DDAM 14

Jun Jiewu shoved away the face that had leaned. “If we’re talking strictly about age, you really ought to call me ancestor.

Li Zhuochen blinked.

“That sounds terrible, Brother.”

Jun Jiewu didn’t look back, though his pace quickened noticeably. Li Zhuochen smiled as he followed at a leisurely pace.

The two bypassed the main entrance of the ancestral hall and walked along the base of the wall toward the depths of the back courtyard.

The door to the woodshed was ajar; as they opened it, the hinges creaked. Inside, the room was filled with stacks of firewood and straw. Moonlight filtered through the cracks in the window, casting a silvery-white streak across the dust-covered floor.

Jun Jiewu and Li Zhuochen searched the room separately but found nothing. Jun Jiewu stood still as he looked at the dusty wooden racks and scattered wood-chopping knives. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice:

“How could this be… Could I have been mistaken?”

Li Zhuochen remained silent; he stared at a grey brick at the base of a stacked pile of hay. He remembered that the hay hadn’t been there that morning.

The gaps between a few of the bricks were slightly wider than the others; the edges showed signs of repeated friction, and the color was darker than the surrounding masonry, suggesting the spot was frequently stepped upon.

He pressed down on the brick, but it didn’t budge. He then traced the seams with his fingers until he felt a slightly raised corner; he pressed down again.

A click echoed from deep within the wall. Suddenly, a section of the wall corner receded inward silently, revealing a narrow opening, barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways. It was a gaping black void, from which a breeze wafted, carrying the musty scent of old earth. Li Zhuochen withdrew his hand and glanced back at Jun Jiewu with a smile.

Jun Jiewu gave him a look but said nothing; he turned sideways to squeeze through the narrow opening. Li Zhuochen followed behind; one after the other, they stepped into the darkness.

Beyond the opening lay a flight of stone steps descending into the depths. The steps were narrow and steep, flanked by walls coated in damp moss that felt ice-cold to the touch. As they descended, the scent of stale earth grew stronger, laced with an odd, elusive odor.

Both men paused before exchanging a glance in the dark. That fleeting scent was demonic energy.

Though subtle, it was real.

Jun Jiewu frowned slightly; his fingertips moved to form a spell, further concealing his own aura. Li Zhuochen also shed his casual attitude, and the two continued their descent along the stone steps.

At the bottom of the stairs lay a cellar, roughly twenty feet square. Its walls were constructed of bluestone, and an oil lamp hung from the ceiling, casting a dim, amber glow that bathed the entire space in a soft, warm hue.

Amidst this warm light, mounds of gold, silver, and jewels rose like mountains. Gold ingots were stacked in piles reaching waist-height, while silver ingots formed square columns taller than a man.

In the corner, open wooden chests overflowed with pearls, agates, coral, and various gemstones; under the lamplight, they refracted a multicolored shimmer that was almost too bright to look at. Scattered across the center of the floor were several scrolls of calligraphy and painting, alongside a few jade-inlaid ruyi scepters, tossed aside carelessly.

Jun Jiewu and Li Zhuochen stood there for a moment. Li Zhuochen drew a gem-encrusted dagger from the wall, weighed it in his hand, then threw it back into a chest. With an amused smile, he remarked,

“My, my. This is a treasure trove wealthy enough to rival a kingdom.”

He tilted his head toward Jun Jiewu. “Qingqing, I imagine even the Great Yong’s imperial treasury is hardly more impressive than this.”

Jun Jiewu remained silent. He paused at the foot of the stone steps, his gaze fixed on the [unauthorized copy]half-closed iron-plated door.

“There are traces of demonic energy here, yet the source does not seem to be within this cellar.”

Li Zhuochen was about to reply when, suddenly, the sound of footsteps came down from above, followed immediately by the clanking of an iron lock being manipulated. Both men’s expressions changed; Li Zhuochen raised his hand to cast an invisibility spell, but Jun Jiewu grabbed his hand and shook his head.

Li Zhuochen understood the silent message formed by his lips: Do not use magic.

The footsteps drew closer, accompanied by voices; there appeared to be two people.

Jun Jiewu quickly withdrew his gaze and stationed himself in a dark corner beside the stone steps, a spot that fell within the blind spot of the oil lamp’s light. Li Zhuochen moved almost simultaneously, and slipped into the shadows behind the stack of gold ingots opposite.

With a creak, the iron door opened, and two figures descended the stone steps, one following the other.

The steward carried a lantern, while Yu Zhan followed behind with a thick ledger in her arms. When they reached the pile of gold ingots, the steward set the lantern on the rim of a chest; Yu Zhan crouched beside him, opened the ledger, and took up a brush.

The steward fished a ring of keys from his robe, unlocked a tin box in the corner, and retrieved several land deeds ​visit our site​and financial slips. After leafing through them, he spoke in a low voice:

“Don’t enter this batch of Eastern pearls into the estate’s public accounts; record them directly under Wujiu’s name. The revenue from those shops in the south should also go into his private ledger. Not need to route it through the common coffers.”

Yu Zhan acknowledged the instruction; her brush moved steadily across the paper.

The steward produced another list and tapped his fingertip against a few lines of text:

“And this chest of coral, record it nominally as a purchase for the Xie family estate, but have it delivered to your young master. Just balance the books as usual.”

Yu Zhan hesitated slightly. “Won’t Master notice?”

The steward gave a soft, enigmatic chuckle. “For all we know, that might be exactly what he wants.”

“He and Wujiu were spotted by that young hothead this morning; Wujiu is thin-skinned, so I doubt he’ll be willing to give anything more to him for the time being.”

He lowered his voice further: “Also, set aside that jade ruyi scepter from the unauthorized copy storehouse; put it on my personal account and send it to him.”

Yu Zhan’s brush paused for a fraction of a second; she looked up at the steward, then lowered her gaze again. She asked no questions, and simply recorded that entry along with the others.

The steward folded the list and placed it back in the box. He then asked, “Is he still at the ancestral shrine tonight?”

Yu Zhan replied in the affirmative. The steward nodded, as if he had already anticipated the answer; he gave a “Mm” of acknowledgment and added,

“I’ll go take a look as well.” He raised a hand to adjust his collar. “The Second Young Master has certainly been in high spirits lately.”

“Wujiu is probably sick to death of him by now.”

In the corner, Li Zhuochen twirled a lock of Jun Jiewu’s hair around his finger and sent a telepathic message: “The Xie estate is certainly lively, one scene after another. It’s a spectacular drama.”

Jun Jiewu swatted his hand away. Li Zhuochen didn’t mind; he withdrew his hand and mused,

“But… didn’t the Heavenly Emperor say this secret realm was merely a place for demons to indulge in pleasure? unauthorized copyThe script here seems a bit too elaborate for that.”

As he spoke, the steward picked up his lantern and walked up the stone steps.

“Finish the remaining accounts; just make sure you’re out before dawn.”

The sound of his footsteps receded, soon fading into silence.

Yu Zhan let out a soft sigh and bent down to retrieve the last few pages of ledgers scattered in the corner. Just as her fingertips brushed the edge of the paper, she felt a chill against her neck.

Without her noticing, a folding fan had been silently pressed against her throat. Yu Zhan froze in place, and the ledgers in her hand fell to the ground. A languid voice rang out from behind her.

“We meet again, Miss Yu Zhan.”

Yu Zhan turned her head around: “It’s you!”

The cool ribs of a folding fan pressed stolen contentagainst her neck like a sharp blade, forcing her to lift her chin; she asked, trying to sound calm,

“What do you two young masters intend to do?”

Li Zhuochen smiled. “That is a question we ought to be asking you, Miss Yu Zhan.”

“Had we not paid a visit in the dead of night, we would never have known that the vast Xie Manor harbored such sordid dealings, with the steward and a maidservant colluding to falsify the accounts.”

Yu Zhan’s face turned ghastly pale; she said, “Nonsense.”

“You know well whether it is nonsense or not,” Li Zhuochen said. “Rest assured, I have no interest in your personal vendettas; I simply wish to ask for your help.”

Yu Zhan lowered her eyes; she glanced briefly at the fan resting against her neck before slowly raising her gaze again. Her voice was full of sarcasm:

“Is this the attitude you take when asking for a favor?”

Li Zhuochen chuckled and readily complied; he retracted the fan and said leisurely,

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. My apologies Mis–

Before he could finish the word “Miss,” Yu Zhan made her move.

A cold glint flashed from her sleeve as a short blade slid into her hand. She struck backward at Jun Jiewu, who had remained silent and appeared completely unguarded, with a movement so quick and vicious that she seemed a different person entirely from the meek, gentle maidservant of the day.

The blade cut a cold arc through the dim lamplight, aiming for his throat. Li Zhuochen watched the figure flash past him and paused for a moment. He murmured,

“She actually knows martial arts…”

He slowly stepped back while tapping his folding fan against his palm.

“It’s a pity, though… you didn’t pick an easy target.”

Even as he spoke, Jun Jiewu had already sidestepped her attack; the short blade Read ongrazed his collar without severing a single strand of hair. After missing her mark, Yu Zhan flipped her wrist and swept the blade horizontally toward his waist. Jun Jiewu didn’t move his feet; he just leaned back a little bit, and the tip of the blade slid over his clothes without doing any harm.

Li Zhuochen had meanwhile retreated to the stone steps. He leaned lazily against the wall to watch the fight. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Young lady, did you mistake our Jiewu for an easy mark just because he’s handsome?”

He shook his head languidly,

“You chose to deal with Jiewu instead of someone as easygoing as me. Why go to such trouble?”

As if to prove his point, Yu Zhan began to struggle after a few exchanges. She slashed her short blade through the air, aiming a downward strike at Jun Jiewu’s shoulder.

Jun Jiewu raised his hand, and caught the thin blade between two fingers. Yu Zhan’s expression changed drastically; she tried to pull the weapon back with all her might, but the blade was immovable, as if it had been welded between his fingers.

The next instant, Jun Jiewu slightly twisted his wrist. With a crisp clink, the short blade snapped in two; the tip fell to the ground, bounced twice on the paving stones, and rolled into the shadows.

Yu Zhan’s pupils contracted; she abandoned the broken blade, and struck out with her palm toward Jun Jiewu’s chest. The latter neither dodged nor retreated; instead, he raised his hand to meet hers head-on in a clash of palms.

The moment their palms met, Yu Zhan felt a force, supple yet immense, pour into her palm. It was like hitting a dense wall of water; the power of her own blow was neutralized. Immediately, that force rebounded against her. She was sent staggering back several paces; her spine slammed against the stone wall and dislodged a shower of fine stone dust.

Before she could even catch her breath, Jun Jiewu was upon her. With a twist of his wrist, he pinned her hands behind her back; his other hand held her shoulder fast against the wall.

The entire sequence took no more than a few heartbeats from start to finish.

Only then did Li Zhuochen straighten up from where he had been leaning against the wall and stroll over.

“Qingqing, we look just like the villains in those storybooks…”

Before he could finish speaking, the smile on his face froze, and his eyes darkened. He took a step forward, but he was a little too late.

Yu Zhan wrenched one arm free at a contorted angle; a muffled crack echoed from her shoulder blade, yet she seemed oblivious to the pain. Capitalizing on the momentum of her escape, she whipped a short dagger from her sleeve and slashed at Jun Jiewu’s throat.

Jun Jiewu frowned slightly and deflected the blow with the side of his hand to protect his vital point, but the blade still sliced his palm. Droplets of blood splattered out, landing upon the stone wall.

The instant the blood touched the stone, crimson runes flared to life at the point of contact; they spread like creeping vines until they covered the entire surface of the wall. Jun Jiewu and Li Zhuochen were both startled.

Jun Jiewu abruptly released her and stepped back; he murmured as he looked at the runes upon the wall,

“A Ferrying Formation…”

The most common form of teleportation formation across the Six Realms.

“No wonder… no wonder there was demonic energy here, yet the source remained elusive…”

The very next moment, the crimson runes on the wall flared and a scarlet radiance engulfed the entire cellar. Jun Jiewu felt the ground vanish from beneath his feet; it was as if an invisible hand had seized him, dragging him into a swirling vortex of bizarre, kaleidoscopic light.