In the middle of the night, it began to rain outside the window.
Winter rain was cold as ice. The sound of it woke Jiang Luo. He lazily stretched on the bed, his long hair brushing against his neck. His figure, unfurling from sleep, was long and graceful.
He woke up parched. Climbing out of bed, he went to the living room to pour himself a glass of water. The ginseng doll clung to him, blinking sleepily. “Daddy, I’m a little dehydrated too.”
This was the ginseng spirit’s first winter in the human world—its first experience with central heating. The heating was great, except it made the air terribly dry. Jiang Luo set a glass of water on the table for it, then sat down beside it, sipping slowly from his own cup.
The water lingered briefly on his lips before sliding down his throat. The table was still cluttered with the remnants of dinner—cold leftovers giving off a greasy chill. The ginseng doll perked up a little after drinking, poked Jiang Luo’s finger with its tendrils, and whispered, “Daddy, someone’s outside.”
Jiang Luo glanced toward the door and stood up lazily. “Stay here.”
He walked to the entrance, casually picking up the utility knife from the shoe cabinet. Peering through the peephole, he saw nothing but darkness. Still, if the ginseng doll said someone was there, someone had to be there. Jiang Luo gripped the doorknob and slowly opened the door.
The hallway light clicked on.
Slumped against the wall outside was a drenched figure in black. A large patch of the floor was soaked from the water dripping off him. He was curled up, hugging his knees, his head buried. Who knew how long he’d been sitting there. It took several seconds after Jiang Luo opened the door before he sluggishly raised his head, revealing a familiar face.
Jiang Luo frowned and put away the knife. “Qi Ye?”
Qi Ye’s complexion was ashen, his lips blue from the cold.
His eyes were dull, unfocused, as he stared at Jiang Luo for a while. His lips trembled. “…Jiang Luo.”
His voice was thick with congestion, low and pleading. “Can you let me see Chi You?”
***
No one knew how Qi Ye had found his way here, or what had happened.
Jiang Luo brought him inside and called the others. Everyone was shocked by his condition. His hair had frozen into icy clumps. If they’d left him outside any longer, he probably would’ve frozen to death.
While the others busied themselves drying him off and getting him warm, Jiang Luo leaned on the guest room doorway, suddenly asking, “Why do you want to see Chi You?”
Qi Ye lowered his head, letting them towel his hair. Jiang Luo noticed his fingers were trembling uncontrollably. Qi Ye stayed silent for a long time before shaking his head slowly.
Jiang Luo crossed his arms, leaning against the frame. He narrowed his eyes, studying Qi Ye’s expression. The man looked like his worldview had just crumbled around him.
Jiang Luo didn’t press further. “We’ll talk after the trial.”
Qi Ye remained in that strange state up until the trial began. He didn’t say a word or take a sip of water all day. When Jiang Luo and the others were preparing to head to the Xuanling Joint Committee, Qi Ye suddenly asked to go with them.
Ge Zhu hesitated. “We’re going to face your father in court. It’s better if you don’t come.”
Qi Ye’s voice was dry and hoarse. “Take me with you.”
So they brought him along.
When they arrived at the Xuanling Joint Committee, Dean Xu was already waiting. After over a month apart, the elderly man looked in high spirits, his face ruddy and bright. Seeing Jiang Luo and the others arrive on time and in full, he immediately broke into a smile. “Very good, very good. You all look full of energy.”
Dean Xu also noticed the dazed-looking Qi Ye but didn’t comment. Stroking his beard, he simply smiled and instructed him to take a seat in the observers’ gallery.
Once Qi Ye had left, Dean Xu’s expression dimmed. “Is he here as a messenger from Qi Yuan?”
Wenren Lian shook his head. “He came to find Jiang Luo.”
Dean Xu was surprised but thoughtful. He said nothing more until someone came to notify them that the proceedings were about to begin. Then, he led the students to the plaintiff’s side.
The Xuanling Joint Committee handled cases in the metaphysical realm. Its court differed from regular ones in procedure and jurisdiction.
The senior officials presiding over the trial sat in solemn rows above. As Jiang Luo took his place, he saw Qi Yuan and Chi Zhongye being led into the defendant’s box.
Their eyes were sunken with fatigue, clothes rumpled, clearly having not slept in days. The once domineering aura they carried was gone. Judging by their refusal to even look at each other, they had likely already had a falling out.
They both noticed Jiang Luo. The black-haired youth stood tall and straight, his posture confident. After a good night’s rest, he looked radiant, practically glowing. Catching their eye, he even curved his lips in a challenging smile.
Qi Yuan’s fury blazed. How dare this junior act so arrogant?! He nearly exploded, but the thought of his current situation, of the Heavenly Master Residence and the Fated One’s stance, doused his rage like a bucket of cold water.
Sooner or later…
His eyes darkened as he swept a cold glance at Jiang Luo.
Sooner or later, he would deal with Jiang Luo and Chi You both.
The observers’ gallery only had a few scattered people. Because of the gravity of the case, the trial wasn’t public—only a handful of closely involved individuals were allowed to attend.
After taking a moment to savor the sorry state of the Qi and Chi family heads—so pathetic they looked like drowned rats—Jiang Luo raised his eyebrows, pleased. He casually glanced toward the audience and spotted a strikingly handsome man seated calmly at the center.
The malicious ghost crossed one leg over the other, propping his head on the armrest, lazily observing the courtroom. He was dressed in a slightly vintage black suit, with a black overcoat draped over his shoulders, suited to the cold season. A formal hat shadowed his eyes, revealing only the pale lower half of his ghostly face.
He looked like a refined gentleman from the Republican era, white-gloved hands resting on a slim cane.
The appearance of the malicious ghost was downright eye-catching, yet it was as if no one else could see him. Not the leadership of the Committee, not Dean Xu, nor Qi Yuan or Chi Zhongye—none of these industry bigwigs noticed that a calm and composed malicious ghost was sitting in the courtroom.
The malicious ghost sensed Jiang Luo’s gaze. He lifted his head slightly from under the brim of his hat. A pair of dark, shadow-shrouded eyes met Jiang Luo’s. The thin lips that had been drawn in a cold line suddenly curved upward into a smile—charming, yet unmistakably sinister.
Jiang Luo felt as though he’d just discovered a strange and amusing surprise gift. His heartbeat skipped twice before quickly settling back to normal. He stared at the malicious ghost for a few seconds and silently mouthed: “Lunatic.”
Was this Chi You’s idea of dressing up?
Was he doing some kind of cosplay?
Though, to be fair, this look did seem a bit familiar.
Absentmindedly watching the malicious ghost, Jiang Luo dug through his memory for the reason behind that sense of familiarity. It didn’t take long—he remembered that back in the mirror world, in young Chi You’s room, there had been a black-and-white photo of a middle-aged man. The man looked to be about thirty and had been dressed very similarly to how Chi You looked now. Based on the time gap between the Republican era and the present day, and considering that each direct descendant of the Chi family only lived thirty years, that man was likely Chi You’s grandfather.
But why would Chi You dress like his grandfather for this court session?
It was as if a cat’s paw were scratching at Jiang Luo’s heart—an itch of curiosity that reached his very soul. He couldn’t help but be drawn to Chi You’s strange behavior and wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Beside him, Ye Xun gave him a puzzled tug and followed his gaze. “Jiang Luo, what are you looking at?”
Jiang Luo asked, “You don’t see him?”
Ye Xun replied, “See what?”
“Nothing,” Jiang Luo withdrew his gaze and said intentionally, “Just some lunatic who looks half decent. Nothing worth watching.”
