Infiltrating the Zeng Residence

The day after He Da's death, Zhou Wu brought Sun and Huang to visit the Zeng Residence. When Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai stepped before Zeng Laoye, his heart was a swirl of confusion and bewilderment. Zhou Wu had claimed he was introducing two "otherworldly masters," leaving Zeng Laoye filled with eager anticipation. Instead, he was greeted by two lads who looked barely seventeen or eighteen, pretentiously decked out in ill-fitting Daoist robes acquired heaven knows where. If you called them jianghu tricksters... well, based on what Zeng Laoye knew of Constable Head Zhou, the man was not the sort to introduce frauds. If you said they truly were otherworldly masters... they did not look the part in the slightest. In any case, now that they were here, Zeng Yun was a respectable man of standing and ought to treat them with due courtesy. "Honored Daoists..." Zeng Yun considered for a moment, deciding that "Daoist" was the most proper address. "May I venture to ask your esteemed names and lineages?" "Easy enough, easy enough~" When it came to bamboozling people with glib jargon, Sun Yixie was in his element. Words tumbled from his mouth without hesitation: "I am the closed-door disciple of Daoist Zhang Sanfeng—Chief of the Mount Wudang Liaison Office at Lingyin Temple—known to the world as the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon, Sun Honglei." He spun lies without so much as batting an eye. Having uttered this, he pointed at Huang Donglai beside him. "And this here is the sole surviving heir in this realm of Jiang Ziya, disciple to the Heavenly Lord of the Primordial Beginning of the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun—known to all as Old Immortal Xudong, Huang Xiaose." Never using your real name while running a scam was common sense to Sun Yixie. Besides, photo identification did not exist in this era, so he could spout whatever nonsense he pleased and no one could verify it. Zeng Yun listened, completely dumbfounded, feeling more and more that the pair was thoroughly untrustworthy. Who in their right mind called themselves an "Old Immortal" at such a tender age? Yet Zhou Wu had brought them, so Zeng Yun could hardly drop all pretense and throw them out. He had no choice but to swallow his doubts. "Er... pardon my ignorance, pardon my ignorance..." Zeng Yun cupped his fists with a wry smile. "Well... Constable Head Zhou has already explained your purpose in coming, but may I ask if you truly have confidence in exorcising the ghost?" "Ha!" Sun Yixie gave a hearty laugh. "I understand. Zeng Laoye sees how young we look and assumes we don't possess true ability, isn't that right?" "Well..." Zeng Yun's face showed his embarrassment. Though he did not say it outright, his expression was an admission. "Heh heh... no matter." Sun Yixie laughed breezily, adding, "It is only human nature for common mortals to misunderstand people like us; we have long grown accustomed to it." As he spoke, he turned to Huang Donglai. "Brother Huang, why don't we show Zeng Laoye a little trick and broaden his horizons?" "Heh... sounds fine." Huang Donglai had been waiting for this cue. With a chuckle, he gave a flourish of his wide sleeve and reached out with his right hand. In the blink of an eye, a great burst of flame erupted out of thin air right from his palm! This sudden spectacle scared Zeng Laoye half to death. He stumbled back several paces in fright, and the servants flanking him were so terrified they clean forgot to step forward and steady their master. It was Zhou Wu who reacted swiftly, darting forward to catch Zeng Laoye by the arm. In truth... it wasn't that Zhou Wu possessed exceptional composure; rather, he had already watched Sun and Huang rehearse this routine before coming, and they had even explained the trick behind it, so he was thoroughly unfazed. No sooner said than done! Huang Donglai struck a palm bearing blazing fire straight toward Sun Yixie. Sun Yixie, wearing a face of intense constipation, let out a mighty shout and performed a "drawing flame unto oneself." He "caught" the flame in his hands, spun around, threw back his head, and "swallowed" it whole. A breath later, the smoke and flame dissipated completely. The two stood there without panting or changing color. "Heh heh..." Seeing Zeng Laoye and the servants gaping in utter shock, Sun Yixie gave a smug grin. "Well, Zeng Laoye? Brother Huang's and my feats of 'Igniting Flame from the Void' and 'Swallowing Raging Fire Alive'—do they pass muster?" Though he made it sound magnificent and profound, all they had performed was a parlor trick... Before entering the doors, Huang Donglai and Sun Yixie had already rubbed fire-retardant medicine on their hands, and the fiery mass was nothing more than a cotton ball soaked in liquor. Once lit, Huang Donglai used the angle of his palm to conceal it, making it appear as if fire hovered freely in his grip. When Sun Yixie reached out and took the "fireball," he turned his back; while it looked like he tossed back his neck to "swallow fire," he actually stuffed it into his collar, wrapping the cotton ball in his fireproof-and-waterproof treasure vest. Starved of oxygen, the flame naturally went out in an instant. A cheap trick like this was something anyone could perform once they knew the method. With a few refinements to the details, someone might even pull it off with greater flair and mystique than they had. For now, though, this petty deceit was more than enough to fool Zeng Laoye... "Aiya! This humble Zeng failed to recognize Mount Tai..." Recovering his wits, Zeng Yun hurriedly bowed deeply. "Immortals, magnificent skills! Truly magnificent skills!" Everything had happened far too fast. Startled and terrified, Zeng Yun had backed away several steps, leaving him completely blind to any flaws. He genuinely believed these two had the supernatural power to command the Five Elements, conjuring and swallowing fire out of thin air. "Heh... please rise, Zeng Laoye." Taking the opportunity to play along, Huang Donglai stepped forward to support Zeng Yun, adding, "As Brother Sun said, being misunderstood is an everyday occurrence for us; Zeng Laoye need not take it to heart." His tone shifted. "As long as you place your trust in us from now on, that is all that matters." "I believe! I believe!" Zeng Yun said at once. "To be frank, this Zeng is terrified of the recent strange occurrences in my manor. I implore the two Immortals to save my life and household... Once the deed is done, this Zeng will surely present a hefty—" "Ai~ what are you saying?" Sun Yixie cut off Zeng Laoye before the final words could leave his mouth. "Brother Huang and I are otherworldly men. How could we do this for mere wealth? We came here solely to slay demons, vanquish monsters, and act on Heaven's behalf. As for compensation... speak no more of it." Sun Yixie said this to put the other man even more at ease. For Sun Yixie was someone who understood the swindling trade intimately. He knew that across a thousand scams and ten thousand cons, every one boiled down to money or lust in the end. No matter how elaborate or convincing the setup was, once you took the bait, there would inevitably come a step requiring you to part with cash. The most masterful frauds didn't even have to ask; they made you volunteer it willingly... At this moment, Zeng Laoye seemed to believe them on the surface, but only he knew what he truly thought in his heart. Even if he genuinely believed them right now, once he cooled off or someone dropped a word in his ear, his thoughts might shift... After all, with a family enterprise as vast as the Zengs', it was impossible for every single soul in the manor to be a fool. Sun Yixie looked far ahead in such matters. He had to cover every angle in the details. Declaring upfront that they wanted no reward at all was the surefire way to secure the man's trust. Of course, even if one took ten thousand steps back... Sun Yixie's own family was exceedingly wealthy; he genuinely didn't care about a bit of silver. * * * That very day, Sun and Huang took up residence at the Zeng Residence. Zeng Laoye treated them with lavish hospitality, lodging them in first-rate guest quarters and hosting them with an exquisite vegetarian feast. That afternoon, Huang Donglai wrote out a list detailing all sorts of items required to "set up the altar and perform the ritual," specifically instructing that the Zeng Residence's housekeeper, Zeng Su, personally take men out to purchase them. He did so, naturally, because he suspected Zeng Su... Housekeeper Zeng Su was undoubtedly the prime suspect in this case. His presence touched nearly every incident; even if he wasn't the murderer, he might be connected to the culprit or privy to things outsiders did not yet know. Thus, Huang Donglai deliberately sent Zeng Su away and then gathered the remaining servants in the Zeng Residence for questioning. Meanwhile, Sun Yixie seized the opportunity while everyone was occupied to slip quietly into Zeng Su's room and search it. Unfortunately, Sun Yixie found no useful clues. It seemed either that Zeng Su truly was clean, or that he was exceptionally cautious and had left no slip-ups behind... Of course, it was also possible that Sun Yixie was simply blind. And so, night fell. At midnight, Sun and Huang met secretly in Huang Donglai's guest room. By now, both had stripped off their Daoist robes and changed into snug, nimble night garments, equipped with several fire-strikers, fully geared and ready to move. According to the plan they had settled beforehand, Zhou Wu should already be waiting for them by the rear wall of Mingjiao Temple. The trio had laid their scheme. Tonight, they would scout Mingjiao Temple by night and deftly spirit away the Liuli Carp.