When Master Ouyang is about to burst a vessel, a bleary-eyed servant finally comes to the counter.

"Apologies honored guests, I'm afraid our humble establishment hasn't been getting many visitors lately."

He might as well have slapped Master Ouyang outright and be done with it

"Peiya village personally contacted us, requesting our assistance to handle their hungry ghost problem, and this is how we are welcomed?" A thick vein on Master Ouyang's temple throbs as he shouts at the poor servant.

Xi Zirui keeps his eyes fixed on that pulsating vein, wondering if it's going to burst, showering everyone in blood, or if Master Ouyang will qi-deviate first.

The servant bows profusely, his forehead almost knocking on the counter. "This humble one apologizes honored guest!"

Only when Master Ouyang stops shouting does the poor servant straighten back up, eyeing all the gathered disciples in mild panic.

"The truth is that this one doesn't understand why anyone would have called for help, everything is fine in Peiya village."

Xi Zirui gives the man an incredulous look, which several other disciples share.

A fine-boned young man says, "This place looks like a dump," the crassness of his words at odds with his elegant appearance.

"The entire village looks like it has been boarded up," says someone else, raising their voice above the other disciple's.

Master Ouyang shushes all the rowdy disciples, still looking to be on the verge of qi-deviation. "Yes, well, as the disciples have said, Peiya looks more in need of help than not."

The servant laughs self-consciously. "We are a poor village, please don't mind the disrepair."

Xi Zirui sees Master Ouyang mouth the words 'disrepair' to himself, his eyes wide as a fishes. "Someone called us here!" he bellows, his thin mustache trembling above his sweaty lip.

The servant bows again. "Maybe the honored guests can talk with the county magistrate, tomorrow." He looked down into the ledger in front of him, which is clearly empty. "As luck would have it, we have rooms available for everyone, providing two people room together."

Master Ouyang looks to be on the verge of complaining some more, but suddenly all the fight goes out of him. "Tomorrow," he echoes despiritedly, making a beeline for the stairs.

Han Yu wraps his fingers around Xi Zirui's wrist and pulls him in that direction as well. "Let's go gege, or we'll lose out on the best room."

"Can't have that," Xi Zirui says, deadpan.

---

They end up with the second best room, because Master Ouyang takes possession of the best one and loudly declares that he's not going to be sharing -- they can sort the sleeping arrangements between themselves.

Han Yu closes the door to their room in the face of a younger disciple who asks them if they have any space available.

Xi Zirui is almost impressed by his ruthlessness.

"Is that how a future sect leader should treat his juniors?"

"He'll survive."

Xi Zirui sits down on the straw bed with a huff, stretching his arms above his head to get rid of the tension on his shoulders from the long jurney.

Han Yu squats down in front of him, grinning sheepishly. "Get up gege, we have a mystery to solve."

Xi Zirui gives the bed he's sitting on a longing look. "Go ahead, I'll catch up."

Han Yu isn't fooled by his obvious strategy.

"Aren't you curious about why the servant is lying?" He tries to pull Xi Zirui up to his feet, who fights it and holds on to the straw mattress. "I don't even think he was lying, I think he believed everything he said."

Xi Zirui hums noncommittally.

"Isn't gege curious about all those people who left Peiya, talking about hungry ghosts? They were so distraught they poured out their hearts to the owner of a roadside inn. How can a servant of an establishment in Peiya itself not be aware of what is going on?"

Xi Zirui has considered all of that, he just doesn't care.

Not enough to forgo sleep at least.

Han Yu looks pleadingly into his face, his eyes shining.

Xi Zirui considers his options.

"I'll go, if you tell me more about what you saw your father do."

Han Yu's eyes glint in the gloom of the cramped room, lit only by a single candle and the wan moonlight coming in from the open window. "Is gege curious about me?"

"You have no idea," Xi Zirui says, finally getting up to his feet.

---

They have no issue sneaking out of the inn. There are very few servants around, and the other disciples are probably too tired to do much more than collapse into their bedding.

Only Han Yu zips through Peiya's narrow streets with a sort of manic glee, trying to catch a glimpse inside the quiet buildings, and almost vibrating with the thrill of the mystery.

Xi Zirui follows after him in extreme annoyance -- he feels more like a nanny to an extremely hyperactive child, than someone investigating a big conspiracy.

He gets through it by reminding himself that he needs all the dirt he can find on Han Chang and Heavenly Dragon sect.

After what feels like hours walking around aimlessly, they finally stumble upon a narrow house where a flicker of light shines through the cracks in the wooden paneling.

Han Yu knocks on the door. "Apologizing for the disturbance at such a late hour, we have important matters to discuss."

Xi Zirui doesn't expect the door to open, but against all odds it does.

A small child peeks out at them from the gap in the doorway. "Have you seen my mama?"

Han Yu drops to his knees in front of the child, his eyes wide. "Are you alone, little girl?"

The girl's hair looks messy and unkempt, her face is streaked with grime as if she hasn't bathed in a few days.

Xi Zirui thinks this girl hasn't seen her mother in a really long time.

The girl looks between the two of them anxiously, but finally nods. "A-Jiu is alone with Xiao Yi and Fang Fang."

Han Yu smiles at her. "Are those your siblings?"

The girl nods again.

"Can you let gege and gege's friend in? We can help you A-Jiu."

She pulls the door closed a fraction more. "Mother told A-Jiu not to open the door to strangers."

Han Yu tries to pacify her with some more platitudes, but Xi Zirui is running out of patience.

He looks down at the little girl. He recognizes the haunted look in her eyes -- like a cornered animal. It's a look Xi Zirui knows well.

"You must be hungry," he says, interrupting Han Yu's assurances that he's a nice person. "We can make food."

Moments later, the girl opens the door to let them into her house.

---

Han Yu is the first to walk in, Xi Zirui makes sure to close the door behind them. He doesn't know what's happening in this village yet, but it's best if no one overhears.

The house is small and cramped, with only two rooms. A-Jiu's two brothers are sitting down by the low table, just as dirty and unkempt as her. The youngest of the two can't be older than 3 years old, and is sucking on an old chicken bone almost desperately.

Han Yu looks at the scene in front of him in abject horror. "Were's your pantry?" he asks the little girl, just to have something to say.

She leads him into the adjacent room, and minutes later Xi Zirui hears the woosh of a fire starting.

He's a little surprised that Han Yu is actually going to make good on Xi Zirui's promise and cook for the children.

He has to admit their situation is beyond pitiful.

Xi Zirui doesn't feel much sympathy for humans, but the sorry state of the three kids puts his indifference to the test.

The little girl comes out of the kitchen, and starts trying to tug the chicken bone away from her youngest brother's mouth. He starts whining and she gives up. This must be a frequent struggle, Xi Zirui muses.

"How long since you've seen your parents?" Xi Zirui asks, sitting down by the table and leaning his cheek on his open palm.

The girl smooths her hand down the oldest boy's messy hair. "We haven't seen papa for a month. Mama was really worried about him, and she asked the neighbors and aunty Li for help, but no one did anything."

"Mama gone," the younger boy babbles, still gnawing on his chicken bone. "Mama gone."

The little girl hums, agreeing with the toddler's concise assessment. "Then mama went looking for him and she disappeared too."

"You've asked for help?"

Xi Zirui knows the answer before the little girl opens her mouth. He can tell by the defeated slump of her shoulders that any help she got wasn't enough.

"All the grown ups said I was imagining things, that they had seen mama and papa and they would be home later."

That sounds similar to the innkeeper's denial that something was amiss in Peiya.

"Where did your papa go, when he disappeared?"

"Papa went to the doctor's."