Chapter 154: Returning to the Pavilion of Soothing Spirits

Wuyou smiled gently, rose to her feet, picked up the dropped chopsticks, and placed them neatly back on the table. She opened the door and instructed Xing'er to fetch a clean pair, to which Xing'er nodded in agreement.

As the wooden door creaked open, Su He snapped back to his senses, though he could not calm the turmoil surging within his heart. Forcing himself to maintain composure, he stood up and offered an apology, "There is no need for the trouble; this pair will suffice."

"Oh, how could that do?" With a light, dainty step, she glided over to the table and once again invited Su He to be seated. Returning to her original seat, she glanced down at the chestnut cake on the plate and asked, "Could the young master's distraction be because of this item?"

"Mn." Su He did not deny it, simply nodding in response.

"Shall I guess?" The beautiful woman immediately intertwined her fingers and rested her chin upon them. Her watery autumn-water eyes rippled with gentle waves as she asked, "Is it because of the Tower Master Yi?"

Su He shook his head. Truth be told, to this day, he still had no idea what Yi Qingchen's preferences were.

"Then it is..." Wuyou paused, probing cautiously, "Could it be that woman who shares the same name as I?"

The moment the words left her lips, Su He's eyes flashed with an unmistakable flicker of emotion.

Instantly, immense joy bloomed within her heart.

She thought to herself: It is good that there is a reaction; this will save her a great deal of trouble.

Feigning a tenderness as soft as spring water, she said, "It seems I have guessed correctly."

"Past dreams are too unbearable to look back upon, so I must ask the lady to spare me." Her teasing gaze left him nowhere to hide, prompting him to cup one hand over the other in a bow: "I have been terribly discourteous today. Allow Su He to call upon you another day to offer a formal apology. I must taking my le—"

"Young Miss, the chopsticks have been brought."

Wuyou looked toward the doorway, her gaze soon returning to Su He. With deeply affectionate eyes, she said, "You see, it is not that Wuyou lacks reason; since Xing'er has already brought the chopsticks, why doesn't the young master stay and keep this humble maiden company a while longer?"

She then raised her voice toward the entrance, "Come in."

"Yes." Xing'er replaced the chopsticks, paid her respects to Wuyou, and then retreated to the outer room to keep watch.

"This... very well."

"Thank you, Young Master, for gracing me with your presence." Wuyou lifted the corners of her brows in delight, invited Su He to take his seat, and personally picked out a few pastries for him—coincidentally, the exact ones he had loved most in the past.

The sight of this sent yet another jolt through Su He's heart. He grew increasingly baffled: Who on earth was the woman before him? Was she truly not "her"?

At that moment, he could not help but waver. If Xiyan was dead, then who was the person before him? And if she was Xiyan, Xiyan had undeniably died by his own sword.

Furthermore, her aura was exclusively possessed by the immortals of the Sea of Desire. It was not something a newcomer or anyone else could possibly fake.

Yet, if they had no connection, why were their preferences so identical? And why did both of them know his own preferences? Aside from his mother and a few close confidants, the only other person who knew was Baili Xiaojing acting as his father, and even he had likely forgotten all about it by now.

Moreover, if getting one preference right could be called a coincidence, what about the second and third? How were these consecutive coincidences to be explained?

If calculated by the theory of reincarnation and rebirth, even if she had bypassed the underworld and directly entered mortal reincarnation without pause, she should only be a toddler by now.

Yet Wuyou was clearly not a child.

Thinking in circles, only one final possibility remained—possession and rebirth.

However, why would she pretend not to know him? Furthermore, judging by her demeanor and actions, it did not seem like an act.

Unable to fathom it, Su He watched Wuyou looking at him with an amused expression as he struggled in embarrassment, and smiled faintly, "How does the lady know my preferences?"

Wuyou laid down her chopsticks, lowered her gaze to steal a glance at him, and let out a soft chuckle. "The young master's words are so very amusing."

She playfully raised two jade-white fingers and said, "This is only the second time Wuyou and the young master have ever met. How could I possibly know your preferences? Could it be that you and I were fated in a past life?"

Her words sounded half-true and half-false, striking like a heavy hammer, silently driving various ambiguous notions deep into the human heart.

If Su He had only been suspicious before, he now believed it by six parts out of ten. He merely suspected that Wuyou had been possessed and reborn through Xiyan's soul.

Only, he could not understand why she had forgotten him...

Wuyou took in everything before her and said, "The young master has drifted off into thought two or three times today; could it really be... that Wuyou guessed correctly?" With that, she picked up her cup of fragrant tea and took a quiet sip, her expression mimicking someone caught in the act of saying the wrong thing.

Su He felt it was about time, so Wuyou stopped adding fuel to the fire, lest she overdo it.

After finishing the tea and pastries, the two of them sat in silence. After all, both harbored their own hidden thoughts.

By the end of the巳 hour, Su He paid the silver and left the Nine Glories Tower.

As noon approached, he stepped into the Pavilion of Condoling Spirits.

Chen Liu was about to reprimand him for lacking proper etiquette by breaking into his residence without cause.

Yet before Chen Liu could speak, Su He produced the Prince of Yong's jade pendant. Seeing the item, Chen Liu had to swallow his anger, unable to let it flare.

He said, "Please, take a seat."

Then he called out toward the outer room, "Zai She, serve tea."

"Thank you!"

A moment later, Zai She presented the tea.

Su He had not seen him during his last visit, and now he could not help casting an extra glance, asking Chen Liu, "And this is?"

Chen Liu replied, "Both he and E Hua are my attendants. On the day of the great fire, they were fortunate enough to escape with their lives."

He then instructed Zai She, "Greet Young Master Baili."

Zai She complied with a bow, though it was clear he remained deeply dispirited. E Hua's death had evidently dealt him a heavy blow. Su He offered a few words of consolation before speaking directly to the point with Chen Liu: "I have a matter I wish to discuss, and I have come specifically to ask for the Examiner's accommodation."

Knowing full well that Su He never visited without a reason, Chen Liu wanted to see what kind of medicine this fellow was selling in his gourd. He said in a clear voice, "Young Master, please speak freely."

"I wish to borrow and examine the heart of the old man from Little Zhou Village. Would you permit this?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Liu's two sparse and long eyebrows shot upward, and he retorted, "The Young Master must have made some discoveries to come here and look for me, haven't you?"

Su He replied, "I cannot say for certain yet."

Instantly, Chen Liu understood his intent and said, "Wait a moment."

After a flash of precious light, he flipped his hand to reveal a crystal box, carefully and slowly placing it upon the low table. "Chen has also kept watch over this day and night, though no other clues have turned up as of yet. If the Young Master has made any discoveries, please do not hesitate to share them."

Su He picked up the crystal box and inspected it for a moment before setting it down. "Seeing that the color of this heart is as fresh as ever, is it naturally so, or has the Examiner preserved it through secret arts?"

"Naturally through secret arts, otherwise, during such scorching summer weather, even though the Pavilion of Condoling Spirits sits upon a site of utmost Yin, this heart would rot beyond being able to remain this fresh." At this point, Chen Liu radiated a surge of pride.

When it came to this domain, who else in the Sea of Desire could rival him?

Yet unexpectedly, Su He suddenly said, "It is ruined."

This remark practically poked a hornet's nest. Although Chen Liu respected the Baili surname, that did not mean he held the same respect for the man himself.

No matter how one looked at it, Su He was still a junior.

To have his face slapped in public by a junior—no matter how good his restraint usually was, displeasure rose in his heart, and he angrily demanded, "By those words, does the Young Master look down upon my humble arts?"

"Examiner Chen, you misunderstand—"

"If that is the case, humph, the Young Master need not linger in the Pavilion of Condoling Spirits. Our temple is too small, and I fear it might dirty your pristine feet."

In short, he gave Su He no chance to defend himself. Having been unjustly rebuked without rhyme or reason, Su He felt deeply displeased as well.

However, knowing that Chen Liu was indeed uniquely accomplished in the art of forensic examination, Su He chose not to bicker with him.

He politely and sincerely offered an apology, saying, "Do not blame me, Examiner Chen; Su He has his reasons for saying this."

"What reasons could you possibly have? In Chen's view, you are likely finding the favor of a beauty difficult to bear and are simply trying to absolve another."

His retort was not entirely out of anger; he had weighed his words carefully. Leaning slightly backward, he watched Su He's reaction with guarded attention.

Just as the Prince of Yong had said, the timing of Yi Qingchen's appearance was far too coincidental. Although someone could vouch for Baili Su He's innocence, his relationship with Yi Qingchen was extremely close.

Who knew whether these two were playing one tune in public and another in private, conspiring behind the scenes?

Su He sighed and said, "I originally did not intend to bring this matter up so early. Even when the Eldest Prince inquired this morning, I did not mention it."

"Oh? Then why are you willing to speak of it now?" Clearly, Chen Liu had no intention of believing him. In his eyes, this was no different from a guilty conscience hiding the truth.

"Does Examiner Chen know why I asked to see the heart first?"

Chen Liu let out a cold laugh. "I am not the worms in your belly; how would I know your unspeakable, filthy intentions?"

Su He stood up and said, "Logically speaking, since both you and I are investigating the murder case of Little Zhou Village, we ought to be cooperating sincerely.

"Yet I also know that our identities are sensitive, and the words we speak may not be believed. Instead, they run the risk of either confirming guilt or merely washing it clean. Such concerns are worries Examiner Chen might as well temporarily cast aside.

"Suppose I did collude with Miss Yi to slaughter the villagers—what would be our motive? What good would doing so bring to me, or to the Profound Star Tower?"

Instantly, Chen Liu froze, a tempest of thoughts churning in his mind. He understood the implications behind Su He's words all too well. Yet precisely because he understood, he was all the more shocked.

Both sides of the argument carried their own logic; which one was the truth?

As for Baili Su He's situation—even while confined to the Pavilion of Condoling Spirits in the company of corpses day in and day out—he had caught wind of certain rumors. Just as Su He stated, though their timing was suspicious and their words might not suffice as proof, there was one fundamental truth: neither Su He nor the Profound Star Tower had any need to do such a thing. Despite all the possible conjectures, in reality, neither party required it.

Abruptly, he recalled the half-sleeve given by the Prince of Yong the other day. Ever since the Prince had left, he had been wholeheartedly engrossed in studying the old man's heart.

That sleeve had been tucked away and never looked at again.

Thinking of it now, he feared he had missed something monumental. Flustered, he fumbled into his sleeve pocket, pulled out the half-sleeve, and placed it upon the low table right beside the crystal box.

He stared at it for a long time, speechless.

Su He said, "Yesterday, several of my friends split up to scout and investigate the villages near Little Zhou Village. Though they found nothing, upon returning, one friend mentioned that at the northern border intersecting Little Zhou Village, there is a lake. On the night of the incident, all the fish and shrimp in the water died without cause, and the wild beasts that drank from it met the exact same fate.

"There is one more peculiar detail: despite the scorching weather, the corpses of the fish, shrimp, and beasts remained as fresh as ever, just as when they were alive.

"That is why I made that presumptuous inquiry earlier, with no intention of offending the Pavilion of Condoling Spirits. Please forgive me for any discourtesy!"

Chen Liu suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Su He's wrist, and said in a deep voice, "How certain are you of this matter?"

"Originally fifty percent; I hoped to verify the other half in the hands of the Examiner. Unexpectedly, the Examiner preserved it with secret arts, so it remains at fifty percent."

"My fault." Chen Liu abruptly slapped himself across the face. Startled, Su He quickly grabbed his arm and urged, "Examiner Chen, you must not!"

"Don't stop me." Chen Liu wrenched his arm free from Su He's grasp and raised his hand to strike himself again. Su He instantly lunged forward, pinned his hands, and said, "Will you listen to what I have to say first?"

Unable to break free, Chen Liu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Speak."

Su He glanced at the half-sleeve and the crystal box on the table and said, "When I presented this item that day, it resulted in the guest room being burned down. I wish to ask the Examiner: if this item was left behind by the deceased, is it still possible to discern the victim's aura even if they suffered murder, poison, or other forms of killing before death?"

Chen Liu pulled his hand free from Su He's restraint, rubbed his wrist, and replied, "It is possible, though investigating such matters is rather troublesome. If one observes it with the Eye of Wisdom, however, it can be accomplished instantly."

"Then I wonder if—"

"To my shame, I have not mastered that technique to perfection. When I cast it, it works sometimes and fails others. Alas."

Su He turned his gaze inward in thought and said, "The Examiner might as well give it a try. After you have tried, I have another matter I wish to discuss with you."

After a long silence, as if having made up his mind, Chen Liu gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I shall trust you once."