The Hospital Guard was hit hard in the chest, and the whole person fell to the ground in response.
In an instant, it was unclear whether it was a trick of the eye or what, Qin Yuesheng saw a blurry white face suddenly float out from the guard's head, and then enter the body of a passing woman nearby, quickly disappearing into the crowd, even if Qin Yuesheng wanted to find it, there was no way.
"What was that thing?"
Du Beilun hastily asked, "Yuesheng, are you okay? You're not hurt, right? How about we take the carriage inside? Walking is really too dangerous, you might even lose your life."
Qin Yuesheng had no time to deal with him, this incident happened in just tens of breaths, yet anomalies continuously occurred, it was very clear there's definitely something wrong in the dark.
He trusted the loyalty of the Hospital Guard at the Qin Mansion, the reason he suddenly drew his sword was probably due to that white face earlier.
"After that frail man was killed earlier, the guard had issues, and after the guard was knocked down by me, that face attached to someone else." Qin Yuesheng touched the Jade Pendant at his waist and thought to himself, "It seems they all acted because they were possessed by that face."
Although Qin Yuesheng had long known the world wasn't very peaceful behind the scenes, when bizarre events truly occurred in front of him, the feeling of shock was unavoidable.
"I... what happened to me?" The guard knocked to the ground by Qin Yuesheng looked confused, unable to comprehend his actions earlier.
"Zhang Quan, you are crazy! What boldness did you have to attack the young master just now?" The nearby guard angrily reprimanded.
"Attack the young master? I didn't, how could I? Don't talk nonsense, why would I do such a thing."
"Still saying no, everyone saw it just now, if not for the young master's quick moves, he'd be injured by you already."
Qin Yuesheng waved his hand, "Enough, don't say anymore, this matter has nothing to do with him, remember once you return to the Qin Mansion, don't talk about this incident to anyone, you few just need to keep it in your hearts, understand? This is an order."
"Yes." The guards immediately replied.
Considering that white face seemed to possess and control others' consciousness, Qin Yuesheng had to agree with Du Beilun's suggestion, the two of them entered the carriage, relying on the carriage for travel.
Inside the carriage, there was only a Du family maid and Du Beilun, thinking that even if the two were possessed, they couldn't possibly be his match, Qin Yuesheng was quite reassured.
On the way to Nanyan Treasure Studio, Du Beilun finally couldn't help but ask, "Yuesheng, what exactly was all that just now? And when did your skills improve so much that you could even knock down a guard?"
"Don't ask, if you ask, I practiced." Qin Yuesheng stretched out his hand, lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside, "Do you know about that Lu family matter? I heard from a servant that a Lu family young master explored Fuan Alley at night and disappeared."
This topic immediately attracted Du Beilun's entire curiosity, temporarily putting aside the previous matter, he excitedly said, "Of course I know, it's Lu Cheng, the third of the Lu family, who does nothing every day but likes to take vicious dogs to wander all over Cyan Yang City, you should know him."
"No impression, did I drink with him before?"
"Probably not, this man likes dogs more than women, the family built a single courtyard for him just to keep dogs, because he has a strong smell, I don't like inviting him to gatherings."
"The reason for the disappearance is because of Fuan Alley? Is that alley really that sinister?" Qin Yuesheng asked curiously.
Immediately Du Beilun pursed his lips out of excitement, saying, "Sure is, Fuan Alley is recognized as a sinister place in Cyan Yang City, few dare to walk there during the day, at night if you go, you are bound to disappear, the authorities previously invited many Daoists and monks to perform rituals, but none were effective, instead a few Daoists didn't believe in the sinister nature, insisted on performing rituals at night, the next day they disappeared too."
Qin Yuesheng asked, "Is that alley sinister since it was built, or did something later happen to make it so?"
"That I'm not too sure, seems like no one knows for certain, I haven't heard any information on that."
Qin Yuesheng sighed, "This world isn't peaceful."
Relying on the carriage for travel, they soon arrived at the Nanyan Treasure Studio opened by Du Tankang, the second son of the Du family.
As expected of wealthy individuals, this Treasure Studio was a three-story building with elegant and unique architectural style, solely in black and white reminiscent of ink paintings, yet embodying the principles of Tai Chi and Yin Yang, clearly specially designed.
The name Nanyan Treasure Studio seemed to complement its style.
Upon getting off the carriage, already many guests were seen inside the studio at the event. Qin Yuesheng was late, entered the studio together with Du Beilun, without Du Beilun inviting, a young man in a gold-bordered black bamboo-patterned pure white robe immediately walked up smiling, it was Du Tankang, Du Beilun's older brother.
"Yuesheng, I've been waiting for you for a long time, now I finally see you, no exaggeration, if you hadn't come to Nanyan Treasure Studio today, it's as if this store's first day opening was in vain."
The guests glanced this way, but didn't show any change in expression upon hearing Du Tankang's words, seemingly accustomed to it.
"No need for formalities, old brother Tankang, you know I care about objects not people, if your store today doesn't have anything I like, I'll turn around and leave even if I'm already here." Qin Yuesheng joked.
"Of course, if my Nanyan Treasure Studio doesn't have a treasure that catches your eye today, I'll open in the morning and close in the afternoon, and this shop will never open again," Du Tankang said, patting his chest.
Du Beilun knew they were both joking. They had been friends for many years, practically playing together since they were kids. Although others might see them as rascals, their friendship was truly deep.
Qin Yuesheng looked around slightly, "So what's next? Should I wander around, or will you have someone show me the treasures you've prepared?"
"Do we even need to ask? With your status, Yuesheng, is it appropriate for me to let you wander around by yourself? Come on, I'll personally take you to see my treasures."
Du Tankang took the lead, with Qin Yuesheng and Du Beilun following behind him.
As for the four Hospital Guards, Qin Yuesheng instructed them to stay at the entrance of Nanyan Treasure Studio and not to follow him closely.
The opening of Nanyan Treasure Studio was very secretive; even Du Beilun, his brother, wasn't aware of what treasures would be sold today, all because Du Tankang had done such a great job keeping it confidential.
"Nanyan Treasure Studio has three levels: the first is for people, the second is for land, and the third is for sky. The items on the first level are nice, but they're not enough to impress you, Yuesheng. Let's start from the second level to save some time."
Qin Yuesheng followed Du Tankang to the second floor. Compared to the first floor, this floor clearly had fewer display shelves.
"Du Tankang, where did you go to get your stock this time?" Qin Yuesheng asked.
"Bashu, the border, the Western Regions, and Luo Lan."
"That far?" Qin Yuesheng was quietly astounded. Cyan Yang City was located in Jiangnan, while Bashu was on the far western edge of the Great Tang. Adding in the Western Regions and the northern territory of Luo Lan, it seemed Du Tankang had been traveling extensively in the past few months.
This included encountering bandits and robbers along the way, along with various hardships and dangers, which might have even threatened his life, showing just how dedicated Du Tankang was to opening this Nanyan Treasure Studio.
As the heir of a noble family, there's no other reason for taking such initiative except for genuine passion.
"First, take a look at this. This is a treasure I bought from a disciple of the Tang Sect in Bashu," Du Tankang said, walking to a redwood wardrobe and opening the door.
Qin Yuesheng and Du Beilun poked their heads inside, and when they saw what was inside the wardrobe, their hearts skipped a beat, and they couldn't help but feel their hair stand on end, with a chill running down their spines.
Inside the wardrobe stood a woman dressed in a phoenix crown and ceremonial robes. Her face was small, with a delicate nose and a cherry-like mouth. A thick layer of white powder covered her face, and her lips were painted an intense shade of red, as if a squeeze could draw blood.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her hands crossed over her lower abdomen, holding a red handkerchief. The pose and her appearance were incredibly eerie. It's fortunate it was daytime, for if it were night, Yuesheng would have broken out in a cold sweat.
"Brother, is she alive or dead?" Du Beilun hesitated to ask.
"What kind of nonsense is that? Do you think I'd be superstitious enough to display a corpse here? How could I do business then?"
Qin Yuesheng asked, "So, is she alive?"
"Not exactly, watch this." In front of Qin Yuesheng and Du Beilun, Du Tankang nonchalantly grabbed the woman's head and, with a twist and a snap, removed it.
"Whoa!!"
Both Qin Yuesheng and Du Beilun instinctively took a big step back.
"Don't be scared, this isn't a person." Du Tankang tapped the woman's forehead with his fingers, "Listen, it's made of wood."
When Du Tankang tapped the woman's head, a crisp sound of wood clacking could be heard, suggesting her insides were hollow.
Qin Yuesheng suddenly became intrigued, "What purpose does this serve?"
Du Tankang put the head back on and explained, "The Tang Sect in Bashu is renowned for three skills: mechanisms, concealed weapons, and poisons. What you see here is a mechanical puppet from the three skills; Tang Sect disciples can use it for puppet coordination techniques, creating double-sided deception and countless variations.
But mine isn't that fancy. If you buy it, it can only serve as decoration because when I purchased this puppet from the Tang Sect disciple, the internal mechanical control components had already been removed, leaving just an empty shell."
"Tch..." Qin Yuesheng lost interest at once.
A mechanical puppet without its mechanisms can hardly be called a puppet.
On the other hand, Du Beilun seemed to remain quite interested and suddenly asked, "Brother, is this puppet realistic?"