x
Three days later.
In the afternoon, at the Huang Family Estate near the iron mine, inside a small private school.
"I'm leaving, Juanjuan!"
A girl with double braids and a cloth shoulder bag stood at the doorway, waving energetically to her friend inside the classroom.
Song Yunjuan smiled from her seat.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsUGwST5Dx
"Go back quickly, or your parents will scold you again if you're late."
"Got it!"
The girl skipped away into the golden light of sunset, her figure gradually disappearing into the distance.
Only when she could no longer see her friend did Song Yunjuan finally look away. The classroom had gone quiet—everyone else had already left. She was the only one still there.
"I should go back too."
She carefully gathered her pen, ink, and straw paper, packing them neatly into the small shoulder bag she had brought. Rising from her seat, she dusted off her clothes and stepped out of the classroom.
The Huang Family Estate, bathed in the light of dusk, looked especially dim and lifeless.
Several women chatting near a courtyard wall quickly turned and left the moment they saw Song Yunjuan. They didn’t even spare her a second glance.
In the distance, a few boys no older than seven or eight, their faces streaked with mud and snot, were playing in the dirt. When they noticed her stepping out of the school, their expressions changed and they bolted away.
"Run! The little disaster star is coming out!"
"This way!"
Song Yunjuan kept her head down and didn’t react. She adjusted her small bag and quietly made her way home.
Her house wasn’t far—just a few miles from the estate—but for a ten-year-old girl, even that felt like a long journey.
Things hadn't always been like this. A few years ago, her family was doing well. Her father, mother, and grandparents were all alive.
But everything changed two years ago. Her eldest brother had become obsessed with alchemy and cultivation. He gave up on the annual examinations and started mumbling strange things about immortal techniques and refining elixirs. He locked himself at home all day, practicing nonsense and wasting the family's savings on obscure books about cultivation.
Since then, everything had begun to fall apart.
First, her grandparents went out for an outing one day—and never came back.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpazHw3mT7
Then it was her parents. Before the mourning period had even ended, they fell from a carriage and tumbled off a cliff.
After that, no one in the family could rein in her eldest brother. He sank deeper into obsession, brewing elixirs and pursuing immortality like a madman.
Most of her other brothers and sisters left the manor in disappointment, one after another. In the end, only she and her eldest brother remained.
To continue his alchemy, her brother sold everything of value in the house. Now, the once-lively manor stood hollow and bare—even thieves had no interest in it. All the servants had been dismissed, leaving only the two of them behind.
Song Yunjuan’s fair face dimmed with disappointment. She missed her grandfather. She missed her father.
"And the sweet-scented osmanthus cake Mother used to make... it was so delicious..."
Lowering her head, she gently wiped the tears forming in her eyes and quickened her pace toward home.
There was nothing left now. No warmth, no comfort.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0PHnzsBqM
Only one sliver of kindness remained—Mr. Chen from the private school, who, pitying her family's sudden fall, didn’t force her to leave for failing to pay tuition. He still allowed her to sit in on the lessons.
Walking briskly, she tied her shoulder-length hair back with a piece of straw rope. Just after dusk, she arrived at the gate of her home.
The main gate of Song Family Estate was slightly ajar, unlatched. The surroundings were dark and empty.
She was long used to this.
Pushing the gate open with effort, she stepped inside, then turned to lock it behind her. With a firm shove, she slid the thick bolt into place.
Bang.
She clapped the dust from her hands and turned to face the courtyard.
The ground was scattered with fallen leaves and dry twigs. The rooms ahead were completely dark—no lights lit, not even a flicker.
Bathed in moonlight, she headed toward the side hall.
Only her footsteps echoed in the silence of the empty courtyard. Her worn deerskin boots struck the stone slabs with crisp, hollow sounds.
She had grown used to this silence.
Approaching the side hall, she peeked inside. It was pitch dark. The moonlight filtered through the windows and fell onto the dining table in the center—bare, untouched.
"Alas..."
She sighed, then turned toward her brother’s bedroom.
Crossing a narrow stone bridge, she approached the largest wing room on the left. She reached out and gently pushed the door open.
Creak.
The harsh scrape of wood against wood pierced through the silence like a blade. In the lifeless manor, it sounded startlingly loud.
The room was shrouded in darkness, and Song Yunjuan could only make out the faint outlines of the furnishings under the moonlight.
To the left, a shadowy corner swallowed all detail, but a large shape loomed within it—its silhouette just visible in the dim glow.
She recognized it. Her brother’s alchemy furnace.
Turning her eyes to the right, she saw a square table partially illuminated. A few bowls sat on it, their shapes blurred in the low light.
"Brother, are you still refining elixirs?" she asked softly.
There was a moment of silence.
"Yeah. I just refined a little," came a man's voice from the darkness.
Song Yunjuan stepped into the room, carefully navigating to the dining table. She felt for the chopsticks, ready to eat.
But as she picked up a dish, she realized it was ice cold. Not only was lighting a lamp forbidden at night, now even the food couldn’t be warmed?
What kind of strange cold refining method was this? How could an elixir be made without fire?
"Brother, didn’t you reheat the food?"
"Yes. I made it this morning and haven’t had time to heat it up," the voice replied from the dark.
Song Yunjuan sighed quietly.
What she couldn't see—what no one could see—was that behind the alchemy furnace, there was no one there.
No figure. No shadow.
So where had the voice come from?
No one knew.
She ate a few bites, but the food was hard to swallow. The minced meat tasted slightly spoiled, certainly not like something freshly cooked that morning.
"I told Chen Meiqin at school today that she’ll be coming to our house in a few days, Brother..."
"Yeah, I’m listening," the voice responded.
"Can you stay home with me during the day?" Yunjuan asked in a soft, pleading tone.
"I want to make pills," the voice said curtly.
"Can’t you stay with me just for one day?" Her eyes shimmered with disappointment.
"I want to make pills," the voice repeated, flat and emotionless.
Yunjuan fell silent. She lowered her head and quietly resumed eating.
She didn’t notice it at all—the tall figure that had silently emerged from the shadows behind her.
It stood still, watching her.
Its face was pale. A man’s face, completely expressionless.
He looked down at Yunjuan.
And slowly, almost gently, he raised his hand.
In it, he held a pair of scissors—dripping with blood.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, a series of loud knocks echoed from the gate of the manor.
Song Yunjuan stood up at once, startled.
"Who is it?" she called out, hurrying toward the gate.
A calm yet unfamiliar male voice responded through the darkness.
"Is anyone there? We're just passing through. There was a rockslide on the road tonight—we can’t go any further and were hoping to stay here for the night."
The voice carried a touch of gentleness, but Yunjuan hesitated. Only she and her brother were in the manor now. What if these strangers had bad intentions?
The man spoke again, his tone polite.
"Little girl, is anyone else home? We can pay in advance. Just one night—nothing more. We mean no harm."
Clang.
A crisp metallic sound rang out as something hit the ground beyond the wall. Song Yunjuan ran over and picked it up.
It was a string of large copper coins, bound together with black silk thread. They glinted faintly in the moonlight—each one a circle larger than regular coins.
She counted carefully. Eight coins in total. Ten of these could be exchanged for one tael of silver.
This man had casually offered eight. He was clearly not short on money.
Still uncertain, she glanced back toward the house. Remembering her elder brother, she bit her lip, then made up her mind.
With effort, she lifted the heavy bolt and slowly opened the gate.
Creak.
The door swung open to reveal three figures standing outside—strong young men, clearly martial artists.
The one in front wore a scholar’s robe, gray-white in color. Though the loose garment gave the appearance of a refined man, it failed to conceal the solid build and rippling muscles beneath.
Song Yunjuan’s eyes flicked to the weapons on their backs—scabbards slung casually but with purpose. Her heartbeat quickened.
The man in front gave a slight bow and smiled.
"Little girl, are you home alone?" he asked. "My name is Lu Sheng. We were passing through when a landslide blocked the mountain road. We couldn’t return and noticed this manor nearby. It’s well-fortified—high walls, good protection from beasts. We just want to stay for the night."
He tried to sound kind and respectful, but the impression he gave told a different story. His sharp gaze, the way he carried himself, the long sword at his waist—everything about him screamed danger, no matter how gentle his words were.
"My eldest brother is home too, but he's refining elixirs right now. If you don’t have anything urgent, please don’t disturb him," Song Yunjuan said seriously. "Also... you’re welcome to stay, but please don’t light any lamps. My brother doesn’t like light."
"How can we manage without lighting a lamp?" Duan Meng’an, standing behind Lu Sheng, muttered with a frown.
Song Yunjuan bit her lip, suddenly feeling even more uneasy. The three men in front of her didn’t seem like bad people—but they didn’t seem entirely trustworthy either. Fear tugged at her chest, and she instinctively stepped back.
"If... if you really need light, then keep it inside your own room," she said softly. "Don’t carry it outside. If my brother sees it, he’ll get angry. And when he’s angry... it’s terrifying."
Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes as he glanced into the manor. Just as the girl had said, it was pitch-black inside. Lanterns were hung throughout the courtyard, but none were lit. The atmosphere was eerily quiet.
"Alright, we’ll only light lamps in our rooms. That’s fine, isn’t it?" he asked with a gentle smile.
Song Yunjuan gripped the heavy string of copper coins tightly. Her home had been without income for so long—this payment meant everything. With it, she might finally be able to pay her tuition for the next six months.
"Come in."
She stepped aside, letting Lu Sheng and the other two pass through the gate.
Bang.40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTpQdRbL8Y
The door shut behind them, followed by the heavy thud of the bolt sliding into place.
Song Yunjuan led them through the courtyard toward the guest rooms. Fallen leaves and brittle branches littered the ground, crunching beneath their feet. Her face flushed slightly with embarrassment. Anyone could see the family’s decline just by looking at the state of the place.
She showed each of the three men to separate rooms, then turned to leave, hoping to finally rest for the night.
Knock, knock, knock.
Another knock came suddenly from the front gate.
"I’ll go check," Song Yunjuan said, and quickly made her way back toward the entrance.
As she disappeared into the shadows, Lu Sheng stood quietly in the courtyard, gazing at the run-down buildings and the oppressive, silent atmosphere.
"It’s not easy for that little girl," he murmured.
"I didn’t think anyone still lived in this place," Duan Meng’an said, his voice low, a trace of unease in his tone.
"Why wouldn’t there be?" said Ning San—the third man, a capable fighter Lu Sheng had hand-picked for this trip. "This manor may look forgotten, but the strange rumors surrounding it are what we came to verify."
They had come pretending to be travelers, but their true purpose was far more deliberate.
They were here to investigate this manor—and everything hidden within it.
-----------
Hey there, Taleria here!40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9iVfLnAdt
I hope you're enjoying the novel as much as I am. If you're having a great time reading and want to see faster, more consistent updates, your support would mean the world to me!
✨ Join me at: patreon.com/taleria_tl40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuKhuOyBb6
Sign up for free membership to keep reading—yep, it's totally free!
You'll also find my other translations there…40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8oGAIsvcqR
And psst—advance chapters are waiting for you! 😉
