Immortalis

Haunted Manor III

Crescent Moon Blade?

Yang Wujian struggled to his feet, recalling what Gu Yun had told him—that Zou Ying of the Crescent Moon Blade had died in the Hero's Tomb years ago. She left no descendants, which was why he could openly roam the jianghu under the banner of the Crescent Moon Blade.

Had this young man been frightened by that thing earlier, allowing Zou Ying to possess him?

Yang Wujian swallowed the metallic taste in his mouth and forced a bitter smile. "I never expected Young Master Zhou's skills to be so terrifying—he nearly killed me."

"Still don’t want to kill him this time?"

Shen Qingshi’s tone was indifferent, clearly recalling the previous incident.

Yang Wujian couldn’t help rolling his eyes. "If it weren’t for White Rainbow Tower’s intelligence and connections during the Boundless Sword Manor affair, do you think we could have resolved it so easily? Young Master Shen, you’d better stop thinking about killing him. Without him, investigating Longevity Palace would be impossible."

"His episode this time is more severe than last. And he asked about the Crescent Moon Blade... Isn’t the one possessing him now your mother?"

Shen Qingshi stared at him, and Yang Wujian immediately realized the man was growing suspicious of him again.

Just moments ago, he had thought he’d chosen two capable allies.

Yang Wujian inwardly sighed. But now, it seemed neither was easy to deal with.

He let out a sigh, his face instantly twisting into grief. "Young Master Shen, the Hero's Tomb is a place steeped in Yin evil. If my mother’s spirit remains there, it must have become a vengeful evil spirit, suffering day and night. What I should do now is guide her to where she belongs, so she may reincarnate peacefully."

Yang Wujian spoke with such heartfelt emotion that he nearly moved himself. Yet, Shen Qingshi remained unmoved, as stoic as a rock.

This man was truly more troublesome than Zhou Huai during one of his fits.

Just as Yang Wujian prepared to shed another round of tears, Shen Qingshi suddenly said, "We do need Zhou Huai."

After weighing the options, she ultimately agreed with Yang Wujian’s reasoning.

After all, the jianghu was different from the imperial court—many matters couldn’t be resolved with just a Bi An Token.

Shen Qingshi said coldly, "What exactly is the Hero's Tomb? Why is his rage so intense every time he has an episode? If the possessing spirit died by suicide, where does such resentment come from?"

"Young Master Shen, now isn’t the time for this, is it? Young Master Zhou’s madness is no joke."

Yang Wujian pulled out the Golden Rings. Zhou Huai’s vacant gaze immediately fixed on them, as if he truly remembered the weapons he once wielded.

Could it really be Zou Ying?

A chill ran down Yang Wujian’s spine. "Young Master Shen, you restrain him. I’ll find a way to administer the medicine."

No sooner had he spoken than Shen Qingshi moved, appearing before Zhou Huai in an instant. The two were soon locked in combat. Strangely, though Zhou Huai carried his sword White Rainbow at his side, he didn’t use it. Instead, he clenched his hands into empty fists, as if gripping some invisible weapon to spar.

My apologies, Zou Nüxia.

The Crescent Moon Blade is mine now—I cannot return it to you.

Seizing the opportunity, Yang Wujian swiftly closed in behind Zhou Huai. Had Shen Qingshi not been present, he would have used his inner energy to manipulate the Golden Rings into a lasso to subdue Zhou Huai. But with Shen Qingshi watching, directly channeling inner energy would expose his identity. Left with no choice, Yang Wujian could only apologize to Young Master Zhou in his heart.

With a sharp clang.

Yang Wujian struck the back of Zhou Huai’s neck with the Golden Rings, sending him crumpling to the ground.

"Is this your method?"Shen Qingshi said coldly, "I won't carry him later."

Yang Wujian caught his breath, never expecting Shen Qingshi to carry him anyway.

After all, he now knew Shen Qingshi's true identity. Hearing this, he could only smile wryly: "The thing possessing him reacts to the Crescent Moon Blade. I'm afraid if we don't use harsh measures, it'll be difficult to handle."

As he spoke, he turned Zhou Huai over and fed him medicine, then added: "This medicine was prepared by Medicine King Mountain. He probably won't be unconscious for long. Why don't we look around this mansion while we wait for him to wake up?"

Shen Qingshi hugged his sword without speaking, tacitly agreeing. The two placed Zhou Huai in the corridor and walked out through the moon gate. The thing from earlier had indeed disappeared, leaving only a wedding veil on the ground.

"This resentful ghost is quite careless."

Yang Wujian picked up the veil and sneered: "They went all out to play ghost - even prepared a wedding dress to wear."

Shen Qingshi approached to examine the veil in his hand, then said: "That thing earlier crawled using only its hands, its hind limbs motionless like a snake, yet it moved very quickly."

"The decorations in this mansion have almost completely rotted away, even the bronze mirror is too tarnished to see one's reflection clearly. But the open corridors remain intact. It clearly shows someone has been diligently maintaining this place over the past ten years."

Yang Wujian walked to a corner of the courtyard.

Although incense and candles are commonly used for worship, the quantity used here was somewhat excessive. Rather than someone coming to pay respects, it seemed more like someone was using these flames for illumination.

He picked up several yellow talismans from the ground. The writing on them was clearly visible, indicating someone had been here recently.

Yang Wujian thought for a moment: "Unless I'm mistaken, the strange noises heard at night are probably someone repairing the house. But why pretend to be ghosts?"

The two circled the courtyard once more. By now, all sounds had ceased, meaning the thing that had been following them had left.

Shen Qingshi said: "If that thing was human, it should have disabled legs. But ordinary paralysis could never evade us for so long - it must have martial skills."

"A disabled person with martial skills, connected to this haunted house?"

Yang Wujian was deep in thought when Zhou Huai's groans came from the inner courtyard - he had awakened.

"Did I get haunted again?"

Every time Zhou Huai was haunted, he would wake with no memory. This time, the last thing he remembered was a blood-red thing crawling rapidly toward him in the darkness.

Yang Wujian had taken his palm strike directly and still felt lingering pain. He said irritably: "Young master, no wonder your father dares not keep you at home. Every time this Evil Sickness acts up, it harms those around you. If you have any opinions about Young Master Shen, just say them directly. Why do you always target him and go for the kill?"

"Well, actually I'm not..."

Zhou Huai was too embarrassed to say that his only issue with Shen Qingshi was that Yang Wujian seemed to prefer Shen Qingshi over him.

And perhaps because he had a guilty conscience, whenever he fell ill he would attack Shen Qingshi.

"So, Miss Yang, this time you..."

"I was the one who took that palm strike meant for Young Master Shen. Do you know you nearly killed me?"

Yang Wujian sighed.

With his shrunken bones already under strain, taking such a hit meant he'd probably need to apply the joint medicine Gu Yun had sent him when he returned.

"Miss Yang, I'm truly sorry."Zhou Huai felt guilty and, in a moment of impulsiveness, actually reached out to check his injuries. However, the moment his hand touched Yang Wujian's shoulder, he sensed something wrong.

"This is..."

Zhou Huai's eyes widened. Where his palm made contact was all cold, hard metal, like rigid armor concealed beneath Yang Wujian's wide red sleeves.

"The Crescent Moon Blade has seventy-two pieces in total, Young Master. Where do you think I usually keep them?"

Yang Wujian brushed his hand away, but inwardly thought: Although the Crescent Moon Blade originally consisted of seventy-two pieces, they were divided into eighteen pellets, eighteen flying daggers, eighteen iron threads, and eighteen golden rings.

The so-called Seventy-two Golds could serve as weapons, set up mechanisms, or even be used as hidden weapons when necessary, making them a formidable instrument in the martial world.

However, ever since Gu Yun handed the Crescent Moon Blade to Yang Wujian, he had reforged all seventy-two pieces into golden rings of various sizes, wearing them all over his body. Firstly for self-defense, and secondly to conceal his male identity.

After all, bone shrinking was only bone shrinking—if his joints were exposed, the truth might still be discovered.

At this moment, Yang Wujian produced a golden ring as if performing a magic trick and slipped it onto his finger, smiling as he said, "If Young Master truly wishes to make it up to me, why not gift me a few more gold pieces when we return? I'll forge a few more golden rings to round out the Crescent Moon Blade set."

Zhou Huai was taken aback and was about to agree when Shen Qingshi, unable to bear their idle chatter any longer, interjected, "We've seen enough of this residence. We can head back now. Since someone has been secretly repairing the buildings and using paper money for mourning here, the incense and candle shops in the city might have some clues."

Late at night, the three of them left the haunted mansion and returned to Jingyang City.

Due to the earlier commotion, Zhou Huai retired early upon returning to the inn, while Shen Qingshi, as usual, returned to his room without a word and soon extinguished the lamp.

"That damned kid nearly got me killed."

Back in his room, Yang Wujian couldn't simply go to sleep.

He drew the bed curtains and began removing the Seventy-two Golds from crucial areas. Then, with a series of unsettling cracking sounds, Yang Wujian's limbs instantly elongated and straightened, and he even grew noticeably taller.

Gu Yun truly had foresight.

Finally back in his original form, Yang Wujian took the opportunity to remove all the feminine hair ribbons and hairpins. He applied the medicine Gu Yun had given him earlier to his painfully sore joints. A cooling sensation spread through him, and he let out a comfortable sigh, stretching out flat on the bed.

It seemed he shouldn't play the hero next time—Shen Qingshi's skills were likely sufficient to handle that move.

Yang Wujian sighed, somewhat regretting his earlier impulsiveness.

Yet, the moment he remembered that Shen Qingshi was the one once trapped in that cage, he couldn't stand by and watch her get injured.

Fifteen years ago, when he saw that young girl in the Alchemy Room, she was so filthy he couldn't make out her features. Only her eyes remained vivid—when she looked at him, they held a wild beast's intensity, completely devoid of human emotion.

That day, to turn her into a Cicada Molt, Guanri not only forced her to ingest poisons but also made her kill numerous other Flesh Conduits.

Yang Wujian could never understand.

If Shen Qingshi still remembered those events, how could she so calmly utter the words "Flesh Conduit"?

Or had the poisons the Old Palace Master forced her to consume clouded her mind?

Pondering these unsolvable questions, drowsiness gradually washed over Yang Wujian.Due to his injuries, he was utterly exhausted and thus failed to notice the faint, peculiar fragrance that had gradually permeated the room.

Shen Qingshi, her face veiled with a gauze cloth, listened intently beneath the eaves on the second floor for any movement inside. Then, she withdrew the Bewitching Smoke from the window crack, gently pushed open the outer window, and slipped into the room without a sound.

Not long after leaving Boundless Sword Manor, she had followed Yang Wujian for four or five days. Her purpose, however, was not to track him, but to familiarize herself with his every move.

Yang Wujian was unusually well-acquainted with Longevity Palace, held a disdain for orthodox sects, and she seemed to have met him before...

All of this led Shen Qingshi to a conjecture.

The connection between Yang Wujian and Longevity Palace might be even closer than she had imagined.

That day, she had deliberately tested him by bathing in his presence, showing him the brand on her back. His reaction had been equally subtle.

However, Yang Wujian was sharp-witted and exceedingly cunning. If alarmed, he would likely flee immediately. Thus, Shen Qingshi spent ample time familiarizing herself with his habits, so that even if he were to run away one day, she could confidently track him down based on his routines.

This observation soon brought Shen Qingshi an unexpected delight.

That young man named Luo Yi walked and descended stairs with the exact same habits as Yang Wujian. Moreover, even when standing still, he exhibited Yang Wujian's characteristic minor gestures.

Having spent years in the Zhaoming Division, Shen Qingshi had captured countless fugitives who attempted to change their appearances to escape. She knew well that the hardest things to alter were these subtle details. Therefore, even if one's appearance and voice changed, she could still identify them through their ingrained habits.

Luo Yi wouldn't possess Yang Wujian's habits for no reason.

There was only one possibility...

Shen Qingshi had long heard of the Bone Shrinking technique. In fact, even the Chaofeng Envoy Shen Xin knew this skill. However, she had never before considered that, through Bone Shrinking and voice alteration, a man could directly roam the martial world in a female guise.

Shen Qingshi approached the bed. Yang Wujian showed no reaction, likely rendered unconscious by the Bewitching Smoke.

Just as Shen Qingshi reached out to lift the thin curtain, she heard what sounded like a delirious murmur from within: "Hurry and leave... follow this path to escape this place... whatever you do, don't look back."