Chapter 94 – Station 23: Human Incense

Chapter 94 - Station 23: Human Incense

Diao Qingchang followed the servant carrying a white paper lantern through increasingly magnificent corridors, realizing that the guest room he had previously occupied was quite a distance from the Dragon Fish Hall.

It could also be because the Dragon Fish Hall was simply enormous.

As they approached the hall, an inexplicable mist grew denser, and the talisman attached to his chest burned fiercely, turning to ashes within seconds.

Diao Qingchang remained vigilant as he accompanied the servant through the corridors, finally catching sight of the entrance to the Dragon Fish Hall.

A colossal Pixiu statue stood guard at the door, with a plaque above it reading "Zephyr-like Spring." Two couplets hung on either side: "Virtuous souls arrive here with no regrets, while evil ones tremble at our gate."

Upon entering, he found himself in an unusually spacious courtyard surrounded by buildings. The butler, Xi Yi, waited inside, holding something in his hand.

The lantern-bearing servant stopped at the entrance.

As Diao Qingchang approached Xi Yi, he noticed that the butler was holding three gleaming golden incense sticks.

The incense stick itself was brown, with speckles resembling crushed gold dust interwoven within.

These golden flakes were meticulously minced and mixed into the incense paste during the manufacturing process to ensure they did not disrupt the function of the incense.

The edges of the gold foil had clearly been polished with great care, as they felt incredibly smooth to the touch. Apart from the natural texture of the incense, there were no irregularities or bumps.

Diao Qingchang was witnessing such intricate craftsmanship for the first time. As he held the incense sticks delicately, he feared damaging this artwork.

Xi Yi was pleased with Diao Qingchang's respectful demeanor and instructed him:

"Mr. Diao, please take these three incense sticks and offer them in the main hall."

Diao Qingchang, holding the incense, proceeded to the main hall.

Above the entrance hung a plaque inscribed with the words "Remembering Glory, Honoring Ancestors." On either side of the hall, couplets read: "Centuries pass, bones turn to dust; Thousand-mile lands, buried under earth's embrace."

Diao Qingchang sensed that the inscriptions on the main entrance and the couplets on the hall seemed to have been penned by a different hand altogether, conveying entirely distinct meanings now.

But there was no time for him to ponder over it deeply.

He stepped into the main hall, holding the golden incense in his hand.

The dark lacquered wooden door closed slowly behind him, engulfing the white mist that filled the courtyard.

-

The expressions of those still seated in the guest rooms were a mixed bag.

Liao Xinya did not feel uneasy because Diao Qingchang had left; she remained engrossed in her thoughts.

"I'm pondering if the manner of death in a pigsty has any connection with the cruel practice of 'human zhi'."

Yan Qiling turned to look at her, while Lin Yongjian appeared somewhat perplexed.

"Hostage? What hostage?"

The young lady replied to his question with an icy demeanor.

"Liu Hou detested Lady Qi for attempting to seize power and subjected her to horrifying torture. She cut off her limbs, deafened and blinded her with smoke, then sliced away her nose, mouth, and ears. After that, she was thrown into a pigsty, labeled as a 'human pig,' meaning 'one resembling a pig.'"

While Lin Yongjian remained unaffected, Yu Kui started to weep in fear, appearing utterly powerless.

Liao Xinya paid no attention and continued sharing her insights on the phrase "promotion and wealth":

"Since 'early birth of an honored child' has its limitations, so does 'promotion and wealth.' It should only be said to unmarried men or married men. Today, I was fortunate not to have directed it at the wrong person. Later, I'll try to figure out the specific restrictions."

Yan Qiling listened and looked at Ming Yiyang, who understood his intention and shrugged slightly:

"My speculation aligns with hers, though not as professionally. If we use these two phrases wisely, they will likely benefit us more than harm us. Perhaps they could even guide us to an exit."

Liao Xinya ignored their conversation and turned her attention to the man sitting at the main seat in the guest room:

"Yan Qiling, since you now possess the right to not enter Longyu Hall, you could assist in finding Shi Wen Guang. After all, every additional person brings another possibility. If we can locate and save him, we can test whether Red Note's rules can be exploited through the state of the living dead."

The man, who had been about to drink tea, suddenly lifted his head to look at her.

Liao Xinya was not captivated by his allure; instead, she spoke calmly:

"If this is a loophole intentionally created by the Master of Wujian, we can exploit this state to improve our living conditions. It would be a very useful tool for future explorations or dealing with threats."

Yan Qiling understood her point.

The disrupted rules were now essentially ineffective. If they could find a way to manipulate these states, they could disregard the entire set of rules on the Red Note, making their future actions much more manageable.

"…You're right," Yan Qiling said, wearing a soft, appreciative smile. "I'll try to figure out what's going on."

Liao Xinya had no doubts about his abilities and wanted to add some details, but Yu Kui abruptly reacted, looking outside again.

Sure enough, the child holding the white lamp had returned.

There was no sign of Diao Qingchang behind him.

The child stood alone by the door, giving off an ethereal air as if he could vanish with the wind at any moment.

With a tranquil tone that belied his young age, he said:

"May one of you step forward to accompany me to the Fish-Dragon Hall for an exorcism ritual."

Liao Xinya adjusted her skirt and rose to respond:

"I'll come."

As she took a step, a gentle male voice reached her from behind:

"In reverence to heaven, earth, and deities, incense is a symbol of purity. Hence, when lighting incense, never blow on it with your mouth."

Liao Xinya turned and nodded to him appreciatively:

"Thank you for your guidance."

After she left, the four people in the room fell into a silence. Lin Yongjian gazed at the pair across from him, closed his eyes briefly, then exhaled and asked:

"When did you meet him, Teacher Yan?"

Before the man's affectionate and flirtatious eyes could shift away, Lin Yongjian blocked any chance of evasion:

"You don't need to mention your amnesia again, Yan Qiling. I'm not an idiot."

Ming Yiyang chuckled at the last remark, lifting his snowy eyelashes provocatively as he said in a languid tone:

"Why does it concern you when I met him? What right do you have to ask him, and what obligation does he have to report to you? Are you his boss?"

"Even if he is your employee, you have no right to interfere with his personal life. So, are you even monitoring whether he buys condoms for his private nights?"

Lin Yongjian was practically driven to fury by this person. What made it worse was that Yan Qiling didn't refute a single word but simply watched them quietly.

An awful thought couldn't help but arise in his mind... Could it be that Yan Qiling and this little ruffian had already established some sort of intimate relationship in bed? !

His eyes reddened from thinking, and his whole body trembled slightly from rage. It felt as if all his blood was rushing to his head.

But the most frustrating part was that, just as this little scoundrel said, he truly had no grounds to question anything about Yan Qiling.

He only regretted not making a move sooner, and resented why Yan Qiling had so many superior romantic resources, yet chose Ming Yiyang, who was virtually good for nothing except his face and fists.

Obviously... his qualifications and sincerity far surpassed this man's. He had remained chaste all these years for Yan Qiling.

But this blond ruffian seemed to have had quite a history of relationships, with an appearance that screamed heartlessness and promiscuity.

He'd encountered such men countless times in the circle. Not to mention Yan Qiling, he himself wouldn't deign to associate with them... But why...

Did Yan Qiling prefer men with ample experience, or did he think that the purity he perceived was just a facade, and that the real Yan Qiling was engaged in something he couldn't even fathom?

Lin Yongjian's mind was a jumbled mess from the flames of fury, but one thing was clear.

He was going to give Ming Yiyang a punch.

"If you dare touch Teacher Yan, I'll beat you to death!"

He lunged forward swiftly, but Ming Yiyang seemed too lazy to react, propelling himself back two meters with a flick of his foot, leaving Lin Yongjian swinging at thin air!

Lin Yongjian immediately stepped forward. Just as he was about to grab the man's collar and deliver a vicious blow, a white paper fan deflected his wrist.

Lin Yongjian clutched his wrist and stepped back, about to retort at the interfering fan-wielder, but then he turned to see Yan Qiling holding his fan with an air of nonchalance.

In his moment of astonishment, Yan Qiling had already effortlessly tapped his pressure point on the waist with the fan.

All his strength drained from his body, and if not for his quick grab on the small table, he would have nearly fallen to the ground.

The unexpected display of martial prowess was more surprising to Lin Yongjian than Ming Yiyang's relationship with Yan Qiling.

However, Yan Qiling didn't give him much time to ponder over it.

Leaning his chin on the fan, Yan Qiling smiled and said,

"It's your turn."

Following the other's gaze, Lin Yongjian noticed that the servant holding the white lantern had been standing respectfully at the door without him realizing.

This time, Liao Xinya hadn't returned either.

The man took hold of his arm with his cold hand, helping him stand straight, his tone soft as freshly kneaded dough as he spoke:

"Go ahead."

That fear within him transformed into an endless wave of wistfulness and sorrow with those words.

Lin Yongjian turned to look at the person.

He could still feel a lingering sense of regret in his heart.

He said,

"Mr. Yan, if I don't make it this time, then this will be my final question."

"Are you really together with him?"

He asked sincerely, believing this to be a personal struggle within his own mind.

Unbeknownst to him, the other person present, who seemed nonchalant on the surface, was secretly clenching their palms in their jacket, beads of sweat forming from the intensity of the question.

Yan Qiling replied with a smile,

"..."

The silent mouthing went unnoticed.

Despite Ming Yiyang's towering figure, he couldn't see the man's lips from his position behind him. Thus, he could only infer the response from Lin Yongjian's expression.

Lin Yongjian's face didn't reveal much change; however, a faint smile emerged, which was indistinguishable between a sense of relief or a conviction of victory amidst his loneliness.

This fleeting moment made Ming Yiyang feel foolish for not standing opposite Yan Qiling.

Without casting another glance at anyone, Lin Yongjian held onto Yan Qiling's unspoken answer and followed the lantern-bearing servant down an unknown passage.

Three people remained in the room.

The man's heterochromatic eyes slowly shifted towards Yu Kui, who was trembling in the corner.

Upon meeting the enigmatic gaze, Yu Kui's tremors intensified.

-

Throughout his journey, Lin Yongjian hadn't come across Diao Qingchang or Liao Xinya.

Taking the three golden incense sticks from Xi Yi in the courtyard, he stepped into the so-called main hall with a mixture of doubt and belief.

The grandeur of the Dragon Fish Hall surpassed his imagination.

From the outside, the main hall appeared unremarkable, but inside, it was an expanse of dazzling gold and brilliance.

The floor tiles were enormous; anyone with knowledge of interior design would know that natural stone floors were more expensive the larger they were. This main hall's floor tiles were the size of four ordinary tiles combined.

They had the lustrous, cold sheen of polished ink jade, and above all, they looked incredibly costly!

Elaborately carved beams and pillars adorned with gilt were not even worth mentioning, nor were the gilded wooden columns; in this main hall, such luxuries were standard fare.

The most captivating item in the chamber was undoubtedly the deity statue enshrined at its center.

Lin Yongjian was left dumbfounded by the sight.