The teahouse served what was claimed to be Dragon Well tea from before and after the Ming Dynasty, but its authenticity was questionable. Chuxia took the tea cup with her fingertips, feeling a slight sting from the heat, yet she seemed oblivious, staring blankly. “Chuxia,” the young master took the cup from her, gently prying open her palm to see large patches of reddened skin, his brows slightly furrowed. “Young master, the lady’s death seems quite complex,” Chuxia came to her senses but didn’t notice that the young master was holding her hand, focusing solely on her words. “At first, I thought it might be someone who had an affair with the lady, perhaps she discovered something, and he killed her out of fear. He cut off her hair to vent his anger, making her death look disgraceful. But now… that theory doesn’t hold up.” The young master gave a slight smile, “Who told you that He Butong was the one having an affair with the lady?” Chuxia’s eyes widened in surprise, “Isn’t it?” The young master sighed, “Girl, have you ever met my father?” “The old master?” Chuxia looked confused, “Never.” The young master smiled, “My father’s name is Jun Tianyou, known to almost everyone in the martial world.” Chuxia exclaimed “Oh,” and couldn’t help but ask, “Then, between you and him… who is more famous?” The young master chuckled, “Perhaps him.” Chuxia was slightly taken aback, “So… he really is quite famous.” “Years ago, on the peak of Wudang Mountain, he sparred with the Wudang Sect’s leader, Endwood Taoist, and won within a hundred moves, thus the Jun Family’s swordsmanship became renowned. That’s one reason,” the young master continued, observing her childlike expression. “Besides, women traveling the martial world admired his dashing and gallant nature, and his somewhat flirtatious personality made him quite the talk of the town.” As he spoke of his father’s romantic past, Chuxia couldn’t help but interrupt, “Young master… you—” The young master’s narrow eyes glinted, “What about me?” Chuxia wanted to say, “You resemble your father,” but was intimidated by his somewhat mocking expression, so she awkwardly said, “Please continue.” The young master changed the topic, half-smiling, “Girl, you’ve missed my point. Tell me, how would you describe He Butong?” Chuxia hesitated, “Tall and thin, somewhat… sleazy.” “That’s it,” said the young master. The evening light fell on his face, casting deep and shallow shadows, his gaze drifting towards the street outside, seemingly lost in thought. Chuxia looked at his profile and suddenly understood, “Are you saying, ‘After the vastness of the sea, other waters seem trivial’?” Indeed… how could she not have thought of that? Judging by the young master’s appearance, his father must have been a handsome man. How could a proud beauty like Lady Wang Yun have taken up with the sleazy He Butong after the old master’s passing? “Correct. Tian Gang is Tian Gang, and Lady Wang Yun’s death is another case. Perhaps they are not related,” the young master said solemnly. “Understanding this…” Chuxia interrupted him, her voice trembling, “Does this mean… you’ve gained another enemy?” The young master finally looked at her, his eyes filled with a gentle affection, “Chuxia, in a person’s life, lovers and friends are always more important than enemies. Think of it this way, and many things become clearer.” Chuxia paused, pondering over strife, death, betrayal; if one couldn’t avoid these, even if they didn’t care, it would still be painful, wouldn’t it? The young master looked at Chuxia’s still worried eyes, his lips curling into a deep smile. Everyone thought he was omnipotent, never questioning, as if whatever he said should be the truth—only this young girl would call him a “deceiver,” and now looked at him with such concern. “If I had known this, I should have stayed at Little Mirror Lake and not come back,” she muttered under her breath, “How exhausting this is…” “Chuxia…” His smile deepened, an elusive emotion in his eyes as he reached to tidy her hair, whispering, “I only hope that those I care about are not troubled, and live without worry.” Chuxia, stunned, tried to avoid his touch but couldn’t hide the flush spreading across her cheeks like the evening glow. Hastily taking a sip of tea, Chuxia tried to sound harsh, “Hey, I was just talking… I’m not worried about you.” The young master smiled, lowering his gaze without responding. In this bustling teahouse, only this corner remained quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside their private room as someone sat down, calling out, “Waiter, a bowl of tea and a plate of crystal cakes.” “Oh, Officer He, off duty so early?” “No way! Just grabbing a quick bite. Damn, another girl was found dead in Bamboo Alley.” “Really? Have you caught the killer?” “The higher-ups are pressuring us, but where do we find the murderer in such a short time?” Officer He sighed, “Those victims, their hair was shaved off—their deaths were so strange.” Chuxia was engrossed in listening, peering through the bamboo curtain, seeing more and more people gathering around Officer He, curious and starting to ask questions. Being the center of attention, Officer He took a sip of tea, a look of pride on his slightly chubby face, and slowly said, “You all don’t know… this case is not simple.” “How so?” “Officer He, don’t keep us in suspense! Tell us more.” Officer He coughed, deliberately lowering his voice, “Yesterday, an old constable came to the county office, and when he heard about the recent murders in Bamboo Alley, his face went as white as snow, saying it must be ghosts.” The teahouse grew quieter as someone, engrossed in the story, accidentally spilled hot water on their hand, letting out an “Ouch!” which earned them several disapproving looks. “Guess what? Over a decade ago, this Bamboo Grove Alley was known as Green Willow Lane. Back then, a girl died in the same mysterious way, and someone even set a huge fire, burning the whole alley down. According to the old constable, that night over a decade ago, several people actually saw a fierce ghost claiming lives!” In Chapter Twenty-Two (Part Two), someone gasped dramatically and asked with a trembling voice, “What… what kind of fierce ghost?” “A soul-taking ghost, of course. One breath, and your life is gone!” Constable He described it vividly, “Ah, the night that girl died, a strange fire broke out, and within two days, eighty-seven people in the alley perished. Those who saw the ghost, some of them were local residents, and they all died by the third day.”
Chuxia was so absorbed in the story that she was almost slipping off her stool. As more people gathered around Constable He, she could barely hear, growing increasingly anxious. The warm spring day suddenly felt chilly on the back of her neck. Remembering Constable He’s description of the ghost sucking out life force, Chuxia’s hair stood on end, and she cautiously looked back. The young master was calmly sipping his tea, with no one else around. Chuxia touched the back of her neck, sat up straighter, and continued to listen to what Constable He was saying. “I say, Constable He, with such a long alley, did no one survive?” “Well…” Constable He pondered for a moment, then started to tease with suspense.
“Hu… hu…” This time, Chuxia genuinely felt a chilling breeze on her neck, her body stiffening. She dared only to glance at her hair with the corner of her eye, which was indeed trembling. “Ah—” A shrill scream startled everyone in the teahouse. The scream came from the private room, and a waiter rushed to the door, asking in panic, “Sir, what’s the matter?” Behind the bamboo curtain, a low, pleasant male voice replied calmly, “Nothing.” Everyone sighed in relief and urged Constable He to continue. However, Constable He glanced at the time, shook his head, “Next time, next time, I have to go on duty. Ah, these are not peaceful times.”
