Chapter 497 - 249: Tit for Tat

Chapter 497: Chapter 249: Tit for Tat

At Zheng Xiu’s direction, she had cast an inescapable net around Yan Chun Building. If anyone triggered her threads, she would sense it. No one could escape the "net" woven by Tailor.

As a Time Demon, Yin Qingqing could use the human skin to pull anyone into her Time Demon Space the moment she sensed something was wrong.

"The Ferryman?"

Xi’er looked down from her high vantage point, seeing many people entering Yan Chun Building but few leaving. If anyone in strange attire were to walk out the main entrance, they would not escape her notice. ’Where would a Ferryman come from?’ she thought. She recalled Zheng Xiu’s hurried words after she’d been silenced—he had mentioned "Bai Qiuyue." Xi’er searched the memories of the deceased Ye Weiyang, and the more she thought about it, the more familiar the name sounded.

"Bai Qiuyue? Bai Qiuyue? Bai Qiuyue? Which Bai Qiuyue?"

Yin Qingqing’s expression was calm as she reminded her, "The former top master of Ye Weiyang, Upper Two, the ’Ferryman’—Bai Qiuyue."

Back when Ye Weiyang still existed, the old Emperor would never have allowed them to become the sole dominant power. The Secret Ministry he established was his means of keeping Ye Weiyang in check. Yin Qingqing had once been a member of the Secret Ministry, so she knew the files on every Miracle Master and Mystic in Ye Weiyang like the back of her hand, reciting the information effortlessly.

"It’s him!"

Xi’er was shocked. ’How could this case involve that retired Mystic?’

As Xi’er and Yin Qingqing discussed "Bai Qiuyue," a graceful zither melody drifted out from inside.

The serene zither melody was like the sound of high mountains and flowing water, refreshing the hearts of all who heard it.

Ye tilted her head, listening intently. As she listened, her brow furrowed. "The Melody is off."

Xi’er asked, "What’s off about it?"

Ye’s brow furrowed even deeper. "It has the form, but none of the spirit! It’s like someone is just mechanically playing from sheet music. It’s far worse than even an ordinary Geisha. Something’s strange! I’m going to test her."

With that, Ye leaped down, landing gracefully on a flying buttress. She pulled a reed leaf from her lapel with two fingers and held it to her lips, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, they were filled with a chilling killing intent, like a pair of sharp daggers.

Using the reed leaf as a flute, she began to play. A completely different melody, a counter to the zither from within the building, pierced the night like a sharp arrow and wove its way inside.

「Inside Yan Chun Building.」

After receiving their orders, Situ Yong and Jun Buxiao quickly went back outside and scanned their surroundings. They searched the area but found no sign of the Ferryman’s signature outfit.

Just as they were about to inform Zheng Xiu, the main hall suddenly fell silent. A young woman with a curvaceous figure, her face hidden by a silk scarf, walked onto the performance stage under the crowd’s rapt attention and sat sideways on a small stool.

DING!

A crisp zither note rang out, and a beautiful Melody instantly filled Yan Chun Building. All the patrons swayed their heads as they listened, appearing completely enraptured.

WHOOSH~

At that very moment, an even more beautiful flute melody drifted in from outside. It seemed to carry a strange pressure; the candlelight inside the building instantly began to flicker wildly, almost going out!

At first, the flute’s sound was gentle and pleasant, like a babbling brook, faintly harmonizing with the zither to evoke the imagery of high mountains and flowing water. But in the next moment, the flute’s melody changed dramatically. It became sharp and clanging, brimming with killing intent, like a thousand armies charging across a battlefield, or a torrential downpour surging to the heavens before crashing down.

On stage, the masked woman’s face showed panic, and her zither playing involuntarily grew faster and faster. Even Situ Yong and Jun Buxiao, who knew nothing of music, could clearly hear that her rhythm had been thrown into disarray by the Melody from outside.

The zither and flute melodies clashed like the thrust and parry of swords. But the zither couldn’t hold out for long before it was utterly defeated. The masked woman on stage now had vacant eyes, her movements devoid of their initial grace. Under the influence of the flute, she plucked the strings mechanically.

Suddenly!

TWANG!

The zither music stopped abruptly. The masked singer had struck a sharp string, severing two of her fingers, which now dripped with blood. Yet she seemed to feel no pain, continuing to pluck at the strings again and again with her mangled hand.

The audience below had already sensed something was strange about the singer on stage. After she broke two of her fingers, some patrons saw the blood. Their drunken stupor vanished in a flash of horror, and they began screaming and fleeing from Yan Chun Building in the ensuing chaos.

A drunken, middle-aged patron cursed as he staggered onto the stage.

"What is this dogshit you’re playing!"

He was mostly drunk and, emboldened by the alcohol, shoved the girl with the severed fingers to the ground. Her face was deathly pale. Even on the ground, she continued to pluck at the strings with her broken fingers, sending bits of flesh flying. The scene was utterly horrifying.

The drunken patron angrily tore off the girl’s veil. Behind it was a plain, unremarkable face.

"She’s not Fragrant Maiden!"

Someone in the audience pointed at the face in terror.