Few days after Xinyue returned to the Mist Oasis, Zhipeng returned to the Peony Halls.
Before the servants could reach him, Yingyue dashed forward and threw herself at her father.
"Welcome home, father!".
"A-Yue?"he looked surprised"shouldn't you be at the Mist Oasis?".
"I'm staying at home for now"she replied "Jiejie already left, though. How was your journey, father?".
"It was fine. Where is your mother?".
"In her workshop, I think...".
"She's right here"Lanfen countered as she emerged from the manor.
"You're back"she said, hugging him.
Yingyue noticed right away that Zhipeng's answering hug was a little stiff, and she found that extremely puzzling.
She knew just how in love with his wife her father was. Had something happened?
She mused on it as she watched them head to their bedroom, wondering if it would be a good idea to eavesdrop.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Lanfen's smile fell off her face.
"Well?".
Zhipeng was avoiding her eyes as he took off his coat and hung it.
"What?"he replied.
"Care to tell me why you're acting all weird? Let me guess, it has something to do with this mysterious trip of yours, doesn't it? Where did you go?".
"Why am I being interrogated in my own house?".
"In our house,"she corrected"surely even you would agree that I deserve to know what secrets my husband is keeping from me. Have you worked up the nerve to get yourself a mistress at last?".
If Lanfen's aim was to offend him, she succeeded quite splendidly.
"What is that supposed to mean?"he asked sharply.
"Guess not,then"she shrugged, unapologetic.
Zhipeng sighed, looking away again.
Lanfen's nonchalant attitude disappeared.
"What is it?"she asked, stepping closer.
"Lanfen, are the things written in here true?".
She blinked at the letter he shoved into her hands,then at him, before she opened it and ran her eyes through its contents.
It was a letter from an old, late acquaintance of theirs. Pan Yiming,who was also known as YuZhanshi-jun.
Lanfen's eyebrow twitched. It was all stuff about how there was something evil in Peony Halls, and how she was behind the murders of the Mo couple, and how he was sure she was also behind the theft of the dongtian shard from the Mist Oasis because she was definitely behind the disappearance of the chuntian shard from Mount Tianshi, and he was certain that she was using it to work diabolic cultivation because she was just that sort of an overambitious person. And he was imploring Zhipeng to take extra precautions in safeguarding the xiatian shard at Peony Halls, if Lanfen had not stolen it yet.
By the time she was done, Lanfen's face had contorted into a thick frown.
That Pan Yiming! Even though he had been dead for twelve years, he was still making trouble for her.
"No,"she replied calmly, her cool expression returning as she looked up at her husband "none of it is true".
"Do not lie to me, Lanfen".
"What's that supposed to mean? You asked me a question, and I responded. Do you usually decide what answers to accept before you ask a question?".
"I hoped you would still have enough decency to admit what you've done".
"You would believe a dead man's words over your wife?".
"Do you think I wanted to? I have delayed this journey for years, because I did not want to find out any of the things he wanted me to".
"Years"Lanfen repeated, the wheels already spinning in her head.
Then she slapped a hand to her forehead.
"I'm such a fool,"she mumbled to herself before facing Zhipeng once more"Pan Yiming left this letter with my Shizun before he died, didn't he? And told you to go find it when you're ready to know the truth about whom you married. This journey you made... it was to my home. To Mount Tianshi".
"You've always been clever"was Zhipeng's response.
"And my Shizun... did he read this letter?".
"I have no idea".
"Tell me this, Zhipeng. Why would I kill Mo Xiang and Mo Zihan? What could I have possibly gained?".
"Do you take me for a fool?".
"Not at all. Answer".
Zhipeng sighed deeply.
"The day they died, they said they were here to carry out an exorcism, didn't they? They said that a mutual friend had requested it. And they died that very night, before the day scheduled for the process".
"And I'm the only one who could have killed them?".
"They were the most outstanding exorcists the cultivation world had ever seen. And you are Lanfen Tianshi".
Lanfen tilted her head slightly.
"Why is everyone calling me that lately?"she muttered.
"Now, I've returned home, only to hear that my own daughter is possessed by a demon".
"Where did you hear that?".
"Everyone in the cultivation world is talking about it".
"And let me guess, you're going to say that it's my fault as well?".
"Clearly it is, unless you can tell me what you did with those stolen shards if not this".
Lanfen could feel a headache coming, and she rubbed her forehead wearily.
"What else did I do?"she asked.
It was obvious that she was not concerned about all he had discovered,as she did not consider him a threat at all. And it irked him to no end.
"You murdered Pan Yiming too, didn't you?".
"Now, where did you get that idea?"Lanfen drawled,as if she was talking to a child who wasn't making any sense.
"Anyone can guess which mutual friend had sent Mo Xiang and Mo Zihan here, since there was only one such person, Pan Yiming".
"Aren't you forgetting something?"Lanfen said "we all know that Pan Yiming was stabbed to death by his wife, Anhe".
"Chen Anhe was terribly ill,yet she stepped out on a freezing winter day and stabbed her husband, even though we all know that every sort of weapon was kept away from her during her confinement. And not only were you the only friend she had, the murder occured shortly after you visited her".
"Could someone come and help me take a look at this man?"Lanfen said dramatically "my poor husband fancies himself a detective now. Darling, it seems all of that overthinking has finally gotten to you. Would you like me to make you some calming tea?".
"Lanfen, I am not joking here"Zhipeng said sternly.
Lanfen's amused expression dried up, and her eyes went colder than winter.
"Oh well,"she folded her arms"what are you going to do now, Meng Zhipeng? Run me through like your beloved Pan Yiming did to poor little Caihong's parents?".
Zhipeng's eyes widened at that. He opened his mouth, shut it,then gulped and tried again.
But all he could manage was a single word.
"Lanfen...".
"What? Why won't you hurry up and pass judgement on despicable me?".
Zhipeng had not thought of that. Had not thought of what to do if his wife really did turn out not to be who he always thought she was.
For her crimes, the cultivation world would demand for her death. But Zhipeng could not bear the idea of letting the woman he had always loved die, whether at his hands or at someone else's.
It was a stalemate,at this point.
Neither of them noticed that Yingyue, standing right outside, had heard every single word spoken inside the room.
Neither of them noticed the stupefied girl backing away from the door,a look of unspeakable horror on her face, before she turned and fled.
And, probably because the gods were laughing at them all or something, only after she was gone did Zhipeng barge out of the room... and right out of the Peony Halls.
*
*
*
Yingyue ran.
She ran and ran and did not stop, even though she had absolutely no idea where she was going. She just knew that she had to get as far away from Peony Halls as possible, so she ran.
Tears were coursing down her face, but Yingyue did not bother wiping at them. In fact, she was barely aware of them.
She heard everything. And now she did not know what to do.
Her mother had killed Xinyue's parents, because they found out about... her. The evil that they had come to get rid of was her, the demon possessed child. All of it made sense now- the nightmares, the river of blood and the people who had been drowning in it, the abyss, the strange feeling.
They had called her a murderer.
Why was that? What had she done under the influence of this demon?
And to make matters worse, it was her own mother, whom she loved and looked up to, that had sealed the demon within her using those shards of whatever they were talking about.
And then there was Pan Yiming, whom her mother had also killed. Yingyue knew about him,as every cultivator did. He was the illustrious YuZhanshi-jun, and... Pan Yuchen's father. Which means that Chen Anhe was Pan Yuchen's mother, whom he had spoken of at the severed peaks. And who was the "poor little Caihong" that Lanfen had mentioned?
No, that wasn't what mattered right now.
Right now, what mattered was that her mother had played a major role in orphaning two of her best friends... because of her.
Because they found out about what she was.
What if... even Chen Anhe's death had been orchestrated by her mother... because of her?
Yingyue thought she might be going insane.
Needless to say, she was not looking where she was going, so it was no surprise that she tripped on a stone she could have easily avoided and had a really bad fall.
Only then did she take a look around.
Where was she?
She had been to most of the places in the Meng sect's territory, but this street was totally unfamiliar. Unfamiliar and deserted.
"That shouldn't be possible"she mumbled as she rose to her feet.
Every inch of her father's territory was inhabited. That she was sure of.
Her eyes took in acres of barren land, dilapidated buildings and felled trees, and her confusion grew.
Was this place within the Meng sect's territory at all?
It couldn't be. It was all too still, so still, in fact, that the slightest movement was enough to capture her attention.
Yingyue turned sharply, and her eyes widened as she sighted the figure sprawled on the ground some feet away. Without delay, she hurried over, her own troubles momentarily forgotten.
"Are you alright?"she crouched, pulling back the thick green hood,then a sharp gasp escaped her.
There was a grotesque injury on the young girl's forehead, and Yingyue quickly rolled her onto her back, fingers fluttering to her neck in search of a pulse.
That was when she paused. There was no pulse, but that wasn't all. The "girl" was not breathing either, "her" chest was not moving at all. And that was when Yingyue realized, too late, that the one before her was but a cleverly crafted puppet.
Right on cue, the puppet exploded, filling the air and Yingyue's lungs with a strange powder.
Yingyue stood up and backed away, hacking painfully as she tried to step out of the pink cloud. It was no use, though, as she was no match for the dizziness creeping into her consciousness.
Before long, she slumped, only for unfamiliar arms to break her fall. The last thing she heard before she passed out was the smug voice of this stranger.
"That was way too easy".