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墨書 Inktalez
In this world, ghosts are not the most terrifying things; the most frightening is the human heart.
Since arriving in the Golden Tang Dynasty, Xing Ruyi has witnessed many cruel acts, but sealing a living person in a clay statue to be worshipped as a Buddha is the most shocking thing she has encountered. However, looking at A Niu's expression, she does not seem to be lying. She silently sighs and plans to inquire about the temple of the goddess when she reaches A Niu's home. If there truly is a poor soul trapped in that temple, then the beggar's words, "In front of the Bodhisattva, stripping off the Bodhisattva's clothes," would make sense. With this thought in mind, Xing Ruyi asks A Niu another question.
"Have you heard about the recent murder case of Zhu that has been causing such a stir?"
A Niu nods. "I've heard about it. The body was buried near my home. Oh no, it should be near the goddess temple. My house isn't far from there, so when the Government Office personnel went to dig up the body, my mother and I were also there."
"You were at the scene?"
A Niu nods again. "My mother and I were called by the Government Office for questioning."
"What did they ask?"
A Niu's expression becomes somewhat unnatural. "The Government Office initially suspected that I was the murderer, but when they saw my hands were afflicted with disease, they dismissed me as a suspect. They asked where my mother and I were at the time of the incident and if there were any witnesses."
"Zhu was murdered at night; at that time, you and your mother must have been at home. Where else could you go? You and your mother rely on each other and live in such a remote place; aside from being witnesses for each other, who else could testify?"
Xing Ruyi continues, lifting the curtain to look outside. Since leaving Yun Family Village, the road has become increasingly bumpy. All around are bare trees and rolling hills typical of winter.
"Madam, aside from my mother and me, we truly cannot find anyone else to testify for us. Fortunately, my mother is blind, and my hands have become like this; otherwise, I would be the one waiting in prison for execution today."
"Hmm?" A Niu's words raise a hint of doubt in Xing Ruyi's mind. "From what you said, it seems you know that beggar is not the murderer but is wrongfully accused?"
"No! No! A Niu did not mean that. Whether the beggar is guilty depends entirely on the judgment of the officials from the Government Office; how could A Niu dare to speculate?" A Niu hurriedly waves her hands. "A Niu only recognizes the clothing worn by the beggar. That clothing does not belong to the deceased Zhu but is worn by the goddess."
"The goddess? The one from the temple!"
A Niu's words confirm Xing Ruyi's earlier suspicion. The beggar's clothing indeed came from the goddess, which explains his cryptic statement during his madness: "In front of the Bodhisattva, stripping off the Bodhisattva's clothes."
"My mother always thinks about that goddess; she is a poor soul but also a good person. So every once in a while, she goes to see her. Our family is poor and has nothing to offer for worship, but my mother always goes to talk with that goddess and tidies up the temple a bit. I… I have seen my mother cry secretly, so I pondered that she might know this goddess personally. But since she doesn't take the initiative to mention it, I also don't dare to ask.
Later on, my mother developed an eye disease and gradually lost her sight; it became inconvenient for her to visit the goddess temple, which is why she went less often. However, I am familiar with every blade of grass and every object in that temple. The outer garment worn by the beggar originally belonged to the goddess. That garment is made of very fine material; my mother made it for someone deceased."
"Is it for the living to perform for the dead?"
"Indeed, it is. To seal a living person inside a clay figure and then perform rituals, dressing them in fine clothes, is merely for psychological comfort—both for oneself and for those who are still alive."
"Do you know how this lady was sealed inside the clay figure?"
"To be honest, I don't know the specifics," A Niu shook his head. "Earlier, I was solely focused on passing my exams and didn't pay much attention to anything else aside from Ding Ding's matters. I didn't really keep track of what was happening outside. I had heard a few things about the lady's temple before, but I didn't take them to heart. If you want to know more, when we get to my house later, you can ask my mother; she should know. It's just that I'm not sure if she would be willing to share. I have a feeling she knows this lady."
A Niu thought for a moment, then suddenly added, "My mother and I are not biologically related."
"What?"
A Niu's sudden revelation surprised Xing Ruyi. She looked up into A Niu's eyes, and he shyly lowered his gaze again.
"Actually, it's not really a secret; many people in Yun Family Village know about it." A Niu pinched his left hand's fingers with his right hand, a gesture he often made when nervous. "Previously, I mentioned that my home was next to Ding Ding's."
Xing Ruyi understood now why A Niu felt the need to clarify this. Living in such a remote area with Old Mother, he might be the only household within several miles. If she arrived later and saw a solitary house, she would surely recall A Niu's earlier words and think that he and Ding Ding were neighbors and childhood friends—a lie. Coupled with the matter of the lady's temple, it made sense why A Niu felt compelled to explain.
"A Niu initially lived in Yun Family Village; the old residence is where the Hu Family currently resides."
"The Hu Family's residence?" Xing Ruyi had visited the Hu Family several times and had some impression of their house. It seemed to have been renovated later since there were signs of repairs in the inner courtyard, especially in the areas where Hu Da and Hu Er lived; not only did they have different styles, but even the materials used for construction were different.
"It wasn't the entire Hu Family residence; just one of its courtyards in the far corner," A Niu explained. "A few years ago, during a famine in Yun Family Village, many people died—including my father and mother. At that time, I was just a weak scholar who couldn't do anything but read and write; I nearly starved or fell ill to death. It was my mother... oh, my current mother, who took me home and treated me with herbs she gathered from the mountains.
By then, my biological parents were already gone. I thought about bringing my current mother home to care for her, but she refused to leave the mountains. I don't know if it was fate or what, but just when I was at a loss about what to do, the second son of the Hu Family came knocking on our door, willing to pay a high price for our house. Initially, I hesitated because it was my parents' ancestral home; selling it felt somewhat sacrilegious. Moreover, at that time, I was still fixated on Ding Ding and dreamed of marrying her. After all, one needs a place to live when getting married, right?"
"Then why did you sell the house later?"
"Because Ding Ding got married!" A Niu clenched his fists tightly; despite his weak grip feeling almost powerless, holding on like that brought him some solace. "The second young master of the Hu Family also used his money to buy Ding Ding's family's house. At that time, Ding Ding's father was still alive and naturally did not agree. Who would have thought that Ding Ding would actually take a liking to that second young master of the Hu Family and secretly agree to his proposal? When I found out about this, I felt heartbroken and sold our house out of spite before moving into the mountains. Later on, for some reason, Ding Ding didn't marry that second young master but ended up with that fierce-looking eldest young master instead. The Hu Family never took over Ding Ding's house; it just fell into disrepair."
The rise of the Hu Family was related to Bai Jiao's influence regarding purchasing houses. Back then, the Hu Family was just an ordinary household; Hu Da was rough around the edges without much knowledge while Hu Er had read some books but came from a common background—neither likely possessed such ambition or vision. However, Bai Jiao had her own plans—once poor families acquired wealth, they would buy houses due to the traditional belief among Central Plains people that having a home equates to having stability.
By giving substantial money to the Hu Family and helping them expand their residence, it could lead them into an intoxicating sense of wealth while also compelling them to work for her interests because once someone has tasted wealth, they cannot bear poverty again—even if what they are asked to do involves heinous acts like murder or arson; their inner demons will not allow any hesitation. Furthermore, only with a sufficiently large and deep enough house can one hide secrets that must remain unknown.
Regarding the matter of Ding Ding, Xing Ruyi speculated that it was likely related to Bai Jiao. She did not know much about the Corpse Puppet; it seemed that each Corpse Puppet became that way by chance, but the more accidental something is, the more certain patterns exist within it. Bai Jiao must have discovered these patterns, which is why he sought out Ding Ding and used the Spirit Serpent Clan's skillful Spell to confuse her heart, leading her to be enamored with the Hu Family and brought in openly. As for whether Ding Ding married Hu Da or Hu Er, it held no special significance for the two brothers of the Hu Family, and there was no difference for Bai Jiao either, because from the moment they saw Ding Ding, they already intended to turn her into a Corpse Puppet.
These were merely Xing Ruyi's personal speculations. With Bai Jiao gone, she had no way to verify her guesses with him. The matters concerning the Hu Family had already been laid bare, and further probing would be futile. Therefore, regarding A Niu's earlier explanations, Xing Ruyi simply nodded in understanding without asking too many questions.
"I believe that there needs to be a connection between people, just like the bond between you and your mother, the acquaintance with my son Yin Yuan, and my relationship with my patients. When the time is right, you will naturally meet the woman who truly shares a marital bond with you. As for Ding Ding, just keep it in your heart."
"Madam, A Niu understands; it's A Niu who has been long-winded."
"Since we are chatting, what's wrong with being long-winded? Your earlier words helped clear up many of my doubts; I should be thanking you." Xing Ruyi lowered her hand that had been lifting the curtain: "When Zhu's body was discovered, you and your mother were called by the Government Office for questioning. Did you notice anything unusual? For example, was Zhu's clothing disheveled or neatly dressed? In short, I want to know if there were any irregularities."
"Unusual things... do the embroidered shoes on the woman's feet count?" A Niu said, her face slightly flushed: "When we were suddenly called by the Government Office for questioning and suspected of being murderers who buried a body, I felt panic and confusion inside. I stood there in a daze and couldn't process many things. A Niu only remembers glancing quickly; Zhu was lying next to a muddy pit with a tangle of black hair spread over the wild grass. Her body was mostly covered with straw mats, so I couldn't see if her clothes were disheveled; I only noticed that one of her feet was bare and not wearing embroidered shoes."
"Barefoot?" Xing Ruyi pressed: "Are you sure Zhu wasn't wearing cotton socks?"
A Niu recalled carefully: "No, A Niu remembers very clearly that one of Zhu's feet was bare; not only was she not wearing shoes, but she didn't even have socks on. At that moment of panic, I didn't think much about it; looking back now, it seems strange. Zhu was after all a lady; even her embroidered shoes would have some significance—she didn't seem like someone who couldn't afford them or wouldn't wear socks. Oh, I also took a glance at her other foot. Since one foot had shoes while the other did not, it was quite obvious and my gaze unconsciously drifted toward the foot that was wearing shoes."
"What about it?" Xing Ruyi's heart involuntarily tightened.
"Although that foot was wearing shoes, they were clearly loose and seemed ill-fitting," A Niu said as she leaned down to point at the embroidered shoes hidden beneath Xing Ruyi's skirt: "Moreover, I suspect that Zhu's foot in the shoe also wasn't wearing socks."
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