A week had passed since the Zhao brothers had fought the mirror demon Jingzi and then lost track of her. Only three days later, with the help of some brothers from their sect, they had combed through the entire forest but found nothing.
The miasma flowers began to wilt, suggesting that she might have died from her injuries. Zhao Yuan was dissatisfied with this explanation.
After the fire and the rapid reconstruction efforts, which were still in full swing, the rest of the family had also returned home.
The emperor was furious and had given orders not to let anything about Tian Liu Yan's death leak out.
The mood in the estate was therefore subdued, and most encounters took place in silence or with only a few words exchanged.
There had been no word from Li Wangxi yet, but it would probably be more than a week before a letter reached him at the front and he could respond.
Zhao Yuan was pacing up and down the estate when one of the servants hurried up to him. Since his father was busy with the reconstruction and covering up the events, he, as his eldest son, had taken it upon himself to handle the other matters for him.
"Zhao Gongzi," the man greeted him politely and bowed. Zhao Yuan stopped and nodded to him.
"Zhao Gongzi, there are two cultists at the gate to the estate, and they have questions," he reported. Zhao Yuan paused. Cultists?
He and his brother were in the estate, so they could hardly have been summoned here. He dismissed the servant and ran to the large entrance gate of the Zhao residence. There stood a young man and a young woman.
The man was looking at the elaborately carved wooden arch depicting the battle of Yuan's ancestors and seemed rather bored and uninterested. The woman, on the other hand, looked exceptionally young and had a serious expression on her face.
She stood there with her short sword in one hand behind her back. She seemed strangely stiff and tense for her age.
"My name is Zhao Yuan. On behalf of my father, the head of the family, I take care of all matters not related to the reconstruction," he said kindly.
The man glanced at Yuan and sized him up. Perhaps it was his youth, but Yuan sensed a certain rivalry between them. The girl, however, folded her hands and bowed slightly, without letting go of her sword.
"My name is Tao Cui; this is my comrade Mu Bai," she introduced herself.
"We are looking for someone, and our trail has led us here," she said.
Her voice was clear and distinct, with a certain intelligent sharpness to it. Mu Bai, on the other hand, just nodded.
He had tied his black hair into a loose ponytail, held together with a leather band.
His clothing did not look like that of a respected sect. It was loose-fitting, consisting of many layers of cloth wrapped around his body, a wide leather belt with throwing knives hanging from it, and two long knives bent almost into circles.
Zhao Yuan recognized the weapon as moon blades. Leather arm guards were fastened with cords and ribbons, as were his boots.
The girl, on the other hand, wore a high-quality Hanfu in white and pale pink. Her hair was neatly braided, and she wore light jewelry and earrings. A jade seal hung from her belt, but even that was something Yuan could not identify at first glance.
Her sword, however, appeared to be made of jade. It shimmered in a soft turquoise, was made from a single piece, and was covered with a light layer of frost. It was the Wind Sword. Not just any sect student could obtain such a weapon.
"How can I help you?" Zhao Yuan asked after he had looked them over and formed a first impression.
"Forgive me for not inviting you in, but we have not yet fully recovered from the shock of the fire," he said. Tao Cui nodded briefly.
"To be more precise, we are looking for our comrade and friend, Luo Xinxin!"
Zhao Yuan froze inside. He couldn't breathe for three heartbeats.
Tao Cui didn't miss this. Her gaze became more serious, and she made her petite figure even taller. Mu Bai didn't seem to be quick-witted, but he knew his companion.
He instinctively tensed his body and gave Yuan an icy stare. His hand slowly moved to his hip, where his knives glinted. Yuan realized that lying would be pointless now, so he decided to stick to the truth as far as possible.
"I'm afraid I have to invite you in after all," he said stiffly, making room for the two of them.
Although Tao Cui appeared younger, she stepped through the gate first, closely followed by Mu Bai. Zhao Yuan had his room prepared for visitors, and once they had sat down, a maid poured tea for the three of them.
"Luo Xinxin did indeed stay with us for a while," Yuan began, taking a deep breath. Tao Cui did not touch her tea, and Mu Bai sat there.
With his legs spread apart and his arms resting on them, he was obviously playing skillfully with his knives.
"My older brother, Li Wangxi had rescued her from the river not far from the border," Yuan began his explanation. Tao Cui and Mu Bai exchanged glances.
"That's where we lost her. She fell from a ship we were traveling on. We didn't find the first trace of her until weeks after she disappeared," said Tao Cui. She took a deep breath and stared at the polished tabletop.
"Go on!" she urged him. Yuan nodded.
"Miss Xinxin was brought to our estate and cared for. After her recovery, she remained silent about her origins and what led to her accident. So my father offered her a job, and she worked here."
Tao Cui and Mu Bai exchanged a glance that did not bode well. Apparently, Xinxin was not someone who normally worked as a servant.
Zhao Yuan moistened his lips. He couldn't tell them what his sisters had done to her.
They had assumed that Luo Xinxin was just an ordinary maid who had been saved by Li Wangxi by chance. He decided to keep the pain brief and to the point and not to digress any further. "I regret to inform you that your friend died in the fire along with another employee," Yuan said quickly.
Tao Cui stood up so quickly that the teacups tipped over and the table jumped. Her gaze was angry, even furious, and there were tears in her eyes.
Her breathing was rapid, and Yuan saw her clench her teeth to keep from yelling at him.
"That's a lie," she finally said, her voice trembling with rage.
Mu Bai remained seated, sighed, and put his knives away.
"You're telling me she survived the fall into the river but not the fire?" she asked in a hoarse voice.
Mu Bai stood up and put a hand on her shoulder, but Tao Cui pushed him away. Her sword hand trembled menacingly as she took a step toward him.
"A'Xin isn't stupid. She would never have died in a fire. On the contrary, she would have saved everyone here," said Tao Cui. She pressed her lips into a thin line. Zhao Yuan swallowed.
"The girl brought here introduced herself as Luo Xinxin. But the girl you describe to me doesn't match her at all. She was rebellious, constantly questioning everything, refusing orders and rules, and..."
He couldn't even blink before Tao Cui's sword shot forward and pointed its tip at his throat.
"A'Xin always says what she thinks, even if it offends others. She asks questions when no one else does, and she only breaks rules when they are nonsensical and questionable. If, as you claim, she was rebellious and stubborn, then that was because of you," Tao Cui said quietly.
"Where was her body found?" Mu Bai asked, carefully directing Tao Cui's sword back.
Yuan struggled with himself. Finally, he gave up. Perhaps it was really time for his family to face the consequences of their actions. He nodded silently and led the way.
Tao Cui touched the scorched earth. Yuan and his brother had not yet gotten around to cleansing this place, which is why it was currently shielded by a few prayer cords and sacred bells. After all, they had to cleanse the bad karma of the river shackle, and that would not be an easy task.
"I feel pain, anger, grief, and despair," Tao Cui finally said, raising her hand.
"These two souls were murdered." Yuan sucked in his breath sharply. But Tao Cui simply turned on her heel and found her way out again. Mu Bai watched her go before his gaze fell back on Zhao Yuan.
"Do you have any idea who she was?" he asked. Zhao Yuan shook his head.
"A'Xin hasn't had it easy lately. But she was one of us. Our friend, our comrade. If she's dead, you've torn a hole in our midst, and I fear someone will come whom you have even more to fear than her," he said, pointing in the direction Tao Cui had disappeared.
"She can raise her sword against you. Her code forbids her to kill or hurt people. But the one who follows can darken the sky with a single word and send your family to hell!"
With these words, he too left, and Zhao Yuan was left alone. Was this the punishment? Was this the karma they had brought upon themselves when they took in the third prince?
"Tian Liu Yan hadn't suffered enough," Yuan growled angrily.
"Wait, wait, Tao Cui!" Mu Bai called out, having to jog to keep up with the sword fighter's energetic strides.
"Where are you going?" he asked. Tao Cui pointed toward the outer city limits.
"To the morgue. The bodies are kept there safely. Zhao Yuan planned to perform a cleansing ritual because of bad karma. That's why they won't have taken the bodies away yet," she explained briefly. Mu Bai nodded.
"You really don't think it was A'Xin?" he asked as the two ran side by side.
Tao Cui shook her head.
"She's changed, whatever caused that change and made her..." She swallowed briefly.
"Drove her to do what she did. I recognize her aura, and that wasn't her," she affirmed.
They made their way through the city until they reached the outer districts.
The undertaker was not difficult to find; he was located outside, and there were no neighbors far and wide who could complain about the smell.
Tao Cui knocked, and an elderly gentleman opened the door. He had tied a black cloth over his nose and mouth and wore stained gloves.
"May I help you, miss?" he asked curtly. After Tao Cui had turned on her charm, which brooked no argument, the undertaker finally led her to two coffins standing far back in his yard. They were unadorned and already tarnished.
"See for yourselves," said the old man gruffly and left them alone. Tao Cui didn't hesitate. With a blow from Qis, she swept the coffin lids aside and looked inside. Mu Bai wrinkled his nose, even though, like Tao Cui, he had also covered his face. "Strange!" Tao Cui remarked after a short time as she examined the burned corpses. Mu Bai only glanced inside briefly.
He couldn't even tell who was who. He took a step back.
"What's strange?" he asked. Tao Cui handed him her sword.
"If you were engulfed in flames, what would you feel?" she asked. Typical Tao Cui: instead of giving a clear answer, she asked counter-questions until you realized the inconsistency yourself.
Mu Bai always felt incredibly stupid then. He peered into the coffin; both corpses lay side by side.
"Uh, pain, I guess," he replied slowly.
"And if you can't escape the flames, but you're outside, what would you do?" she continued. Mu Bai racked his brains.
He imagined himself burning, ablaze, the fire consuming his skin and flesh.
"I would roll around on the grass and the ground, screaming and writhing, hoping to extinguish the flames," he said. Tao Cui nodded.
"Right, you probably wouldn't lie down calmly and wait to be burned. You would writhe in pain and curl up. So why do these two look like they took a nap in a sea of flames?"
Now Mu Bai also realized what she was getting at. The two were lying next to each other, with no sign that they had fought against the flames.
But in the fresh air, they wouldn't have passed out from smoke inhalation and then burned. So they must have died directly in the flames. Why did they look like they were sleeping peacefully?
"They were already dead when they were burned," Mu Bai exclaimed. Tao Cui nodded.
She examined the bodies and found a stab wound on the male body that had caused him to bleed to death, and on the female body, it was still clearly visible that her throat had been slit.
"The two were deliberately killed and then draped there to replace A'Xin and someone else!" she concluded. Mu Bai sighed.
"Do you think Xinxin killed them?" he asked quietly. Tao Cui hung her head. Her eyes filled with tears again.
"I hope not," she said, her voice hoarse.
"Otherwise, neither we nor he can save A'Xin on the path they have taken!"