Is It You Who's Harming Me?

"This was no ordinary cloth doll, but a Yin Cloth Doll implanted with the Malevolent Nightmare Suppression Art. Keeping it in the home would bring misfortune upon the entire household—those with wealth would lose it, while those destined for long lives would die young.

"If triggered by Cocoon Force, the doll would 'come alive' and gnaw through people's organs. The fetus in Liu Fu's womb turned into a Monster Strain not only because Zhao Hu had slept with Liu Fu after being possessed, but chiefly because of this doll..."

With that, Xie Yu placed the Yin Cloth Doll on the ground.

Then Xie An witnessed an incomparably horrifying sight:

The Yin Cloth Doll, which had been utterly still, suddenly "came alive." It spread its tiny short legs and began hopping about, its mouth splitting open all the way to its ears. Its hands became exceptionally strong as well, directly tearing apart the blue bricks on the floor.

The moment the Yin Cloth Doll saw Xie An, it opened its savage maw and charged at him, looking ready to gnaw on someone...

"Wretched thing!"

Xie Yu gave a cold snort and directly slapped the Yin Cloth Doll back into a "dead object."

Xie An felt his limbs turn cold.

Zhao Hu was a Bone-Tempering Warrior!

Yet he had been gnawed to death by this thing without feeling a thing!

How could that not make one's heart tremble with fear?

He had thought Li Family Village's trouble was merely a case of possession. Who would have imagined it was also entangled with human malice?

But on reflection, it made perfect sense.

His father and Uncle Shui were both seasoned hands of the martial world, yet even their two attempts to arrange the aftermath had failed.

If it had merely been some ordinary evil spirit causing trouble, things could never have become this absurd.

Very quickly, Xie An thought of another question. "Zhao Hu had his chest cut open and his organs dug out the moment he woke from his dream. Could the Nightmare Suppression Technique truly coordinate so seamlessly?"

Xie Yu said, "The Cocoon Force within this Yin Cloth Doll shares the same origin as the Cocoon Force in Li Family Village. Naturally, they can be coordinated and mobilized together."

Xie Yu tucked the Yin Cloth Doll into her sleeve, then turned to Uncle Shui. "Uncle Shui, have the guards outside withdrawn. Let everything remain as it was, and do not speak of this to outsiders. Let us first return to the West Courtyard of the Xie Residence and find the Yin Cloth Doll in Young Master Mingxi's room."

Xie An was greatly startled. "There's a Yin Cloth Doll in my room too?"

Xie Yu nodded heavily. "If this poor Daoist's deduction is correct, there should be an identical Yin Cloth Doll in Young Master Mingxi's room as well. When Young Master Mingxi has his third nightmare, the Cocoon Force will trigger the Yin Cloth Doll to act in synchrony and rip out your organs!"

Xie An's face instantly went deathly pale.

The four of them arrived at the Xie Residence and headed straight for the West Courtyard.

Chen Mo and Li Dao, who had been waiting in the sitting room, both rose to greet Xie An and the others upon seeing them return.

Without saying a word, Xie Yu entered Xie An's bedroom and began searching.

In the end, she pulled out an identical Yin Cloth Doll from a corner beneath the bed.

It was the size of two infant fists, with a mouth drawn in cinnabar and scarlet eyes... as though it were smiling.

Xie Yu spoke. "Fortunately, Young Master Mingxi was quick-witted and discovered Zhao Hu's problem in time. Had this been delayed for a few more days, when the third nightmare descended... Young Master Mingxi likely would not have escaped this deathly calamity."

Xie An felt a chill run from the top of his head down to his heels.

If he had not possessed Qi-Gazing, if Zhao Hu had not told the truth... Uncle Shui and his father would not have invited this High Person, and they would have been unable to uncover the truth behind the Yin Cloth Doll...

Once the nightmare came, the consequences would have been simply unthinkable.

Since transmigrating, Xie An had asked himself... he had always conducted himself properly, and had even accumulated virtue by doing good deeds from time to time.

He had never offended anyone.

Which bastard was trying to harm me?!

Damn it!

A frigid killing intent had long since appeared in Uncle Shui's eyes. "I do not know who is targeting the Xie Residence, but what monstrous audacity!"

Xie Zhengtang forcibly suppressed his fury and patted Xie An's shoulder. "Mingxi, you were badly frightened today. Stay in the West Courtyard and rest well. Leave the rest to your father."

After saying that, Xie Zhengtang flicked his sleeve and departed. Uncle Shui consoled Xie An for a few words before leaving as well.

As for Daoist Master Yusu, she gave Xie An an appreciative once-over before following them out.

Before Xie Zhengtang had even passed through the hanging flower gate, he bellowed in a towering rage, "Investigate! Investigate this to the bitter end!"

Xie An sat in a grandmaster's chair in the main sitting room of the West Courtyard, goosebumps rising all over his body.

Today had truly been far too dangerous!

A single thought had saved his life.

If he had not possessed Qi-Gazing, if he had not gone to see Zhao Hu, if his father had not invited Daoist Master Yusu... he would likely have become a cold corpse.

Possession was merely the surface; human malice was the core... someone wanted to harm him!

This world truly gave him no sense of security at all.

In the end, he was still too weak.

Xie An suppressed the terror in his heart and immediately made plans for what he needed to do next.

First, he had to intensify his martial training and strive to enter the Dark Force realm as soon as possible.

Second, Daoist Master Yusu possessed strange arts and surely knew methods for dealing with ghosts and evil spirits. Later, he would ask his father to plead on his behalf and see whether he could learn some skills from Daoist Master Yusu for handling such things.

Those were matters for later. The most urgent task was to dig out the person who had framed him with the Yin Cloth Doll, then hack them to death with a thousand blades!

Until that person was removed, he would never be able to sleep peacefully.

With that thought, Xie An's gaze swept across Chen Mo, Li Dao, and Qiu Lan, who stood before him.

Xie An fixed Qiu Lan with a hard stare. "Qiu Lan, who has come to my bedroom before?"

Though Qiu Lan did not know the full story, after witnessing what had just happened, she had roughly guessed that someone had used the doll to frame her young master.

Qiu Lan immediately panicked. "Young Master, it wasn't me..."

Xie An said, "I'm not suspecting you. Don't be nervous."

If Qiu Lan had wanted to harm him, the original owner would have died eight hundred times over...

Only then did Qiu Lan clutch her chest and catch her breath. "I never let other maids or servants approach Young Master's bedroom. Oh, right... a month ago, when Manager Zhou Yun from the grain shop came looking for Young Master, Young Master was not in the West Courtyard. I invited Manager Zhou to have tea in the sitting room, then ran to the training grounds to notify Young Master... he is the only person who might have entered Young Master's bedroom."

Xie An's heart immediately skipped a beat.

The reason he and Zhao Hu had gone to Li Family Village to investigate the tenant farmers fleeing the village had begun with Zhou Yun's report.

Combined with Qiu Lan's account, Zhou Yun became highly suspicious.

It was you who was harming me!

"Has anything unusual happened in Zhou Yun's household recently?"

Tilting her head, Qiu Lan said, "Nothing much... oh, right. A month ago, Zhou Yun's first wife died. He then married the adopted daughter of the registrar lord. I can't remember her name, but she had an exceptionally pleasant operatic voice. Still, Manager Zhou did not seem very happy about it."

He had remarried the adopted daughter of the registrar lord?

Given Zhou Yun's status, he should never have been able to reach so high.

But when Xie An thought of the miserable fate of Zhao Hu and his wife, hatred surged in his heart.

He even wanted to take Chen Mo and Li Dao straight to Zhou Yun's home that very night and cut him down.

But then he reconsidered.

If someone stood behind Zhou Yun and was directing him, acting now would inevitably be somewhat rash.

He knew too little about Zhou Yun. It would be safer to discuss the matter with his father and Uncle Shui first.

With that thought, Xie An stood up, his gaze sweeping over Chen Mo and Li Dao. "Wait here. Without my approval, neither of you may leave the Xie Residence!"

With that, Xie An strode out.