Immortalis

Corpse Demon Five

Zhou Huai fell completely silent.

Yang Wujian sensed trouble—they hadn't even uncovered the relationship between Zui Xiang and the White-faced Guest, yet their true identities had been exposed. This would truly complicate matters for the young master.

Noticing the strange tension among the three, Zui Xiang smiled and said, "It seems I've spoken out of turn. What brings you young heroes to seek me out?"

Seeing this, Shen Qingshi decided not to beat around the bush. She briefly explained about the White-faced Guest and added, "We suspect this person is the White-faced Fox. The White-faced Guest has committed numerous atrocities, and we're currently tracking him down. We need some clues. Miss Zui Xiang, could you tell us something we don't already know?"

Hearing this, Zui Xiang was momentarily taken aback, as if surprised that the three had sneaked into her room in the middle of the night just for this. After a moment's thought, she walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a scroll, and unrolled it to reveal a portrait of a man wearing a bamboo hat with a veil.

Zui Xiang was accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and thus the portrait was remarkably lifelike. Through the thin veil in the painting, the three couldn't clearly see the man's face, but they vaguely sensed that the features beneath were quite delicate, somewhat resembling Song Lan.

"So many people have come asking about this that I ended up painting his portrait. Well, does this satisfy your curiosity, young heroes?" Zui Xiang replied with practiced ease, as if many had indeed sought her out regarding the White-faced Fox in the past. Yang Wujian couldn't help but ask, "So many people are curious about the White-faced Fox? They say the White-faced Fox eats people—aren't they afraid?"

"Afraid?" Zui Xiang covered her mouth and laughed as if hearing a joke. "They all think I summoned the White-faced Fox. They pay a fortune to see me just to ask how to summon that fox."

"What?" Shen Qingshi and Yang Wujian both froze in place.

Zui Xiang tilted her head. Since she wasn't receiving guests today, her attire was quite casual. Her striking peach-blossom eyes, clear and bright, stared directly at them, giving her a somewhat fox-like appearance.

"After all, that's what everyone outside says—that I rose to fame thanks to that fox, becoming the top courtesan on this street. Nearly thirty years old, I can still sing and dance all night, entertain multiple men, and never age." Zui Xiang's voice was exceedingly gentle, enough to make one's ears tingle, but Shen Qingshi wasn't swayed. Instead, she retorted, "But that must be a rumor, right?"

"I wish I had that much power," Zui Xiang smiled. "If I did, why would I still be here? Why not have the White-faced Fox take me far away instead of staying here as a courtesan?"

Hearing this, Shen Qingshi immediately recalled her past experiences at the Imperial Entertainment Bureau. Though not entirely a woman herself, she deeply understood the feeling of being trapped by circumstances. Since childhood, her female identity had earned her many scornful looks in the Zhaoming Division.

Shen Qingshi asked softly, "So, Miss Zui Xiang, you truly only met the White-faced Fox once? Did he say anything to you at the time?"

Zui Xiang stroked the man's face in the portrait. "Actually, I was the one who first called him a fox, because I couldn't believe there was such a good person in the world. When he entered, he simply said he wanted to teach me painting and playing the qin. He also said he just wanted to rest here and asked me to pour him a cup of tea."In the faint glow of the candlelight, her pale face showed no fear, only a faint trace of joy.

"I actually wanted to talk with him a bit more, but before I could finish pouring that cup of tea, he left."

Zui Xiang smiled and said, "That's the whole story of how I met the White-faced Fox. Are you three young heroes satisfied now?"

So it seemed Zui Xiang's interactions with the White-faced Fox were indeed limited.

Yang Wujian asked, "Since you were the one who first described him as a fox, were you also the one who first claimed he ate people?"

Zui Xiang shook her head. "The talk about him eating people only started after that piece of meat was found in the room. They couldn't identify what kind of meat it was, and eventually, through rumors, it turned into human flesh."

"Did the girls who disappeared earlier all vanish after serving him?"

"This matter is quite strange. Except for Zhu'er, although the accounts show he paid silver for the other girls, no one really remembers him. It's as if he used some method to make everyone forget about him."

Only after Zui Xiang said this did Yang Wujian finally understand what Chu Qiao had meant earlier.

However, if the White-faced Fox was indeed the White-faced Guest, he definitely didn't possess such great abilities. Could it be that he bribed people here to make them "forget" about him?

It seemed the connection between this Handkerchief Street and the White-faced Guest went far beyond what they had seen.

At that moment, perhaps because the candle in Zui Xiang's room had been burning continuously, Shen Qingshi suddenly heard someone coming up the stairs and immediately said, "Quiet."

"Zui Xiang, still not asleep?"

It was actually the madam coming up. Asking the same question twice wasn't out of concern, and judging by the shadows, she had brought people with her—she must have grown suspicious.

Shen Qingshi and Yang Wujian exchanged a glance. Without another word, they grabbed Zhou Huai and slipped out through the window they had entered from earlier, while Yang Wujian climbed up onto the roof beam. The three had just finished their movements when the madam pushed the door open with two guards, cautiously looking around but only seeing Zui Xiang alone, staring blankly at the portrait of the White-faced Fox on the table.

"You there, if you can't sleep, then you can't sleep, but looking at this thing in the middle of the night—aren't you creeped out?"

The madam pinched her handkerchief and scolded lightly, then walked over to chat idly with Zui Xiang. "But really, who knows if that fox is a calamity or a blessing? We lost one Zhu'er, but it's brought you good fortune."

"Li Jie, what kind of talk is that? It's just Zhu'er watching over me, that's all."

Zui Xiang put away the scroll and placed it back on the cabinet. Li Niang couldn't help but feel both annoyed and amused. "You're something else, always going on about Zhu'er watching over you. Do you know what those jealous people outside are saying about you? They say you summoned the fox, that you're the fox transformed, that it's actually a vengeful spirit turned into a fox seeking revenge! How did all this end up being pinned on you?"

A vengeful spirit seeking revenge?

Hidden on the roof beam, Yang Wujian frowned upon hearing this.

Earlier, he had heard from Chu Qiao that many people had died in the Meat Well, so the White-faced Fox was a demon formed from vengeful spirits. But from what the madam seemed to imply, this vengeful spirit had some grudge against Zhu'er.

Could it be that there was more to this story?

The two chatted for a while longer, and after some time, Li Niang said, "It's late now. Take your medicine and get some rest early. I know you're in good health, but you shouldn't stay up too late. If anything happens to you, I'll be in trouble with the big boss."After saying this, Li Niang closed the door and left. Zui Xiang, as instructed, took out a small medicine bottle from her bosom, poured out a red pill and swallowed it, then smiled: "Young master, how much longer do you intend to watch me from the rafters?"

"A beauty like you - isn't she worth me playing the gentleman on the beam a while longer?"

Only then did Yang Wujian flip down from the beam. Since his identity had been exposed, he simply used his inner energy to loosen the golden rings on his body. In the blink of an eye, he had grown considerably taller.

"Young master is truly beautiful," Zui Xiang remarked, seemingly unconcerned despite having just been interrogated. She circled around him, her pale fingers caressing Yang Wujian's cheek. "Your skin surpasses that of ordinary women. Have you been taking some special tonic?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you, Miss Zui Xiang. How did you acquire such profound inner energy while working in a brothel?"

Yang Wujian grasped Zui Xiang's slender wrist. No matter how he looked at her, she didn't appear to have practiced any external martial arts. Yet, observing her breathing and footsteps, she seemed to possess unfathomable inner energy.

This must be how she could entertain multiple men after a whole night of singing and dancing.

Ordinary martial artists would never be capable of this, unless...

With their cheeks nearly touching, Yang Wujian leaned close to Zui Xiang's ear and whispered: "Miss Zui Xiang, I'm curious - who gave you this inner energy technique? Or rather, who used the Longevity Heart Sutra to transfer their inner energy to you?"

When they returned to Chu Qiao's room, she was still unconscious from the drug Shen Qingshi had administered.

Zhou Huai hadn't spoken for quite some time. Shen Qingshi hesitated before finally speaking softly: "I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long."

Zhou Huai sat in a dark corner of the room and remained silent. However, Shen Qingshi's sharp ears soon detected him lightly sniffing.

Shen Qingshi was taken aback.

Having grown up in the Zhaoming Division, she naturally lacked Yang Wujian's skill in comforting people. In the end, she could only silently approach and offer Zhou Huai a handkerchief. But in the dim moonlight from the window, she saw Zhou Huai's eyes widen unnaturally, as if he hadn't even realized he was crying.

"Why did you lie to me?"

These days, Zhou Huai had developed a certain wariness about being deceived. So much so that when Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi's true identities were revealed, he even forgot that he had once confessed his feelings to Yang Wujian, and didn't think about those ridiculous misunderstandings at all.

He only felt terrified.

Both Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi had previously called him naive, but he hadn't paid it much mind. It wasn't until he discovered these two had also been deceiving him that the fear truly pierced his bones.

Was there really anyone left in this world he could trust?

A bone-chilling cold suddenly swept through Zhou Huai. In his panic, his mind went completely blank. Only when darkness suddenly filled his vision did Zhou Huai realize that Shen Qingshi, standing before him, had pulled him directly into her embrace.

Remembering how Yang Wujian had once held her like this, Shen Qingshi said quietly: "I'm not very good at comforting people, but this seems to help. I'm sorry for deceiving you, but both Yang Wujian and I had our reasons."

"Shen..."

Zhou Huai leaned dazedly against her chest, momentarily forgetting even to cry.Shen Qingshi noticed the stiffness in the person he held, assuming he was still resentful about their deception, and added, "Neither I nor Yang Wujian have any ill intentions. Although we didn't reveal our true identities, think about it, Zhou Huai—have either Yang Wujian or I ever done anything to harm you along this journey?"

These words sounded quite familiar.

"Young master, the martial world may be black and white, but people aren't. A person's origin, appearance, or the martial arts they've practiced don't define who they are. What matters is what they choose to do, isn't it?"

Suddenly, Zhou Huai recalled the words Yang Wujian had once spoken.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before any sound emerged, faint rustling came from outside the window as someone climbed in.

Under the moonlight, Yang Wujian—now back in his male form—returned to the room carrying his boots and paused slightly at the sight of the two.

"Young master... you're changing your affections rather quickly, aren't you?"