Chapter 15: Changing Households

“Hahahaha, dear brother, please!”
“No need to see me off, elder brother, stay, stay.”
“Very well, very well.”

After a bout of scheming between these wolves in sheep’s clothing, Li Miao and Xu Siyuan strode out of the government office, chatting and laughing.

“I have official duties to attend to, so I won’t linger with you. I’ve already sent someone to arrange everything at the Wu residence; just go there as you wish, dear brother.”
“Many thanks, elder brother, I’ve troubled you quite a bit.”
“Ah! We two brothers hit it off at first sight; no need for such distant words! Ah? Hahahaha…”

Xu Siyuan courteously saw Li Miao to the door, the two exchanged warm farewells.

Xu Siyuan stood at the doorway, smiling as he watched Li Miao walk away, then turned to go back inside.

He spat on the ground, “Trying to sponge off me, eh? Bastard!”

Li Miao walked on, thinking to himself, “This Xu fellow is quite well-off. When I leave, I’ll have to squeeze another sum out of him.”

A capital official leaving the capital is elevated by three ranks, especially for an official of the Embroidered Guards. He had no fear of Xu Siyuan seeking personal revenge later; he’d take as much as he could.

With the banknotes extorted from Xu Siyuan tucked inside his coat, Li Miao returned to the tavern where they’d eaten.

Wang Hai and the other two were waiting at the door; seeing Li Miao return, they led their horses over.

Xiao Si took the banknotes Li Miao handed him, counted them carefully, and happily stuffed them into his money pouch.

Li Miao reached out, rubbing Xiao Si’s head. “We have money, and a place to stay is settled.”
“Tonight, we’ll go see what all the ghostly fuss is about.”

————————

Wu Residence.

Wu, the wealthy squire, bowed and scraped, fawning over an official. “Sir, I’ve vacated all the rooms; everything inside is new and high quality, there won’t be any unpleasant smells.”
“All the ingredients are fresh, the cooks were specially hired and paid handsomely, waiting in the kitchen. Whatever the distinguished guest wishes to eat, just say the word.”
“I’ve kept a few clever servants; they will certainly not neglect the distinguished guest.”

The official didn’t even look at him, simply nodded. “Make sure nothing goes wrong. This is a direct order from Lord Xu. If the guest is displeased and word reaches Lord Xu, I won’t be able to protect you.”

Wu naturally nodded and agreed, though inwardly he cursed his luck.

“Where did such an exalted guest come from, and why have they taken a liking to my house?”

Wu had been troubled by the recent rumors of haunting, when suddenly his patron arrived at his residence.

(Page 1/3)

Upon inquiring, he learned it was Xu Siyuan, the commander of the Ping Mountain Guards, who had personally instructed that a distinguished guest would be staying at his house for several days.

The Wu family themselves were to vacate their home, find somewhere else to stay, so as not to offend the guest.

The Wu family was wealthy, but had never produced anyone notable in official circles. In truth, they were nothing more than provincial plutocrats.

For Wu, Lord Xu Siyuan, a third-rank official and commander of a guard unit, was a figure beyond his reach. Now that Xu Siyuan had spoken, he dared not refuse.

“Only… there have been some rumors lately, some disturbances. I wonder if sir has heard…?”

“You needn’t worry about that. Move out quickly.”

The official gave Wu a sour look; Wu dared not say more, hurriedly instructing his servants to move faster.

He took his family to another property within the city to stay temporarily.

The official inspected the mansion several times, finding no issues, then waited at the door.

Soon, Li Miao and his three companions arrived, leading their horses.

The official hurried forward to greet them. “Lord Li, the residence is ready for you. Please, come in.”

Servants came over to take the horses and luggage.

Li Miao nodded; the four followed the official into the main hall and sat down. The official hesitated to speak.

“Lord Li… pardon my intrusion.”
“This Wu residence has seen some disturbances lately; it’s not very peaceful.”

Li Miao smiled. “Are you referring to the ghost stories circulating among the idlers in the city?”
“You’re a government man, and you believe such things?”

“Sir, sometimes it’s better to err on the side of caution,” the official replied awkwardly. “If something happens to you and Lord Xu is displeased, I’ll be the one to suffer.”

“There are no ghosts or gods in this world,” Li Miao said. “If there were, there wouldn’t be so many unresolved grudges and unrequited kindnesses.”
“No need to say more; just go report to Lord Xu.”

Li Miao was unconcerned, for he had come precisely because of the haunting rumors.

It was at his own request that Xu Siyuan arranged for them to stay at the Wu residence, so they could investigate openly.

Seeing Li Miao’s resolve, the official said no more and took his leave.

Once the outsiders had gone, Wang Hai leaned in and said to Li Miao, “Commander, after you left, I overheard a few things outside the tavern.”
“It’s that thing, isn’t it?”
“Most likely. Who would’ve thought we’d encounter such a rare creature here in the land of Qilu?”

(Page 2/3)

Li Miao laughed. “Perhaps someone raised it here and died unexpectedly elsewhere, and didn’t have time to retrieve it.”
“But tonight, you won’t need to guard Xiao Si’s room—are you disappointed?”

Wang Hai was embarrassed. “Commander, how could you say that…”

“All right, everyone rest. I’ll go check the courtyard. If you’re hungry, go to the kitchen and order whatever you like, don’t wait for me.”

The three agreed and went off to their rooms.

Li Miao summoned a servant to guide him to the haunted courtyard.

Even before reaching the yard, a faint stench of decay wafted over.

Wu must have feared offending Li Miao, so he had people scatter spices in the courtyard; the scent only mingled with the stench, making it even more bizarre and unpleasant.

The servants still left in the Wu household were either indentured and had no choice, or bold enough to stay for the generous pay Wu had recently offered.

The servant Li Miao called was clearly the former.

He was trembling before they even reached the courtyard, cold sweat pouring down his face. He stammered, “S-sir, this… this is the place…”

“I’ll… I’ll wait here for you. If you need anything, call me…”

With that, he held onto the doorframe, refusing to take another step forward.

Li Miao saw his fear and didn’t press him, stepping into the courtyard alone.

Once inside, the strange odor became more pronounced, with a faint trace of blood, instinctively making one uncomfortable.

The courtyard’s layout was carefully designed: a rockery in the center, surrounded by water, with a pavilion nearby and dense foliage and seasonal flowers all around. On ordinary days, it would have been a tranquil little garden.

Unfortunately, now the trees were withered, the flowers yellowed, and thick green algae covered the pond beneath the rockery, with mosquitoes and flies buzzing above.

Clearly, no one had dared enter to clean for a long time. Though the Wu servants had hastily tidied up, much had still been missed.

Li Miao walked to the rockery, snapped off a branch, and poked it into a crevice, extracting the corpse of a snake.

Snakes love to crawl into holes; this one must have died here before anyone noticed.

Elsewhere in the courtyard, tucked away in corners, were similar corpses—rats, wild cats, small birds.

Li Miao chose the snake precisely because, lacking fur and being all of a piece, certain traces would be more evident.

(Page 3/3)