Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Sun Household Servant
Gu Shi Yi stayed in Blue Moon City for three straight days, behaving like the world’s most obedient guest. She holed up in the inn, ate what was brought to her, and didn’t so much as poke her head outside.
If she were still living by the cautious habits she’d picked up while roaming with that old Daoist priest, she would’ve bolted the instant the Hundred Herbs Pavilion incident happened—run far, run fast, run until trouble couldn’t find her even with a lantern.
But this time, she couldn’t.
She had something to do.
So she waited until the time she’d set with Lord Huang Liu, then finally dressed up at the inn and went to the Huang Residence. Her “disguise” was, to any real cultivator, the kind of cover that fooled exactly no one—but putting on a show was still better than walking in barefaced.
What she didn’t know was that the Hundred Herbs Pavilion had shut its doors the moment she left and hadn’t opened since. And today, right as she slipped into the Huang Residence to meet Lord Huang Liu, a man surnamed Shang and a slender woman appeared outside the pavilion.
“Master, it’s here…”
“Mmm. Why is the door closed?”
They traded a look. Confusion first—then the thin, sour edge of a bad feeling.
“Shang San… open it.”
The middle-aged man nodded, lifted a hand, and sent a spell seal striking the door. The two shop doors creaked and swung inward.
Too easily.
It had only been latched like an ordinary mortal shop. No formation. No seal. That alone made their scalps tighten.
They stepped inside.
The front hall was empty. The back hall was empty. The air was stale, like the place had been holding its breath for days. When they reached the small rear building, their feet stopped.
Two maidservants lay sprawled on the floor. Their skin had already turned waxy, mottled with lividity.
In the inner room, a middle-aged woman lay burned black in places. In the center of her chest was a hole the size of a fist.
Her heart was gone.
Shang San’s face changed.
“Where’s the Blood-Eroding Grass?”
They swept the pavilion with their divine sense. Their awareness brushed against a jade box—and nothing else worth finding. They looked at each other, expressions sinking into cold, ugly certainty.
Shang San’s voice sharpened. “Could it be that mortal who killed Fifth Lady?”
The woman shook her head at once.
“Impossible. That mortal only knows a bit of Daoist craft. In a cultivator’s eyes, she’s an ant. I chose her because she wouldn’t draw attention. Fifth Lady was already at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Stage, and her two maidservants had some skill as well. That mortal couldn’t have done this alone…”
She pointed toward the corpse, where rot had already begun to win.
“Now we can only search for Fifth Lady’s remnant soul and see if we can question her. The truth—and the Blood-Eroding Grass’s whereabouts—depend on what we can pry loose.”
Shang San nodded, then flicked his sleeve.
Formation flags shot out and stabbed into the ground around Fifth Lady Wang’s corpse. His lips moved in a low murmur. The words were almost inaudible, but the air responded.
A wisp of white mist seeped up from the decaying body.
So faint it looked like a breath in winter.
So thin it seemed a stray breeze could blow it apart.
The woman frowned. “Someone has already torn away one hun and one po from her soul. Whether we can get anything from what’s left… we’ll be gambling.”
She raised her hand and pressed another spell seal into the mist. It jolted, tightened, then slowly condensed into a blurred, wavering figure with the outline of a face.
Her voice stayed calm and merciless.
“Wang Yun. Where is the Blood-Eroding Grass?”
The soul flickered. Its eyes stared straight ahead, empty as a dead pond. Its lips moved—once, twice—but no sound came out.
The woman asked again. Then a third time.
Still nothing.
Shang San’s jaw clenched. The woman’s expression darkened.
“Looks like we won’t get an answer.”
Shang San couldn’t hide his frustration now. It bled through his voice. “Master, that Blood-Eroding Grass was something you risked nine deaths and one life to steal from Cold Wind Valley. If we bring it back to the sect, you can inherit the Sect Master’s position. To lose it at the very last moment…!”
The woman went quiet for a beat, then said evenly, “This isn’t the worst outcome. As long as the Blood-Eroding Grass hasn’t fallen into Senior Sister’s hands, we still have room to turn things around.”
Her gaze shifted, sharp as a blade. “That mortal woman—did you leave a mark on her? Try to find her. If she knows anything, we’ll pry it out of her mouth.”
Shang San bowed slightly. “This lowly one planted a brand on her when I placed the restriction. If she’s within a hundred li, I can sense it…”
He hesitated, then added, “But if I want the mark to guide us accurately, I’ll need to set up a formation.”
The woman looked around once, taking in the scene like she was memorizing it, then made her decision.
“We can’t linger here. Leave first.”
They went.
Not long after, the three corpses inside the Hundred Herbs Pavilion disappeared as well. Before much time passed, a thin old man took over the shop, and no one ever mentioned the former shopkeeper, Fifth Lady Wang, again—as if she had never existed.
Meanwhile, in the study at the Huang Residence, Lord Huang Liu was speaking to Gu Shi Yi.
“It’s done, Miss. And you might call it luck. The Sun family’s eldest young madam has two sons and a daughter. The youngest daughter was weak from birth, so they hired three wet nurses to take turns caring for her. Even with that, they raise her with extreme caution.”
He spoke briskly, like a man reciting something he’d already rehearsed.
“The Sun family’s miss is always kept in the eldest young madam’s courtyard. One of Miss Sun’s wet nurses is a distant relative of our Huang family. I sent someone to see her and spent some silver to win her over. Once you enter the Sun Residence, she’ll personally come to pick servants and will choose you to serve at her side. That way, you’ll get into the eldest young madam’s courtyard.”
Gu Shi Yi’s eyes lit up.
“Thank you, Lord Huang Liu!”
She stood and clasped her fists. Lord Huang Liu waved it off with a smile.
“Miss Gu, you’re too polite. You’ve done the Huang Residence a great favor. This is nothing.”
Gu Shi Yi immediately asked him to keep it secret. Lord Huang Liu’s smile didn’t change.
“That goes without saying. Of course.”
The Sun family was a cultivation household. They weren’t as powerful as the Gu family, but in Blue Moon City they were still a name that carried weight. Lord Huang Liu might be rich, but he wasn’t foolish enough to wrestle with a cultivation family. If word got out that he’d helped someone with ulterior motives slip into the Sun Residence, he’d be dragged into the fallout right alongside her.
He didn’t need to be told to keep his mouth shut.
With her opening secured, Gu Shi Yi didn’t waste time. She slipped out the back gate and walked to the Sun Residence on foot.
It wasn’t far—about three streets.
Like the Gu family, the true cultivators of the Sun family didn’t live in a city where qi was thin and muddied by mortal bustle. Most lived in the mountains outside the walls, where spiritual qi was thick and clean.
The Gu family stayed near Blue Moon Lake because they had to guard it. The Sun family, meanwhile, had found a spiritual spring in the mountains outside Blue Moon City. The family’s juniors cultivated there. Their mortal relatives—and descendants without spirit roots—stayed in the city.
The Sun family’s eldest young master had no spirit root. But the two sons he had with the Gu family’s eldest miss—one with a wood spirit root and one with a water spirit root—had both been sent into the mountains to cultivate under the elders. Only a frail youngest daughter remained in the city with the husband and wife.
That little miss was four years old now. She’d been sick since she was swaddled, and the illness only worsened with time. The Sun couple cherished her like their own eyes. They were terrified that anyone might serve her carelessly, and so they became brutally strict with those around her. Any small misstep meant curses or beatings. Light punishment was being tossed out of the residence. Heavy punishment was… final.
After a while, the reputation spread. People in Blue Moon City all knew Miss Sun was hard to serve. One wrong move and a servant might lose their life. Even the city’s poorest would rather sell themselves elsewhere than go anywhere near the Sun family.
These days, the only ones willing to serve Miss Sun were children from families so desperate they couldn’t keep food on the table—or outsiders who didn’t know what they were walking into.
Gu Shi Yi played the part of an outsider.
The Sun family steward, already paid off with Lord Huang Liu’s silver, brought her into the Sun Residence along with a dozen servants of different ages and appearances. They were led into a large courtyard. An old matron came out and handed each of them a set of clothes.
“Change into these.”
Men and women split off into separate rooms. Gu Shi Yi changed with the women, then followed the old matron’s instructions and pinned her hair up into a bun, styling it like a married woman’s.
The old matron noticed at once. “You’re already married?”
Gu Shi Yi put on a pitiful, obedient expression. “Replying to Matron, I was. But not long after I entered the household, my husband died. My in-laws drove me out. I had nowhere to go, so I sold myself.”
The old matron sighed, softening. “What a hard life…”
She studied Gu Shi Yi for a moment. “You look sturdy. You’ve got some strength, don’t you?”
Gu Shi Yi nodded quickly. “The little plot of land at my husband’s home—I farmed all of it myself…”
“Good. Later you’ll come with me to the head chef’s side. We’re short a rough old servant woman to chop firewood.”
The old matron meant well. She clearly didn’t want Gu Shi Yi anywhere near the eldest young madam’s courtyard. These days, even inside the Sun Residence, servants turned pale when that place was mentioned—as if it were a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den.
Gu Shi Yi nodded gratefully, but inside, her stomach sank.
[Please don’t ruin this for me, old matron.]
Once everyone had changed, they lined up in the courtyard again. The old matron explained the Sun Residence’s rules, what their monthly silver would be, and what kinds of tasks different courtyards assigned.
“These jobs vary—some are light, some heavy. Some pay more, some pay less. The eldest young madam’s courtyard pays the most: two taels of silver a month.”
The crowd stirred like a pot set on the fire.
Two taels.
In Blue Moon City, two taels could feed a whole family for three months.
The old matron’s eyes flicked over their faces. Something complicated flashed there—gone so quickly it was easy to miss.
“The eldest young madam’s courtyard isn’t somewhere you can go just because you want to,” she said.
Her gaze swept them all, and a thought drifted through her mind like a cold draft.
[Out of this batch… who’s going to be the unlucky one?]
She sighed and continued, voice firm. “Memorize the rules I just told you. People from each courtyard will come to pick you. Where you end up—and whether the masters value you—depends on your luck.”
The servants hurriedly lowered their heads to commit the rules to memory. Gu Shi Yi lowered her head too, looking as harmless as a grain of rice.
Before long, the first person arrived to choose.
It was a middle-aged woman in a green robe. Her hair was combed neatly, her sleeves clean, her posture crisp—everything about her said order and control. Her expression, however, was cool enough to frost a window.
The old matron went to greet her at once. “Wet Nurse Huang is here in person!”
Wet Nurse Huang nodded, voice quiet. “We need someone to clean the courtyard. I heard a new batch arrived today, so I came to take a look.”
As she spoke, her eyes swept across the servants’ faces like a blade testing edge.
The old matron turned to the crowd. “This is Wet Nurse Huang from the eldest young madam’s courtyard. She’s the little miss’s most trusted matron.”
The mood changed instantly.
A moment ago, they’d been daydreaming about two taels. Now the dream had walked in wearing a green robe.
Faces turned hopeful. Eyes went wide. Even people who had been half-asleep suddenly looked painfully alert. Wet Nurse Huang studied several women, then asked, “Are any of you married?”
Gu Shi Yi stepped forward with four others.
“Have any of you had a child?”
Gu Shi Yi stepped forward again, along with one more woman.
Wet Nurse Huang’s gaze fixed on Gu Shi Yi. “Where is your child now?”
Gu Shi Yi lifted her eyes just enough to look properly obedient, then answered smoothly, as if she’d rehearsed it a hundred times.
“At my husband’s home. They wouldn’t let me bring the child out. My mother-in-law is vicious—if she’s unhappy, she grabs a club and beats people. Later she drove me out, and that’s why I sold myself.”
Wet Nurse Huang gave a faint “Oh,” then looked Gu Shi Yi up and down again.
The Sun Residence’s servant clothes were loose by default, and Gu Shi Yi had deliberately worn hers even looser. She was naturally full-chested, and with the way the fabric hung, she really did resemble a woman who had given birth.
No one questioned it.
Wet Nurse Huang pointed. “It’s you.”
She turned to the old matron. “Matron Liu, I want this one.”
The old matron nodded without expression. Gu Shi Yi followed Wet Nurse Huang out of the courtyard.
Behind them, the old matron watched her go and sighed silently.
[Why does misfortune always pick the softest target? The poor thing is already miserable, and now she’s going to that place… She probably won’t even last three months before…]
The thought pricked her conscience, and she immediately scolded herself.
[Look at me, worrying about other people. I can barely keep my own life steady. If I can draw my monthly silver in peace, that’s already heaven’s mercy.]
She straightened her shoulders and went back to work.
Wet Nurse Huang led Gu Shi Yi through the Sun Residence, weaving through corridors until they stood before a courtyard so grand and spacious it made the earlier yard look like a side alley.
Wet Nurse Huang finally glanced back. “This is it. From now on, you’d better watch yourself.”
Her look carried enough weight to make the warning land without any extra words.
Gu Shi Yi nodded. “Understood.”
Wet Nurse Huang led her inside. “I’ll take you to pay respects to the Eldest Young Madam first.”
“Yes.”
They moved through corridors and covered walkways, turning again and again. After about a quarter hour, they reached the main courtyard. Under the eaves stood a neat row of maidservants and old servant women, hands folded, heads bowed, not daring to breathe too loudly. When Wet Nurse Huang approached, they all bowed. Wet Nurse Huang didn’t even blink, face cold as stone.
At the front hall doors, she announced clearly, “Young Madam, this maidservant picked a newcomer today and wishes to present her to Young Madam.”
A soft hum came from inside.
“Come in.”
The voice was gentle—almost sweet—but there was something in it that made Gu Shi Yi’s skin tighten.
Wet Nurse Huang brought her into the hall.
A cool gaze swept over Gu Shi Yi, sharp enough to feel like a fingertip against the spine.
“Lift your head.”
Gu Shi Yi obeyed.
The woman seated above looked about thirty, with pale skin and black hair, delicate features, and splendid clothes that spoke of wealth and standing. Gu Shi Yi, standing below, had wheat-colored skin, straightforward brows, and rough clothing that made her look like exactly what she claimed to be.
But the moment their eyes met, both women froze.
Not because of beauty.
Because of resemblance.
Their features—brows, eyes, the shape of the face—were three or four parts alike.