Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Interrogation

When the Zhang merchant finally scrambled away in a panic, Lu Chenyuan remained seated at the Eight Immortals table.

Recalling his own bizarre words and actions just now, he couldn't say for certain whether he had frightened the Zhang merchant, but at any rate, he himself was thoroughly unsettled, goosebumps rising all over his skin.

Amidst this tangle of emotions, words spoken by Situ the night before he left without saying goodbye suddenly echoed in his mind, without warning:

“In this world, is there really such a clear line between good and evil? In the end, most are just pitiful souls driven to desperation by this world, struggling with all they have just to survive.”

Lu Chenyuan let out a faint sigh and mused silently: “My little performance just now, though forced by circumstance, may have gone too far. Hopefully, having experienced this, Zhang will truly turn over a new leaf and never again consort with wickedness and heresy. If so, it would count as a good deed.”

His thoughts turning, his attention once more returned to the doll.

This thing was like an infant still swaddled, temperamental and unpredictable, requiring constant soothing just to maintain a tenuous peace.

It was no wonder Qian Dahai had caressed the vase every day in his lifetime—he must have done so for exactly this reason.

At this, Lu Chenyuan couldn’t help but let out a wry smile. If it were merely a matter of soothing the thing in private, that would be tolerable. But if it suddenly caused a commotion before a crowd, would he truly have to stand in front of everyone, endlessly stroking this sinister object?

If anyone saw that, even if they didn’t take him for a madman or a fiend, they would likely report him to the Demon Suppression Bureau at once.

Besides, he had a vague sense that the thing’s cravings would not be easily satisfied.

Manager Qian, oh Manager Qian—though your life has ended, you have left this hot potato to your junior.

If another’s child is poorly soothed, at worst there will be some crying. But this one in his embrace—one careless moment, and it could easily lead to a fatal disaster...

...

At this time, Shangguan Chuci had already returned with the Demon Suppression Bureau’s party to their headquarters.

Within the Bureau’s offices, the scent of tea drifted gently through the air, but the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.

Officer Ling Jue stood beside Lin Jianyan, his hawk-like eyes fixed intently on the elegantly composed young master before him in white robes. In a low, grave voice he asked,

“Master Chu, that night at the inn, how exactly was Qian Dahai’s self-immolation thwarted?”

Shangguan Chuci’s slender fingers pinched the rim of a freshly brewed cup of tea. She blew on the floating leaves and smiled faintly.

On the way here, she had already pondered the crux of the matter a hundred times over and had words well rehearsed.

“Officer Ling’s question puts me in a difficult spot,” she replied, placing the tea cup down with poise. “When Qian Dahai tried to self-destruct, we joined forces to seriously wound him, but as the saying goes, a centipede doesn’t die easily.”

“At the critical moment, I was fortunate that my master intervened in secret, using esoteric arts to suppress him, thereby averting a catastrophe.”

The young maiden Lin Jianyan, holding a palace lantern to one side, frowned slightly at these words. Her doe-like eyes were filled with doubt as she asked timidly,

“Is that really so?”

Her method of retracing the past could only glimpse faint shadows of the flow of energies; she had indeed sensed another powerful presence intervening at the time, but it did not seem to be the key to breaking Qian Dahai’s spell.

Shangguan Chuci’s words made sense on the surface, but Lin Jianyan still felt there was something unsaid.

“It is true, of course,” Shangguan Chuci replied with a smile. “If the magistrate does not believe me...”

Here, she suddenly raised her hand and clapped three times.

As the others looked on in surprise, a silent figure emerged from the shadows of the hall—it was Shen Guizhou, clad in dark robes.

“Uncle Shen, please bear witness on my behalf.”

Shen Guizhou cupped his fists to Ling Jue and Lin Jianyan, saying in a deep voice,

“Greetings to the Demon Suppression Bureau. The young master’s account is accurate. That night, it was indeed I who intervened and broke Qian Dahai’s self-destruction.”

Both Ling Jue and Lin Jianyan were inwardly startled.

All the way here, neither of them had sensed such a master trailing behind—the depth of his cultivation was far beyond their own.

Lin Jianyan steadied herself and asked, “May I ask, elder, by what method did you break the spell?”

Shen Guizhou was about to speak, but Shangguan Chuci cut in with a smile,

“The method is a secret, but the principle is simple. The turbid current is an ominous thing; the stronger it grows, the more chaotic it becomes. When spiritual power collides with the energy of the turbid current, it creates in an instant a vulnerable opening.”

“At the moment Qian Dahai tried to self-destruct, the turbid current within him reached its peak, and all his defenses opened wide. If one can find that opening and strike with thunderous force, the evil sorcery can be broken.”

Her explanation artfully blended Lu Chenyuan’s ability to pierce illusions with her own deductions, and she spoke with such clarity and conviction that even those who did not fully understand found themselves impressed.

After listening, even Shen Guizhou’s eyes shone with secret admiration for the young mistress’s quick wit—truly peerless.

Ling Jue pondered aloud, “What you say does not appear in any classic texts, but on reflection, it is indeed reasonable. But how does one find this vulnerable opening?”

Shangguan Chuci snapped open her folding fan, revealing the words “The World Belongs to All,” and said leisurely,

“That is my master’s secret. If you truly wish to know, perhaps you must trade another secret of equal value.”

She was inwardly amused: “That’s just Lu’s favorite trick. If it were really so easy to find that opening, self-destruction wouldn’t be so terrifying, and the cult of the turbid current would have vanished long ago.”

Lin Jianyan was silent for a moment, then said, “Master Chu, please continue.”

Shangguan Chuci went on,

“Before Qian Dahai tried to self-destruct, because the doll concerned his granddaughter’s life, he entrusted me with the method to open the counter and vase. By the time we found the doll, Master Li had already arrived. With the situation dire, we had to split up; Uncle Shen covered our retreat while I escaped out the back gate with Lu, the servant who lived in the rear courtyard.”

“Afterward, we encountered Master Li’s disciple Wei Zhuo. A bloody battle ensued; though I was lucky enough to win, I couldn’t protect Brother Lu from injury. He is now recuperating in the back courtyard. As for the events that followed, you already know them.”

Her account was nine parts truth, one part fiction—she extricated herself cleanly and gave a perfectly reasonable explanation for Lu Chenyuan’s injuries, leaving not the faintest chink in her story.

Ling Jue’s hawk eyes suddenly grew sharp, fixing upon her. “Master Chu, why do you dodge the key point?”

Shangguan Chuci’s heart skipped a beat, but her smile did not falter. “Whatever do you mean, Officer Ling?”

Ling Jue replied, “From beginning to end, you have not said what became of the doll, leaving us to guess for ourselves. Is this not evasion?”

Shangguan Chuci thought to herself that this was not good, but said aloud, “Since Master Li came for the object, and now it has vanished, where else could it have gone but with him?”

“So, Master Li took it?” Ling Jue pressed.

Shangguan Chuci only smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

Ling Jue was about to press further when Lin Jianyan suddenly stood up and shook her head gently at him.

She had already made up her mind: “This Master Chu refuses to say what became of the doll; perhaps she, too, is under the curse and cannot speak. If I force her, I might harm her. This matter must be considered carefully. Besides, not long ago in the inn, she helped me—she can’t be all bad...”

With this thought, she bowed slightly to Shangguan Chuci and said, “We have understood the situation. Thank you for making this trip, Master Chu.”

Shangguan Chuci breathed a secret sigh of relief, rose and returned the bow, smiling, “It was my duty. You all labor for the people of Zhenhaichuan. I’ll be staying at the Guanchao Inn for now; if you need me, come find me anytime.”

Ling Jue watched Shangguan Chuci’s departing figure, brows tightly knit, about to say something to Lin Jianyan.

But Lin Jianyan had already turned away; her delicate face was tired as she said softly, “That evil presence still troubles my spirit. Officer Ling, please conduct the exorcism ceremony for me.”

Ling Jue, hearing this, could only suppress his suspicions for the moment and replied, “As you command.”