Chapter 54

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Under the cover of the deep, quiet night, Lu Liangsheng and the Toad Daoist did not linger long at the Zhou Manor. They swiftly retraced their steps along the courtyard walls and hurried through the streets. In the distance, a group of riders holding torches disappeared at the far end of the road. The figure leading them carried several long sabers on his back, a silhouette that seemed vaguely familiar.

“That person who just passed looks like Head Constable Zuo…”

After taking a brief glance, Lu Liangsheng quickly returned to the third floor of the inn with the toad. Quietly, they opened the window and jumped inside. The Daoist was still lying on the table, snoring loudly, while the female ghost daintily hummed a tune, her orchid-like fingers gently swaying. Seeing the scholar return, she floated closer.

“Young master, did you gain anything from your trip?”

Over by the window, Lu Liangsheng shut it, pulled off his mask, and pointed to the toad, who was sitting by the desk drinking water.

“…It was a tiny person who had crawled into people’s ears, but my master ate it for a midnight snack.”

The Toad Daoist rolled his eyes and sprawled out carelessly. “You can’t blame me. I’m a toad right now. When you flicked it away, I pulled it subconsciously into my mouth. Although… I must admit, that little person had quite a decent flavor.”

The female ghost floated further away with a look of disgust, but she was still a little curious.

“That little person—did it look like us?”

Lu Liangsheng nodded in response, recalling the contents of [Southern Waters Collection of Lost Arts], and casually answered: “I suspect Miss Zhou’s headaches are related to that little person.”

Gradually, he had pieced together some clues about the whole matter. The old woman who spat water, as the Toad Daoist mentioned, was under the influence of someone else casting spells, likely seeking something from the Zhou estate. Meanwhile, the little person had caused Zhou Rong’s headaches. There must be some connection between the two.

Unfortunately, his knowledge of cultivation was still somewhat lacking. He couldn’t discern the origin of the little person. [Southern Waters Collection of Lost Arts] only contained small stories about various magical techniques.

“Liangsheng, you don’t need to think so hard. In fact, I already know the origin of that little person.” Toad Daoist, who had been lying on a book, now opened his eyes to look at his apprentice brooding by the bed and sat up slowly.

“Master knows?”

The toad stood up, adjusted his collar, and with his webbed hands tucked behind him, gazed at the flickering candlelight, speaking in a calm tone: “In my prime, with my level of cultivation, what in this world could I not understand? At first, I too found that little thing odd. But once I swallowed it, I realized what it truly was.”

Thap, thap… His webbed feet made soft sounds as he walked a few steps across the glossy tabletop, continuing to speak.

“Beneath Miss Zhou’s room, spiritual energy has gathered and given birth to this little creature. I suspect that the person behind the old woman came for them. By spraying water to mark the area, they trapped those little creatures. The confined spirits grew agitated and thus vented their anger on Miss Zhou.”

The scholar by the bed contemplated his master’s words for a moment before nodding in agreement.

“As you said, Master, it all makes sense now.”

According to the Toad Daoist’s explanation, both the origin of the little creature and the purpose of the one controlling the old woman to spray water had become clear and connected logically.

After this, the Toad Daoist hopped over to the bedside and patted his disciple’s hand.

“Don’t worry too much. Since the old woman’s spell has been broken, that ignorant youngster controlling her behind the scenes will likely make another move. Tomorrow during the day, we’ll pay another visit. If we can stay at the Zhou Manor for a while, we can get to the bottom of this.”

“Master, I think you just want to try the Zhou estate’s cuisine…”

The Toad Daoist turned away, hands clasped behind his back, eyes half-closed, looking elsewhere. “Hmph, do you take your master for such a person?”

After chatting for a while, sleepiness overtook them. Master and disciple crawled into their bedding and drifted off. The next morning, before they were fully awake, a sharp scream  “Ah——”, echoed through the room.

Lu Liangsheng and the Toad Daoist awoke to see Sun Yingxian staring at his reflection in the bronze mirror. His face was bruised, with patches of green and purple, and his eyes were swollen nearly shut.

“Old Toad! You actually did this to me last night?!”

“This old man never does anything halfway!”

“If not for the fact that Lu Liangsheng is here, I’d be showing no respect for your age today!”

The toad crossed one of its webbed hands behind its back while raising the other in a beckoning gesture. “Come at me!”

“You bastard!!”

It was early in the morning, and the two were already bickering. Lu Liangsheng bypassed them without a word, heading over to the copper basin to wash up. Nie Honglian had prepared the water ahead of time and handed a towel to the scholar once he finished.

Outside, the long street had already become lively and bustling. Upstairs across the street, a scholar on the upper floor stretched lazily, opened his window and then he froze in place. On the open window across the street, he saw a towel seemingly fly into the hands of another scholar. In a panic, he slammed his window shut, his face drained of color, before retreating to his bed, where he hid under the covers, trembling.

In the busy street below, a small group of people walked into the Fortune and Prosperity Inn. One of them called over a waiter: “Excuse me, which room is Lu Liangsheng staying in?”

After getting the room number, they headed straight to the third floor.

Meanwhile, inside the guest room, Lu Liangsheng had finished washing up and returned to the bed, flipping through the pages of [Illustrated Records of the Mountains and Seas]. Once the others finished their quarrel, he planned to head down for breakfast.

Though the book was meant to pass the time, the strange monsters and regional customs of different regions within it gradually drew Lu Liangsheng in. Ever since he had learned to read and write, he had developed a thirst for knowledge from books.

“The Taowu… If this creature were to appear in real life, it would terrify a lot of people.”

Looking at the depiction of the fearsome monster, Lu Liangsheng was suddenly inspired and reached for a blank scroll, ready to start drawing. Just as he was about to spread the scroll out on the desk, he heard a knock on the door behind him.

“Excuse me, does Young Master Lu live here?”

The bickering between the others ceased at once. The Toad Daoist snorted and hopped onto the bed, kicking his short legs before curling into a lump.

Sun Yingxian, still nursing his bruised face, walked over and opened the door, waving dismissively at the group of young servants in green standing outside.

“He’s inside.”

The head of the group, clearly a steward, quickly offered an apologetic bow as they stepped inside.

“This little one is a servant from the Zhou Manor. Our Old Lord sent us to help Young Master Lu move some of his belongings.”

Move my belongings?

Lu Liangsheng was taken aback. He hadn’t planned to leave the inn yet, nor had he arranged any permanent residence in the city. He set down his brush and smiled at the servants from the Zhou Manor entering the room.

“I am Lu Liangsheng. May I ask what exactly Elder Zhou said about moving my things?”

The four servants exchanged glances, equally confused. The leader spoke up: “The master only told us to come over, saying that as a young master is a student of his old friend, and since you’ve just arrived in the prefecture city and are unfamiliar with the area, it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to stay outside alone. It would also be inconvenient for your studies.”

This was a classic case of “acting first and reporting later”…

Lu Liangsheng looked at the servants with a smile, realizing that if he declined, he might seem overly pedantic for a young man, and it would also refute the elder’s goodwill.

He suddenly exchanged a glance with the toad on the bed and walked over to sit on the edge, raising his hand. “Very well, go ahead and move everything. There’s not much, just put it all into those two bookcases. There’s also an old donkey in the back courtyard of the inn—bring that to the Zhou estate as well.”

As he gave the instructions, Lu Liangsheng reached behind him with his other hand, and the Toad Daoist gave him a knowing high-five.

Once the servants had packed everything, Lu Liangsheng turned to Sun Yingxian. “Will you come with me? You can stay for a few days, and if you don’t like it, you can always leave later.”

“Won’t go, won’t go!” Sun Yingxian shook his head repeatedly, leaning against the wall and grabbing the leftover wine from last night. “I have my own freedom, which is quite different from yours. Entering a scholarly residence full of books gives me a headache just thinking about it, so I’d better not go.”

As he spoke, he pulled out a few yellow talismans from his sleeve and slapped them onto the table. Taking a swig of wine, he stepped out of the room, his voice trailing behind him.

“If you need anything, just burn the paper!”
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Orluros’s Vault of Secrets: If you liked the chapter feel free to donate 🙂 and if you find any errors in the translation please mention them in the comments here or in discord