Almost every morning upon waking, Napoleon could feel his muscles becoming increasingly firm and his body growing heavier.
The price was that each meal required at least double what he used to eat, consisting entirely of rich meat and fish, plus daily expensive medicinal soups.
The cost of food alone would be enough to bankrupt an ordinary household.
Napoleon didn't delay, entering the city and proceeding directly to the Bonaparte estate with practiced ease.
The gatekeeper at the entrance immediately approached upon seeing him.
"Young Master has returned!"
"Mm." Napoleon responded casually and strode into the estate.
The atmosphere within felt strange.
But the servants and guards passing by all hurried over to greet him when they saw he had returned.
"Young Master has returned!!"
Someone shouted.
"Young Master! Young Master is back!!"
"It's the Young Master!"
Servants and maids came running out one after another. Their faces bore traces of joy, like people who had lost their compass suddenly finding salvation.
"Where is Father?"
"The Master requests you come immediately."
A maid hurried over to answer.
"Mm."
Napoleon removed his sword and slung it across his back.
He headed directly toward the inner courtyard.
The inner courtyard was quiet—unnaturally quiet, even somewhat desolate.
Some servants and guards appeared dispirited. Those nearby greeted him respectfully.
Those further away, not seeing him, continued their own conversations and chatter.
Voices drifted over on the wind from a distance.
"Last night, that woman's crying came from Sister Marjorie's room again..."
"I heard about it too. It sounded like it came from far away. A guard passed by but saw no one in the room, not even a shadow..."
"Oh my, stop talking about it. It's truly frightening."
"Could it be some female ghost?"
"Don't gossip carelessly! You'll get beaten for it."
As Napoleon crossed the stone bridge carrying his sword, he heard the estate's servants and maids chatting idly.
From these conversations, he learned that the Lotus Room in the rear courtyard where Sister Marjorie had lived had become the estate's greatest forbidden zone.
Without anyone's warning, no one dared approach it.
He fell silent, combining this with the letter's contents, his mood growing heavier.
Finally, what he had always feared had occurred.
This world was originally filled with dangers everywhere. Against various bizarre incidents, ordinary people had no power to resist.
What he had always dreaded was that someday what had happened to the Thornton family would suddenly befall the Bonaparte estate.
When that time came, what would he use to defend? What would he use to save himself?
What would he use to save his family in this life?
"Female ghost? I'd like to see what kind of female ghost can withstand my blade!" A fierce gleam flashed in his eyes as murderous intent arose in Napoleon's heart. He strode purposefully toward the inner courtyard's main hall.
He had accumulated strength for so long—wasn't it for precisely this moment?
Entering the main hall of the inner courtyard, Napoleon immediately saw Lord Marcus sitting in the main seat with a haggard expression. Beside him were Stepmother Margaret and the other ladies who had hurriedly gathered, plus all the other brothers, sisters, and various relatives.
For the first time outside of holidays, the entire extended family had assembled so completely.
Everyone saw Napoleon enter carrying his sword, his build now imposing and powerful.
Lord Marcus's face showed a trace of joy, but immediately revealed worry as well.
"Napoleon, you... sigh, you shouldn't have returned..."
"Father, speak plainly. What has happened? Sister Marjorie is dead?"
Napoleon didn't waste words, going straight to the point.
Recently, with daily sword practice and Shadow Force circulation, he still carried traces of fierce energy.
Seeing this, everyone remembered that Napoleon had previously killed two vicious wanted criminals—he was someone capable of killing murderers.
With this realization, everyone's previously panicked mood was somewhat relieved.
"Let me tell you about this." Stepmother Margaret sighed.
Napoleon found a seat on the right side.
"Please speak, Stepmother."
Margaret thought for a moment, organizing her thoughts.
"This matter begins with Sister Marjorie's sudden death some time ago."
She sighed again.
"That day, someone from Sister Marjorie's family came asking whether she had actually returned home. I said she had left early.
That person said the family had been waiting but never saw her, so they came to the estate to look for her."
"I was also puzzled and was about to send people to search when we immediately received news from the magistrate's office that Sister Marjorie had been found dead in an alley. She had been dead for several days, her body already stiff."
"Later, I paid for Sister Marjorie's funeral expenses.
But just two days after this incident, another person from the estate disappeared. I sent people to search and found another body in a river outside the city."
Margaret's face was full of worry as she spoke.
"From that day onward, the estate has lost one person daily. No matter how we investigate, we find nothing! Now it's been five days.
And every night, Sister Marjorie's former room, the Lotus Room, echoes with a woman's crying—faint and indistinct. When we go to investigate, we find no one.
That room originally housed five people. Of these five, three have now disappeared..."
By this point, Napoleon's expression had grown dark.
"What do the authorities say?"
"What can they say? They found nothing, made some excuse, and left."
Lucien couldn't help but interject, his voice full of indignation.
"I had your uncle send soldiers to guard at night, but it was useless. When there are many people, the sound doesn't appear. It only comes when few people are present." Lord Marcus shook his head.
"Where is Isabelle?" Napoleon suddenly noticed Isabelle wasn't present.
"She went to the Goldwin estate alone. They've also encountered problems." Lord Marcus said helplessly.
"The Goldwin family also has problems?"
Napoleon's heart tightened.
"Though not the same kind as ours. They encountered bandits who robbed their merchant caravan. That girl somehow got a lead, suspecting the bandits are connected to the Thornton family massacre. She went to investigate yesterday and hasn't returned."
Stepmother Margaret replied.
Napoleon snorted coldly.
"That girl becomes more disobedient by the day.
Additionally, even if this estate matter isn't some female ghost, a skilled martial artist with good lightness techniques could accomplish such things!
Where is Captain Garrett? What does he say?"
"Captain Garrett and several uncles were requisitioned by the magistrate's office to assist at a location outside the city. Speaking of which, they still haven't returned." Lord Marcus answered.
"So you're saying this person dared come to the estate and play ghost only while Captain Garrett and the others were away?"
Napoleon immediately characterized this as human-caused rather than supernatural.
Regardless of whether this was actually caused by demons or ghosts, it could only be treated as human-caused!
Otherwise, the great Bonaparte family might fall apart.
Lord Marcus immediately understood this logic and nodded in agreement.
"When you put it that way, it does seem very much like human work..."
"Sister Marjorie's Lotus Room has a woman crying at night, correct? Tonight I'll stay in that room. Let's see if anyone else disappears."
Napoleon announced his arrangement.
"But Napoleon..."
Lord Marcus wanted to say something, but Napoleon raised his hand to stop him.
"Father, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Napoleon said calmly.
Whether the opponent was ghost or human, since it feared crowds, they would surely find a way to resolve this.
If they couldn't overcome even this small obstacle, what would happen if they encountered the kind of ruthless character who could wipe out an entire family in one night like the Thornton case? Wouldn't they only be able to await slaughter?
"Napoleon... please be very careful..."
Margaret worried.
The others, however, looked relieved.
Since Napoleon, who had killed wanted criminals, said it was human-caused, it very likely was human-caused.
With Napoleon present, they believed the villain would certainly be caught.
Lucien, Tianyang, Yingying, and others immediately spread this news after the meeting dispersed.
Soon, by evening, everyone throughout the Bonaparte estate knew that Young Master Napoleon had returned and judged this matter to be human-caused!
He had even decided to spend the night guarding the Lotus Room.
When this news emerged, the entire estate breathed a collective sigh of relief.
These past days, the estate had been wound too tight, like a taut bowstring ready to snap.
For a moment, everyone felt much safer.
Although the crisis hadn't been resolved, the previous atmosphere of panic had been greatly alleviated.
At least with Young Master Napoleon standing in front, personally moving into the Lotus Room, if anything happened, he would certainly be the first to face it.
After thoroughly inquiring about the incident's sequence, Napoleon immediately had people prepare the bedding and furnishings in the Lotus Room—he would move in tonight.
The others tried to dissuade him for a while, but seeing he remained unmoved, they could only give up.
Napoleon had Petite return to his original bedroom while he alone took his sword and a pot of medicinal tea and entered the Lotus Room.
The Lotus Room, Lotus Leaf Room, and Lotus Root Room were three quarters where the estate's maids and servants lived, located adjacent to each other.
The Lotus Room was in the center.
Napoleon approached the Lotus Room carrying his sword. Both neighboring courtyards were empty—clearly evacuated due to fear of the midnight crying.
He pushed open the door to find the interior cleaned spotless, with bedding already arranged.
Food boxes sat on the stone table in the small courtyard.
Aside from this, not a soul was present.
The gray-white stone table still bore some pinkish traces, apparently from women's cosmetic powder that had spilled and left stains.
Napoleon glanced at the bedroom.
The bedroom and small courtyard were like two square boxes connected together. The bedroom was divided into five individual rooms arranged side by side, with a corridor at their entrance. Beyond the corridor was the small courtyard, which contained a well, with stone tables and benches arranged beside it.
Napoleon sat boldly by the well, opened the dark red food box, and arranged the small dishes inside one by one across the stone table.
Three dishes and a soup.
Plus steaming white rice.
Napoleon took up chopsticks and ate heartily.
The meal lasted nearly half an hour. He swept all the food clean before stopping and burping.
As evening gradually fell, Napoleon lit candles and lanterns himself, illuminating both the small courtyard and Sister Marjorie's bedroom.
The five bedrooms were arranged in a row. Sister Marjorie's room was innermost, with dim lighting, and outside sounds reached it only faintly.
After eating, Napoleon took his sword and walked along the corridor into the room.
The room contained a black wooden bed, a square table, and three chairs.
Besides these, there was a wardrobe and a dressing table.
Behind the dressing table was a window, currently half-open, revealing the dark alley outside.
Candlelight from the desk on the right side of the entrance illuminated most of the room, but by contrast made the half-open wooden window appear even more ominously black.
Napoleon walked over and leaned out the window to look.
Outside the wooden window lay an alley that faced directly toward one of the Bonaparte estate's side doors.
Looking out from the window, one could clearly see a straight small alley leading directly to the somewhat desolate white side door.