Chapter 37: A Person Falls from the Sky

Li Xiaolian produced a wooden puppet and handed it to Murong Huan, saying, "Actually, we do not know his name, but we know he is a master of the Daoist arts with profound cultivation. He once said that if you were to ask, I should give you this puppet, and you would then know who he is."

Murong Huan’s expression shifted once more. The puppet was clearly carved in her own likeness at the age of ten. Back then, she was still living on the estate in Taoyuan Village. Few people knew her, and the only person who could remember her appearance at that age so clearly and carve it with such lifelike detail was her master.

Her master was an ethereal hermit, a recluse with the aura of an immortal. She had once asked about his background, but he had always skillfully diverted the conversation, never revealing his name. Out of respect for him, she had never pried into his past.

Yet, she believed her master was a man of great kindness and profound compassion.

He wandered the world, unconcerned with worldly affairs, a man who had cultivated the Great Way to a state of desirelessness. Why, then, would he concern himself with these matters?

Since returning to Luoyang, she had constantly felt as if a pair of hands were manipulating everything from behind the scenes, guiding her toward certain actions. She had assumed it was the doing of Li Linghuan, the other soul within her, but she had not expected Li Xiaolian to provide such an unexpected answer.

Seeing the puppet, a sudden warmth rose in Murong Huan’s heart, and she could not help but recall fond memories of her time with her master.

Whether it was playing the flute, blending incense, or the technique of painting the myriad faces of sentient beings, everything she knew had been taught by him. Even the fact that she had survived safely on the estate—perhaps that peace she enjoyed for those few years had been thanks to his protection.

"Ahuan—"
"Young Lady, what is the matter?"

The voices of Ashu and Li Xiaolian pulled her from her deep thoughts.

"It is nothing. Since this is the case, I shall ask no more." She shifted the subject. "Do you still intend to stay here?"

The Shaohua Courtyard was, after all, a brothel. Who would willingly squander their life in such a place?

"Apart from performing, we have no other skills to earn a living, so we have no choice but to stay," Li Xiaolian said, lowering her head.

"There are three thousand paths to the Great Way. In everyone's life, there are many choices to be made. As long as you wish, there are other roads to be found," Murong Huan said. She then looked at Li Xiaolian and added, "I will give you an opportunity. It just depends on whether you are willing to take it."

"Of course we are willing! Please, tell us, Young Lady!"

***

When they left the Shaohua Courtyard, night had once again fallen quietly. Although the curfew had not yet begun, the crowds on the streets of Wenrou Ward had gradually thinned. The teahouses, taverns, pawnshops, and workshops lining the streets were once again shrouded in a hazy, moonlit veil.

Seeing Murong Huan walking through the streets as if aimlessly, Ashu asked with concern, "Ahuan, are we truly not returning to the Su residence?"

"Yes. The Su residence is no longer safe. Previously, Minister Zhou showed particular interest in me and repeatedly tried to lure me into his manor. I fear someone from the Su family leaked information to him."

"The Su family? Who could it be?" Ashu asked nervously. "Could it be the First Mistress? She seems to dislike you very much."

"No. Madam Qin dislikes me only because she fears me. But Third Mistress Su is different. My master once told me that there are people in this world whose hearts are vastly different from their appearances. Therefore, it is difficult to paint their true nature, and one must rely on reason to judge the logic of their actions."

"When my mother was gravely injured and returned to the Su family, my father tried his best to save her. Third Mistress Qiu feigned a gentle, virtuous, and compassionate demeanor, constantly keeping watch by my mother’s bedside to care for her. Once, when my father had fallen asleep from exhaustion, I saw Madam Qiu’s expression suddenly change. She appeared to be searching for something on my mother’s body. When she found nothing, she viciously pricked my mother several times with needles. My mother was unconscious and unable to move or resist, so I fought with Madam Qiu. The commotion alerted the servants, and it reached my grandmother’s ears. I explained the reason to her, but no one in the Su family believed me. They all believed Madam Qiu, saying that I was a strange child. From then on, the entire household feared my bizarre behavior."

"After my father died, I kept vigil in the mourning hall. She came to see me when no one else was around. She wore a very gentle smile, yet she grabbed my hair and tore my clothes, claiming she needed to inspect my body. So, I grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed her."

"When my grandmother arrived with the servants, Madam Qiu put on her gentle, benevolent mask again, claiming that I had gone insane from the loss of my parents. Later, they discussed sending you and me to the estate in Taoyuan Village."

Ashu was shocked and deeply saddened. She had heard rumors of these events when she was younger, but the stories spread by the Su family were all about the fear of Ahuan’s strange behavior. Initially, Ashu had been somewhat afraid of Ahuan, but after spending time with her, she realized she was not as the Su family described. Even after the other soul emerged within Ahuan, she was not as terrifying as they had claimed.

"Ahuan, do you remember all these things from your childhood? Is Third Mistress Su truly like that?" It was hard to imagine that the Third Mistress Su, who smiled so gently and was kind to everyone in the household, could be that way toward Ahuan.

Murong Huan looked at Ashu, who quickly added, "I don't mean I don't believe you, Ahuan. Even if everyone in the Su family disbelieves you, I will always believe you, because Ahuan never lies."

Murong Huan smiled. "I didn't doubt your belief. It is just that recalling these things suddenly made me understand what my master once said, and why Madam Qiu could have two such diametrically opposed faces."

"Why?"

"It is likely the hypocrisy of human nature. Her benevolent appearance and smile are her protective camouflage, merely to hide her true heart. She went to such lengths to get close to my parents, even feigning a broad-minded and understanding nature within the Su family—she must have been trying to obtain something from them."

Ashu listened intently, nodding repeatedly, then asked in confusion, "Then what exactly did she want to obtain?"

No sooner had the words left her lips than Murong Huan suddenly shouted, "Careful!" At the same time, she grabbed Ashu’s waist, slid her feet backward, and retreated three feet in an instant.

With a loud thud, a massive black shadow fell from the sky, crashing heavily right in front of them. A thick, pungent scent of blood immediately filled the air.

Ashu couldn't help but scream, "Ahuan, it’s a person! Someone fell from the sky!"

Murong Huan looked up. Beside them was a restaurant. A window was open, and a figure flashed through the dim room. Murong Huan immediately pulled Ashu toward the building. Inside, a puppet show was playing; several onlookers were staring intently at the puppets on stage as their garments fanned out like flowers.

She observed them for a moment, but not lingering, she headed straight for the room with the open window. Pushing the door open, she saw a pair of feet dangling in mid-air.

Ashu shifted her gaze upward and saw a face so mangled that its features were unrecognizable.

"Ah!"

Ashu couldn't help but let out a shriek, startling the onlookers in the lobby below. Several people, hearing the noise, ran over curiously, only to flee in terror when they saw the scene inside the room.

"Ahuan, this is too horrible! Let's go!"

Ashu tried to pull Murong Huan away, but at that moment, the sound of galloping horses approached from the street. Murong Huan listened carefully and estimated there were about fifty people.

"My Lord, there is a dead body here!"

A chaotic clamor and the shouts of officers rose from below. In the blink of an eye, the officers rushed up, shouting for people to clear the way, and flooded the corridor outside the room.

Murong Huan turned to see that the leader was none other than the Great General of the Jinwu Guard, Qiu Shenji.

"Why are you here?" Qiu Shenji asked sharply. He stepped into the room with two men, and upon seeing the mangled body hanging from the rafters, the two guards were also startled.

"My Lord, there is another… another mangled corpse here!" one of the guards reported with a tremble.

Qiu Shenji’s expression shifted slightly, and he glared at Murong Huan, shouting, "Seize these two murderers!"

"No, no! My Lord, we are not the murderers! You have the wrong people!" Ashu cried out in panic.

Just as Murong Huan was about to speak, a familiar voice echoed in her mind: "In the fourth year of Chuigong, Qiu Shenji was appointed by the Empress as the Grand Commander of the Qingping Dao. He intended to suppress Li Chong’s rebellion, but upon arriving in Bozhou, he found that Li Chong had already been killed by the common people. Seeing no rebellion left to quell, Qiu Shenji, in order to claim merit before the Empress, slaughtered nearly a thousand members of the local officials' families. For this, the Empress named him Great General of the Jinwu Guard."

"This man deserves ten thousand deaths for his crimes. Do you need me to kill him for you?"

Li Linghuan!

This was the first time she had heard Li Linghuan’s voice so clearly while not in a dream.