19 Unveiling the Truth (1)

The sky today was clear and cloudless. As the gnomon’s shadow on the stone dial just passed the Hour of the Monkey (3:00 PM), many servants were already bustling about in the left courtyard.

They entered Xing’er’s room, carrying out tables in pairs, or emerging with vases in one hand and stacks of clothing in the other, hauling all these trivial belongings out of the estate.

At the main gate of the manor, an ox cart was parked, loaded with miscellaneous items. As the servants brought out the old belongings, they piled them all onto the cart.

Steward Zeng stood to the side, directing the work. He was advanced in age, his stature short and slight, looking as though he could no longer exert much physical strength.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of three figures jogging toward them from a distance.

When the servants saw Cen Lan, they nodded slightly in greeting, though they did not pause their work.

Cen Lan went straight to Steward Zeng and stopped to ask, "Uncle Zeng, what is this for?"

Steward Zeng pointed toward the outside of the courtyard. "Following the Old Mistress’s orders, we are disposing of these old items. She said that keeping them in the house feels ominous. Once everything is loaded onto the cart, Old Ma will make a trip, and he’ll stop by the city to report to the authorities on the way."

"Going now?"

"Yes. He will deliver the goods at Wu Family Village ten miles east and stay the night; that way, he can make it to the morning court session."

Cen Lan felt a pang of discomfort. When these things were first brought into the house, her sister had insisted on keeping them, saying it was to preserve a memory. Now that her brother-in-law had just died and her sister was still bedridden, they were busy clearing these things out as if they were a plague.

Jiang Xiaoman looked around as well. Moving things in the mortal realm was indeed different from the immortal sects; it took two strong laborers to carry a bed frame, resting every three steps.

If it hadn't been for Cen Lan mentioning that she saw Steward Zeng and Guard Ma leading a group of servants into the left courtyard as she left, they would likely still be chatting in the guest house. When Ling Sichen heard this, his expression changed instantly. Ignoring whether the miasma in his mind had dissipated or not, he hurried them out, muttering about how "it would be too late if they waited."

He had not explained clearly just what would be too late.

Ling Sichen scanned the area quickly, his gaze finally settling on a sturdy silhouette. A tall man was carrying a wardrobe all by himself, heading toward the courtyard gate.

Ling Sichen walked over and tapped the man’s other free shoulder. "Guard Ma, is moving furniture part of a bodyguard’s duties?"

The man froze, stopped, and slowly lowered the heavy wardrobe to the ground. He turned around and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"The household staff is insufficient and time is pressing; it must be taken to Wu Family Village before dark. What, does the Divine Physician wish to help?"

The two had clashed quite unpleasantly in the main hall earlier. Jiang Xiaoman watched, tense, fearing an argument would break out.

"No need for such trouble," the youth in white smiled. "I will take these items."

Guard Ma: "Huh?"

Jiang Xiaoman: "Huh?"

Jiang Xiaoman thought: *Has his brain not recovered yet, and now he is talking nonsense? Why would he want this pile of old furniture?*

She tried to tug on his sleeve to warn him, but he remained indifferent.

Cen Lan and Steward Zeng looked over at them simultaneously, then exchanged a glance.

Steward Zeng was about to speak when he saw Ling Sichen clap his hands forcefully. The crisp sound made the other busy servants stop instinctively.

"Listen to me, all of you. Those currently moving things, finish loading the cart and take a break. Those who haven't moved anything yet, leave it where it is. The cart outside doesn't need to move either; I will have someone collect it all tomorrow morning."

Everyone was dumbfounded, looking in unison at Steward Zeng for instructions.

Steward Zeng’s eyes widened like copper bells. "Divine Physician, you aren't joking, are you?"

Ling Sichen laughed. "Your estate’s furniture is made of top-quality materials; it won't look shabby if I take it home. Guard Ma, Steward Zeng, shall we go to the accounting room to discuss the price?"

Steward Zeng frowned, considered it for a moment, and then waved his hand to let the servants follow the instructions.

*

The accounting room was situated in a corner of the front courtyard outside the left wing. It was a small room containing an account desk, several chairs, and a ledger rack against the wall.

The servants had been dismissed, leaving only the "Divine Physician" and his servant, Cen Lan, Steward Zeng, and Guard Ma in the room.

Steward Zeng squinted, hunched over the desk, and diligently worked the abacus. A moment later, he arrived at a figure and gestured it to Ling Sichen, who agreed without a second thought.

Jiang Xiaoman wanted to shout "extortion" upon seeing the number. Not to mention how wealthy the young master of the Ling family was—the point was, why spend such a large sum to buy a pile of junk?!

Did he really intend to take this pile of broken furniture back to Yue Mountain? The Ling family, like her own, likely used immortal wood from Penglai for their furniture. Even if these were brand new, they would be out of place, let alone being old items. She didn't even dare to imagine the sight if he really hauled them back.

Ling Sichen, however, seemed entirely unconcerned. He took the list handed over by Steward Zeng and began reading it at a leisurely pace.

In this room, only Guard Ma seemed impatient, pacing back and forth at the doorway, looking very agitated.

A moment later, he seemed unable to bear it any longer. "You two settle the account. Just tell me when you're finished. As a security guard, I don't understand these things. If we aren't going to Wu Family Village, I will go to the yamen to report this to the authorities immediately."

He had just pulled the door open to leave when a cold command stopped him from behind.

"Wait."

Although Ling Sichen’s gaze was fixed on the list, the words were clearly meant for Guard Ma.

"If you go now, I’m afraid you won't make it, will you?"

Guard Ma was stunned, then hurriedly explained, "No, my horse is fast. It isn't yet the Hour of the Monkey; if I ride hard, I should be able to make it just in time."

Ling Sichen let out a cold laugh and finally raised his eyes to look at the man by the door.

Guard Ma looked visibly uncomfortable under his gaze, and the burly man opened his round, bead-like eyes, glaring back.

The youth set down the list, walked straight over, and closed the door that Guard Ma had just opened right in front of him.

"Guard Ma, you are in such a hurry—it’s not to report to the authorities, is it?" He tilted his head, his eyes as sharp as a hawk’s. "It’s to turn yourself in, isn't it?"

Once these words were spoken, everyone turned to look at the two by the door.

The atmosphere grew stagnant and silent.

Cen Lan was the first to speak: "Y-Young Master, what are you saying? You mean to say that Guard Ma, he..."

She didn't finish her sentence, seeing Guard Ma standing there, biting his lower lip, saying nothing.

The person who should have had the strongest reaction was, at that moment, the most unresponsive.

Ling Sichen’s razor-sharp gaze did not soften. He scrutinized the silent, eight-foot-tall man and continued: "You had a full day yesterday to escape, yet you didn't. Your conscience remained, and feeling you had failed the Cen family, you intended to turn yourself in to the authorities after helping with this final task, didn't you?"

Guard Ma remained silent, not even moving his eyes.

The others were still in shock, unable to react. Steward Zeng trembled as he raised a hand, wanting to say something, but after a long while, he couldn't get the words out.

Ling Sichen took out the heavy object he had been carrying on his back and set it down with a "clatter." The old rags wrapping the iron object slipped off, revealing the iron blade he had found in the graveyard.

Jiang Xiaoman finally saw clearly that it was actually such a broken, old knife. When she found the unconscious man, the only things on him besides the Cold Star Sword in his hand were this heavy object wrapped in cloth on his back. Because it was an emergency, she hadn't had time to check what it was, but she felt it must be important if he had been carrying it, so she brought it back with them.

Later, when they left, Ling Sichen had specifically asked her where this item was. If she had unwrapped it and seen it was just this broken blade, she might have left it behind.

Ling Sichen’s next words made Jiang Xiaoman feel fortunate that she hadn't thrown it away.

"I found it strange that day why there would be rust on Cen Yuan’s corpse, until I saw you in the main hall. I vaguely felt something was discordant, and when I saw you throw a punch, I finally understood—it was your knife—it was missing."

As his voice fell, everyone in the room looked at Guard Ma’s waist.

Only then did they realize that the blade he usually wore at his waist was gone.

Jiang Xiaoman began to reflect: Why had she completely failed to notice this detail earlier?

Guard Ma’s bitten lip began to tremble, and his thick arms and shoulders started to shake violently, but he still did not say a word.

"From the moment we entered the manor, you were always clutching your sword. This blade is rusted to this degree, yet you still used it; it must have held special significance for you," Ling Sichen sighed softly, his tone shifting from calm to harsh. "Yet you used it to hack into the master’s body, one strike after another, hacking into the bone, until the blade’s edge rolled and the rust covered the corpse!"

"He deserved it!" Guard Ma suddenly roared, startling Cen Lan and making her tremble, though she was caught by Jiang Xiaoman beside her.

Guard Ma did not stop: "He was greedy and insatiable! He repeatedly cooked the books! He failed the Mistress!"

After he finished shouting, Jiang Xiaoman, supporting Cen Lan, felt strangely calm.

She had expected to be shocked—that the murderer was Guard Ma! But the moment she supported Cen Lan, she suddenly felt that she should act more like a member of an immortal sect. It was said that "the duty of the immortal sects is to guard the mortal realm." She might not be able to run about the world slaying demons like the young master Ling, but at the very least, she could protect the Cen Lan beside her.

Steward Zeng was greatly astonished upon hearing this: "Cooked... cooked the books!?"

Guard Ma gritted his teeth. "That’s right. Not only did he resell the Mistress’s famous zithers, but he also faked accounts in the transactions between the manor and the workshops, embezzling funds and deceiving the Mistress!"

Steward Zeng hurriedly went to the ledger rack to search. Ever since the financial matters were handed over to Cen Yuan, he hadn't been to the accounting room in years.

After flipping through the records for a while, he suddenly cried out: "It is so! The prices of the sixteen zithers brought in last year were all falsely inflated. How did I not notice at the time!"

This could not be entirely blamed on him. Because Cen Yuan’s family had been timber merchants, the old master had entrusted him with the procurement and sale of the zithers in the manor. After all, when the old master was still alive, the house took in many apprentices and bought several batches of zithers each year; many account details needed handling, and Steward Zeng was busy enough with the daily affairs of the manor, so he was naturally happy to have someone share the burden.

Later, after the old master passed away, the number of apprentices in the manor dropped sharply, and the Mistress began working as a private tutor outside. The Mistress was picky about the tone of the zithers, so she still bought many good ones each year, partly for her own practice and partly to take to her students for testing if a zither was suitable.

Cen Lan was astonished and hurried over to look, with Jiang Xiaoman following.

The three of them pored over the ledgers, sighing in succession.

Guard Ma added at the right moment: "The old master and the mistress were as kind to me as parents. When there was a drought in the northwest years ago and my whole family was displaced, it was the old master who gave me a place to live. How could I tolerate such a rat stealing and pilfering in this house!?"

Guard Ma held his head high, his spine straight, and there was naturally not a hint of remorse on his face.

Ling Sichen, however, smiled noncommittally.

"Did you truly kill him for the sake of the eldest Miss Cen?" He raised his eyelids, a sharp glint flashing through them. "Was it not for the sake of Xing’er?"