Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Accounts Room

Who is the Blood Demon Ancestor?

To truly talk about this person, one must trace back to three or five years ago when a series of child disappearances occurred in various places.

At that time, Bai Zhengliu had just buried his master and started to venture alone in the martial world. Along the way, he heard several reports of children going missing.

He decided to help and began to ask about the situation from one family to another. At that point, Bai Zhengliu still believed that the children had been kidnapped by some trafficker, but that was enough to ignite his righteous anger.

But how could an ordinary trafficker leave no trace? After missing the kidnappers several times, the knife-wielding man began to realize that things were not that simple.

He wasn't the only one investigating the case. The government and countless other martial artists who had also heard the rumors were involved as well.

It was during this time that Bai Zhengliu met Gu Miao, Fu Ming, and others. They went through many other experiences together, which eventually led to the blossoming of their feelings.

Later on, many martial artists investigating the Blood Demon gathered together and formed the "Demon Slayer Alliance."

As more people joined, more clues began to surface. They gradually learned that it wasn't just children who were taken by the Blood Demon, but also many martial artists. However, the latter often had irregular movements, and when they disappeared, no one noticed. It took several rounds of comparing clues to be sure that these people had truly vanished.

Eventually, the Demon Slayer Alliance found the lair of the Blood Demon Ancestor.

The term "Blood Demon" was coined at that time. When the righteous martial artists saw him surrounded by the blood of countless children and martial artists, immersing himself in it, they were both shocked and enraged, which strengthened their resolve to eliminate this menace.

However, at that time, the Blood Demon Ancestor was exceptionally powerful, making him difficult to handle for ordinary people. The Demon Slayer Alliance paid a great price to finally defeat him. Bai Zhengliu was gravely injured, Mei Yinghan was seriously wounded… countless people nearly lost their lives, but they emerged victorious. Bai Zhengliu earned his fame and was called "Bai Daxia" by many at the age of twenty-two because of his significant contribution in the final battle.

For such a demon lord to evoke a sense of danger in Bai Zhengliu was only natural. However, looking at Bai Zhengliu now, all he saw was a butcher who had been scared out of his wits.

Yes. Bai Zhengliu had just made eye contact with the butcher, Hu, not far away.

The butcher, Hu, smiled foolishly at him.

The previous sense of crisis dissipated in that instant. The knife-wielding man’s brows slightly twitched, and a thousand thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

Hu, the butcher, often slaughtered pigs and sheep, so it wasn’t wrong to say he had an aura of bloodshed.

Moreover, being in the Chang residence, Bai Zhengliu already felt a little more tense than usual...

Bai Zhengliu silently observed the butcher, but Hu was no longer looking at him.The man turned his head, glaring viciously at Fu Ming and Gu Miao in the distance, his mouth muttering words like “kill the ghost.”

Not far away, Fu Ming rubbed his arm, clearly experiencing goosebumps.

He looked at the source of his discomfort, and when his gaze met the butcher’s, he shuddered again.

Bai Zhengliu: “...” Looking at it this way, the butcher, Hu, indeed had an unusually overwhelming aura.

The knife-wielding man thought silently. On the other side, Mei Yinghan had already started talking about the Miaojian Temple and the suppressing talismans.

Fu Ming’s fear quickly turned to joy. "If that's the case, we are saved!"

Gu Miao, however, still hesitated: “What Brother Bai said earlier about Miss Huang’s room…”

Fu Ming’s expression froze.

He hesitated, then gritted his teeth and said, “In my opinion, you’ve all overthought it.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

Fu Ming had been terrified by last night's experience and had hoped to leave the haunted house as soon as possible. To achieve that, compared to the vague and uncertain “Miss Huang might have a different personality,” he naturally favored the old version of the Chang family story with references left by the Taoist priest and the monk.

However, by the end, he had genuinely convinced himself. The more he spoke, the more determined he became, saying, “Sometimes a kiln worker accidentally fires something good, and then it's hard to recreate it. It could take ten or twenty years to research. The colorful porcelain in Miss Huang’s room might be one of those cases.”

“It's the same good thing, but once merchants start bidding for it, it's gone. However, if it's meant to be presented in the palace or made famous, there needs to be a process. In my opinion, the colorful porcelain in Miss Huang's room fits this situation.”

Gu Miao listened, biting his lip, his face showing some intent.

Fu Ming continued: “Now, as you can see, the butcher didn’t die. He was just scared. He keeps talking about 'ghosts' and 'ghosts', and the one who scared him is most likely that poison-wielding woman, Liu Shi. So, my earlier thought about returning to the past was not wrong, and the servants and stewards of the Chang family aren’t suspicious either. We’ve all overthought it.”

The most important thing, he firmly believed, was that whatever he had eaten could not be wrong! Absolutely!

When the words of Prince Nine reached everyone’s ears, Wang Shi couldn’t help but furrow her brow and argue, “The lady of the Liu family gave us hints…”

Fu Ming had been waiting for this. He immediately asked, “How do you know it was a hint, and not Liu Shi trying to take the handkerchief away?”Wang Shi's brow furrowed even tighter, “According to Lord Chang, Liu Shi must hate him deeply. If that's the case, how could she have kept Lord Chang's handkerchief so well-hidden? There must be something else going on.”

Fu Ming sneered, “Something else? When facing a man who doesn't share her feelings, these women both love and hate him, still hoping for their man to change his mind.”

He had grown up in the palace and had seen many such situations, where concubines hoped the emperor would stay but also resented his indifference… It was nothing new.

Wang Shi's voice grew too high, “You're not Liu Shi,” nor a woman, “How can you be so certain?!”

Fu Ming countered, “I'm not Liu Shi, but I've seen countless 'Liu Shis'! Fine, since your thoughts are different from mine, why don't you tell me, what do you think we should do next?”

Wang Shi: “I…”

She couldn't answer.

Yes, her assumption of "Miss Huang’s true nature" had always been flimsy. After Fu Ming explained it this way, it fell apart completely. Was she really going to ignore all the clues in front of her and chase after such an uncertain hypothesis?

As someone from a similar background to Liu Shi, Wang Shi had some sympathy for her. Therefore, she hoped that Liu Shi was innocent, or at least not as brutal and murderous.

So, Wang Shi instinctively rejected the idea of the “poisonous woman of the Liu family” that Lord Chang, An Bo, and others had described. After suspecting Miss Huang’s nature, she then thought, “Perhaps there’s more to the story about Liu Shi killing so many people.”

But now, perhaps Fu Ming’s explanation was the correct one.

Wang Shi seemed lost in thought, unable to help but glance over at Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan, hoping to seek some support from them.

Bai Zhengliu thought for a moment and said, “It’s not without reason.”

Fu Ming became smug, his chin slightly raised.

Wang Shi, feeling disappointed, thought to herself: “Since Bai Lang has said so, I must be wrong.”

Bai Zhengliu then added, “However, at least Lord Chang hasn’t used his talismans and methods against us yet. Perhaps we should take another look around the Chang residence.”

Fu Ming didn’t object to this suggestion, but asked, “Look around? Where should we go?”

Bai Zhengliu thought for a moment, “The accounts room?”

He didn’t understand the inner workings of these wealthy households, but he could reasonably deduce that the accounts room was the place where one could uncover the most secrets of a family.At least once these words were spoken, Gu Miao's eyes immediately brightened. But then he looked troubled, “Now I really don't know the way.”

No matter. Before he could finish speaking, a voice came from outside.

It was dawn, and An Bo had come to call them for breakfast.

He used the same reason as before. Seeing that they were in a discussion, An Bo didn’t want to interrupt, so he asked someone to set up breakfast in the side hall.

The group had been uneasy about this matter last night, but by now, other things seemed more important. Even Fu Ming and Gu Miao, who had been most concerned about the food situation earlier, now only said, “Let’s not talk about that. Just tell me, how do we get to your accounts room?”

An Bo suggested that he could wait for them to finish eating and then guide them.

The group politely declined and told An Bo to go about his business.

An Bo sighed but didn’t insist. He seriously explained to them how to get there.

Once they understood the way to the accounts room, they no longer kept An Bo. After he left, Wang Shi rushed to the door and looked outside for a moment, making sure that the housekeeper had truly disappeared from their sight before patting her chest and saying, “At least he’s gone!”

Turning around, she saw that the butcher was already sitting at the table, happily eating a roasted chicken.

Wang Shi let out a low, startled cry and hurried forward to stop him. But the butcher’s strength was not something she could compare to. Not only did she fail to snatch the roasted chicken from his mouth, but she nearly hurt herself.

It was Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan who rescued her, immediately pushing the butcher aside onto another chair and giving him a dry biscuit they had brought in from outside.

The butcher grumbled something under his breath, and after a while, Wang Shi finally made out one word: “Eat…”

Wang Shi, feeling sympathy, sighed and said, “Once you and I are gone, looking like this, how will you be able to do business?” After a moment of reflection, she added more gently, “You can’t eat those things! If you’re hungry, just eat this biscuit.”

Though it might be dry, at least it was safe.

The butcher still didn’t want to give up. He pointed at the nearby table, emphasizing, “Tasty!”

Wang Shi replied, “Fine, fine, I know those are tasty, but you really can’t touch them.”

The butcher didn’t speak anymore. He lowered his head and slowly started chewing the biscuit. His messy hair fell over his eyes, hiding his gaze.

Wang Shi continued to mutter to him, “I really don’t know what karma you and I must have accumulated to end up in such a place. But don’t be afraid, those two gentlemen over there are quite capable. Earlier, Lord Fu almost got caught by a ghost, but fortunately, Lord Bai tied a line to the water… sigh, could it really be that Miss Liu is harming people? But I’m confused…”Behind her, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan quickly finished their dry biscuits, replenishing their energy. As for Fu Ming and Gu Miao, they were saying they trusted the people of Chang’s household, but in action, they still only lightly dragged their chopsticks across the dishes.

Then, shamelessly, they came to Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan to ask for food.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan weren’t the type to make things difficult for others. If they asked, they gave. After Lord Nine and Young Master Gu finished their meal, the group of five—plus the delirious butcher—left the side hall together and headed to the accounts room.

Upon arrival, the accountants who should have been there were missing, but the account books were neatly arranged.

Each person picked up a stack to look through. Fu Ming and Gu Miao were the quickest, followed by Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan. Wang Shi and the butcher, however, were either illiterate or could only foolishly smile at the abacus on the counter.

Bai Zhengliu slowly flipped through the account books. He couldn’t distinguish many details, but he noticed that Miss Huang seemed to have poor health, often buying large quantities of medicinal herbs each month.

He could recognize some of them: safflower used for invigorating the blood, aconite used for dispelling cold...

"Gui Wei, rhubarb..." Seeing Wang Shi's confused expression, he simply started reading aloud to her.

As she listened, Wang Shi suddenly said, “Eh?”

“That sounds like a miscarriage prescription.”