Chapter 36: There Must Be Something Poisonous in the Sima Residence!

To borrow the old saying, “Even heroes falter before a beauty,” Luo Gan had finally succumbed to Jun Tao. At their first encounter, he might have scorned her as a woman fallen into the world of dust and shadows, but now she was the moonlight held aloft in his heart. Ah, fortune favored him, for the timing, place, and people all aligned, granting Luo Gan such a golden opportunity. He lay in a guesthouse in Anping County, gazing at the night sky, lost in sweet dreams.

After their victory in the contest, each of the three received a share of gold. Han Chong, full of excitement, took his winnings and disappeared, likely to indulge himself somewhere. Xiao Zhi, as if bewitched, hugged his money and immediately returned to his Tiger’s Den, even giving some to Old Lin, his father. Hard-won riches shared with those unrelated—what boundless generosity.

Luo Gan pondered the best way to spend his winnings, imagining nights of revelry with Jun Tao in the pleasure houses, living in song and laughter—how intoxicating! He drifted further into his dream, unable to extricate himself.

“If only this weren’t just a game,” he muttered to himself. The thought bubbled up, and with it, his dream began to fade. No matter how much money he earned here, it was all empty; nothing was truly real. Who knew when the game would end and everything vanish like smoke?

For now, the most pressing matter was to continue following the clues, to hurry and complete the stage.

Wait—had he not asked about the Peach Blossom Fan yet? He’d forgotten entirely. Now he was in the guesthouse, it was inconvenient to disturb Jun Tao. Better to wait until tomorrow.

Luo Gan calmed himself. Last time at the Sima residence, he’d found some clues about the “Rat Demon,” but it had been too dark to make sense of them. Perhaps he could try again tomorrow.

At dawn, Luo Gan, taking advantage of the empty streets, hurried to the Sima residence. Unfortunately, this time the gatekeeper was alert, deep in conversation with an official.

Why would someone come here so early? Could there be some secret?

Cautiously, Luo Gan approached. He was already adept at keeping out of sight. Quietly, he crept closer to see who it was.

To his surprise, it was the muddled official, Wang Gemao, who was speaking in hushed tones with the gatekeeper, sighing and looking grim—so different from his demeanor in the magistrate’s office.

Luo Gan’s instinct told him Wang Gemao’s presence meant something was amiss. It must be connected to the disappearance of Magistrate Sima.

Wang Gemao glanced around, but did not enter the Sima residence. He finished his business and hurried away, pulling his coat tight against the chill wind on Anping’s streets.

This magistrate was known for his erratic ways. Luo Gan watched as he vanished at the end of the street. The gatekeeper had changed to a young fellow, blowing warm breath into the cold air, the mist disappearing in an instant.

“It’s truly cold,” he murmured.

Light shone from the north gate of the residence, but the south side lacked even a single window. The feng shui master hired by Magistrate Sima was probably a charlatan, not even observing basic principles.

Luo Gan tiptoed to a low wall beside the Sima residence. The gatekeeper was dozing, so Luo Gan carefully checked for anything unusual, then slipped inside.

Once in, he found that all the belongings had vanished, including the local gazetteer of Anping County. Even the dusty pots and pans were gone. What was truly perplexing, though, was that the room where books had been stored was nowhere to be found.

Had the entire layout of the house changed? What was going on?

Luo Gan slapped himself, but nothing seemed amiss in his vision—only a faint glimmer of light.

He followed the light and found it led to a bed. The room was empty except for this single bed, neatly made with a quilt and pillow, spotless and new. He reached out to touch it, but nothing supernatural occurred.

The more he thought, the more baffled he became. The bed sat silent, as if mocking him. Had he simply imagined what he’d seen before? Or was this, now, the illusion? Which was reality?

“Knock, knock,” came footsteps outside, accompanied by the creak of the door. Luo Gan panicked—what now? There was nowhere to hide in the empty room, and he was on the second floor. Glancing out the window, he saw the gatekeeper was gone; perhaps he was coming in to check the rooms.

The footsteps drew closer. With no other choice, Luo Gan leaped out the window.

Luckily, between the second floor and the ground were some tiles. He landed precariously, gripping the window ledge, one foot on loose tiles.

The gatekeeper entered, searching like a hound for anything strange, glancing around. He seemed accustomed to the empty room, but still didn’t know why he was assigned to guard it.

He stretched, walked a few steps, then recalled to close the door behind him. Having stood guard so long without incident, he sprawled on the bed and fell asleep.

Fortunately, the gatekeeper was lazy and didn’t search thoroughly; otherwise, Luo Gan would surely have been caught today. He looked around—still no one in sight, grateful for his early start.

Just as he prepared to jump down, he noticed the gatekeeper’s face suddenly flush green and then pale, with a smile curling his lips, as if something delightful had happened. Perhaps he was dreaming, though his complexion was anything but normal.

Luo Gan watched carefully as the blue light in his vision hovered in the air, then slipped into the mouth of the snoring gatekeeper and vanished.

The gatekeeper seemed utterly satisfied, a new wrinkle etched in his smile. Luo Gan felt disgusted—neglecting his duties, sleeping through his shift, what if thieves came?

Shaking his head, Luo Gan jumped down, not noticing the loose tiles beneath his feet shattering loudly. At once, he looked back up—yet the gatekeeper continued to snore, oblivious.

Once again, Luo Gan’s infiltration had succeeded. Sunlight finally spilled onto the street. In the courtyard, he glanced at the strange Sima residence before heading out.

Just as he stepped outside, he collided with a shop assistant, nearly losing his balance.

Shop assistant: “Watch where you’re going!”

Luo Gan: “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t see you since the street looked empty.”

The shop assistant frowned, looking around. “Empty? Are your eyes working?”

The street was bustling with people, vendors packing up their stalls for the morning market, preparing to go home. The sun hung high in the sky.

Luo Gan realized—it was already noon? Why hadn’t he seen a soul before? What was going on?

He wanted to return to the Sima residence to investigate further, but now the gatekeeper emerged lazily from the house, yawning and leaning against the wall.

On closer inspection, the gatekeeper’s face bore new wrinkles, his hair flecked with grey, aging him considerably from his twenties.

What was happening? Luo Gan repeatedly checked the pedestrians and the sun, startled to find that this residence was indeed extraordinary.