Chapter 19: No, It Really Is a Love Triangle
Upon seeing Miss Shen for the first time, Ming Ji suddenly felt she looked somewhat familiar. He then looked away and nodded, “Lord Shen, as far as I know, Miss Shen Yi is your youngest daughter. I wonder where the Eldest Miss Shen is?”
Ming Ji’s question was too sudden, causing Shen Chi Xu’s body to stiffen once again.
For some reason, his voice became somewhat choked, and he took a handkerchief to wipe his eyes.
“Speaking of which, my eldest daughter, Shen Wan, had a bitter fate. She was already frail, and after accidentally catching a cold, she passed away.”
Having said this, he felt even more sorrowful and spoke in a muffled voice, “Now I only have one young daughter left. The Immortal Lord must save her!”
What was strange was that whether discussing her sister’s death or the possibility of being abducted by the Thousand-Faced Ghost, this Miss Shen Yi showed no expression at all.
Ming Ji felt puzzled when he saw this, but he didn’t point it out to her face.
“Lord Shen, I understand that Miss Shen Yi has a very good relationship with Zhao Gongzi and they are about to get married. I wonder if this is true?”
Shen Chi Xu nodded and said, “It is indeed so. Many young and beautiful women in the city went missing right around the time of their weddings. I worried that my daughter would not escape this fate, so I could only postpone the wedding repeatedly. Otherwise, given their affection from knowing each other since childhood, they would have married long ago.”
Ming Ji silently kept this information in mind, then continued, “I have a plan.”
“After today, Lord Shen, you will tell the public that the evil spirit has been eliminated. To bring joy to the manor, let Zhao Gongzi and Miss Shen marry in ten days.”
Although getting married in ten days sounded rushed, fortunately, they had prepared long ago, so it wouldn’t be simple or crude. It was just that…
“Immortal Lord, then how should my daughter…”
Ming Ji looked at him and continued, “Rest assured, Lord Shen. I will not let Miss Shen take any risks.”
“My disciple and I will disguise ourselves as Miss Shen and Zhao Gongzi. If the wedding is held with fanfare on that day, the evil spirit will certainly take the bait.”
Shen Chi Xu listened with tears streaming down his face, hurriedly clasping his hands. “Then many thanks to the Immortal Lord.”
Shen Yi also bowed, “Many thanks to the Immortal Lord.”
Ming Ji first quietly observed Shen Yi, then turned sideways to avoid their bows. “No need for formalities.”
Afterward, Ming Ji went to the inn where the group had been waiting for a long time. Judging by their faces, they had already finished gathering intelligence.
Yan Shiman said, “Master, from what I know, the one Zhao Qingshan—that is, Zhao Gongzi—originally loved was not Shen Yi, but the eldest daughter of the Shen family, Shen Wan.”
Chu Yunduan nodded in agreement and said, “Indeed. Master, the original engagement was also between Zhao Qingshan and Shen Wan. It was only after Shen Wan died that they told the public Zhao Qingshan and Shen Yi were in love. They originally planned to marry earlier, but dragged it out until now because of the Thousand-Faced Ghost.”
Ming Ji took a sip of tea and looked at Wei Zixi, who hadn’t spoken yet. “Zixi, what did you find?”
Wei Zixi’s face showed joy; clearly, he had made a huge discovery. He said, “Master, from what I know, Eldest Miss Shen was not frail as the Shen Manor claimed to the public. On the contrary, she had always been healthy. She only died suddenly after the Thousand-Faced Ghost incident appeared.”
Wu You was a modern person. Upon hearing this, the plots of dog-blood dramas she had watched in modern times involuntarily floated into her mind.
She swallowed, then asked Guan Yuce, “Young Master Guan, in the information you found, did it say anything about Shen Wan and Shen Yi having a bad relationship?”
Clearly, she had hit the mark. Guan Yuce looked somewhat surprised and nodded solemnly. “You are right. Gossip says Shen Wan and Shen Yi did not get along.”
Wu You’s brain flashed with inspiration, as if she had suddenly discovered something shocking. She hurriedly said, “Do you think it’s possible that this Zhao Qingshan was originally in love with Shen Wan, but Shen Yi interjected? Because she liked this Zhao Gongzi, she made a move and killed her own sister?”
She nodded, feeling it made more sense the more she thought about it, and added, “If that’s really the case, then Shen Yi killing her own sister for a man is just too… you know.”
At first, the group felt it was a bit bizarre, but seeing Wu You speak so seriously, they wavered slightly in their hearts.
Ming Ji, however, didn’t express his opinion. Hearing this view, he just gave a light chuckle. “Let us meet this Zhao Gongzi first.”
This Zhao Gongzi was indeed a man who knew how to do things. He arranged for Ming Ji and the others to meet in a private room at Yanjing’s most prosperous teahouse. Just the first glance stunned Wu You.
No way, even these chairs are gilded with gold?
When they arrived at the private room, the handsome young master was already sitting on a gilded chair.
Wu You lamented inwardly again: He’s so damn rich.
Zhao Qingshan didn’t care what others thought. He had carefully selected this teahouse; after all, he couldn’t neglect the esteemed guests.
Seeing Ming Ji arrive, he hurriedly guided him to the seat of honor and said, “I heard from Uncle Shen that the Immortal Lord wants to use the wedding as a pretext to lure the enemy deep?”
Ming Ji nodded upon hearing this.
“Immortal Lord.” Zhao Qingshan’s expression suddenly became sorrowful, as if thinking of something. He looked pained as he said, “I wonder if you have heard… the one I originally loved was Wan’er.”
This remark was completely out of nowhere, so much so that when he spoke, the others froze.
Ming Ji didn’t answer the question, only saying, “Zhao Gongzi, just speak frankly.”
Zhao Qingshan’s eyes turned somewhat red. He slowly exhaled before saying, “There is actually a hidden story behind this matter.”
He shook his head, looking pained, and covered his face with his palm. “But if I say it, I will be letting Uncle Shen down.”
It had to be said that this young master had regular features. Combined with his pained expression, he would surely evoke heartache in many women.
“Since it feels painful, there is no need to say more.” Ming Ji’s voice was gentle. Because of the veil, no one could tell what his expression was.
“The Immortal Lord is right.” Zhao Qingshan’s eyes held a trace of resentment, and then he said solemnly, “Immortal Venerable, you must kill the Thousand-Faced Ghost to avenge Wan…”
Realizing he had let it slip, he quickly stopped and smoothed it over, “You must protect Miss Shen Yi well.”
Ming Ji nodded lightly and said, “Naturally. Please rest assured, Zhao Gongzi.”
Hearing this, Zhao Qingshan seemed relieved of a heavy burden. He bade farewell, “In that case, I will not disturb the Immortal Lord. Wine and meat are prepared; please enjoy, Immortal Lords.”
Not long after he left, Wu You offered her opinion. “Immortal Venerable, could it be that I really guessed right?”
To be honest, she shouldn’t have been brought along for this kind of thing, but the female university student insisted on eating melons (gossiping), so she came to listen in.
Wu You thought for a moment and said, “That sentence Zhao Qingshan didn’t finish clearly referred to Shen Wan. According to the meaning of that sentence… did Shen Wan die at the hands of the Thousand-Faced Ghost?”
“Zhao Qingshan also said that if he pointed it out, he would be letting Shen Chi Xu down. So was it Shen Yi’s own doing, or was Shen Chi Xu also involved?”
Ming Ji kept his gaze on the door. Then he said softly, “Shen Chi Xu should be involved as well.”
“Does Master believe Zhao Gongzi that much? What he said has many suspicious points.” Wei Zixi frowned in thought.
“Zhao Gongzi’s expression was sincere, and the information we gathered also shows this cannot be faked,” Ming Ji said.
Wei Zixi harbored doubts, even vaguely feeling that his Master trusted this Zhao Qingshan too much, and his style of conduct was not as cautious as before.
But he knew Ming Ji wouldn’t say this without reason, so he remained silent and didn’t speak again.
“Master,” Yan Shiman spoke up then. “If Shen Yi and Shen Chi Xu were truly involved, they are certainly not good people.”
Hearing this, Ming Ji’s voice became even colder. “That is natural.”
After saying that, he withdrew his gaze and said no more.
It was now dark, but suddenly someone knocked on Ming Ji’s door.
It was so late, and the person knocking had no spiritual power… who could it be?
Ming Ji’s eyes froze for a moment, but he still spoke to let them in.
The person pushed open the door. The dim candlelight happened to shine on a black cloak.
Then, the person slowly revealed their face, their voice soft.
“Long time no see…”
Recommended Reads
![Enemies on a Narrow Road [Esports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/enemies-on-a-narrow-road-214x300.jpg)