The Silent Mystic

Chapter 5

After breakfast, Chu Yun followed his inherited memories and rummaged through a chest. He dug out some loose silver from the bottom. Weighing it in his hand, he estimated there was about twenty-three or twenty-four taels.

For a young master of Duke Sovereign's Estate, this paltry amount was downright pathetic—not even enough for a single trip to the brothels. But to an ordinary family, it would cover living expenses for several years.

Stowing the silver away, Chu Yun stepped out into the courtyard.

His lone manservant, Shen Ye, was outside sweeping the snow. The moment he saw Chu Yun, he dropped his broom, pasted on a smile, and offered a respectful bow. "Second Master, good morning to you!"

Chu Yun walked forward a few steps and asked directly, "Do you know Little Jade?"

Shen Ye looked surprised, but replied anyway. "Little Jade? You mean the maid belonging to the Third Young Master over in the South Courtyard? What makes you ask about her all of a sudden, Second Master?"

Chu Yun didn't bother explaining. "What are the details?"

A flicker of confusion crossed Shen Ye's eyes, but he answered all the same. "It was about ten days ago, I think. Word is, she tried to seduce her master in broad daylight, so the Principal Madam ordered her strangled to death..."

"Don't tell me... was she the ghost you ran into the other night, Second Master? How utterly despicable! Daring to terrorize a master even after death! I know where they buried her. Just say the word, Second Master, and I'll go dig up the wretch's grave myself!"

Chu Yun listened with a cool, detached gaze. Ignoring the offer, he pressed on, "Do you know where her family lives?"

"I actually happen to know that, yeah. It's over by Serenity Avenue—the little house furthest to the north," Shen Ye answered quickly.

Chu Yun gave a slight nod. He shot Shen Ye a long, meaningful look, then turned and walked out of the courtyard.

That single glance sent a shiver down Shen Ye's spine, sparking an inexplicable sense of dread. By the time he snapped out of it, he realized his hands were shaking.

He had initially meant to step forward and stop Chu Yun, but after that, he didn't dare move a muscle.

*The Second Master's eyes are a little terrifying today...* Shen Ye thought, his heart pounding in his chest.

He was terrified Chu Yun might actually order him to go dig up the corpse. He definitely wouldn't have the guts for that! At his worst, he only ever sneakily skimmed some of Chu Yun’s monthly allowance. Even then, he didn't dare take too much—he’d just invent excuses to pocket two-thirds of it, making sure to dutifully hand over the rest.

I'd better follow him and keep an eye out, Shen Ye thought, staring in the direction Chu Yun had left.

It was a good thing Chu Yun had pulled through and survived. A gullible master like him wasn't easy to find. Now that Chu Yun was suddenly marching off to seemingly stir up trouble with Little Jade's family, Shen Ye didn't dare let him go alone. If anything happened to Chu Yun outside the estate, it would be a completely different story than if he had simply died of illness in his bed!

As his manservant, Shen Ye would bear the brunt of the blame. He would probably be beaten to death with cudgels.

"Those two wretched brats. Broad daylight and neither of them is anywhere to be seen," Shen Ye cursed under his breath as he hurried to catch up with Chu Yun.

Between Little Yan and Little Lan, at least Little Yan had some situational awareness. Little Lan, on the other hand, was an absolute idiot. Her own master was still breathing, yet she had already run off to fawn over the other masters. Just a stupid woman through and through.

He couldn't be bothered to knock some sense into her. As long as she didn't drag him down with her, he didn't care.

...

Relying on his inherited memories, Chu Yun made his way out of Duke Sovereign's Estate.

He was quite familiar with Serenity Avenue. He used to stroll through there often in the past, and it was very close to the estate.

A young master of Duke Sovereign's Estate paying a visit to the family of a hanged maid was definitely strange, but he didn't really care. For one, he already had the excuse of his recent ghostly encounter. Furthermore, if he ran into any real trouble, he could just reveal a sliver of his abilities. Exposing his Spirit Vision would make most problems disappear in an instant.

Out of the Grand Origin Dynasty's hundreds of millions of citizens, the number of Mystic Masters didn't even break the triple digits. As far as he knew, the imperial court's Mystic Masters were entirely concentrated within the Celestial Observatory. Even at its absolute peak, the Bureau only housed a few hundred individuals tasked with monitoring the spiritual veins and feng shui of the entire empire.

And he could join their ranks at any given moment. From the second he unlocked Spirit Vision, he ceased to be an ordinary, concubine-born son.

After walking down Serenity Avenue for a short while, Chu Yun quickly arrived at the area Shen Ye had described.

It only took asking a couple of questions to locate Little Jade's home. A few moments later, Chu Yun followed the snow-covered path into a narrow, winding alleyway. After a few turns, he stopped in front of a small, humble house.

Chu Yun stepped up and knocked on the door.

Soon, it creaked open just a crack. Through the narrow gap peeked a delicate, youthful face smudged with soot. The girl looked to be around ten years old.

The little girl's eyes held a trace of fear. Seeing Chu Yun, she didn't open the door any further, instead asking timidly, "Who... who are you?"

Chu Yun looked at her with a gentle expression. "Is this Su Zhi's home?" he asked.

"Yes, she's my big sister," Su Yin answered nervously. Sensing Chu Yun's gentle demeanor, she relaxed just a fraction.

"I am from Duke Sovereign's Estate," Chu Yun said softly. "You can just call me Young Master Yun. Is your mother home? I heard she's been bedridden for quite some time, so I brought a doctor along."

A hint of surprise flashed in Su Yin's large eyes. Peering past Chu Yun through the crack, she spotted a doctor carrying a medicine chest on his back.

Unsure of what to do, she turned and ran inside, calling out in a soft voice, "Mother!"

Chu Yun waited patiently.

A moment later, the patter of little footsteps approached. The wooden latch clattered, and the heavy door was slowly pulled wide open, revealing the little girl in her tattered, padded cotton coat.

"P-please, come in..." Su Yin stammered timidly, stepping back to lead the way.

The house was incredibly small. Just a few steps in was the bedroom, where a woman was propping herself up, struggling to sit against the headboard.

The woman stared at Chu Yun in shock as he walked in.

"You... who might you be, sir?"

She had initially thought it was one of Little Jade's fellow servants from Duke Sovereign's Estate coming to check on them. But seeing Chu Yun's fine clothes and aristocratic bearing, he was clearly a young master—definitely not one of Little Jade's peers.

Chu Yun offered an easygoing smile. "Don't mind me, Madam. Let's have the doctor take a look at you first."

Hearing this, the doctor stepped forward to do his work.

Swallowing her questions, the woman watched Chu Yun and the doctor with uneasy anxiety. The doctor, however, was a professional; he quickly and efficiently completed his examination.

"The cold has seeped deep into her bones, and since it has been left untreated for so long, it will be difficult to cure completely," the doctor reported carefully. "However, I can write a prescription. After half a month of recovery, she should be able to get out of bed and walk with a cane."

Chu Yun nodded. "Good. Write out the prescription."

Turning back to the woman, Chu Yun offered his condolences and made small talk. He learned that Little Jade's father had died in a riot the year before last. Stripped of their breadwinner, the family had struggled to survive, prompting Little Jade to voluntarily sell herself into servitude at Duke Sovereign's Estate. For the past two years, she had kept the family afloat by sending home her monthly wages.

Choking back tears, the mother swore that Little Jade was a decent girl—she would never be so shameless as to try and seduce a master in broad daylight.

Chu Yun remained silent for a moment before turning his gaze to Su Yin.

The little girl was only about ten years old, but she was already quite pretty. Her large eyes were bright and lively, yet shadowed with fear. She spent most of the time shrinking quietly in the corner.

Chu Yun had originally planned to buy Little Jade's little sister and take her in as a personal maid to look after her. But he hadn't expected Su Yin to be so young, nor did he realize she was the only one left to care for their ailing mother.

Just as he was weighing his options.

Suddenly.

A violent banging erupted at the front door.

"Open up!" a crude, aggressive voice bellowed from outside.