Chapter 24: Identifying People by Scent

"Master Zhu, your death was so tragic!"

After the maid retreated, a mournful, wretched wailing echoed from within the pavilion.

"Master Zhu, are you lonely and desolate? Shall I have them all sent down to keep you company?"

—

"Check in."

"Congratulations to the host! You have checked in and received: Hot water heating system blueprints x1, hot water heating systems x10, and a one-click invisibility function."

In the side chamber, Cheng Yuan sat on a stool, her eyes vacant. Even receiving such high-tech rewards failed to elicit even the slightest spark of surprise in her eyes.

"System, is there any way to bring the dead back to life?"

Cheng Yuan looked far off toward the bed, where Cheng Zhi lay with a smile on her lips, looking as though she were lost in a pleasant dream. But…

"There is, but the host's current level and strength are insufficient for such an exchange."

The system’s cold, mechanical voice echoed in her mind, sounding exceptionally heartless. Cheng Yuan scoffed and stopped asking. She was too weak—so weak that she had been abducted to be a concubine after being drugged, so weak that she had allowed those wretches to trample all over her boundaries, so weak that the Zhu family, who had used her mother for a ghost marriage, could keep them all under house arrest!

She was so weak that, as of now, she could not even save her own mother.

She lowered her head slightly, then suddenly looked up, her eyes shimmering with a faint starlight.

"System, can I exchange for an invisibility skill?"

It was only when she had asked about resurrection that she realized the system possessed a shop, though it was not openly displayed.

"Twenty taels of silver for one stick of incense worth of invisibility."

"I have silver! Can I use these to exchange?"

Cheng Yuan emptied the contents of her pockets—a jade hairpin and some gold and silver jewelry—her eyes shining brightly. "Is this enough?"

The system remained silent, but it claimed the jade hairpin.

"Countdown initiated."

The candlelight in the room where Cheng Yuan stood was extinguished, plunging the space into darkness. For a long time, there was no sound. Outside, the figures exchanged glances and turned their attention to the other three chambers. In a blind spot, a window shutter flapped in the wind.

—

Cheng Yuan walked through the darkness, her clenched palms slick with sweat.

A life for a life. She was determined to ruthlessly take down the only remaining master of the Zhu household—the cousin who was supposed to have married Young Master Zhu instead of her mother.

Perhaps she had gone mad, willing to do something foolish at any cost. But how could she possibly swallow her pride and act as if nothing had happened?

Catching a strange scent, Cheng Yuan furrowed her brows. That was it; it was this courtyard. The maid who had come to deliver the message had carried this same peculiar, ghostly fragrance. Her mind began to grow groggy, and she hurriedly held her breath and steadied her focus.

The courtyard was peaceful, with only the pavilion in the middle of the lake illuminated. She lowered her footsteps and slowly entered.

"Who’s there?"

Cheng Yuan froze in place, her heart sounding a frantic alarm. Was she going to die before her mission had even begun?

"I can smell you, intruder."

A soft, coy laugh drifted from the pavilion. Cheng Yuan could not tell if it was the awkwardness of being discovered or the indignation of being mocked. She gritted her teeth and was about to stand tall and march forward when she remembered—she was invisible! Since the woman said she could smell her but could not see her, she clearly did not know who had arrived.

Cheng Yuan let out a slow breath, gripped the hairpin tightly, and walked toward the pavilion. As she drew closer, the night breeze stirred the light curtains, revealing the person sitting on the floor inside. On the small table before her sat a teacup; she was actually boiling snow to brew tea!

What a display of leisure!

Incensed, Cheng Yuan lunged forward, thrusting the hairpin directly at the cousin's slender neck. However, the girl tilted her head slightly, rolled to the side while holding her teacup, and evaded the strike. Only then did Cheng Yuan notice that the girl's eyes were covered by a strip of white cloth.

A blind woman?

Cheng Yuan frowned, then felt a wave of relief. She was currently transparent; if it had been a sighted person, they would have been truly terrified.

The cousin’s nose twitched, and a smile played on her lips. "Is it the young lady from earlier? Perhaps we could discuss this properly. Let me offer you some tea; this is the finest..."

Cheng Yuan slapped the tea away and remained silent. She was looking for an opening. This cousin seemed to have an even sharper sense of smell than Huang Xuqiu, capable of detecting the presence of a person and their exact position.

She was also exceptionally agile. No matter from which angle Cheng Yuan struck, she would dodge it. This was no ordinary blind person; she was more sensitive than someone with full sight!

"Why not take a rest?" The cousin smiled, showing no annoyance at being assassinated. She sat back down, poured another cup of steaming tea, and brought it to her red lips. She spoke in a measured tone, "I know you are here for that woman, right? Let me guess, she is your mother? However, when we bought her, that family didn't show the slightest reluctance. Was she stolen? If so, that is truly a misunderstanding."

"I want you to pay with your life," Cheng Yuan said coldly, knowing the woman had already guessed her identity.

"Although what we did is not ethical, we did not force the sale. Every debt has its debtor; shouldn't you go find that family instead?"

The cousin tilted her head again, then reached out to flick a snowflake off Cheng Yuan’s shoulder.

Cheng Yuan was gnashing her teeth in anger. "I will settle accounts with them, but you—you disregard human life! If the authorities cannot catch you, then I will do it myself!"

"Human life? My aunt came voluntarily, so it is not for you to judge, is it? Oh, you mean your mother~" Sensing Cheng Yuan’s fury, the cousin’s tone shifted. "But she isn't dead. Why is the young lady so angry?"

*Clang!*

The gold hairpin fell to the ground, and Cheng Yuan’s heart leaped into her throat.

"You... what did you say? What did you just say?" Cheng Yuan’s figure materialized within the pavilion, her face a mix of shock, ecstasy, and disbelief. But after the ecstasy came endless worry and fear. She snatched up the hairpin again. "Do you think it’s fun to toy with me!"

"Who is toying with you? Your mother was never dead to begin with. When did I ever say she died? It is you who broke into my courtyard without a word, wanting to take my life." The cousin’s lips curled, looking quite pleased.

"Then my mother..."

Cheng Yuan stammered, then let out two words: "Faked death?"

But she felt how absurd that was! A ghost marriage was a ghost marriage; how could they be so kind as to spare the bride's life? Was it an attempt to fake a death to deceive the spirits?

The cousin merely smiled faintly. Though Cheng Yuan kept saying how it could not be possible, her mind had already pieced the event together. The Zhu matriarch had died of poisoning while kowtowing, the cousin had survived, and her mother had shown no panic...

As she calmed down, the cousin continued, "You are indeed a clever one. Since that is the case, I need not explain further. I have only one condition, and I will let your mother wake up."

She pulled a small jade bottle from her sleeve.

Cheng Yuan tightened her grip on the gold hairpin.

"Speak."

"Sit. Don't be nervous; it is merely a small matter."