The Twenty-First Chapter

Sounds of rustling came from the room. The maidservant standing guard outside the outer room sleepily opened her eyes. She saw the door open and a small figure walk out.

"Young master, what's wrong?" the maidservant fumbled for the tinderbox, intending to light a candle.

The figure remained still. As the maidservant walked over with the lit candle, she didn't have time to speak before seeing those dark, soulless eyes.

She only saw Zhao Wenqi slightly open his mouth and exhale a puff of black gas. Her scream died before it could escape her lips.

The maidservant collapsed to the ground with a thud, the extinguished candle rolling beside her.

Zhao Wenqi walked out of his room and headed towards Old Master Zhao and Old Madam Zhao's room. He pushed open the door with his small hand. The maidservant on night duty outside lay stiffly on the bed, showing no reaction.

The inner door was pushed open. The elders were light sleepers, and Old Madam Zhao heard the sound, asking, "Who is it?"

Old Madam Zhao craned her neck, peering at the person entering by the moonlight filtering through the window.

With such a small stature, who else could it be but her beloved grandson?

"Qier, is that you, Qier?"

Receiving no answer, Old Madam Zhao recalled what people used to say in their hometown: some children sleepwalk and shouldn't be woken, lest they lose their soul.

Anxiously, she patted Old Master Zhao, who was sleeping soundly beside her. "Old man, wake up quickly."

"Huh? What's wrong?" Old Master Zhao grunted, opening his eyes.

"Qier is sleepwalking. Hurry and light the candle, don't let the child bump into anything."

Old Master Zhao quickly got up to light the candle. Old Madam Zhao also nimbly got out of bed and went straight to Zhao Wenqi.

The moment she touched Zhao Wenqi's hand, an icy chill shot up her arm.

She heard the grandson she was holding laugh.

It was a strange laugh, sounding distinctly like a woman's.

Just then, the candle was lit, and Old Madam Zhao saw her grandson's face clearly.

The child's head was tilted back at an exaggerated angle, his eyes pitch black, his mouth split into a wide, eerie grin.

"This is bad, Qier's eyes are possessed by a ghost."

Old Madam Zhao had heard that children with light fortunes could be possessed by ghosts, causing their eyes to turn black. She'd heard that in such cases, one should whip them hard with a willow branch to drive out the ghost.

Old Madam Zhao's mind raced. She quickly said to the startled old man, "I'll watch the child. You go quickly and call for help, and have someone find a few willow branches."

"Alright." Old Master Zhao shuffled out in his slippers. Before his hand could touch the door, it slammed shut with a bang, sealing itself tightly in front of him.

"Mother really dotes on her grandson, doesn't she? When my son had a fever in the middle of the night, Mother could sleep soundly. Why is it different now?"

Hearing her grandson's childish voice turn into a woman's, and with such a familiar tone, Old Madam Zhao's heart turned cold, and her scalp tingled.

"Who... who are you?" Old Madam Zhao abruptly shook off Zhao Wenqi's hand and stumbled back several steps.

Lady Xiao Lin smiled and advanced on her step by step. "I've only been dead a few days, Mother. You don't recognize me so quickly?"

"Lin, Lady Lin?"

"Hehehe, I knew it. Mother must remember me. Just like me, even after death, I remember Mother and Father."

"Lady Lin, we can, we can talk," Old Madam Zhao said, glancing at Old Master Zhao by the door.

Old Master Zhao quietly picked up a vase placed by the door and walked towards Lady Xiao Lin.

"I've always wanted to have a good talk with Father and Mother..." Before Lady Xiao Lin could finish, Old Master Zhao smashed the vase down hard on her head.

However, Zhao Wenqi's body didn't move. His neck twisted backward at an exaggerated angle. "Father is truly heartless."

A wooden stool by the table suddenly flew up and smashed violently against Old Master Zhao's leg, once, twice, thrice...

Amidst Old Master Zhao's screams, his legs were crushed into pieces by the solid wooden stool.

Old Madam Zhao no longer dared to harbor any hope. Looking at her suffering husband, she knelt on the ground and pleaded, "Lady Lin, we wronged you. For the sake of how good Ming'er has been to you all these years, please spare us. What do you want? Paper money, incense, just say it, and I'll satisfy you."

"Hahahaha, he was good to me? If he were good to me, he wouldn't have caused my death, nor would he have colluded with you to deceive me for so many years."

The wooden stool that had been smashing at Old Master Zhao flew into Lady Xiao Lin's hand. Her current hands were too small to grip the stool's leg properly. She carried the stool towards Old Madam Zhao, who was kneeling and begging for mercy.

"When you and your good grandson laughed at my miserable death, did you ever think you'd die at his hands today?"

Saying this, the wooden stool smashed down hard on Old Madam Zhao.

"Ah—" Old Madam Zhao tried to dodge, but her limbs felt glued to the ground, making it impossible to escape. She could only watch as the stool came down.

The stool hit her hands and legs. Intense pain shot through her, so severe that she couldn't even cry out.

Lady Xiao Lin squatted in front of Old Madam Zhao. A naive smile spread across the young face. Using Zhao Wenqi's voice, she said, "Grandma, you love me so much, you'll forgive me, right?"

Old Madam Zhao's eyes widened. She watched as her once doted-upon grandson stood up and walked out of their room, even thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

Zhao Wenqi's body, carried by resentment, drifted towards Zhao Ming's study.

Tonight, Zhao Ming and Su Yao were still sleeping together.

Su Yao had a dream. She dreamed of Lady Xiao Lin, whom she had met in the Zhao Manor when she came to Shangjing to seek refuge with her aunt.

Her aunt had told her to stay in the manor and become a concubine to her cousin. She had been overjoyed.

Lady Xiao Lin's contemptuous gaze swept over her, as if looking at something filthy.

Lady Xiao Lin not only refused, but also kicked her, her uncle, and her aunt out of the Zhao Manor.

The bundle she brought was thrown on the ground, and her personal belongings inside were scattered everywhere. The people passing by seemed to be laughing at her.

Looking at her aunt, who was still yelling outside the manor, Su Yao vowed in her heart that she absolutely could not leave Shangjing like this. She had to stay!

Su Yao woke up and turned to look at the man sleeping beside her. Now, not only had she stayed in Shangjing, but she had also obtained everything Lady Xiao Lin possessed.

Her man belonged to her, and the position of matriarch of the Zhao family would be hers sooner or later.

Her son was useless, and her own son, in contrast to him, would become her cousin's favorite child.

It was so good.

In the next moment, a pair of cold little hands clasped Su Yao's neck.

The intense suffocation made Su Yao kick her legs while desperately scratching at the hands on her neck.

Zhao Ming was startled awake and, seeing his son strangling his cousin, quickly intervened.

As soon as his hand grasped the slender arm, he shivered from the icy touch.

Lady Xiao Lin did not choke Su Yao to death. Instead, she threw her to the ground just before she was almost suffocated.

The candle in the room flared up, but the candlelight was a strange green.

Zhao Ming looked at his son, who walked off the bed with stiff movements, and his heart chilled. He immediately realized something was wrong. After all, he had seen a lot, and at this moment, he could still calmly think: "Who are you? You can have anything you want."

"Of course, I want you all to die."

Lady Xiao Lin's voice came softly from Zhao Wenqi's mouth. Zhao Ming's expression was horrified: "Qiao Niang!"

Hadn't she been sealed in a coffin by Daoist Master Jingyun?

Daoist Master Jingyun had clearly said that once the soul was pinned, it could not escape, and it would suffer as if being burned by fierce fire every day. After more than ten years, it would dissipate.

Did someone release her?

No, he had always had people guarding Lady Xiao Lin's grave. Before tonight, no one had been to the graveyard.

Then how did she get out?

Su Yao also woke up. Hearing their conversation, she suddenly lunged at the small figure walking off the bed: "What did you do to my son? He's just a child. Let him go. If you have any grievances, come at me."

Lady Xiao Lin laughed. She loved this scene too much. Watching this woman, who was like a rat from a ditch, steal everything that belonged to her, look terrified and desperate, was so delightful.

"Don't worry, how could I harm such a young child? I certainly won't hurt him."

As Lady Xiao Lin spoke, she extended her hand, and a dagger flew into it.

"I've always had a question that no one has answered. Today, you can help me find the answer." Lady Xiao Lin came before Su Yao, looking at the woman whose face was filled with panic but still exuded charm.

"You say I caused you to lose a child. When did I ever do such a thing?"

Su Yao's eyes flickered, and she unconsciously looked at Zhao Ming, who was sitting on the couch, unable to move.

"I..."

Before she could think of an excuse, the dagger in Lady Xiao Lin's hand suddenly turned, and she fiercely slashed it across her face.

The deep wound looked like a smiling mouth.

"Ah--" Seeing the deep cut on her son's face, Su Yao screamed.

"I'll give you another chance. Answer me properly. When did I kill your child?"

"No, you didn't. I lied to my cousin. I deliberately aborted the child just to make him pity me," Su Yao replied shrilly.

Zhao Ming, who had been struggling, suddenly stopped. He looked at the woman, whose face was covered in tears from fear, in disbelief.

His resentment towards Lady Xiao Lin began with that aborted boy. Now he was being told that the child... wasn't aborted by her?

"So smart. An unborn child could exchange for everything you have today. No wonder the son you gave birth to is so likable," Lady Xiao Lin praised.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just didn't want to be sent back to my hometown."

"You won't go back to your hometown. Your dream will come true, and you'll stay in Shangjing until you die," Lady Xiao Lin said softly, comforting her. She then thrust the knife in her hand into Su Yao's lower abdomen and stirred it.

The stab wound was not fatal, it would just cause the woman who had been pampered for years a lot of pain.

Lady Xiao Lin lost interest in Su Yao and turned to look at Zhao Ming, who was bound by resentment.

"Husband, what about you? What did I do to you that made you want to take my life?"

Zhao Ming shook his head repeatedly: "Qiao Niang, this bitch misled me. I was deceived by her."

Lady Xiao Lin did not listen to Zhao Ming's sophistry. She walked to the bedside: "It wasn't deception. You were eager for me to disappear. You could even use our own son. Didn't you tell me this yourself?"

"No, no, I had my reasons. Listen to me explain."

"Alright, you speak. I'm listening." Lady Xiao Lin sat beside Zhao Ming, the dagger scraping against the side of his neck. "If you say the wrong thing, I'll cut off a piece of flesh from your body, just like this."

She used the dagger to shave off a piece of flesh from the side of Zhao Ming's neck.

Zhao Ming endured the pain, cold sweat streaming down his forehead: "I was forced. Xue Mingtang wanted you dead."

"Why?"

Zhao Ming swallowed, suddenly realizing that the truth might not make Lady Xiao Lin spare him either.

However, Lady Xiao Lin didn't give him a chance to regret. The second piece of meat was also sliced off.

Zhao Ming suddenly understood that he couldn't escape death tonight.

"Qiao Niang, for the sake of our marriage, I'll tell you everything. Just give me a quick end."

"Of course..."

"Because your elder brother was killed by Xue Mingtang. He wanted to enter the forbidden vault, so he got to know your elder brother through me. Then your elder brother was controlled by him, secretly opened the forbidden vault, and caused the Lin family to be exiled."

"So it was to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots."

"Yes... but I was forced."

Lady Xiao Lin reached out and touched Zhao Ming's face. "How could you have been forced? You're so clever. When you introduced my elder brother to Xue Mingtang, you must have foreseen this day. He must have promised you many benefits, right? To get promoted and become rich, and to get rid of me."

Although she had never truly seen through this man beside her, they had been together for nearly twenty years. How well did she know him?

"Wife, please."

Lady Xiao Lin sighed. "Husband, do you know how much I hurt that day you nailed me into the coffin? I begged you countless times to let me go, but you didn't. You ruthlessly forced me into a vengeful ghost. Everything today is the retribution you brought upon yourself."

Lady Xiao Lin put down the knife in her hand. The resentment emanating from her body transformed into countless sharp blades, scraping at Zhao Ming. Amidst his screams, she laughed uncontrollably.

As it was nearing the fifth watch, Lady Xiao Lin finally stopped. She lay down on the bed and left Zhao Wenqi's body. After she left, the boy's breathing was steady; he was still fast asleep.

She smiled at the child and floated out the door.

A wisp of green smoke rose from beneath her feet. Before disappearing from the Zhao Manor, Lady Xiao Lin kept looking in the direction of Zhao Wenyue's courtyard.

She was confined by the smoke and returned to the place she had visited before. The fox was still sitting on the stool.

In its claws, it held a yellow paper with writing on it, gently swaying it over three lit sticks of incense.

A Chan looked at Lady Xiao Lin, who had completely transformed into a vengeful ghost, and her voice was calm and gentle. "Aunt, have you taken your revenge?"

"Aunt? You're A Chan, no, who are you?"

A Chan replied, "The A Chan you knew is dead. Before she died, she lent me her name and her body."

Lady Xiao Lin murmured, "So that's how it is."

"It's almost dawn. Aunt, you should enter the underworld."

"Wait." Lady Xiao Lin suddenly called out to A Chan.

A Chan tilted her head and looked at her.

"Zhao Ming told me that Xue Mingtang controlled elder brother, used him to open the forbidden vault, and harmed the Lin clan. You... be careful in the future."

"Noted. Aunt, have a good journey." A Chan used the incense to light the paper with Lady Xiao Lin's birth date and time. The green smoke that had confined Lady Xiao Lin's ghost condensed into a vortex, completely swallowing her, who was full of resentment, until she vanished without a trace.

The yellow paper burned out in A Chan's hand. The flames climbed onto her claws, but there was no burning pain.

She closed her eyes. When she opened them, the three incense sticks in front of her were still burning. The yellow paper that had been pressed under the bowl had turned to ash and fallen to the ground.

She lifted her foot and rubbed at the ashes, leaving nothing visible.

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The sky had brightened.