Chapter 37

“Man, where are you getting these ideas?” Zhu Yinxiao laughed heartily. “The third and fourth brothers are absolutely innocent, I can vouch for that.”

“Then where did this fabricated story come from?” An Ping found it hard to believe; it was just too far-fetched.

Speaking of which, Mu Gesheng is a huge miser. If someone made up such a story about him, wouldn’t they at least charge royalties?

“There’s actually more to this matter.” Zhu Yinxiao stroked his chin. “It seems you know half the story—about the second and fourth brothers causing a ruckus in Fengdu. But you don’t know why they came to Fengdu to gamble in the first place.”

“Why?”

“The third brother had only recently taken charge of the Yin-Yang family and made a mistake, incurring a huge debt—partly a debt of favors, partly incense money. It was a very tricky situation, and with his limited power at the time, it was hard to handle. Meanwhile, the others in the Yin-Yang family took the opportunity to test the new Wuchangzi’s abilities, so no one was willing to help him. In the end, the fourth brother came up with a plan and egged on the second brother to pull off this stunt.”

“They won over more than half of the ghost market through gambling, then with just the two of them caused chaos in Fengdu—this incident nearly turned Fengdu upside down, leaving the Ten Kings of Hell with no face to save. Although officially the teacher stepped in to resolve the matter, in reality, he helped the third brother out of his predicament.”

“First, the majority of the debts from the ghost clan that won were not pursued, which counts as repaying the incense money; second, the troublemakers, the second and fourth brothers, were severely punished in the end, preserving Fengdu’s dignity—this is repaying a favor; finally, although on the surface it seems the various sons lost face, in reality, whether it was punishment or handling the aftermath, it was the master who made the decisions—this serves as a deterrent. If any of the seven families’ sons make mistakes, only those seven families have the authority to deal with it.”

Anping held his teacup, lost in thought for a long while without responding.

Zhu Yinxiao smiled lightly and said calmly, “The position of the various sons is not easy for anyone to take. The master has gone to great lengths for us, which is why the Ginkgo Study has become a place of refuge and stability.”

“...How do you know all this so clearly?”

"I was raised by Mozi," Zhu Yinxiao said, looking at him, then suddenly smiled. "But you, as an outsider, seem to know a little too much."

An Ping shuddered, finally realizing he had been led into a trap all along.

"Relax. Old Fourth told me about you. He cares about you. We're brothers, after all," Zhu Yinxiao patted his shoulder. "But you need to be careful, man. You let your guard down too easily. Not everyone among the Seven Scholars today can be trusted."

"What do you mean?"

“The Fourth Brother’s memories are incomplete. If you’re getting information from him, you probably don’t know about the Seven Families Incident back then...”

Zhu Yinxiao stopped mid-sentence, raised his hand, and with a flick, a gust of wind sliced through the bamboo curtain. “Who’s there?”

“Your humble servant dares to intrude—” someone outside bowed deeply, “Greetings, Xingxiuzi—”

As soon as the long tone ended, Anping recognized the visitor; it was none other than Cui Ziyu.

“I thought so, there aren’t many here who know my true form.” Zhu Yinxiao poured a cup of tea. “Judge Cui, you’re busy and honored to visit. What brings you here?”

“I dare not take the credit. I only heard that Xingxiuzi has arrived at the Ghost Assembly and wished to ask for your help in delivering a letter.”

“What kind of letter needs my help to deliver? Is it for Old Fourth or for my brother?”

Cui Ziyu replied, “Respectfully from Tiansuanzi.”

"What is it?"

"...Please, the seven families gather."

Zhu Yinxiao's face changed abruptly, and he said slowly, "Judge Cui, do you know what you're saying?"

He spilled the tea on the ground, "You should really be grateful my elder brother didn't hear you say that."

“I am well aware that I have overstepped my bounds and deserve death,” Cui Ziyu said, bracing himself. His usual drawn-out, lingering tone was much sharper now. “But the disturbance on the Yin-Yang Staircase is a grave matter. Although it was suppressed some days ago, the Ten Kings of Hell have been alerted. Given the previous incident, we cannot take this lightly…”

“The Yin-Yang Staircase,” Zhu Yinxiao sneered coldly, “once again the Yin-Yang Staircase.”

“Years ago, the Celestial Diviner cast a hexagram predicting that the Yin Soldiers should not show anomalies for hundreds of years. Now, less than a century later, there’s already unrest. Perhaps that hexagram was flawed…”

“Judge Cui,” Zhu Yinxiao interrupted, a half-smile playing on his lips, “Fengdu knows my brother has returned to the City God Temple and is too scared to come knocking himself. So they sent you to find me instead, haven’t they?”

Cui Ziyu kept his head down, saying nothing.

“Alright.” Zhu Yinxiao lifted his chin toward the table, “Put the letter on the table, and be on your way.”

“Otherwise, I can’t guarantee you’ll still see the midnight lanterns.”

As Cui Ziyu hurriedly left, An Ping immediately asked, “What exactly was the fortune you were talking about?”

Mu Gesheng once said that the reason he was half-dead and lost his memory was because he had calculated a divination he shouldn’t have back then.

And what connection could there be between that and the “Seven Family Incident” that Zhu Yinxiao had just started to mention before being interrupted?

Zhu Yinxiao lowered the bamboo curtain, cutting off the storyteller’s voice. “A few days ago, Fourth Brother sent a letter saying that you, by some twist of fate, tasted his blood, and thus were able to glimpse his memories.”

“Blood is indeed the medium, but it’s extremely rare to establish a connection through just a few drops. Moreover, Fourth Brother is a Tian Suanzi... But he didn’t intend to say more, so I didn’t press the matter.”

Zhu Yinxiao looked at Anping, "Do you know how the ghost soldiers' uprising back then was ultimately suppressed?"

"...I saw the general's ritual dance in a dream." Anping was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't know what happened after the city fell."

"As expected." Zhu Yinxiao sighed softly, "What happened afterward was the Seven Families Incident."

"That night, my elder brothers did not succeed in eliminating all the ghost soldiers. In the end, the Fourth Brother used a Mountain Ghost coin as a sacrifice to suppress the remaining lingering souls in the Yin-Yang Staircase."

Anping's expression changed, "You mean—"

"A few days ago, there was a disturbance caused by the lingering resentment of the shadow soldiers. My brother entered the long-sealed Yin-Yang Staircase and retrieved that Mountain Ghost coin."

Zhu Yinxiao said calmly, "Old Four should have already obtained that Mountain Ghost coin by now, which means he will regain some of his memories."

"From back then, few old acquaintances remain, and even fewer know the truth—I was told by my brother long ago that unless Old Four remembers on his own, no one is to say a word."

"Of course, I must heed my elder brother's words. But now that the Fourth Brother has obtained the Mountain Ghost Flower, there's no need to keep avoiding this matter any longer."

Zhu Yinxiao picked up the envelope on the table, rubbed it thoughtfully for a moment, and looked at An Ping.

"Do you know what kind of divination he performed back then?"

Chenghuang Temple.

"When will you ask about the return date? There is no set time; braised eggplant and stewed chicken.

When shall we trim the candle by the west window together, and talk about the days we fought over food?"

Mu Gesheng lay on the kitchen roof, muttering to himself intermittently. He looked at the lanterns down the street and suddenly said, "In the depths of winter, shall we go out for a walk?"

Chai Shuxin stepped out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of medicine. "It's time for you to take your medicine."

Mu Gesheng went crazy at the thought of taking medicine, almost rolling and throwing a tantrum on the roof. "Let's make a deal—today's a holiday, can we just skip one dose?"

After a moment of silence, Chai Suxin surprisingly agreed, "Alright."

"What? You agreed?" Mu Gesheng suddenly sat up straight. "Are you feeling sick in this bitter cold?"

Then he realized his words were off and quickly retracted them. "No, no, no, you always eat well and are as strong as ever. Forget I said anything."

Chai Suxin said nothing, returned to the kitchen to put down the medicine bowl, and after a long while of silence, Mu Gesheng jumped down from the roof. Finding no one in the kitchen, he was puzzled when suddenly behind him came a creak—the city god temple’s main door was pushed open.

He turned his head and saw Chai Suxin standing at the doorway, holding a lit lantern.

The other’s face remained expressionless, only looking at him intently, softly saying, “Wishing you peace this Lantern Festival.”

Mu Gesheng paused, then smiled, “Wishing you good fortune this Lantern Festival.”

The lantern in Chai Suxin’s hand was made of bamboo strips and Xuan paper. Such old-fashioned lanterns are rarely seen nowadays. It was edged with narrow strips of imitation silk paper on the top and bottom, simple yet elegant.

“What made you think of buying this?” Mu Gesheng walked up to Chai Suxin. “Wait, did you make this yourself?”

Chai Suxin was slightly taken aback. “You actually noticed.”

“All the paper-cut window decorations around the courtyard are yours. If I couldn’t recognize your handiwork, I’d be blind,” Mu Gesheng teased. “By the way, you didn’t cut the paper with the ‘red-licking’ knife, did you? If the second brother knew you used his knife like that, he’d definitely come haunt you in the middle of the night to kill you.”

“Let him come,” Chai Suxin said calmly. “Just in time for a fight.”

“All right, you’re impressive.” Mu Gesheng took the lantern and smiled, saying, “As the saying goes, under the moon we watch the gentleman, under the lantern we admire the beauty.”

“Let’s go, beauty, let’s take a stroll outside.”

When the Lantern Festival arrived, lanterns became all the rage.

Chengxi Street is an old street, its buildings renovated in a traditional style, mostly two-story small houses with upturned eaves. Between the buildings, iron wires and red silk hang, and colorful lanterns are suspended in midair.

The street is bustling with people. Vendors carry bamboo screens adorned with multicolored lanterns. Mu Gesheng walks along, laughing: "Nowadays, electric lanterns are all the rage. I remember the year I took my daughter to the lantern market—she nagged me relentlessly to buy one, crying even harder than Old Wu did back then."

As he spoke, a hint of nostalgia crossed his face. "That lantern was hilarious; it even played the Ultraman theme song."

Chai Shuxin pointed to a nearby lantern stall. "Is that the one you're talking about?"

It was a stall specializing in electric lanterns, offering a dazzling variety—from the twelve zodiac animals to SpongeBob and Peppa Pig. Mu Gesheng’s eyes lit up. "Truly, a place where one finds what seemed impossible to find." He walked up to the stall. "Pick one for my daughter, to hang by her bedside when we get home."

Chai Suxin appeared quite calm. "Which one do you want?"

"Welcome, welcome, feel free to browse!" The shopkeeper was very enthusiastic. "Are you two buying these for fun, or for the kids at home?"

"You’re too kind." Mu Gesheng smiled warmly. "I’m buying one for my daughter."

Although his face hardly looked like that of a man with a daughter, and marrying young didn’t quite add up, the shopkeeper was momentarily taken aback before smiling and saying, “No problem. How old is your daughter this year? Different ages like different things. Give me a number, and I’ll recommend one that’s guaranteed to be pretty!”

“Not very old,” Mu Gesheng waved his hand. “Just graduated from kindergarten.”

“That’s easy!” The shopkeeper eagerly took down a lantern and handed it to Mu Gesheng. “This one here sells the best. All the little kindergarten girls are fighting to buy it!”

It was a cartoon doll with an unusual color scheme, a pair of rainbow wings on its back. Mu Gesheng laughed as he looked at it. “Oh, your little flower fairy is actually quite pretty.”

“This isn’t a Little Flower Fairy, it’s Disney Princess merchandise,” the shop owner explained confidently. “It even plays music, you should try it out!”

As Mu Gesheng opened it, deafening music blared out, “Legend has it there’s a magic fairy castle—”

“All right, all right, a Disney runaway princess who fled to the magic fairy castle and became a fairy,” Mu Gesheng laughed heartily, then turned to Chai Suxin and said, “This is the one.”

After Chai Suxin paid, he sighed helplessly, “How much longer are you going to keep playing that music?”

“At least listen to it once, or when my daughter comes back and sees it, she’ll definitely smash it.” Mu Gesheng chuckled as he walked, “The kid’s reaction will definitely be hilarious.”

“Knowing he’s going to smash it, why did you still buy it?”

“He’s currently suffering from a mix of adolescent angst and menopausal mania, a real old child.” Mu Gesheng said earnestly, “Young people face a lot of pressure; they need a bit of childlike innocence.”

“Really?”

"Fake." Mu Gesheng said, "I just wanted to see him lose his temper."

"He’s already lost it badly enough; if he loses it any more, he’ll go bald."

"You're implying something with that," Mu Gesheng chuckled. "Aren't you subtly mocking his father for going bald young? The third brother just has severe hair loss, but he’s never been completely bald."

Chai Shuxin looked serious. "Hair loss is hereditary in the family."

"Alright, this is your expertise, I’m just an outsider, not going to argue with you." Mu Gesheng laughed, "At worst, when my daughter comes back, you can make him some black sesame paste."

"He won’t drink it."

"Don’t say that, the third son didn’t like to drink it either back then."

"That’s because you made it taste awful."

"Young doctor, you’re really trying to kill someone’s spirit."

The two walked and chatted, quickly covering the entire long street. "Once today passes, the temple fair will close. Only during these days in the first lunar month can you see some old-time relics."

Mu Gesheng was unusually sentimental. Chai Suxin looked at him, lips slightly moving, about to say something, but the man suddenly brightened up. "Great, the temple fair stuff is ridiculously expensive. Once the first month ends, it’s all gone."

Chai Shuxin: "..."

He fell silent for a moment and said, "After the first month, Xing Xuzi and the others should be leaving too."

Mu Gesheng teased upon hearing this, "What, can't bear to part?"

"After all, it's a rare sight."

"Yes, indeed a rare sight," Mu Gesheng said. "But this year is different. If I'm not mistaken, the Fifth Brother won't be leaving so soon."

Chai Shuxin looked at him upon hearing this, "You mean..."

He stopped halfway through his words, noticing the Mountain Ghost coin clutched in Mu Gesheng’s hand.

It was the very same coin he had brought out from the Yin-Yang Ladder.

“I’ve recalled some things,” Mu Gesheng tossed the coin into the air, “and I’ve also made some guesses about what’s to come.”

“No wonder you refused to tell me what really happened back then,” Mu Gesheng said, looking at Chai Suxin with a smile. “I just remembered what kind of divination I performed all those years ago.”