The Su-style garden is all about elegance, much like a Jiangnan woman. There are no jagged rocks, but the layout is compact, and the terrain is relatively complex.
As soon as I entered the rockery area, Huang Jiu, who had been loudly boasting about taking action, jumped onto a nearby fake mountain the moment I wasn't paying attention. He claimed to be helping me scout the way, but in reality, he was running away.
He smugly flashed his sharp beak at me, which made me furious.
What good is keeping this lazy creature around? When Huang Xian'er comes back in a while, I'll just have her take him with her.
He's trying to pressure me into submission, but that's just a pipe dream. After all, once someone steals, they'll do it again, and I will never tolerate it.
Cursing Huang Jiu in my mind, I carefully circled around the rockery and released the Earth Dog Star at a corner.
Earlier, I recalled the Earth Dog Star, worried that the person might be too scared to come out if they knew how powerful it was.
But when I released it again, I found that the person still hadn't moved.
This was strange.
I had reached this point, and even if they were as timid as a mouse, they should have shown some reaction by now.
Could it be…
My brows furrowed as I quickly dashed out from the corner.
As soon as I rounded the corner, I saw a black figure standing in the corner of the rockery.
Without thinking, I threw the blood spike in my hand.
The shadow didn't dodge and was struck right in the middle of its forehead by the blood spike.
Even so, it didn't make a sound.
I followed up by charging at it and landing a punch.
When my fist struck, the shadow floated lightly into the air.
It was like a piece of cloth.
Fearing it might be some kind of trick, I didn't let my guard down and used the Earth Dog Star's abilities to scan the surroundings.
Confirming there were no similar auras nearby, I then drew back the blood spike and reached out to touch the shadow. To my surprise, it was just a piece of black cloth.
This was something I had never encountered before.
I hadn't heard of anything like it either.
But the world is vast, and there are countless strange and unusual things. My grandfather couldn't possibly know everything.
I tore the black cloth down and rolled it into a bundle, planning to bring it back to the villa for further investigation.
When I arrived at the villa entrance, Huang Jiu strolled out, hands behind his back, looking like an old man taking a walk in the park. He even mocked me, saying, "Little Li, look at you, all scared by a piece of rag, standing there for an hour without moving..."
"Shut up!" I glared at him, already deciding that when Huang Xian'er leaves, she can take this useless creature with her.
Entering the villa, I was about to reassure the Su family's servants that everything was fine, but when I scanned the room, I saw several terrified faces.
I was puzzled, but one of the braver maids stammered, "Master Li, didn't you come back earlier and go upstairs?"
Came back?
I had been in the backyard the whole time, when did I come back?
But asking this now would probably scare them even more.
I took a deep breath and calmly asked, "Did I push open the door when I entered?"
The brave maid nodded.
When I came in, I had specifically checked to make sure the door hadn't triggered the protective rune I had drawn with my blood.
That meant the person who had entered was someone else.
Noticing my hesitation, the other servants quickly reacted. An older maid, trembling, asked, "Master Li, wasn't it you who entered earlier?"
As she spoke, they huddled together in fear, ready to flee at any moment.
I hurriedly said, "Don't panic, it's really me, Li Yang. Stay where you are and don't move."
The White Tiger has risen, and the three evil spirits of the North are powerful.
Normally, the Three Evil Spirits are harmful, but with an external evil force intruding, they instead became protective spirits.
As long as they stayed where they were, they wouldn't be harmed.
People are easily controlled by fear.
When I said this, they didn't dare to move, though they huddled together in fear.
I released the Earth Dog Star.
With its enhanced sense of smell, I scanned the entire villa.
Apart from us, there were no other scents. The intruder had likely left.
Since I wasn't familiar with the layout of Su Dazhuang's home, I didn't dare to investigate the second floor. I'd have to wait until Second Uncle came back to address this.
I was about to head toward the northern area, since Second Uncle and Su Yimei had gotten their marriage certificate, and I was technically a relative of the Su family. I had also encountered some bad luck, and I didn't want another chandelier to fall on me.
However, just as I took a couple of steps forward, the group of maids who had huddled together suddenly shouted at me, telling me not to come closer. They grabbed anything nearby to use as weapons and blocked their way.
I was more frustrated than angry.
Every time I approached, they would flee.
I knew I wouldn't face any serious problems if I stayed away from the northern area, but they would be unpredictable.
To avoid further incidents, I didn't go to the north. Instead, I chose a spot where there were no chandeliers overhead and no cabinets around. I wiped the Buddha bone relic on my clothes, placed it in my mouth, and bit down on it.
After all, I was from the countryside and had never been particular about such things.
With the Buddha bone relic in my mouth and the blood spike in my hand, I unfolded the black cloth I had retrieved from behind the rockery.
When my hand touched it, it felt like I was touching the smooth, delicate hand of Xiao Cui. The texture wasn't like ordinary cloth at all.
There were also strange patterns outlined in white thread on the cloth.
"Old Huang, Old Huang!" I called out twice, and Huang Jiu stretched lazily before strolling over.
I was furious inside. If I weren't lacking a companion right now, I'd have kicked it out.
"Take a look at this," I asked, holding up the cloth, suppressing my anger.
Huang Jiu rolled its eyes and said, "If your two eyes can't see it, what can I, a beast, do?"
Sigh.
I took a long breath but didn't dare to argue.
Everything I had encountered today was something I had never heard of or seen before.
The information the Earth Dog Star gave me initially indicated there was a person behind the rockery. But when I went over, all that was left was this strange black cloth.
And the person who had impersonated me and entered the villa, even going upstairs, left no trace when I sensed the aura.
I wanted to catch some clues from this black cloth, and since Old Huang came from the borderlands, it was well-versed in all sorts of strange things. It might be able to tell me what this was.
For the greater good, I kept my patience.
But the more I endured, the more it took advantage of me.
It didn't help despite admitting it was a beast, and it just looked on indifferently.
I took a deep breath, held back my anger, and said, "I'll talk to Second Uncle when I get back. Let him think of another way."
As soon as Huang Jiu heard this, it perked up, and its fur stood on end like wheat in the wind. Its small eyes widened as it asked me, "Really?"
Its transformation was something I cared about deeply.
Unfortunately, Director Qian wouldn't budge, and since Second Uncle couldn't do anything, I had no choice.
I nodded.
Huang Jiu, upon receiving my confirmation, eagerly dragged the black cloth off the ground.
It not only looked at it but also sniffed it. As it sniffed, its expression turned increasingly suspicious.
After several confirmations, Huang Jiu looked up at me and said, "Little Li, this isn't cloth. It's human skin, and it has the aura of the Three Yin Sect."
When I heard the Three Yin Sect, my body froze with shock.