Immortalis

Corpse Demon Thirteen

Once again, the White-faced Guest had let them go.

Yang Wujian exchanged glances with the other two, confirming that the White-faced Guest had indeed left, before stepping into the courtyard.

There, Zui Xiang stood in the center of the narrow courtyard, holding a lantern. Though the surrounding streets were chaotic and filthy, this small courtyard was meticulously clean, even adorned with a few flowers and plants.

"You sneaked out at night just to come here?"

Shen Qingshi immediately noticed the unmarked stele in the corner of the yard. Having overheard the conversation between Zui Xiang and the White-faced Guest earlier, she had already begun to piece things together. "Is this Zhu'er's cenotaph?"

Zui Xiang lowered her gaze, revealing the same faint smile she had worn while caressing the portrait in the Hidden Fragrance Tower.

"She left me nothing. This grave holds only one of her handkerchiefs."

Zui Xiang said, "I must thank you all. If you hadn't brought up the past and found Hu Rui's body, I wouldn't have the face to stand before her grave now."

Yang Wujian picked up his Golden Rings from the ground. He hadn't expected Ling She to take their tokens only to hand them over to the White-faced Guest as proof of completion. It seemed the White-faced Guest had intended to kill Guan Huo from the very beginning.

Frowning, he asked, "Rumors say you and Zhu'er were at odds—that you even summoned demons to kill her just to become the top courtesan. But that's not true, is it?"

Hearing this, Zui Xiang couldn't help but laugh. "That's just how the world is. When two women stand together, people always assume they're fighting to the death over some man. What a joke... They don't even know their own worth, yet they think every woman in the world would fall for them."

Zui Xiang walked to the unmarked stele and gently brushed its spotless surface, recalling the day she first met Zhu'er.

Young Master Guanhuo had spent a fortune to acquire an Official Courtesan from the Imperial Entertainment Bureau and specially invited the girls from Handkerchief Street—who had never left its confines—to come see her, saying it would broaden their horizons.

Outwardly, the girls obediently agreed, but privately, they were dismissive.

Whether they came from the Imperial Entertainment Bureau or the common streets, they were all fated to be at others' mercy—what difference did it really make?

At that time, Zui Xiang had been in the tower for less than three years. Her mother had also been a prostitute on this street, bound by a contract. Later, she was disfigured when a drunken client caused a scene. Fortunately, she knew some medicine and managed to stay on the street, eventually giving birth to Zui Xiang.

One could say Zui Xiang was born into a wretched fate. Her mother's contract was transferred to her, so she entered the tower as soon as she showed promise. Because her mother still lived on the street, they knew she couldn't run away, and thus allowed her to occasionally leave the tower to help at home.

Unlike the other girls, Zui Xiang was born and raised on Handkerchief Street and had never stepped beyond it. She was intensely curious about everything outside and secretly looked forward to seeing what an Official Courtesan from the Imperial Entertainment Bureau was really like.

And that day soon arrived.

Zui Xiang first saw Zhu'er on the high stage of the Full Spring Tower.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, with features like a painting, and when she danced, it was impossible to look away. But unlike what Zui Xiang had imagined, Zhu'er's beauty was neither sorrowful nor fawning—it was even somewhat sharp.Her expression was cold and stern. After finishing a dance, Zhu'er took a sip of tea and said she was tired. Then, ignoring the men who were still gazing at her with infatuated smiles, she turned and returned to her room.

Zui Xiang had heard that Zhu'er was originally the daughter of a high-ranking official who had been implicated and sent to the Imperial Entertainment Bureau. Over the years, the pride in her bones had not been completely worn away. In fact, Zui Xiang could still see a fire in her—no matter how lowly her status became, she never truly bowed her head.

Zui Xiang grew increasingly curious about her. Unable to resist, she took advantage of her "free status" on this street and went to secretly visit Zhu'er.

By then, Zhu'er had already put on a veil.

Official courtesans were expensive, and Guan Huo didn't even want others to look at her too much. Thus, he made Zhu'er cover her face. Only those who paid enough silver could have her remove the veil and glimpse her true appearance.

Zui Xiang sneaked into the room, expecting that Zhu'er wouldn't be an easy person to talk to and might even drive her out. To her surprise, when Zhu'er turned and saw her, she only asked softly, "Would you like a cup of tea?"

That day, Zui Xiang stayed in Zhu'er's room until dark.

Zui Xiang had no customers because of her lowly origin, while Zhu'er had few because of her high price—Young Master Guanhuo was unwilling to let her entertain clients easily. Thus, the two girls ended up with plenty of time to spend together.

It was during that period that Zui Xiang learned to paint and play the qin... From beginning to end, it was Zhu'er who guided her hands—hands that had once only known how to grasp flesh and blood—teaching her little by little.

"So the person in that portrait was actually Zhu'er?"

Only halfway through the story did Zhou Huai realize that Zui Xiang had been talking about her and Zhu'er's story that day in her room.

Zui Xiang laughed, "I went to see her secretly many times, and she always wore the veil, as if she had grown accustomed to it... Later, I painted the White-faced Fox based on her appearance. Until today, I was the only one in the world who knew it was her. How ridiculous—those people treated her as a cash cow, always talking about how beautiful she was, yet now they can no longer remember what she looked like."

Shen Qingshi asked again, "Did you know her real name back then?"

Zui Xiang shook her head, her voice bitter, "Zhu'er never told me about her past. I could sense she carried hatred and didn't want to reopen old wounds. Until... Hu Rui appeared."

Zui Xiang still clearly remembered that day. Three girls came to Handkerchief Street seeking abortions. She returned from her mother's place late at night and, as she approached the Hidden Fragrance Pavilion, she saw a man standing unsteadily there, his clothes stained with filth—whether mud or blood was unclear—his silhouette appearing very strange.

The man seemed to be arguing with the madam, Li Niang. Zui Xiang didn't dare approach and hid to the side. Soon after, she saw Li Niang call a girl down from upstairs and, ignoring the girl's clear reluctance, hurried her out of the building with the man, heading toward the other end of the street.

Only after they had gone far did Zui Xiang cautiously return to the Hidden Fragrance Pavilion. But no sooner had she stepped inside than Li Niang nervously asked if she had seen anything on her way back. Zui Xiang was no fool; sensing something was wrong, she shook her head and went upstairs.

In the following days, Zui Xiang never saw that girl in the building again.At that time, she hadn't paid it much mind, for all her thoughts were consumed by Zhu'er. Every day, she pondered how to sneak into Full Spring Tower to speak with Zhu'er and play the qin for her. Thus, the incident she happened to witness that night was quickly forgotten.

But she never expected that this strange event would ultimately affect Zhu'er as well.

A few days later, when Zui Xiang rushed to Full Spring Tower again, she noticed guards posted outside Zhu'er's room—even someone of her status couldn't slip in anymore.

What had happened?

Zui Xiang couldn't help but worry.

Having grown up on this street, she had seen too many such situations. Most of the girls brought to her mother for abortions were already carrying fully formed fetuses, making ordinary medication ineffective. Consequently, they had to endure some suffering to remove the mass of flesh from their bodies.

The girls feared the pain, and some were unwilling to part with their children. Many were brought in bound and restrained. Zui Xiang had even seen a few girls who, due to excessive bleeding, fainted dead away in the room and were later carried out like discarded rags.

Had Zhu'er encountered some trouble?

Zui Xiang was too uneasy to rest. For days, she couldn't eat or sleep, asking everyone she knew for information. But the people she associated with would never have news about the top courtesan of this street.

This went on until late one night, several days later. As Zui Xiang tossed and turned, sleepless once again over Zhu'er, she suddenly heard someone climbing in through her window.

"That was the first time I saw him."

Mentioning the White-faced Guest, Zui Xiang showed no trace of fear—whether because she truly wasn't afraid or because she had never seen him harm anyone and thus didn't know how dangerous he was.

She said, "He looked like an old Taoist priest, dressed in grimy white robes. When he saw me, he only asked one question: did I know Zhu'er?"

Zhou Huai exclaimed in shock, "That was your first time meeting the White-faced Guest? So later, at Hidden Fragrance Tower, you two were already acquainted?"

Zui Xiang nodded. "Yes, we had met before. That night, he came to deliver a message... a message from Zhu'er."

When not killing, the White-faced Guest was quite polite. Zui Xiang didn't even sense any danger from him. On the contrary, because he immediately mentioned Zhu'er's name, she instinctively wanted to trust him.

"He told me that Zhu'er had already jumped into the Meat Well outside the city. Finally, she asked that Taoist to relay her words: I must live well and not go searching for her."

Zui Xiang lowered her eyes. Even now, speaking of this made her chest ache with a dull pain.

Though she hadn't witnessed it herself, the Taoist told her everything that had happened that day.

After Hu Rui took away four women acquainted with Zhu'er, Young Master Guanhuo, knowing this man was troublesome, simply placed Zhu'er under house arrest. He planned to release false news after some time, claiming Zhu'er was no longer on Handkerchief Street, to lure Hu Rui away and avoid further complications.

However, Young Master Guanhuo didn't know that Hu Rui, having earlier believed the madam's claim that Zhu'er had jumped into the Meat Well, had followed suit and entered the well himself. Though he survived, the entity beneath the well had stirred his Inner Demon.

Originally, Hu Rui's obsessive devotion to Zhu'er already contained elements of resentment and hatred.The two had been childhood sweethearts since they were young. Deep down, Hu Rui could never accept that Zhao Lu'er had become an Official Courtesan, destined to serve others for the rest of her life. Thus, although he searched for her out of wishful thinking, he actually hoped Zhao Lu'er had long since died—that way, he could preserve the image of the pure and innocent Miss Zhao in his heart.

Had he not entered the Meat Well, these dark thoughts would have remained hidden within Hu Rui. But once he stepped into the Meat Well, his Inner Demon materialized before his eyes.

That night, relying on his formidable martial skills, Hu Rui struggled to climb out of the well. Unbeknownst to him, a passing merchant had mistaken him for a demon, for at that moment, only one thought consumed his mind.

Find Zhao Lu'er, and then kill her.

"How did the White-faced Guest come to know all this?"

Shen Qingshi couldn't help but wonder: "Wasn't it said that by the time he arrived, Hu Rui was already dead?"

Hearing this, Zui Xiang glanced at her but before she could speak, Shen Qingshi had already understood: "...Was Hu Rui killed by Zhu'er?"

Zui Xiang smiled bitterly: "Though Zhu'er was accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she had no martial skills whatsoever. That day, sneaking out alone took immense effort. Though she went with a resolve to die, she never had any confidence she could kill Hu Rui."

Yang Wujian also grasped the truth: "So that's it. Hu Rui was actually killed by the White-faced Guest... No wonder he could strike a deal with you."

Zui Xiang gazed calmly at the unmarked grave before her and said softly: "Zhu'er was bought back at a high price. When she suddenly vanished, Young Master Guanhuo immediately sent people to search for her... By the time the Taoist found her, Hu Rui had nearly killed her. Had the Taoist not intervened, Zhu'er would likely have been thrown into the Meat Well."

"But Zhu'er still died?"

"Indeed. Hu Rui injured her... gravely. And she knew all too well that even if she returned to Handkerchief Street, it would only mean resuming a life at the mercy of others. So, Zhu'er never intended to come back... She had endured too many constraints in her life, and at the very end, she finally had a choice of her own. Isn't that a good thing?"

Zui Xiang's voice grew fainter, nearly dissolving into the wind.

She smiled and said: "You guessed correctly. I wanted to thank that Taoist. If not for him, I would never have learned these truths. And so, when he later told me he wished to make a deal with me, I did not refuse."