Outside their room, approaching the diner, Zhao Wenli, XiMei and LuPeng looked for an almost filled-up space. The diner was rowdy and lousy, which gave LuPeng the hint of carelessness among the people here.
He had been in the Academy for nearly his whole life and had never gone anywhere other than visiting his family whenever there was a break—which was almost impossible. But that didn't mean he hated being outside the Academy.
In truth, he loved it. The scent of unpredictability, the flavor of unfiltered reality—it was refreshing. But he really didn't like going out to fight demons. He wished his greater spirit animal had better instincts for treasures instead. Finding relics like the other teams was far more entertaining. Of course, he knew he was lucky to be out here at all, rather than stuck indoors trying to improve what he knew could not be improved.
For Wenli, it was almost like going clubbing. Though it looked nothing like the scenes back in her time, the raw atmosphere was familiar. It was more lousy here, more inappropriate, more visceral—but that wasn't a bother. She had seen far more depraved things in the modern world. She was kind of used to the vogue scenes in front of her.
XiMei? Don't put too much interest in her business. She was probably prying around, glaring at handsome men and beautiful ladies, comparing herself with others.
Of course, this was a brothel, not an inn. The smell of sex and alcohol oozed all around, thick and clingy. But the more there was of sexual and alcoholic scent, the more there were juicy gists that could lift the throbbing displeasures out of the three pupils' heads.
An alluring sound came from outside, and one of the female workers went immediately to lock the doors. The three also noticed more of the staff heading to the windows and shutting them tight. The lights dimmed, making it look like a silent, dull view from the outside but a wild, secret party on the inside.
"Just like Panta," Wenli spoke to herself after observing the people well.
Oh!!! How she missed that place. Her friend's pub, named something bizarre—Panta—though no one ever knew why. But that place was the holiest of the wild clubs. Her friend? A no-nonsense woman. Her rule was her rule, and it reigned with military precision.
Wenli had always wondered why her friend was so poor on the outside yet ran a popular pub. But she was stingy with a reason—always spending with care, not because she desired to be frugal, but because she had found three thousand reasons and more why restraint was necessary.
A slight but rude bang was heard, distracting her from her thoughts. The bang came from their table, shared with others.
LuPeng, with the small alcohol bowl to his mouth, paused. XiMei's hand hung mid-air, food halfway to her mouth, moving slowly, carefully, as though afraid to provoke someone. Wenli looked at the two, then toward the source of the noise.
Again, the bang came—this time, longer than before. The sound was no longer slight, but it was still undeniably rude.
"Stop making that bang! What if that bitch hears it and comes in?" a low but clear voice called from the opposite side of the same table.
"If you're not tired of almost going blind, then I am! What does that bastard think she is? In the day, our bright light's taken, giving us an unwelcoming evening. And now we have to dim or entirely blow out our candles at night. This village is a light-filled village for crying out loud!"
This indeed brought the interest of the pupils of Wangshou Academy.
XiMei was the first to pry in. "What incident are you talking about?" she asked, cutting into their conversation and now earning the people's gazes.
"Are you not from this place? How can you not know about the happenings here in the Dai Village?" the man closest to her asked, giving her a disbelieving look.
XiMei was short of words, so LuPeng chimed in. "Pardon our lack of knowledge. It's actually like you've said. My sisters—" he pointed at Wenli on his left, "—and I are just passersby. We were heading to the neighboring village of DaiZu, to pay our last homage to our grandmother before she departs from this world, but needed a place to rest before continuing our journey. I'm sorry if her words might have offended you." He bowed politely, hands clasped.
Wow!!! That was such a lie. A last respect? Wenli found herself facing a worthy rival in lying.
The men, especially the angered one, were not so easily convinced.
"From which village are you from?"
This time, XiMei answered. "The LanShuo province."
Everyone—including Wenli—looked at her. What the heck was that place? Was that even real? She could believe the existence of DaiZu, maybe, but this?
"Is that a place?" someone asked. XiMei nodded.
"It's far north. We've traveled for three days straight without proper baths, food, water, and most importantly, rest. So that's why... Also, stories from this village wouldn't be able to reach the province."
Thankfully, no one pried further, and Wenli found her eyes rolling unconsciously.
"Well, we'll tell you," the guy facing Wenli said, his eyes seeming to fixate on her with a gaze that made her skin crawl, like she was some scrumptious prey.
"There's this girl. She was lovely. No one knew where she was from or why she came. Very fun, very playful. Months later, she gained the trust and love of the mayor's son. Some say she loved him but was afraid of what the mayor might do, so they met in secret. Others say there was no love—just manipulation. Either way, it's all rumor. But two years later, both the girl and the mayor's son disappeared. Some believed they eloped. That idea died when they found the boy's body at the river's shore... with a lot of his vital organs missing. The girl? Gone. Vanished. Since then, the sun hasn't shone here. Not a single snowflake fell during winter."
He paused for effect.
"Since then, light faded. On many days, during the month of sun shut-down, dead bodies were found, organs missing. And always on nights when candles were lit. That's how it's been for months."
LuPeng and Wenli exchanged glances. Their eyes conversed in silence.
LuPeng asked, "What about the girl? Do you guys suspect her?"
"That's the reason. She disappeared—with or without the mayor's son. It has to be her."
Wenli scoffed. That was always how it went. In every era—modern or ancient—people made conclusions before facts.
"Why isn't she here then?" Wenli asked, finally speaking. LuPeng sighed with relief. XiMei glanced at her, trying to read her mind. It seemed the two liars had an unspoken understanding.
"Why isn't who here?" the narrator asked.
"There's light inside this brothel. Why hasn't she made herself known and claimed her next set of organs?" Wenli continued. Everyone looked at her, as if she were the predator now.
"...I mean, the lights are dim, yes, but brothels are noisy. How can she miss the juicy scent of warm flesh and drunken blood?"
"Maybe she's afraid of being outnumbered. There are many people here," someone reasoned.
Zhao Wenli wasn't convinced.
"I wonder what her name was," XiMei said out of pure curiosity.
"The girl? She's the girl named Mo Xue," the narrator answered.
Zhao Wenli looked at him again. He was still glaring at her.
"That seems like a beautiful name."
The narrator chuckled, almost mockingly.
"Really?" He looked at XiMei this time. "Then I guess she is."
Wenli had had enough of his stares. She stood up.
"I think it's time for me to have some rest. We have a long journey ahead," she said and left the room.
Not long after, LuPeng followed, then XiMei.
No one said anything for minutes. They were each lost in thought.
XiMei broke the silence. "Do you believe what they said?"
LuPeng shook his head.
"Not all," Wenli replied, seated at the tea table.
"Me too. I think something is not right."
"You observed?" LuPeng asked, surprised. XiMei had spent most of her time drinking and eating.
"Of course I observed. No matter how many people are in the brothel, a demon could kill them all in seconds."
"And the girl hasn't been found. No clear evidence she's behind the deaths," LuPeng added. XiMei looked at Wenli, who was silently piecing everything together.
"Demons are usually reckless. Only organs like the heart would be taken. But according to the story, nothing else was damaged. Just the stolen organ."
"Right. Elder Sister, you're right. I think this was done by both humans and demons."
"I don't think so," LuPeng said.
"Why?" XiMei asked.
"I don't know. I just think humans aren't that careful when removing organs."
Wenli didn't blame him. In the modern world, only skilled surgeons could extract organs with such precision. Her colleague from the cardiology department once did a perfect heart removal. Back home, it was normal to donate the heart of a dying person to save another.
But this was a different world. A world lacking that kind of experience.
"The girl," Wenli said.
"Huh?" both turned to her.
"The girl. We need to find her."
"But there's no evidence that she's the one—"
LuPeng was cut off by Wenli's sharp gaze.
"Let's assume this was done by two people. My instincts tell me we need to find her."
"But how could we, when we don't even know how she looks like?" XiMei folded her arms.
"We invite her," LuPeng said, uncertain but trusting Wenli's instincts.
"How?" XiMei, ever clueless, asked.
"Let's assume what the people downstairs say about being outnumbered is true. The three of us will be the bait."
"Teacher LuPeng," Wenli said, "what did you think about the man who told the story?"
"Is there something about him?" LuPeng asked, puzzled.
"He's too excited," XiMei said.
"Bingo!" Wenli snapped her fingers.
"So?" LuPeng still didn't get it—or refused to.
"A person living in this terror should be scared, even considering fleeing the village. But he was excited. Too excited. His palm couldn't even hold the bowl properly."
"I really thought you weren't paying attention, but I underestimated you," Wenli praised XiMei.
"But he was slightly drunk..." LuPeng began, then stopped. Even drunkards are afraid of death. They drink to forget, not to confess with joy.
Which means—
"We'll plan tomorrow. For now, let's rest and gain strength. We don't yet know what we're up against," LuPeng said, walking to one of the beds, letting his sword support the creaking wood.
The two nodded. Each took a bed, but none could sleep. Though they didn't speak, all three minds were busy—thinking of the mystery, the girl, and the horror they were stepping into.
Sleep didn't come easily. Their eyes were shut, but their minds alert.
And just before dawn, the faint whisper of a flute echoed in the distance again, like a memory returning.
Wenli's eyes opened. "She's coming," she whispered.
No one responded, but they all heard it.
Something—or someone—had accepted the invitation.
Tomorrow had already begun.