Chapter 131-140
Ch. 131: Separating Colours; Textile House Wide Open 2
The Wind Master once told him that this person was probably Yin Yu, since there were
only a handful of heavenly officials who were banished in recent years. Thus, Xie Lian
asked, “How do I address you, good sir?”
That ghost masked man replied, “Please, Your Highness. I’m nothing more than a
nameless servant.”
Entering that abandoned textile house, Xie Lian was taken aback. There were all sorts
of clothing hung on racks upon racks of wooden stacks: wedding robes, government
attire, ladies satin, uniforms, children’s clothes... there were also very simple and vulgar
bloody hemp shirts, as if they were afraid people couldn’t tell they were wicked. Piles
and piles, layers and layers, haunting and eerie, heavy in the essence of evil, like each
and every one was a live corpse standing. Even if they weren’t the Brocade Immortal,
they certainly wouldn’t be anything good either.
Long fabrics of various dyes hung high upon the stacks; some pale white, some filthy. It
had been a long time since anyone had minded them. Quan Yizhen was squatting next
to a large black barrel of dye, his head poked in, inspecting the dyes inside that had a
funny colour, a fluid emitting a strange smell. Xie Lian was afraid that the next second
he was going to dip his finger in and lick it to see, and hastily dragged him away. Seeing
that outside the yard, a band of ghosts and monsters were all bound by a single iron
chain, hugging their heads crouching, Xie Lian wondered, “What...?”
That ghost masked man answered, “The monsters and ghosts that were selling the
Brocade Immortal in the Ghost City and all the other places recently are all here. A total
of ninety-eight pieces of clothing have been collected.”
Ninety-eight pieces. And they were all caught in a very short amount of time. Xie Lian
was slightly touched. The ghost masked man continued, “If there are any new strange
movements, we will also capture them in the shortest time possible for Your Highness.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian couldn’t help but say, “There’s no need. Please tell San... Hua
Chengzhu that there’s really no need to trouble him like this. I can do this myself too.”
The result would be the same, it would just take a little more time and energy, that’s all.
He was a titled heavenly official working for the heavens after all, and even if there
weren’t many worshippers, he’s still got a job to do.
That ghost masked man replied, “Naturally, chengzhu understands that Your Highness
is capable of doing this effortlessly. But this is also precisely why he hopes My Lord
won’t waste energy on small errands that anyone can do. Your Highness’ time and effort
should be spent on more important matters.”
“...”
Xie Lian hesitated, but in the end still asked, “May I ask how your chengzhu is doing
right now...”
Lang Ying was nonchalantly swaying about next to Xie Lian, and that ghost masked
man replied, “Chengzhu is very busy at the moment.”
Xie Lian quickly replied, “Oh. Then that’s good. Hopefully everything goes well for him. I
wish him success.”
They questioned every single ghost and demon that were bound, and each and
everyone were adamant that their product was from the distribution of a mysterious
masked person, and they didn’t seem to be lying. But a place like the Ghost City, how
many hundreds of masked individuals roamed the streets in a day?
The interrogation was fruitless, and so that ghost masked man pulled on that chain, and
bid farewell as he led those yapping ghosts away. However, those ninety-eight pieces of
ghost clothing were left behind. Xie Lian only felt that in all his time collecting scraps
and old clothing, he had never seen so many clothes. Flipping through them, he
suspected that most likely not a single one was the real thing, and he said to Quan
Yizhen, “Qi Ying, why don’t you come and take a look?”
However, Quan Yizhen only ruffled his loose, curly hair, and shook his head, “Too
many.”
Too many ghost robes. Every single cloth emitted the essence of evil, affecting each
other, making one lose the ability to judge.
This was akin to someone who possessed a sharp sense of taste, who although they
could differentiate between the flavours of pear and apple candied stuffings, if
ninety-eight different kinds of fruity stuffings were mixed together and have the person
try, they would lose their sense of taste completely. Xie Lian was trying to think of
another method, but when he turned his head around to look, he saw Quan Yizhen had
picked up a robe and was just about to pull it onto his person directly. Xie Lian hastily
stopped him and hung the robe back onto the rack, “Stop, stop, stop. Qi Ying, let’s
agree on this: first, don’t put random things in your mouth, and second, don’t put on
random clothes. Those are all very dangerous actions.”
However, Quan Yizhen pointed to behind him, “Then what about him?”
Xie Lian suddenly smelled something burning, and when he followed the direction of
where Quan Yizhen was pointing to look, he saw Lang Ying had found some stick from
a random corner and lit it on fire, and he was holding that flaming stick, setting the hem
of a ghost robe ablaze, looking serenely stoic.
“...Don’t... play with fire either???” Xie Lian exclaimed.
That ghost robe seemed to be in pain from the burning, and the hem started rolling
upwards, twisting like mad, trying to get away, looking more like a live eel than a piece
of clothing, painting a rather cruel picture. Yet, although there was the smell of burning,
there was no trace of the fabric being burnt at all. It appeared that the essence of evil on
those ghost robes had soaked in enough for them to escape fire disasters.
Hearing Xie Lian telling him not to play with fire, Lang Ying tossed that fire stick down
and stepped on it to put out the flames, looking every bit obedient again. Xie Lian didn’t
know whether to laugh or cry and he walked over, “Why are you so... today?”
He stopped mid-speech, his expression suddenly became serious.
He saw, not far away, a long and flowy white fabric that was hung high up on a wooden
rack, gently fluttering in the night breeze. Upon the fabric was the shadow of a human
figure and it was slowly moving. This figure did not have a head.
Xie Lian pulled Lang Ying behind him and immediately unsheathed his sword,
“EVERYONE, WATCH OUT!”
The swing of the sword cut the fabric and the shadow in half. However, when the fabric
landed on the ground, there was not a single soul in the back, the headless shadow had
disappeared. Xie Lian hadn’t had the chance to rush up to check before something
behind him made him shudder. He whipped his head around and his pupils shrank.
Somehow, a beautifully dressed woman had soundlessly appeared behind him.
No! It wasn’t a woman, it was a robe!
What he cut in half just now was also a robe, and once it fell to the ground it was
covered by other textiles. From all around, suddenly there were a bunch of humanoid
figures emerging, swaying and rocking slowly, gathering towards the three of them.
Turns out, before they knew it, all ninety-eight pieces of ghost robes that were hung in
the yard, in the hallways, within the entire textile house had all struggled free of the
racks!
Xie Lian was dumbfounded, “They were all fine before, what’s going on?”
Beside him came a low voice, “The arousal of millions of ghosts.”
Xie Lian turned his head to look, and the one who spoke was Lang Ying. Although he
didn’t show any nervousness, his veins were popping on the back of his pale hands,
very obviously being affected by something as well.
Another wave of demonic arousal! The closer to the day Mount Tong’lu opens its gates,
the stronger its tremors in the ears of ghosts became to remind them. The first thing Xie
Lian thought of was: How’s San Lang???
However, the current situation didn’t give him much time to think. While his mind was
spinning rapidly, twenty or so ghost robes had already pressed over. Quan Yizhen didn’t
blink or think before his fist was swung out. If this fist landed on the wall or the ground,
then surely the earth would move, the mountains shake, boulders and ground crack. But
this thousand tonned fist was beaten on some clothes. Just think, even children’s
games knew in ‘rock, paper, cloth’, cloth wraps rock. That lightly flowing, soft and supple
cloth was perfect for subduing fists! No matter how hard his fists, that fabric could just
wrap around it softly and incur no damage, and only Xie Lian’s sword could do anything.
However, those ghost robes were light in their evasion, a simple spring back could bring
several feet between them, and since they barely had any weight, there was practically
no sound or breath, so detecting their movements to avoid their ambush was much
more difficult compared to avoiding humans.
Usually it was people who picked clothes. Now, it was clothes picking people. Those
ninety-eight pieces of ghost robes were eagerly searching for a body that fitted them, a
person they fancy. Amongst people, it’s women who loved picking clothes; amongst
ghost robes, it was women’s clothes who loved picking people. Some ten different
coloured and styled female long dresses crazily pressed themselves against Xie Lian,
and even the sword couldn’t force them away. This battle was even more rigorous than
a group of women who saw a pretty robe they fancied and were fighting over it. In that
moment, it was as if Xie Lian was surrounded by blooming flowers and silk, squeezed
between those female robes being pulled from all directions.
Quan Yizhen pulled off several children’s clothes that were stubbornly trying to lower
themselves over his head and tossed them aside. Looking at Xie Lian puzzled, he
wondered, “How come those women’s clothes all like you?”
“Maybe because they think I look friendlier???” Xie Lian answered.
However, not a single ghost’s robe went to harass Lang Ying. Perhaps it was because
he was also a ghost, and knew they couldn’t scrape any benefits off of him, and so they
didn’t approach. Xie Lian swung his sword horizontally and sliced a number of women
dresses, but the ghost robes that were cut in half still moved as they willed, and
somehow were even more agile in dodging. Xie Lian saw from the corner of his eyes
several ghost robes sneaking towards the window and shouted, “CLOSE THE DOOR,
CAST AN ARRAY! DON’T LET THEM OUT!”
With them two gods and one ghost they could still deal with the situation, but if those
ghost robes snuck out to seek trouble with others then it’d be troublesome. However, his
shout seemed to be too late. The yard to the textile house was open air, and there was
already a long robe that fluttered its expansive sleeves, flying into the air like a giant bat,
jetting towards the night sky. Xie Lian cried ‘What a pain!’ mentally and shouted, “Qi
Ying! I’ll leave the textile house to you!” Then, he tipped his foot and leapt out of the
wall, catching the hem of that ghost long robe.
With the added weight of an entire person, that long robe tried to flutter its sleeves as
hard as it could to no avail, and pummeled to the ground with Xie Lian still holding its
fold in a deadly grip. However, it was exceedingly cunning, and RIIIPPP! It tore off its
own corner like a warrior chopping off his own arm, and it hastily slipped away from Xie
Lian’s hands. It just so happened that a passerby was on his way home after a night of
drinking, and seeing a headless creature flying at him, he screamed from fright,
“AAAAAAHHHHHH A HEADLESS GHOST! IT’S HEADLESS!”
Xie Lian immediately charged over and seized that robe again to show it to that
passerby, comforting him, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared! See! It’s not headless, it
has nothing!”
That passerby looked, and sure enough it was completely empty inside the folds of that
robe, nothing! This was definitely more horrifying than a headless ghost, and his eyes
rolled back, fainting on the spot. Xie Lian quickly caught him and gently laid him on the
ground, “So sorry! I’ll take care of this immediately.”
After that wave of riot was over, Xie Lian finally was able to seize all the ghost robes
that flew out of the textile house. He counted all of them, making sure not a single piece
was missing, before letting out a sigh of relief.
With things thus, Xie Lian said, “I suppose we can only use Qi Ying’s simple, crude
method. Let’s try each of these robes on and see.”
He didn’t mind trying them on himself, but it was harder to say for his two other partners.
If later he did actually put on the Brocade Immortal, who knows if they would be able to
deal with any accidents that may happen. In the end, it was decided he would stand
watch while the other two dressed.
Thus, both Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen peeled off their outer robe and started fitting
one robe after the other, and with every new robe, Xie Lian would give out simple
commands like “jump” or “spin around” to see if they would obey.
However, after trying out every single one of the ninety-eight robes, each of the two
trying on forty to fifty of them, there didn’t seem to be any strange reactions. It’d appear
that in this pile of ghost robes, not a single one was the Brocade Immortal, and they
worked all night for nothing.
Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen squatted on the ground in their single layer while Xie Lian
sat among a ground piled high with all sorts of clothes. Supporting his forehead with his
hand, Xie Lian mumbled, “There really is no value in buying fakes...”
After sitting there for a while, he went to seek Ling Wen in the communication array,
“Ling Wen, I’ve collected some ghost robes here, and even though the real Brocade
Immortal is probably not in this pile, they’re still rather evil; a little troublesome to deal
with. Can you send someone down to take them away?”
“Acknowledged. I’ll go coordinate immediately. How many pieces have you gathered?”
Ling Wen answered.
“Ninety-eight pieces.” Xie Lian replied.
“...”
Ling Wen remarked, “Your Highness truly is a capable man, having collected more than
what I’ve reported to you.”
Xie Lian softly cleared his throat, “It actually wasn’t me...”
But before he finished his sentence, there was another familiar chill that ran down his
spine. Xie Lian shuddered and looked up.
In front of him, upon a number of light and flowy white cloths was the black shadow of a
human silhouette.
This time, it wasn’t headless nor was it fluttering. The one standing behind those long
curtain-like fabrics was very much a man. It was easy to see that it was a very tall young
man, and even the disheveled strands of hair could be clearly seen on the edge of that
silhouette.
————
Ch.132: The Ninety-Ninth Ghost Robe Hiding in Danger
Xie Lian instantly shot to his feet, “THE BROCADE IMMORTAL?!”
Naturally, that silhouette didn’t respond and didn’t move either, only standing there, still.
Xie Lian pressed his hands down on the shoulders of the other two and whispered,
“Don’t move.”
A moment later, a night breeze blew by, and that silhouette of a man seemed to have
sighed before dispersing, gone with the wind. Xie Lian abruptly stood up. Just then,
outside the door of the textile house suddenly came a knocking sound. The three all
looked towards it and Xie Lian raised his voice, “Who is it?”
The voice of a man rang from outside the door, “Your Highness, it’s me.”
Xie Lian went over to open the door, and outside the textile house was a man with an
open countenance, his form immaculate and chaste, and he entered with his hands on
his sides. Xie Lian was slightly bewildered, “Ling Wen, why did you come yourself?”
Ling Wen fixed his sleeves, “Since I heard Your Highness say things were difficult, I
figure your typical heavenly officials wouldn’t be able to assist, so I’ve come to see
things for myself. Greetings, Your Highness Qi Ying. Why are you sitting on the ground?
What’s wrong? What’s with that look?”
It was Ling Wen in male form. Xie Lian walked to that cloth curtain and flipped it open,
and sure enough there was nothing behind. A moment later, he turned his head, “The
Brocade Immortal showed itself.”
Ling Wen was amazed, “What?”
“It should be it, I’m sure of it.” Xie Lian said, “It was a young man, very tall in height,
maybe two inches taller than me. Judging by his bone structure, he must be someone
skilled in martial arts.”
Ling Wen was somewhat doubtful, “Your Highness, are you sure? In the past so many
years, there’s never been word that the Brocade Immortal had shown itself to anyone.
Besides, didn’t you say that none of these ninety-eight pieces of ghost robes were the
real thing? Could it be someone in disguise and playing tricks?”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Xie Lian replied, “After that wave of chaos was over, to
prevent ghost robes from sneaking out and harassing mortals, we shut the door and
windows and set an array. Things inside couldn’t get out and things outside couldn’t
come in. There’s only the three of us in the textile house, no one can plot anything.
Humming for a moment, Ling Wen said, “Then the real thing must’ve run into a special
circumstance, or, what you all saw was a silhouette of a vengeful spirit possessing one
of the ghost robes?”
Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen were crouched on the ground, both in a state of spacing
out. Xie Lian and Ling Wen stood with their arms crossed, assuming the appearance of
adults, and were in serious discussion. Finally, Ling Wen suggested, “Why don’t I take
these ghost robes to the Palace of Ling Wen and have my people examine them? If that
won’t work, then we can make inquiries at the next meeting. I’m sure someone in the
Upper Court is an expert.”
Giving the idea a thought, Xie Lian nodded, “That’s probably a good idea. But, this was
a mission we’re responsible for after all, I still want to be a little more thorough. Since
the real Brocade Immortal is mixed in here, let me think of a few more ways to bring it
out. If there’s still no results by tomorrow then I’ll pass the ninety-eight ghost robes to
you.” After all, this affair wasn’t under the jurisdiction of the Palace of Ling Wen.
“There’s no need for Your Highness to be so polite.” Ling Wen said, “Oh, if you’ll be
sending them over tomorrow, it should be a hundred and one pieces, right?”
Xie Lian was taken aback, “Why are there suddenly three more?” Then it dawned on
him. “You’re suspicious of the robes we’re wearing right now?”
“It’s not impossible.” Ling Wen said.
Xie Lian lifted the sleeve corner of his cultivation robes so worn that threads were loose,
“I’ve worn this robe for several years now, it definitely wouldn’t have issues. The one
Lang Ying is wearing right now was newly bought, but he didn’t obey my words so it
shouldn’t be problematic either.” He told Lang Ying not to work but Lang Ying still
chopped wood; he told him to stay home like a good boy but Lang Ying still came out.
However, Ling Wen shook his head, “That’s not what I meant. Your Highness, you might
not be aware of this, but the essence of evil of the Brocade Immortal is strong, and
since it’s here, that essence would affect other normal clothing. In any case, just to be
safe, don’t wear the clothes you have on anymore and do something about them.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian quickly peeled off the outer robes of both Lang Ying and Quan
Yizhen, “Don’t wear this anymore, don’t wear this. Take it off, take it off. Then, I’ll wrap
up the clothes and bring them to the Palace of Ling Wen tomorrow.”
“I’ll send people to come pick them up?” Ling Wen said.
“No need, no need.” Xie Lian said, “It’s already embarrassing enough to trouble you
every time. Your palace is busy, I can handle this myself.”
The next day, Xie Lian arduously wrapped a huge pile of clothes, and carried those
large bundles by himself to ascend to the Heavenly Court.
Ling Wen had already been waiting for him in the palace for a long time, and today, it
didn’t seem as hectically bustling as before with gods running back and forth. Xie Lian
unwrapped the large bundles of ghost robes; colourful clothes burst out and spread
about. He wiped at the sweat at the corner of his forehead as Ling Wen walked over
leisurely, “Have you made any discoveries?”
Xie Lian sighed helplessly, “Much ashamed, it’s been fruitless. I apologize in advance;
since there’s no helping hands, it couldn’t be helped if things are a bit scattered. There
was so much chaos yesterday I don’t know if what I’ve brought is all of the robes. I keep
feeling like I’m missing one or two pieces, but I’m not sure either.”
“That’s a non issue.” Ling Wen said. Then she looked down and roughly counted,
“There really are missing pieces. Your Highness, it seems the clothes that little ghost
next to you was wearing isn’t included in here?”
Xie Lian’s right hand clenched into a fist and lightly tapped his left palm, “Ah, you’re
right! I remember now. Lang Ying had gotten used to draping that robe over himself and
I forgot to collect it. I’ll go grab it right now.”
Ling Wen chuckled, “No rush. Take care, Your Highness.”
However, Xie Lian didn’t move to leave, and instead he stood still on the spot, his
expression growing dim. Ling Wen was about to order for the heavenly officials under
her command to come take the ghost robes away, but when she turned around and saw
he was still there, with just the two of them in the hall, she was puzzled, “Your Highness,
do you have something else to say?”
Xie Lian watched her with an unreadable expression, “Nothing much. Only, I was
thinking, if I really did bring you the real Brocade Immortal, if I turned around, would you
hide the real thing away?”
“...”
Ling Wen’s smile was fading but still was extremely polite, “Your Highness?”
Xie Lian watched her serenely, “From the very beginning, I’ve had this inkling.”
“What of?” Ling Wen asked languidly.
“Normal people, typical demons and ghosts don’t dare to break in to the Great Martial
Temple. If someone was familiar with the Great Martial Hall enough to steal objects that
were sealed away and still escape capture, then I’m afraid other than Jun Wu himself,
there’s only you, Ling Wen Zhen Jun.”
After all, the Palace of Ling Wen roamed all the palaces day in day out, and could be
said to be more than familiar with everyone’s domains.
Ling Wen grinned, “Your Highness, your reasoning is a little too matter of fact. “The
person with the easiest access is the one who’s the most suspicious”. Based on that
train of thought, then wouldn’t Jun Wu robbing himself be more likely?”
Xie Lian nodded. “I must admit you’re not wrong. But, what made me start to think
things suspicious was that Half Maquillage Woman.”
“What about the Half Maquillage Woman?” Ling Wen asked.
Xie Lian replied, “She had in her possession the fake Brocade Immortal, and just so
happened to come to my door. How can things be so coincidental? Besides, it was like
she might as well have written ‘suspicious’ on her face, like she was scared I wouldn’t
be suspicious of her being the culprit. Her intention was too obvious.”
“Oh? What intentions?”
“Didn’t she already say it herself?” Xie Lian said, “‘Exchange old for new’. What she
wanted was the old clothes in my Puqi Shrine!”
In retrospect, when the Brocade Immortal was stolen, the Great Martial Hall found out
really fast and immediately started investigating the moment they realized. Therefore,
the thief might not dare to keep it in their own hands and would instead hide it away
first. Then, where would be the best hiding place?
Hide leaves among forests.
If Xie Lian wanted to hide the Brocade Immortal, he would turn it into an extremely
inconspicuous and normal-looking hemp robe and toss it in the mortal realm, but
keeping an eye on it from afar. Normally, not many would want to buy such a coarsely
made robe. However, the life Xie Lian led couldn’t be said to be normal, and he himself
had been wearing the same worn edged cultivation robe for the past several years; the
money he had could only afford such clothing. Besides, as long as the clothing kept him
warm and was clean, that was all he asked for and wasn’t picky. Plus, he was the kind
of person who possessed the incredible ability to pick out the most dangerous article of
clothing in the big discount bin out of countless other clothing. Thus, in a
self-congratulating cheer at the major discount, he bought and brought home that
legendary Brocade Immortal.
“Your Highness, what you’re saying is a little too much now.” Ling Wen said, “You’re
from a martial god background after all, so just thinking about it you’d know that the Half
Maquillage Woman would be instantly subdued by you if she approached your door.
She wouldn’t be able to take any robes away, old or new.”
“She certainly couldn’t take anything away, but who said she had to? If there were no
further incidents, how would she be dealt with?” Xie Lian said.
If Xie Lian had thought that Half Maquillage Woman had in her hand the real Brocade
Immortal, then he would for sure report it to Ling Wen, and then, Ling Wen would most
likely descend herself. Like the day before, she would probably tell Xie Lian that for the
sake of security, all the clothes needed to be brought back to the Palace of Ling Wen to
be assessed.
It really was too bad that Quan Yizhen was there too at the time. And, it was unexpected
that he was experienced after only having worn the Brocade Immortal once, and could
directly determine that the Brocade Immortal the Half Maquillage Woman’s hand was
fake. Which meant it was no longer easy nor logical for Ling Wen to take away all the
clothes in Puqi Shrine.
All of Xie Lian’s information was provided by Ling Wen, and she could also make
inquiries openly; Xie Lian’s whereabouts and movements were fully in her grasp. When
that Half Maquillage Woman was exposed, Ling Wen immediately sent Xie Lian new
communication through the array, and told him the Ghost City distributed many
counterfeits in need of management, throwing new missions at him to give him no time
in thinking too deeply about anything that might be questionable.
“I don’t know if those counterfeits were distributed by you, but, it was indeed you who
provided me with information. With this step, you probably wanted to divert me away
from Puqi Shrine before coming for Lang Ying.” Xie Lian said.
Yet unexpectedly, Lang Ying also followed along and came out.
“I don’t know if the Brocade Immortal showing himself so suddenly was within your
anticipation, but for you, thinking fast and changing course of action shouldn’t be
something hard.”
With so many ghost robes indiscernible whether real or fake, there would surely be a
chance to slip the real Brocade Immortal away amidst the chaos, and with the Brocade
Immortal showing himself, Ling Wen could also use it as an excuse to appear
personally; openly collecting away all clothing on site. As for how things would be
assessed and how the real thing was determined, the explanation of that silhouette, it
would all depend on Ling Wen.
Having listened to this point, Ling Wen made a pause hand gesture, “Your Highness,
please stop right there. So, you believe that Lang Ying, that’s his name, right? You think
that the robe he was wearing was the Brocade Immortal? Don’t forget, once he put it on
he still didn’t obey your every order, am I wrong? You said so yourself. You have to
know that the Brocade Immortal’s powers are extremely strong, and even a Ghost King
is no exception if he was to run into it.”
Xie Lian replied, “You also said, ‘it must’ve run into a special circumstance’. As for what
exactly is a special circumstance, I’m sure you’re more well-informed on that subject,
pray tell you can answer that question for me.”
Ling Wen’s frowned slightly and clenched her firsts. She said softly, “Your Highness,
does this mean you have deemed me the thief? Pardon my honesty, but this makes me
somewhat... displeased.”
Xie Lian inclined his head slightly, “I apologize.”
“Apology accepted” Ling Wen said, “However, Your Highness, if you must be adamant
about this, you can, as long as you have the evidence. After all, this has been nothing
but speculation.”
Xie Lian replied slowly, “Before today, I didn’t have any evidence. In fact, I didn’t have
anything before stepping into the Palace of Ling Wen. But, I’ve gotten it since we started
this conversation.”
Ling Wen made a welcome hand gesture, “Please.”
“The evidence is, just now, you never bothered to count the exact number of those
ghost robes.” Xie Lian said.
Ling Wen’s expression barely changed, however, her brows seemed to stiffen slightly.
Xie Lian continued, “The ghost robes I’ve brought were indeed lacking, but it wasn’t just
the one missing. In fact, I’ve only brought eighty-eight pieces – a total of ten robes are
missing!”
“Every piece of clothing I consider suspicious I kept and didn’t bring it over. You never
thought the count was off yet with one glance you noticed the one Lang Ying was
wearing wasn’t here. So, pray tell, how did you know it was that particular one that was
missing?”
Ling Wen raised her hand, “Please wait.”
Without hurry, she recounted all the ghost robes on the ground once more, and