CH 39

After fastening the button, Huò Wēi Lóu released her. Then, he glanced at her injured hand, giving the other protective glove to her before he said with a solemn tone: “This item is a tribute from the Western Liang Country, made out of an interweave of copper and silver threads, soft and conforms to the hand, and resistant to heat and water. You can wear this while examining corpses in the future, and suffer less from corpse poison.”

Of course, Bó Ruò Yōu could discern that this was a pair of protective gloves at a glance, but she had never seen something so valuable. She followed Chéng Yùn Zhī as he examined corpses ever since she was young, but in a small place like Qingshan County, even leather-made gloves were scarce. Chéng Yùn Zhī had never cared for these, and gradually, she stopped caring about these trifles as well. However, her hands were bound to suffer whenever she encountered corpses that were decaying badly.

With one hand gloved and the other holding onto the remaining one, Bó Ruò Yōu appeared slightly stunned. This object was chill to the touch, but it was incredibly soft and unlike copper and silver, and it was lined with an extremely thin and soft, albeit tough, pelt inside. The five fingers were distinctly separated, and it was more practical and fitting than the deerskin gloves, which were prepared for Míng Guī Lán, that she wore yesterday.

Nevertheless, she did not expect that Huò Wēi Lóu would award her with this item; this was a tribute.

“Hou’ye—”

Huò Wēi Lóu had long anticipated that she would react this way, since he remembered that she had grown up in Qingshan County, and how could she possibly have the chance to see such a superb item? Hence, his eyebrows raised, and his tone of voice brokered no arguments, “Benhou might govern strictly, but has always evaluated merit before rewarding, you’re not the first person who has received rewards from benhou.”

Bó Ruò Yōu hesitated briefly, “What Hou’ye bestows, one does not dare to reject, except this item is a tribute. Based on min’nü’s merit, she does not deserve this item…”

Huò Wēi Lóu fixed his eyes on her, “This case will definitely be solved.”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s lips pursed slightly as she said in a soft voice, “Even if the case is solved, it’s a bit too much to reward min’nü with a tribute.”

Huò Wēi Lóu looked at her in disapproval for two seconds, then shifted his gaze away to sneer lightly, “You are quite aware of your own identity, no?” Then he added, “After this case, benhou might continue to use you. If you find it inappropriate, realise that there will eventually be instances where you will be used.”

Noting that Bó Ruò Yōu still had something to say, Huò Wēi Lóu narrowed his eyes, his voice becoming dangerous, “What benhou bestows, there is no one who can reject it.”

Bó Ruò Yōu lowered her eyelids, making a choice very quickly, “Many thanks to Hou’ye.”

Huò Wēi Lóu became satisfied. Although she was being submissive with her lowered facial features, he could see that her refined brows were knitted, as if she was unwilling to accept the reward he bestowed. Thus, he waved his hand impatiently, “Withdraw.”

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Bó Ruò Yōu bowed with womanly obeisance, then turned around to leave. After stepping outside the door, she saw Fu gonggong waiting outside. When he caught sight of her holding the protective gloves, mirth flooded his countenance, “Yōu Yōu need not be afraid. As long as Hou’ye bestows a reward, just accept it. For zajia and the embroidered emissaries that came along, Hou’ye will usually bestow a thing or two to whoever has made contributions, whether its gold, silver, precious stones, or valuable objects and weapons.”

So that’s how it is…

Bó Ruò Yōu’s heart relaxed, “Is that so? In that case, min’nü will definitely work for Hou’ye to the best of her abilities.”

Fu gonggong could not help but laugh upon hearing that. At this moment, Huò Qīng Hóng and Míng Guī Lán arrived slowly, and they also noticed the gloves that Bó Ruò Yōu was holding at a glance.

Huò Qīng Hóng said: “Huh… That item looks familiar.”

Míng Guī Lán was experienced and knowledgeable, “It’s a tribute from Western Liang.”

Huò Qīng Hóng arched an eyebrow, the gaze he regarded Bó Ruò Yōu with becoming deep with meaning. Bó Ruò Yōu felt her hair rising because of that look, and she promptly returned to her own room after asking for leave.

After Huò Qīng Hóng pushed Míng Guī Lán through the door of the principal room, he said: “Older Brother, why did you bestow a tribute from Western Liang to her?”

Fu gonggong said smilingly, “Yōu Yōu carries out her duties with all her heart, it isn’t strange for Hou’ye to bestow a reward. Shizi hasn’t seen the state of Yōu Yōu’s hands when it was frozen badly and stained with corpse water, it was rather pitiful with how red and swollen it was.”

Having said that, Fu gonggong’s eyebrows suddenly raised, “Speaking of which, while Hou’ye has been generous when he bestows gifts in the past, he has never been this considerate. Hou’ye, could it be that ȳou…”

Before Huò Wēi Lóu had the chance to speak, Huò Qīng Hóng interrupted, “Gonggong, where are your thoughts drifting to? If my Older Brother wants a beauty, does he need to use such an approach? Once he issues an order, who wouldn’t want to be the person by his side? I’m more inclined to believe that little Bó guniang is rather cunning.”

Huò Qīng Hóng squinted his eyes as he said righteously, “I was originally puzzled as to why Older Brother suddenly chose to bring along a lady with him without any rhyme or reason. From my current observation, she does have some tactics: she first invokes your tenderness by injuring herself, and then loosens the reins to gain a better grasp later; by pretending that she’s only working for Older Brother, and at the end, she will use a honey trap so that Older Brother will look at her differently and give her special treatment!”

Huò Qīng Hóng clicked his tongue, “Amazing, my Older Brother hates people who flatter and bootlick the most, so she used a different approach instead. How ingenious!”

Huò Wēi Lóu looked over with narrowed eyes, “Since you’re so good at inferring, shall I recommend you to the Supreme Court?”

Huò Qīng Hóng’s enigmatic expression contorted into an apologetic smile immediately, “Older Brother, don’t be like this. It really stems from the fact that she chooses to be a coroner despite being a gentle and demure little beauty, and she has chosen to follow Older Brother to Luozhou to investigate this case, which is honestly strange. After much contemplation, I feel like she’s probably conspiring against Older Brother…”

Huò Wēi Lóu sneered, “Many in this world conspire for a great deal of things from me, and what does she rely on?”

Huò Wēi Lóu was at the height of power within the courts and commons; some covet his authority, others conspire for his influence; whether it was men or women, they wanted to use him to climb up, but if he was truly easy to talk to, he would not have the moniker ‘Jade-Faced King of Yama’.

However, Huò Qīng Hóng retorted, “Rely on? Isn’t it obvious, she’s relying on her face of course. Older Brother, do [you] not find her appearance beautiful?”

The space between Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows creased, “How is she beautiful?”

All of the people in the room froze, simply because they did not expect that question from him. Míng Guī Lán issued a peal of laughter, “Hou’ye, reality proves that ȳou are blessed by the Heavens in every other aspect, but only in terms of appraising beauty, [you] clearly have a slight… slightly unique style.”

Huò Qīng Hóng chortled, “Older Brother, although you don’t find her pretty, don’t ever underestimate women. The women in this world really have too many tactics: those with low positions will display weakness; those with higher positions will pretend to be callous towards you, but will tease you imperceptibly while you’re unaware. Once your emotions have been stirred by her, she will still pretend to be rather innocent, as if she is unaware of what she has done, except she has hooked onto you, until both your conscious and unconscious thoughts are wrapped around her. By that time, you will offer whatever she wants, and you won’t even have dregs remaining by the end of her deceit.”

Huò Qīng Hóng heaved a sigh, as if he had lived through many changes, “Towards this, your younger brother has a deep understanding of it. Last year, most of my silver money was swindled away by a few vixens. Regrets, I genuinely regret it right now.”

Huò Wēi Lóu narrowed his eyes, “You were fooling around in brothels for the entire of last year?”

Huò Qīng Hóng’s complexion changed, coughing as he said: “No no no, I was just raising an example… In short, Older Brother, don’t let your guard down!”

Fu gonggong was split between laughter and tears, “Shizi, laonu had the same thought early on. Certainly, it’s rather unthinkable that a young lady would follow us to Luozhou on her lonesome, and that it’s highly likely that she’s conspiring against our Hou’ye, but when Yōu Yōu chose to come along willingly, laonu abandoned that thought instead. She followed Hou’ye this time around because she has a request.”

Huò Qīng Hóng’s eyes widened, “See! What did I just say, she even explicitly stated that she has a request, what if she says that she wants to follow Older Brother in the future after she’s done with this case? Or, what if she directly says that she wants to stay by Older Brother’s side?” When Huò Qīng Hóng spoke to this point, he stood up straight, “She’s not thinking about becoming Marquis Wuzhao’s Furen, right?!”

Huò Wēi Lóu had a slight headache, “She doesn’t possess such audacity, do you see what she thinks about all day long?”

Huò Qīng Hóng sat down again, mumbling, “This… Isn’t all this for the sake of raising Older Brother’s vigilance? Older Brother has a high position and great authority; even if he has a partner, it should be a daughter from an aristocratic family with equal social and economic status…”

“Shut your mouth,” Huò Wēi Lóu was tired of him fabricating wild tales, “After you return to the Capital, it’s about time you enter the court and temper yourself.”

Huò Qīng Hóng’s words trailed off, “Older Brother…”

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Huò Wēi Lóu raised his hand. Huò Qīng Hóng could only swallow his plea-filled mutterings. Míng Guī Lán promptly changed the subject. “There was hearsay that Bó guniang discovered something in the Library Pavilion?”

Speaking of the case, Huò Wēi Lóu’s expression firmed up, “She was originally looking for records concerning the Śarīra, but owing to a freak combination of factors, a Buddhist scripture that detailed the Five-Fold Treasure Chest was found missing. Presently, it has been disclosed that someone had bought the Buddhist scripture, and it might be related to the Śarīra’s disappearance.”

Míng Guī Lán said: “I was reading two books about the Buddhist secret remedies prior, and it did mention the Śarīra and the rumours surrounding it, of how a dead body could be preserved for a thousand years without rotting if they contained the Śarīra inside their mouth, besides that, there’s a circulating rumour among the common people that the Śarīra can cure any illness and promise longevity, with the most exaggerated being that the Śarīra can resurrect the dead. Of course, all of these are groundless statements.”

Since Míng Guī Lán was a doctor, it was no surprise that he frequently heard such rumours. Huò Wēi Lóu muttered to himself briefly before saying, “Just having to investigate why the murderer wants to steal the Śarīra is exceedingly difficult, and [we] can only start from deaths of Jìng Kōng and Féng Lún first. After Jìng Kōng learned that there was someone who bought the Buddhist scripture that year, he went to look for the officials that stayed behind for the investigation, but after one night, Jìng Kōng disappeared, while the remaining few never brought up the matter of the Buddhist scripture being sold. Hence, it further cements the fact that someone in this group was related to Jìng Kōng’s death.”

Míng Guī Lán pondered, “Féng Lún dying, was it because he discovered that year’s murderer, or should it be said that… he was one of the persons who knew the inside story that year?”

Míng Guī Lán’s conjecture had never crossed Huò Wēi Lóu’s mind. Supposing that there wasn’t just one perpetrator that year – perhaps even two or more – and had abetted in covering up the matter, then the perpetrators having an internal strife which led to Féng Lún being harmed, was not impossible.

It was hard for Huò Wēi Lóu to form a conclusion as well, “That possibility might require more examination. Given that Féng Lún was the chief official, and was familiar with Jìng Kōng, it’s certainly possible that Jìng Kōng went to find him that year, and him being one of the perpetrators is plausible. “

Except with all they had discovered, there were too many possibilities, and the case was becoming increasingly hard to unravel.

Huò Wēi Lóu took out that sketch again before he asked Fu gonggong to come forward, “You were also present that year. Take a look and see if you can recall any irregularities.”

Fu gonggong unfurled the design plan, “Jìng Míng’s sketch is rather detailed. Laonu had issues remembering it clearly, but after seeing this sketch, the memory immediately came back. But according to the accounts from the three officials, the scene was only slightly messy when it started to rain, and apart from that, those present barely moved from their positions. However, there were still imperial guards hovering around the ceremonial stage and the corridor when it was raining, and it’s not possible for it to disappear under everyone’s eyes.”

“Back when the Grand Ceremony was being prepared, Féng Lún and Yuè Míng Quán were already in Luozhou, and had arrived the earliest, followed by Wú Yú. Wú Yú and Wáng Qīng Fǔ are Capital officials, and while Wú Yú is a civil official, he has some martial skill.”

Huò Wēi Lóu stared at the inked lines of the sketch while mumbling, before he uttered, “On the night Féng Lún died, Wú Yú and Wáng Qīng Fǔ can testify for each other, but Yuè Míng Quán has no alibi.”

Míng Guī Lán said: “Bó guniang once mentioned that there were a lot of bruises on Féng daren’s body, and he had fought someone whilst alive.”

Huò Wēi Lóu nodded, “The person who killed Féng Lún certainly had some skill, and Jìng Kōng had been ruthlessly murdered. If the murderer is the same person, not only is this person relatively skilled, but he also has a good understanding of the human bones, and his willpower is immense.”

After a normal person kills someone, they would usually be rattled, but the person who murdered Jìng Kōng, not only dismembered him, but he also hid the corpse chunks inside the Buddha statue. Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows wrinkled, “Has there been any news from Jizhou?”

Fu gonggong said, “Our people have barely been here for two days, if [we] want to find the artisans from that year, one fears that it will require more time.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s countenance darkened slightly, “Go and check Liǎo Qīng’s family, and see if there are any abnormalities with his past affairs.”

Fu gonggong complied swiftly.

The colours of night descended. Due to the precipitation during the day, the night was especially cold. Since there was no verbal summons, Bó Ruò Yōu stayed inside her wing-room and waited. With how the investigation had progressed, Féng Lún’s cause of death, the crime scene, and the murder weapon was already out in the open, and while they had insight into the place where Jìng Kōng was harmed, it was hard to determine his cause of death and the murder weapon. The murderer’s motivation to kill might be related to the stolen Śarīra, but the reason why the Śarīra had been stolen was still unsolved. The thoughts in Bó Ruò Yōu’s mind were in a tangled mess, and she caught sight of those rare protective gloves at the turn of her eye.

The swell on her injured hand had receded, with only a bruised patch remaining. Hence, she carefully wore the protective glove that she hadn’t donned in the late evening and flexed her fingers, the frustration swirling at the bottom of her heart dispersing suddenly.

After keeping the gloves properly, Bó Ruò Yōu climbed on the bed to sleep, her breathing becoming slow and long soon after.

…

When Huò Wēi Lóu woke up the morning of the next day, Bó Ruò Yōu was already waiting outside. Seeing that she woke up so early every day, a bit of appreciation rose from the depths of his heart for no apparent reason, “Why did you wake up so early when there are no post-mortem autopsies to conduct?”

Bó Ruò Yōu said: “Min’nü would like to use the method of bone steaming to examine Great Master Jìng Kōng’s skeletal remains again.”

蒸骨 (pinyin: zheng gu) – a direct translation, but I reckon the official term is ‘maceration’, which involves a vertebrae corpse is left to rot inside a closed container at a near-constant temperature, and it is a form of controlled putrefaction to obtain a clean skeleton.

“Method of bone steaming?” Huò Wēi Lóu raised his eyebrows.

Bó Ruò Yōu nodded, “This method was taught by Yifu. Truth to be told, Hou’ye, min’nü has only watched Yifu use it prior to this, and she has not personally tried it.”

Huò Wēi Lóu looked at Bó Ruò Yōu briefly, “You may try it.”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s heart relaxed slightly. Very quickly, Huò Wēi Lóu brought his entourage to the morgue courtyard. Upon reaching the front of the courtyard, they saw that Wú Yú and Wáng Qīng Fǔ were already present. When the pair saw Huò Wēi Lóu walking over, they went forward to offer their salutations.

Wú Yú said: “Xiaguan (and Wáng Qīng Fǔ) were afraid that Hou’ye had summons, so [we] came early to wait.”

Huò Wēi Lóu gave the pair a sweeping glance, only to see the water stains on Wáng Qīng Fǔ’s robes. Wáng Qīng Fǔ smiled bitterly as he said: “Xiaguan hasn’t washed his clothes for the past few days, and only realised that this garment was dirty when he was changing his clothes after being soaked in the rain yesterday, and two articles of clothing were washed speedily. However, Wú-xiong was in a rush today, so xiaguan could only wear clothes that weren’t fully dried….”

Wú Yú laughed, “Wáng-xiong has so many servants in the Capital. His Majesty ordered us to travel with little luggage and a small escort this time around; it’s natural that one wouldn’t be accustomed.”

Wáng Qīng Fǔ sighed, “I shouldn’t have lazed off when I saw Wú-xiong washing clothes that day.”

The pair were extremely familiar with each other, their exchange of words underlined with domestic trivialities. However, Bó Ruò Yōu frowned as she continued to listen, “When did Wú daren wash his clothes?”

Wú Yú replied: “For the past few days, the clothes were washed daily, zaixia is used to it.”

Bó Ruò Yōu did not ask any further.

Huò Wēi Lóu said: “The coroner wants to examine the skeletal remains again. There are no questions for the time being, both of you can return to rest.”

Surprisingly, Wú Yú chose to stay, “Then we will stay here.”

Huò Wēi Lóu entered the courtyard, and then Bó Ruò Yōu said: “Min’nü will be washing the bones first, and she asks Hou’ye to dispatch someone to dig a cavity that is five rulers long, three rulers wide, and two rulers deep, and burn charcoal and wood inside, until inner walls of the cavity are heated red.”

Even though it was unknown if Bó Ruò Yōu’s method would be effective, Huò Wēi Lóu still dispatched his men to dig a pit. Outside the courtyard, Bó Ruò Yōu washed the bones clean before she requested someone to bring two litres of alcohol and five litres of vinegar, which was then placed inside the cavity with the bones she carried over.

The cavity that the embroidered emissaries dug was on the slope beside the white birch forest. Presently, the open fire inside the cavity was raging and the cavity had been heated until it was red. Bó Ruò Yōu told the embroidered emissaries to take out the wood and charcoal before she poured the vinegar and alcohol and put Jìng Kōng’s bones inside while it was hot, then ordered the embroidered emissaries to seal the cavity opening, and everything was considered done.

“The bones need to be steamed for two double-hours.” After saying that, Bó Ruò Yōu raised her eyes to look at the sky, “The weather is sunny and cloudless today, it probably won’t rain.”

Fu gonggong said: “That’s hard to say. The weather looked great yesterday, but it suddenly rained afterwards.”

Bó Ruò Yōu could only sigh, “One only hopes that it doesn’t rain.”

Wú Yú and Wáng Qīng Fǔ was following them for the entire way, and they revealed doubtful expressions when they witnessed the strangeness of Bó Ruò Yōu’s actions. Standing at the side, Bó Ruò Yōu stooped over to touch the cavity and noted that it was scalding hot. Subsequently, she used the wet soil at the side to cover the cavity tightly, “Once the temperature inside the cavity disperses, the bones can be taken out. Since it takes quite a while, Hou’ye and the two Daren can return to the temple and wait.”

Huò Wēi Lóu nodded. The embroidered emissaries brought away the alcohol and vinegar jars, and the other tools, leaving behind Fu gonggong and two embroidered emissaries to stay with Bó Ruò Yōu before he brought the others back to the courtyard.

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Bó Ruò Yōu did not know if this method would be useful, so her heart was suspended from start till end. After waiting for two double-hours in such a state, she told the embroidered emissaries to open the cavity. The heat trapped inside the cavity had long dispersed, leaving behind some lingering warmth. She and the other embroidered emissaries took out the skeleton and placed it on a carpet, and then she asked the embroidered emissary to go back to the temple to bring over a wax umbrella.

When the embroidered emissary returned, she saw that Huò Wēi Lóu had tagged along with Míng Guī Lán and Huò Qīng Hóng. It was more than likely that they had never heard of such a method, which was why they were rather curious. Huò Qīng Hóng immediately posed a question once he arrived: “Is this method useful? Where did you learn it from?”

Huò Wēi Lóu only felt that he was noisy, “Shut your mouth.”

Huò Qīng Hóng touched his nose, taking half a step back in silence.

As Bó Ruò Yōu held the umbrella above the skeleton, she explained: “It was taught by Yifu. As to whether it is useful, it still requires an inspection—”

Just as she finished saying those words, Bó Ruò Yōu proceeded to knit her brows. Whenever she was focusing on the autopsy, her expression would become rather cold. Initially, Huò Qīng Hóng had a lot of questions, but he did not dare to ask as he watched Bó Ruò Yōu half-kneel on the carpet. Holding a cotton wadding in her hand, she wiped the surface of the bones in a dexterous manner, which caused the layer of skin and bones that had turned into candle wax to fall off upon contact after being cooked. Very quickly, Bó Ruò Yōu discovered faint threads of blood permeating the bone.

Not long after, Bó Ruò Yōu straightened her body, “May one be so bold to ask Hou’ye, if a person has practised martial arts for years, will it resemble martial arts katas where they will tend to harm the same areas whenever they are attacking their opponent?”

Huò Wēi Lóu knew that Bó Ruò Yōu had discovered something, and his voice deepened as well, “Naturally, the martial arts underneath the Heavens are varied and ever-changing, to say nothing of Buddhism which possesses numerous katas. For one, martial arts katas are limited, and secondly, every practitioner has their own habits; whenever they are attacking an opponent, they will naturally have a method of fighting that they’re used to.”

Since the fighting method is similar, the injuries left behind would have some similarities as well. Bó Ruò Yōu’s eyes lit up slightly, “Hou’ye, although Great Master Jìng Kōng was murdered ten years ago, there were a lot of bruises that were left behind after serious damage was inflicted, apart from the knife wound in this area. The damage left behind some minor fractures on the bones, and it couldn’t be perceived since the bones had been rendered for many years, but after it was steamed, the traces from the past years have been revealed. Min’nü discovered that the blood traces on Great Master Jìng Kōng’s bones match the injuries left on Féng daren’s body. The murderer ten years ago, and the murderer who killed Féng daren, is probably the same person.”

With a layer of the dense fog being pushed aside, the case gained more clarity. Consequently, Bó Ruò Yōu stated: “However— the murderer using his hands and feet first, and then unexpectedly using a sharp weapon at the end, is slightly strange. It’s the same circumstance behind Féng daren’s death. If the murderer brought a sharp weapon as the murder weapon, why would he need to come to blows…”

If he wanted to kill someone, he would naturally hope that it could be resolved as quickly as possible. During a physical fight, it was very likely for variables to pop up. If he had a sharp weapon, why didn’t he strike with the sharp weapon directly?

Huò Wēi Lóu narrowed his eyes, “What if there were two people that year?”

“One person was tangled in a physical fight, while the other used the sharp weapon to kill, or perhaps, Jìng Kōng was stabbed after being restrained.”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s eyes brightened slightly, “Certainly, that is possible.”

“If there are two culprits that year, and Féng daren happens to be one of them, then Féng daren could only be the person using the sharp weapon. With the old plot being abruptly exposed after so many years, an internal strife ensued between the two, or perhaps the other person wasn’t assured, which was why he chose to silence him permanently. But if Féng daren had nothing to do with the case, then there are still two people who are unfettered and beyond the law.”

Huò Wēi Lóu commanded, “Call for Yuè Míng Quán and the two, benhou will interrogate them in succession.”

The interrogation room was still inside the morgue courtyard. Jìng Kōng’s skeletal remains were also moved back, and with the presence of the two sets of remains, it was highly probable that even the murderer in their midst would suffer from some shock.

Huò Wēi Lóu had only made routine enquiries prior to this, and now that he was interrogating them individually, Wú Yú and the other two – who were old officials – promptly knew that Huò Wēi Lóu had obtained new clues again, and the suspicions he harboured towards the three of them had increased.

The first to be called inside was Yuè Míng Quán. Wú Yú and Wáng Qīng Fǔ waited outside, while Míng Guī Lán and Huò Qīng Hóng stood at the side since they were bored senseless. Bó Ruò Yōu also joined them outside after she restored the skeleton in its original position.

As Huò Qīng Hóng thought about the conversation yesterday, he suddenly wanted to test Bó Ruò Yōu, as if he wasn’t one to fear death. Smirking, he walked up to her, and called out to her using a voice that seemed deep with emotion, “Yōu Yōu—”

Bó Ruò Yōu arched her brows, her beautiful eyes widening slightly as she looked at Huò Qīng Hóng in bafflement.

Huò Qīng Hóng stopped in front of her, “Guess what I’m thinking at the bottom of my heart?”

Bó Ruò Yōu was slightly helpless, “Min’nü does not know.”

Huò Qīng Hóng gazed at the printed paper money, “It looks like I have to reveal it to the Buddha, to let you understand my heart’s intentions—”

Then, Huò Qīng Hóng stepped through the door, first igniting a candle with his back facing the rest, before he burned the scripture yellow papers that were left behind after offerings were previously made to Jìng Kōng. Subsequently, he had scooped up the ashes in his palm and pressed his hands together, praying in the direction of the Hall of Great Strength. He said: “Buddha, Buddha, please manifest your spirit and allow Yōu Yōu to see my heart’s intentions, I have fallen in love with her at first sight.”

Bó Ruò Yōu stared at Huò Qīng Hóng with a bewildered expression as Huò Qīng Hóng walked up to her. She watched as he unfolded his hands which were clasping the paper ash, and then he blew away the ashes lightly.

From the beginning to the end, Bó Ruò Yōu never took it seriously, but at the moment, something strange happened. On Huò Qīng Hóng’s originally clean palms, the character ‘Yōu’ (幽) unexpectedly appeared. There was one on his left hand, and another on his right, it actually spelled out her name!

Bó Ruò Yōu looked at Huò Qīng Hóng in surprise. Huò Qīng Hóng said with a crinkled-eyed smile, “Yōu Yōu, do you believe me now?”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s surprise was blatantly written on her face, which made Huò Qīng Hóng very pleased. However, Bó Ruò Yōu’s source of surprise was: “One did not expect that Shizi would be capable of a trick from a travelling performer’s routine, min’nü has been aware of its inner workings ever since she was seven years old.”

As Huò Qīng Hóng’s mouth corners twitched, his smile seemed almost tearful in the moment.