Chapter 35: The Truth Is Irrelevant; Attitude Is What Matters

At this moment, Zhang Yi carried himself with the air of a master, and paired with his youthful face, he appeared all the more enigmatic despite the incongruity. The little magic trick he had just performed might be unimpressive to modern eyes, but to Lady Lan and the others, it was already “supernatural ability.”

No matter how proud she was, Lady Lan dared not slight a master who could help her uncover the truth. She nodded repeatedly and said, “Little Daoist, please move about as you wish!”

“Then let Sister Chang accompany me. You and the men of the Chang family remain here in the mourning hall, kneel before the deceased, and silently recite the ‘Scripture of Rebirth to the Earth Mother’ thirty-six times until I return… Senior brother, hand your scripture to Lady Chang.”

Zhang Yi deliberately named the young lady of the Chang family. Lady Lan was momentarily taken aback, but without pausing to think further, she quickly agreed. As long as she could find the real culprit, the nightmares might finally cease.

Deng Zhongxiu, already convinced of Zhang Yi’s abilities, promptly handed to Lady Lan the scripture he had just used for chanting.

Zhang Yi turned to the Chang family’s young mistress, who gazed at him in a daze, unable to reconcile the mischievous younger brother from moments ago with this suddenly mysterious, otherworldly little Daoist.

“Sister, please lead the way,” Zhang Yi said with a sweet smile. The young lady snapped to attention, exchanged a glance with her mother, and upon receiving permission, led Zhang Yi out.

“Daoist priest, where do you wish to go?” she asked as they exited the small courtyard. The vast Chang residence was unfamiliar to both Zhang Yi and Deng Zhongxiu, so her question made Zhang Yi pause for a moment before replying, “Sister, I’d like to see the woodshed…”

She nodded silently. With servants watching, the familiarity she’d shown Zhang Yi earlier vanished.

She led the way, while Zhang Yi deliberately lagged behind to walk beside Deng Zhongxiu.

“Junior brother, is there truly something supernatural in the Chang residence?” Deng Zhongxiu asked cautiously, seeing that the Chang mistress walked ahead, servants trailed behind, and no outsiders were near.

Zhang Yi rolled his eyes. Did this fellow really see him as an accomplished master now?

Impatiently, Zhang Yi replied, “Whether there are ghosts or not is hard to say, but what matters is that someone here has a guilty conscience.”

Seeing Deng Zhongxiu’s confusion, Zhang Yi explained, “Senior brother, as cultivators, we value four things—wealth, companions, law, and place. Wealth is paramount, but to acquire it, you must learn to read people. Do you know why you got beaten?”

Deng Zhongxiu shook his head, puzzled.

“It’s because Lady Lan has a guilty conscience, and you told her there were no ghosts—so you deserved a beating! They didn’t invite us here for the truth, but for an answer they could accept…”

Deng Zhongxiu was still young and inexperienced, having grown up sheltered on Dragon-Tiger Mountain. The weight of Zhang Yi’s words left him a little overwhelmed.

“The truth isn’t important. What Lady Chang needs is an attitude, not a ceremony to send off her son’s soul—they must have already done that on the seventh day after his death. What she wants is closure, an explanation to present to Chang Yuchun.”

“Chang Sen died drowning after sneaking out. This could be viewed as a minor incident, or as something much bigger. Taken lightly, it’s a mere mishap; but in a broader sense, General Chang is fighting on the front lines, earning great merit and sure to be ennobled. For a man fighting outside, the mistress’s most important duty is to keep the household in order!”

“Lady Lan failed in this, causing the Chang family to lose an heir. If Chang Sen had died of illness, she could explain it away, but the child drowned—this leaves room for gossip! Now, just as General Chang is about to be enfeoffed, she fears criticism, and her grief has turned into a chronic anxiety.”

On hearing this, Deng Zhongxiu seemed to understand. He was clever by nature, simply lacking experience.

“So, Lady Chang would rather believe someone murdered her child, so the blame could be shifted?” Deng Zhongxiu whispered.

“Exactly. Normally, they’d blame a few servants and have them beaten to death, ending the matter. But when Chang Mao tried to beat the servants, the Crown Prince intervened! Now the issue hangs unresolved. They invited us under the name of Dragon-Tiger Mountain to give her a reason to vent her anger, while you failed to grasp the intentions of the household! Had you listened to me earlier, you wouldn’t have been beaten.”

Deng Zhongxiu, still in his teens, was thoroughly scolded by a seven-year-old Zhang Yi—and could not even refute him. He gave a wry smile; if he’d known, he might as well have helped Zhang Yi earn some money from the start. But now, Zhang Yi not only intended to profit, but to do so with dignity. Deng Zhongxiu realized that since leaving Dragon-Tiger Mountain, his junior brother had become ever more inscrutable.

“Junior brother, you truly conceal your abilities—master himself never saw through you!” Deng Zhongxiu now regarded Zhang Yi as a true master.

“So, why are we wandering the Chang residence?” he asked humbly. “Are we seeking signs of evil spirits?”

Zhang Yi rolled his eyes again.

“Of course not. We have to make a show of searching for trouble—if I just recited a few spells and took the money, it would seem unprofessional. We must keep the household and ourselves busy, and I have a suspicion that I’d like to test. Enough talking—don’t say any more, there are too many people around.”

Zhang Yi glanced back to see the Chang family’s servants watching them warily. He didn’t want extra trouble, so he quickened his pace to catch up with the young mistress.

She led him through many places, even into the quarters reserved for the women of the household.

Yet nowhere did Zhang Yi find what he was seeking.

“We’ve searched all the inhabited areas—the rest are unoccupied,” the young mistress said as she led them around, her breath slightly unsteady.

Uninhabited places…

Zhang Yi seized on this key detail.

It was the first year of Hongwu; the newly ennobled families of the Ming dynasty were still, by and large, frugal. Having only recently risen from humble beginnings, their hands still bore traces of mud, and with wars still raging in the north, the Ming realm was far from stable.

So, these noble families did not yet have deep foundations. The emperor had granted Chang Yuchun a mansion, but with family and servants counted together, the house was still too large for them to occupy fully, so it was natural that some courtyards stood empty.

“Let’s look at those places then!” Zhang Yi instructed, and the young mistress led them to each of the uninhabited courtyards.

When they reached one such place, they found it locked.

“I don’t have the key. I’ll go fetch one from the family…”

“No need. Senior brother Deng, lift me up so I can take a look.”

The courtyard wall was not high, and Zhang Yi nimbly climbed onto Deng Zhongxiu’s shoulders and peered over.

Inside, tangled weeds grew rampant—clearly, no one lived there.

Zhang Yi looked left and right, searching carefully, until his gaze fixed on an old well. This brought a smile to his lips.

He jumped down from Deng Zhongxiu’s shoulders, declared he was finished, and promptly turned to leave.

Curious, Deng Zhongxiu scrambled up to the wall to have a look himself, but saw nothing unusual.

“Junior brother, wait for me…”

By then, Zhang Yi and the young mistress had already walked off, and Deng Zhongxiu hurried to catch up.