Chapter 139: Visitors from Sparse Star Pavilion

Wangyou looked at the pretty face in the mirror, her tender fingertips involuntarily wandering across her cheeks. To describe her skin as flawless and delicate like congealed grease, vulnerable to the slightest touch, was by no means an exaggeration.

She murmured with self-deprecating laughter, "Truly lovely. Yet, when one's fate cannot be held in one's own hands, of what use is such beauty..."

Lost in thought, she suddenly lowered her head and let out a manic, light laugh, then rose to spin around the room before collapsing limply onto the unmade bed.

The scent unique to the aftermath of intimacy between a man and a woman drifted into her nostrils, instantly suffusing her cheeks with a deep blush.

Indeed, fate cannot be self-determined. Of what use was a fair exterior when she was ultimately nothing more than a plaything in the palms of others?

Whether the Demon Son or the Three Evils, they were all shackles she could never shake off in this lifetime, a inescapable net from which there was no place to flee.

Surveying the room of wealth and sensual luxury, she laughed foolishly once more, "The Buddha says there are eighteen major hells, five hundred intermediate ones, and countless minor ones. Among them, Avici is the supreme, lasting through countless eons with no hope of release... no hope of release. Heh heh heh, how true those words are. Am I not presently dwelling within Avici itself? Ha... haha..."

The Avici Hell offers no hope of release, and what hope did she possess?

Her laughter was wild, yet desolate. It frightened Xing'er, who was standing guard at the door, and caused the maid to rush in panicked, crying anxiously, "My lady?"

Yet, upon entering the chamber, what met her eyes was a scene of unbridled intimacy.

Xing'er hastily covered her eyes with her hands, then cautiously opened a tiny gap between her fingers and hurried to close the door. Shielding her face with her sleeve, she walked back to Wangyou's bedside and asked tentatively, "My lady, are you alright?"

"It is fine, we are both women. What are you afraid of?" Wangyou cared not a whit about her exposed charms. Having already crossed this threshold, what use was there in pretending to be a chaste and virtuous woman just to become the laughingstock of others?

Xing'er was, after all, a young maid with a thin skin. Matters between men and women were still separated by a veil of window paper for her, yet unpunctured.

Her face flushed crimson instantly, and she stammered, "M-My lady is too beautiful, this... this servant dare not."

Seeing Xing'er so nervous she was breaking out in a sweat, Wangyou withdrew her teasing intent and said, "Go draw some water for me, I wish to bathe."

"Yes."

As if granted a royal pardon, Xing'er scurried away without a trace.

Soon, Xing'er returned in single file with several junior maids, carrying water behind the screen to fill the wooden tub until the room was misted with steam.

She then led the other maids away and pulled the door shut behind them.

Wangyou lazily crawled out of bed, swaying her hips as she stepped into the wooden tub step by step, and then slowly immersed her body—and finally her entire head—beneath the water...

On the other side, when Prince Yong returned to the Ruijin Palace, Su He had already been invited within.

"Sorry to have kept Lord Baili waiting."

Su He rose to offer a greeting, saying, "You flatter me, Su He has only just arrived. I wonder why Your Highness urgently summoned me to the palace?"

Prince Yong raised a hand, gesturing for Su He to be seated first, and said, "To be frank, after receiving the crucial evidence presented by Young Lord this morning, Your Highness and Zhou You rushed to the Spirit-Soothing Pavilion. Unexpectedly, not long after our arrival, a fire broke out in the mortuary where the corpses were kept."

"What?"

"Do not act rashly." Seeing Su He's expression change drastically, Prince Yong hurriedly motioned for him to calm down and listen to the rest, saying, "I know you are concerned for Building Master Yi, but rest assured, I have already reported to His Majesty that Building Master Yi is a crucial witness in this case, and her reputation shall not suffer the slightest blemish."

Pausing for a moment, he shifted his tone and lamented mournfully, "It is only a pity about the coroner Chen's boy, E Hua. The child lost his life trying to protect an old man's internal organs from the inferno. Such noble dedication truly makes us ashamed."

With that, he sighed repeatedly.

Seeing Prince Yong speak to this extent, Su He knew it would not be easy to take Yi Qingchen away. Even though this fire indirectly corroborated her words, the Ruijin Palace still had no wish to let her go easily.

The sole gain was confirming her status as a witness rather than some nominal "guest."

Therefore, he was entirely clear on what Prince Yong was plotting.

Thus, lowering his gaze in sympathetic regret, Su He listened and let out a long sigh, "I wonder if it is convenient to visit the Spirit-Soothing Pavilion? Such loyal and righteous servants are truly admirable, and Su He wishes to go and pay his respects to express his condolences."

Prince Yong was just fretting over how Su He was not taking the bait and that he would have to expend more effort. Since Su He was so tactful, he was naturally more than happy to do a favor.

He said, "Lord Baili is truly righteous; how could the Spirit-Soothing Pavilion refuse visitors? If you do not disdain it, I am willing to accompany you. What do you think?"

Su He hurriedly rose and bowed in gratitude, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

"It is only right." Just as he was about to instruct Zhou You to lead the way, Zhou You spoke up first, bringing a woman in tow behind him.

"Your Highness, these maidens claim to be from the Scattering Star Tower, here by the command of the Holy Sage to formally welcome the Building Master."

A storm of emotion swept across Prince Yong's face, which he quickly reined in as he asked, "How may I address you?"

The woman offered a formal salute with cupped hands and said, "Tihong of the Scattering Star Tower, here by the command of the Holy Sage to formally welcome the Building Master. I trust the First Prince will not attempt to obstruct us."

Instantly, Prince Yong's heart beat like a war drum as he smiled, "Building Master Yi is a guest here, and I dare say I have not been remiss in her hospitality. I wonder what the Holy Sage intends by this?"

Tihong clearly did not buy into his act, saying with a sneer, "Let us speak plainly without beating around the bush; why must the First Prince deceive himself? Could it be that because the Elder Building Master is gone, the Scattering Star Tower is a place you can humiliate at whim?"

Not to mention her own anger, the Holy Sage was even more furious. Had it not been for everyone holding him back, he would likely have already gone to war with the royal city by now; how could they have remained so polite?

Yet Prince Yong lacked all tact, attempting to use the same old pretense on her that he used on others. It was utterly absurd.

Prince Yong wanted to offer further explanation, but Tihong rebuffed him mercilessly without leaving any face. His expression instantly hung in awkward suspension, and it took him a long while to catch his breath.

"Tihong seems to harbor deep misunderstandings regarding me; I truly have not mistreated Building Master Yi. If you do not believe me, you may ask Lord Baili here, as he and your esteemed Building Master are bound by life and death. If you do not trust my word, surely you must trust your own Building Master, no?"

This was a deeply crafty remark; whichever way Tihong answered, there would be a hook attached.

Her face flushed bright red. In the past, she certainly would have scolded him back. Who did he think he was, daring to trifle with her Building Master's reputation?

The problem was that she was currently acting as Yi Qingchen's personal maid, tasked with attending to her daily life. Naturally, she had heard a great deal about Baili Su He, especially since the Building Master had frequently sent her to gather news of Su He back when he was in the Xiaotong River Basin.

Therefore, since Prince Yong invoked him and her Building Master in the same breath, she truly could not retort.

Unwilling to place her in a difficult position, Su He addressed Prince Yong, "Your Highness, since Lady Tihong has arrived in person, why not allow her to meet with Miss Yi? That would save us many superfluous words."

When you and I trade a thousand words, how can it compare to a single word of theirs worth a thousand gold?

Blushing, Tihong cast a stealthy glance at Su He, thinking to herself: You at least know what's proper; this old lady's errands in the past weren't run in vain.

Naturally, she only dared think these words in her heart. To voice them aloud, she lacked the courage.

Prince Yong froze for a moment, then pointed at Su He and said, "You are right. How could I have forgotten the principal party?"

He hurriedly instructed Zhou You, "Take Lady Tihong to the Plum Pavilion to see Building Master Yi. Remember, show no discourtesy; you must treat her with the same reverence as you would myself."

Zhou You acknowledged, "This subordinate obeys." He then bowed respectfully to Tihong, "Lady Tihong, please follow me."

Passing by Su He, Tihong shot him a sideways glance before lowering her head and following Zhou You away.

As soon as the two of them departed, Prince Yong gestured for Su He to be seated, saying, "Many thanks to you just now, Lord Baili."

Returning to his seat, Su He offered a smooth, mild smile, "Your Highness is too kind."

"Is Lord Baili not worried that Building Master Yi might simply leave?"

"I trust Miss Yi. Why doesn't Your Highness set your mind at ease?"

"Ha... haha." The smile on Prince Yong's face abruptly turned somewhat unnatural.

Yet he adjusted himself swiftly, acting as though nothing were amiss. After all, both were seasoned masters of manipulation; how could they fail to grasp each other's subtext?

When matters are pushed too far into the open, they lose their subtlety.

Thus, during the time they waited for Tihong's return, Prince Yong began striking up a casual rapport with Su He, intentionally or otherwise.

Eager to visit the Spirit-Soothing Pavilion, Su He was more than happy to play along. Within moments, the two of them seemed like old friends of many years, conversing with great harmony.

After about half an hour, Zhou You returned with Tihong, though Yi Qingchen was not accompanying them.

Upon seeing this, Prince Yong could not help but let out a sigh of relief.

Had the Scattering Star Tower insisted on forcibly removing Yi Qingchen, given the current circumstances, the Ruijin Palace truly could not have found a justification to detain her.

Ultimately, everything at present was extremely favorable to Yi Qingchen.

Yet his insistence on keeping her naturally stemmed from his own calculations. Although the fire in the mortuary indirectly confirmed that someone else stood behind Little Zhou Village, it was merely corroborative and proved nothing further.

Whether it was the evidence presented by Baili Su He or the timing of the fire at the mortuary, it was all far too coincidental.

Half a sleeve could only prove that a man was involved in this case; to be bolder, it suggested the culprit was fond of feminine beauty, but nothing more.

Given the capabilities of the Scattering Star Tower—though he could not yet fathom why Yi Qingchen would do this—they genuinely possessed the means to accomplish it. In short, lacking absolute tangible proof, he still retained a rational skepticism toward Yi Qingchen.

When the two drew near, Prince Yong finally stood up and asked, "Lady Tihong, why did Building Master Yi not return with you?"

"You ask when you already know."

"This... Lady Tihong is truly humorous." Prince Yong smiled and looked toward Su He.

Knowing Su He would inevitably have questions, Tihong replied, "The Building Master said she is staying at the Plum Pavilion of her own accord, and she believes... Lord Baili will certainly unmask the true culprit and deliver justice to the deceased."

With that, she cast a sidelong glare at Su He.

The Building Master is staying behind entirely for your sake. If you dare fail her in the future, the Scattering Star Tower will hunt you to the ends of the earth, humpf.

Su He likewise stood up and cupped his hands, saying, "Please relay to the Holy Sage, Lady Tihong, that Baili understands his own identity. Ask him to set his mind at ease for the time being and not to worry."

He then cast a side-glance at Prince Yong, "I shall investigate this case together with His Highness, and we will surely bring the truth to light before the world at the earliest."

Prince Yong's eyes shifted slightly as he echoed, "Indeed, Lady Tihong may rest assured."

Terrified that her Building Master's deep affections would be misplaced, and harboring very little lingering affection for Su He, Tihong snapped petulantly, "You've said all the fine words, what is left for me to say?"

Su He smiled, "You have a generous spirit, Lady."

Instantly, he loaded her with undeserved praise. Her ears turning scarlet red, though she failed to grasp the meaning behind Su He's remark about knowing his own identity, she demurred, "Slick-tongued. I will deliver your words. But whether the Holy Sage agrees or not, that is beyond my control."

With that, she swept out of the Ruijin Palace in a huff.

Once she was far away, Prince Yong finally released the burden weighing on his heart.

Initially intending to take Zhou You along, he changed his mind at the last moment and said, "Zhou You, take some guards to the treasury and select a few trinkets to send to Building Master Yi as my modest token of goodwill. Once Lord Baili and I return from the Spirit-Soothing Pavilion, I shall pay a formal visit of thanks!"

"Understood." Zhou You promptly withdrew, calling upon several guards to accompany him to the treasury.

Prince Yong invited Su He, saying, "Let us depart."

Su He stepped aside to let him pass, "Your Highness, lead the way; Baili will follow."

With those words, the two left the Ruijin Palace, passed beyond the palace gates, and swiftly headed toward the Spirit-Soothing Pavilion...