Entering the Spirit Void 144. Young Master Gongsun

Inside the left inner room, quietness was restored. As the cotton curtain was lifted, the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit stepped out. Ma Qianli rose abruptly and asked respectfully, "What about Young Master Gongsun?"

The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit gave a slight sigh and said, "He wouldn't listen, so I had no choice but to seal his sleeping acupoint and let him rest."

Ma Qianli nodded, his gaze shifting to the face of the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit as he asked, "Young lady, you..."

The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit glared at him and snapped, "Forget it. Since he suddenly tracked me down here, it is already difficult to conceal my identity."

Ma Qianli instantly clamped his mouth shut, then said with sincere apprehension, "This humble one temporarily forgot."

The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit suddenly knitted her brows and said, "You go about your business. By the way, prepare two palatable dishes, along with a bowl of rich black-bone chicken soup with ginseng. I forgot—eating inside the room is strictly prohibited here."

Ma Qianli's neck turned red, and he chimed in, "If you put it that way, young lady, I would be deeply distressed. Without you, young lady, would Ma Qianli's life even exist?"

The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit smiled again and said, "Very well, I was just teasing you. It's settled, then."

Ma Qianli acknowledged the order and withdrew from the courtyard.

Ever since noon, Ma Qianli had not been idle. Just as night fell, the chicken soup was at its prime. Ma Qianli went into the kitchen himself, quick-frying shredded lamb tripe and roasting spring onion whites over charcoal to create a dish whose fragrance tormented every traveler in the inn. Then, he uncorked a fine jar of Buddha's Hand Fragrant Flower Dew wine.

The vegetarian mushrooms in winter and sesame-oil-smoked kelp were even more supreme delicacies. Carrying the food box, Ma Qianli stepped out of the kitchen and turned into the alleyway leading to the eastern courtyard in the back.

Upon entering the eastern courtyard, Ma Qianli immediately turned around and securely latched the moon gate. The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit had already pushed open the wooden door of the main room and stepped out, saying with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work."

Ma Qianli lifted the food box, strode into the room, and with practiced speed, arranged the wine and dishes. Lowering his hands respectfully, he said, "Please take your seat, Hero Gongsun..."

Before he could finish, the cotton curtain of the left inner room was lifted, and the youth in plain robes walked out. The plain-robed youth, Gongsun Qi, had lost the sickly pallor on his face. Looking at Ma Qianli, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Elder Brother Ma, if you truly hold me, Gongsun Qi, in regard, you should address me by my full name, or simply call me younger brother. If you persist in calling me hero, please forgive me for not daring to claim such a high association."

Ma Qianli was flustered, turning his head repeatedly to look at the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit.

The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit could not help but laugh coquettishly, saying, "Why look at me? I was just preparing to say the exact same thing to you. Tell you what, you call me Third Brother Guo, call him Second Brother, and you can be the eldest brother!"

Ma Qianli waved his hands frantically and said, "This humble one would not dare even in death!"

Gongsun Qi put on a stern face and said, "In that case, it is very simple. I shall take my leave. But Manager Ma, please do not do anything foolish to yourself!"

True to his word, he turned as if to leave, which utterly panicked Ma Qianli. Flustered, he cried out, "Alright, alright! Whatever you say is fine, just please don't leave!"

Gongsun Qi smiled, and the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit smiled as well. The two of them exchanged a knowing wink. Ma Qianli suddenly realized he had been tricked, but with nothing left to say, he could only shake his head repeatedly.

They took their seats, talking and drinking as they dined. Outside the eastern courtyard, the loud voice of the inn's waiter suddenly rang out: "Hey, hey, hey! I told you there is no such person in our inn, so why are you still forcing your way in?"

Ma Qianli paused his chopsticks, his thick brows knitting tightly together. At that moment, another voice rose—a woman's tone asking, "Do you not recognize me?"

The waiter's voice remained high as he retorted, "Recognizing you is of no use either! If there is no such person, there is simply no such person."

Before he could finish, a sharp, ringing voice cut in: "You punk, open your eyes wider! What kind of status does our Estate Master Yin hold? Forget about a puny waiter like you, even your sworn father, Ma Qianli, would never dare speak to our Estate Master in such a manner!"

Ma Qianli sprang to his feet like a startled tiger and strode outward. Outside the courtyard, Yin Tianlan was already sternly rebuking her subordinates, "Get yourselves out to the front of the inn, now!"

The order was given and immediately executed. She then turned her attention back to the inn waiter, saying, "I have made inquiries very clearly. This person is staying in your side courtyard. How about this? You go inside for me and announce that Yin Tianlan has come to pay a visit. If they wish to see me, I will enter. If they say a single word of refusal, I will turn around and leave immediately. How does that sound?"

Inside the main room, the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit glanced at Gongsun Qi and said, "Brother Qi, you decide."

Gongsun Qi smiled and chimed in, "You ought to invite them in."

The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit gave a bright smile and said to Ma Qianli, who had just reached the doorway, "Then I must trouble Elder Brother Ma to do us the honor of welcoming the guest."

Gongsun Qi shook his head and said, "No, they came specifically for you. You should go out to greet them."

The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit cast a sidelong glance at Gongsun Qi, smiled again, and said, "I understand your intent. I'll greet them, then! After all, we are both women. In the end, it will amount to nothing more than a farce, and I am not afraid!"

With that, she indeed rose swiftly and stepped out briskly. Seizing the opportunity, Ma Qianli took a few quick steps to Gongsun Qi's side and said in a low voice, "Young Brother Gongsun, do you truly intend never to display that peerless, miraculous skill of yours again?"

Gongsun Qi smiled and replied, "Precisely."

Ma Qianli frowned deeply and said, "But this is a remote place like Bayan. No matter how capable the young lady is or how great her martial prowess, I fear she will find it hard to stand alone. How can you bear to watch her become the butt of a joke?"

Gongsun Qi's starry eyes flashed as he said, "Elder Brother Ma, could it be that in the martial circles of Bayan, there is truly someone whose skill surpasses hers? I believe she is fully capable of handling this."

Ma Qianli hesitated for a moment before saying, "That is hard to say. Take Yin Tianlan for instance—her cultivation is profound, and it is said she has never met a match in her life. And then there is Ma Fengyang; nine times out of ten, he possesses miraculous skills as well!"

"Young Brother, you do not understand. Acting upon the young lady's instructions, I have been secretly investigating the matter of the missing laborers for a long time. I have discovered that the mastermind behind the scenes is not only venomous and cunning, but also possesses rare intelligence and martial prowess."

Just as they were speaking, Yin Tianlan, escorted by the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit, stepped into the main room. Ma Qianli immediately fell silent and assumed a respectful posture to the side.

Yin Tianlan swept a glance over Ma Qianli and said with a cold, mocking smile, "So Manager Ma is here as well."

Ma Qianli smiled, cupped his fists toward Yin Tianlan, and said, "It has been a long time since Estate Master Yin favored our humble establishment with a visit. How are you keeping?"

Yin Tianlan's gaze swept over the leftover wine and dishes on the table, and she snorted, "Manager Ma, is it now permissible to hold banquets in the guest rooms?"

Ma Qianli shook his head and replied, "It is not."

Yin Tianlan raised her dark eyebrows, pointed at the food and wine on the table, and asked, "Then what is this?"

Ma Qianli coolly retorted, "This is different. The guest is ill."

Yin Tianlan snorted once more, turned her gaze to Gongsun Qi, and asked, "Do you still recognize me?"

Gongsun Qi rose, supporting himself against the table, and smiled. "In that desolate ancient temple, I unfortunately fell into the hands of some vicious scoundrels, yet I was rescued by the heroic lady. Having parted ways at the heroic lady's estate only last night, how could I not recognize you?"

Yin Tianlan smiled. After casting a glance back at the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit, she turned back to Gongsun Qi and said, "You have recovered your health remarkably fast!"

Gongsun Qi calmly replied, "Thanks to the heroic lady's blessing."

Yin Tianlan suddenly stepped back slightly, her gaze darting searchingly between the faces of Gongsun Qi and the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit. The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit gave a faint smile and asked, "Estate Master Yin, do you think we look like brothers?"

Having her inner thoughts pierced, Yin Tianlan smiled and said, "Perhaps I was mistaken."

After politely inviting Yin Tianlan to be seated, the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit took a seat opposite Gongsun Qi and replied, "Perhaps you were mistaken to begin with. As I have stated long ago, I have no brothers. This young master's surname is Gongsun, and his purpose in coming from afar to Bayan is the same as mine."

Before she could finish, Yin Tianlan cut in, "That is wonderful. I came to visit the young master suddenly to clear up any misunderstandings. Tomorrow noon I shall return to the mountain, and I would like to invite the young master to visit my mine for a few days, while incidentally looking into the matter of the missing laborers. Since Young Master Gongsun has also come to seek out his relatives, I hope you will accept."

The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit interjected, "Is this Estate Master Yin's personal idea?"

Yin Tianlan smiled and said, "How clever of you. Fengyang came today, and he believes that we should clarify this matter; otherwise, too many rumors will make laborers hesitant to come."

Gongsun Qi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Estate Master Yin is here now, but where is Estate Master Ma?"

Yin Tianlan replied candidly, "He returned to the mountain, saying he needed to have people prepare for our reception. Besides, there is nothing particularly good to eat on the mountain, so preparations must be made early."

At this, Yin Tianlan cast a charming smile at the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit and added, "Great Hero, you must understand what kind of figure the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit is. One cannot simply invite her to be a guest on a whim, right?"

The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit turned serious and said, "If the Estate Master has such absolute certainty, the Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit will certainly accept the invitation!"

Before Yin Tianlan could speak, Gongsun Qi burst into hearty laughter. "Younger Brother is truly foolish! Precisely because of this, Estate Master Ma invited Estate Master Yin to come in person—he naturally has ten-tenths certainty!"

Perhaps Yin Tianlan appeared clever on the outside but was straightforward within, or perhaps her thoughts were drawn away by another matter, failing to catch the hidden meaning in Gongsun Qi's words. She responded by asking, "Young master, whom are you calling 'younger brother'?" She had misheard the word "Xiao" as "younger brother."

The Soul-Chasing Moon-Spirit, Guo Xiaomei, was not a man, but a genuine, delicate young lady. However, because her family and relatives had treated her like a boy since childhood and she was accustomed to wearing men's garments with right-side lapels, it was difficult for outsiders to tell.

In front of Yin Tianlan, Gongsun Qi could not address her as "Xiaomei," so he had changed it to "Younger Brother Xiao." Since Yin Tianlan misheard, Gongsun Qi simply went along with the mistake and said, "Could it be that Estate Master Yin does not yet know she is my younger brother, Gongsun Mei?"

A look of astonishment appeared on Yin Tianlan's face as she asked, "His surname is Gongsun?"

Gongsun Qi nodded and replied, "That is correct. If you don't believe me, Manager Ma here is a witness!"

Ma Qianli, an old hand in the martial world, immediately chimed in, "Young Master Gongsun belongs to a distinguished family from Ganliang. When this old man fell on hard times in Ganyuan in the past, if not for the mutual support of Young Master Gongsun and his sibling, how could I have today?"

He gestured toward the leftover wine and dishes on the table and added, "That is why we made an exception for them."

Yin Tianlan uttered an "Oh" and said, "So that is how it is."

Guo Xiaomei shot Gongsun Qi a sideways glare. Gongsun Qi pretended not to notice and said to Yin Tianlan, "Just like that."

Yin Tianlan, however, knitted her brows slightly and muttered almost to herself, "Gongsun Mei... Mei? Isn't that a woman's name?" She had mistaken the Chinese character for "eyebrow" (mei) as the character for "plum blossom" (mei).