Smoke and Fire [GL] - Chapter 11

Everyone looked in the direction he indicated, only to see the family tree occupying an entire wall behind the screen.

This family tree was extremely detailed, marking every branch from the first ancestor down to the seventeenth generation, where Shen Junxuan was. Luo Yao noticed that the family tree formed an inverted triangle, large at the top and small at the bottom, meaning the fewer people survived as they went down, which was consistent with Shen Junxuan’s statement.

“There really are no females on this.” Si Yin stood up, examining the family tree carefully. She whispered to Luo Yao, “Look, the lines extending down are all connected to males, with small print next to them indicating the wives they married, all of whom are of a different surname. They genuinely have no female members with the Shen surname.”

Luo Yao nodded in acknowledgment and then asked Shen Junxuan, “Is there a problem with this family tree?”

Shen Junxuan, however, seemed rather surprised that they hadn’t noticed yet, and he coughed heavily: “…Well, ladies, please take a look. The deceased on the family tree are marked with vermillion dots… Indeed, I am certainly a person who has not yet passed.”

The group moved closer to observe carefully and found that it was indeed the case: the deceased were marked in red, but a small red dot also appeared on Shen Junxuan’s name.

“Alright, two possibilities.”

Si Yin straightened up and said in a businesslike manner, “First, you are indeed dead, and everything you just said was a trick.”

Shen Junxuan: “…”

“The second is that the female infant’s resentment might have fixated on you, which counts as one of the many ominous signs.” Si Yin smiled with her arms crossed over her chest. “This is probably the version you want to hear, isn’t it?”

“To be honest, it is,” Shen Junxuan replied politely.

At this moment, Yi An looked at Si Yin as if she were a monster, thinking, How could you say such cold-blooded things to such a handsome man? You’re practically inhumane!

What she didn’t know was that Si Yin’s first impression of this Head of the Shen family had been particularly bad ever since she saw that tablet in the ancestral hall. She relentlessly continued, “Then you’re quite ridiculous, only thinking of asking someone to exorcise the malevolence when the fire is already burning you. What about your first wife? And your current Third Mistress, who died in childbirth? Their lives don’t matter, right?”

Shen Junxuan didn’t get angry upon hearing this; he merely bowed deeply to her with a flick of his sleeve: “You are right. I am the head of the Shen family. The rules passed down from our ancestors, what is right is right, and what is wrong is also right. I can only muddle through while I am in this position, and I am powerless to change it. Please forgive me.”

Hearing him say this, Si Yin was completely stifled.

“Enough, Si Yin, that’s not the point.” Luo Yao gently raised her hand to stop Si Yin, her gaze returning to Shen Junxuan, her tone calm, “Master Shen, we can help you with this matter, but the precondition is that I need you to honestly tell me if you also have your daughter’s bl00d on your hands.”

Shen Junxuan looked up: “Yes.”

Luo Yao was not surprised, but before she could speak, a family servant walked in from outside the door and knelt before the young man: “Master, the Third Mistress has passed away.”

“I know.” Shen Junxuan lowered his eyes, picked up a teacup from the table, and said faintly.

A moment later, he noticed the slightly surprised glances of the others and sighed with a wry smile: “It can’t be helped. It’s been like this since my father’s time. Only poor families dared to marry their daughters into this family, because they inevitably won’t live past twenty.”

Yi An couldn’t help but say, “Although that’s what you say, this is too…”

Too what?

Yi An couldn’t find the right word to describe him for a moment. Although the man in front of her answered fluently and seemed to possess all the necessary emotions—guilt, remorse—it all seemed faint, which made her feel slightly out of sync.

“My apologies, ladies. I cannot accompany you further today. Tomorrow will likely bring some trouble.” Shen Junxuan gently put down the teacup, cupped his hands in a salute to them—a perfect, graceful gentleman.

Since the host had said so much, they couldn’t stay any longer. As the servant led them out the doorway, Luo Yao suddenly turned back and asked, “Forgive my presumption, when will the Third Mistress be buried?”

Shen Junxuan replied with a smile, “Tomorrow.”

“Master, remember to lock your doors and windows tonight.”

“Thank you for the reminder.”

Shen Junxuan bowed his head slightly to her with a sweep of his sleeve.

Luo Yao turned around without a change in expression, and the others only started walking after she did. The sky was pitch black. The two servants in front carried large red lanterns, and the ancient buildings were ornately carved and painted. The group walked through the seemingly endless corridors, revealing a few moments of quiet eeriness.

As they passed the room where the Third Mistress had died in childbirth, Luo Yao led the group to stop, slightly pushing open the paper window lattice. They saw the woman lying on the bed was already covered with a white cloth, her face also featureless, with only slight indentations where her eyes and mouth should have been.

Out of curiosity, the bar girl peered inside, and what she saw was a chaotic jumble of dirty words: “Eww, my #%&@_#!!”

“Honored Elders, it is not advisable to stay outside late at night.” One of the servants carrying a lantern reminded them.

Yi An had expected Luo Yao and the other two to somehow show off their skills and resist, but until they entered the room, they successfully maintained their good behavior.

“No, why didn’t you stay? What if the Third Mistress rises from the dead tonight?” Yi An’s face was full of “you are derelict in your duty” condemnation.

“Stay my foot.” Si Yin did not look like she had any desire to explain and walked around looking at the furniture and setting.

The rooms Shen Junxuan had prepared for them were connected. Si Yin felt everyone’s bed before returning, nodding to Luo Yao: “Clean.”

Luo Yao nodded to show she understood, sat down at a round table, and looked at the others, patting the chair next to her.

Yi An swiftly darted over and squeezed next to her, asking as she squeezed, “What does ‘clean’ mean?”

“Oh, it means no ghosts,” Luo Yao casually explained, not noticing Yi An’s instantly stiff body. She then looked up and said, “Si Yin, stop wandering. Sit down, let’s sort through the clues.”

So Si Yin sat down in a very bold posture, first rapping the table and saying angrily, “I just don’t understand how that man can talk about his wife’s death so lightly? That person is definitely suspicious, you tell me if you believe it!”

“Get lost! Are you even speaking rationally??” Yi An, who couldn’t stand anyone insulting a handsome man, slapped the table indignantly, “He’s the head of the family, big sister, and ancient times were all arranged marriages—what do you expect? If they made you marry a man you didn’t know at all, what kind of affection could you have?”

Si Yin sneered, “Fine, then what about his daughter?”

“Didn’t he say it? It’s the ancestors’ rules, he couldn’t help it!” Yi An refused to back down.

“Okay, I get it. I’ve raised you for so long, and I haven’t seen you act like an idiot. As soon as you see that pretty boy, your IQ elopes with your hormones. Nothing more to say. You’re amazing.”

“Isn’t that normal! I’m straight!”

“Normal my foot…”

Just as a tragic scene of roommates killing each other was about to unfold, they heard Luo Yao slam the table, saying concisely, “Both of you, shut up! Sit down!”

If there was one person in the world who could simultaneously control both Si Yin and Yi An, that honor belonged exclusively to Luo Yao.

Ten seconds later, Si Yin and Yi An sat back down with dark lines on their faces, one leaning her head to the left, the other to the right, looking like they wished they could never see each other again.

Tan Tan quietly poured herself a cup of tea, then said faintly, “491.”

“What is that?” the bar girl whispered to her.

Tan Tan looked calm: “Oh, the number of times they’ve been arguing to a certain point and then intimidated by Luo Yao.”

Girl: “…………”

Luo Yao pinched the bridge of her nose, and only after a moment did she speak: “Alright, let’s get back to the main topic. To solve a persistent thought’s commission, we must first know who the persistent thought is, because in the illusion, the persistent thought is the commissioner, our protected target, and absolutely must not die. After this round of contact, who do you think is likely to be the persistent thought?”

Si Yin quickly said, “The female infant.”

Yi An glared at her and said, “Shen Junxuan.”

“Don’t just say it, can you elaborate on your reasons?” Luo Yao smiled helplessly, took the tea handed to her by Tan Tan, and let her gaze sweep between the two of them.

“The possibility of the female infant being the persistent thought is quite high; any normal person could think of it,” Si Yin said mockingly, hinting at Yi An. “The Shen family left behind unbelievable ancestral teachings, and the accumulated resentment of all the female infants who were strangled has coalesced into a vengeful spirit. From Shen Junxuan’s father’s generation onward, the vengeful spirit took shape and began madly seeking revenge on all members of the Shen family.”

“There’s a logical flaw,” Luo Yao shook her head after hearing this and looked up at Si Yin. “A persistent thought only forms after a person dies, due to a strong and unfulfillable wish, which is why they commission us to fulfill it.”

“But according to you, the vengeful spirit only needs to kill Shen Junxuan to fulfill its wish. What is it that she can’t complete and needs to commission someone else to do?”

Si Yin paused: “Perhaps, a highly skilled person is protecting Shen Junxuan?”

Luo Yao smiled: “You see, even you feel that is far-fetched. If we only consider this aspect, Shen Junxuan is indeed more likely to be the persistent thought.”

“See, I told you!” Yi An got excited.

“Hmm, because first, most of the people in this illusion have no facial features, which is strongly related to the persistent thought itself. Shen Junxuan is so real, like a person from reality, so either the persistent thought has an extremely deep impression of him, or he is the persistent thought himself.”

Luo Yao methodically explained, “Secondly, if his words are all true, then as the head of the Shen family’s seventeenth generation, he is on one hand powerless to fight against the ancestral rules, and on the other hand, he resists the killing of infants. This could easily produce deep entanglement and resentment, which fits the first requirement for becoming a persistent thought: to die with resentment.”

Si Yin said, “But he hasn’t died yet?”

“Yes, that’s also where my focus is,” Luo Yao slowly said. “But let’s assume, just assume, that Shen Junxuan is the persistent thought, and he couldn’t escape the fate of being killed by the vengeful spirit, dying with resentment. After his death, he transforms into a persistent thought; what is it that he wants to commission us to do?”

“His situation is ultimately because of that ancestral rule. He should resent his ancestors,” Tan Tan said, resting her chin on her hand.

Luo Yao, however, said, “I think besides the ancestors, there is also the vengeful spirit. Don’t forget, he is after all from the ancient feudal aristocracy, deeply bound by the concept of bl00d lineage. His feelings toward his ancestors are less resentment and more helplessness.”

“More of the hatred should be directed at the vengeful spirit. After all, humans and ghosts are fundamentally different, let alone a malevolent ghost that has already killed his parents.”