Hua Rong lounged lazily on the bed, tossing a pillow into the air and catching it with bored precision. After a while, her patience snapped. She hurled the pillow at the wall with surprising force. "What on earth is that guy planning??"
Ling Xiao, seated nearby, calmly sharpened his sword. The rhythmic scraping of steel against stone was the only response he offered, his focus unbroken.
"How dare you ignore me!" Hua Rong exclaimed, sitting upright with an indignant "hmph."
Li Ming, who had been idly flipping through a scroll, glanced between them with mild exasperation. "Yu Chen said he was working on a plan to lure the ghost bride out."
As if on cue, the doors to their room burst open with a dramatic flourish. Yu Chen entered, his robes billowing slightly from the force of his entrance, followed closely by Wei Yu, who looked decidedly unimpressed by the theatrics.
"We have a plan," Yu Chen declared, his tone clipped and efficient. "Wei Yu and I will visit the Yan family to gather more information."
Li Ming frowned. "But we're in this together! We should all go!"
Yu Chen shook his head, his calm demeanor unshaken. "The fewer, the better. Too many people will raise suspicions and complicate things." He left no room for debate, his departure swift and final as he strode out of the room.
Wei Yu smirked faintly as he followed but paused when Hua Rong called out, her tone teasing, "Wei Yu, your shizun sure is something."
Without missing a beat, Wei Yu shot back, "Yeah, your ex-fiancé sure is something."
Hua Rong's jaw dropped, her hands flailing in the air as she sputtered in rage. "Tsk! This brat is so disobedient!"
At the Yan Manor
The grand hall of the Yan family's estate was lavishly decorated, exuding wealth and power. Yan Kai, the family patriarch, sat at the head of the table with an air of self-importance, his wife and numerous concubines seated nearby. Yu Chen and Wei Yu, looking thoroughly out of place among the opulence, sat humbly at the bottom of the room.
"Dear immortals, thank you for attending to our humble troubles," Miss Yan, the family matron, said politely, pouring tea for them with exaggerated grace.
"Troubles, indeed," Wei Yu muttered under his breath, eyeing the concubines with barely concealed disdain as they whispered and giggled amongst themselves.
One of the younger concubines leaned forward, fluttering her fan dramatically. "Such a handsome young man," she cooed, her gaze locked onto Wei Yu. "Say, my daughter is just about your age! Perhaps I could—"
Another concubine cut her off with an indignant huff. "Ridiculous! My daughter is far more suitable for such a fine youth. She—"
"Why bother with your daughters when my second niece—"
"Thank you, madam," Wei Yu interrupted sharply, his expression pinched with irritation. "But I have no intention of looking for a wife." He turned his gaze to the ceiling, muttering something under his breath about meddling mothers.
The daughters in question, seated nearby, blushed furiously while glaring daggers at each other. Yu Chen suppressed a smile, though the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed him. Clearing his throat to regain control of the room, he addressed Yan Kai.
"Now, Elder Yan," Yu Chen began, his tone professional, "this matter concerns the safety of the village as a whole. We have some questions we'd like to ask—if it pleases you."
Yan Kai chuckled, his laugh rich with self-importance. "Of course, of course! Anything for the well-being of our people."
"The people of the village say that you were cursed?" Yu Chen asked.
"Indeed." Yan Kai replied, "it seems someone has bad blood between us."
"Bad blood you say? Did you have any misunderstandings with the people?" Yu Chen questioned, he knew that the person doing this must hate the Yan Family, but why? It was unknown.
Before Yan Kai could reply, his wife spoke. "Never, we had a very good relationship with all the village folks. We are all like brothers and sisters." She smiled sweetly.
"Good," Yu Chen said, leaning forward slightly. "Let's talk about your youngest son, Yan Bo. What was he like?"
The room went deathly silent. The light humor evaporated as Yan Kai's jovial expression hardened like stone. His fingers drummed the table slowly, his jaw tightening as if Yu Chen's words had struck a nerve.
"My son," Yan Kai said coldly, his voice clipped, "was a fine boy. A tragedy he was taken from us."
Yu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, noting the change in tone. "Taken, you say? Could you elaborate on the circumstances of his death?"
Yan Kai's wife shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting toward her husband. The concubines whispered uneasily among themselves, their earlier liveliness now subdued.
"Elder Yan," Yu Chen pressed gently, though his sharp gaze didn't waver, "any detail, no matter how small, could help us."
Yan Kai's fist slammed down on the table, silencing the murmurs. "Enough!" he barked, though he quickly composed himself, smoothing the front of his robes with a tight smile. "What is there to say? My son is gone. That's all you need to know."
Yu Chen's calm demeanor remained, but suspicion flickered in his mind. The reaction was too sharp, too defensive. There was more to Yan Bo's death than the family head was letting on. Yu Chen made a mental note, his eyes cool as they observed the strained faces around the room.
Meanwhile, Wei Yu whispered under his breath, "This old hag's hiding something."
Yu Chen didn't respond but gave the faintest of nods, his mind already piecing together the puzzle. " Then we shall take our leave," Yu Chen smiled.
Yu Kai only gave a nod, " I will not see you out." He said.
Yu Chen could only smile at his rude behavior and left the manor with Wei Yu.
"That darn old hag, He dared to act like that to my shizun." Wei Yu fumed with rage, how dare that old hag even think about it? In the future, he would make sure that the old hag would pay!
"Alright, it's nothing. I think I have a plan, lets go meet with the others." Yu Chen comforted Wei Yu and advised him. Wei Yu only nodded in response, still fuming with rage.
****
"No-" Hua Rong calmly replied.
"But your the only women among us! We need your help!" Ling Xiao interjected.
"I still have the desire to live!" Hua Rong replied, "What if that damn ghost kills me!?"
Ling Xiao helplessly looked at Hua Rong. They needed to lure out the ghost bride, but for that they needed a bait. As luck would have it, Hua Rong made an excellent bride-but this woman was not agreeing!
"Hua Rong, you will be the bride" Yu Chen stated.
"But shixiong-" Hua Rong exclaimed.
"End of discussion, were working as a team here so you better help!" Yu Chen voice became serious. Never in his life had he used this kind of voice in front of Hua Rong. But now there was nothing between them and this was just how he normally acts.
Hua Rong who now regretted breaking the engagement, "....." DAMN BASTARD