Almost every early morning, Lu Sheng could feel his muscles growing increasingly sturdy as his body felt heavier.

The price was at least double his prior food consumption per meal now. All meat and fish too along with costly medicinal broths daily.

Just this dining expense alone would bankrupt average households.

Without dallying, Lu Sheng directly headed into the city making his familiar path toward the Lu manor gates.

The gatekeeper attending it promptly came over upon sighting him.

"Young Master has returned!"

"Mm." Lu Sheng casually acknowledged while striding right in.

A bizarre mood pervaded the manor.

But the patrolling servants and guards all also hurried to greet him.

"Young Master is back!!"

Someone shouted.

"Young Master! Young Master's returned!!"

"It's Young Master!"

One by one, the female servants and guards rushed out. Joy tinged their expressions as if suddenly glimpsing a lifeline when distraught.

"Where's father?"

"Master urges you see him promptly."

A maid ran over to swiftly reply.

"Mm."

Lu Sheng removed his saber carrying it behind his back.

Rushing straight toward the inner residence.

Eerie silence occupied the inner manor. Abnormally quiet. Practically desolate.

The female servants and guards individually lacked vigor. Those nearby still greeted and acknowledged him.

While ones further away who didn't notice still chatted among themselves. Snatches of conversation faintly floated over.

"Last night, weeping sounds of some woman appeared again inside sister Yu's room..."

"I heard too. Like drifting over from very far. A guard passed by yet didn't see anyone inside at all. Not even a shadow..."

"Ah stop speaking! Truly frightening."

"Don't tell me it's a female ghost?!"

"Don't wag your tongue recklessly! Be careful getting beaten."

Crossing the stone bridge, Lu Sheng caught the idle gossip of family guards and maids.

From their discussion, sister Yu's former quarters by the lotus pond already became the manor's biggest taboo area.

No need for warnings. No one dared venture near now.

He pondered silently. Combined with the letter's contents, his mood turned heavier.

The crisis he always worried over finally happened.

This world already teemed with dangers everywhere. Ordinary people completely lacked resistance toward such bizarre affairs.

What he eternally dreaded was a day coming where what previously befell the Xu family would suddenly descend onto the Lu manor.

When that time arrived, what could he use to block or save himself?

What could he use rescuing this life's family?

"Female ghost? I rather see what female ghost can block my saber!" A ruthless glint flickered in Lu Sheng's eyes. Stride turning aggressive toward the inner residence's great hall.

He accumulated all this time precisely for the present moment!

Entering the great hall, Lu Sheng instantly spotted the haggard Lu Quan An seated at the head with his second and third madams who also rushed over.

The rest of his younger siblings and cousins all present.

Practically the entire huge household gathered unusually fully despite no festivities today.

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Everyone eyed Lu Sheng's robust figure striding in while bearing a saber behind him.

Delight also flashed across Lu Quan An's face before swiftly shifting back into worry.

"My son, you... alas, you shouldn't have returned..."

"Father, speak. What happened? Sister Yu died?"

Lu Sheng directly skipped pleasantries.

His recent daily saber practice along with circulating Dark Destruction qi left faint ruthless traces on him.

The gathered crowd recalled young master previously even slayed two vicious wanted fugitives upon seeing this. An intense character who could kill killers!

Pondering so prompted their prior twisted mental states to immediately alleviate slightly.

"I'll explain instead." Lady Liu Cui Yu sighed and said.

Lu Sheng took a seat on the right side.

"Second mother, please tell."

Liu Cui Yu organized her thoughts before recounting.

"This whole matter started with sister Yu's sudden death not long ago."

She sighed again.

"That day, sister Yu's clansmen came inquiring whether she returned because her family never saw her back. So they came to the manor searching.

I was also puzzled and about to dispatch people to investigate when news immediately arrived from the yamen that sister Yu perished in an alley already dead for days based on her stiff corpse."

"Afterward I paid for her funeral arrangements from my own silver.

But two days later another servant vanished from the manor! My search parties recovered her corpse by a river outside of town too."

Lady Liu's face was full of gloom saying this.

"Starting then, someone disappears daily from the manor! Despite all efforts searching they can't be found! Already the fifth day now."

"And every night, eerie weeping of a woman emits from sister Yu's former lotus room. Faint and ephemeral. Nothing found upon investigating inside though."

"Five people originally occupied that room. Three already missing among them now..."

Hearing this, Lu Sheng's countenance already sank.

"What did the yamen say?"

"What can they say? Empty platitudes before hurriedly brushing it off."

Lu Chen Xin couldn't help interjecting resentfully.

"I had eldest brother deploy troops standing night watch. But still useless! The sounds only occur on lower manpower. Once people increased it would vanish instead." Lu Quan An shook his head.

"Where is Qing Qing?" Lu Sheng suddenly noticed her absence.

"She rushed to the Zheng residence alone. Mishaps also happened at their side." Lu Quan An said helplessly.

"Incidents occurred in the Zheng family too?" Lu Sheng's heart tightened.

"Nothing like our circumstances. Bandits ambushed their trade convoy mid journey. That lass caught wind of suspicions linking the bandits with the Xu tragedy somehow before racing off yesterday investigating. Still not returned yet."

Lady Liu answered.

Lu Sheng coldly snorted.

"This girl, increasingly disobedient!

Anyway, even discounting some female ghost, a consummate expert with superior lightness skill could also orchestrate this manor situation!

Where's Zhao Bo? What's his take?"

"Zhao Bo and the few uncles all got conscripted to the yamen for assignment reinforcing some location outside town. Also not back yet." Lu Quan An replied.

"Meaning the perpetrator daring acting only because Zhao Bo and the others are away?"

Lu Sheng instantly characterized this as man-made rather than paranormal right from his first words.

Whether paranormal or not, it could only be man-made!

Otherwise the enormous Lu household might collapse.

Lu Quan An swiftly grasped this principle too and nodded.

"Viewed that way, likely man-made indeed..."

"You said weeping occurred nightly inside sister Yu's lotus room right? I'll spend tonight over there directly. Let's see if anyone still vanishes."

Lu Sheng stated his plans aloud.

"But son..."

Lu Quan An seemed about to say something. Halted by Lu Sheng raising his palm.

"Father be at ease. I know my limits."

Lu Sheng calmly replied.

Regardless of ghost or mortal, since fear toward crowds was evident, naturally ways for resolving it would appear.

If they couldn't even surmount such a tiny barrier presently, then encountering callous beings akin to the Xu family tragedy capable of massacring entire households overnight in the future, wouldn't everyone only resign themselves to slaughter?!

"My son... please be exceedingly careful..."

Lady Liu worried aloud.

But the rest revealed relieved expressions instead.

Since Young Master Lu who previously killed fugitives deemed it man-made, likely it truly was!

With young master present, surely the villain could get apprehended.

Thoroughly inquiring on circumstances before and after, Lu Sheng swiftly ordered the lotus room's bedding and furnishings readied. He would lodge inside tonight personally.

The others attempted but failed persuading him otherwise upon seeing his determination.

Lu Sheng had Xiao Qiao return to his former quarters. Alone bringing just his saber and a pot of medicinal tea, he entered the lotus quarters.

The lotus, lotus leaf and lotus root rooms were all maid residences situated together. With lotus room centermost.

Saber on shoulder, Lu Sheng arrived before the lotus quarters. Both neighboring yards already emptied, evidently frightened off by the midnight wailing.

Pushing the door open revealed a tidy cleaned interior with readied bedding.

Food containers waited on the small yard's stone table too.

Nothing else inside.

Traces of pink still stained parts of the grayish stone table. Likely residual face powder cosmetics used by the former female occupants.

Lu Sheng eyed the bedroom wing.

It and the small yard were like two adjoining square boxes. Five partitioned single rooms aligned in the bedroom. A corridor before them with the yard just outside its exterior door. A well stood in the yard with stone table and benches beside it.

Lu Sheng heavily seated himself there. Taking out the dishes from the dark red container one by one arranging them across the stone table.

Three vegetables one broth. Plus steaming white rice.

Wielding his chopsticks, Lu Sheng voraciously feasted.

Nearly half an hour later, all dishes emptied before he finally ceased. Belching loudly first.

As dusk gradually arrived, he personally lit some candles and lanterns illuminating both the small yard and sister Yu's room.

The five adjacent chambers arranged in a row. Sister Yu's former room at the very end. Rather dim with muffled external sounds.

After eating his fill Lu Sheng calmly strode down the corridor entering her room while bearing his saber.

It contained a black wooden bed. A square desk along with three chairs.

Aside from that just a wardrobe and dresser.

The window behind the dresser was half open now. Pitch darkness from the small exterior alley visible through it.

Candle flames shone down from a writing desk by the right wall after entering. Brightening over half the room while contrastingly accentuating the outside gloominess from that ajar window frame even more.

Lu Sheng walked over peering out the window by sticking his head through.

The alley beyond directly faced one of the manor's side entrances.

Glimpsing outward clearly revealed a straight lane leading toward a somewhat desolate white side gate.