Appreciating New Tea with an Inkstone - Chapter 14

The two sat facing each other in silence, with Ye Qinming occasionally glancing at Gu Xiyan without saying much. Gu Xiyan could sense that Ye Qinming’s gaze hadn’t shifted, and feeling slightly awkward, she changed the subject to something she had been curious about for days.

“A few days ago, I went to the tea garden to look for you, but it seemed like you weren’t there. Last night, you returned injured. Have you… encountered something these past few days?” Ye Qinming didn’t answer immediately, simply looking at her calmly. Gu Xiyan, realizing her question might have been too abrupt, added apologetically, “I was just asking casually. If it’s inconvenient for you to answer…”

“There’s nothing inconvenient. As I’ve said before, there are many demons in Danyang City, so I went out to see what kind of creatures they were. However, they didn’t seem too keen on meeting me, so conflicts were inevitable.”

“They could injure you?”

“Even though I’m a demon, I still have flesh and blood. It’s not strange that they could hurt me,” Ye Qinming replied nonchalantly, though a hint of mockery flickered in her eyes. Despite being caught off guard and ambushed, she had managed to harvest the demon cores of those creatures, which had proven somewhat useful.

Gu Xiyan couldn’t see her expression but could sense the hidden emotions in her words. However, when it came to Ye Qinming, Gu Xiyan couldn’t read her as clearly as she could with ordinary people. Ye Qinming had likely lived for centuries, a demon who had experienced countless years in the mortal world. How much could an ordinary girl like Gu Xiyan, who had only lived for eighteen years, truly understand of her emotions? The truth and lies within Ye Qinming’s words seemed irrelevant to her.

She wasn’t foolish. She knew Ye Qinming’s visit to those demons wasn’t just a casual greeting, but she also understood that it wasn’t something Ye Qinming needed to explain to her.

Noticing Gu Xiyan’s distraction, Ye Qinming waved her hand in front of her face. Though Gu Xiyan couldn’t see it, the movement of air brought her back to the present.

“What are you thinking about?” Ye Qinming asked.

Gu Xiyan snapped out of her thoughts and pursed her lips. “Nothing. I don’t know how powerful supernatural forces are, but you should be careful. Don’t get hurt again.”

Ye Qinming’s eyes narrowed as a sudden memory flashed through her mind. 

“Even though your cultivation is profound, you should still be careful when you’re alone. Don’t get hurt again.” 

The voice was gentle and soft, but the words were delivered with a calm, almost indifferent tone, as if it were a simple statement.

Ye Qinming felt a pang in her heart. Who had said that? No matter how hard she tried to recall, she couldn’t grasp even a shadow of that person. An inexplicable frustration welled up within her, and she directed it at Gu Xiyan, who had inadvertently triggered this emotion.

“This is my business. You don’t need to interfere. I may keep you around, but I’ll only protect you within my capabilities. So, worrying too much is pointless.”

Gu Xiyan’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she lowered her gaze, murmuring, “I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn.” She had only been concerned for her, not because she doubted Ye Qinming’s ability to protect her.

Ye Qinming didn’t know where this sudden anger had come from. After speaking, she noticed Gu Xiyan’s desolate and quiet demeanor, and the discomfort within her grew. Yet, her pride prevented her from apologizing. She opened her mouth but ultimately vanished with a flick of her sleeve.

Gu Xiyan remained seated in the same position for a long time before letting out an almost imperceptible sigh.

***

In the following days, Ye Qinming didn’t reappear. The number of missing people in Danyang City had now reached fourteen—seven men and seven women. In addition to the government posting rewards for clues, some had pooled resources to hire external sorcerers and Daoist priests to exorcise the demons. It was clear from the ongoing cases that the culprit wasn’t an ordinary person, and the authorities alone were powerless to stop it.

The reward money led to a sudden influx of Daoist priests, monks, and self-proclaimed cultivators into Danyang City. However, their attempts to deal with the situation ended in failure. Most of these people were wandering charlatans with little skill but plenty of audacity. A few who had some rudimentary abilities managed to trace the demon’s presence, but the next day, one of the Daoist priests who had discovered a clue was found with his heart ripped out and hung on a locust tree outside the city.

The gruesome scene, with the victim’s eyes wide open in terror, scared off many, bringing a temporary calm to the city. However, the murderer grew bolder. Recent investigations into the city’s household registries revealed that the missing people were no longer just young men and women.

One day, the only son of a family in the western part of the city was inexplicably dragged away by a shadow. When the neighbors gathered the courage to search for him, they only found the child’s clothes and shoes in the woods, with no trace of the boy himself.

At the same time, in a small village on the outskirts of the city, a dozen servants and stewards were found with their hearts ripped out. The wounds on their chests indicated that they hadn’t been killed by weapons but rather by a beast that had torn open their flesh and taken their hearts.

This bloody massacre plunged Danyang City into a deep fear. As soon as the sun began to set, households closed their doors, and all vendors packed up their stalls. The city, bathed in the fading light of dusk, was left desolate and silent.

On this particular day, as the last rays of sunlight were about to disappear, a man wearing a bamboo hat and a dark blue Daoist robe walked quietly along the empty stone-paved street. He kept his head low, with a long sword slung across his back. He stopped in front of a notice board, reached out, and took down a reward poster.

As night deepened, a light flickered in a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the city. The small flame swayed in the night breeze, illuminating the tall, well-dressed man standing inside.

Shortly after, footsteps echoed outside the quiet temple. The man didn’t seem surprised and turned to face the newcomer with a smile. “You’ve come.”

The man who entered lifted his head and removed his hat. He looked at the man before him and pulled out a notice from his robe.

“Good. Take it,” the well-dressed man said, tossing a bag of gold leaves from his wide sleeve. The other man caught it, opened it to inspect the contents, and then tucked it away.

“When do we act?” came the low, indifferent voice.

“Tomorrow. When you slay the demons, they will revere you. Just follow my instructions.”

“I only care about the money you’re paying,” the man replied before turning and disappearing into the night. The sky outside was pitch black, with no stars in sight.

The well-dressed man sneered. “Humans are truly greedy and despicable creatures.”

*** 

“My lady, Ah Da brought news from outside. Someone has taken the reward poster again. This time, it’s a Daoist priest, and he’s quite young. How can someone still dare to take the poster after what happened to the last one?” Ah Qi, munching on melon seeds, chatted with Gu Xiyan.

Gu Xiyan was alone, fiddling with chess pieces on a board, her fingers tracing the positions as she contemplated her next move. Hearing this, she replied calmly, “If someone is willing to risk their life for this, they’re either a madman or truly capable.”

Ah Qi glanced at the chessboard and sighed. “My lady, looking at you, I feel like I’ve wasted my eyes. I can see the board clearly, but I have no idea how to solve this puzzle.”

Gu Xiyan smiled faintly. “It’s just a matter of specialization. Besides, not being able to see often helps one focus more deeply.”

“My lady.” A man dressed in black entered the courtyard and bowed to Gu Xiyan.

“Ah Er, what is it?” Gu Xiyan continued placing chess pieces as she spoke.

“You asked us to keep an eye on the Yang family. Yesterday, after sunset, our people saw Yang Xunzhi leaving his residence.” He didn’t know what was unusual about Yang Xunzhi, but in the tense atmosphere of Danyang City, going out after sunset was highly suspicious.

“Did you follow him?” Gu Xiyan asked, her expression turning serious.

“We did, but strangely, we lost track of him after a while.”

Gu Xiyan slowly exhaled. “Ah Er, remember this: in the future, just keep a distant watch. Don’t get too close.”

“Yes, my lady.”

***

“My lady?”

Ah Qi noticed that Gu Xiyan had been lost in thought since Ah Er left and couldn’t help calling out to her.

Gu Xiyan snapped out of her reverie and let out a slow breath. “Ah Qi, keep an eye on any news related to the case. Let me know if you hear anything.”

In just three short days, the Daoist priest who had taken the reward poster not only survived but also captured a snake demon.

When Gu Xiyan heard the news, her eyelid twitched. “A snake demon? What kind of snake demon?”

The snake demon was still alive, bound by the priest’s spells and tied to the city’s execution platform. According to the priest, they had found the remains of several people in the snake demon’s lair.

The people of Danyang City spread the news, both horrified and relieved. They gathered around the execution platform, waiting for the snake demon to be burned alive.

“That Daoist priest is indeed powerful. Based on Ah Da’s description, could it be the same snake demon that attacked you?”

Gu Xiyan nodded. “It’s very likely, but things aren’t that simple. The snake demon is real, but it may not be responsible for all the murders in Danyang City.”

“Why do you say that, my lady?”

“Even though it’s a demon, its nature is that of a snake. Snakes don’t tear their prey apart; they swallow them whole. When it attacked me that day, it tried to swallow me directly without biting. So, the remains found in its lair couldn’t have been its victims.”

Ah Qi frowned. “You have a point. And what about the dozen people in the village outside the city who had their hearts ripped out? They didn’t mention that. What would a snake demon want with hearts? To eat them?”

Gu Xiyan’s thoughts sharpened. That was right—it had been said that those people had their chests torn open by claws and their hearts removed. This alone proved that the snake demon wasn’t the culprit.

However, even with this knowledge, it didn’t stop the people from executing the snake demon or from revering the Daoist priest as a divine figure.

The situation continued to escalate. The priest not only captured the snake demon but also killed two other demons who had been living among humans.

This time, Ah Qi didn’t seem as excited. After relaying the news to Gu Xiyan, she seemed lost in thought. “My lady, I still can’t believe that Uncle Zhuo and Auntie Zhuo were demons. They were such good people.”

Gu Xiyan’s head was bowed, and her expression was unreadable, but her hands on the stone table clenched tightly. The Uncle Zhuo and Auntie Zhuo that Ah Qi mentioned were a couple who worked in the Gu family’s tea garden. They weren’t permanent employees but helped out during busy seasons. The couple ran a small shop selling pastries and were known for their kindness and generosity in the Long Lane neighborhood. They had no children of their own but had adopted three orphans—two girls and a boy, the eldest being twelve and the youngest only six.

Every year, when the Gu family distributed food to the poor, the couple would contribute extra to the beggars in the area, earning them great respect.

Once, when Gu Xiyan had sneaked out with Ah Qi, they encountered the couple selling pastries. Gu Xiyan loved Auntie Zhuo’s steamed rice cakes, and the couple, knowing she was blind, treated her with extra care. They guessed she was the Gu family’s young lady but didn’t say anything. Instead, they began sending freshly steamed cakes to the Gu residence every few days through their adopted daughter, Little Qiao’er. This had been going on for a long time, and to keep Gu Xiyan from getting bored, they would also send new pastries for her to try.

Having known them for so long, Gu Xiyan had only ever seen the purest and most sincere kindness in them. Demons? What had they done to deserve death? Who had they killed?