After speaking with Manager Ding, Yuanshi returned to their room and relayed everything she had learned to Yuexi.
Ergu was already asleep by then, curled up under the blanket with one arm wrapped around the pillow.
Yuexi listened quietly, but the more Yuanshi spoke, the more uneasy her expression became.
"So…" Yuexi said slowly when she finished, "does that mean we're going to fail this mission already?"
Yuanshi leaned back in the chair and rubbed her forehead.
"I don't know," she admitted.
After a moment she straightened slightly.
"But for now, I have a plan."
Yuexi raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of plan?"
Yuanshi rested her elbow on the table.
"The manager said the Wei family is very elusive," she said thoughtfully. "But even if the family itself is hard to approach, the people around them won't be."
Yuexi frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Yuanshi smiled faintly.
"I mean the young ladies of high society."
She tapped her finger lightly against the table.
"I'll start by regularly visiting Tianshan Pavilion. If there's one thing in this world that never changes, it's that young misses love to gossip."
Yuexi looked skeptical.
"You think that will work?"
Yuanshi shrugged.
"I don't know yet."
Then she smiled slightly.
"But at least we have somewhere to start."
That night, neither sister slept very well.
The conversation about the Wei family lingered heavily in their minds.
By morning, however, they had already dressed and prepared to head to Tianshan Pavilion.
Yuanshi called for the same attendant who had looked after Ergu the previous day and asked her to watch him again.
She handed the girl another small payment.
"Please take good care of him," Yuanshi said gently.
The attendant nodded quickly.
"Of course, my lady."
Ergu, however, was not pleased.
"You're leaving again?" he complained, crossing his small arms.
Yuanshi crouched down and gently pinched his cheek.
"I promise we'll spend the whole evening together when I return."
He looked at her suspiciously for a moment before reluctantly nodding.
"Then you can't break your promise."
Yuanshi smiled.
"I won't."
---
When the sisters reached the inn's lobby, however, they were greeted by a loud commotion.
An old woman was screaming in the middle of the hall.
Her hair was disheveled and her clothes looked hastily thrown on, as if she had rushed there in panic.
She was clutching tightly onto Manager Ding's collar.
"Where is my Qing?!" she cried hysterically.
"My Qing came to work here yesterday! I didn't see her last night!"
Her voice trembled as she shook the manager's robe.
"She slept here overnight, didn't she? Call her out right now! Her mother is here!"
Several inn workers hurried forward and gently tried to pull the woman away.
"Auntie, please calm down," one of them said.
"Qing left before sunset yesterday. She should have returned home already. I saw her leave, and many others saw it too."
The woman froze.
Then suddenly she collapsed onto the floor.
"No… no… that's impossible," she sobbed.
"You're lying to me. Where is my Qing?!"
Her cries echoed painfully through the hall.
Manager Ding sighed heavily before gesturing to the workers.
"Take her outside and calm her down."
The workers carefully lifted the sobbing woman and carried her out of the inn.
Slowly, the lobby returned to its usual quiet.
Yuanshi watched the entire scene carefully.
After a moment, she approached Manager Ding.
She bowed politely.
"Good morning, Manager Ding. Thank you again for your help yesterday."
The man returned the gesture.
"It was nothing, my lady."
Yuanshi laughed lightly.
"You should stop calling me 'my lady.' I'm just the wife of a traveling merchant. There's nothing special about me."
She hesitated before asking gently,
"I hope everything is alright. I saw what happened earlier."
Manager Ding sighed and rubbed his temple.
"This sort of thing happens often in this city."
Yuanshi blinked.
"People have been going missing at night for years now," he explained quietly.
"That girl Qing worked here. Yesterday we made sure she left early in the afternoon, before sunset. But…"
He shook his head.
"It's unfortunate."
Yuanshi frowned slightly.
"We can't be certain of that yet, though."
Manager Ding looked at her seriously.
"Miss, take it from me."
"Anyone who disappears like this, especially someone like Qing who is very responsible, has most likely been taken… just like the others."
Yuanshi felt a chill run down her spine.
"Like the others?" she repeated.
"Has the government not done anything about this?"
Manager Ding gave a tired smile.
"That is a question I cannot answer, my lady."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then the manager glanced at her clothes.
"Are you heading out today?"
"Oh yes," Yuanshi replied. "I'll be visiting Tianshan Pavilion."
Understanding flashed across the manager's face.
"I see."
Then his tone grew slightly serious.
"I hope you enjoy your visit… but please do not stay out too long."
Yuanshi tilted her head.
"Why is that?"
Manager Ding lowered his voice.
"People tend to go missing if they remain outside after nightfall in Yanjing City."
He looked at her firmly.
"Make sure you return before sunset."
The sisters stepped out of the inn and called for a carriage.
As they waited by the roadside, Yuexi glanced back toward the busy street behind them.
"This city feels… ominous," she murmured quietly.
Yuanshi nodded in agreement, but before she could respond, her foot suddenly caught in the hem of her robe.
She stumbled forward with a small curse.
"Careful," Yuexi said quickly, grabbing her arm.
Yuanshi straightened with visible irritation and looked down at herself.
The outfit she was wearing consisted of several layers of silk robes. The inner garment clung tightly to her torso, while the outer robe flowed heavily down to her ankles in wide overlapping folds. A thick embroidered sash was wrapped tightly around her waist, holding the layers in place.
Every step made the fabric sway and drag around her legs.
She lifted the hem slightly and shook her head.
"These clothes are unbearable," she muttered.
"There are too many layers."
The long sleeves draped almost past her hands, forcing her to constantly pull them back whenever she tried to move properly. The heavy skirt brushed against her calves with every step, making her movements slower and more careful than she liked.
Even the sash around her waist felt restrictive, pressing tightly against her ribs whenever she bent or twisted.
Yuexi frowned slightly.
"These are perfectly normal clothes."
Yuanshi let out a frustrated sigh.
"Normal for who?"
She tried taking a few steps forward, but the long skirt wrapped around her ankles again, forcing her to shuffle awkwardly instead of walking naturally.
"And what's with these sleeves?" she added, lifting one dramatically. The silk fabric slid down like a curtain.
"How is anyone supposed to do anything in this?"
Yuexi gave her a strange look.
"You're acting as if you've never worn robes before."
Yuanshi hesitated for half a second before quickly brushing it off.
"I'm just saying they're impractical."
Even when she had lived on Earth, she had always preferred simple, comfortable clothing.
Jeans. T-shirts. Light jackets.
Nothing like this.
Here she had to worry about the hem catching under her feet, the sleeves dipping into things, and the sash squeezing her every time she moved too quickly.
Not to mention the hair ornaments.
She could feel the delicate pins and jade pieces tugging lightly at her scalp every time she turned her head too fast.
This is ridiculous.
She silently made a decision.
I'm making my own clothes later.
Something light. Simple. Easy to move in.
If she had to survive in this world—especially with missions like the one they'd been given—she needed clothing that wouldn't trip her every three steps.
Just then the carriage arrived.
The driver pulled the horse to a stop.
"Tianshan Pavilion?" he asked.
Yuanshi carefully gathered the heavy folds of her robe and climbed inside.
The carriage soon began rolling through the streets of Yanjing City.