Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Chapter 115: The Third Night

The sky darkened once again.

This was the second night Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan spent in Jingzhou City. They stayed with Master Cheng, Madam Cheng, and Cheng Yaoniang in the Cheng family’s house, keeping watch through the night.

Nothing happened.

At dawn, Master Cheng, who had accidentally fallen asleep, suddenly nodded awake. Seeing the morning light outside the window, he was still a little dazed.

He murmured, “It didn’t come? That ‘Song Lang’—”

“It did not,” Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan replied.

Master Cheng was anxious, unsure how to speak. It was his first time encountering such a situation. He felt relieved in his heart, yet thought it improper to show his emotions while the heroes still maintained serious expressions. He turned his gaze away, looking instead at his wife and daughter resting nearby. For a moment, his mind drifted.

What Master Cheng didn’t know was that Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan’s “serious” expressions were ordinary to them. They had never expected “Song Lang” to appear on the first night anyway; surely, the ghost would wait until they had left a safe distance before causing trouble at the Cheng residence.

With that expectation, the following day, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan spent it conserving their energy.

After guiding spiritual energy through their meridians, both felt, “These days, my energy is far better than before.” Though the previous nights had been mostly sleepless, they felt only ordinary fatigue, without any significant discomfort.

They guessed this was one of the benefits that spiritual energy brought to the body. Unfortunately, having only just encountered this kind of power, many questions still awaited answers.

As the sun set once more, the five gathered again in Master and Madam Cheng’s room. After drinking snow lotus porridge for two consecutive days, Cheng Yaoniang’s complexion had improved, and her spirits were higher. Seeing the others waiting anxiously or cautiously, she delicately interjected:

“Father, Mother, the ‘evil spirit’ you mentioned… is it really Song Lang?”

Her words drew everyone’s gaze.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan quietly observed the young lady of the Cheng household. Her parents, anxious and heartbroken, replied, “Of course! The night before last, he appeared and tried to abduct you. Fortunately, these two heroes brought you back.”

Cheng Yaoniang fiddled with her clothes, lightly biting her lower lip, saying nothing.

Having raised their daughter for so many years, Master and Madam Cheng knew all her expressions and movements. Seeing her like this, they realized: Yaoniang… could it be that she still harbored hope for that sinister thing?

The thought made cold sweat break out on both their foreheads. They watched their daughter closely. Master Cheng said, “Look at the scar on my forehead.”

Cheng Yaoniang pressed her lips together.

Master Cheng spoke earnestly, “Yaoniang, we have this family’s wealth, and we never expected you to marry into a wealthy or influential family. As long as you are happy, and that person truly cares for you—even if he’s just an ordinary scholar—we would not object. You understand this, don’t you?”

Cheng Yaoniang lowered her head and softly said, “Song Lang is not an ordinary scholar. He is talented.”

Master Cheng almost overturned from anger at her words. Madam Cheng, however, remained patient:

“Which young man who truly cares for you wouldn’t hope for your health? But look at your current gaze—such infatuation can make you like this. Yaoniang, my dear daughter, recognize the evil heart of that spirit soon. It intends to harm you!”Cheng Yaoniang opened her mouth, then closed it again.

She had so much she wanted to say.

She wanted to clarify for her lover, to tell her parents that Song Lang would never do such a thing. But she was not truly unfilial; seeing the unfinished wound on her father’s forehead, and the fatigue and strain on her parents’ faces from days of worry, she could not bring herself to say the words, “You don’t like Song Lang.”

Cheng Yaoniang could only brood silently, her thoughts twisting and turning: “I don’t understand either… why would Song Lang want to harm Father and Mother?”

That concluded the Cheng family’s dialogue. Afterward, the room quieted down again.

Having learned from the previous night, Master Cheng resolutely did not dare fall asleep this evening. He kept a basin of cold water nearby, splashing his face from time to time. He also instructed Madam Cheng: if she saw him nodding off, she must wake him immediately.

After explaining all this, Madam Cheng was at a loss: “If you really want to sleep, how can I stop you?” She sighed, “I wonder what will happen tonight.”

The couple quietly went to check on the “strong young servants” stationed nearby.

The “servants” were not carrying weapons as they had when dressed as wandering heroes, but the Chengs could not tell where the knives and swords had been concealed. They silently speculated—perhaps the weapons were still on their persons. These Tianshan heroes were truly extraordinary.

Noticing their gazes, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan also looked over.

The Chengs felt a little embarrassed, as if caught spying. They touched their noses, about to say something to ease the tension, when a cicada’s call sounded from outside the window.

Madam Cheng paused: “The insects are already out. It seems the weather is indeed warming day by day.”

Master Cheng said, “This winter has been short; not as harsh as in previous years.”

Madam Cheng nodded, then turned to explain to Bai and Mei: “Every winter, our family delivers blankets and food to poor households around Jingzhou. Over the years, besides accumulating merit, we’ve helped quite a few families.”

Bai and Mei were slightly surprised but praised the effort. Bai Zhengliu smiled: “When I was young, my master also took me to eat porridge and rice given out by wealthy households.” He paused, “But my master always said we shouldn’t just eat for free. They fill our stomachs, and we must do some work for them in return.”

This time, the Chengs were surprised. They asked, “Does Tianshan really have such a practice?”

Madam Cheng was curious; Master Cheng stroked his beard: “People often talk about remembering hardship and appreciating comfort. When we were young, we also ran around a lot, building up our family’s wealth. I think our children today have it too easy. They aim to pass the imperial exams and serve as officials, but they should also understand the hearts of the poor.”

Madam Cheng thought for a moment and agreed: “It does seem reasonable.”

Bai and Mei: “…” No, you’ve misunderstood.

Well, even with the misunderstanding, this new educational idea from Master Cheng wasn’t bad. Bai and Mei closed their mouths and said nothing more.

While they remained silent, Cheng Yaoniang spoke. She tugged on her mother’s sleeve. When Madam Cheng leaned down, she spoke softly. After a few words, Madam Cheng made a small sound, somewhat hesitant, but still said, “Alright, let’s go together.”He turned back to look at Bai and Mei, feeling awkward: “Yaoniang and I will just go and come back…” He didn’t elaborate, but everyone present understood. Nature’s call is not something easily controlled.

If Bai and Mei had been women, or if the Cheng family members being targeted by Song Lang were Yaoniang’s brothers, it would have been easier to handle. But now, Madam Cheng had to be relied on to watch over them the entire way.

There was some risk, but the Chengs’ residence was near a guard post, so the distance wasn’t far. Bai and Mei had also given Madam Cheng a jade token; if any trouble arose, as long as they had time to sound an alert, Bai and Mei could rush over.

While waiting for Madam Cheng and Cheng Yaoniang, the three remaining people continued discussing the details of improving the Cheng sons’ education methods.

Master Cheng mainly pondered while talking, and Bai and Mei listened. But their attention was mostly outside, especially after realizing Madam Cheng and Yaoniang had been gone a long time.

Bai Zhengliu felt uneasy and said, “We should go check.”

Mei Yinghan frowned slightly and nodded: “Yes, we should.”

Master Cheng sighed: “Alright, let’s go together.”

The wife and daughter had been gone a while. If Bai and Mei had not spoken up, Master Cheng might have gone looking for them on his own.

The three agreed and indeed went forward to find them. Halfway there, they encountered Madam Cheng and Yaoniang returning.

Seeing them, Madam Cheng was first surprised, then said: “Yaoniang, I urged you so many times earlier, and you didn’t listen. Now look—others had to come find you!”

Cheng Yaoniang was so scolded she almost couldn’t stand: “Mother!”

Madam Cheng sighed and finally said no more.

They retraced their steps. During this time, Bai and Mei subtly observed Madam Cheng and Yaoniang several times, making sure no trace of yin energy was present. Only then did they step back, letting the Cheng family enter the house first, followed by themselves.

The night remained calm; nothing happened.

At midnight and the early hours… Master Cheng suddenly looked up to the side, noticing that the two wandering heroes were still awake, while his wife and daughter had fallen asleep together.

He rubbed his eyes and smiled awkwardly at Bai and Mei. The two nodded but didn’t mind that the Cheng family rested.

If the vengeful spirit tried to enter Cheng Yaoniang’s dream again, there would certainly be a reaction; Bai and Mei would not fail to notice. But the three ordinary Cheng family members—did they really expect them to stay awake like themselves?

Neither Bai Zhengliu nor Mei Yinghan intended to.

Their attitude was calm, which gradually reassured Master Cheng.

He focused on watching his wife and daughter, his gaze full of worry and sorrow. In Master Cheng’s sight, Cheng Yaoniang shivered slightly and actually opened her eyes.

Master Cheng: “……” I was just looking!He was dumbfounded, wanting to speak up in his own defense, but didn’t know where to start.

Fortunately, his daughter was filial. Before Master Cheng could say anything, she called out: “Song Lang!”

Bai Zhengliu’s eyelids twitched as he instinctively glanced at the Cheng couple, only to see that their expressions were far from pleasant.

Master Cheng spoke directly: “Song Lang… Song Lang, at a time like this, you actually still—”

“Father!” Before her father could finish scolding, Cheng Yaoniang grabbed his hand and cried: “Just now, Song Lang entered my dream again, saying he was being chased by an evil spirit. Tonight he barely managed to shake it off, but he doesn’t know when that spirit will catch up again.”

Everyone else present: “……”

Huh?

Cheng Yaoniang continued to cry: “He didn’t know what to do, so he could only force himself to come and report that he was safe. After that… who knows if he can escape, alive or dead!”

The crowd: “…Eh?”

Cheng Yaoniang covered her face and wept: “Song Lang, my poor Song Lang, why are you being harmed to this extent, sob sob!”

Author’s note:

Second update~