Ruyi

I forgot to mention this, but the reason Mo Yixuan and Nan Wuyue didn’t catch on to Mengmeng’s true gender in their conversation with Lady Bai (Ch. 27) is because she (她) and he (他) sound exactly the same in Chinese (“ta”). You can see I tried to hint at it by italicizing the “she” in Lady Bai’s dialogue, though!

The former Su Clan Head Su Pinglu (蘇枰鹿) had two official wives. The first was named Jing Xiali (靖霞麗) and birthed Su Shiyu, but withered away due to illness in her later years. It was her handmaiden Yan’er (燕儿) that caught the attention of the grieving husband and became his concubine. A year into their marriage, she gave birth to Su Shimeng. 

The then 50-year old Su Clan Head was so delighted by his second issue that he promptly made Yan’er the official wife in his beloved’s place. Since she had no surname, he granted her his own, thus making her Lady Su in both name and title. By then Su Shiyu was nearing 20 and ready to take over as the future head of the Su Clan. His little brother was too young to contest him for the title, so Su Shiyu simply treated this as one of his father’s whims in old age.

And yet a series of tragedies struck shortly after that. Although Su Shimeng was a boy, he was often sickly and weak. Two years after his birth, Su Pinglu himself succumbed to illness and died, forcing the young Su Shiyu to take on the family name. With a weak little brother and a former-servant stepmother who had no head for business, the pressure on the Su family’s jade trade was immense. It was a perilous time between their business rivals as many coveted the Su Clan’s special jade trade with the Middle Realm cultivation sects. Somehow, the jade at Stonecut Valley was simply purer than anywhere else, sometimes even carrying traces of qi. 

For the sake of protecting his family assets, Su Shiyu dealt with countless troubles and nearly lost his life once after tumbling down a cliff. The Su retainers found him half-dead at the base a week later and brought him back with tears in their eyes: the accumulated stress and fall had turned half of Su Shiyu’s hair white before his age. Around this time rumors began to spread that Lady Su was to blame for all the misfortune, that she had poisoned her mistress Lady Jing to death to take her place, then did the same with Su Pinglu before setting her murderous sights on Su Shiyu so Su Shimeng could replace him.

After all, she was only in service to Lady Jing three years before the latter died, then married two years to Su Pinglu before he passed, then as Su Shiyu’s stepmother when he fell so unluckily down that cliff. When Su Shiyu didn’t deny the rumors right away, they intensified to the point that Lady Su all but withdrew to Su Manor indefinitely to avoid public censure.

Eventually, the young Su Clan Head weathered the storm and stabilized the business by the end of the year while still nursing his injuries. By the time Su Shimeng turned three, his older brother had even found a partner-in-arms to continue the family line: the poor yet extremely capable Bai Tingyao, whom he valued for her insight and business acumen. She took a special fancy to Su Shimeng and tracked down a wandering Daoist to divine his fate, thus giving him his girl’s name. The rest was history.

—

In the present day, Mo Yixuan furrowed his brows. “The ghost resembled Old Madam Su?” he clarified.

“They’re not identical,” Su Shimeng admitted, “but she looks like—like mother when she was younger, I don’t know. They have the same eyes.” 

“Sir Su, have you ever seen the ghost in person?” Mo Yixuan asked him next.

“I didn’t even realize it had a human form,” Su Shiyu frowned. “It’s always been invisible when it comes to me—I don’t know if the Old Madam’s seen anything either.”

“What are the origins of this ghost?” Nan Wuyue asked. “When did it first start appearing?” 

Su Shimeng had been born almost 20 years ago. Su Shiyu had his first encounter with the ghost girl three years after that.

“I found it in the jade mines one dusk,” Su Shiyu spoke up. “At that time it was winter and Shimeng was ailing, so I thought to find him a stone to craft into a protective pendant. A stray gust of wind urged me to a tunnel I’d never noticed before, where I found a band of rare qi-infused jade.”

Mo Yixuan did the calculations in his head. Since Su Shimeng was born in late July, he must have been just two back then. 

“At first, I didn’t realize it was a ghost. But when more stray winds started guiding me to jade deposits, then following me home and interacting with my stepmother, it became all too apparent.”

“You didn’t think to exorcise the spirit then?” Mo Yixuan wondered.

Su Shiyu laughed. “The Su Clan needed all the help it could get. I had just recovered from my fall down the cliff and competition was fierce. What did I have to fear from ghosts when living humans posed a far bigger threat?” He shook his head ruefully. “Truthfully, that ghost might have saved our Su Clan from the brink of collapse.”

“That’s not true,” Su Shimeng suddenly piped up. “Sis has been helping you for years too!”

For once, Su Shiyu didn’t snap at his younger brother. His eyes grew soft as they turned to Bai Tingyao. “Of course, how could I forget? That was a good year. Meeting the jade ghost in the winter, healing Shimeng in summer, and finally marrying Yaoyao in fall. Everything changed for the better after my brush with death.”

“Yu-lang, don’t talk about your life so lightly,” Bai Tingyao chided. “It’s bad luck, especially on a day like this.”

“I’ve already faced death once, what’s a second time?” Su Shiyu replied. “With you and Ah-Xiao here, I can rest content knowing the Su Clan sails on fair winds.”

Bai Tingyao pursed her lips and said nothing, so Nan Wuyue stepped forward.

“If I can clarify, Sir Su—does this mean you were the first to meet the ghost? Even before Old Madam Su?”

“Yes.” Su Shiyu nodded.

“How so?”

Su Shiyu shook his head. “Perhaps because it was lingering around the jade mines. I had investigated a particularly abandoned section that day.”

“Do you know why Old Madam Su grew so attached to the spirit?” Nan Wuyue pressed on.

“Ah well, that…” Su Shiyu trailed off.

“It played with her.” This time, it was Su Shimeng who spoke up. “And with me too, when I was younger.”

“Played?” Nan Wuyue echoed incredulously.

“Yeah—you know, children’s games like ball and stuff,” Su Shimeng was scratching his head as he spoke. “Look, I know it’s not the usual ghost pastime, but that’s what it did. I was too small to know any better and my mother didn’t seem to mind, so I thought it was some kind of guardian spirit. Maybe it always was!” he added heatedly. “It hasn’t done anything wrong in all this time. I’ve checked back every year just in case.”

Mo Yixuan recalled the teashop gossip mentioning Mengmeng’s filial piety to his mother, and how he’d send back gifts every year. He could easily imagine Su Shimeng asking for leave to visit his Lower Realm family while checking on the status of the ghost.

“In some ways,” Su Shiyu said wryly, “That ghost has seen through the best and worst of our Su Clan. I suppose we’re mad, but we do consider it family, or at least a protective spirit.”

“Mother dotes on it,” Su Shimeng muttered. “She’d leave out plates of food, or toys and sweets as offerings…I think she considered us playmates.”

Mo Yixuan glanced at Bai Tingyao. “Did the ghost play with your son too, Lady Bai?”

Bai Tingyao only broke into a bitter smile. “My son wasn’t quite so lucky to be favored like that, but it’s true that spirit’s been docile for years. That’s why it was such a shock when I heard those stories of her turning violent. In the heat of the moment, I wrote and sent my appeals for help.”

At this, Mo Yixuan finally brought the subject back to the present. “Sir Su, tonight’s events give us enough cause to label the ghost a genuine threat. Will you still insist that nothing is wrong at Su Manor?”

After all, Su Shiyu was the one who dismissed the allegations in the first place, saying that the incidents were overblown and the ghost a friendly spirit. Perhaps it used to be, but it had attacked Su Shimeng unprovoked tonight and carried enough malicious intent to stimulate evil deeds.

Su Shiyu sighed. “I admit I wasn’t fully sincere with you Daoists in the beginning, but that ghost is truly harmless.” He creased his brows. “And I can’t deduce from your story that it’s to blame for those past incidents when it’s never attacked anyone in the past. Isn’t that demonic aura around it more suspect? If you separate the two, won’t things go back to normal?”

“The demonic qi has already started intertwining with the ghost’s essence,” Nan Wuyue began. “With time it’ll take over the spirit entirely. I’m afraid there’s no going back after this.”

“Then, suppose you purify the demon aura somehow…”

“Since the two are already linked, what will affect one will affect the other,” Nan Wuyue went on. “The best we can do is send on what remains of the ghost’s spirit to the Netherworld before the demonic qi takes over. Sir Su, I’m afraid the Su Manor will have to give up on its lucky charm.”

Su Shiyu fell silent but ultimately relented. “No, I’m not so foolish as to base the success of my business on the favors of a single ghost.” He trailed off into silence. “It’s just a pity...”

“We still need to determine why the ghost resembles Old Madam Su and what infused it with demonic essence in the first place,” Mo Yixuan went on. “There’s also the matter of the Old Madam’s coma.”

“Big bro,” Su Shimeng suddenly spoke up. “How is my mother doing?”

“Still the same,” Su Shiyu sighed. “The doctors say she’s fine, she just won’t wake.”

“I want to see her,” Su Shimeng said suddenly.

“It won’t do to disturb her in the middle of the night,” Su Shiyu refused, “You can visit her tomorrow.”

Su Shimeng was ready to protest, but Mo Yixuan spoke up next. “It’d be better to meet in daylight under the circumstances, Daoist Su.”

After all, they had already suffered an attack and it was still the dead of night when the spirits were strongest. They had little to fear in terms of ghosts and ghouls, but Old Madam Su was still a defenseless human. Su Shimeng could see the logic in this too and reluctantly gave up, slumping in his chair in a half-sprawl despite his brother’s frown.

This time it was Bai Tingyao who picked up the thread of conversation. “If Mengmeng says the ghost resembles his mother, is it possible that she took after the Old Madam intentionally to trick him?”

“Ghosts aren’t shapeshifters,” Su Shimeng shook his head, denying the possibility. “Even if they had ways to imitate someone else, I would have seen through that at my cultivation level. She’s not strong enough to trick me.”

“Maybe you saw wrongly?” Bai Tingyao suggested gently. “It was dark after all and everyone was fighting.”

“If there’s one thing I won’t doubt, it’s my own eyes,” Su Shimeng was confident. “I’m sure she looked like mother.”

Sight is the easiest sense to deceive in the world, Mo Yixuan thought to himself, but said out loud, “For now, we still need to determine the cause of her rampage. Leaving aside the true culprit of those attacks and incidents, the fact that she was infused with demonic qi is already suspect.”

Nan Wuyue stepped forward. “Before coming here, my shizun and I investigated the surroundings but found no sign of demonic presence in the area. Historically, Stonecut Valley has always been guarded well by cultivation sects in the Middle Realms, so the chances of the ghost running into a demon by chance is slim.”

“So it’s more likely someone brought in the demonic qi on purpose,” Su Shimeng found the crux of the issue. “Why would they target the jade ghost? To eliminate my big bro as a business rival?”

“They could just poison or murder me,” Su Shiyu pointed out. “There’s no need to drag the workers and Old Madam Su into it when putting a pallor on the Su family would stain the reputation of the jade mines. What business could they do after that?”

“In any case, we’ll need more information,” Mo Yixuan finished. “Sir Su, if you could compile a list of the incidents that involved the ghost—rumored or not—we can investigate them one by one.”

“I’ll help too,” Su Shimeng said quickly.

“I can provide the list,” Bai Tingyao offered. “When I wrote those letters, I already collected the information of the people involved.”

Mo Yixuan cupped his hands at her in gratitude. “My thanks, Lady Bai.”

“I only hope we can wrap this up quickly,” Bai Tingyao sighed. “It’s a tad selfish, but I wanted to celebrate Mengmeng’s birthday while he’s here.”

“If all goes well, we’ll have double cause to celebrate,” Su Shiyu’s reply was pragmatic. “Shimeng, Sir Daoists, it’s getting late. Why don’t we retire for the evening? You too, Yaoyao—I remember Ah-Xiao doesn’t sleep well without his mother at night.”

“Yu-lang is considerate,” Bai Tingyao smiled as she rose to her feet. “Sir Daoists, I shall have that list delivered to you first thing tomorrow. Please excuse me.” With a bow, she gracefully left the room first.

Mo Yixuan’s gaze lingered on her until her figure vanished from sight, before he suddenly asked, “Sir Su, has the ghost been in contact with you at all since these incidents occurred?”

“Would that it did,” Su Shiyu sighed. “I could have tried to ask it what was the matter!”

Mo Yixuan only smiled politely. “If she tries, Sir Su should keep away. You may have brushed with death already, but you shouldn’t encourage its advances.”

Su Shiyu listened carefully before nodding. “I’ll keep that in mind, Daoist Mo.”

“Have there been any deaths since we received the letter of appeal?”

“No, only injuries and the like,” Now Su Shiyu couldn’t help suppressing a yawn. “My apologies, I am rather tired.”

“Wuyue, help Sir Su back to his quarters,” Mo Yixuan ordered. Nan Wuyue nodded and immediately went to Su Shiyu’s side despite his mild protests.

Su Shimeng stood up rather belatedly from his seat. “Uh, I can do that.” After all, that was his older brother.

“No need, Sir Su. I have something to discuss with you,” Mo Yixuan said. “Can you stay a moment?”

‘Shizun, you’re meeting with him alone?’ Nan Wuyue darted a look at his master.

Mo Yixuan only inclined his head at him. ‘It won’t take long. Go on.’

A little reluctantly, Nan Wuyue supported the sleepy clan head out of the room.

Su Shimeng gave a lethargic stretch as he blinked his eyes. “I won’t hide it from you, but I traveled nonstop from the western regions to get here. I can only hear you out if we keep it short.”

“Fine,” Mo Yixuan nodded firmly and got straight to the point. “Just what makes you so attractive?”

Su Shimeng’s eyes snapped wide open. “What?!”

—

Footnotes:

Su Pinglu (蘇枰鹿) - Ping is “chessboard,” Lu is “deer.”
Jing Xiali (靖霞麗) - Jing is a surname that means “make tranquil, pacify,” Xia is “rosy clouds, morning/evening glow,” Li is “beautiful.”
Yan’er (燕儿) - Yan means “swallow.” Yan’er is basically “little swallow.”

—

{extra}

Nan Wuyue: Shizun’s showing interest in other guys, what do I do?!
Shi Feng: Hah, you really are inexperienced. 
Nan Wuyue: What do you mean?
Shi Feng: This is what the older generation calls “playing hard to get.”
Nan Wuyue: But shizun doesn’t need to play when he’s got you and me…
Su Shimeng: Is no one going to ask how I feel about this?!
Mo Yixuan: What are you idiots assuming now…

(Note: Scenarios in extras are reflective of later relationship progression! Right now everyone’s just friends or allies or simply master and disciple! There is no romance, racing hearts, or lovey-dovey feelings involved [yet]!)

Mo Yixuan: Exactly. Have some common sense, you lot.
Nan Wuyue: How long is that “yet?” One chapter later? One story arc?
Shi Feng: One character pining behind the scenes or subconsciously?
Su Shimeng: How about never, thanks!

—