Chapter 124

Chapter 124

Chapter 124: The Portrait

Bai and Mei showed signs of leaving. The magistrate hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed without saying more.

There was no stopping them.

If they had a problem, Tianshan was right there—how could he fail to find them?

If they had no problem, with Tianshan right there, could he himself ever feel at ease afterward?

Better to quickly write the letter. And indeed, he really did have colleagues serving in Guang’an Prefecture—this was not surprising. “Colleagues” meant those who had taken the imperial exams in the same year. They originally came from all corners of the country, only meeting during the exams in the capital. Later, they were sent to various regions; whether in a bustling place like Guang’an Prefecture or even locations Bai Zhengliu described as more remote than Jingzhou, the magistrate could still recall several names.

Moreover, although their meetings were brief and their conversations short, such connections were remarkably stable in the court. A single misstep could link together a whole network of people.

Once he determined whom to write to, the magistrate began considering the wording of the letter. His gaze fell on the corpses around him. After a long while, he let out a quiet sigh.

All were people with tragic fates.

When the coroner arrived, the magistrate quietly said, “Remember to remind me—if any of these had family remaining, we must provide some compensation.”

The coroner nodded. Only then did the magistrate close his eyes, sinking back into his thoughts.

At this time, Bai and Mei had already left the town.

On the main road, they mounted their horses again. Thinking of the face in the portrait, both felt unsettled.

But being unsettled would not solve anything. The urgent matter now was to return to Jingzhou, handle the troupe there, and deal with any traps that “Hengsheng” might have set in Du Village in the southeast.

They rode in silence until evening, eventually stopping at an inn in the next town.

Bai Zhengliu took out the portrait again. Mei Yinghan lit a candle and moved the candlestick to the table.

They both stared at the face on the table.

The coroner’s brushwork was still simple but very vivid. Even someone who had never seen the person could match the image with the names Bai and Mei had in mind.

It was a lean-faced middle-aged man. Since Bai Zhengliu had made no special requests, the coroner did not draw any expression. The man faced forward, lips pressed together, as if looking through the paper at the two wandering heroes outside.

After a long look, Bai Zhengliu suddenly said, “So—inside that skin bag, it really was straw. My feeling back then wasn’t wrong.”

Mei Yinghan continued, “First, he left home in his original identity and married the daughter of Master Huang in Guang’an Prefecture. Later, when the Huang family declined, his body suffered from the improper cultivation of dark arts.”

Bai Zhengliu: “It seems that the old ghost of the Chang family successfully took over another body. But after switching shells, he did not discard his original one; instead, he turned it into a puppet in the Chang residence for him to control.”Mei Yinghan said, “Perhaps it also serves as a spy, keeping an eye on all the happenings in the Chang residence.”

Bai Zhengliu muttered, “This is really…”

He didn’t continue. But Mei Yinghan knew—so many tones could be used here. “Chilling to the bone, hair-raising” was one, and another was, “So ruthless, not even sparing his old shell.”

The two were silent for a while. Bai Zhengliu straightened a bit, rubbing his brow. “Anyway, the person is already dead now, right?”

Mei Yinghan did not directly say “yes,” but thought carefully before replying, “Last time, Zhengliu, you noticed something off about him, a flaw in his body. Now, though, there’s nothing unusual. I think he really is dead.”

Bai Zhengliu forced a small smile and muttered, “Better be. Otherwise, who knows how much trouble he could cause in the future.” He paused, his smile becoming a little more genuine. “Yinghan, you think so too, right? The troubles with the Cheng and Song families were caused by the old ghost of the Chang family, at least it’s not some new unknown thing. At least it shows that the number of these evil ghosts and vengeful spirits isn’t that many; we just happen to be unlucky and always run into them.”

“…” Mei Yinghan objectively said, “Thinking of it that way isn’t bad.”

Bai Zhengliu muttered again, “He really did find a way. Getting the dark arts from Master Huang wasn’t enough, and later, the Song family was also wealthy. And then, the Cheng family that was just targeted…”

Mei Yinghan: “Not only that.”

Bai Zhengliu took a deep breath. “Yeah. His child with the Song daughter was only that little,” he gestured, “so entering the Song family and becoming the son-in-law could only have happened in the past few years. But from disappearing from the Chang residence until now, it wasn’t just a few years.”

Mei Yinghan quietly said, “This place is also far from Guang’an Prefecture.”

Bai Zhengliu was genuinely uncomfortable. “Over ten, twenty years—or even longer—how many families did he ruin? Not only while he was a son-in-law, but also all those young men he used as shells.”

The more he thought, the more anger rose within the swordsman. In the end, he only regretted that when he encountered the old ghost of the Chang family’s new shell, his strike had been too clean, giving him too straightforward a death.

Mei Yinghan listened silently. After a moment, he said, “Fortunately, the Cheng family wasn’t harmed by him.”

“Yes,” Bai Zhengliu sighed, “the Cheng family.”

They did not dwell on the matter for long. They called for hot water, washed up, and prepared to sleep.

The night was already deep, and they still had to travel tomorrow. Bai Zhengliu felt uneasy if he didn’t check on the Leshan troupe and Du Village.

Perhaps with this thought in mind, even his dreams were restless. His brows furrowed, and he muttered a little in his sleep. Mei Yinghan vaguely woke up and caught one phrase: “You old ghost… where are you running?!”

Mei Yinghan forced his eyes open.

The moonlight was poor, and the candle had been extinguished before they got into bed; the room was pitch dark.

For ordinary people, it would be impossible to see a hand in front of their face. Fortunately, Mei Yinghan was not “ordinary.” At this moment, looking at Bai Zhengliu, he could still clearly make out the swordsman’s facial features, including his furrowed brows.Mei Yinghan propped himself up and sat.

He whispered softly, “Zhengliu…” Spending so much energy in the complex dream was less restful than waking once and then peacefully falling asleep.

Unfortunately, Senior Brother Mei’s voice was too light, too gentle—his words didn’t wake the swordsman.

Mei Yinghan thought for a moment, didn’t raise his voice, and instead reached out, rubbing Bai Zhengliu’s brow.

Bai Zhengliu stirred slightly. If he opened his eyes now, he would likely see a trace of a smile on his lover’s face.

At this moment, Zhengliu was very adorable.

Normally so alert, always sensing even the slightest glance from others, he had no cautious feelings in front of his lover. Forget the past differences—just looking at now, even with Mei Yinghan’s fingers on him, Bai Zhengliu felt nothing.

Well, maybe not completely nothing. The swordsman leaned slightly toward his lover, as if instinctively drawing closer.

But they were already very close. Mei Yinghan was lying on his side; just a slight movement of that hand could pull his lover into his embrace.

Not bad at all.

If it weren’t for the swordsman murmuring again: “See, I’ll catch you—”

Mei Yinghan couldn’t help but smile.

His mind relaxed, he lowered his head little by little. Doing nothing else, he simply used his lips to find Bai Zhengliu’s.

Their lips met, and the swordsman’s voice vanished. In his sleep, Bai Zhengliu felt very strange. A moment ago, he had been fighting the old ghost of the Chang family for three hundred rounds. In the blink of an eye, he was in a tender place, being gazed at by Mei Yinghan, who revealed his affection sincerely.

Bai Zhengliu felt a little embarrassed, wanting to speak: “My heart is no different from yours, Yinghan.”

At that moment, he found he couldn’t speak.

His heart panicked. In his panic, he finally began to wake vaguely.

“…Yinghan?”

In the darkness, the swordsman’s slightly confused voice sounded.

And the swordsman, softly, said “Mm.”

The swordsman’s voice became even more blurred and hazy. Half-awake, he asked, “You—”

“Sleep,” Mei Yinghan whispered. “This time, just sleep.”Why “this time”? Bai Zhengliu wondered, confused. But half-asleep, half-awake, his thoughts didn’t follow much logic. He quickly fell into another dream, this time walking the world with his lover—boating on Gui Lake, watching the sunrise atop Mount Hua. Brilliant sunlight fell on his shoulders and his lover’s, and the two of them drew closer, until there was no distance between them.

At that moment, Bai Zhengliu suddenly opened his eyes.

The last image of the dream still lingered in his mind. His body went on alert, fingers gripping the long knife under the bed.

“Yinghan?” Bai Zhengliu called, and quickly felt a response from Mei Yinghan—not words, but a tap on the bedpost with a knuckle.

It meant: “I’m here, all is well.” Bai Zhengliu felt reassured, lifted his long knife, and looked toward the door.

Footsteps.

First upstairs, then along the corridor.

“Thump thump thump”—with no attempt to conceal their presence! Straight toward the room where the two jianghu travelers were, arriving at their door in an instant.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan swung their legs off the bed, each taking a weapon. The Twenty-Eight Generals and the Zhenxing Sword drew simultaneously, blades sharp, one on each side, standing by the door.

Throughout, their movements were swift and light; the person outside noticed nothing. Once in position, the footsteps began to “thump thump” on the door.

The noise startled both Bai and Mei—why did it seem as if the person wanted them to know someone had arrived?

Could it really not be a robber?

Suspicious, they paused. Just then, the person outside spoke: “Is this not Bai Daxia and Mei Daxia? Huff, huff… Our master sent me to deliver a letter to you!”

At that moment, the tightly closed door in front of the visitor was suddenly pulled open, revealing the jianghu travelers inside.

Author’s note:

Here they come!