Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Catching the Adulterer

Bai Zhengliu sensed something was wrong before he even opened his eyes.

It was too quiet. Although it was late at night, and he and his lover, his friend, were not staying in some remote wilderness where they might hear the rustling of birds and animals in the woods, the sounds of insects, the wind, and even the soft footsteps and hushed conversations of the night servant should have quietly drifted into his ears.

But not like this.

He couldn't hear anything. The breath of the other person who should have been beside him, the chirping of cicadas that Fu Ming had complained about just before bed, were all gone.

When he realized this, the drowsiness washed away like a receding tide. The young swordsman reached out for the "Twenty-Eight Generals" next to his pillow. The cold, heavy sensation in his hand made his heart tighten.

He got up to observe. He saw:

The window was shut, and there was a faint light outside, but it was dim, probably just a lantern lit far off in the distance.

Fu Ming's bed still showed signs of disarray, clearly he must have disappeared halfway through the night.

Hmm, Fu Ming's shoes were also gone.

A strange feeling surged in Bai Zhengliu's chest. If something had happened to Fu Ming, he wasn't sure if he could have noticed, but just looking at the shoes... How could someone who was in trouble manage to calmly put on their shoes? The situation now seemed more like—

"Step step!"

While he was contemplating, Bai Zhengliu heard footsteps outside.

His pupils contracted instantly, and he immediately discerned: the person coming was not Fu Ming!

Fu Ming came from a noble family, and although he had distanced himself from the capital since he was young, yearning for the martial world, and had learned some basic self-defense techniques, he was not one to endure hardship.This difficulty also made it impossible to learn any martial arts.

In comparison, the person walking toward him now moved lightly, their internal energy must be quite profound. If it weren't for the unnaturally quiet atmosphere, Bai Zhengliu might not have even been able to hear the sounds the other person made.

The swordsman grew wary. As the figure reached the door, he swiftly darted to the side behind the door, holding his breath and remaining motionless.

The "Twenty-Eight Generals" was gripped by its master, the gleaming blade slowly drawn from its sheath—

"Bai Xiong, Prince Jiu!" the visitor called out, "Are you here?!"

His words fell. The next second, Bai Zhengliu's pupils slightly contracted.

The door opened, and under the heavy nightfall, the swordsman and the newcomer stood facing each other.

Bai Zhengliu's gaze quickly scanned the young man standing outside. He could tell that the person was clearly anxious. His usually neat white clothes appeared somewhat disheveled, as though he had discovered something in the night, rushed to get up, and was now searching for his companion.

Bai Zhengliu's brows furrowed as he called out, "Mei Xiong."

Earlier, he had mentioned that he had a lover and a friend staying with him that night.

His lover, Fu Ming, was now missing. As for his friend, one of them was the young man in front of him—Mei Yinghan.

Mei Yinghan brought Bai Zhengliu some bad news: "Miao Miao is missing."

Bai Zhengliu froze for a moment. Just as Fu Ming was his lover, Mei Yinghan's "Miao Miao" was this swordsman's lover. They were considered senior and junior brothers in their martial arts, but before their relationship was confirmed, there was still an old matter involving himself and Fu Ming that had not yet been settled.However, that was all in the past. Now, the two couples were traveling together in the martial world. After arriving in Guang'an Prefecture, they had taken advantage of Fu Ming, Prince Jiu's identity, to stay at the governor's mansion. Everything had been normal until tonight.

Bai Zhengliu furrowed his brows and shared the information: "Fu Ming is also—oh," the swordsman's gaze swept around the doorway, and he quickly added, "and his bodyguard."

Mei Yinghan's expression grew even more solemn, and he turned to tell Bai Zhengliu: "I haven’t seen a single night servant along the way."

Bai Zhengliu fell silent.

It shouldn’t be like this. He thought.

Although they were all guests, Mei Yinghan and Gu were not assigned to the same courtyard as him and Fu Ming.

The walk from where Mei Yinghan was staying to here was no short distance. If no one had been encountered during such a long time and distance, it could only mean one thing.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan spoke in unison: "This is not normal! Something must have happened inside the mansion!"

After speaking, the two looked at each other in surprise, then immediately spoke again.

"We need to find Fu Ming and Gu Lang first."

"We need to find Miao Miao and Prince Jiu first."

Though the names they used were different, the meaning was the same.

Having made a decision, the two no longer hesitated, and instead began to discuss how to search.

Bai Zhengliu said, "Since Mei Xiong came from the west, we can skip the west for now. You and I will go in other directions."Mei Yinghan followed up immediately: "The situation is strange right now, we should stay together for the time being."

Bai Zhengliu agreed. Though splitting up to cover different directions would certainly increase efficiency, they still hadn’t figured out what exactly was going on, so it was better to stay together for now.

Moreover, Bai Zhengliu added: "I was originally concerned that Fu Ming might have some enemies," he furrowed his brows again, "but now that Gu Lang is also missing, it seems there’s another reason."

Mei Yinghan succinctly responded: "Bai Xiong, let’s talk while we walk."

Bai Zhengliu nodded.

Aside from the west, they had three other directions to choose from: east, south, and north.

The east led to the main courtyard of the governor’s mansion, the north to the garden where guests were usually entertained, and the south was made up of flower halls and verandas—places used for receiving guests.

The two decided to head east first.

On one hand, they were looking for people; on the other, they needed to confirm the situation of the governor’s family.

They left without hesitation.

Both of them were agile and skilled martial artists. If it were a normal time, they might have patiently walked through the winding corridors below. But now, they exchanged a glance and immediately climbed onto the roof.

The thick clouds covered the moonlight, and the only sources of light visible were lanterns every few dozen or hundred meters.

The lanterns emitted faint glows in the darkness, like eyes opening in a deep pool.

Bai Zhengliu looked at the lanterns, then glanced toward the direction outside the mansion. Unfortunately, he couldn’t succeed. Even though martial artists had excellent eyesight, there were still limitations. He could clearly see Mei Yinghan’s figure beside him, but he couldn’t make out the outlines of the buildings outside the mansion.It seemed like the area outside the governor’s mansion was completely shrouded in thick mist.

Bai Zhengliu withdrew his gaze, and with a push of his foot, he and Mei Yinghan headed east.

……

……

Nothing.

There was nothing anywhere.

No Fu Ming and Gu Miao, no Governor Liang’s family, no servants or maids, and not even a single insect in the grass!

The situation was growing even stranger. Bai Zhengliu withdrew his hand, and the grass naturally restored itself in front of him. His brows furrowed tightly as he turned to Mei Yinghan and said, "Mei Xiong, it looks like we need to check outside the mansion!"

They needed to find out whether only the governor’s mansion had turned into this strange state, or if the entire Guang’an Prefecture had been affected!

Mei Yinghan nodded in agreement.

The two climbed back onto the roof. This time, they didn’t discuss how to proceed, but simply chose a random direction.

After all, the governor’s mansion was in the center of Guang’an Prefecture, so they should be able to see residential houses no matter which direction they went.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan both mentally prepared for the worst: not only was the mansion silent, but even outside, everything would likely be as dark and lifeless. It felt as if, during the time they had slept, everyone in the world had disappeared, leaving only the two of them behind…

However, the reality was even worse than they had imagined.The two got lost!

It was only after passing by a broken piece of tile for the third time that Bai Zhengliu realized this.

His fingers tightened around the hilt of the "Twenty-Eight Generals," an unusual feeling of confusion sweeping over him.

At that moment, Mei Yinghan suggested: "Bai Xiong, what do you think about trying to walk with our eyes closed?"

Bai Zhengliu was puzzled: "Why close our eyes?"

Mei Yinghan explained: "As disciples of the Tian Shan Sect, we walk through the snowy mountains every day. Everywhere you look, it's the same mountain and snow scenery, and it’s easy to lose your sense of direction and start walking in circles. For a while, it even caused panic, with rumors spreading about some kind of mystical obstacle or demon in the mountains. But later, one of my senior uncles figured out the trick.

"To put it simply, when the surroundings all look the same, you’ll unknowingly start heading back the way you came. The solution is simple—just close your eyes and follow your instincts."

Bai Zhengliu pondered for a moment and murmured, "I didn't know such a thing existed..."

He quickly decided to give it a try.

What had happened tonight was too strange. Bai Zhengliu wasn’t just worried about Fu Ming anymore; he was also concerned about Governor Liang’s family and the people outside the mansion. The sooner they got out of this strange situation, the sooner people could rest easy.

The swordsman and the swordsman’s companion both closed their eyes and once again used their lightness skills.

It didn’t take long before the two were pleasantly surprised to discover: "It works!"

After closing their eyes, not only did their efficiency in moving increase, but they also heard faint voices in the distance!Although the direction of the voices wasn’t exactly where they had originally intended to go, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan decided to move closer and investigate.

As they gradually approached, they soon realized that they were in front of a courtyard.

When they first arrived, Governor Liang had shown them all the guest courtyards to please Prince Jiu, allowing Fu Ming to choose. The courtyard in front of them was the most magnificent of all, and both Fu Ming and Gu Miao had expressed their liking for it at the time. However, since both sides liked it, as friends, they felt it would be inappropriate to take what the other preferred. In the end, both sides chose other places to stay.

Now, despite it being the middle of the night, the peonies in the courtyard were still in full bloom, giving off a faint, lingering fragrance.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan landed in the courtyard one after the other and continued to approach the door from which the sounds were coming.

Then, their expressions gradually became strange.

From inside the door, faint sounds could be heard.

It wasn’t that the sounds were unclear; they were too clear, which caused both men to freeze in place.

One voice was deep and hoarse, sounding like someone in the middle of a fierce attack: “Miao Miao, Miao Miao, how do you feel now?”

The other was much more delicate and charming, yet still carried a trace of clarity: “Fu Lang... oh! Fu Lang, I’m so happy.”

The first voice, filled with pride, asked: “I’m better than your Mei Shixiong, aren’t I?”

The second voice, seemingly hard to bear, let out a high-pitched sound, followed by a somewhat broken, jealous reply: “You love me more than Bai Gege, don’t you?”

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan: "..."

The noises inside continued.Fu Ming: "I naturally love you, I’ve always loved you. It’s just a pity that back then, your heart only had room for one Mei Daxia. No matter what I did, you wouldn’t even look at me."

Gu Miao: "Shixiong..."

Fu Ming: "Hmm?"

Gu Miao: "Mmm! Fu Lang, Fu Lang, have mercy on me."

Bai Zhengliu: "..."

The swordsman, encountering such a situation for the first time, was deeply shocked.

In comparison, even the anger of having an "unfaithful lover" seemed pale and distant.

He was just confused, not understanding what had happened or how he should react.

Bai Zhengliu turned his head to look at the swordsman beside him.

He admitted that he had a small thought of "learning from him."

So, when Mei Yinghan’s expression tightened and he stepped forward, pushing open the door to expose the illicit lovers inside to the gaze of the two men, Bai Zhengliu hesitated.

He thought to himself: Good! As expected of a martial artist, decisive in action!

At the same time, he thought: So... should I also do the same?

Bai Zhengliu hesitated, taking a step forward.Inside the room, Fu Ming and Gu Miao looked at the two men outside with faces full of panic and confusion.

Bai Zhengliu thought he heard a faint sound of water.

He suspiciously glanced at the two people, only to see Gu Miao scream and hurriedly grab some clothes to cover herself and Fu Ming.

Bai Zhengliu furrowed his brows and turned his gaze away.

He had originally thought that he couldn’t just go ahead and push open the door himself, so he decided to watch and see what Mei Yinghan would do next.

But who would have expected that the answer would be "turn and walk away"?

As he saw Mei Yinghan turn without hesitation and leave, Gu Miao cried out in distress: "Shixiong! You misunderstand! You—"

This display naturally caused Fu Ming, standing beside her, to show his displeasure.

He wasn’t sure what he had done, but it made Gu Miao cry out again.

Quite painful to the eyes and ears.

Bai Zhengliu took a deep breath, realizing that the swordsman's decision to leave had indeed been the right one. He had only stayed for a few moments longer than Mei Yinghan, and look at what he had seen!

Realizing this, Bai Zhengliu decisively turned and walked away.

It wasn’t until he caught up with Mei Yinghan that he finally had the mood to process the shock in his heart.

—Fu Ming... he cheated.A sour feeling surged up in Bai Zhengliu's heart.

The two young men, one holding a knife, the other a sword, silently walked through the long corridor.

They passed the first lantern.

The two shadows passed first. By the time Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan walked further, a third shadow followed behind them.

They passed the second lantern.

As before, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan passed first, and then the third shadow silently followed.

The third lantern.

Bai Zhengliu's arm brushed against Mei Yinghan's.

The frequency and position of the touch... as martial artists who had been "friends" for some time, the two had their own ways of conveying messages. They could tell the other’s meaning: "What’s behind us?"

This was Bai Zhengliu's question.

Mei Yinghan answered: "I don’t know. But I fear the one coming isn’t well-meaning."Bai Zhengliu agreed: "Yes." If it were someone with good intentions, why not show themselves directly? … Furthermore, he wasn’t boasting. In today’s martial world, there were few who could hide under their noses. If we’re being honest, the number of people who could remain hidden from both him and Mei Yinghan could be counted on one hand.

If they really did encounter one of those few, the person wouldn't reveal even a shadow.

And if it were someone else, they wouldn't have been able to discern where the person was hiding.

So, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan both came to the same conclusion: Something’s wrong!

The shock of discovering that both their lovers had cheated hadn’t yet faded, the bitterness still forming, and now they were faced with this situation.

Fortunately, both Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan were people of strong will. They exchanged a brief touch of their arms, as if they had come to some sort of decision.

The fourth lantern passed.

The shadow continued to follow them, forward, forward... until they reached a "T" intersection.

The shadow remained still, as if hesitating, unsure which direction to take.

At the same time, Bai Zhengliu licked his lips, slowly moving out from the corridor and coming up behind the "shadow."

It was at this moment that he saw clearly—it was a woman. Her figure was much sturdier and more robust than the typical slender and graceful women from the official household; she looked more like a rural farmwoman. Her clothes were wet, and water continued to drip from her.

Even the area behind her had deep water marks.

Bai Zhengliu frowned.

Had it been any other time, he would have asked what trouble the woman had encountered, to see if there was anything he could do to help. But tonight was different.Everything they encountered tonight was too strange. Not to mention anything else, just this woman. No matter how many water bags a person carries, there shouldn’t be that much water leaking out, right? And look at what’s behind her—such a long, thick stream of water—

Bai Zhengliu stepped closer.

As the distance closed, he noticed more anomalies: the intense smell of water, carrying with it a strong stench, as though something was rotting in front of him.

Bai Zhengliu drew the long blade from his waist.

The entire night, Er Ba Jiang finally fully left its sheath for the first time. The sharp, gleaming blade reflected the lantern light, presenting a dazzling sharpness that could make one's head spin!

Accompanied by the faint sound of "shua".

Perhaps it was the effect of this sound that caused the “woman” in front of him to suddenly turn around!

Bai Zhengliu's pupils contracted sharply!

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, the scene before him still completely caught him off guard!

Although the woman turned around, her body remained in the same position! In other words, her head had turned a full 180 degrees!

The next thing that met his eyes only chilled him further.

What he was seeing was no “woman’s” face at all! It was nothing but a bloated, rotten corpse, soaked and decaying, turning white and swollen!

Now Bai Zhengliu understood where that terrible stench was coming from—it was coming from the “woman” in front of him, or rather, the female ghost’s body!

He had always prided himself on being a quick-reacting swordsman, but still, he was no match for a ghost!Without even the blink of an eye, the female ghost had already appeared before him. The cold mist hit his face, accompanied by a stench that was ten or even a hundred times more intense.

Bai Zhengliu immediately sensed a strong feeling of danger. If it were an ordinary person, they would have either been scared to death or had their necks grabbed and hearts ripped out by the female ghost by now.

But a swordsman is different.

He was only twenty-two, but he had already earned half of the martial world’s respect, often referred to as “Hero Bai.” His martial arts needed no explanation. In an instant, he stepped back with a swift motion, raising Er Ba Jiang in front of him!

At the same time, Mei Yinghan appeared in front of the female ghost. The sword and the blade came together, forming a front-and-back pincer attack on the ghost!

The two sharp weapons simultaneously struck towards the female ghost.

The female ghost was clearly even more enraged. She let out a gurgling sound from her throat, almost like—

"Like the final sound of someone drowning."

This thought flashed quickly through Bai Zhengliu’s mind. He didn’t dwell on it, instead shouting loudly: "Mei brother, move!"

Neither of them hesitated to fight; together, they leaped onto the roof!

At the same time, below:

"Whoosh—"

Water poured out from the corridor, and in the blink of an eye, it had covered the entire governor’s mansion! Under the light, it shimmered with reflections.

The female ghost continued to chase them, appearing on the eaves of a nearby building.

She glared resentfully at Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan. The swordsman and the blade master both felt a chill beneath their feet. Looking down, they saw the water had already risen over their shoe soles and was still creeping upwards..."We can't avoid this." Bai Zhengliu said, "Mei brother, let's go up!"

Originally, they had chosen to leave because they were encountering such strange matters for the first time and had maintained a sense of caution.

But now, the crisis was too close at hand. If they didn't act, they would be pushing themselves to death.

With this in mind, neither Bai Zhengliu nor Mei Yinghan hesitated any longer. Together, they launched an attack on the female ghost. Seeing this, the ghost’s face twisted into a more vengeful, mocking smile—

The smile only lasted halfway.

Bai Zhengliu’s Er Ba Jiang glimmered with a faint light.

This light was incredibly vague, almost like the reflection of the unextinguished lantern below. Yet, it was enough to make the female ghost’s face show fear as she began to retreat.

"Whoosh—"

The water began to recede.

Bai Zhengliu advanced further, the blade’s edge almost reaching the female ghost’s face!

At that moment, his expression changed, as though he saw something.

Mei Yinghan noticed, but due to the danger, he didn’t mention it.

The next second, Bai Zhengliu snapped back to focus. And at that moment, the female ghost had completely disappeared!Along with the disappearance of the female ghost, the overwhelming water flow and the quietness that had lasted the entire night also vanished!

The sounds of insects and the wind all returned to Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan’s ears. Furthermore, standing below them in the corridor was a night patrol servant, who at that moment stared blankly at the two heroes.

“G-Great Heroes,” the servant stammered when he noticed Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan’s gaze. He gave a nervous laugh, “You two really have a lot of spirit, haha! Up so early to spar!”

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan listened and watched, but did not respond.

The servant could only continue laughing awkwardly, “Haha, haha.”

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan exchanged glances.

They both saw the same thing in each other’s eyes.

— This servant, his clothes and accent… seemed different from the usual people in the Prefecture.

But looking at his behavior, he was clearly one of the servants in the mansion. Moreover, he recognized Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan.

A strange occurrence.

The two thought.

Tonight, truly, was a series of strange events.

No, that wasn’t the right way to put it.

At this moment, a faint bluish light had already begun to rise in the east.The day broke.