Ji County, Siyuan Study.
This was the county's reading place prepared for child scholars, meaning: to have high aspirations and never forget one's origins.
A lampwick popped, and Wang Lang rubbed his sore wrist.
Wang Lang was the fifth child in his family; others called him Wang Laowu. He also had a younger brother, Wang Qi, who was idle all day.
The burden of achieving official success fell entirely on him. The prefectural examination was in another month, so he had no choice but to study diligently day and night, burning the midnight oil!
If he could pass the prefectural examination, he would be just one step away from the title of 'Xiucai'.
The study hall prepared for them by the county was advantageous for its remoteness, ensuring no disturbances. There were also night patrols nearby, which guaranteed their safety.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew through.
The pages rustled.
There were originally four child scholars in the study. One occasionally came here, and another should have been asleep by now.
And one more...
"Bang bang--"
The main door was knocked loudly. Wang Lang quickly put down his book, held up a candle, and exited his room.
And one more was just returning now.
"Click--"
The door bolt was removed.
Li Ziheng held a lantern, and behind him followed a woman.
The woman carried a bundle, had a beautiful face, with a silver hairpin in her hair, and a melancholic expression that tugged at one's heartstrings.
"Wang Lang, I knew you hadn't rested yet."
"This is--"
Before Li Ziheng could speak, the woman bowed gracefully to Wang Lang: "My humble self is a woman from Dingtao Village, about ten li north of here. Many years ago, my husband unfortunately died young, and I had no children. My cruel parents-in-law then drove me out of the house.
My parents had long since passed away. Destitute and alone, I could only come to seek refuge with my aunt in this city. But fate had other plans; my aunt has also passed away. Now I am all alone, with nowhere to go.
Fortunately, I met Young Master Li today and wished to stay here for one night, to temporarily shelter from the wind and rain..."
As she spoke, the woman seemed overcome with grief, covering her face and weeping.
Li Ziheng pulled Wang Lang aside, "Brother Wang, could you do me a favor?"
"What is it?"
"Brother Wang, I am already twenty years old, but no matchmaker has come to my door yet. I originally hoped to make a name for myself by passing the prefectural examination, thereby securing a good future.
However, fate is playful. Xiulian and I fell in love at first sight and developed feelings for each other. But I am currently without a fixed abode, drifting everywhere, with no one to rely on. So I want Xiulian to stay with me temporarily.
I hope Brother Wang can keep this secret for me and not tell anyone else. Xiulian and I are both very grateful and will remember it forever."
Wang Lang saw his friend's sincerity and looked at the lonely woman. Wishing to help the two, he readily agreed.
...
Night fell, and birds chirped and insects hummed.
Li Ziheng's gaze was burning, staring intently at Xiulian, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Actually, he had just deceived Wang Lang.
He and Xiulian did not fall in love at first sight. Instead, he saw her alone on the road, was smitten by her beauty, and enticed Xiulian to live with him.
He also didn't expect Xiulian to be so easy to deceive. She followed him after a few coaxing words.
"Xiulian, it's late."
"Mm--"
Xiulian's eyes were shy, her expression bashful, and she looked down at her embroidered shoes.
Li Ziheng could no longer bear it and pounced on her.
After some struggle, the two embraced.
"Young Master's flesh must be very firm."
"What?" Li Ziheng was stunned by her words.
"I said Young Master's body is very strong."
Immediately after, the candlelight flickered, and the bedsheets rustled.
"Ah--"
A scream followed.
Li Ziheng's eyes were wide open, unwilling to close even in death.
...
"Creak--"
"Creak--"
Wang Lang's footsteps were particularly jarring in the dead of night.
He lived next door to Li Ziheng and happened to hear a commotion from his room, so he got up to check.
Wang Lang stopped. The night wind carried a smell of blood into his nose.
Wang Lang was filled with fear. Driven by curiosity, he quietly pressed his ear against the door, vaguely hearing gnawing and chewing sounds.
Wang Lang carefully poked a hole in the window paper. In the flickering candlelight, Xiulian's face was covered in blood, and she was gnawing with her head down, a beauty mark under her left eye looking eerily strange.
"Ah--"
"Clang--"
"A ghost--"
"Help me--"
Wang Lang was terrified and cried out for help.
The nearby night patrols arrived quickly.
Torches illuminated the study. The several night patrols who arrived worked together to break open the wooden door.
The night patrols were greatly alarmed.
The people gathered at the doorway also backed away.
Under the torchlight, blood flowed everywhere in the room. A woman sat on the bed, her eyes empty, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth.
Seeing the arrivals, the woman showed no panic. She waved her hands, and an evil wind howled, blowing everyone off balance and forcing them to retreat repeatedly.
The woman took this opportunity to break out of the door.
Under the night sky, shadows flickered, leaving behind the fainted Wang Lang and a group of panicked night patrols.
...
Early in the morning, Chen Ming appeared at the gate of Ji County riding a small donkey.
From a distance, he saw a group of soldiers blocking the city gate, conducting strict checks.
"Excuse me, what happened?"
Zhang Bo pulled the reins, stopping a passerby.
"I heard someone died in the study last night!"
"The soldiers are arresting people!"
When it was Chen Ming and Zhang Bo's turn, the soldiers' attitude improved significantly. After all, not everyone had a carriage, and judging by Chen Ming's attire, his family background was not ordinary.
More importantly...
"Young brother, are you a master of the mystic arts?"
The soldier glanced at the peach wood sword behind Chen Ming and cupped his hands.
"What, the one who harmed people isn't human?"
Seeing Chen Ming's directness, the soldier only said, "It seems the master is truly capable. After entering the city, you might want to check the notice!"
The notice board was right by the city gate.
After entering the city, Chen Ming rode his donkey and looked at the notice board. Most of the notices were old, mostly rewards for bandits, but there was only one new notice.
It offered a reward for the murderer in the study and included a portrait: a woman with a beautiful face and a beauty mark under her left eyelid.
Chen Ming's eyes widened. He realized that the woman in the portrait was identical to the Painted Skin Ghost described in the opportunity codex.
Murder, beautiful woman, beauty mark under the eyelid.
Most importantly, the opportunity codex showed that the Painted Skin Ghost's sins had added another victim.
...
After entering the city, the two asked for directions and went straight to West Street.
After all, there was a corpse lying in the carriage, and it needed to be returned to the Wang family quickly.
"Whoa--"
Zhang Bo pulled the reins, and the yellow horse's front hooves left two marks on the bluestone road.
In front of an ordinary residence, Zhang Bo turned to look at Chen Ming, who was riding a small donkey behind him, "Young Master, this should be it."
"Call someone."
"Alright."
"Bang bang bang--"
Zhang Bo rolled up his sleeves, banging and shouting, "Is anyone home?"
"Coming, coming, stop knocking."
A sound came from the courtyard.
"Creak--"
"Who are the two of you...?" The person who came out was likely a servant, dressed in an indigo cloth uniform.
"We are here specifically to return the coffin!"
Then the coachman pointed to the carriage behind him, "Didn't your master tell you?"
"The master told us. You must be Master Chen. Please, come in!"
The servant bowed and welcomed Chen Ming inside.