"Oh…" Hinoe still tilted her head slightly upward.
I didn't bother with their communication between her and Old Gong.
Old Gong is tightly controlled by Hinoe, which doesn't do me any harm. On the contrary, it can inspire his ability. His words and actions are much more fluent now.
Keeping my path forward, I moved along the direction etched in my memory. I passed by many shops along the way.
Hinoe cast over several assessing glances, her eyes brimming with curiosity. However, she did not approach to inquire about the prices again.
Not long after, we arrived outside the old tea house.
Upon seeing, I could see that the sight was filled with people, sitting around bamboo tea tables.
The crowd adds to the lively atmosphere, but this place is incredibly quiet, with hardly any noise.
At the back of the tea house, on the paper-cut stage, puppets were singing opera in a whispery voice.
Hinoe was utterly astonished, and without thinking, she wanted to walk in.
At that very moment, a person suddenly stood up from one of the tea tables at the edge.
He turned around, and it wasn't that goat-faced Young Manager?
Moreover, Young Manager's face was much paler than before, with no color, and his eyelids were constantly twitching.
Clearly, the "problem" at the forefront was causing him extreme unease, almost to the point of losing his wits.
His lips twitched, but he hadn't yet uttered a sound.
I gestured him to go upstairs with a welcoming motion.
Young Manager immediately walked towards the left staircase, and I led Hinoe up after him.
The second floor retained the same layout as before. The front was divided into private rooms, while the sides had wider intervals with tea tables and chairs, making the environment better than downstairs.
The spot where I sat with Hinoe last time was still empty, while the other places had curtains drawn down.
Young Manager walked exactly there.
The three of us sat down, with Hinoe and I on one side, she gazing at the stage below, her attention captivated.
Silently, a small servant with a dwarf stature appeared at the bottom of the curtain.
Coarse hemp clothes, round face covered with freckles, two patches of blush on both sides of the cheeks, and eyes painted like a drawing.
He looked lifelike, but always seemed fake.
"Two guests, what tea would you like to have?"
"White flower needle grass." Young Manager's voice was a bit heavier, indicating that he was struggling to control his emotions.
"All sides are seedlings of Chrysanthemum." I continued with the management of Hinoe.
The servant smiled and did not move, instead lifting a tray.
I furrowed my brows slightly, just realizing that at this old tea house, payment was required. There was no way I could have brought gold bars. It must have been said here because of safety; I hadn't thought of anything else much.
"Write it off as an expense for the magistrate." Young Manager spoke in a low voice.
The servant put away the tray and retreated.
"Young Master Xianshen, the next time you come here, please write it off as an expense for the magistrate." Young Manager tried to keep his voice steady.
I nodded.
Young Manager didn't say anything, instead looking at the stage below and the direction of the stairs, as if he was waiting for something.
It took just a few minutes for the servant to return.
He placed three pots of tea and three trays of delicate snacks.
I took an extra glance at the snacks; they were red and white, delicate indeed, but they seemed more like offerings for a tomb.
The curtain was lowered by the servant.
Everything around us suddenly became quieter, barely hearing the opera.
Young Manager took a long breath, his face completely bitter.
He poured himself a cup of tea and drank it down in one go, then poured three more cups.
Hinoe poured me and myself a cup of tea and picked up a piece of snack, savoring it carefully.
"White flower needle grass is a graveyard grass that, when drunk too much, causes an imbalance of vitality. It will cause you to have many nightmares and attract ghosts at night." I reminded Young Manager.
"Can't control it, Young Master Xianshen. I'm really scared... I need to drink a few more cups, or my mind will collapse."
"How did it come to this? The big boss was so shrewd, couldn't he notice a problem? That wisp of soul must have returned to its place, didn't he properly inspect it? There are twenty-eight prisoners in the dungeon, what should the magistrate do?"
Young Manager shed a tearful face, the look in his eyes was even more of a struggle, nowhere near as composed as when we sent text messages.
At that moment, I remained silent.
For a moment, I remained silent. After a while, I finally said, "You haven't seen the stubbornness of the twenty-eight prisoners in the dungeon, Young Manager. If he couldn't resist leading them, it's normal."
"Okay..."
"But Young Master Xianshen, is there any way you can solve this problem?"
After saying this, Young Manager closed his eyes, then opened them again. The blood vessels in his eyes were more prominent, but he was slightly more composed.
Without saying anything, I lowered my head and thought about it.
"This... Young Master Xianshen, calling me out like this, wasn't it just because you're worried I might cause trouble? Have you not thought of a solution yet?" Just as the Young Manager had calmed down, he became increasingly uneasy.
"Yes." I nodded truthfully.
Young Manager leaned back weakly, resting against the back of the chair.
In fact, I've already exhausted my brainpower and can't think of a way to separate Wei Youming's wisp of soul.
Talking about the leader as just one wisp of soul is fine, but now the leader is entirely under control...
This means we first need to deal with the powerful leader. We need to subdue him first before considering how to remove Wei Youming's wisp of soul.
Strength is a major issue.
I myself can clearly see that I don't have the capability for it temporarily.
The longer we drag it on, the more trouble it will become.
For a moment, the train of thought was at a standstill.
At that very moment, Young Manager's eyes suddenly became resolute. He straightened his body and looked directly at me.
"Young Master Xianshen, I'm going back now."
"Go back!?" I furrowed my brows.
"Yes, go back. The big boss doesn't know that I've tested him. Even if he has a problem, he would definitely hide it from others. I just don't know what Wei Youming wants to do." Young Manager spoke candidly.
My eyelids twitched even more.
I knew what Wei Youming wanted to do.
If this wisp of soul communicated with Wei Youming himself, that would be fine. But as Sun Zhuo was captured, he would temporarily settle down.
In essence, however, his wisp of soul has no communication with his body. His target is solely me!
I who has contracted "plague"!
"He wants me." I answered Young Manager.
"You?" Young Manager was utterly confused.
I'm not good at explaining these things myself.
I was just wondering what would happen when Young Manager went back.
His idea would certainly be to continue his efforts, at least to see the leader and know every move.
Ignoring the most dangerous outcome, this seems to be a viable option.
However, if I don't appear, the leader will certainly be unhappy and may cause other things to happen.
"Do you have confidence in your ability to hide?" I steadied myself and asked Young Manager again.
"I should be fine. Actually, there are many things the magistrate needs to handle internally. If the big boss is completely under control, Wei Youming's wisp of soul might not be able to manage everything. He shouldn't dare to touch me." Young Manager replied.
"It will just be a case of taking things one step at a time. If you encounter any trouble, Young Master Xianshen, you can still find me. I'll help you secretly solve it. As for your people, I can't find them anymore. If you come up with a solution, you can still notify me. We need to have a code word, otherwise, I'm afraid I might be infected one day too."
"This code word..." Young Manager lowered his head and continued to think.
"I have it! Just this white flower needle grass. You need to find the right opportunity to ask me." Young Manager took a deep breath, and his eyes became more determined.
After that, I thought Young Manager was going to leave right away.
But to my surprise, he took out something.
It was a cylindrical roll, wrapped tightly, about the same thickness as an arm.
"It's the skin of Wu Zhongkuan. I brought it out by accident." Young Manager put down the cylinder.
"I considered the situation quite severely. If something were to happen, I might die when I go back. Young Master Xianshen, you need to handle the matters you should. If I die, this favor is owed to my brother. His madness is actually due to something in his head. If you can get rid of it, you might be able to find out something about your parents."
"And, as previously mentioned, there is someone at the Diyin House who needs to take care of some business, which is related to your parents. His shop is located in the southeast corner of Diyin House. In fact, it was not he who sought out the magistrate but rather he issued a recruitment announcement with substantial rewards. The big boss wanted to undertake this task and thus thought of you."
"He has no interest in you for now. Perhaps he has sorted out most of the old matters. You know nothing about it."
"As for the Xu family, while investigating you, I also secretly investigated them. I only got reliable information these past two days and had no opportunity to communicate it with you."
"As for Xu Nuan of the Xu family, she has a close relationship with Sun Zhuo. The Xu family is aspiring to attach themselves to a higher status, but they were discarded by Sun Zhuo like old shoes. Xu Nuan has a better destiny than Hinoe, with a miraculous jade life that can directly spawn the Yang Deity."
"I suspect that Sun Zhuo wants to take her Yuan Yin to cut off your backup."
"Moreover, since Xu Nuan has no more use, they have not been able to connect with Sun Zhuo for a while. After a period of silence, however, on the day after you entered Jin Yang, there was suddenly some change. I've pretty much investigated from all sides and can confirm that it's unrelated to Sun Zhuo. The Xu family is now in control of the rest of the characters."
"You need to be careful with the Xu family; they are very cunning."
Young Manager's words were long and long, and the amount of information they contained was vast and great, truly immense!
It not only includes the things I've always wanted to know, but also mentions the Xu family, and even provides a more detailed explanation of the Xu family's situation than Han Zucai!
That was a hidden thorn, always ready to stab me once.
"Take care, Young Master Xianshen."
The last sentence, Young Manager spoke with deep concern.
He stood up, pulled open the curtain, and slowly walked out.
I didn't follow him but closed my eyes and continuously digested and memorized everything Young Manager had said.
I lowered my head, and my gaze fell on the cylinder again.
I reached out and ran my fingers over it.
The icy sensation made my breath quicken.
The situation before me could only be resolved by Young Manager taking care of himself.
And I, because of his information, have a clearer and more defined set of tasks to handle.
If I can control Wu Zhongkuan, even without needing an assistant, I will have the greatest helper!
Additionally, he has thrown my parents' affairs in front of me!
"Brother-in-law… I have a small question..."
"I mean, the person in the midst of things is confused, while the onlooker sees clearly. Perhaps I am mistaken..."
Anqi silently opened her mouth, interrupting my thoughts.
"Speak." I simply uttered a single character.
"Since Stubborn Leader is so shrewd, will he really be controlled?"
"Is it possible that we've made things too complicated, or perhaps not complicated enough?"
"Is there a possibility that Stubborn Leader deliberately allowed himself to be controlled? He wants to do something, but lacks the power, so he's borrowing the strength of the Twenty-Eight Hells Prisoners?"
Anqi's tone carried a sense of tentativeness, along with a hint of unease.
