Chapter 77: The Ageless Condition

The door stood open, and the autumn night wind swept through the room, making the flickering candle on the table dance once more.

The six shadows inside the room stretched across the walls, trembling with the firelight.

Just as the candle was about to be extinguished by the wind, Fang Shenyan, the last to enter, slammed the door shut.

The term elderly woman felt strange. Her voice and behavior were those of a person in their eighties, yet her face and exposed skin were unnaturally soft and youthful, like fresh spring grass sprouting from the soil, brimming with life.

Fang Shenyan was startled upon seeing her, but he quickly regained his composure and began observing the room’s anomalies. The room was large, and a screen at the back of the reception hall led in two directions. How far the space extended, he did not know.

On the surface, there seemed to be only the elderly woman, but hiding someone here would be too easy.

Fang Shenyan thought for a moment, recalled the young man’s earlier poisoning, shook his head, and sat down in a chair to smoke.

After seeing the elderly woman’s face, everyone fell silent; all the previous questions remained unspoken.

Instead, it was the elderly woman who rasped the first words:

“Don’t be nervous. I am eighty-four years old, and this appearance is because I suffer from an ageless condition.”

“Ageless condition?”

Chang Nian and Tao Xiaoyi, being women, were naturally more sensitive to such a claim.

After scrutinizing her from head to toe, Chang Nian pressed her lips together.

She had no idea what an ageless condition truly meant. Taken literally, it no longer seemed like a disease, but more like a gift…

Tongguan stood in the hall, scanning the surroundings before looking at the elderly woman, trying to deduce why her first words had been like that.

The statement seemed simple, yet she must hold a lofty position in the Li Mansion, while Tongguan and the others had been brought there against their will. Why bother explaining?

Unless…

Seeing no one speak, the elderly woman’s bright eyes swept over the five, lingering on their clothing and attire.

Her expression softened, nodding in satisfaction:

“Chen Fu did well. You truly are eximius.”

Another strange term, but understandable. Tongguan and the others wore modern clothes and hairstyles, clearly out of place for the era. It seemed the elderly woman had anticipated their arrival, sending Chen Fu to meet them.

This Chen Fu must be the young man who had guided them, and also the elderly woman’s nephew.

“Then why disguise him as a funeral procession?”

Tongguan pondered. Now that he knew more, and the Li Mansion was connected to the mission’s main thread, he had no choice but to stay and gather information.

The elderly woman sighed deeply, grabbed a cane, and slowly stood. The contrast between her deliberate, aged movements and her youthful appearance was unsettling.

“The funerals have nothing to do with you. It’s just that every night, the Li Mansion holds a funeral.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

Tongguan was puzzled; he had sensed that something was off in the mansion’s atmosphere but could not pinpoint it.

Now the elderly woman had offered a vague yet crucial hint.

However, turning her back to them, she did not answer Tongguan’s question. She simply said softly:

“Step back for now. I will call for you again tomorrow morning.”

Yu Guo, frustrated at getting nothing, was about to speak and gesture toward her, but Fang Shenyan stopped him.

“Xiao Lan, escort the guests to their rooms.”

The elderly woman gave no opportunity for further questioning, flicked her sleeve, and walked behind the screen.

A young girl with braided hair obediently responded, stepping out from behind the screen.

Xiao Lan approached Tongguan and the others, made a polite bow, and opened the door.

“Guests, please follow me.”

The group exchanged glances, unsure how to react to the reserved Xiao Lan.

Fang Shenyan gave Tongguan a subtle signal. Tongguan considered briefly, then turned his gaze to Chang Nian.

“Since we can’t get anything from the elderly woman, we’ll have to try with Xiao Lan. Our identities as men make it awkward, so it’s up to you.”

Chang Nian glanced at Tongguan, nodded, and with a smile, walked toward Xiao Lan at the door.

Tongguan followed closely. Just as Fang Shenyan was about to step out, he saw Yu Guo sneaking toward the screen to peek behind it.

He approached quietly and tapped Yu Guo on the shoulder. “What are you looking at?”

Yu Guo stiffened, startled, and muttered in complaint, “Don’t you know scaring people can be deadly?”

“Why are you guilty?”

“How could I not be? What we’re doing isn’t exactly righteous.”

Yu Guo openly admitted his misdeed. He stepped back, and at the corner where the screen met the wall, a tiny black dot appeared.

Fang Shenyan leaned in. The dot was delicate and finely made, impossible to identify at a glance, and so well hidden on the screen that it would be nearly impossible to notice without careful inspection.

Yu Guo put a finger to his lips, signaling silence, then pulled Fang Shenyan away from the reception hall.

Outside in the courtyard, Xiao Lan led Tongguan and the others toward the guest rooms.

Yu Guo, brimming with curiosity, produced two Bluetooth earpieces and handed one to Fang Shenyan.

“These are listening devices. I have a feeling this elderly woman is three parts human, seven parts ghost. She even knew our schedule from the hotel and sent someone to meet us. We’ve clearly found the right location, but uncovering the truth will take some effort.”

He began listening carefully. After a moment, he frowned.

“Huh? Why is there no sound at all?”

Fang Shenyan also put on an earpiece. After a moment, his expression darkened as he nudged the confused Yu Guo.

“If we have a listening device, why isn’t it on the elderly woman or Chen Fu? Do they really discuss their secrets out in the open in the reception hall?”

“Xiao Lan, you don’t seem very old.”

Chang Nian smiled, speaking gently to the young girl beside her.

Xiao Lan appeared intimidated by Chang Nian’s aura, shrinking her neck and quickening her pace. She didn’t answer the question.

Chang Nian’s expression grew awkward. She wasn’t naturally gentle, and after finally softening her demeanor, she was met with silence. As they walked, she considered whether simply restraining Xiao Lan would be an easier way to gather information.

Tao Xiaoyi also tried to contribute during this time, but no matter how they probed, Xiao Lan remained tight-lipped, biting her lip.

Gradually, both women lost interest.

Chang Nian’s gaze, however, grew sharper as she observed Xiao Lan’s youthful back, forming a plan.

Her personality was far more decisive and complex than Tongguan’s.

Tongguan was capable but cautious, often overthinking and hesitant. In the last mission, had he abandoned concerns about Li Xing earlier, the task might have been completed sooner. Yet lacking certainty, he preferred to stall in the corridor.

Chang Nian, by contrast, was decisive and pragmatic. Her sense of right and wrong was flexible; she was willing to use any means to achieve her goals, though her moral baseline remained higher than Ji Li’s and others’.

Now, she slowly lifted her arm, confident she could subdue Xiao Lan in half a second.

As a maid serving a high-ranking elderly woman, she was unwilling to let her go so easily.