"Xiao Luo, go back to your room and get some rest. While you're at it, help me call Xiao Huan. I'll go to the county office with her. The authorities won't ignore this demon matter." Chen Xuan grabbed Chen Luo's hand and spoke.
Looking at Chen Xuan, Chen Luo sighed inwardly. The former Chen Luo had been a complete giant baby, hearing nothing of what happened outside and devoting himself wholeheartedly to reading the sages' books. Unfortunately, he had no talent. After studying for more than a decade, he had accomplished nothing, yet he still dreamed of comprehending the Dao one day and placing first in the imperial examinations. In name, he was the head of the family; in truth, he was a parasite. Chen Xuan had personally handled every matter, great or small, in the household. Thus, even though Chen Luo had summoned Zhong Kui, Chen Xuan still instinctively thought of him as the useless younger brother he had been and naturally would not assign him to report to the authorities.
"Sis, I'll go instead. You've worked hard all day too," Chen Luo replied. Chen Xuan was blind now, and even with Xiao Huan accompanying her, Chen Luo was still somewhat uneasy.
"You just woke up, and your body isn't recovered yet. Xiao Huan and I will be fine. Don't worry, nothing will happen to me!"
As Chen Xuan spoke, a startled cry suddenly rang out. "Miss, your eyes... Are your eyes blind?"
It turned out that Xiao Huan, the maid who had fainted earlier, had woken up at some point and hurried over. At that moment, she was staring fixedly at Chen Xuan's pale pupils.
Chen Luo felt the hand Chen Xuan had clasped around his tighten slightly!
After being exposed, Chen Xuan quickly regained her composure. Having realized how obvious the signs of her blindness were, she no longer tried to argue.
"In this state, it really wouldn't be convenient for me to show myself. How about this, Xiao Huan? Go call Uncle Ping and have him go to the authorities with Xiao Luo." While sending off the sobbing Xiao Huan, Chen Xuan gave her instructions. As for the fact that Chen Luo had not exposed her earlier, she did not mention it at all.
Chen Luo nodded. Uncle Ping's full name was Chen Ping, and he was the steward of Chen Manor. It was said that Chen Luo's adoptive father had once saved his life, after which he had entered Chen Manor. He was a rare loyal servant...
"Then it's settled." Chen Xuan swiftly set the matter in stone, then reminded him, "Xiao Luo, Magistrate Cai is fond of tea. There's a cake of Tanzhou 'Purple Dragon Gall' in the study. Take it with you when you go to the county office. Also, remember this carefully: the yamen runner at the county office is Advisor Li's nephew. We can't treat him coldly, but we can't be overly deferential either. Have Uncle Ping give him one tael of silver, no more. The person who comes out to lead you in will most likely be Advisor Li himself. Tell him that we have antiques from the previous dynasty and will invite him to examine them another day. Later, I'll arrange for someone to deliver that 'Jianhu Brush' to his outer residence..."
Listening to Chen Xuan ramble through her instructions, Chen Luo only then realized that even reporting a crime had so many hidden rules. It wasn't that one absolutely needed all these courtesies to report to the authorities. After all, the officials of the Great Xuan Dynasty were relatively upright. It was simply that Chen Xuan was desperate to have the authorities deal with the Tiger Demon and save Chen Manor from its life-and-death crisis. This "expedited handling" relied not on the authorities' duty, but on the personal favors of the officials.
Chen Luo carefully memorized everything Chen Xuan had said and supported her all the way back to her boudoir. At that moment, Xiao Huan ran over and said that Uncle Ping was already waiting in the study. Only then did Chen Luo bid Chen Xuan farewell, instruct Xiao Huan to take good care of her, and turn to leave for the study.
"Xiao Huan, do you think something has changed about Xiao Luo?" Chen Xuan only asked after hearing Chen Luo leave. She had vaguely sensed that Chen Luo was somewhat different from the arrogant, childish younger brother who had also kept her at arm's length. Yet this change held more closeness toward her, along with the feeling that he had grown up in an instant. She had no idea whether that was ultimately good or bad.
"Changed? He hasn't gained weight or lost weight, grown taller or shorter, gotten darker or fairer... There's nothing different about him!" Xiao Huan answered as she tidied the bed.
"I think you're the one who's completely heartless!" Chen Xuan scolded with a laugh.
"I think you're the heartless one, Miss. Your eyes have gone blind, and you're still worrying about Young Master Luo." Xiao Huan pouted and looked at Chen Xuan with some grievance. She had grown up alongside Chen Xuan, and the two were as close as sisters. With only the two of them in the room, Xiao Huan naturally had fewer scruples when speaking.
Chen Xuan was stunned for a moment, then sighed softly. Chen Luo only knew that "Silver Needle Soul Crossing" was a forbidden technique of the "Thirteen Needles of the Heavenly Gate," and that using it would cause one of the five senses to be lost. What he did not know was that Chen Xuan had not cultivated the complete "Thirteen Needles of the Heavenly Gate." After using "Silver Needle Soul Crossing," she was bound to lose her sight.
From the moment Chen Xuan inserted the first silver needle into her acupoint, she had already known the outcome. Yet she had still chosen to do it. Although she had not killed the Tamed ghost directly, she had delayed it until "Zhong Kui" appeared and ultimately destroyed it, so she was not particularly dejected now.
"The 'Soul-Stabilizing Jade' Xiao Luo mentioned was left behind by Father. It isn't damaged, which means Xiao Luo couldn't possibly have been possessed and had his soul attached by some powerful cultivator. He's still Xiao Luo. Father said that life-and-death situations are the best opportunities for comprehending the Dao. Perhaps after going through this, Xiao Luo finally came to his senses..." Chen Xuan thought to herself.
While Chen Xuan was reassuring herself, Chen Luo was conducting another identity test in the study.
"When Young Master was little, you knocked out one of this old servant's teeth. Do you remember how old you were?"
"Six. But I wasn't the one who knocked it out. You broke it when you fell while carrying me up Bowang Tower to protect me..."
"This old servant gave Young Master the first book of the classics you ever read. Do you remember what it was?"
"It was the Spring and Autumn Annals my father had copied out, but I couldn't read it. In a fit of anger, I tore it apart. You told Father a dog had bitten it..."
"This old servant has a sweetheart outside. Do you remember who it is?"
"Bullshit. Your sweetheart is Aunt Ma, our cook. I loved eating Aunt Ma's sugar cakes when I was little, so you abused your authority for personal gain and invited her into the manor as the cook. Fifteen or sixteen years have passed, and you still haven't gotten into Aunt Ma's bed. I'm ashamed of you!"
"Cough, cough..." The old man in front of Chen Luo choked on his own spittle. After coughing twice, he once again looked Chen Luo up and down with his murky old eyes. Then he suddenly let out a wail, rushed forward, and embraced Chen Luo. His voice thick with emotion, he cried, "Young Master, it really is you! Young Master... The Old Master truly protected you, allowing you to return from the dead... Young Master, this old servant has wronged you..."
The old man was naturally Chen Manor's steward, Chen Ping. Chen Luo had already recognized from that hoarse voice that he was the man who had splashed him with black dog's blood and ordered others to nail him with coffin nails. But seeing the old man crying so hard that he could barely catch his breath, Chen Luo could only comfort him first, lest another funeral be added to Chen Manor's troubles.
After roughly the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Chen Ping finally steadied his breathing. Sobbing intermittently, he listened to Chen Luo recount the entire story of the Tamed ghost harming people. He hurriedly wiped his tear-streaked face and said, "Miss was right. We should report this to the authorities. The servants in the manor have all been sent away by Miss. Only a dozen or so of our old tenant farmers are staying in the front courtyard. I'll go call a few strong men right now and have them escort Young Master to the authorities."
"Wait, Uncle Ping!" Chen Luo called out to stop him. "If we go to the authorities like this, we won't be able to answer anything when they question us. We'll only waste time for nothing. It would be best to investigate first and find a breakthrough."
"As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you can win a hundred battles without danger. This Tiger Demon manipulated a Tamed ghost to harm the Chen family, so it must have some grudge or connection with us. Uncle Ping, you're an old member of the Chen family. Think carefully: has our family ever offended a Tiger Demon somewhere?"
Chen Ping was stunned for a moment. He racked his brain and said, "Our Chen family has passed down the household through farming and study. How could we have offended any demon? The Old Master enjoyed traveling all over the realm when he was alive, but he had other identities when exterminating demons and subduing barbarians. It wouldn't have involved the family. This Tiger Demon..."
Suddenly, Chen Ping seemed to think of something. He slapped his thigh hard. "Could it be because of that matter..."
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