Chapter 128: Can’t Wake Up
“After you left, Sword Saint, Cultivator Rong told us to secure the Lu family members first. He led Captain Zhao and the rest of us to herd the old patriarch of the Lu family and several key relatives into the main hall to stay there,” Ye Er recalled. “After coming out, we stood in the open space in front of the main hall. Cultivator Rong and Captain Zhao were discussing what to do next. At that time, Cultivator Rong started getting dizzy. He said he was a bit tired and wanted to go back to his room to rest for a while, letting Captain Zhao discuss with everyone first.”
“Dizzy?” Shen Bingsi caught a detail. “Dizzy how?”
“I saw him constantly rubbing his temples, looking very drowsy, and his walking was a bit unsteady. Captain Zhao was worried and asked me to escort him back to rest,” Ye Er said. “I didn’t think much of it, thinking that Cultivator Rong had been busy for so many days just for this case. Now that the case is solved and the truth is out, the pressure on him is gone, so it’s normal for fatigue to hit all at once… I escorted Cultivator Rong back here to rest. When we arrived, I saw half the eaves of the main house had collapsed. I thought about changing locations, but Cultivator Rong said he slept here yesterday too. He said he would rest on the couch in the study for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then come find us.”
“The eaves collapsed. was anyone crushed underneath?”
“No. The ground was cleaned up; there were no tiles.”
“Continue.”
Shen Bingsi stared intently at Ye Er as he spoke.
Ye Er felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He tried hard to recall the details of that time. “After dropping off Cultivator Rong, I went back to find Captain Zhao. By then it was dark. Captain Zhao thought that since Cultivator Rong wasn’t there, it was hard to proceed with many things, so he arranged for us to rest at the Lu estate. We found a steward from the main hall to arrange accommodation for us. With all that bustling, an hour passed. We returned to the clearing in front of the main hall and didn’t see Cultivator Rong. We asked our people who stayed there, and they said he hadn’t come over. Captain Zhao guessed Cultivator Rong was exhausted, so he sent me to check… Sorry, I’m rambling a bit.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Shen Bingsi finally spat out a few words. “Tell me everything you know.”
“Yes… yes. I walked into the courtyard and saw the light on in the main house. I thought Cultivator Rong had woken up, so I called him from the door, telling him Captain Zhao had arranged for us to stay and not to worry about it. Captain Zhao said it was late, so everyone should rest today and discuss things tomorrow. But Cultivator Rong didn’t answer me, and the room was quiet. I felt it was strange…” As Ye Er spoke, he seemed to recall the scene again, a look of fright appearing on his face. “I tried pushing the door. It wasn’t locked and opened right up. I saw Cultivator Rong fainted on the floor, face down, right at the spot going toward the study.”
“Which spot?” Shen Bingsi stood up immediately, his electric gaze sweeping toward the study door.
“Everyone unrelated get out!” Captain Zhao ordered. The team members standing at the door hurriedly stepped aside, clearing the space in front of the door. Ye Er went over and identified the spot where Rong Xie was found.
“Cultivator Rong was lying face down here. The lamp in the outer room was lit, but the one in the study wasn’t. I guessed, could he have fainted while walking toward the study just after lighting the lamp?”
“Wait,” Shen Bingsi stopped Ye Er, narrowing his eyes. “Why do you say he fainted? In that situation, doesn’t it look more like a sneak attack?”
“I… I thought Cultivator Rong was attacked at the time and immediately went to check. But Cultivator Rong had no external injuries, and his state… didn’t look like he was attacked. It looked more like he fell asleep.” Ye Er stammered. Facing Shen Bingsi’s interrogation, he felt a wave of fear.
“Asleep?” Shen Bingsi sneered. “Would you fall asleep like that? Unwakeable even when called, and no reaction when moved to a bed?”
“This…” Ye Er lowered his head. “This lowly one has low magical power. I really… couldn’t tell what was wrong with Cultivator Rong.”
Shen Bingsi scrutinized him for a moment, then waved his hand. “Continue.”
Ye Er felt immense pressure and began to stutter. “I thought Cultivator Rong was just too tired and fainted. Maybe he would be fine after resting. So I went out and called people over to help carry Cultivator Rong to this couch. That’s… that’s it…”
“Called me,” Captain Zhao added.
Hearing this, Shen Bingsi’s expression darkened further and further, becoming extremely ugly.
“I understand.”
“Rong Xie said he would rest for a cup of tea’s time, but you waited an hour before thinking to call him, leaving him fainted at the door for an hour.”
“You found him, then went out to call people. During that time, you left him here alone again. The door wasn’t closed, and no talismans were posted?”
“This lowly one…” Ye Er struggled. “This lowly one closed the door.”
“…”
Seeing Ye Er couldn’t provide any more information—and given this full-of-holes situation, an attacker wouldn’t even need much effort to succeed—Shen Bingsi forcibly suppressed his anger and turned to Captain Zhao.
“What about the Lu family? Are they all under guard?”
“Part of the Lu family is in the main hall—the old patriarch and several leading relatives. The rest went back to their rooms,” Captain Zhao said. “As for the servants and laborers, they have no spiritual power, and we didn’t restrict their movements… Sword Saint Shen, do you suspect someone sneak-attacked Fellow Daoist Rong to cause this?”
“…If not a sneak attack, could it be sleep?” Shen Bingsi gave a cold laugh. “I checked his pulse just now. Everything is normal. Yet he is in this state of deep, unwakeable sleep. There is only one possibility: he has fallen under a Nightmare Spell.”
“Nightmare Spell?!” Captain Zhao was shocked. “That kind of evil spell is only used by heretics. Madam Mei has already been taken away. Is there still a demon that slipped through the net?”
Having traveled the Jianghu for many years, Captain Zhao was knowledgeable. He knew of the Nightmare Spell but hadn’t thought of it at all. The Nightmare Spell could indeed cause deep, unwakeable slumber, requiring only mediums like scent or sound to succeed without leaving external wounds on the victim.
However, casting a Nightmare Spell required highly skilled illusion techniques. The only culprit here capable of illusion techniques had been taken away. The leaders of the Lu family were detained in the main hall. Logically, this shouldn’t have happened, yet it did… It was terrifying to think about.
“Madam Mei was indeed taken away.” Shen Bingsi said in a deep voice. “That doesn’t mean there isn’t a second person who masters the Nightmare Spell from the same lineage as Madam Mei.”
“Who is it?!” Captain Zhao asked urgently.
“There are too many suspects. The assassins Madam Mei sent to ambush me, the Lu family members, the servants, the laborers, including your Treasure Hunting Team members—anyone who was once controlled by Madam Mei cannot be cleared of suspicion.” Shen Bingsi’s eyes were dark and deep.
Captain Zhao’s mouth fell open. He had intended to help with the investigation, but he hadn’t expected to be on Shen Bingsi’s suspect list himself.
“Never mind. No one needs to intervene in this matter. I will investigate it myself.” Shen Bingsi’s voice radiated a chilling coldness. “If I find out who laid this dark hand, I will make them regret being born… During my investigation, no one is allowed near this room.”
Moments later, everyone from the Treasure Hunting Team except Captain Zhao was cleared from the courtyard. Only Captain Zhao was allowed to stand at the courtyard gate, awaiting the results of Shen Bingsi’s investigation.
Shen Bingsi returned to the couch and looked at the still-sleeping Rong Xie. He felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart. The only consolation was that Rong Xie slept peacefully and didn’t seem to be having a nightmare…
The Nightmare Spell was vicious. One must find the caster to untie the spell safely. Otherwise, forcibly waking someone from a Nightmare Spell could very likely leave them with permanent, incurable injuries. This was a consequence Shen Bingsi could not accept.
He was desperate to find the culprit for this reason.
“Rong’er, wait for me. I will find that person right away.” Shen Bingsi gently brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen onto Rong Xie’s forehead.
Thousands of miles away, Big Brother Jiang, who had returned to the Mirror Palace and was just about to explain the sequence of events to the Recording Officer, suddenly stopped. He tilted his head as if listening to something, his expression growing serious.
“What is it?” the Recording Officer asked, leaning against a full-length mirror. She knew that the only person who could stop Big Brother Jiang mid-sentence at this time was their other Adjudicator colleague.
However, transmitting sound over such a vast distance consumed immense spiritual power, no less strenuous than flying back and forth by sword three or five times. That Shen Bingsi chose a thousand-mile sound transmission indicated the gravity of the matter.
After listening, Big Brother Jiang stood up and asked the Recording Officer for a moment to excuse himself. He needed to check the images recorded by the Golden Bell Cover over the past period.
“Trouble over there again?” the Recording Officer asked. She cast a dispassionate glance at Madam Mei, who had maintained a composed demeanor since being captured.
“Yes. Shen Bingsi’s formidable little friend has fallen under a Nightmare Spell. He’s frantic with worry right now.” Big Brother Jiang said helplessly. “You know, anything involving that little friend of his becomes a top-priority emergency.”
Both Adjudicators simultaneously recalled the scene where Shen Bingsi, his Dao Heart shaken and suffering spiritual backlash from chasing back “that formidable little friend,” was carried into the Mirror Palace by Elder Yun Feng and handed over to them for help.
“Go ahead.” A hint of amusement appeared on the Recording Officer’s face. “I’ll watch things here.”
“Sorry to trouble you.” Big Brother Jiang nodded, turned, and walked out of the palace hall into the courtyard bathed in moonlight.
An incense stick’s time later, sitting by the couch, Shen Bingsi received the message from Big Brother Jiang.
The Golden Bell Cover showed that Rong Xie had indeed fainted on his own. No suspicious person had approached him or cast a Nightmare Spell on him during that time.
The Golden Bell Cover was a high-grade artifact specifically for monitoring suspects’ movements. Big Brother Jiang had never missed a detail using it. A low-level family like the Lu clan shouldn’t produce a character capable of evading the Golden Bell Cover’s surveillance.
Then, there was only one possibility.
The Nightmare Spell was cast before the Golden Bell Cover descended. It just hadn’t taken effect at that time, and since Rong Xie appeared normal, no one noticed.
“Sigh! I should have held onto the censer. I’m afraid it was at that moment…” Captain Zhao’s remorseful voice echoed in Shen Bingsi’s ears again.
At that time, Shen Bingsi and Big Brother Jiang had just returned to the Lu estate, encountering Captain Zhao and the three team members under the illusion, uncontrollably snatching at the chained Madam Mei.
Captain Zhao and Rong Xie had been together the whole time. If Captain Zhao had inadvertently fallen under the illusion at some point, there was no reason for Rong Xie to escape unscathed.
After all, the look in Madam Mei’s eyes when looking at Rong Xie had repeatedly been more vicious than when looking at anyone else.
Shen Bingsi’s hand, resting on his knee, clenched into a fist.
Madam Mei.
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