I shot back in disbelief, "Framing her? An old woman like that?" Geng Wei nodded, firm in his conviction. "Yes.

Though, Madam Ma isn't just any ordinary person. Perhaps only our generation truly understands this. Minghao and the others, they wouldn't grasp it at all...

Hearing Expert Xu just now, I think this matter might actually be connected to her." He glanced at us, waiting for a response. Old Li looked at Geng Wei, considering his words. "The Tang family's reputation and standing in this area don't seem particularly significant, do they?" Geng Wei nodded without hesitation.

"They were just an ordinary family, not ones to stir up trouble or make enemies. It shouldn't have escalated to this extent." Upon hearing this, Old Li habitually frowned and looked toward me, seeking my opinion. I harbored a persistent sense of unease, but I dared not dwell on it, nor did I dare to speak rashly.

I could only shake my head, feigning ignorance. Xu Zhiwu asked Geng Wei, "Then that shell on Tang Mingsheng—have you seen anything like it before? I suspect there's a lot hidden within that layer." Yet, what exactly that 'lot' was, he stammered for a long time but couldn't articulate.

The thing I feared most was the issue of that white shell. The imagery genuinely echoed certain monsters glimpsed beneath the ruins of the Guge Kingdom. This horrifying notion had been recurring in my mind since I first saw Tang Mingsheng's corpse.

I kept silent, partly to avoid inciting panic in Old Li and the others, and partly for fear they would dismiss me as paranoid—after all, this was Yuxi, Yunnan, not Zhaburang Village in Tibet. After agonizing over it internally for a while longer, I still couldn't bring myself to voice the thought. Geng Wei took a moment before picking up on Xu Zhiwu’s thread.

"That kind of shell… I heard my elders mention it when I was very young. But it was always told as a folk tale, and I don't recall the details clearly." Xu Zhiwu, being a folklore expert, inherently knew what seemingly ordinary, ancient tales meant to a genuine researcher. He eagerly urged Geng Wei to recount the story.

Geng Wei looked at Xu Zhiwu with some confusion, probably thinking everyone was already busy enough, and time was short—how could he have the leisure for stories! However, given Xu Zhiwu’s title as an "Expert," and his provenance from Beijing, Geng Wei hesitated slightly before giving us a rough outline of the tale his father had told him: Legend claimed that whenever the Great King Fish of Fuxian Lake appeared, it would take several strong, capable swimmers down to its underwater Dragon Palace to serve it. Around the 1930s, when the King Fish surfaced, it took nearly twenty local fishermen skilled in watercraft.

Later, someone accidentally diving deep into the lake claimed to have seen figures covered entirely in white shells patrolling the depths… That was the gist of it. Geng Wei narrated it briefly, likely lacking the heart to indulge in gossip. Xu Zhiwu’s eyes darted around a few times, then he dropped the subject, pivoting to a new query: "Then what about Madam Ma’s stories and background you mentioned?" Geng Wei replied, "It's said that Madam Ma wasn't originally from around here.

Her father fled some other place—it sounded like a remote mountain village in Tibet—and eventually settled here by marrying into a local family, which is how Madam Ma came to be. Speaking of which, Madam Ma is quite an eccentric figure." Just as he was about to elaborate, the three of us interrupted him in unison, "Tibet?" The words were barely out before we couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances. Tibet—a remote mountain village—God grant this has nothing to do with Zhuoma Yangjin!

Noticing our unusual reaction, Geng Wei quickly asked, "Did I say something wrong?" I shook my head, striving for composure. "Nothing at all. We all happen to be from Tibet, so it just seemed like a coincidence." Geng Wei let out an "Oh," unconcerned.

"Yunnan has many Tibetan people; it’s not a big deal." Hearing the word "Tibetan" again made my heart leap, though I prayed I was overthinking things. Geng Wei continued, "When Madam Ma was young, she frequently made pilgrimages to Lhasa in Tibet. Extremely often.

You have to understand, given the standard of living back then, ordinary families struggled just to afford food; how could they have spare money for pilgrimages? Even if they did go, once in a lifetime would suffice. But her trips were as effortless as eating or drinking water.

Because of this, she became quite famous among the Tibetan community in Yunnan. If you ask any slightly older Yunnan Tibetan person about it, they’ll know. Also, it seems Madam Ma has a Tibetan name too, something like… Cangjue, I think.

Though I doubt anyone remembers that now." My intuition screamed that based solely on Geng Wei's account, Madam Ma was far from a simple character. But unfortunately, Geng Wei’s knowledge ended there, and no further useful threads could be pulled from the conversation. The Tang family had excellent community ties.

With the two main male figures of the household dead or gravely ill, many neighbors spontaneously came to help. Among these helpers, I spotted that delicately featured young girl—the one Geng Wei couldn't recall the name of. She was remarkably bold, maneuvering through the crowd to view the deceased's remains, yet she looked around constantly, utterly unconcerned.

I nudged Old Li to look at the girl. Old Li replied with distaste, "Such disrespect for the dead. Even if she isn't grieving, she shouldn't be staring around like she’s at a sideshow." Geng Wei, who had been deep in conversation with Xu Zhiwu, turned when he heard our comments to see what the fuss was about.

Geng Wei stared at the girl for a long moment, then pulled out his phone to call. "Hello… yes, it’s me… I need to ask you something. That young girl who came with you that day—what was her name again?… What!

You don't know? And you were acting so familiar with her! Fine, fine, I’ll ask Xiao Liu; he should know?" Whatever was said on the other end prompted Geng Wei to explode in sudden fury, cursing, "Did you two grow up eating grass!

Are you messing with me? Two grown men… being treated like monkeys!" With a sharp snap, he hung up, his residual anger simmering. "What utter fools!" I grasped the essence of it: his apprentice claimed not to know the girl or her name, which was the source of Geng Wei's rage.

Did that mean the girl herself was also suspicious? I looked back at the girl. She stood before the coffin, gazing at the body inside for a long, unbroken time.

Most people wouldn't dare look, yet she stood there, completely absorbed. Old Li volunteered, "I’ll go see what’s happening. I can handle minor back-alley sorcery, at least." With that, he turned and clomped downstairs.

Apparently, he suspected the girl was some kind of witch. Old Li walked straight up to the girl, who paid him no mind, still scanning the area. After a moment, Old Li grew impatient, said something to her, and gestured toward Geng Wei upstairs.

Geng Wei immediately responded with a warmly inviting smile, playing along. The girl hesitated, seeming tempted to leave. But Old Li subtly turned his body, blocking her path, and continued speaking to her with persistent warmth.

After a while, the girl tried to leave several times, only to be gently restrained by Old Li each time. Finally, she gave a helpless glance up at the three of us, then followed Old Li upstairs. As soon as she arrived, Geng Wei greeted her with a beaming smile, calling her "Disciple" first.

The girl immediately responded obediently, "Master." She asked what Master was busy with and if there was anything her disciple could handle. At first glance, she seemed perfectly legitimate. Geng Wei didn't interrupt her; only after she finished her courteous formalities did he adopt an expression of sudden realization.

"Wait, I remember clearly now. I haven't taken any female disciples recently…" The girl maintained her smile, but her face cycled rapidly between red and pale, stammering, "That… Master, you… you…" Her expression alone confirmed Geng Wei’s assertion. Geng Wei’s face immediately hardened into a cold sneer.

"You’re a young lady, and I don't wish to make things difficult. But the situation is what it is; everyone here knows exactly who you are. I won't press you on anything else, except this: why did you sneak around me and stare at the corpse by the coffin for so long?

Tell me that clearly, and I’ll pretend nothing happened, and you can leave the Tang residence unharmed." He made sure to emphasize the words "unharmed." The rest of us stared at the girl, awaiting an explanation. She clearly hadn't faced such scrutiny before; her lips began to tremble, and her eyes darted repeatedly toward the continuous stream of people downstairs. It was unclear if she was looking for reinforcements or what.

She remained silent, and we remained silent, just watching her. After a tense stalemate, she finally broke. "I came here looking for someone." Geng Wei kept staring at her, coldly and without a word.

The girl bit her lip, then added, "I was hoping to find an old woman. I don't know if she would come. I've been looking for her for many years… She… she is my grandmother." Geng Wei scoffed.

"That's very strange. You're looking for your own grandmother, and you choose a wake like this to find her?" The girl bit her lip tightly, glanced at the four of us, and buried her head deeply, refusing to speak further. However, from my angle, I could see her eyes were still flicking downwards toward the crowd; it seemed she truly was searching for someone.

Xu Zhiwu suddenly interjected coldly, "Perhaps she isn't your grandmother, but an enemy?" At these words, the girl snapped her head up to look at him, her expression asking, How did you know? Xu Zhiwu cleared his throat deeply, said nothing, and looked back at Geng Wei. Geng Wei, being exceptionally sharp, immediately understood.

He then said, "The person you’re looking for—is she an old woman whose surname is Ma?" The girl’s mouth hung open in astonishment, forgetting to close it. "How did you know?" she asked, dragging out the words dramatically. "If I didn't even know such trivial nonsense, would I still be a water ghost muddying the waters of Fuxian Lake?" Geng Wei dismissed her with contempt.

"So, whether you tell the truth or not is up to you." The girl's expression instantly darkened. Reluctantly, she conceded, "Since you know that much, then… then… I will tell you the truth… but you must help me watch out for Madam Ma’s arrival."