Travel through the heavens

The arrival of Fu Qingfeng and Fu Yuechi added a touch of cheerful vitality to the General's Mansion.

Although Gu Yueqing was a garrison general, and usually dignified and solemn, she rarely showed her lively and affectionate side as a girl in front of her two sisters who were as close as siblings.

Fang Muyi tactfully left some space and went to his study to browse the books in the mansion.

These books were mostly accumulated by the Gu family over generations, covering topics such as mountains and rivers, local customs, and supernatural tales. They also included military strategy texts and martial arts insights, which greatly helped him understand this world.

Two days passed in this way. On the morning of this day, Fu Qingfeng and Fu Yuechi practiced their swordsmanship and sparred in the courtyard as usual.

Their swordsmanship was light and agile, with flashes of sword light as fleeting as passing clouds.

The two moved gracefully, their swords moving with them, the clash of swords producing a clear and melodious sound.

Just then, Fang Muye and Gu Yueqing walked side by side.

Fu Qingfeng and Fu Yuechi immediately stopped their swordplay.

Seeing that Gu Yueqing had changed out of her casual clothes and was wearing a red battle robe with her long hair neatly tied up, Fu Qingfeng asked, "Is Sister going to the Zhenfu Division to handle official business today?"

For the first two days, there was nothing of great importance to do at the Zhenfu Division, so Gu Yueqing stayed at the mansion to keep the Fu sisters company.

Gu Yueqing nodded: "Yesterday, the Zhenfu Division received a report of a strange incident in the southern city. The division's captain has gone to investigate, but he has no clue. I need to go and take a look myself."

Fu Yuechi had just finished practicing her swordplay, her forehead slightly sweaty and her cheeks flushed. Upon hearing Gu Yueqing's words, curiosity immediately appeared in her eyes: "Sister Yueqing, what strange thing is it?"

Gu Yueqing slowly said, "There is a painter named Xu in the southern city. Strange things have been happening in his home these past few days. Every midnight, the beauty in his new painting disappears and then returns to the painting before dawn. What's even stranger is that the women in the painter's family say they heard a woman sighing softly in their dreams, and when they woke up, they found a strange hairpin on their pillow."

"The painter Xu was quite frightened and reported the case to the Zhenfu Division yesterday. General Zhao led people to examine it and found that there was indeed a faint eerie aura in the painting, but it was not strong. The hairpins were also examined and found to be ordinary items with no evil spirits."

Fu Yuechi's bright eyes lit up immediately. She tugged at Gu Yueqing's sleeve and said sweetly, "Sister Yueqing, it's boring to stay in the manor all the time. How about we go with you to take a look? I've never seen the Zhenfu Division handle a case before!"

Fu Qingfeng also showed interest, but did not speak, only looking at Gu Yueqing.

“Alright.” Gu Yueqing nodded, looked at Fang Muye, her eyes gentle: “If you have nothing else to do, husband, why don’t you come along too?”

Fang Muye readily agreed.

The four of them then arrived at the Xu residence in the southern part of the city.

The Xu family was a scholarly family. The house had white walls and black tiles, and the courtyard was elegant. Several clumps of green bamboo were planted in the courtyard, and there was an ancient well in the corner with moss on the well rim.

The painter, named Xu Wenyuan, was about forty years old. He had a thin face and should have been a handsome man, but at this moment his eyes were sunken, his face was ashen, and his eyes were bloodshot, which was obviously caused by days of worry and torment.

Upon seeing Gu Yueqing arrive in person, he hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply, his voice hoarse and trembling: "General Gu's presence is an honor to my humble abode. However... however, there are strange occurrences in my home that have disturbed you, General. I am truly terrified."

“Mr. Xu, there’s no need for such formality.” Gu Yueqing offered a helping hand, her tone calm yet authoritative: “Where is that painting now?”

“In…in the study.” The painter Xu replied, “Ever since the strange incident, I have not dared to be alone in the study. The painting is placed on the desk and covered with a yellow cloth.”

Gu Yueqing said, "Please lead the way, Mr. Xu."

"Yes, yes." Xu Wenyuan nodded repeatedly, leading everyone through the courtyard to the west wing study.

The study was quite spacious, with a large desk by the window, where the Four Treasures of the Study were neatly arranged. The bookshelves on both sides were full, mostly containing classics, histories, philosophical works, and painting manuals. The air was filled with a faint scent of ink and the unique smell of old paper.

Zhao Kuo and four officers from the Zhenfu Division were already waiting there. When they saw Gu Yueqing and Fang Muye arrive together, they immediately clasped their hands in a salute to the two of them.

Zhao Kuo stepped forward and reported in a low voice, "General, we have been keeping watch here all night. Around midnight, we did feel a fluctuation of yin energy, especially towards the west window, but we did not see the person in the painting make any unusual movements. That painting..."

He turned to the side and pointed to the desk.

Everyone's gaze followed, and they saw a painting spread out flat in the center of the large pear wood desk. It was not covered with a yellow cloth as Xu Wenyuan had said, so it was likely that Zhao Kuo and the others had uncovered it earlier.

The painting depicts a young woman, around sixteen years old, dressed in a light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with her hair loosely styled and adorned with a simple jade hairpin.

She leaned against the vermilion railing, holding a round fan, gazing up at the moon. Her appearance was graceful and beautiful, especially her eyes, which were like autumn water, full of affection and lifelike.

Fang Muye stared intently, his divine sense slightly expanding, and indeed he sensed a very faint yin energy swirling around the painting. However, this yin energy was pure and peaceful, without any sense of malevolence or evil.

Fu Yuechi couldn't help but lean closer, looking at it for a long time before muttering, "It's really well drawn, just like the real person. But why does this girl look a little melancholy?"

Fu Qingfeng stood beside her and said softly, "Look at the corners of her lips, they seem to be smiling, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. Her eyes hold a sorrow and longing that she can't shake off."

Gu Yueqing stretched out her slender hand and pressed it lightly on the painting. She closed her eyes and focused her mind to sense it carefully. After a moment, she opened her eyes: "There is indeed a wisp of spirituality attached to the painting, but this spirituality is pure and not a fierce ghost or evil spirit."

She turned to the anxious Xu Wenyuan: "Mr. Xu, when did you paint this picture? Are the figures in the painting imagined out of thin air, or are they based on something?"

The painter, Xu, smiled wryly: "To be honest, General, this painting was done half a month ago. The moonlight was exceptionally bright that day, and I was suddenly inspired. When I picked up my brush, it was as if I were divinely inspired, and I completed this 'Lady Gazing at the Moon' in just one hour. After finishing it, I was quite surprised myself, because..."

He paused, his voice lowering: "Because the woman in this painting looks exactly like my cousin who died ten years ago..."

"Cousin?" Gu Yueqing pressed.

Painter Xu sighed deeply, his eyes filled with reminiscence and sorrow: "Yes. When I was young, my family fell into poverty, and I lived with my aunt for several years. I grew up with my cousin Wan Niang, and we were very close. Later, I went to the capital to take the imperial examination, but Wan Niang fell ill with a sudden cold and died at the young age of sixteen... This matter is the deepest pain in my heart. I have kept it buried deep in my heart for many years and have never told anyone about it. I don't know why, but that night when I was painting, I painted her."

Fang Muye listened quietly, already having made his own guesses.

It is likely that this painter Xu fell ill from longing and was deeply obsessed with his work. When he was painting, his mind was in turmoil, and he unintentionally poured the emotions and regrets that had accumulated over the years into his brushstrokes. By chance, the painting was given a spiritual quality.

However, Xu Wenyuan was just an ordinary person. Even if he had a strong obsession, how could he so easily inject it into his paintings?

There must be a reason for this.