now.”

Defeated, Young Master Qin snapped, “If this continues, the next time I wake up, won’t I see that thing standing right next to my bed?!”

Wei WuXian, “If Young Master Qin really wants to sleep soundly, you should try to remember if there’s anything you forgot to say. Please don’t keep any information a secret this time. You should know tonight, hahaha, I don’t mean to scare you, but it’s definitely right outside your door.”

Since there was no other choice, Young Master Qin could only tell them one more thing.

“The last time I saw him was two years ago, when I returned to my hometown to pay my respects to my parents and ancestors. At that time, while paying my respects, I wore a jade pendant.”

Young Master Qin, “She knew the pendant belonged to my grandmother and wanted to borrow it. I thought she missed my grandmother, so I gave it to her. However, not long after she got it, she said she lost it.”

Wei WuXian, “Then what does ‘lost’ mean? Did he lose it by accident or sell it?”

Young Master Qin hesitated, “I don’t know. At first, I thought he sold it and came back with a lie that he lost it. But…”

He didn’t continue. Wei WuXian pressed patiently, “But what?”

Lan WangJi kept a cold face the entire time, “There’s no harm in being honest.”

Young Master Qin, “But, now that I think about it, he shouldn’t have gone so far as to sell something belonging to my grandmother.

“Later, I heard he was a drunk. Maybe he lost it during a night of drinking, or maybe it was stolen. Anyway, I was furious at the time, so I scolded him.”

Wei WuXian, “Wait. Young Master Qin, something that concerns one’s life and death shouldn’t be obscured with ambiguous diction. The word ‘curse’ can be light or serious, with significant differences. So, in what way did you ‘curse’ him?”

Young Master Qin’s eyebrows twitched, then added, “If I remember correctly, I beat him up once.”

Wei WuXian blinked, “Well… You weren’t the one who broke his crippled leg, were you?”