Chapter 29: Is the Female Ghost Chaoyun?

Li Bai merely nodded without replying. Seeing him lost in thought, Chen Yage did not disturb him. She walked over to the dressing table and glanced at it. A withered purple flower parasol lay there conspicuously, but the table itself was bare save for a peachwood comb and a wooden hairpin—there was not a trace of makeup or powder.

As if struck by a sudden thought, Li Bai went to inspect the window. It was shut tightly, showing no signs of damage. The room bore no evidence of a struggle, either. If there had been any commotion, Wang Chaotian should have noticed immediately, rather than only after Chaoyun had died.

“Brother Bai, I share your doubts. Why don’t we go and ask Wang Chaotian? Perhaps he can clarify things for us!”

Li Bai replied, “That’s not wise. Wang Chaotian is convinced you’re the murderer. If he sees you now, he might become too emotional and make matters worse.”

“Then what should we do?” Chen Yage was growing anxious. After all, being accused of murder was a bitter pill to swallow. She knew she hadn’t done it, and that was all there was to it!

Li Bai pondered for a moment and said, “You haven’t slept all night. Rest for a while. I’ll go speak with Wang Chaotian; maybe I can learn something more.”

Chen Yage flatly refused. “No. What if Wang Chaotian thinks you’re an accomplice and tries to kill you too? I won’t let you risk yourself for me. If anyone’s going, it should be me!”

Before she could finish, Li Bai tapped her on the head. “Silly girl, I know martial arts. I’m not so easy to bully.”

Mentioning martial arts only made Chen Yage angrier. She considered herself a skilled fighter, yet every time someone grabbed her by the neck, she forgot to resist. Her old underworld master would probably cough up blood in frustration—training a disciple who neither fought back nor retorted to insults, doomed to close up shop before any rival could even challenge them.

Without another word, Chen Yage snatched the short sword from Li Bai’s hand and dashed out, forcing him to hurry after her, worried she’d cause more trouble.

A stick of incense later, the two arrived once more at Moon Lake. In the daylight, the lake shimmered with golden ripples, and peach blossoms drifted to the shore in cascades—a beautiful scene, though Chen Yage had no heart to enjoy it. She examined every corner intently. Beneath the peach tree where Li Bai had been ambushed the previous night, he found the talisman he’d thrown. At that moment, Chen Yage cried out, “Brother Bai! Come quickly, there’s a piece of torn cloth here, and there’s blood on it!”

Li Bai hurried over, but on seeing the scrap in her hand, his expression turned to disappointment.

“What’s wrong, Brother Bai? This is a clue! It could help us solve the case—why do you look like that?”

Taking the cloth from her, Li Bai laughed softly, shaking his head. Chen Yage was puzzled. “Do you recognize whose clothing this is from? Doesn’t this mean we’ve found the culprit?” She clapped her hands in excitement.

“Do you really think this piece of cloth was torn from the murderer’s clothing?” Li Bai’s tone grew irritated. He wasn’t sure why, but the cloth made him angry. It had been torn from his own clothes by those ghostly hands in the lake the previous night, and Chen Yage hadn’t realized. Worse, she thought it was evidence left by the killer.

“Isn’t it?”

“This cloth was torn when we were attacked by those ghostly hands last night. Do you still think the killer left it?” His voice grew sharp, her words having clearly annoyed him.

Li Bai’s gaze felt like needles. He had never looked at her that way before. Chen Yage hung her head in guilt, mumbling apologies she couldn’t quite voice. Finally, she managed to say, “I see. Last night, the one who attacked us was a woman in red, and Chaoyun was also wearing red. Could it have been Chaoyun we met first?”

“But if it really was Chaoyun, then who killed her?” Li Bai neither confirmed nor denied her guess. The light had been dim, but he remembered the contours of that ghostly face—the mournful eyes so different from Chaoyun’s innocent gaze. Could it be that Chaoyun had only pretended to be mad?

Chen Yage plopped down on the ground, utterly disregarding decorum. Cradling her head, she wailed, “Who on earth was it? Who?”

Suddenly, a wave of heat surged through her, making her unbearably hot. She leapt to her feet and, with a splash, jumped into the lake.

“Yage!” Li Bai shouted, bewildered by her actions, but with no time to hesitate, he dove in after her.

The moment she hit the water, Chen Yage felt immediate relief. She swam freely, all traces of last night’s fear washed away.

Then, a familiar floral scent invaded her nose and throat. This time, Chen Yage reacted quickly, recognizing it as the fragrance of the purple flower parasol. But Chaoyun was dead—if the scent the previous night had emanated from her, where was it coming from now?