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墨書 Inktalez
In the household, there was a Corpse Puppet, and Hu Da naturally knew that such things existed in this world. Therefore, when he went to bed at night, he specifically instructed Hu Fu to keep watch beside him and even placed talismans for warding off evil spirits on the bedside.
Seeing this, Hu Fu couldn't help but let out a cold laugh from the bottom of his heart. Those who have done many bad deeds tend to feel guilty. With all the wicked things he had done, whether or not there were deities in this world, he feared that if they existed, they would probably close their eyes upon seeing him. Since his master had given orders, he couldn't refuse to comply; however, once Hu Da fell asleep, Hu Fu found a place to doze off himself. After all, he didn't leave Hu Da's bedroom, so even if he was discovered, he wouldn't be scolded too harshly.
Sure enough, in the middle of the night, Hu Da sensed something was off. He felt a hand slowly creeping up along his thigh. With his eyes closed, he cautiously reached out his hand and touched what felt like a furry mass—similar to his own hair.
“Hu Fu, light the lamp!”
Hu Da exclaimed in shock and immediately sat up. Hu Fu was quick-witted; as soon as he heard Hu Da's voice, he pounced over.
“Master, what happened?”
“Light the lamp! Light the lamp!” Hu Da cried in terror: “There’s something furry on my leg!”
The lamp was lit; however, there was nothing on Hu Da's leg.
“Master, did you have a nightmare? There’s nothing on your leg,” Hu Fu said as he held the lamp and shone it on Hu Da's leg. Indeed, there was nothing there.
Hu Da sighed in relief: “Look again carefully; there must be some kind of evil thing that has gotten onto me.”
“Master, don’t worry; I will search thoroughly,” Hu Fu replied as he placed the lamp on the bedside table and glanced up at Hu Da. Just that one glance made Hu Fu show an expression of surprise as he pointed at Hu Da's head and stammered: “Master, your… your hair…”
“Hair? What hair?” Hu Da asked as he touched his head and froze in shock. At some point, the back of his head had become completely bald.
“A mirror! Get me a mirror!”
“Master, don’t worry; I’ll go find a mirror right away,” Hu Fu said as he lowered his head and turned around while covering his mouth to stifle a laugh. He hurried outside to find a mirror.
Before dawn broke, news of the eldest son of the Hu family being shaved bald by a ghost spread throughout the entire Yun Family Gathering. Even the rarely seen second young master heard the news and rushed over to check on him.
In terms of appearance, the two brothers of the Hu family bore no resemblance to each other at all. Hu Da had rugged features and a stout build, while Hu Er had a delicate appearance and a frail figure—at first glance, he looked like a typical scholarly type.
"Brother, have you encountered anyone or experienced anything unusual these past few days?"
"Anyone? I've been feeling unwell lately and haven't gone out much. Just a couple of days ago, I took Hu Fu out for a stroll on the street, but I can't really remember what anyone looked like."
"In response to Second Master, the Eldest Master did go to the Rouge shop that is currently under renovation a few days ago, but he didn't go inside. He just stood in front of the shop for a while and only saw some workers busy with their tasks. They were all locals from Yunjiabao, so they looked familiar; there was nothing strange about them."
"The Rouge shop? Brother, why would you go to a Rouge shop when you have nothing else to do? Could it be that you've taken a liking to the shopkeeper's daughter or wife, or perhaps even the shopkeeper herself?" Hu Er raised an eyebrow. "If you want to take a second wife, you should do it properly. Our Hu Family is quite respectable now; you must not act foolishly."
"What do you mean by that, Second Brother?"
"Second Master is just worried about you," Hu Fu quickly interjected as he noticed the tension between the two masters. "Second Master is concerned that some scheming young ladies might have their eyes on our Hu Family. What if they try to use beauty tricks on you? Of course, given your temperament and taste, you wouldn't be interested in such vulgar people. Besides, Second Master, you're misunderstanding Eldest Master. You've been living in the inner courtyard for too long and may not be aware of recent events outside. For example, Mr. Yun from Yunjiabao passed away recently; it seems he was killed by a skilled assassin. Lady Bai from the Bai Family's dumpling restaurant has also returned home for recuperation, just two days after Mr. Yun's death. Now that dumpling restaurant has been taken over by a relative of Lady Bai and has turned into a shop selling Rouge and Face Powder. The shopkeeper of this Rouge shop is quite well-known in Divine Capital Luoyang; her name is Xing Ruyi."
Hu Fu's seemingly casual remarks contained a wealth of information. Hu Er was not Hu Da; he naturally picked up on the implications in Hu Fu's words and turned to look into Hu Fu's eyes, asking, "Lady Bai is no longer around?"
"Yes! By the time I heard the news and rushed over, Lady Bai had already left the dumpling restaurant."
"So now that dumpling restaurant has become a Rouge shop, and the shopkeeper is Xing Ruyi?"
"That's right; it's indeed that girl named Fox Demon," Hu Fu replied, pulling out a scroll from his sleeve and handing it to Hu Er. "To prevent someone from impersonating her, I specifically sent someone to Luoyang to inquire about her. A painter who knows her personally drew this portrait. I've seen it myself; it truly is the girl from the Rouge shop, and even her family members appearing beside her match the descriptions given in the news. Please take a look at this portrait."
Hu Fu glanced at Hu Er. Seeing him nod, he unfurled the scroll.
In the painting, a young girl dressed in light pink stood in front of an antique Rouge shop. At first glance, her features weren't particularly stunning, but combined with her lively expression, it was hard to look away for even a moment. Hu Da stared wide-eyed, nearly drooling.
"Hu Fu, have you found out if this Miss Xing is married?"
"Eldest Brother, what are you planning?" Hearing Hu Da's question made Hu Er's face stiffen as his brows furrowed together. "This girl is a relative of Lady Bai and has managed to establish herself in Divine Capital; she must be quite formidable. Even if you like beautiful women, you shouldn't provoke someone like her."
"Second Brother, that's not right. Our Hu Family has always done business with Lady Bai; now that she's gone, we might have to deal with Miss Xing instead. Rather than doing business with outsiders, it would be better to make this outsider part of our Hu Family. Then we can have our way whenever we want." Second Brother, you're suited for staying indoors studying your scholarly pursuits; as for business dealings outside, that's my forte—so please don't meddle."
Hu Er glanced at Hu Da, his gaze landing on his balding head, and coldly asked, "Brother, are you really not going to let me take charge?"
"What you should manage naturally requires your effort, but for matters that are not your concern, given Second Brother's condition, it's better for you to worry less," Hu Da said as he snatched the scroll from Hu Fu's hands. "I ask you, has this Miss Xing ever been married? Forget it, why am I even asking this? Since she is called a 'young lady,' she must not be married yet. Even if there was an engagement in the past, it is all void now. Hu Fu, prepare for us to choose an auspicious day to pay her a visit."
Hu Fu looked awkwardly at his two masters and lowered his head, saying, "There's something I shouldn't say, but this Miss Xing is indeed not the kind of person suitable to be taken home as a wife or concubine. I've heard that this young lady practices sorcery and has caused quite a stir in Luoyang City. However, she has some connections in the Government Office, which is why those incidents were suppressed."
Hu Da waved his hand dismissively. "Isn't it good that she knows sorcery? Second Brother has been studying that corpse puppet for some time now without any results. Now that Lord Yun is gone and Lady Bai has disappeared without a trace, perhaps this Miss Xing could be a valuable asset."
"Brother, do you not trust me?" Hu Er's expression darkened. "Fine, if you want to provoke that young lady, go ahead. Just know that if trouble arises, it has nothing to do with our Hu Family. As for the corpse puppet in the well, don't worry; within seven days, I will give you an explanation."
"With your word on it, I can rest easy. You just wait in your courtyard; in a few days, I'll bring you back a new sister-in-law."
Hu Er stormed off, and Hu Fu lowered his head as he escorted Hu Er to the door of his bedroom. He hesitantly asked, "Second Master, are you really not going to stop First Master from his nonsense? I've heard that this Miss Xing not only has a formidable fiancé but also a son."
"If my elder brother doesn't suffer some losses, he will never understand how foolish his actions are. Let him be," Hu Er replied as he took a couple of steps forward before turning back. "I heard that this Miss Xing not only sells rouge and face powder but also knows some medicine. You can use the opportunity of asking her to help my brother with his illness to probe her background. At the very least, we need to find out whether this Miss Xing is connected to the dealings Lady Bai was involved in before. As for whether my brother continues with his nonsense or not, that's beyond my concern; if he ends up suffering the consequences, he will have to swallow it himself."
"You may say you won't interfere, but you've still found a good excuse for First Master so he won't seem too abrupt," Hu Fu said as he lowered his head. "By the way, I almost forgot something while we were in the room; it might have something to do with First Master's hair."
"Hair!" Hu Er narrowed his eyes. "What about it?"
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