Chapter 17: Class A Yellow, Lotus Lake (6)

The lantern’s range was limited, and here, the night was pitch-black. Not a single star dared to grace the sky, let alone the moon. Mulberry trees grew within the manor, their leaves rustling in the breeze, occasionally shedding stray branches. Anyone with a poor sense of direction would likely not only get lost but be frightened out of their wits.

Approaching a corner, she did not rush. She tucked the lantern behind her, about four or five meters back, before stepping forward to peek around the bend. In the distance, she saw a person carrying an oil lamp emerge from the locked ancestral hall. The figure was dressed in black with a long beard, his face etched with deep wrinkles; it was unclear whether he was the steward or one of the performers from the variety troupe.

Xu Yiliu kept her eyes fixed on him, her feet shuffling backward. If the person headed her way, she would extinguish the lantern at top speed. Fortunately, the man did not come toward her; after relocking the door, he departed in the opposite direction. She counted to 120 seconds in her heart, retrieved the lantern, and headed toward the hall.

She soon reached the so-called ancestral hall. Just as she was about to hold up the lantern to inspect the carvings on the door, a voice came from behind her:

"Do you want to go inside?"

Xu Yiliu’s breath hitched, and she spun around. Anyone else in her position might have screamed. The lantern illuminated the person's face—straight bangs, a short haircut, and large, dark, round eyes. It was Ji Xianxing, who had returned much earlier. The lantern in her hand was dark; she must have extinguished it on purpose.

Xu Yiliu looked away, focusing the light on the door carvings as she said, "There isn't enough time. I plan to find an opportunity to enter tomorrow."

"It’s locked. How will you get in?" Ji Xianxing asked.

Unable to decipher the patterns, Xu Yiliu glanced at her sideways. "Let’s make a deal. You tell me about these carvings, and I’ll take you into the hall tomorrow."

Ji Xianxing took her lantern and shone it upward. "Green pines and white cranes, cypresses and snow deer, and some brick-carved Bodhisattvas. Every house in the manor has door curtains for decoration, except for this one, because many ancestral halls forbid them." She paused, pointing to a pattern the size of a fingernail. "These carvings are common; this is the only valuable piece of information."

"A flower?" Xu Yiliu asked.

"A lotus," Ji Xianxing replied.

*Lotus Lake.* The name immediately sprang to Xu Yiliu’s mind.

Ji Xianxing looked up at her. "How do you intend to get in?"

"It’s not difficult," Xu Yiliu said coolly. "I'll pry the door open."

"You know how to pick a lock?" Ji Xianxing asked.

Xu Yiliu waved her hand dismissively. "No need to flatter me."

Ji Xianxing had no intention of flattering her. The two exchanged a dry, wordless look before turning and departing in silent understanding.

Before leaving, Xu Yiliu chuckled softly, "See you tomorrow, roommate."

Ji Xianxing did not reply, only offering a soft grunt of acknowledgment once she was further away. Perhaps the wind carried the sound, or perhaps Xu Yiliu’s hearing was simply sharp—she heard the response.

Shortly after stepping into her room, Xu Yiliu heard the sound of the night watchman. She set down the lantern and pulled back the curtain to see a figure huddled under the quilt on the bed. Kong Yueming pulled back a corner of the blanket, peeking at her secretly. "You're back. You were gone for so long." Her voice sounded somewhat aggrieved.

Jixiang was already asleep on the small cot by the wall. Xu Yiliu quietly retrieved the quilt from the inner side of the bed, tucked herself in, and whispered, "Sleep."

Kong Yueming huddled against her, whispering, "Aren't you scared?"

*I'm not the one who was targeted,* Xu Yiliu thought. She closed her eyes and said calmly, "I am, but sleep is the best way to cope."

Kong Yueming shrank further into the bed. "The room..."

Xu Yiliu knew what she meant. "It’s likely still an illusion. Go to sleep."

Kong Yueming opened her mouth, wanting to say that her system panel showed her emotional state as 48, marked as 'anxiety,' with no mention of auditory or visual hallucinations. *Was it still an illusion, then?* She ultimately kept the words to herself, trembling under the covers. Xu Yiliu heard the sounds of deliberately suppressed sobbing.

"I want to go home..."

Someone else might have been moved to comfort her, but that person would not be Xu Yiliu. She had long since outgrown the phase of being soft-hearted.

The night deepened. Xu Yiliu did not sleep soundly; she remained in a semi-conscious state, not knowing if she had actually drifted off. Time felt hazy, and it wasn't until Jixiang woke her that she realized it was already dawn. She turned to see Jixiang kneeling by the bed, looking worried. "Miss Xu, have you seen where my mistress went?"

Kong Yueming was gone.

Xu Yiliu felt the spot beside her—it was cold. The quilt had only slight wrinkles, suggesting Kong Yueming had moved very carefully when she left. What puzzled Xu Yiliu most was that she hadn't noticed a thing. Her poor sleep quality was system-verified; she usually woke at the slightest disturbance. Yet, after the night had passed, she hadn't felt anything at all.

Xu Yiliu helped the tearful Jixiang up. "Go outside and search. If you can't find her, hire a few farmhands and give them some silver to help look."

Jixiang nodded through her tears and ran out, shouting Kong Yueming’s name everywhere. Xu Yiliu scratched her head, rinsed her mouth, and tidied her clothes. This was an ancient setting; although Ji Xianxing claimed it didn't belong to any specific dynasty, she couldn't treat her attire as casually as she might in the modern world. Even less could she allow her rhythm to be disrupted by others.

As she stepped outside, she ran into Fang Xiaoyi. She had been woken by Jixiang’s cries, and judging by her attire, she had likely reached the same conclusion as Xu Yiliu. The two exchanged a look and headed out together.

Fang Xiaoyi asked in a low voice, "How did she disappear?"

"I didn't notice," Xu Yiliu said. "I slept on the outer side. The wooden bed creaks with the slightest movement, but I truly didn't hear when she left."

Fang Xiaoyi asked meaningfully, "Are you sure she left, or did she vanish?"

Xu Yiliu shook her head. "She must have walked. She took her shoes to bed, and now the shoes are gone." Her outer garments were also missing; it didn't look like she had vanished into thin air or been snatched away, but rather like a normal trip in the middle of the night.

The others who had been woken up quickly joined them. A breathless, teary-eyed Jixiang ran up to them, sobbing, "I’ve searched the entire manor, but I can't find her. Miss, Miss..."

Suddenly, an intuition struck Xu Yiliu. "Lotus Lake," she said. "Go look by the Lotus Lake."

Jixiang bolted toward the lake. Fang Xiaoyi and the others looked at Xu Yiliu, wanting to say something but hesitating. Xu Yiliu pursed her lips and only said, "We went to the Lotus Lake yesterday. Let’s hope... let's hope she's alright."

Despite saying this, she knew in her heart that Kong Yueming’s chances were slim. She only hoped that Kong Yueming might have left them some clues, so they wouldn't be left wandering like headless flies.

The five of them hurried out of the manor and reached the edge of the Lotus Lake. It was still early, and a thin mist hovered over the water; at a glance, Xu Yiliu and the others couldn't even tell where the boundary lay. Jixiang ran along the shore, shouting, "Miss! Where are you? Miss! If you can hear me, please say something!"

The farmhands who had taken the silver were actively searching as well, but the lakeside yielded nothing.

Xu Yiliu recalled yesterday. With a grim face, she walked onto the wooden bridge and leaned over to look down from the spot where she had stood the day before.

In the dark, ink-black shadow of the wooden bridge, a face was looking up at her.