Mother and Daughter

After breakfast.

Chen Mu searched through his memories and rummaged around, eventually finding some loose silver at the bottom of a chest. Weighing it in his hand, he estimated there were around twenty-three or twenty-four taels.

For a young master of Xuanguo Estate, this amount of silver was plainly shabby—not even enough for a single visit to a pleasure house. But for an ordinary household, it was enough to cover several years of expenses.

He put the silver away.

Chen Mu went outside the courtyard.

His only servant, Ren Yan, was sweeping snow in the yard. Seeing him emerge, he immediately set down his broom, smiled, and respectfully bowed. "Second Master, good morning!"

Chen Mu took a few steps forward and asked directly, "Do you know Cui'er?"

Ren Yan looked surprised but still replied, "Cui'er? The maidservant of the Third Young Master in the South Courtyard? Why is Second Master suddenly asking about her?"

Chen Mu offered no explanation and simply said, "The details."

A strange glint flashed through Ren Yan's eyes, but he still answered, "It was about ten days ago, I think. They said she seduced her master in broad daylight, and Great Madam ordered her hanged..."

"Could she have been the one haunting Second Master that night? How hateful! She still dared to offend her master even after death. I know where she was buried. Just give the word, Second Master, and I'll go dig up that bitch's grave!"

Listening to Ren Yan's account.

Chen Mu's gaze remained cold. He ignored the remark and continued, "Do you know where her family lives?"

"This servant happens to know. It's around Qianping Street, in the little house at the very northern end."

Ren Yan answered quickly.

Chen Mu nodded slightly, gave him another deep look, then strode out of the courtyard.

That look made Ren Yan's heart hammer wildly. An inexplicable fear rose within him, and when he came back to himself, he found both his hands trembling.

He had originally wanted to step forward and stop him, but now he did not dare bar his way at all.

"Th-this... Second Master's gaze today is rather frightening..."

Ren Yan's heart pounded uneasily.

He was terrified Chen Mu might truly order him to dig up a grave and exhume a corpse. That was something he genuinely did not dare do!

At most, he usually sneaked around and skimmed a little from Chen Mu's monthly allowance. He did not dare take too much—only two-thirds under various pretexts, while honestly handing over one share.

"I'd better follow and take a look."

Ren Yan stared in the direction Chen Mu had gone, lost in thought.

Chen Mu had pulled through this time instead of dying. That was a good thing. A master like this was not so easy to find.

Now that he suddenly seemed intent on finding trouble with Cui'er's family, Ren Yan did not dare let Chen Mu go alone. If anything happened to him outside, it would be completely different from dying at home!

As his servant, Ren Yan would certainly bear responsibility. He would likely be beaten to death with a staff.

"Two ** wild girls, not a soul in sight in broad daylight."

As Ren Yan hurried after Chen Mu, he could not help muttering another curse.

Of the two, Xiao Mei at least had some sense, but Xiao Feng was truly hopelessly stupid. Her own master was still alive, yet she had run off to fawn over other masters. A foolish woman, through and through.

He could not be bothered to enlighten them. So long as they did not drag him down, that was enough.

Following his memories, Chen Mu left Xuanguo Estate.

He was familiar with Qianping Street. He often wandered there in the past, and it was quite close to Xuanguo Estate.

It was somewhat strange for a young master of Xuanguo Estate to visit the family of a maidservant who had been hanged, but Chen Mu did not care much. On one hand, there had been the ghost incident before. On the other, if he truly encountered any trouble, he could reveal a little of his ability and display his Spirit Sight. Many problems would then be solved as easily as splitting bamboo.

Among the hundreds of millions of people in Great Yuan, the number of sorcerers did not exceed three digits. As far as he knew, all of the Great Yuan Dynasty's sorcerers were gathered in the Directorate of Celestial Observation. Even at its height, the entire Directorate had numbered only a few hundred, overseeing Spirit Veins and Feng Shui throughout the land.

And he could become one of them at any time.

From the moment he gained the ability of Spirit Sight, he had ceased to be an ordinary Concubine's Son.

He walked along Qianping Street for a while.

Very soon.

Chen Mu arrived at the area Ren Yan had mentioned.

After making a few casual inquiries, he learned where Cui'er's home was.

A moment later, Chen Mu followed the snow-covered road into a narrow alley. After several twists and turns, he arrived before a small house.

Chen Mu stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Very soon.

The door opened a crack, revealing a small face smudged with soot. Though only around ten years old, the little girl was still rather delicate and pretty.

Fear seemed to linger in the little girl's eyes. When she saw Chen Mu, she did not open the door further, only asking timidly, "Y-you are...?"

Chen Mu looked at her gently. "Is this Liu Cui's home?"

"Yes, she's my older sister."

Liu Lian answered timidly. Perhaps sensing Chen Mu's gentleness, she gradually relaxed a little.

Chen Mu said softly, "I am from Xuanguo Estate. You may call me Young Master Mu. Is your mother home? I heard she has long been bedridden with illness, so I brought a physician."

A trace of surprise appeared in Liu Lian's large eyes. Clinging to the door, she peeked beside Chen Mu and saw a physician carrying a medicine chest.

For a moment, she did not know how to respond. She turned and ran inside, calling softly.

"Mother!"

Chen Mu waited quietly.

A moment later.

He heard running footsteps drawing nearer, followed by the rattle of the door bolt. Then the tightly shut door was slowly pulled open, revealing the little girl behind it in a worn cotton-padded jacket.

"P-please come in..."

Liu Lian spoke timidly, then led the way ahead.

The house was tiny. A short way inside was the bedroom, where a woman was supporting herself and barely sitting up against the side of the bed.

The woman looked at Chen Mu in astonishment as he entered.

"You... you are?"

She had thought that one of Cui'er's companions from Xuanguo Estate had come to visit. But seeing Chen Mu's fine clothes and the unmistakable bearing of a young master, he clearly could not have been Cui'er's companion.

Chen Mu smiled amiably. "Madam, do not concern yourself with that. Let us see to your illness first."

Hearing this, the physician beside him stepped forward as well.

Seeing this, the woman swallowed the words she had been about to say. Uneasily, she watched Chen Mu and the physician. The physician, however, remained composed and quickly examined her condition.

"This is cold energy accumulated deep in the bones over a long period. It will be difficult to eradicate completely, but I have a prescription. After half a month of recuperation, you should be able to walk with a cane."

The physician spoke carefully.

Chen Mu nodded. "Good. Go write the prescription."

Chen Mu then turned to the woman and offered her some words of comfort. From her, he learned that Cui'er's father had died in a calamity two years ago. After his death, the family could no longer make ends meet, so Cui'er had voluntarily sold herself to Xuanguo Estate as a maidservant. She had often used her monthly wages to support the family, and they had endured like this for two years.

In the end, the woman wept and said that Cui'er would never have been so wanton as to seduce her master in broad daylight.

Chen Mu fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at Liu Lian.

The little girl was only ten, yet she was already quite pretty. Her large eyes were bright and lively, but she was also very timid, spending most of her time standing there shyly.

Chen Mu had originally intended to buy Cui'er's younger sister and keep her by his side to care for him. But he had not expected Liu Lian to be so young, nor that the only people left in the entire household were the old woman and Liu Lian.

As he pondered.

Suddenly.

A violent pounding came from the door.

"Open the door!"

It was accompanied by a coarse and overbearing shout.