Chapter 44

Soon, as the twilight descended, nearly everyone in the Le Mansion learned that Young Master Xaan had classified the recent occurrences as man-made incidents upon his return and was about to stay in Yuri's room.

Shortly after the word spread throughout the Mansion, everybody, regardless of their rank or position, let out a breath of relief.

These few days, all of them had been on edge. Their nerves were like tautly stretched strings at the risk of snapping anytime.

Even though the crisis had yet to be resolved, the oppressive atmosphere was dispelled more or less.

At the very least, Young Master Xaan would shoulder the horror in place of them. If anything were to happen, Young Master Xaan would block it head-on.

After gleaning the details of the whole story from people in the know, Le Xaan asked people to make the bed for him in Yuri's room. Tonight, he would stay there.

He was persuaded by a few more of his relatives yet remained unwavering. As a result, these people gave up their attempts helplessly.

Le Xaan did not ask Qiki to follow him and went to Yuri's place on his own with a blade and a teapot.

There was a line of houses in that area, all for the family's servants to stay in at night.

Yuri's room was in a house right in the middle of the row.

Le Xaan made his way to that house. The neighboring houses were currently uninhabited, apparently resulting from the unnerving sobbing sounds.

He pushed open the gate.

The food boxes were placed on a stone table in the yard.

On that grayish-white stone table were some pink-colored traces, seemingly face powder dusted by someone there.

Le Xaan then glanced at the bedrooms. The whole place was well-cleaned and now tidy. And a bed was prepared in Yuri's bedroom.

The compound resembled a rectangular box. The yard was across a corridor from the line of five bedrooms. In the center of the yard was a well, next to which the stone table and stools were situated.

Seated grandly on a stool, Le Xaan opened the food boxes and removed the dishes, placing them on the table.

Three dishes and a soup, accompanied by a box of white rice.

Le Xaan gobbled up the food in an unbridled manner.

As time dragged on, he finally finished his meal and let out a burp.

It was pitch-black all around now. Le Xaan lit a candle and put it into a paper lantern, brightening the yard.

Among the line of bedrooms, Yuri's room was on one end, where the illumination was dim. If Le Xaan went on staying in the yard, he might not clearly hear any sounds transmitted from Yuri's room.

Thus, Le Xaan, his blade in one hand, walked through the corridor and turned into Yuri's bedroom.

Inside the room were an ebony-colored wooden bed, a table, and three chairs as well as a wardrobe and a dressing table.

Beside the dressing table was a window open to reveal the pitch-black alley behind.

The candlelight shone on the table to the right of the doorway, brightening the whole room yet accentuating the deep blackness outside the window.

Le Xaan walked up and stretched his head out of the window to look around.

The alley behind led to one of the side gates of the Le Mansion.

From there, Le Xaan could roughly see the worn-out, pallid-white side gate.

"Creak..."

Le Xaan closed the window and turned around, surveying the room.

He took off his coat and put it on the wooden clothes hanger beside the doorway.

Then, he opened the wardrobe and discovered some dusty clothes of Yuri. Swinging it close, he walked up to the dressing table.

The dressing table was crude and uncarved, with only a bronze mirror placed on it.

In front of the mirror was a dust of pink-colored powder.

Le Xaan rubbed his forefinger against it and brought his finger to his nose, sniffing a little.

"Normal face powder used for makeup."

Le Xaan suddenly knitted his brows.

"I remembered that Yuri was not someone who liked putting on makeup."

"Whoosh.."

Abruptly, a gust of chilly wind blew past, sending the candlelight flickering.

Le Xaan held tight his blade in hand and looked around.

"Ssh."

Amid the gap of the half-closed door, a corner of snowy-white fabric flashed past.

Le Xaan immediately walked up to the door.

"I clearly recall closing the door properly."

He touched the wooden bolt, from which hung an open locket.

He opened the door and walked out into the corridor.

The place was empty all around and deserted as before.

A burst of freezing air immediately rushed into the room.

Le Xaan scanned the area with a cold gaze and found no abnormalities.

So, he withdrew into the room and snapped the door shut.

He sat down at the table and put his blade on its surface, his hand still gripping it tightly.

He was waiting for the woman's sobs, seated there motionlessly.

The candle flame appeared like a glowing pearl.

Thanks to Jade Crane Skill, he was tireless. Wide awake, he sat by the table, waiting for the sounds.

After waiting such an extended time yet detecting not a single trace of strange noise, he started Jade Crane Skill into a speedy circulation mode and practiced it.

Le Xaan, seemingly oblivious to the passage of time, kept sitting there till a rooster crowed and the dawn light brightened the sky outside the window.

"Where are the woman's crying sounds? I stayed here all night yet did not hear anything alike."

He gazed through the window and saw the pale gray sky.

Le Xaan rose from the chair, stretching and rubbing his shoulders.

Opening the door, he walked out into the corridor and then into the yard, where the food boxes remained in place.

From outside the compound, some talking sounds drifted in.

Le Xaan walked over and opened the gate with great force.

He was greeted with Le Finn, Le Yinin, Le Yeeli, and the rest of his family members standing there.