Shen Qinan wore an ingratiating smile across his face as he respectfully ushered the white-robed woman into the hall. She walked with a delicate grace, like a willow swaying in the breeze, her posture elegant and charming, forming a striking contrast with her saintly and pure image, exuding an allure that stirred the deepest desires.
As he watched them enter the hall, Meng Qi withdrew his gaze. He still couldn’t recall who the white-robed woman was; she seemed unfamiliar, someone he had only met once before.
In any case, she was quite dangerous, and the Shen family was indeed somewhat mysterious… He didn’t dwell further and decided to seize the opportunity when the Shen family’s experts were gathered to sneak into the back garden and find the young lady of the house.
Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars sparse. Silvery light draped a thin veil over the bare trees. Meng Qi used the buildings, rockeries, and landscape features of Shen Garden for cover, moving stealthily beneath the moonlight, his shadow flickering in and out of sight. He darted past patrolling guards several times, unnoticed.
Before long, Meng Qi infiltrated the back garden, searching for isolated servants and maids to inquire about the young lady’s residence.
Shortly, a pretty maid carrying a food tray passed through a waterside pavilion, heading deeper into the garden. Perhaps because it was late, she seemed fearful that ghosts might suddenly leap from some dark corner, trembling slightly, muttering prayers to the Daoist and Buddhist deities for protection.
At that moment, her eyes suddenly widened as a figure appeared before her. Dressed in a black robe, with what seemed to be a concealed weapon beneath the back of his clothing, the figure wore the “Taiyi Tianzun” mask commonly seen in theatrical performances and Daoist temples.
The maid opened her mouth wide, eyes filled with terror, nearly fainting, about to scream in fright. But her pupils suddenly reflected a pair of deep, dark eyes.
The waterside pavilion vanished, the bright moon disappeared, the corridors vanished, and the mysterious figure vanished too. All she could see were those captivating, profound eyes. Her panic eased, replaced by warmth and calm, as if she had returned to her mother’s embrace.
“Do you know where Young Lady Shen resides?” Meng Qi asked in a deep, steady voice.
The maid stared blankly and replied, “Young Lady Shen? She lives in the Peony Pavilion at the back garden, just turn left ahead.”
“Good,” Meng Qi praised and prepared to leave.
Suddenly, tears streamed down the maid’s face, as if she had finally found someone she could rely on: “Help me! Save me! I don’t want to be killed!”
“Why would you be killed?” Meng Qi paused, slightly frowning.
Could it be that the Shen family, as human traffickers, valued their servants’ lives so little that they beat and killed them at will?
“I, I don’t know. Many, many of my sisters have disappeared without a trace. No, I once secretly saw Shaoyao strangled and dismembered by the young master!” The maid wept, her body trembling more violently. It turned out that what she had truly feared all along was not ghosts, but the Shen family’s masters.
Was the Shen family so cruel? A thought stirred in Meng Qi’s mind, his aura shifting. Like the sky, like the earth, he observed the rise and fall of the seas and the passage of time, employing the Heaven-Changing and Earth-Shaking Method on the maid.
Her mind was a dark and murky ocean, filled with fragmented, blurred memories—normal for an ordinary person. Yet the most vivid and unforgettable moments of her life surfaced before Meng Qi’s eyes.
Born into a poor farming family, enduring hardship since childhood, helping her parents from an early age…
She had gone into the city to view the lantern festival, only to lose her parents and younger brother and be kidnapped…
After enduring beatings and a life of wandering, she finally settled down in the Shen household…
The window was half-open, and a bloody smell wafted out. Her timid nature urged her to peek first before deciding whether to call the young master to help his wife…
Half an arm hung from a chair, flesh and bones scattered like a carpet. A complete head lay on the table—it was Shaoyao. The young master faced sideways, his face smeared with blood and flesh, dripping down his cheeks, sliding past his lips…
The maid covered her eyes and crouched down, as if the final scene had become her innermost nightmare.
Was the Shen family’s young master a bloodthirsty killer? Meng Qi, always filled with righteous indignation, already despised human traffickers. Coupled with this brutality, he decided to submit a secret report for the Six Ministries to intervene. Since the Shen family was based in a small town, they would surely be unable to resist.
When one could rely on external forces, one naturally should. The Shen family was filled with mysteries; if he acted rashly alone, he might not succeed.
After invading her mind and calming the maid, Meng Qi swiftly slipped into the garden, heading toward the Peony Pavilion.
A cold breeze blew, and the maid snapped out of her trance, feeling her mind refreshingly clear, no longer filled with previous panic.
“Could my prayers have worked? It felt like… like it was Taiyi Tianzun…” She mused inexplicably, lifted the food tray, and walked to the right, still murmuring prayers for protection—not randomly anymore, invoking all the deities and Buddhas, but solely focusing on Taiyi Tianzun.
…
Inside the Peony Pavilion, several bronze basins burned with red-hot charcoal, making the entire room as warm as spring, sharply contrasting with the icy, wind-swept cold outside.
A woman sat before a dressing table, her cheek resting on her hand, her expression half-smiling, as if reminiscing about sweet memories.
She wore no makeup, yet her beauty was natural and charming. Her hair was tied in a married woman’s bun, adding a mature allure. Her attire was light, like summer clothing, revealing patches of soft, fair skin that attracted attention.
Suddenly, she felt something and turned to look in the mirror. There, reflected, was a figure in a black robe and mask, exuding a majestic, ancient, and mysterious aura.
“Better not scream,” she heard a calm voice, like the passage of time itself.
Feeling the oppressive presence behind her and recognizing the “Taiyi Tianzun” mask, recalling certain rumors, the woman chose to cooperate, refraining from calling for help or making any provocative moves.
“I heard that the second young lady broke off her engagement and lives alone, still a virgin. Yet tonight, I see that rumors are often exaggerated. Young Lady Shen, you clearly have already been married and experienced love,” Meng Qi, disguised as “Taiyi Tianzun,” did not ask directly, instead conversing casually.
The woman before him was indeed the second young lady, Shen Ruoxuan. Her current state contradicted the intelligence from Lü Jian. She clearly appeared to be a satisfied, languid young wife.
Could she have a lover?
As Meng Qi’s gaze swept the room, Shen Ruoxuan angrily retorted, “Why should my personal affairs concern outsiders? Having a lover to keep me company is nothing wrong!”
Keeping her company… Meng Qi almost wiped cold sweat from his brow: “If that’s the case, why not marry? The Jia family’s young master has no bad reputation. Why would you rather die than accept him? People say you have a true love. Could this lover be that very person?”
“Are you here on behalf of the Jia family? I know they’ve been resentful for a long time,” Shen Ruoxuan snorted coldly. “Back then, I did have a true love, devoted and inseparable, naturally looking down on others. But he has been dead for many years now. No matter how painful, I must move on and start a new life.”
Her implication was clear: her current lover was not her former beloved.
As she spoke, Shen Ruoxuan kept biting her lower lip slightly, seemingly nervous. Meng Qi keenly noticed this and chuckled: “I see. Young Lady Shen, was your former lover Jin Li?”
Though his voice was soft, it struck like thunder. Shen Ruoxuan’s expression changed slightly, a mix of sweetness and sorrow, as she asked in surprise: “How do you know?”
“I was commissioned by someone from the Jin family to investigate his cause of death,” Meng Qi replied calmly, his spiritual senses spreading to probe the room.
Something was odd.
Shen Ruoxuan’s face turned sorrowful: “He and my third uncle died together.”
“Died together?” Meng Qi pressed.
Looking at the expressionless “Taiyi Tianzun” mask, Shen Ruoxuan half-smiled, half-sobbed: “My family disapproved of our marriage. He wanted to elope with me, but my third uncle intercepted us, a conflict ensued, we fought, and both perished. I tried to commit suicide but failed, sitting in this pavilion for three years, only recently managing to move on.”
Her third uncle? Meng Qi slightly furrowed his brow. There was no mention of this in Lü Jian’s report. Could he be a hidden expert from the Shen family? Someone capable of dying alongside Jin Li, who could commune with celestial beings?
Before he could ask, Shen Ruoxuan continued, “The Jin family has considerable influence in the capital. My father feared this matter would bring disaster, so he secretly placed the bodies at the doorstep of the rival Chen family during the night, planning to have the Six Ministries officials confirm the Chens as the culprits the next day. But the Chen family was also alert, hiding the bodies somewhere unknown.”
After speaking, she glanced at the “Taiyi Tianzun” before her, seeing only the familiar theatrical mask, emotionless and unfeeling.
“It seems even eternal love cannot withstand the passage of time. In just over three years, you’ve nearly forgotten Jin Li,” she heard the unprejudiced, unemotional voice of the masked figure.
“I sat here for three years. I must live happily for the rest of my life, like occasionally indulging in a feast,” Shen Ruoxuan laughed bitterly.
Meng Qi spoke calmly: “In my view, this isn’t just occasional indulgence, nor merely for happiness.”
“What do you mean?” Shen Ruoxuan narrowed her eyes, glaring at the mysterious figure.
Meng Qi’s voice was steady and deep: “With your cultivation at the seventh or eighth aperture level and no hidden injuries, why so many charcoal basins?”
At this level of cultivation, normal coldness no longer affected martial artists. One burning charcoal basin was sufficient, yet she had many placed everywhere, as if fearing someone might catch a chill.
Shen Ruoxuan’s face changed drastically, and she abruptly stood up: “What are you implying?”
She saw “Taiyi Tianzun” lightly raise his hand, not even turning his head as he struck backward with one palm. The compressed air created a powerful gust, sweeping aside the screen and revealing the large bed inside.
On the bed lay a sleeping infant, about seven or eight months old, with a rosy face, looking adorable.
The surrounding gauze canopy seemed made of special material, significantly weakening and blocking spiritual perception.
“I… I…” Shen Ruoxuan stammered, “I wanted to leave him a bloodline heir.”
“Is that so?” Meng Qi was already nearly certain. He crushed the blood bead in his left hand.
A red glow flowed over the baby, and a faint red light shimmered from within the infant.
“It’s indeed the Jin family’s bloodline. Young Lady Shen, your performance just now was too stiff,” Meng Qi suppressed his smugness, his tone emotionless.
Her acting skills still needed improvement!
How easily could one forget a lover with whom one had been willing to die? Even if she had moved on, wouldn’t marrying be easier for her family to accept than having a lover?
Before his words finished, a figure suddenly dropped from the rafters above, spinning rapidly. The attacker’s palms emitted spiraling force, creating a terrifying whirlwind that enveloped Meng Qi, blocking all escape routes.
Half-step beyond the scene!
Facing the sudden attack, Meng Qi seemed to have anticipated it. He extended both hands simultaneously, fingers constantly moving, forming seals like blooming flowers, exuding steady and solid pressure.
To the attacker’s eyes, “Taiyi Tianzun” suddenly appeared vast and boundless, as if transformed into the earth itself—immovable and unshakable!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage