As the two traveled through the Upper City, evening light wrapped around the beautiful, opulent structures. Children were laughing, couples holding hand, and the sun glistened in the stream that ran through the hearth. 

Moments later, Zhen Xue looked at the fox mask Li Wei offered him with a raised eyebrows, trying not to laugh. “Didn’t they make that mask for you?” he asked with half a smile.

Li Wei’s lips twitched, but the movement was brief. “Careful, dear. I feel you’re trying to imply something.” He offered a coin to the shopkeeper for the mask. “They call me a philanthropist, you know,” he said quietly between them. “How can I be a playful fox, too?” 

The glimpse of amusement in his gaze didn’t go unnoticed. “You? A philanthropist? Now I’ve heard everything.”

“What ever do you mean, dear?” Li Wei smiled sweetly. “You make me sound almost… scandalous.”

Zhen Xue nearly agreed aloud. Li Wei, however, caught on and was about to argue. Zhen Xue cleared his throat, placing the mask on snugly. With the Spring festival around the corner, animal masks were not uncommon, so he would blend right into the crowd. “Tea, right?”

Unlike the playfulness he expected, Li Wei stared, going quiet. 

Having the enigmatic Li Wei rendered speechless made Zhen Xue deeply pleased. With a laugh to himself, he walked ahead, taking the lead this time. A breeze swept through his hair, calming the rush from earlier. The white strand in his hair become visible for a moment.

Before long they were sitting in a cafe booth, opposite of each other. 

Neither of them said a word until after they ordered their drinks. Zhen Xue sat back in his seat, looking over the table at Li Wei, watching him fiddle with a strand of his hair, staring out the window with an unreadable expression. The remaining traces of sunlight pooled over his handsome features, shimmering on his silver mask.

Was he worried? 

Did he think they’d get caught? 

No, he wouldn’t have suggested this place if he did. Whatever was bugging him was something more. Something deeper and personal. With a flicker of concern, Zhen Xue decided to speak. “Are you…?”

“Shhh...” Li Wei murmured. He tapped his ear, gesturing for him to listen, and then suddenly, his smile returned with a glimmer of his usual self. “Our game is about to begin. Let’s see who can solve the mystery first.”

Unable to resist his love for puzzles, his ears perked up. The front door shuttered as six elaborately dressed women walked inside the cafe, their faces covered with a dark veil matching their mourning clothes. 

Not far away at a different table, a man sighed to his comrade. “Here we go again,” he lamented. “Another tragedy is about to take place.”

Zhen Xue picked up his teacup, his gaze shifting to the second man who sipped his own drink without concern. “Tragedy?” the second man asked, eyes widening in alarm.

Zhen Xue sipped his mint tea as he listened.

“Haven’t you heard about people disappearing?” the first man continued. “It’s like people are being snatched under our nose. Their souls, I mean. Don’t you find it odd that not even skilled doctors can find the reason?”

Oh, he was speaking about that rumor. Upon consideration, Zhen Xue realized the rumor must be true if Li Wei brought him here. Even with his vast knowledge about the novel, he couldn’t recall such a mystery. Moreover, why Li Wei was interested in this case?

The second man replied shortly after, “You mean they turn into corpses?”

The first man nodded. “Their souls vanish out of thin air.”

His words stuck inside Zhen Xue’s mind with a sense of familiarity he couldn’t place. The second man shuttered at the thought. “That’s horrifying...”

“That’s what I’m saying! First our king hunted the gods’ gifted children. People are dead for serving the royals. And now souls are disappearing. No one can sleep in peace these days,” he grumbled, grabbing his bottle of cheap liquor. Zhen Xue didn’t miss the way Li Wei’s nose wrinkled in distaste.

His lips twitched, wondering about the story behind it. However, now wasn’t the time for idle chat. He knew the people would believe the missing souls were a spectacle from the gods... A punishment for tainting their holy city. 

“Hmph,” the first man said, swallowing a gulp of his amber colored drink. “The new prince must do something about the Under City and that devilish brother of his... The gods won’t tolerate such disgrace, and neither will we.”

At the predictability of his statement, Zhen Xue wanted to roll his eyes. He gulped down the rest of his tea, ready to call it a night with a yawn buried in his throat, when his gaze wandered and he noticed something unusual. 

The six widows were being led up the staircase by the cafe owner. “They rent out their upstairs rooms,” Li Wei explained. He paused for a moment, likely observing Zhen Xue’s tired expression. “Shall we get one for ourselves?”

Only one room? Zhen Xue choked on the rest of his tea he’d been swallowing. He returned to stare at Li Wei, heat rising to his ears. “Sorry?”

Li Wei looked unaffected, avoiding the implication all together as though Zhen Xue imagined the whole thing. He rose from his seat, placing their pay on the table. “Come along, dear. The game is afoot.” He wiggled his eyebrows with a mysterious smile before making for the staircase. 

The idea of Li Wei getting a head start on their game made Zhen Xue follow him, cursing under his breath. 

They ascended the wooden staircase together, floorboards creaking under their feet. It was dark on the second floor. Not much could be seen, except for some old furniture lying about.

Before he could fetch a lantern, Li Wei lit a candle in front of himself, his features flickering to life under the flame. 

Zhen Xue stared at him. 

Where did he even get that? Do his pockets always run that deep? 

He huffed under his breath.

Was there anything that Li Wei couldn’t do?

Li Wei walked ahead, oblivious to his inner thoughts, and made a left turn down the hallway as though he knew where he was going. 

“Li Wei...” Zhen Xue decided, having caught up with him.

“Hmm?”

“I have a bad feeling about this place.”

“Really?” Li Wei paused, turning to him.

“Are you sure we can’t stay at another inn?”

“No, we can’t.” Li Wei continued onward, not addressing the issue further.

Not given the chance to argue back, Zhen Xue followed him, a sigh escaping his lips. 

He always hated dark and clammy places. 

The atmosphere was like that time, long ago, when he got trapped in a basement with that spider-like ghost. He would’ve died had Li Wei not found him. Since that time, he’d always been a little claustrophobic.

Was this place haunted, too?

Interestingly enough, he hadn’t seen a single ghost since entering his novel, but that made little sense, not when Lumaria existed over the Underworld. 

Ghosts were a natural occurrence in this world. Not to mention he frequently wrote about the Unruly solving ghost mysteries. He wanted to ask Li Wei, but saved that question for another time. 

Oh, right...

An ordinary ghost couldn’t explain the missing souls. 

Only high-level ghosts could take on appearances, which meant this case wasn’t simple. 

When the six widows entered together, that man had said, ‘here we go again’ like this situation would happen often. 

“Li Wei,” Zhen Xue said, reaching his side once more. “We should speak to the cafe owner. Surely he’s not oblivious of what’s happening under his nose.”

“You’re right, he’s not,” Li Wei said with half a smile. “But that doesn’t matter for now.”

His words dumbfounded Zhen Xue. “Why not?”

Li Wei opened a door to a guest room, stepping inside without explanation. Once Zhen Xue safely entered behind him, he promptly shut it. “Why not?” Li Wei repeated his question with a sweet voice, turning around. Although the candlelight was dim, his sapphire eyes beneath his mask shimmered with a breathtaking glow. 

To Zhen Xue’s utter horror, Li Wei took several steps towards him, only to pause at arm’s length, the candle now between them. 

“Will you take responsibility for the bags under my eyes in the morning?” Li Wei demanded, tapping under his eyelid. 

Zhen Xue was not expecting him to say that, so he didn’t answer. 

Li Wei smiled in return. “I didn’t think so,” he said, clicking his tongue. “The ghost might not need rest, but we do.”

His shoulders dropped in disappointment, having already considered how they would go search for the widows. “You can’t expect me to sleep now. There’s too much we need to do.”

Li Wei’s pointed stare was enough to make him fold. Heat flushed went straight to his ears from being seen when he wanted to hide.

God damn it. He was too weak for this man. Zhen Xue broke eye contact first, folding his arms with defiance. “...Fine. We’ll continue tomorrow, but I’m claiming the bed by the window.”

“Naturally,” Li Wei said, moving to the bed on the opposite side of the room. He began straightening the sheets. 

Their beds weren’t that far apart since the space was small, but at least they were separate. A sliver of knowledge that gave Zhen Xue peace of mind. Turning away from Li Wei, he went to lie down on his own bed by the window, only to find his mind spinning with heated thoughts from earlier.

His ears burned again, but to his mercy, another thought popped into his head.

“Li Wei... I have a question.” Zhen Xue turned on his side, finding Li Wei staring quietly at the ceiling. A moment later, his eyelashes fluttered as they shifted to him, then Zhen Xue spoke, “At the banquet... Didn’t you find it odd that six-hundred servants died within a few hours, yet no one heard them cry for help?”

There was silence for a moment as Li Wei considered. “Hmm, that’s true,” he whispered. “Do you suspect it’s related to the missing souls?”

Damn... If Li Wei thought so too, then he couldn’t be wrong. “Perhaps,” Zhen Xue answered in thought. There was too much commotion to consider that their deaths were strange. Moreover, how did not one servant get away? There wasn’t a soul alive to tell the tale. 

Almost like... the servants sacrificed themselves. They must’ve done so for the blind woman’s plan to start the rebellion. No, that made little sense. Would they really use the grief from their families in such a way? It seemed so heartless, but if they were desperate enough... Left without a choice. 

Blackmailed?

He’d been so lost in thought that he blinked in surprise, noticing Li Wei’s bed was empty. When did he leave the room? Didn’t he know ghosts hunt after midnight? The thought of Li Wei out there alone made him too restless to fall back asleep.

He sat up in bed, putting his boots back on before leaving the room.