Chapter 15: The Sanity of a Madwoman

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Tan Jiuding had expected Xu Qi to once again insist that he question Old Woman Chun, but unexpectedly, she did not head up the mountain.

“Of course we can’t ask Old Woman Chun,” she said clearly, stepping forward with determined strides. “Time is pressing. Even if we pry open Old Woman Chun’s mouth, who knows whether she’ll tell the truth or lie?”

“What if she makes up some false lead to deceive us? Then it would be all for nothing—losing a precious chance to find Zhiwei.”

“Then who do you want to question?”

Xu Qi gave him an unexpected name: “Gui Niang.”

“Her? Why her?” The image of that village woman, pale as paper, peering out twistedly from a crevice in the rock, flashed vividly before Tan Jiuding’s mind, making him uneasy. In his memory, she had always seemed mad and senseless.

But Xu Qi was certain. “She knows. No, she will tell us.” Whether she was persuading him or convincing herself, it was unclear.

The two arrived at the village elder’s home, where Gui Niang was locked in the cattle pen behind the yard, guarded before and behind by two villagers who watched her like a prisoner.

Xu Qi pursed her lips in displeasure and ordered them to bring the woman out.

The villagers and the elder seemed reluctant to treat this madwoman, who had insulted the “Mountain Lord,” with courtesy, yet dared not disobey orders and complied.

Once inside the inner room, Xu Qi pressed them about whether the herbalist had been summoned, instructing them to prepare warm water and tea, as if intending to treat Gui Niang as an honored guest. After sending them away, she turned to the woman whose eyes were unfocused.

“Gui Niang, I need your help. I want to help those innocent girls.”

Gui Niang’s hair was disheveled, her face bruised, and she mumbled strange sounds that barely resembled language, truly seeming possessed or deranged.

Yet Xu Qi persisted, speaking to her as if she were sane. “Everyone says you’re mad, but I don’t think you are. Just now at the ritual, didn’t you save me? You also saved many other girls besides me, stopping us from drinking that poisonous ghostly brew, right?”

“You must have known that thing was wrong, but had no other way to stop those girls who trusted Old Woman Chun blindly, so you pretended to be mad and made a scene.”

Xu Qi took Gui Niang’s hand in hers, holding it sincerely.

“Also, you were the first to sense that Ah Chun was off, trying to stop the bridal procession to save someone, but... unfortunately, you were too late. No one in this village wants to listen to you; they’d rather believe in Old Woman Chun. But I don’t believe her. I see everything clearly...”

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“I believe you.”

At those words, Gui Niang’s unfocused eyes seemed to find a point, gradually shifting toward Xu Qi’s face until they settled on her.

Xu Qi smiled—a smile Tan Jiuding had never seen before—exceedingly gentle, making him momentarily dazed, unsure whether she was acting or revealing genuine feeling.

“This is the imperial inspector assigned to investigate the disappearance of young women. Actually, beyond here, many girls outside have also met with misfortune. He’s here to catch the culprit.”

“If you don’t trust him, will you help me instead? There’s a Miss Zhou in the city who was recently abducted by the villain. She’s my closest friend. I’ve been tracking her here. I know she’s hidden in Ah Chun’s bridal dowry, but now the dowry has vanished. I’m very worried I’ll never find her.”

“You know every path in this village and the mountains. Is there a secret route no one else knows? One the villains used?”

Although Gui Niang’s gaze remained fixed on Xu Qi, no matter how much Xu Qi urged her, she seemed unwilling to move, her pale, vacant face like a frozen sculpture, oblivious and unresponsive. The longer one looked, the less she seemed alive.

Xu Qi’s face remained composed, but inside she was burning with anxiety, slowly growing discouraged—had she gambled on the wrong move? Was Gui Niang truly mad, no longer able to comprehend speech?

“Gui Niang...” Xu Qi began.

“I heard you returned to the village with your daughter after your husband died? You barely made ends meet by doing embroidery, raising your daughter alone? You’ve suffered a lot, haven’t you?”

Looking up, Xu Qi noticed Tan Jiuding standing silently behind her. The flickering oil lamp cast his tall shadow on the bedframe, making Gui Niang shrink back.

“Don’t be afraid,” Xu Qi sensed this and was secretly pleased she still had some awareness. “He’s a good man. He won’t harm you.” She exchanged a glance with Tan Jiuding and nodded.

Tan Jiuding continued, “You used to teach village girls embroidery without charging a penny, which shows a kind heart. I suppose you care deeply for these girls, which is why you don’t want anything to happen to them?”

“We met in Old Woman Chun’s secret chamber. You’d be wary—I understand. But I’m here to gather clues, not to conspire with her. Did you see something there with your own eyes that made you start pretending to be mad?”

“I advise you to speak up now. Today you blocked the bridal procession, smashed the soup bowls, and tried to burn the ancient tree outside the village—repeatedly ruining Old Woman Chun’s plans. If you remain silent now, how long do you think Old Woman Chun will keep you after we leave?”

Tan Jiuding’s words were sharp and cold, piercing straight to the heart, and Gui Niang’s expression softened.

“If you’re gone too, who will protect the village girls? What do you say? Will you let Old Woman Chun succeed?”

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As he spoke, Tan Jiuding pulled out his official badge carved from the tooth of a mythical beast, waving it before Gui Niang.

After a moment, a single tear fell from her vacant eye, breaking through the rigidity of her face, shattering the shell of madness.

Her dry, hoarse voice trembled, unable to form words, then broke into wailing sobs: “...Yuer didn’t come back. None of them came back... The daughters married off... not one ever returned...! Old Woman Chun said that once a daughter marries, she can’t look back—something about the Mountain Lord forbidding it—but I went to find the in-laws... there were none... She must have sold my daughter. She sold all the children! Sold them!”

The woman’s voice was sharp as a thorn, spilling out as if this were her only moment alive.

The long night felt like a dream that gripped so many hearts—could human hearts be more intense than this night?

Xu Qi’s eyes were moist as she ran swiftly behind Tan Jiuding, the sound of cutting grass scraping her face, sparks flying, the ripping of fabric occasionally heard. At that moment, all she could hear was her thunderous heartbeat and Gui Niang’s heart-wrenching confession.

Along the stone path behind them, they found the abandoned basket of bridal dowry, confirming Xu Qi’s suspicion: the thieves had stolen it to mislead others, then discarded it uselessly, leaving only the large red clothes chest that could hold a person. Their target was never the valuables inside.

No doubt about it—Zhou Zhiwei must be inside!

The footprints led straight to the wild dock at the river’s end—one hundred steps, fifty steps, ten steps, five steps... Tan Jiuding and several strong villagers leapt onto a boat, shouting back to Xu Qi, “It’s dangerous ahead!”

“I must go!” Xu Qi shouted over the roaring waves, staring resolutely at him.

Tan Jiuding’s lips curved in a way she couldn’t read, then he reached out, gripping her firmly and pulling her aboard. “Let’s go! Hurry!”

At his command, all the strong men rowed vigorously. The fishing boat, as if guided by divine help, cut through the inky river like an arrow, chasing the wind.

On the riverbank, leaning against the mountain, the inspector stood at the slope’s edge, gazing at the faint light on the water. He beckoned a swift runner over, whispered a few words in his ear. The runner nodded and sprinted off toward the city, vanishing instantly into the night.

The chill wind howled through the mountain woods and river waves like the madwoman’s scream. Tonight was destined to be restless.