Shameless and Lewd

"The Emperor told Wu Yang: 'There is someone below whom I wish to aid. His souls have scattered; divine for me and restore them.'"

Before the grave, the Daoists stood at their respective formation nodes, one of them chanting the words of Soul-Summoning.

Daoist Soul-Summoning arts fell broadly into two kinds: summoning souls for the living, and summoning souls for the dead. The former generally involved retrieving the souls of someone who had lost them, while the latter required descending to Yama's Treasure Hall in the underworld and making offerings to King Yama and all the great generals beneath him, including Black and White Impermanence and Ox-Head and Horse-Face, to invite back someone whose name had been crossed out of the Book of Life and Death. Thus, the former was usually easy, and the latter difficult.

"Wu Yang replied: 'Master of Dreams! The Supreme Emperor's command is hard to obey. If I must divine and restore them, I fear it will be too late, and of no further use.'"

A Daoist lit a candle, formed a hand seal, and chanted.

Yin Weiying stood at the center of the formation, holding three sticks of incense and pacing the steps of the Dipper. Her Daoist robes were like smoke, ethereal amid the incense.

"Then Wu Yang descended and summoned:

'O soul, return! Why have you left your constant body,

To wander in the four directions? Why abandon your place of joy and depart for those ill-omened lands?'"

The Daoist standing due east called out:

"O soul, return! The east is no place to dwell..."

The Daoist due south followed:

"O soul, return! The south is no place to stay..."

"O soul, return! The west holds perils, with quicksand stretching a thousand miles..."

"O soul, return! The north is no place to stay..."

The two Daoists to the west and north followed in turn.

Once the Daoists in all four directions had finished chanting, the three incense sticks in Yin Weiying's hands had burned halfway down. She stood still before the grave and called out:

"O soul, return! Do not ascend to heaven."

The Daoists behind her joined their voices in the summons:

"O soul, return! Do not descend to this Nether Capital."

The incense suddenly blazed, its wispy smoke surging into the sky before sinking into the earth, as though building an invisible bridge of incense to guide the deceased's three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls.

"It will probably take another two days."

As Yin Weiying spoke, a faint scent of incense lingered about her. Unlike the overpowering, pungent smell in Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries, its light fragrance only made her seem all the more like an ethereal immortal.

"Ordinarily, it would take at least three times seven-twenty-one days-to summon all three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls. But it is Demon-Quelling Day now. Yin and yang are muddled, and the boundary between the living and the dead is blurred. Three days will suffice."

Chen Yi nodded slightly. Beside him, Min Ning gazed at the solitary grave wreathed in smoke, looking forlorn.

Seeing this, Chen Yi curled a finger and lightly flicked Min Ning's hair crown, producing a crisp tap.

Min Ning turned her head and shot him a displeased glance.

Then she curled her own finger, thought for a moment, and changed the gesture into a grab. Catching Chen Yi off guard, she abruptly pulled off his hair crown.

Chen Yi winced and turned to see Young Hero Min smiling with upturned lips, smugly tossing his hair crown up and down.

Chen Yi sighed and smiled helplessly.

Standing close by, Yin Weiying watched their playful antics with bitterness on her face.

She turned away, unwilling to watch any longer.

Of all the rotten luck, Chen Yi stepped forward, leaned close to her, and teased:

"Thank you for your unstinting help, Immortal Maiden Yin. I will remember this great kindness until my teeth have fallen out."

Yin Weiying's almond-shaped eyes widened, and she shot him a cutting glare.

"Shameless and lewd."

Not only had he stolen the dao companion foretold in her prophecy, he insisted on deliberately flaunting it before her. There could be no greater humiliation.

Prince Jing's daughter could hardly be said to have any feelings for Min Ning. After all, they had only met a handful of times, and she practiced the method of Supreme Oblivion of Emotion besides. What she felt was more a blow to her dignity and humiliation.

Seeing her unwillingness to accept it, Chen Yi suppressed his laughter, then said flippantly:

"I told you, stop setting your sights on Min Ning."

"And what if I insist on setting my sights on him?"

Yin Weiying laughed instead.

"If you insist on setting your sights on her, I'll have to set mine on you."

Yin Weiying froze at first, then lowered her eyes and shook her head with a bitter smile.

"You already have."

Chen Yi smiled too.

"It seems the immortal maiden isn't very willing."

Yin Weiying's expression turned icy.

"Willing? Willing to do what? Willing to become dao companions with someone whose crimes merit ten thousand deaths, whom heaven and earth should destroy?"

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes at her words.

Her disgust was so genuine.

"Back then, I had feelings for you, and you for me. You even begged me time and again to become your dao companion, Immortal Maiden. How can you turn your back on me now?"

Chen Yi teased, stressing the word "begged."

His words reminded Yin Weiying of that humiliating night, and she flared up.

"Who begged you?! I only said you ought to be my dao companion."

"See? Aren't you admitting you want to be my dao companion?"

"You-you'll die of illness sooner or later, and die a horrible death!"

Yin Weiying's cheeks flushed as she spoke in a furious fluster.

"Getting worked up, are we?"

[Yin Weiying's negative emotions rewarded three years of True Qi.]

After leaving Huai River Village and riding slowly into Capital City, Chen Yi could clearly sense that Min Ning was in a good mood.

She hummed ancient Yue folk songs softly throughout the journey, her eyes bright and lively.

Seeing Min Ning like this put Chen Yi in an excellent mood too.

He had obtained the Shangqing Heart Method. As long as he diligently cultivated it, with the Shangqing Heart Method alongside the Wind- and Rain-Scattering Saber, it was still anyone's guess who would bring down the deer the next time he met Huang Liuqing of the White Willow Sect.

Chen Yi made a rough calculation. He had about a sixty-percent chance of beating him, and if he could beat him, he could kill him. This man from the White Willow Sect emphasized saber techniques over footwork, and his lightness skills were exceedingly ordinary. He would not be able to escape.

Upon arriving at the Min Household, Min Ning dismounted and handed the reins to Chen Yi.

"Take it back to the Eastern Depot for me."

Chen Yi nodded slightly, then turned his gaze and saw a little beggar running over.

"My lord, Lord Min, there's a letter for you."

As the little beggar spoke, he held the letter out to Min Ning.

Min Ning looked at the beggar in confusion. Chen Yi looked at him and said directly:

"Give it to me."

The beggar hesitated.

Chen Yi placed five copper coins in his hand.

The beggar swiftly handed Chen Yi the letter, then hastily turned and left.

Chen Yi unfolded the letter, and his expression darkened.

[Chief Constable Min, you are hereby advised to cease investigating Chancellor Zhang's case. The imperial household has long since reached a decision on this matter. If you persist, you had best take extra care when traveling at night. From Jade Elegance Estate.]

They had signed it "Jade Elegance Estate" without the slightest attempt at concealment. This was an outright threat and warning.

Min Ning leaned over and asked:

"What is it?"

"It's from Jade Elegance Estate, about the Chancellor Case. They're warning you to stop investigating."

Min Ning's expression darkened at his words, and she gritted her teeth.

"So they're the ones who wrote to threaten me!"

"What is Jade Elegance Estate's background? I've seen files on them in the Eastern Depot. They seem to be a property of Prince Jing's Manor. They previously sold Five-Stone Powder privately for scholars and poets to use."

"They're a property of Prince Jing's Manor now... but before that, they belonged to Chancellor Zhang. After the Chancellor Case, they went over to Prince Jing, the Previous Emperor's younger brother, to protect themselves."

Min Ning sighed and said cautiously:

"It seems this matter... has far-reaching implications. We can only wait until my grandfather returns before deciding..."

Before she could finish, Chen Yi interrupted:

"Decide? Decide what? If your grandfather sees you shrinking back in fear over a warning from a mere Jade Elegance Estate, why would he tell you the truth about what happened back then?"

Min Ning turned to him in astonishment.

"Then what do you want to do?"

"Find a time to take some men and shut down Jade Elegance Estate."

"But Prince Jing backs Feng Ying, the master of Jade Elegance Estate. If that were all, it wouldn't matter. You're the Acting Depot Lord; you can afford to offend him. But his son Feng Luo is the godson of that Nameless Old Matron. His name is registered in the Magpie Pavilion. Don't do anything foolish!"

"The Nameless Old Matron... that second-rank imperial clanswoman who guards the imperial city?"

"That's her..."

Chen Yi chuckled.

"She has a hundred godsons and goddaughters, if not eighty. One fewer won't matter. Besides, she wouldn't dare kill me."

Min Ning was startled and looked at him doubtfully.

But Chen Yi sounded utterly certain, not as though he were lying.

Min Ning could not help entertaining all manner of guesses.

She wouldn't dare kill him... what exactly did he have to rely on?

The young hero looked him over from one side to the other. Apart from his handsome looks, he did not seem to have anything dependable to rely on.

Could it be... that he was Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's male favorite?

Min Ning could only let her imagination run wild.

Thinking of how he bullied and teased her by day, only to be ridden and bullied by the Empress Dowager at night behind phoenix curtains deep within the palace, Min Ning found the notion absurd and horrifying.

Noticing the changes in Min Ning's expression, Chen Yi assumed she was worried and said:

"Ever since that attack, I've wanted to investigate Jade Elegance Estate. This is the perfect opportunity. We can handle both matters as one, nice and easy."

As he spoke, he looked at Min Ning, curling his lips in a teasing smile.

"They dare threaten you too?

Only I get to threaten you and your sister."

Min Ning was stunned by his words, then drew a deep breath and cursed:

"Shameless and lewd."