Chapter 22: Echoes of the Long Night

  The three stood silently in the room for a while, until Wang Suifeng suddenly snapped his fingers, as if he’d just realized something. “I get it now. We were trapped inside a *ghost space*.”

  “Ghost space?” Sanbao looked at him, puzzled.

  Wang nodded slightly, his tone a little smug. “You don’t even know what that is? Seems your understanding of this world is still stuck at a normal person’s level. Ghost space is a type of illusionary domain created by spirits. Within it, everything—except the people and objects drawn in—is a fabrication, made entirely by the ghost’s will.”

  A chill crawled up Sanbao’s spine. She gnced around again, suddenly feeling a wave of dread.

  “So... the inn we saw, even the furnishings—those were all illusions created by that female ghost?”

  “Exactly.” Wang’s lips curled into a smug little smile, as if proud she had finally caught up with his intellect.

  Sanbao ignored him and walked back into her own room.

  After the earlier battle with the bck-cloaked intruders, her once elegant and luxurious Tian Room now looked like a rundown, drafty courtyard. The furniture was shattered, the walls were cracked and peeling, and there was even a rge hole in the ceiling. Cold night wind blew through, sending a chill through her bones.

  “What happened here?” Tang Mingli, who followed behind, frowned. “The room's in this state, and no staff has come to check?”

  Sanbao recounted everything that had happened since the bck-cd men attacked—how Wang Suifeng had burst through the ceiling to save her, how the ghost disguised as Tang Mingli had lured them into the ghost space.

  When she got to the part where the female ghost had transformed into Tang Mingli and repeatedly tried to kill her and Wang, the real Tang Mingli raised his hands helplessly. “Hey, don’t bme me. I was a victim too. That ghost knocked me out with her bronze mirror before anything even started.”

  Sanbao narrowed her eyes. “That mirror was supposed to steal souls. So why wasn’t your soul taken? Why did you just faint?”

  Wang Suifeng chuckled quietly—he clearly already knew the answer.

  Tang quickly expined, “Don’t get the wrong idea. I wasn’t dragged into the mirror because I left behind a soul-anchoring jade tablet in my family’s ancestral hall.”

  “A jade tablet?” Sanbao’s curiosity sparked.

  “In cultivation cns like mine, once we come of age, we leave a jade tablet in our ancestral shrine. It stores a sliver of our soul. As long as that jade isn’t lost or destroyed, we’re protected by our ancestors’ blessings. It makes it hard for ghosts to steal our souls.”

  “And it does more than that,” Wang Suifeng added. “If we’re in danger, the jade will crack to indicate direction. If we die, it shatters completely.”

  “What the hell... I'm from a noble family too. Why don’t *I* have a jade tablet?” Sanbao grumbled.

  Tang chuckled. “You’re from a secur noble house, not a cultivation cn. Naturally, you don’t have that kind of thing.”

  Sanbao’s face darkened. *Did he just look down on my family? Look down on *me**?

  As if hearing her thoughts, Tang said calmly, “Don’t misunderstand. I’m just stating facts—not looking down on you.”

  Sanbao froze. *Wait... how did he know what I was thinking?* She suddenly stepped back, eyes narrowing.

  Tang just smiled.

  Wang Suifeng lounged casually in a half-broken chair. “The Tang family is born with spiritual power talents. Depending on the level, they can read people’s surface thoughts within a certain range.”

  He paused dramatically, then looked at Sanbao with a teasing smile. “And Tang Mingli, being the second son of the cn, has even stronger powers. If he concentrates, he could even read your *deep thoughts*. The ones buried way, way down.”

  Sanbao’s pupils contracted. She took another two steps back, her gaze now filled with suspicion and aversion toward Tang.

  Wang, clearly pleased with her reaction, looked at Tang Mingli as if to say, *Let’s see you try and steal her now.*

  Sanbao gred at Wang. “You’re smiling like an idiot. Aren’t you afraid he’ll read *your* mind too?”

  Wang grinned wickedly and pulled out a dragon-shaped jade pendant. “This is a Dragon Soul Jade. It’s a spiritual artifact that blocks all mental probes—no matter how strong the reader.”

  Sanbao stared at the pendant with a mix of envy and irritation. *Of course. Another treasure from the rich and powerful Wang cn. Typical.*

  Wang seemed to read her expression this time. “There are plenty more Dragon Soul Jades in the Medicine King's Valley vaults. Next time I’m home, I’ll have one made for you—phoenix-shaped. That way you’ll never have to worry about your thoughts being read again.”

  Sanbao grumbled internally. *Showing off again, huh? As if I can’t commission one myself ter.*

  Outwardly, she forced a smile. “Thanks, Young Master Wang.”

  Now it was Tang Mingli’s turn to look unhappy. He let out a cold snort and changed the subject. “We should check outside. The street noises seem back to normal, but this inn still feels eerie.”

  “More ghosts?” Sanbao was exhausted from two battles in one night. “You two go check. I’ll wait in the lobby. If you see my two maids, Xiaon and Yuyu, bring them to me. One wears blue with a butterfly clip, the other wears yellow with a ribbon.”

  A short while ter, Wang and Tang returned.

  “Everyone in the inn is just asleep,” Wang reported. “They should wake up by morning.”

  “You’re sure they’re asleep? Not trapped by the mirror like us?” Sanbao asked, frowning.

  “We’re sure,” Tang added. “We both checked. Their souls are intact.”

  “What about those martial artists and cultivators who were in the lobby earlier?”

  “They’re probably gone,” Wang replied casually.

  “Gone?” Sanbao frowned. “Where to?”

  Wang gnced at Tang with a smirk. “I don’t know. But I bet Second Young Master Tang does.”

  Sanbao turned to Tang in surprise. “You do?”

  Tang put on an innocent face. “I was going to tell you. I just didn’t get the chance.”

  *Liar.* Sanbao didn’t even bother hiding her scowl.

  Tang cleared his throat. “Actually, the reason so many martial artists and cultivators gathered here tonight is because of the bounty on that wild man. The lobby was the designated meeting point. The sponsor was going to brief everyone, then lead them out toward the mountains near Pingjiang Prefecture.”

  Sanbao remembered the crowded lobby when she arrived—it all made sense now. They must’ve been waiting for the sponsor while she was upstairs bathing.

  *Smart girl,* Tang thought admiringly. *She pieced it together fast.*

  “I was pnning to rest and head out tomorrow with the group. But clearly, others left right after the briefing. The bounty was huge, so everyone wanted to get a head start.”

  “And you didn’t tell us sooner why?” Sanbao groaned, clearly fed up. “What, pnning to ditch us and go cim the prize yourself?”

  Seeing how worn out she looked, Tang’s tone softened. “Why don’t you rest in my room? Your maids are already there. Wang and I will wake the others. In the morning, we’ll brief you and head out together to find the wild man.”

  At st, the long night was ending.

  A new challenge awaited tomorrow. With a mix of weariness and excitement, Sanbao drifted into sleep, ready for whatever would come next.