At the beginning of autumn, the imperial capital was as lively as ever.
Horse-drawn carriages traveled one after another along the main road. Red lanterns hung from the shops on either side, while the voices of merchants and customers mingled with the bells from the ancient temples in the distance.
No one knew that beneath all that prosperity, a wealthy family was sinking into a series of strange events.
The Tô family.
One of the largest merchant families in the imperial capital.
They had been in business for three generations.
Their warehouses stretched beyond the city walls.
Their shops could be found along every major street.
The Tô family had never lacked money.
But over the past two months...
Their money had begun disappearing in a very strange way.
It wasn't stolen.
They weren't cheated.
Instead, contracts that were on the verge of being signed suddenly fell through.
Their successful shops began running into trouble one after another.
Warehouses caught fire.
Goods spoiled.
Their employees fell ill without end.
Their biggest clients canceled their contracts all at once.
At first, the Tô family thought it was nothing more than bad luck.
Until the steward discovered...
A straw effigy in the old rice warehouse behind the house.
Across the effigy's chest...
Were written the names of every member of the Tô family.
“I told you.”
Mạnh Ái planted both hands on the table.
“This is definitely a ghost.”
Hạnh Nhi was eating a steamed bun.
She raised her head.
“Not necessarily.”
“There’s an effigy.”
“A curse talisman.”
“There’s blood.”
“It could be evil sorcery.”
“The warehouse burned down.”
“That could have been a person.”
Mạnh Ái was speechless.
“Do you always have to come up with some other explanation?”
Hạnh Nhi calmly took another bite of her bun.
“Because if I haven’t seen a ghost, I don’t call it a ghost.”
Mạnh Ái crossed her arms.
“Fine.”
“Then what do you think it is?”
“Someone is using evil sorcery to destroy the Tô family’s fortune.”
Mạnh Ái stared at her.
“How is that different from a ghost?”
“It’s different.”
“How?”
“A ghost wants your life.”
“And a person?”
Hạnh Nhi looked at the scrap of paper in her hand.
“A person wants more than your life.”
Mạnh Ái fell silent.
The two of them were sitting in a teahouse two blocks from the Tô Residence.
In front of them lay an invitation from the Tô family.
It was no ordinary invitation.
It was a yellow card sealed with red cinnabar.
Eight words were written beneath it:
Respectfully inviting Mao Mountain Daoist master Hạnh Nhi.
Mạnh Ái picked up the card.
“When did you become famous?”
“I don’t know.”
“The Thanh Hà incident only happened a few days ago.”
“Mm.”
“And someone already knows your name.”
“Mm.”
Mạnh Ái looked at her.
“Don’t you find that strange?”
“I do.”
“Then why are you still going?”
Hạnh Nhi set down her bun.
“Because the person who sent the letter knows my name.”
“And?”
“They know I’m a disciple of Mao Mountain.”
“And?”
“They know about Thanh Hà.”
Mạnh Ái blinked.
“Which means...”
“Someone is watching us.”
Mạnh Ái immediately looked around.
Hạnh Nhi calmly sipped her tea.
“Don’t look.”
“But—”
“The person watching us isn’t here.”
“You know that?”
“I know.”
“Where are they?”
Hạnh Nhi pointed to the roof across the street.
Mạnh Ái looked up.
There was no one there.
“I don’t see anything.”
“Of course not.”
“Then how do you know?”
“Because that person wants me to know.”
Mạnh Ái was silent for several seconds.
Then she nodded thoughtfully.
“You’re getting scarier by the day.”
Hạnh Nhi stood.
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“The Tô family.”
“We’re not eating anymore?”
“We are.”
“Where?”
Hạnh Nhi pointed toward the table of steamed buns.
“Pack them to go.”
Mạnh Ái burst out laughing.
“What kind of Daoist has to bring steamed buns along even when solving a case?”
Hạnh Nhi looked at her.
“Daoists get hungry too.”
The Tô Residence stood in the eastern part of the imperial capital.
The main gate was wide enough for three carriages to pass side by side.
Two stone lions stood on either side of the gate.
But Hạnh Nhi’s attention wasn't drawn to the family’s wealth.
It was drawn to the two lanterns hanging in front of the entrance.
One was red.
The other was white.
As soon as Mạnh Ái approached, she asked,
“Do rich families usually hang these two colors?”
Hạnh Nhi shook her head.
“No.”
“Then?”
“White lanterns are used for funerals.”
Mạnh Ái looked at the lantern.
“But there hasn’t been a funeral in this house.”
“I know.”
“Then why is it hanging there?”
Hạnh Nhi didn't answer.
She stood before the gate.
Her fingers formed a hand seal.
A chill swept past.
Hạnh Nhi immediately lowered her hand.
“Someone died.”
Mạnh Ái stared at her.
“Inside the house?”
“No.”
“Where?”
Hạnh Nhi looked down at the stone pavement.
“Under the gate.”
Mạnh Ái crouched down.
All she saw was clean stone.
“You can see it?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know?”
“I can smell it.”
“Yin energy has a smell.”
Mạnh Ái leaned closer.
“I can’t smell anything.”
Hạnh Nhi looked at her.
“Because you’re alive.”
“Living people can’t smell it?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
“Your sense of smell is bad.”
Mạnh Ái: “...”
She decided not to say anything else.
The Tô family’s steward had been waiting for them for a long time.
He was in his fifties, dressed neatly, but his face looked exhausted.
The moment he saw Hạnh Nhi, he bowed.
“Daoist master Hạnh Nhi?”
“That’s me.”
“My master has been waiting for you.”
Hạnh Nhi nodded.
“Lead the way.”
The steward had just turned around when he noticed Mạnh Ái.
“And this is...”
“My friend.”
Mạnh Ái immediately smiled.
“Assistant.”
Hạnh Nhi looked at her.
Mạnh Ái corrected herself.
“Uh... the one paying.”
The steward stared blankly.
Hạnh Nhi offered no explanation.
The three of them went inside.
The deeper Hạnh Nhi went, the heavier the Yin energy felt.
But what made her most uncomfortable...
Was that there wasn't a trace of natural yang energy anywhere in the Tô Residence.
The plants were still green.
The birds still sang.
The servants still moved about.
But the entire house seemed to be covered by an invisible veil.
Something was draining this place of its fortune.
Suddenly, a bowl fell from a table.
Crash!
A servant immediately dropped to his knees.
“I’m sorry!”
The steward frowned.
“Again.”
Mạnh Ái asked,
“Does this happen often?”
“Every day lately.”
“Things fall by themselves?”
“That’s right.”
Hạnh Nhi walked over to the bowl.
She crouched down.
There was nothing unusual about it.
But when she picked it up...
A long black hair was stuck to the bottom.
Hạnh Nhi looked at it.
“Has any woman in the house lost hair recently?”
The steward stared at her.
“No.”
“No one?”
“No.”
Hạnh Nhi handed the hair to Mạnh Ái.
“Hold on to it.”
Mạnh Ái took it at once.
“What for?”
“Don’t touch it with your bare hands.”
She looked at the hair.
It was moving.
Very slightly.
Like a worm.
Mạnh Ái immediately threw it down.
“Ah!”
Hạnh Nhi looked at her.
“I told you to hold it.”
“It moved!”
“I know.”
“Then why did you tell me to hold it?”
“Because I wanted to see where it would go.”
Mạnh Ái pointed at the floor.
The hair was crawling toward the hallway.
Hạnh Nhi immediately followed.
It crawled very slowly.
Past the living room.
Down the hallway.
At last, it stopped in front of a door.
A sign hung on it:
TÔ FAMILY YOUNG MASTER.
Mạnh Ái looked at Hạnh Nhi.
“This is the son’s room?”
“Mm.”
“So are we going in?”
Hạnh Nhi knocked.
Knock.
Knock.
No one answered.
The steward hurriedly said,
“The young master is inside.”
Hạnh Nhi opened the door.
“Wait!”
The steward tried to stop her.
But it was too late.
The door opened.
A very faint fragrance drifted out of the room.
Sandalwood.
But mixed into it...
Was the smell of blood.
A young man was sitting by the window.
A white dress shirt.
Black pants.
His hair was neatly combed.
On the table sat a tablet, several files, and a cup of coffee.
At a glance, he looked no different from an ordinary rich young heir.
He raised his head.
His first look stopped on Hạnh Nhi.
For a long time.
Hạnh Nhi looked at him as well.
“You’re Tô Tuấn?”
“That’s right.”
Tô Tuấn stood.
“And you’re Hạnh Nhi?”
“Mm.”
He walked over.
“We finally meet.”
Mạnh Ái, standing behind her, immediately raised an eyebrow.
Finally?
Hạnh Nhi asked,
“You know me?”
“I do.”
“From where?”
“Through an acquaintance.”
“Who?”
Tô Tuấn smiled.
“Someone who doesn’t want you to know.”
Hạnh Nhi fell silent.
Mạnh Ái cut in,
“You know, talking like that is a good way to get hit.”
Tô Tuấn looked at her.
“And you are?”
“Mạnh Ái.”
“Ah.”
Tô Tuấn nodded.
“The one paying.”
Mạnh Ái froze.
She turned to Hạnh Nhi.
“You told him?”
“No.”
Tô Tuấn smiled.
“I heard it from the steward.”
Mạnh Ái immediately pointed at Hạnh Nhi.
“See?”
“I heard him.”
Tô Tuấn laughed.
For the first time since they entered, the room felt almost normal.
But only a few seconds later...
Tô Tuấn placed a file on the table.
“Look at this.”
Hạnh Nhi took it.
Inside was a list of the Tô family’s shops.
Dozens of names.
Opening dates.
Revenue.
Business conditions.
Hạnh Nhi looked through it for a while.
“You want me to examine the accounts?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“Someone is targeting my family.”
Hạnh Nhi looked at him.
“You know who?”
“Not yet.”
“You know how?”
“I do.”
Tô Tuấn took out another sheet of paper.
It showed a map of the Tô Residence.
“Three months ago, my family’s revenue began to decline.”
“Then the warehouses started burning.”
“After that, the employees fell ill.”
“But everything happened according to a pattern.”
Hạnh Nhi looked at the map.
Tô Tuấn pointed to each location.
“The warehouse to the east.”
“The shop to the south.”
“The warehouse to the west.”
“Then the main residence.”
The four points formed a line.
Hạnh Nhi understood immediately.
“A formation.”
Tô Tuấn nodded.
“Exactly.”
Mạnh Ái looked at him.
“You know about formations?”
“No.”
“Then how did you figure it out?”
Tô Tuấn pointed at the map.
“If a business keeps losing money at different locations, I look for a pattern.”
“That’s my job.”
Hạnh Nhi looked at him a little longer.
“You’re smart.”
Tô Tuấn smiled.
“Thank you.”
Mạnh Ái immediately cut in:
“You rarely compliment anyone.”
Hạnh Nhi ignored her.
She continued studying the map.
The four points formed a square.
But at the very center...
Was the Tô Residence.
“What about the fifth point?”
Tô Tuấn pointed to the main house.
“It hasn’t happened yet.”
“No.”
Hạnh Nhi shook her head.
“It already happened.”
Tô Tuấn stared at her.
“When?”
“Last night.”
Hạnh Nhi took the black hair from her pocket.
“In your room.”
Tô Tuấn looked at the hair.
His expression changed.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“I was here last night.”
“I know.”
“No one entered the room.”
“I know.”
“Then where did this come from?”
Hạnh Nhi placed the hair on the table.
“It didn’t enter.”
“Then?”
“It was born here.”
Tô Tuấn fell silent.
Hạnh Nhi looked around the room.
“Have you ever seen this before?”
She pointed to a wooden box in the corner.
Tô Tuấn followed her gaze.
“That box?”
“Mm.”
“My father forbade me from touching it.”
“What’s inside?”
“I don’t know.”
Hạnh Nhi stood.
“I need to see it.”
Tô Tuấn immediately walked over.
But the moment he touched the box...
His hand froze.
A black mark crawled from the bottom of the box onto his finger.
Hạnh Nhi immediately pulled him away.
“Don’t touch it!”
Too late.
The black mark had already spread to his wrist.
Tô Tuấn stared at it.
For the first time, the calm vanished from his face.
“Hạnh Nhi.”
“Mm.”
“This thing...”
“It’s a curse talisman.”
Tô Tuấn looked at her.
“Can it be cured?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
Hạnh Nhi looked at the black mark.
“Before it reaches your heart.”
Tô Tuấn fell silent.
Mạnh Ái stepped forward.
“How long?”
Hạnh Nhi answered,
“Three days.”
Mạnh Ái breathed a sigh of relief.
“Then there’s still time.”
Hạnh Nhi shook her head.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Three days is a living person’s time.”
“And?”
“For whatever is cursing him...”
Hạnh Nhi looked at the box.
“Those three days began a long time ago.”
A sound suddenly rang out in the room.
Click.
The door swung shut on its own.
A line of red writing appeared across its surface.
Each stroke emerged as if written in blood.
ONE PERSON BLEEDS.
ONE PERSON LOSES THEIR LIFE.
ONE PERSON PAYS THE DEBT.
Tô Tuấn stared at the words.
“Hạnh Nhi...”
“I see it.”
Hạnh Nhi drew her peachwood sword.
Mạnh Ái immediately picked up the wooden stick.
“Is it a ghost?”
Hạnh Nhi shook her head.
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“Someone is inside the house.”
“The man in black?”
“Not necessarily.”
Hạnh Nhi looked at the box.
Then she looked at Tô Tuấn.
“Where is your father?”
“In the study.”
“Take me there.”
Tô Tuấn nodded.
The three of them had just stepped out of the room...
When a scream rang out from the end of the hallway.
“Master!”
It was followed by the sound of things crashing to the floor.
Tô Tuấn immediately ran.
Hạnh Nhi grabbed his shoulder.
“Slow down.”
“My father!”
“That’s exactly what the culprit wants.”
Tô Tuấn clenched his teeth.
“But if something happens to my father—”
“I’ll save him.”
Hạnh Nhi looked straight at him.
“But you have to listen to me.”
Tô Tuấn was silent for several seconds.
At last, he nodded.
“All right.”
Hạnh Nhi walked toward the study.
With every step...
The temperature in the hallway dropped.
When she reached the study door, she stopped.
The door was open.
Inside was pitch-black.
Someone lay on the floor.
It was Master Tô.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
On his forehead...
Was a black handprint.
Hạnh Nhi stepped inside.
She crouched down and checked his breathing.
“He’s still alive.”
Tô Tuấn let out a sigh of relief.
But at that moment...
A laugh sounded behind them.
Very softly.
Hạnh Nhi turned around.
A figure stood at the end of the hallway.
He wore black.
A silver ring reflected the lantern light.
He didn't approach.
He only looked at Hạnh Nhi.
“It’s been a long time.”
Hạnh Nhi’s voice turned cold.
“I know you.”
“No.”
The man in black smiled.
“You only just learned my name.”
Hạnh Nhi tightened her grip on her sword.
“What’s your name?”
“Me?”
He raised a hand and removed the silver ring.
Then he pressed it to his lips.
“People call me...”
“Huyền Sát.”
A gust of black wind swept through the hallway.
The lanterns went out.
When the light returned...
He was gone.
Only the silver ring remained on the floor.
Hạnh Nhi looked at the ring.
Her expression turned cold.
Because on the inside of the ring...
Was a symbol she had seen before.
The symbol of a branch of the Daoist order that had been erased from Mao Mountain more than thirty years ago.
Huyền Môn.
And for the first time...
Hạnh Nhi realized that the Tô family case was not merely a curse-talisman case.
It was directly connected to the past of the Daoist order.
She turned to Tô Tuấn.
“Don’t sleep tonight.”
Tô Tuấn asked,
“Why?”
Hạnh Nhi looked at the black handprint on his father’s forehead.
“Because the next person to be cursed...”
“Isn’t your father.”
Her gaze dropped to Tô Tuấn’s wrist.
The black mark had spread another inch.
“It’s you.”