The depths of the cellar

"How would we servants know about these things?"

The young maidservant lowered her head and shook her head, fully understanding what should and shouldn't be said.

Li Lingsu got up from the bed, walked to the table, placed her hands on the surface, leaned forward, and looked down at the maid with an aggressive posture, a smirk playing on her lips:

"A little girl needs to be obedient and well-behaved to be liked."

Du Juan's face flushed red, and she lowered her head, not daring to look directly at Li Lingsu, and said weakly:

"I... I only know a little bit. Master, you have to promise not to tell anyone, or I'll be in big trouble."

His eyes were bright, like they held the stars; his features were handsome; and his demeanor was extraordinary. What young girl in the throes of first love could resist my irresistible charm!

Li Lingsu sighed, as if feeling lonely at the top.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

He smiled and made the promise.

"The young lady and the master have an excellent relationship, but the young lady doesn't seem willing to marry into the Huangfu family. She has pleaded with the master many times, and even went on a hunger strike for several days."

Chai Lan was unwilling to marry into the Huangfu family, and even went on a hunger strike in protest. Li Lingsu frowned, thinking to herself, "Why didn't Xing'er tell me this?"

"Then, what about the relationship between Miss and Chai Xian?" Li Lingsu asked thoughtfully.

"We're as close as siblings," Du Juan said.

"Is there, well, any romantic feeling between them?" Li Lingsu probed.

"How... how would I know?" Dujuan said, embarrassed.

He then inquired about the relationships among several key members of the Chai family. When he asked about the relationship between Chai Xing'er and Chai Jianyuan, Du Juan replied:

"My aunt and the head of the family had a falling out before."

Li Lingsu narrowed her eyes, remaining calm as she said, "Oh? Tell me in detail what happened."

Du Juan hesitated for a moment, then said:

"That happened many years ago. The former son-in-law's surname was Liu. The Liu family and the Chai family were old friends. Later, the Liu family fell into poverty, so the son-in-law married into the Chai family. Later, the son-in-law and the head of the family had an accident while traveling and did not come back alive."

"However, I heard that there seems to be more to the story behind the son-in-law's death, and that my aunt and the head of the family had a big argument."

She paused, then didn't continue.

At this point, things had already gone too far, and even a maid like her didn't know the specifics of what happened.

Is there something fishy about Xing'er's ex-husband's death? During the time I was with her, how come I never heard of this? Li Lingsu frowned slightly.

He quickly realized that no one would mention his aunt's ex-husband in front of him, her new lover.

"Thank you for informing me, Miss Azalea!"

Li Lingsu revealed a warm smile, comparable to a central air conditioner, which made the little maid feel comfortable all over in the cold winter, and her cheeks turned rosy.

After seeing the maid named Dujuan off, Li Lingsu returned to her room, collapsed onto the bed, and tried to grasp the truth of the matter amidst the chaotic fog of confusion.

Chai Lan doesn't want to marry into the Huangfu family. If I were Chai Xian, wouldn't it be better to just elope with her?

How did Xing'er's ex-husband die? It seems to be related to Chai Jianyuan? Otherwise, why would the two have such a big fight? Besides being the biggest beneficiary, she now has another motive for murder.

Li Lingsu sighed, sat up, and planned to go to the inn to tell Xu Qian the information she had gathered.

"Honestly, I can investigate this myself. Xu Qian may have high cultivation, but that doesn't mean he can solve cases. Who does he think he is, Xu Qi'an?"

Li Lingsu muttered to herself, but did not give up the idea of reporting the news to the old man.

The capital city, the Xu Residence.

In the inner room, where a charcoal fire was burning, my aunt was peeling an orange and said:

"When you go to the Prince's residence in a few days, you must be polite and behave well. Do not let the ladies and women of the Prince's residence look down on you, understand?"

As she spoke, she looked up, her gaze leaving the orange and turning to the little girl beside her who was eagerly waiting to eat it.

"I'm talking about you!"

The aunt said irritably, "All you do all day is eat, eat, eat. I'll send you to the Bureau of Astronomy to learn some skills sooner or later."

Today she wore a ruyao (a type of traditional Chinese jacket) embroidered with cloud patterns, paired with a dark-colored pleated long skirt. Her elegant hair was adorned with a jade hairpin and a gold hair ornament, making her look dignified and beautiful. At first glance, she had the air of a wealthy noblewoman.

Of course, those who know my aunt well know that she is all show and no substance.

"Great! That way I can play with Sister Caiwei."

Xu Lingyin, with her hair tied in a childlike bun, said happily.

What she really wanted to say was that Sister Caiwei had plenty of money and could always buy all sorts of delicious food.

But she is not the Xu Lingyin of the past anymore. Now, she is...

"Mom, how old am I now?"

Xu Lingyin asked loudly.

Her aunt ignored her and turned to Xu Lingyue, saying:

"But you can't let yourself be bullied, you know? In a high-ranking family like the Prince's Mansion, none of the ladies are easy to deal with. You're weak-willed, and you won't say a word if you're bullied."

"If you get bullied, go to Simu. Just be careful and know your limits, okay? By the way, the eldest and second young masters of the Prince's mansion are about the same age as Lingyin. Kids are the most troublesome; you can't reason with them. Don't let Lingyin hurt them."

Xu Lingyue hummed in agreement. "Yes, Mother."

Xu Erlang and Miss Wang are getting engaged, and the two families need to exchange some formalities. As the matriarch of the family, Auntie certainly can't just show up casually; it wouldn't be in keeping with her status.

Therefore, the interactions among the women were left to the sisters Lingyue and Lingyin.

But the aunt was worried. She was a remarkable woman who possessed both beauty and wisdom, but apart from giving birth to Erlang, who was somewhat successful, her other two daughters were rather disappointing.

Xu Lingyue is too weak; she's a soft-spoken, submissive girl. Xu Lingyin isn't very bright; she's a simple-minded, silly girl.

The aunt was afraid that if they went to the Prince's mansion, they would be bullied by the Wang family.

This isn't just Auntie worrying unnecessarily; a prestigious family like the Wang family has a strong sense of superiority. For Miss Wang to marry Erlang is entirely a step down. How much could the women of the Wang family possibly respect the Xu Household?

While they might not exactly give you a sour look, there will likely be plenty of subtle, veiled criticism.

Given Xu Lingyue's weak nature

"Well!"

Auntie sighed in exasperation.

She stopped thinking about these trivial matters and complained, "That Yang Qianhuan, he at least knew your eldest brother. I wrote to him, asking the Bureau of Astronomy to accept Lingyin as a disciple, but he hasn't given me a reply yet."

Xu Lingyue peeled an orange and said, "Mother, the Bureau of Astronomy has given us a reply. I received the letter yesterday, but I forgot to tell you."

My aunt's eyes lit up with surprise. "What did the Bureau of Astronomy say?"

Xu Lingyue said softly, "Senior Brother Yang said that Lingyin is exceptionally talented and cannot be taught by him. He introduced Lingyin to the Supervisor, but the Supervisor ignored him and even refused to let him go up to the Eight Trigrams Platform."

It turns out it's because Lingyin is exceptionally talented!

The aunt felt much better. After thinking about it, she decided to let her follow Lina in her cultivation for now.

Even now, Auntie has given up on the idea that a well-bred young lady should be raised from childhood, and looks forward to Erlang and Miss Wang getting married soon and having a granddaughter for her.

My own account is useless, so I can only hope that my son's alt account will be better.

Thinking of this, the aunt showed a hint of relief:

"Simu is talented and intelligent; although she is a girl, she is well-read. Erlang is also a promising scholar; their children will surely be intelligent."

As she spoke, she raised her hand, revealing a pair of emerald green bracelets on her slender, snow-white wrist.

"This bracelet was a gift from your father when I married him. He said it was passed down from your grandmother. Your mother-in-law passed away early and couldn't pass it on to her daughter-in-law herself, so she entrusted it to him so that he could give it to his wife when she got married."

The aunt reminisced about her youth and laughed, "From now on, I'll pass it on to Simu. Hmm, only one, the other one will be for Dalang's wife."

Wow, it's so beautiful.

Xu Lingyin stretched out her chubby little hand. "Mommy, let me see, let me see."

The aunt still doted on the young girl, taking off the bracelet and handing it to her, saying, "Be careful, don't break it."

As they were talking, Xu Pingzhi, carrying armor and with a long sword at his waist, entered the inner hall.

Xu Pingzhi is now the Imperial Saber Guard, a high-ranking and powerful figure who has become a rising star among the five guards in the capital. Although he does not hold a noble title, most nobles treat him with utmost respect.

The aunt sniffed the tangerines, frowned, and said, "Why did you buy green tangerines again? We have sweet ones at home."

"I've been craving sour foods lately."

With his nephew and son absent, Xu Pingzhi blatantly lied without batting an eye.

At that moment, he noticed the bracelet on the young girl Xu Lingyin's wrist and was startled:

"Why did you give her the family heirloom bracelet? What if it gets broken?"

Xu Lingyin raised her chubby little hand and boasted, "Dad, look! What do I look like?"

"Like what?"

Xu Pingzhi asked a question instinctively.

Xu Lingyin said in a crisp voice, "Doesn't it look like your mother?"

Xu Pingzhi glanced at her, silently put down his helmet, and picked up his scabbard.

Xu Lingyin's wails echoed throughout the Xu Residence.

Chai Mansion.

Li Lingsu left the room, crossed the courtyard, and saw that the young men of the mansion had serious expressions, each carrying a sword, guarding the entrances to the corridors and courtyards.

What happened?

He approached a member of the Chai family and asked.

A thief broke into the cellar last night.

The young man surnamed Chai said in a deep voice.

Li Lingsu was bewildered in the cellar, then heard another disciple beside her explain:

"The cellar is where the walkers are kept."

Among the side businesses of the Chai family was the corpse-driving service, and the cellar was used to store corpses. In addition, some corpses had other uses. For example, when a member of the Chai family came of age, he could take a walking corpse from the cellar to use as a puppet.

Collateral descendants can only receive ordinary corpses, while direct descendants can receive blood corpses, which have been refined by their predecessors and have at least the combat power of the Essence Refining Realm.

If one can refine a blood corpse into an iron corpse, then one will have truly mastered the art of corpse control.

The Iron Corpse's strength and defense are comparable to a sixth-grade Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm martial artist, but its combat power is weaker, after all, it lacks the Qi and the foresight of danger honed during the Spirit Refining Realm.

"Xu Qian said that Chai Xian broke into the cellar last night to look for Chai Lan's body. Chai Xian suspects that Chai Lan is dead."

Li Lingsu immediately changed her mind. Instead of rushing to find Xu Qian, she asked for the location of the cellar and then turned and left.

Before long, he arrived at the inner courtyard, a secluded courtyard.

He was blocked by more than a dozen disciples of the Chai family.

"Young Master Li, this is a forbidden area of the Chai residence; you cannot enter."

Li Lingsu frowned and said unhappily, "You dare to block the way for your son-in-law?"

He pushed through the crowd and strode into the courtyard.

The young men of the Chai family looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Descending the steps to the cellar, Li Lingsu immediately covered her nose. "It smells awful!"

Soon, he saw rows of corpses, like motionless sculptures.

"That old geezer Xu Qian must really like this place," Li Lingsu muttered.

He had spent some time with the Gu Clan in the Southern Frontier, so he knew what Virtue the Gu Masters of the Corpse Gu Clan were.

Li Lingsu tapped her brow, her pupils instantly dimmed, and her vision changed immediately. These corpses were not mere walking dead; their earth souls were tightly bound within their bodies.

Like stagnant water, completely silent.

But if they are awakened by the right methods, they will become painless and fearless warriors.

In the Gu tribes of the Southern Frontier, the Heart Gu tribe that controls beasts, the Corpse Gu tribe that manipulates corpses, and the Poison Gu tribe that uses poison invisibly have always been the most troublesome groups.

He strode inside, and after a quarter of an hour, he finally saw living people; several members of the Chai family were guarding a wooden door.

The wooden door was ajar, and candlelight shone through.

A cellar within a cellar? What's stored inside? Li Lingsu approached, only to be stopped again.

Who's outside?

Chai Xing'er's cool voice came from inside the wooden door.

"It's me," Li Lingsu said.

After a long silence inside the room, Chai Xing'er whispered, "Let him in."