Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Year after year, the flowers remain similar, yet every year, the people change!
When they set off from Luoyang, Xing Ruyi, Si Niang, and Lingzhang were still laughing and singing along the way. However, after last night's unexpected event, everyone fell silent.
The Fox drove the carriage with the Fox Demon towards Yun Family Village to find the White Maiden mentioned by Must Have. Chang Tai was driving to escort Si Niang and Lingzhang's remains back to Luoyang, while Yin Yuan went with Li Mao to handle matters concerning Lord Yun. According to Must Have, they needed to obtain the Ghost Dan from within Lord Yun's body.
The matter of obtaining the Ghost Dan did not worry the Fox; given Yin Yuan and Li Mao's cultivation levels, it was merely a matter of convenience. At present, his only concern was for the Fox Demon because he could not fully trust Must Have's words.
As they traveled halfway, Xing Ruyi, who had been unconscious for an entire night, finally stirred awake. Instinctively, she reached out to touch Lingzhang's remains beside her but only grasped a silk quilt. Looking up at the unfamiliar carriage ceiling, she hoarsely asked, "Where is Lingzhang?"
Hearing her voice, the Fox stopped the carriage and lifted the curtain to look inside. Seeing that the Fox Demon had awakened, he climbed in and helped her sit up while offering her some water before speaking. "Chang Tai has taken Si Niang and Lingzhang's remains back to Luoyang."
"Si Niang is awake?" Xing Ruyi moved slightly and realized her whole body ached terribly. Furrowing her brows, she asked, "What happened to me?"
"You fell ill; just rest a bit longer and you'll recover," the Fox replied. He checked her pulse and saw it was steady with her internal energy normal before he sighed in relief. "Si Niang woke up an hour earlier than you. Don't worry; she has seen much of the world and experienced similar life-and-death trials. Though she is saddened, she has accepted this reality. She asked me to tell you that Lingzhang's situation was an accident and you need not dwell on it; you should take care of yourself. As for her returning home with Lingzhang, it was her own decision. As a sister-in-law, she couldn't bear to see Lingzhang buried far from home; she wanted to send her back to rest beside her brother Lingzhang so that they could look after each other in Yellow Springs and the Underworld."
"Underworld?" Xing Ruyi suddenly thought of something and sat up abruptly, grabbing the Fox's sleeve. "Right! I can go to the Underworld to find Lingzhang; perhaps... perhaps..."
"There is no perhaps!" The Fox held onto the Fox Demon's hand firmly. "Lingzhang has no soul; all of her soul was devoured by that monster. The reason I didn't tell Si Niang this is that I couldn't bear to see her heartbroken. Fox Demon, you understand these things; please don't do anything foolish. With your current condition, you can't go down there at all."
"Why..." Xing Ruyi's eyes turned red. "Why did this happen?"
The Fox said nothing but gently patted Xing Ruyi's back before pulling her into an embrace.
Xing Ruyi leaned on the Fox's shoulder and cried heartily for a while before gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. "I want to kill him! I want him to pay for Lingzhang's death!"
"Don't worry; he will definitely pay for Lingzhang's death. However, you don't need to seek retribution personally; Yin Yuan has already done that for you. He is your son; you know his character well enough not to be disappointed."
"Yin Yuan?" Xing Ruyi looked up at the Fox.
"Don't worry, I've got Li Mao with us; nothing will happen."
Xing Ruyi nodded, still lying on the fox's back, her eyes red, revealing nothing of her thoughts. The fox remained calm, quietly accompanying her until she regained her composure and said, "This time, we need to go to Yun Family Village to find the White Maiden mentioned by Must Have. According to Unfounded, she should be your ancestor, just like me, from Qingqiu."
"What do we need to find her for? Are you asking me to recognize my roots?" Xing Ruyi asked, her eyes still red as she looked at the fox in confusion. "If she is from Qingqiu like you, doesn't that mean I also have a part of you all in me? Are you taking me to see her because there are social standings even among your people?"
"Fool, what are you thinking? Even if you have no connection to Qingqiu, you are still my destined wife, Yin Chensi." The fox sighed lightly and rubbed Fox Demon's hair. "The reason for seeking out the White Maiden is that there are still some matters to address. You don't need to worry about Si Niang. Your Brother Chang is a reliable person; knowing you would be concerned, he promised to write back in a few days. If you're still worried, you can write a letter to Si Niang and Chang Tai, and I will send someone to deliver it."
"I trust Brother Chang with his work; it's just this journey..."
"Rest assured, they will be fine. Those Evil Spirits are mostly targeting you and me." The fox thought for a moment and comforted Fox Demon: "I've already had Li Mao contact the Deer Lady. Based on the timing, she should meet them this afternoon. You know the abilities of the Deer Lady. With her along, ordinary Evil Spirits won't be able to harm them. Moreover, I've asked Lord Cui for secret protection; you can rest easy."
"Even Brother Cui has been involved; it seems I'll owe him another favor this time." Fox Demon adjusted her position and nestled into the fox's embrace. "Yin Chensi, how lucky I am to have met you!"
"You've got it wrong; it should be that you, Xing Ruyi, are unfortunate to have met me, Yin Chensi." The fox sighed again. "The journey is still long; you should lie down and rest for a while. If you're tired, sleep a bit more. When we arrive at Yun Family Village, I'll wake you."
Xing Ruyi softly hummed in agreement and obediently snuggled under the blanket.
The fox looked at her with satisfaction before returning outside the carriage. Seeing no one around, he used magic to urge the carriage forward swiftly.
Yun Family Village was about twenty miles away from Yun Family Village, but that was just a straight-line distance on the map. In reality, it would take longer to walk there. Like Yun Family Village, Yun Family Village was also located in a valley with only a few thousand residents but was exceptionally prosperous.
When they were still five miles away from Yun Family Village, the fox changed his appearance; now he looked like an ordinary middle-aged man. As he drove the carriage into town, they encountered a funeral procession coming their way.
Typically, when common people hold funerals, they carry a coffin; however, this family was an exception—they were carrying a large urn tightly bound with hemp ropes and covered with yellow talismans. A young man dressed as a Taoist priest led the procession, waving a peach wood sword while chanting something that sounded quite ridiculous—clearly a charlatan.
Behind the Taoist priest followed what appeared to be the deceased's family members. Normally, when a loved one passes away, even if not utterly devastated, there would at least be some signs of sorrow on their faces. Yet these individuals were peculiar; some looked fearful while others appeared indifferent or annoyed.
As the funeral procession passed by the fox, the leading Taoist priest glanced at him first and then smiled. The men carrying the large urn didn't laugh but had very strange expressions. Based on past experiences, the fox didn't think this was coincidental. He leaned down and asked a nearby onlooker—a bearded man—"What's going on here?"
"What else could it be? It's just the mess with the Hu Family!" The Bearded Man said, looking up at the fox and noticing a stranger's face. He smiled and said, "You look unfamiliar; you must be from out of town."
"Yes, I'm from out of town!" the fox replied, not engaging in any further small talk.
The Bearded Man was quite enthusiastic and didn't mind. He pointed to those carrying the coffin and said, "Since you're from out of town, it's no wonder you don't know about this family. Let me tell you, what's in that large urn is most likely the new concubine of the Hu Family. It's tragic; ever since Madam Hu hanged herself on the well's support beam, every woman who has entered the Hu Family, whether as a wife or a concubine, has met an untimely death. The Hu Family is worried about being haunted by a vengeful spirit, so they follow this priest's advice and use this large urn to bury the deceased. This method of burial is quite novel, which is why you see so many people in this town coming to watch."
After finishing his explanation, the Bearded Man leaned closer to the fox and put a hand over his mouth as if sharing a secret. "Let me tell you something else. This urn is already the seventh one that the Hu Family has carried out in the past six months. We are all counting when the eighth wife will enter and when she will be carried out. Tsk tsk, I really don't understand what those women are thinking. They clearly know that marrying into the Hu Family means death, yet they still rush in without a care for their lives. Truly, people die for wealth, and birds die for food."
The fox filtered through this information: the support beam by the well, hanging deaths, and now the seventh woman in half a year—all seemed to bear some resemblance to events in Shixia Village.
"Do you know why this Madam Hu hanged herself? If she hanged herself, why choose to do it by the well? Is it that the Hu Family only finds it convenient to hang themselves there?"
"If you're asking me that, how would I know? The Hu Family is indeed quite strange. In such a large courtyard, there are plenty of trees and beams around; yet every woman who marries into the Hu Family mysteriously chooses to hang herself on the well's support beam. I've heard that the Hu Family even had someone seal off that well and remove the support beam, but it was useless. Those Madams who died by hanging managed to set up their own beams before taking their lives. But these deaths only seem to affect those women who marry into the family; everyone else around them remains unharmed. So the Hu Family doesn't mind—after all, as long as it doesn't happen to them."
"What did the Hu Family do before?"
"The Hu Family!" The Bearded Man intentionally elongated his words. "Now that's another curious tale. There are two sons in the Hu Family: Hu Da and Hu Er. Hu Da is a rough man who used to work as an executioner at the yamen and was filled with resentment. Later, he made a mistake while executing someone due to drunkenness and was dismissed and imprisoned for several years. After being released, he started selling pork in this town. Hu Er is a scholar; he's the only educated person in our town but unfortunately has poor health and has been homebound for years. Later on, somehow both Hu Da and Hu Er learned a prescription for healing people and suddenly became prosperous. People from our town as well as neighboring towns came here for treatment, and within six months they became wealthy."
"So it seems that the Hu Family runs a medical clinic?" The fox asked, narrowing its eyes.
Comment 0 Comment Count