Qin Liuxi strode out of Mrs. Zhou's chambers, exhaling deeply. Just as he was about to return to his own quarters, his peripheral vision caught sight of Qi Qian, causing him to pause in his tracks.
"Do you, Prince Qi, also perceive me as cold and heartless, indifferent to death?"
Qi Qian replied nonchalantly, "How could that be? A person of your stature, with profound reasons for not intervening, undoubtedly has your own rationale. I wouldn't dare to speculate otherwise."
Qin Liuxi flashed a look of acknowledgment.
Qi Qian continued, "If Dr. Qin can dispel Qi's doubts, I would be most grateful."
Qin Liuxi smiled slyly, remarking, "Curious? I refuse to divulge!"
With that statement, she left with a smirk, caring little whether the occupant of that room lived or died.
Qi Qian stood rooted to the spot, feeling at a loss for words.
"Prince Qi, that young gentleman, why is he..." Madam Ding approached, beginning to speak.
Qi Qian turned coldly, saying, "What does Madam Ding wish to convey? Without knowing the full story, I refrain from commenting. As an accomplished scholar and a family with such a background, I would expect the Ding family, from the elders to the youngest, to understand such principles. Apparently not."
Madam Ding's face blanched, and she nearly knelt down to apologize on the spot.
"The night is growing late, Madam, and your years advance. You should rest early to preserve your health," Qi Qian advised before walking away without looking back.
Madam Ding neither knelt nor stood but trembled all over, feeling on the verge of collapse.
"Grandmother, this Prince Rui, he..." Ding Sumin supported Madam Ding, her face pale. She wasn't foolish; she understood that Qi Qian's earlier words were clearly aimed at them, their family, from top to bottom.
"Enough said, let's return to our room. We'll depart early tomorrow morning," Madam Ding said, her expression grave.
Qin Liuxi approached her own chamber door, pausing slightly before closing it. Facing into the void, she murmured, "You dare to come here? Do you truly not fear my taking you in?"
If Qi Qian were present, he might have thought Qin Liuxi had gone mad, speaking to an empty room.
Yet Qin Liuxi stared intently at a spot where the seemingly calm void appeared to ripple slightly, revealing a damp figure suspended in mid-air.
It was a young woman in tattered clothing, her face contorted in a ghastly expression. A palpable malevolence emanated from her, and at her feet, a child played with a tuft of water grass, emitting a chilling, eerie laughter.
"You haven't taken me in," the female specter, sensing danger, dared not approach Qin Liuxi. She could discern Qin Liuxi's feminine essence; any closer, and she might risk annihilation.
Seated at her desk, Qin Liuxi poured herself a cup of tea, her smile cryptic. "You sound regretful? Come here to have me guide you into reincarnation?"
Upon hearing the term "reincarnation," the spectral woman's resentment surged, chilling the room and the entire inn with its foul stench. Qin Liuxi's quarters, in particular, grew even colder and more malodorous.
Thunk.
Qin Liuxi slammed the teacup onto the table, startling the spectral woman, who instinctively took two steps back.
"In my abode, restrain your malevolence, or else you'll leave my room frigid and malodorous, making it impossible for me to rest," Qin Liuxi accused coldly. "Even as a spirit, one must adhere to moral principles. You can't simply haunt others' abodes, especially not mine."
The spectral woman was speechless.
"I may be a ghost, but could you afford me a shred of dignity? I'm scared even a little," the spectral woman wanted to retort, but seeing Qin Liuxi's gaze, she immediately cowed, suppressing her resentment and plaintively saying, "I, I won't go!"