Chapter 521: Chapter 185: The Way of Ghost Hunting_3
"The silk on the stage had already been painted with faces in advance, and during the middle of the play, the young man took a torch and brushed it over the fabric, revealing strange colors,"
Her father stood before the desk and sighed as he said, "Little Girl Tong, there are no ghosts in this world."
Though she was young, she already understood the ins and outs of everything and felt a bit relieved, but the memory of the ghastly white faces on the fabric still made her heart skip a beat. She stubbornly clung to her doubts and asked, "But with so many different things in the world, we just haven’t seen them. What if they really do exist?"
Her father was silent for a moment.
After a long while, he said, "There’s no need to be afraid even if they do."
Lu Tong blinked.
"It is written in the books, the teacher says: ’Do not fear ghosts, fight against them; it’s good if you win the battle, and if you lose, I’m no different from them.’"
He stroked his beard: "This is the way to catch ghosts that your father has taught you."
Do not fear ghosts, fight against them.
This "way to catch ghosts" would often come to her mind later at Luomei Peak. Every time she searched the graves for corpses, she would tell herself "a person is a ghost yet to die, a ghost is a person already dead," so there was no need to be afraid.
And in this world, there are far more cruel and ruthless people than any ghosts or goblins.
She simply kept in mind the word "fight".
The light was dim, and a gust of wind swept in, causing the branches outside the door to ’clack’ against the wooden window.
Lu Tong snapped back to her senses, took a sip of White Lotus Dew, and lowered her head, "The recipe father heard from the theatrical troupe, I later used it to cheat during home exams."
Pei Yunmeng gave her a strange look: "Cheat?"
"Indeed."
She didn’t have to attend school in the neighboring county like Lu Qian did, but she didn’t fall behind on her studies, and every half year her father would hold exams at home.
These exams were nothing short of a nightmare for her.
The clever girl thought of writing down the poetry she couldn’t memorize on white paper using cinnabar mixed with medicinal herbs, using her father’s "way to catch ghosts" method, but she was caught before she could light the memorial—it was a bit too much to light a lamp in broad daylight, after all.
Her father cursed her thoroughly.
"Acting sneaky and crafty all the time, what kind of behavior is that! Where is my disciplining ruler? Who has hidden my ruler!"
Lu Qian had already run off with the ruler, half a mile away, while Lu Rou came over to persuade, only to be pushed out of the door by her father’s stern face.
"You should not spoil her one bit; spill water cannot be regathered, and regret will come too late! You all just indulge her."
Then he scolded her: "I taught you the art of pigments, and it wasn’t meant for such crooked and devious uses!"
Thinking about it, Lu Tong ’puffed’ out a laugh.
Her father had always prioritized moral education. In her youth, she had merely wanted to get by with her studies, and even that was seen as "crooked and devious." But now, she utilized this "way to catch ghosts" to plot a great fire, to entrap, and even more than that. Before this, she had already murdered, disposed of corpses, and resorted to any means necessary to achieve her goals...
The smile gradually faded from her face, and after a while Lu Tong quieted down and said, "He must be very disappointed in me."
She had grown into the very person her father never wanted her to become.
The surroundings were dark and gloomy, with only the sound of wind whining outside the window.
"I think he would be proud of you,"
Out of the stillness, someone suddenly spoke.
Lu Tong looked up.
"A person who alone, armed only with a spear, goes to Shengjing to avenge her entire family, killing three enemies and still managing to escape unscathed, and looking like the last one will soon follow, if I had such a daughter in the future, I would be extremely proud," he said casually, as if it were an offhand remark.
The air faintly carried a sharp and fragrant scent; the flame illuminated the handsome and sharp features of the man before her. Despite the impending heavy rain, the area seemed almost picturesque due to the warm, gentle colors.
He looked at Lu Tong, smiling as he spoke: "If your esteemed father knew what you are doing now, he would probably just feel heartache."
Lu Tong’s heart trembled.
She had been away from home for too long and dared not hope for the indulgence and pampering of the past, let alone heartache.
Lu Tong reined in her thoughts. ’If I, too, had such a daughter in the future...’ she echoed Pei Yunmeng’s words, frowning, "Is the Marshal taking advantage of me?"
He was taken aback, then laughed: "I am trying to comfort you."
"I am not downhearted, so why the need for comfort?"
Pei Yunmeng watched her closely.
Lu Tong sat under the dim yellow light, her expression usual, her tone even, as if the fleeting glimpse of loss in her eyes just moments before was an illusion.
He lowered his head and chuckled, not continuing that topic but shifting to another matter.
"Although Qi Yutai is currently deranged and losing his mind, Cui Min is diagnosing him, and he may regain his sanity in the future."
"Once he regains his sanity, and if Qi Yutai reveals that on the night the Fengle Building caught fire, he fought with a guest for a room, the lies will instantly be exposed."
"That old fox Qi Qing might notice something fishy."
"Doctor Lu," he said, "aren’t you afraid he will tell Qi Qing the clues?"
Given the Qi Family’s cautious nature, even if they can’t find the "Light-vented Bulbul" painting, it doesn’t mean they won’t become suspicious. Once suspicious, after eliminating all enemies, the past incident with the Lu Family of Changwu County might be brought back to the Qi Family’s attention.
The lights were silent and dim.
After a long while, Lu Tong smiled slightly.
"I am not afraid."
Her eyes shone unusually bright under the lamplight as she calmly spoke.
"Who would believe the words of a madman?"
She quipped, "I’m afraid even his father wouldn’t believe his own son."
...
"Pitter-patter—"
Large raindrops fell from the sky, and just as Lu Tong returned to the hostel, it began to rain in the courtyard.
The rain still carried the heat of the summer day. Lu Tong placed the oil lamp on the table while Lin Danqing leaned over to close the window by the desk, finally pressing it shut with the palm of his hand.
Lu Tong asked, "Why are you closing it so tightly?"
In the hostel where men and women are separated, the sultry heat of summer nights usually meant leaving a gap for ventilation.
Lin Danqing climbed back onto the bed and pulled out a storybook from under the pillow to read aloud to her: "Listen to this: ’All men who sneak around for affairs and women who keep a lover can fly, no need to go in and out through the door.’
"There are also young and spirited medical officers recently appointed; what if one of them gets frisky in the night and enters the wrong room? It would be rather embarrassing, wouldn’t it? Better to be careful."
Lu Tong: "..."
"It’s quite reasonable when you think about it," she turned her head and asked Lu Tong, "don’t you think so, Younger Sister Lu?"
Lu Tong avoided her gaze and indifferently said, "...Yes."
...
The rain drizzled on, washing the ground of the courtyard clean.
Pei Yunmeng returned to his mansion, storing his umbrella at the entrance.
The large mansion was empty and silent, with a bouquet of Qiang Wei roses in the hall’s vase, placed there by Pei Yunshu during the day.
Most of the time, he was in the Palace Marshal’s Mansion or on duty in the palace, leaving this residence often unoccupied. It only became a bit more frequented since Pei Yunshu and her mother moved into the neighboring house.
The female servants would come to clean during the day, and at night, they would return to their own homes. He disliked being attended to, so the mansion only had a few trusted guards who would not appear without a necessity.
Pei Yunmeng lit a lamp and walked into the study.
The study was as he had left it: wooden blocks chaotically left on a low table, several sheets of painting paper scattered in front of the desk, and brushes hung on the brush stand, some of which were brand new and had only been used a few times.
He sat down at the desk and began tidying up the papers that the wind had scattered. As he did, his movements gradually slowed.
The painting of the Light-vented Bulbul in Fengle Building, drawn with special pigments, was his own handiwork.
Lu Tong had him paint it because she knew he was adept in Danqing, and giving it to other painters in Shengjing might risk a leak.
Actually, since his mother’s death, he hadn’t touched a brush and should have refused, yet for some reason, he had accepted her request.
Pei Yunmeng shook his head and let out a helpless chuckle.
Lu Tong had said that if her father were still alive and knew that she was pursuing revenge using the same methods as before, he would be very disappointed.
What about him?
If his mother knew that the painting and calligraphy skills she personally taught him, which he learned through the phrase "Eight principles of painting: the ancient and moist, clear water, high mountains, free-flowing springs, clouds and smoke, winding wild paths, pines like dragons and snakes, bamboos hiding the stormy night," were ultimately used on the walls of a brothel to conjure tricks, what would she think?
She probably wouldn’t be disappointed, would she?
He leaned back in his chair and gazed at the brushes on the stand in the dim light, a flicker of self-mockery crossing his eyes.
After all...
This was also a way of eliminating harm for the people.