#24: Aloeswood

After Wen Yao left, Di Jiang also departed.

On her way back to the front courtyard, Di Jiang spotted a gate sealed with bricks, and on it was a large yellow paper. As Di Jiang approached, she realized the yellow paper was covered in cinnabar-drawn talismans. The handwriting was messy and unorganized, so much so that even she couldn’t discern their purpose.

Di Jiang simply climbed over the wall from a nearby tree and found herself in a hidden, charming small courtyard.

The courtyard was empty. A row of emerald bamboo lined the courtyard wall, and a lotus pond occupied the center, with unbloomed lotuses poised to open. Above a small gate by the pond, a plaque with ‘Cui Linglong’ was faintly visible, likely inspired by the phrase ‘sunlight piercing bamboo, emerald and exquisite’.

Di Jiang continued further, passing through carved corridors, and came upon a two-section, two-exit quadrangle courtyard. Every wall of the quadrangle was covered in cinnabar talismans, and even under the eaves, paper talismans were plastered one after another. These talismans, weathered by wind and sun, had gradually faded, looking decrepit, and heavy locks hung on every door.

Di Jiang observed for a few moments and realized this was likely the courtyard where Dong Yezhen had lived.

Now that her soul had dissipated like a wisp of smoke, her once meticulously maintained courtyard lay vacant. It had become a ‘haunted’ house, sealed off, even the courtyard gate blocked, perhaps never to be reopened.

As Di Jiang aimlessly strolled down the emerald bamboo path, a mournful human voice suddenly echoed in the clear, cold air.

“Miss... Miss...”

It was the voice of a young woman, hoarse but not unpleasant, each sound like a dying gasp.

“Who’s there?” Di Jiang looked around but found no one in the courtyard.

“Miss... you died so tragically!”

Just as Di Jiang was about to leave, the woman’s obscure voice returned. She immediately followed the sound and saw a woman’s head suddenly emerge from beneath a row of emerald bamboo!

Her head was covered in blood, her eyes wide open, and her body was hidden beneath the soil, as if she had been decapitated.

“Who are you?” Di Jiang knelt down and slowly asked, “Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?”

“Miss was killed by Ma Wenshan! I want revenge for her!” The woman suddenly went mad, growing hands, feet, and a body from the earth, then lunged at Di Jiang.

Di Jiang dodged, and the figure passed through the wall, vanishing.

Clearly, the owner of that shadow had long been dead; this was merely a remnant of her dying thoughts.

Di Jiang turned around and looked at the patch of earth where she had appeared. A sudden impulse struck her. She found an iron shovel in the dusty small kitchen behind the courtyard and began digging under the row of bamboo.

After digging about two feet, she saw a small section of a woman’s finger.

Fearing damage to the corpse, Di Jiang dared not use the shovel anymore, instead using her hands to painstakingly clear the soil inch by inch.

Gradually, the woman’s broken corpse became visible.

The woman’s face was disfigured, only a bloody hole on her forehead was visible, seemingly from a blunt object and the fatal wound. Her face was crusted with blood, and her skin tissue had peeled off, revealing decaying vascular networks. She appeared to have been dead for more than seven days.

She was wearing the same blue tunic adorned with magnolia flowers as the mansion’s maids. The magnolia flowers were still faintly discernible, but the blue fabric had been stained brown by blood, completely altered. She must have been a maid who worked for Dong Yezhen. In the prime of her youth, she was murdered and buried here.

“Alas...” Di Jiang sighed, feeling a blockage in her heart. After some thought, she felt that the maid should not remain here, unattended and uncared for. So, disregarding the filth, she carried the corpse out of Linglong Courtyard.

Di Jiang moved stealthily, her face grim. When she returned to the main residence, no one saw her terrifying appearance. But for a moment, she truly couldn’t think of where to bury the maid’s body.

Passing Ma Wenshan’s room, she happened to see a doctor changing his dressing. The main door was wide open, so Di Jiang simply strode in. After the doctor left and the servants had served Ma Wenshan his fill, he fell into a deep sleep. She then placed the maid’s corpse on his bed, with her face turned towards Ma Wenshan, so that he would see her wide, staring eyes as soon as he turned his head.

Eyes that refused to close in death.

________________________________________

After returning to her room, Di Jiang asked for bathwater. As she finished washing herself thoroughly, Wen Yao came running into her room.

Di Jiang hadn’t fully dressed yet. Seeing Wen Yao suddenly burst in, she glared at her while inwardly chiding herself for forgetting to latch the door. Thankfully, it was Wen Yao who burst in; what if it had been someone else?

“From now on, knock before entering my room. No, knock before entering anyone’s room. It’s basic etiquette, understand?”

Di Jiang finished speaking, but Wen Yao seemed not to have heard. She walked directly to Di Jiang, breathless. “Boss, guess what I found out!”

“What?”

“I thought only Ma Wenshan was problematic, but it turns out this entire Dong family fortress is problematic!” Wen Yao frantically said, “Dong Liancheng and Dong Biling are indeed not biological siblings. Dong Liancheng and Dong Yezhen were both adopted. Only Dong Biling is Dong Qishan’s biological child!”

“Such a thing?” Di Jiang was startled.

“But that’s not the strangest part. Do you know why Master Dong adopted Dong Liancheng and Dong Yezhen?”

“Why?”

“I heard that Master Dong was unscrupulous when he was young, and consequently faced retribution. No matter who carried his child, the pregnancy would always end prematurely, only lasting three or four months before a miscarriage and stillbirth.”

“Such a strange thing...” Di Jiang stroked her chin, momentarily too astonished to even finish dressing.

Wen Yao continued, “When he was thirty, Dong Qishan thought he would surely remain childless and die alone. Unexpectedly, that year, he met Daoist Master Ma and followed his advice, spending a fortune to perform rituals to send away karmic debts. He also adopted a pair of the most destitute orphans from the city’s slums, who later became Dong Liancheng and Dong Yezhen. Strangely enough, after he adopted the two, Madam Dong, who had never conceived, suddenly had a propitious dream and became pregnant. The following year, she successfully gave birth to Dong Biling. From then on, Dong Qishan became utterly devoted to Daoist Master Ma, treating him as a distinguished guest.”

“Hmm... this is getting more and more interesting.” Di Jiang recovered from her initial surprise, musing that there were indeed more and more unusual occurrences in Siam Liang City.

“What should we do next?” Wen Yao asked.

“Wait and see. I believe clues will emerge soon.” Di Jiang smiled faintly, then continued dressing. Just as she finished tidying herself, Zhong Xu knocked on her door.

“Knock, knock, knock—” Three knocks sounded, followed by Zhong Xu’s slightly deep voice: “Doctor Di, are you inside?”

Hearing it was Zhong Xu, Di Jiang immediately smiled brightly and opened the door, welcoming him in.

“Daoist Master Zhong, do you need something?”

“I just wanted to discuss whether we should look for Yezhen.”

“Yezhen?” Di Jiang paused, not understanding why he was suddenly concerned about her.

Zhong Xu thought Di Jiang didn’t know who he was referring to and added, “The female ghost from last night, no, I should say the person who pretended to be a female ghost.”

Di Jiang smiled. “Since Daoist Master Zhong knows she’s a person, she’s not within your jurisdiction. Why trouble yourself?”

“I just pity her and hope she can seek revenge through proper channels.”

Di Jiang couldn’t help but laugh heartily, waving her hands repeatedly. “She’ll come to Dong Family Fortress eventually. We’ll simply wait for her like waiting for a rabbit by a tree stump.”

“Then... when shall we depart?”

“Go where?”

“To find the person you want to find.”

Di Jiang smiled again, saying, “The person I wanted to find has already been found. Now, I just need to quietly wait for him to appear.”

“That’s good.” Zhong Xu nodded noncommittally, not wanting to ask any more questions. At least after these few years of acquaintance, he had found that while Di Jiang’s actions were often unconventional, her heart was kind. He had never seen her truly angry with anyone. She always seemed to have a way to solve all the troubles around her, displaying a calm demeanor as if the world was in her hands.

And indeed, Di Jiang rarely got angry. The only time she truly panicked was during Wu Rui’an’s sword consecration; he was the only variable in her life.

________________________________________

In the evening, as Ma Wenshan opened his eyes, he saw the rotting face of the maid, Chenxiang, and her wide, unseeing eyes. The next moment, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air.

“Ah—help—help me—”

Ma Wenshan’s cries for help quickly drew the guards stationed outside the door, and the head steward, Dong An.

“Chenxiang! It’s actually Chenxiang!” Dong An was aghast at the corpse on the bed. “This girl disappeared some days ago, but I never thought she’d been dead for so long!”

“Get her away!” Ma Wenshan tried to escape but, having a broken leg, he was stuck on the bed, unable to move or run. He could only stare at Chenxiang.

The guards quickly moved Ma Wenshan to another guest room. Afterward, Dong An reported the incident to Dong Qishan.

“The guards at the door have been there all along and didn’t see anyone enter. And outside Daoist Master Ma’s window is the lake, so it’s impossible for anyone to have put the corpse in his room without alarming anyone, unless...” Dong An hesitated.

“Unless what?” Dong Qishan frowned.

“Unless that person was a ghost.”

“Nonsense!” Dong Qishan roared, then decided that to stabilize morale, Chenxiang’s death would be kept secret. He didn’t bother to ask how she died or if there were any hidden facts, only instructing his men to take her to the morgue and find an auspicious day for burial.

This incident terrified Daoist Master Ma. He was still shaken, constantly choking on his water.

“Cough, cough, cough, cough—” Ma Wenshan coughed convulsively, his hands trembling as he held the teacup. He had traveled the jianghu for many years but had never encountered such a strange phenomenon. Apart from demonic mischief, he truly couldn’t think of any other reason.

But, there were clearly no ghosts in this world!

He had committed so many wrongdoings, always believing that there were no ghosts or gods in the world. But this time, he had to admit that he seemed to have truly been targeted by a malevolent spirit. Otherwise, how could that troublesome Chenxiang, whom he had personally killed and buried without anyone knowing, suddenly appear on his bed?

Ma Wenshan pondered, realizing he couldn’t stay in Dong Family Fortress any longer. He immediately sent for Dong Qishan.

“This humble Daoist has observed the celestial phenomena tonight: the sky is cloudless and moonless, the stars are hidden, and only the greedy wolf star appears crimson like blood, signaling great misfortune! The Nuo dance ritual must be held tonight, otherwise, after midnight, not only this Dong Family Fortress but perhaps even the entire city of Siam Liang will be consumed by fire!”

When Ma Wenshan finished, Dong Qishan was greatly alarmed, losing his composed expression, and urgently asked, “Is it truly that urgent?”

Daoist Master Ma nodded. “It’s pressing.”

“But...” Dong Qishan hesitated.

“But what difficulty is there?”

Dong Qishan wavered, “The bank seals and documents you requested are not difficult to obtain, but it will take some time to gather these one hundred and seven carts of gold, silver, and jewels!”

Daoist Master Ma frowned, his eyes darting around. “How many carts do you have now?”

“About twenty,” Dong Qishan truthfully replied.

“This is difficult...” Daoist Master Ma mused for a moment, then stated seriously, “No matter what, before the Nuo dance ritual tonight, exactly forty-nine carts must be prepared. Not one less!”

“This...” Dong Qishan considered it. Although he found it somewhat challenging, he still nodded. “Alright, I’ll give the orders now and have them scour the entire city for gold and silver.”

“Mm.” Ma Wenshan nodded, then closed his eyes again, feigning the appearance of a wise recluse.