Chapter 31

Chapter 31: The Day of Great Joy

"Brother Bai, Brother Mei, what do you think?"

Hearing a situation from the tea stall owner that completely contradicted what they had learned before, the Jun brothers were somewhat dazed and instinctively turned to the more experienced Bai and Mei for advice.

Bai and Mei were straightforward. One of them said, "We still need to go take a look."

The other added, "No rush. Even if we’re really going, we need to be fully prepared."

Hearing this, the Jun brothers’ expressions grew slightly serious. "Prepared?"

"Please, brothers, tell us! Since we’re searching for someone, these small tasks should fall to us."

Mei Yinghan thought for a moment and said, "Go prepare food, water, and medical supplies. Not too much, but enough for four people… no, better make it six, enough for six people for three days."

Hearing this, Bai Zhengliu instantly understood that Brother Mei still suspected something was off with the Tan family.

He fell silent for a moment. Only when the Jun brothers had left, leaving just the two of them, did he ask, "Brother Mei, are you saying you believe the two seniors are at the Tan household?"

Mei Yinghan shook his head and sighed, "Could things really be that coincidental?"

Bai Zhengliu glanced at him, then at the direction the Jun brothers had gone.

Mei Yinghan explained, "It’s just a precaution."

Bai Zhengliu said, "It seems Brother Mei doesn’t believe Old Master Chang’s claim that ‘all the food in the house was bought from outside.’"

Mei Yinghan replied, "I did believe it at first. But you’re right, Brother Bai. If, in the end, the ‘spiritual talismans’ he gave us were ‘yin talismans,’ then nine out of ten, everything else is fake too."

Bai Zhengliu nodded slightly, saying no more.

They were definitely going to investigate the Tan household. Though Bai Zhengliu still thought it might not come to that, bringing food along was certainly safer than going empty-handed.

That left just one issue. Bai Zhengliu asked, "Brother Mei, should we leave a letter behind?"

Mei Yinghan nodded readily, "Exactly my thought."

When the Jun brothers returned with clean water, dry rations, and medical supplies, they found Mei Yinghan bent over, writing a letter.

Seeing them, Mei Yinghan didn’t shift his posture, while Bai Zhengliu took charge of greeting them, "Junior brothers, come here quickly. Set the supplies down and write a letter to the Emei seniors as well."

Jun Yang, hearing this, licked his lips, inexplicably feeling a bit nervous. Jun Tao spoke up directly, asking, "Brother Bai! With this arrangement, could it be—"

Bai Zhengliu shook his head, "Don’t get your hopes up too high. As I said, we’ve never encountered such bizarre events before. How could we run into them one after another now? …But if we’re truly that unlucky, we need to leave some direction for those who come after us."

Hearing this, the Jun brothers’ earlier emotions gradually faded, replaced by solemnity.

The two nodded earnestly, "Brother Bai is right."

Bai Zhengliu gave a slight smile, "The specifics will be written by your Brother Mei. As for you, write what you want to say to the Emei elders." He paused, "Though, I hope they never have to see this letter."

The Jun brothers exchanged a glance, understanding clearly: "Yes. If Master and the uncles don’t see it, it means we’re safe and sound. But if they do, it means our group is in danger."

Yet, they didn’t hesitate at the possibility. Coming to find their senior sister and her husband was something they had volunteered for. Thinking of Sister Nie’s unknown situation, the two young men were filled with anxiety and worry. Now that they finally had a lead, there was no way they’d let it go.

Soon, both letters were finished. Mei Yinghan thought for a moment and added a line of code at the end.

Bai Zhengliu read it and was puzzled. Mei Yinghan took the initiative to explain, saying, "I’m telling the junior brothers and sisters who might see this letter that the *Star-Picking Record* mentioned in it is buried in the forest outside the village."

As for the exact location and more distinct markers, he was about to explain to Bai Zhengliu in detail when Bai waved a hand, "Your Tianshan code—I won’t pry into it."

Mei Yinghan gave a wry smile. He had wanted to say that Brother Bai didn’t need to be so cautious. But on second thought, it was precisely this attitude that showed Bai Zhengliu’s respect for him.

So Mei Yinghan just smiled. He didn’t say more, and when hiding the *Star-Picking Record* later, he didn’t conceal anything from Bai Zhengliu.

This was also his trust and respect for Bai Zhengliu. He believed that with Brother Bai’s intelligence, if he truly wanted to figure out how the code worked, combining it with the burial site, he’d find the answer with a little thought.

The group didn’t linger on the topic. Seeing Mei Yinghan stand up from under the tree, the Jun brothers couldn’t wait, "Brother Bai, Brother Mei, are we heading to the Tan household now?"

Bai and Mei looked at the two, slowly letting out a breath, "Let’s go."

…

…

In the eyes of the people of Tan Family Village, the wealthy Tan household was a three-courtyard estate.

To the locals, living in such a place was enough to signify wealth. But to Bai and Mei, who had just come from the "Chang residence," the Tan household seemed rather small.

All four were skilled in martial arts and light-footed, so it didn’t take long to thoroughly explore the entire house. When they gathered again in the front courtyard, the sky hadn’t even darkened.

Bai Zhengliu spoke first, "There was indeed a tragedy here." From the main hall to the east and west wing rooms, several rooms bore large amounts of old bloodstains. "But…"

Mei Yinghan glanced at him and continued, "But the patterns of the bloodstains seem different?"

Bai Zhengliu said, "Yes, Brother Mei noticed it too?"

Mei Yinghan nodded, "The blood in the main hall and east wing splashed upward from below, likely from a slit throat. But the blood in the west wing is scattered like flowers." He frowned, "I’ve never seen anything like it."

Bai Zhengliu said, "Hmm… it’s as if one moment, a person was standing there, and the next, their body exploded, blood and flesh splattering the walls?"

Mei Yinghan hesitated slightly.

The Jun brothers were terrified.

After a moment, Mei Yinghan sighed, "It’s not impossible. But how could a living person’s body explode like that?"

Bai Zhengliu said, "That, I don’t know." He added with some regret, "If we could see the scene itself, we might have the answer."

Mei Yinghan looked at him.

Bai Zhengliu blinked, "Forget I said that, Brother Mei."

Considering the situation at the "Chang residence," how could they witness the scene?

The answer was simple: encounter another ghost and be driven to the brink of death by it.

Neither Bai Zhengliu nor Mei Yinghan had much interest in such an experience.

But whether they were interested or not, staying at the Tan household and waiting for something strange to happen was still what they had to do now.

That night, the group settled down in the front courtyard.

They split into two shifts, guarding the first and second halves of the night. At first, the Jun brothers were visibly nervous. But as time passed, that nervousness gradually turned to disappointment.

As the moon set in the west and dawn’s light began to rise, the night passed, and nothing had happened at the Tan household.

The four were still surrounded by waist-high weeds. The entire Tan estate was desolate and chilly, with occasional rustling sounds of something moving through the grass, but there were no ghosts.

When they left the courtyard, the Jun brothers weren’t sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

Relieved, because avoiding danger was a good thing. But disappointed, because after so long, they had finally found a lead related to their senior sister and her husband. They had thought they might finally see her, but…

As the group walked out, Bai Zhengliu comforted the two young men, "Perhaps we’re just overthinking it. Senior Nie and Senior Lu might have just passed through here and gone somewhere else. Or maybe, didn’t the locals mention something about ‘mountain bandits’? The case hasn’t been solved after all this time, which means the culprits behind the Tan family incident are still at large, causing trouble in the area. It’s possible the two seniors went to investigate this case."

After this analysis, the swordsman himself felt it made more and more sense. After all, how could they assume every strange occurrence was another "Chang residence"? The world couldn’t possibly have that many bizarre events…

The Jun brothers gave a forced smile, and the four began discussing their next steps.

Regardless, since Nie and Lu had appeared in Tan Family Village, and the Jun brothers had found no further clues about their senior sister and her husband on their journey from west to east, Bai and Mei believed there was still a high chance that the couple’s disappearance was connected to Tan Family Village.

But compared to supernatural phenomena, tracking down mountain bandits seemed far more normal, didn’t it?

Speaking of tracking, the first step would be to check the case files at the local magistrate’s office.

Jun Tao clapped his hands, "Good! In that case, Brother Bai, Brother Mei, Brother Jun, let’s head to the county magistrate’s office in Tan Family Village."

Jun Yang said, "Tao! Have you forgotten? Our brothers have important matters to attend to. Since this isn’t related to those dangerous situations, we can handle the rest ourselves."

Jun Tao said, "Oh, you’re right…"

As the brothers talked, they gradually sorted out their thoughts.

They began to consider parting ways with Bai and Mei, who also thought this was acceptable. Just as the four were about to speak, they all froze simultaneously.

They heard sounds carried by the wind to their ears.

The rustling of leaves, the fluttering of their sleeves…

Deep within the foliage, in a place obscured by trees, there were loud, chaotic voices.

The four exchanged uncertain glances, turned around, and strode back toward the direction they had just left!

Crossing the mountain path and pushing through the trees, bright red lanterns hung high before their eyes!

Beside the lanterns was a brand-new plaque reading "Tan Residence." Below it, a greeter dressed in festive new clothes stood at the entrance, smiling warmly. Seeing the four appear, they showed no trace of surprise, only saying with a laugh, "Heroes! You’ve come at the perfect time. Our nephew is holding a full-month celebration today. Come in, come in, have a drink to celebrate!"

The Jun brothers were still stunned. They couldn’t fathom how the place they had just left, which was dilapidated and ruined moments ago, had suddenly become lively and festive.

At their side, Bai and Mei’s gazes silently met, then turned toward the greeters.

—Since they were here, why not take this chance to see what these "wandering spirits" felt like?

**Author’s Note:**

Our little Bai is quite idealistic… (not really)