The corners of Su Jiu's lips curled slightly, her eyes as deep as bottomless pools.
She sat down beside the tea table without ceremony. Her voice was cool, betraying no emotion. "Fellow Daoist Yu, don't you owe us an explanation?"
The other three took their seats in turn.
Yu Jin inwardly cursed his luck. Though the young woman showed nothing on her face, she was clearly angry too.
Despite panicking inside, he maintained an air of elegance. Yu Jin personally placed a cup of clear tea before each of them. "You've come a long way, Fellow Daoist Su. The weather is dry and parched; why not cool your temper first?" He even wore a somewhat ingratiating smile as he spoke.
Su Jiu's gaze flickered. "I had no idea you had such refined tastes, Fellow Daoist Yu."
"You flatter me," Yu Jin said with a smile.
Then his tone shifted, becoming exceedingly earnest and sincere. "To tell you the truth, what you and your companions experienced was connected to a lead I've been investigating."
"Oh? Let's hear it." Su Jiu's voice remained indifferent.
Yu Jin felt that if he failed to explain himself properly, the young woman before him might overturn his tea table.
Yu Jin gently blew on the wisps of steam rising from his tea, dispersing the heat, then leisurely took a sip. It was still a little too hot.
"Half a month ago, I sent someone to investigate the Zheng Household at night several times. He found a very strange place there: a courtyard where no one lived."
Yun Huanling immediately voiced what everyone was thinking. "The Zheng Household is so large that having unused courtyards is perfectly normal. Surely not every courtyard in your Yu Household is occupied either?"
Yu Jin swirled the teacup in his hand.