Entering the Spirit Void 141: Interlacing Goblets and Cups

Inside a magnificent and luxurious hall, the square table at the center was set with two pairs of silver cups, golden spoons, and ivory chopsticks. It appeared there would be only two guests dining shortly.

Just as expected, a man and a woman, escorted by four robust men in close-fitting garments, stepped into the hall. With a graceful and gentle gesture, the woman raised her hand and waved to the four men, saying:

"Withdraw. Call that girl Qingyun to come out and pour the wine."

The four men retreated, and a maid in a green dress entered the hall with a graceful and nimble gait.

By this time, the man and the woman had already taken their seats. The green-clad maid hurried forward to pour the wine. The man was none other than the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase, while the woman looked to be in her early twenties, possessing a captivating beauty that made her unforgettable at first glance, a charm that would linger in one's memory for a lifetime.

This woman was Yin Tianlan, the famous female mine owner of Bayan. She was dressed in a sapphire-blue gown, with her dark hair swept up and styled with clouds, adorned with an apricot-yellow rose pinned aslant at her temples. Another rose was pinned to her lapel, though this one was carved from a single piece of yellow gemstone.

Qingyun, the green-clad maid, filled the cups with wine and retreated to stand behind Yin Tianlan. Her starry eyes flashed with a peculiar brilliance. Yin Tianlan grasped a silver cup with her delicate hands, smiled sweetly, and said to the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase: "Young master, please drain this cup."

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase wore an icy expression. He picked up the silver cup, tilted back his head, and drained it in one gulp. Yin Tianlan cast a sidelong, bewitching glance at him, let out a charming laugh, and said: "I should accompany you in this toast."

With that, she also emptied her cup in a single draught. Then, turning to Qingyun, she ordered: "Pour the wine and tell the kitchen to serve the dishes!"

Qingyun clapped her hands lightly a few times. As the doors of the hall opened, four beautiful maids entered one after another, each carrying a platter of food. Course after course, the dishes soon filled the entire table.

Qingyun lifted the golden pot once more, poured the fine wine, and then resumed her position standing slightly behind and to the right of Yin Tianlan. Her starry eyes remained fixed unblinkingly on the silver cup of the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase.

Yin Tianlan blinked her long eyelashes and said: "Young master, please finish another cup, and then we can discuss business."

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase grunted coldly in response and picked up the silver cup with his left hand!

Suddenly, he noticed the hopeful and excited gleam flashing in Qingyun's starry eyes. A cold shudder ran through him, followed instantly by sudden realization. Without shifting his gaze, his mind raced, and he said: "Young lady, I am extremely anxious to know first..."

As he spoke, he set the silver cup down with utter naturalness, though his sharp eyes secretly kept watch on Qingyun. Sure enough, seeing him put the cup down, Qingyun's expression darkened with resentment and a sense of disappointment.

He nodded inwardly, having already grasped the situation. Yin Tianlan chimed in at that moment: "Young master, I said before that once this meal is finished, we will begin discussing business. As a hero of our generation, you should know how to let go when the time is right!"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase smiled, shook his head as if helpless, and reached out to pick up the ivory chopsticks. Yet, with a slight tremor in his hand and foot, he knocked the pair of ivory chopsticks onto the floor.

Yin Tianlan instructed Qingyun to fetch a fresh pair. In the brief instant that she glanced toward Qingyun, the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase executed the divine technique of "Heart-Buddha Quiet Shifting," seamlessly switching the wine cups.

When Qingyun returned with the chopsticks, the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase expressed his thanks first, then raised his cup to toast Yin Tianlan: "Young lady, let us drain this cup first, and then we can begin our meal, how about that?"

Naturally, this suited Yin Tianlan just fine. She immediately smiled, raised her cup, and drank with him. Once the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase had finished his wine, Qingyun, without waiting for an order, picked up the golden pot and silver cups and carried them away.

This action only made the situation clearer than snow in the mind of the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase. They proceeded with the meal, and after eating, tea was served. Over tea, the host and guest turned to matters of business. The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase spoke first: "Young lady, what are your conditions?"

Yin Tianlan let out a charming laugh: "Could it be that the young master hasn't figured it out yet?"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase arched his sword-like brows and said: "I am not accustomed to guessing a young girl's mind!"

Yin Tianlan curled her vermilion lips and said:

"Even if that is the case, then let me tell you: whether it is Hao Fu or Hu Mengxiong, they all answer to me."

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase said coldly: "I already knew that. Otherwise, after discovering the inscription left at the ancient temple, I would not have come here so calmly and as promised."

Yin Tianlan gave a hum of acknowledgment and said: "You are straightforward, young master, so I will speak straightforwardly as well. I have three conditions in all. You must agree to them, young master, if you wish to exchange them for your younger brother's safety!"

A chill struck the heart of the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase, and he said: "You mean that frail scholar in plain clothes is my brother?"

Yin Tianlan fluttered her long eyelashes, glanced at the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase, and said: "There is likely no mistake!"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase burst into laughter and said: "Young lady, upon what basis do you make this claim?"

A trace of a smile brushed across the corners of Yin Tianlan's mouth as she said: "Your family home is in Penglai, and his is too. You wear a 'Half-Moon' ancient coin by your side that never leaves your person, and he wears one as well. He traveled thousands of miles from his distant hometown, and his sole purpose was to come find you. And there is another coincidence: your surname is Zhu, and his surname is Zhu."

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase suddenly let out a cold snort and interjected: "No one knows my surname, and my hometown is certainly not Penglai. As for that 'Half-Moon' ancient coin, just because I possess one does not guarantee that others cannot have one. Furthermore, there is another highly inconvenient fact: I am the only son born to my parents' three chambers; I have no older brother, no younger brother, and no sisters!"

Yin Tianlan smiled sweetly and said: "So put that way, I have made a mistake?"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase smiled coldly and said: "In any case, the one who is mistaken is not me!"

Yin Tianlan chuckled lightly and said: "Then haven't I ended up being too clever for my own good?"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase sneered: "Indeed, you are far too clever by half!"

Yin Tianlan's expression froze slightly. "Since that plain-clothed youth is not your brother, why did you risk your life to keep the appointment and come here?"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase replied with a solemn expression: "To find the ultimate culprit!"

Yin Tianlan giggled and said: "Then the young master has truly found the right place!" Pausing for a moment, she cast a bewitching glance at the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase and added, "Now that you have found me, might I ask how you plan to deal with me?"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase stood up coldly and said: "Young lady, you should clearly account for the whereabouts of those pitiful strangers from afar!"

Yin Tianlan furrowed her delicate brows slightly. "What do you mean by those words, young master?"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase let out a cold snort. "Does the young lady not understand?"

Yin Tianlan shook her head, looking at him with a gaze filled with astonishment and suspicion. The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase stared fixedly at Yin Tianlan, his expression imposing and overbearing. Unable to maintain his gaze, Yin Tianlan shifted her eyes away and asked: "To what exactly is the young master referring?"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase snorted coldly. "The matter began more than ten years ago, and it has not stopped even to this day."

Before he could finish, Yin Tianlan cut in: "What on earth is this all about?"

A cold light flashed in the eyes of the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase as he said: "In your mines, young lady, have there been any workers whose terms of indenture have expired and who have regained their freedom over all these years?"

Yin Tianlan nodded. "Of course there have. After fulfilling the term of their indenture contracts, some wanted to earn a bit more money, so they chose to stay at the mines."

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase sneered: "All of them stayed?"

Yin Tianlan replied: "Who said that? Quite a few people collected five or ten years' worth of accumulated wages upon the expiration of their terms and returned home wealthy."

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase let out an angry huff. "Young lady, from what I know, not a single one of them has ever left Bayan."

Yin Tianlan arched her delicate brows. "If they choose to settle down in Bayan, who is there to stop them?"

Each word of the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase fell like lead: "You put on a very convincing act, young lady. To tell you the truth, when these poor outsiders finished their terms of servitude—carrying the silver they had earned by working like oxen and horses for five or ten years, yearning only to return home, reunite with their wives, and see their children—little did they know that the moment they left the mining grounds, all news of them vanished completely! They met with mysterious disappearances!"

Hearing this, Yin Tianlan was startled. "Young master, are you saying they did not settle in Bayan, but instead vanished from that moment on?"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase gave a muffled hum of assent. "Precisely. The first incident happened over a decade ago when no one paid attention. But in the past two or three years, the number of missing people has grown daily, which finally caught the attention of those who care."

Before he could finish, Yin Tianlan interrupted: "And the young master is the one who cares?"

Without answering the question, the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase said with a grave expression: "Perhaps the young lady does not understand the character and virtues of the people from the Eastern Districts. Most of them are good people who have never done a dishonest thing in their lives; they possess a strong sense of responsibility, and their word is their bond!"

Yin Tianlan furrowed her brow slightly. "The prosperity Bayan enjoys today over the past dozen years is something that should be credited to these laborers."

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase looked at her with a hint of surprise and asked: "Are these words spoken from the young lady's heart?"

Yin Tianlan replied solemnly: "Of course. My late father said the same thing when he was alive."

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase raised his sword-like brows. "Since that is the case, I must ask you a direct question, young lady: how could your heart bear to inflict murderous violence upon these wretched souls!"

Yin Tianlan leaped to her feet and rebuked sternly: "Young master, what are you referring to with such words?"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase said coldly: "I am referring to the thousands of laborers whose whereabouts remain unknown, who perhaps long ago suffered a tragic fate and buried their bones amidst the icy, white mountains and dark waters!"

Angered, Yin Tianlan pointed a finger at the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase and said: "My establishment is a legitimate commercial house!"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase let out an angry snort. "The Twin Overlords of North and South are genuine, unadulterated bandits of the greenwoods!"

A murderous glare flashed in Yin Tianlan's starry eyes. "Perhaps, but they would never dare to commit such deeds!"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase said: "Perhaps. But someone did dare!"

Yin Tianlan demanded in a deep voice: "Who? Who was it? Name them clearly!"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase replied: "Whoever Hu Mengxiong and Hao Fu take their orders from—that person is the one I mean!"

Yin Tianlan sneered: "You know very well that person is me."

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase said: "Precisely, which is why I found my way here today!"

Yin Tianlan scoffed with disdain. "What brazen arrogance! Do not forget, if I had not purposely left an inscription at the ancient temple to summon you here, you would not be sitting right now!"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase smiled. "It is true that I would not be sitting here, but to say that without your message I could not have found this place—that is merely your own wishful thinking!"

Just as Yin Tianlan was about to retort, the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase swept her with a glance and abruptly continued: "I am well aware of the affairs of your late father during his lifetime!"

Yin Tianlan laughed coldly. "My late father's deeds are no secret in Bayan. That you know them, and that others know them, makes no difference to me in the least!"

At this, the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase smiled faintly and said: "Your late father's martial arts originated from the 'Tianshan' sect?"

Yin Tianlan let out a cold hum and interrupted: "Who does not know that?"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase maintained his smile as he continued: "He was the chief disciple of the 'Tianshan Ice Elder,' and his skills, inner strength, and swordsmanship surpassed his master's."

Yin Tianlan said coldly: "Spare me the undeserved praise!"

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase's expression suddenly turned contemplative. "Yet he failed to succeed to the position of the sect leader of 'Tianshan.' Why?"

A fierce jolt struck Yin Tianlan's heart, though she forcibly suppressed her agitation as she said: "The old man's ambitions did not lie there."

The Moon-Soul Soul-Chase snorted. "Even if his ambitions did not lie in becoming the leader of 'Tianshan,' could he remain unmoved by grief and harbor no thoughts of revenge regarding the tragic death of his mentor?"

Hearing this, Yin Tianlan stood frozen as if struck by lightning, staring blankly with wide eyes, unable to utter a single word!

Seeing this expression on Yin Tianlan, the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase felt a twinge of reluctance and deliberately lowered his head so as not to look at her.

Yet he did not stop speaking. He continued: "I dare not criticize your late father's actions, but if he thought he could investigate the cause of his mentor's death and identify the killer by consorting with greenwood friends, he was wandering a thousand miles away from the truth!"

Biting her lower lip, Yin Tianlan spoke with taunting sarcasm: "You certainly seem to know a great deal."

To her surprise, the Moon-Soul Soul-Chase nodded with a faint smile and replied: "To that, I can readily confess. If I were to make a bold claim regarding your late father's past affairs, I fear I might know even more about them than your father himself did!"