Chapter 77 If you don't tell me, I'll eat you up!

The carriage stopped outside the Marquis of Jinyang's residence. As soon as the steward got off the carriage, he saw the head maidservant who served Madam Xue waiting at the door.

Upon seeing the steward, the maid said, "Madam wishes to see you."

The butler nodded and followed.

Upon arriving at the main courtyard, a maidservant stood guard outside the door. The steward entered the main room alone, where Xue Ying was present, along with Madam Xue.

The steward was somewhat surprised to see Xue Ying. How could the madam allow the young lady to know about such a thing?

He didn't dare to think too much, only glancing at Xue Ying before quickly looking away.

"Did you get the items?" Xue's voice rang out.

"I've got it." The butler took a palm-sized white cloth package from his sleeve and handed it to Madam Xue.

Madam Xue opened the cloth bundle; inside was a piece of cloth stained with blood.

"Are you sure it's her blood?"

"Don't worry, Madam. I watched it with my own eyes, there's absolutely no mistake."

"That's good then." Madam Xue wrapped the blood-stained white cloth with satisfaction, and then slowly said, "How many of the old people who used to serve Madam Lin and her daughter are left in this mansion?"

The steward pondered for a moment before saying, "Madam is kind-hearted, and four of them remain in the manor. The nanny who served Madam Lin the longest has now been sent to the laundry room."

"Find them all and get Ji Chan's birth date and time from them. Whoever gets it right will get an easier job."

“Madam is kind and benevolent. This old servant will go and inquire immediately.” The steward acknowledged and bowed before leaving.

As he left the main courtyard, his expression remained impassive, but he felt a little uneasy. The lady wanted both blood and birth date information; did the Marquis know about this?

What if something really happens?

He hesitated for a moment, but quickly dismissed the idea of ​​telling the Marquis.

Given how much the Marquis values ​​his wife, he probably won't do anything to her. But this informer has probably offended her terribly. If he offends the mistress of the house, how can he expect to have a good life in the future?

After much thought, he could only pretend that he knew nothing about it.

After the steward left, Xue Ying moved closer to Madam Xue, glanced at the white cloth bundle on the table with disgust, and asked, "Mother, what do you need these things for?"

Madam Xue sighed softly: "Originally, I didn't intend for you to know these sordid things, but now that your brother is gone and your younger brother hasn't been born yet, it's time for you to be sensible."

A hint of sorrow flashed across Xue Ying's face: "Mother, you can say whatever you want, I'm listening."

"Some time ago, my mother met a highly skilled person who can make people die silently."

Xue Ying's face paled: "Mother, do you... do you want to use these things to deal with Ji Chan?"

“Yes.” Madam Xue looked at her daughter, knowing how much her words had impacted her usually naive daughter, but she should understand their current situation.

“Ji Chan hates us to the core. The deaths of your uncle and your brother are inextricably linked to her. If we cannot get rid of her soon, she will definitely target you.” Madam Xue said with certainty.

"Can't we tell Father? Let Father go..."

“Your father feels guilty towards Ji Chan, and kicking her out of the house is already the limit. Besides, there’s no evidence for these things; it’s just my speculation. If he finds out about what happened today, he will definitely stop it.” Madam Xue looked at Xue Ying, “Yingying, please keep this secret for your mother, okay?”

Xue Ying nodded heavily: "Mother, don't worry, I know what's important."

She thought to herself, since her father couldn't avenge her brother, she could only rely on her mother.

Madam Xue was pleased that her daughter was sensible, but also felt sorry for her, having to face these things at such a young age.

If it weren't for Ji Chan, her daughter would have grown up innocent and carefree.

Madam Xue narrowed her eyes; this time, she wouldn't fail again.

The steward returned less than half an hour later with a piece of yellow paper on which the birth date and time were written.

He respectfully said to Madam Xue, "This old servant asked separately. Besides that old nanny, there was also a second-class maid in Madam Lin's courtyard who remembered Ji Chan's birth date and time. The two of them matched up."

"Well done." Madam Xue pushed a silver ingot over. "This is a reward for you. Remember what you should say and what you shouldn't say."

The steward put away the silver ingots and immediately pledged his loyalty: "Don't worry, Madam, this old servant didn't hear anything today."

Having obtained all the items, just past noon, Madam Xue took Xue Ying out together.

Originally, Madam Xue did not want to bring Xue Ying along, but Xue Ying said that since they already knew, why not know a little more? She also wanted to see Ji Chan die with her own eyes.

Seeing her daughter's determination, Madam Xue did not refuse again.

The two did not take the Marquis's carriage when they went out, but instead hired an unmarked car.

The carriage took the two to Kaimingfang. After giving them money, Madam Xue led Xue Ying out of the carriage.

After the carriage drove away, Madam Xue led Xue Ying through a small alley to the end of another street. Seeing that no one was around, she pushed open the door and entered a small courtyard.

The courtyard was quite empty, with some weeds growing around it. Xue Ying grabbed Xue Shi's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Mother, is there really anyone here?"

Just as she was speaking, the courtyard gate behind her suddenly closed, and the door in front of them creaked open, from which came an old woman's voice: "Distinguished guests have arrived, please come inside and talk."

Madam Xue took a deep breath, took her daughter's hand, and walked into the house with her.

The furnishings in the house were different from those in ordinary houses. There was only a low couch, on which sat an old woman with gray hair and a withered face.

Opposite her was a large altar, on which seemed to be a statue about half a person's height, but it was covered with a black cloth, so it was impossible to see what was being worshipped inside.

Under the offering table, there was a small water vat, which seemed to contain fish, and the sound of water could be heard from time to time.

As soon as the Xue mother and daughter entered, they smelled a fishy odor. Xue Ying wrinkled her nose and covered it with her hand in disgust.

As soon as the two walked in, the old woman looked at Xue Ying, who was standing next to Xue Shi, and sized her up for a while before looking away.

"Madam Xue, we meet again." After Madam Xue and her daughter sat down on the stools, the old woman spoke, "Are the things ready?"

"Everything is ready." Madam Xue took out the yellow paper with the birth date and time written on it and the white cloth stained with blood, placed them on the low couch, and asked impatiently, "When can we begin?"

"It's ready now." The old woman picked up the blood-stained white cloth, smelled it, and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, very fresh."

As she spoke, she turned to the side, took out a pair of scissors from behind her, and handed them to Madam Xue: "Madam Xue, please cut your nails and give them to me."

Madam Xue frowned as she looked at the scissors, somewhat reluctant: "Does it really have to be cut?"

The old woman seemed to sense her wariness and grinned, saying, "Madam, didn't you see the whole process of me cursing others? Without absolute hatred, one cannot curse others through water spirits. Only you can provide that hatred, and your fingernails are the vessel."

After only a slight hesitation, Madam Xue picked up the scissors and cut off her meticulously manicured nails.

The old woman carefully collected the fingernails that Xue had cut off, then picked up a white cloth and yellow paper before stepping down onto the ground in her black cloth shoes.

Although she looked withered, she moved very nimbly. After getting off the ground, she went directly to the offering table, divided the fingernails she had received from Xue into two parts, put one part into an empty dish on the offering table, and pushed it in front of the statue.

Then she began chanting in a language that no one could understand in front of the offering table, and the yellow paper with her birth date written on it suddenly burst into flames out of thin air.

The old woman held the yellow paper tightly, letting the blue flames engulf her hand without letting go.

Upon seeing this, Xue Ying exclaimed in surprise. The old woman turned to look at her, smiled, and reassured her, "Don't be afraid, young lady, this fire won't hurt me."

As she spoke, she showed Xue Ying her palm, and sure enough, there were no burn marks.

Then, the old woman reached into the water vat under the altar, seemingly with considerable effort, grabbed something, and then lifted it up.

Only then did the Xue mother and daughter realize that what had been pulled out was a fish, and judging from its shape, it looked like a carp.

But upon closer inspection, they discovered that the fish actually had a human face. The old woman expressionlessly stuffed a blood-stained white cloth into the strange fish's mouth.

The monster bared its teeth at the old woman, revealing a mouthful of serrated teeth, then tore the white cloth into pieces and swallowed it.

Only then did the old woman let go, and the monster immediately disappeared back into the water tank.

Although Xue had seen old women curse others before, she had never seen this monster before. She was so shocked that her hands and feet went weak and she was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Xue Ying clung tightly to Xue Shi, her body still trembling. Had she not covered her mouth in time, she probably would have screamed already.

When the old woman turned around, she saw the mother and daughter looking at her with horrified eyes, and couldn't help but chuckle: "Don't worry, madam, that thing will only go after those who deserve to die."

Whether Madam Xue was at ease or not, only she knew, but her action of taking out the silver notes was indeed very swift.

"Is it over?" Xue asked.

"It's over. The curse lasted for three days. After three days, the soul of the cursed person would be devoured, and her body would drown in the water. No one would be able to detect anything unusual."

"Thank you very much." Madam Xue handed the old woman a thousand taels of silver.

The old woman took the silver notes, counted them, and nodded in satisfaction: "If you ever want anyone else to die, Madam, you can come to me."

"Alright." Madam Xue stood up, not forgetting to warn the other party, "If others find out about this..."

"Madam is joking. This is a deadly business. I haven't lived enough yet." She chuckled as she spoke. "The fact that I've lived here for three years without being visited by the Mingjing Division should tell you that I'm a person who follows the rules."

Hearing the old woman's words, Madam Xue's expression relaxed a little.

Seeing that the two were about to leave, the old woman suddenly asked again, "Was your daughter born in an unlucky year, month, and hour?"

Madam Xue became wary again: "You're investigating me?"

“No.” The old woman shook her head. “One look is enough to tell that your daughter’s luck has been down this year. If we don’t intervene, she might lose her life.”

Madam Xue's expression changed. If someone else had said such a thing, she would have definitely lost her temper. But she had just witnessed the old woman's abilities, so although she was displeased, she only said coldly, "No need for you to bother."

The old woman seemed oblivious to Madam Xue's unpleasant expression and continued, "I was just saying this casually, and you don't have to listen to me. Your daughter is of marriageable age, so it's best to find someone whose fate is compatible with her and marry her as soon as possible to avert the calamities in her destiny."

After saying that, he fell silent.

Madam Xue was surprised and suspicious, but she didn't ask any more questions. She pulled Xue Ying out of the house and quickly left.

Inside the house, the old woman watched Xue Ying's retreating figure and smiled with satisfaction.

That night, after falling asleep, Achan was a little restless and had a dream.

Achan doesn't dream often; her past dreams were just about things that had happened before. But this time was different; this dream was quite novel.

She could feel herself in the room where she was sleeping. The door was open, and it was pitch black outside, with only moonlight shining on the stone path.

After a moment of deathly silence, she suddenly heard the sound of water, as if something was crawling out of the well in the yard.

Then, it seemed as if someone had stepped barefoot on the ground, making a smacking sound.

Achan could only hear something walking towards her, but she couldn't see the thing.

This dream haunted her for most of the night. When dawn broke, Achan finally opened her eyes, feeling dizzy and somewhat listless.

She picked out a light green dress and put it on. As soon as she stepped out the door, she saw Chen Hui standing by the well, looking at something.

"Huiniang, what are you looking at?"

Chen Hui looked up, her expression somewhat serious, and said, "When I got up this morning, I saw a lot of water stains around the well. I clearly didn't draw water last night, and I cleaned up around the well. Did you draw water last night?"

Achan shook her head: "You know perfectly well how I can lift a bucket of water."

"Could it be that something has been here?"

Chen Hui looked grim, but she hadn't heard anything unusual last night. If something had come, she should have heard it.

Ah Chan yawned: "Yeah, you kept me up all night. Go find me something to eat, I need to catch up on my sleep after I eat."

Chen Hui was startled: "Do you know what it is?"

"We haven't seen it yet, but we might find out in a couple of days."

Seeing that Achan didn't seem to care much, Chen Hui finally felt relieved, thinking that it probably wasn't anything powerful.

Chen Hui brought out the tofu pudding and fried meat patties she had bought that morning. A Chan took the bowl of tofu pudding, suddenly hissed, and quickly put the bowl on the table.

"What's wrong?"

Achan opened her hand; the cut from yesterday was slightly red, and she had just been burned again, which was very painful.

Upon seeing this, Chen Hui frowned, stood up, and said, "I'll go find some wound medicine."

"No need," Achan called out to her. "It's just a minor injury; it'll be fine in a couple of days."

She placed her hand to her lips and gently blew on it. The cool breeze brushed against the wound, and it didn't hurt as much as before.

Chen Hui watched A Chan's actions with sharp eyes: "Yesterday you were suddenly injured and bled, and then something unclean entered the house that night. This is probably not a coincidence."

Achan lowered her hand, her tone somewhat regretful: "I wish it were a coincidence, but unfortunately, people's hearts are unpredictable."

Humans are so complicated, one thing leads to another, they never seem to get tired of it.

On the second night, Achan had the same dream again.

The difference this time was that the thing that crawled out of the well revealed its form; it was a fish with arms and legs, and it even had a human face—a complete monster.

Seeing something so terrifying at night is sure to scare you half to death.

Achan remained in the dark room, watching the monster approaching from outside without uttering a sound.

That night, the monster's hand grabbed the open door, but it didn't go inside.

When it was light, there was a large puddle of water outside her house.

On the third day, Achan went to sleep early, and before midnight, her dream arrived as promised.

The monster seemed to have grown considerably tonight, now as tall as a person. The moonlight shone on it, casting a terrifying shadow of its bared fangs and claws.

It stood barefoot on the stone slabs, repeatedly chanting, "Ji...Chan..."

Then they walked step by step toward the house where Achan lived.

After it finally entered the room, two glowing green lights suddenly lit up in the previously dark room. The monster seemed to be stunned for a moment, as it sensed something approaching it.

It kept murmuring, "Ji...Chan..."

"I'm here," Achan's voice rang out in the darkness.

The next moment, the lights came on, and the monster's body suddenly stiffened, slowly raising its head.

Before it stood a huge, pure white fox, with four chains around its body, looking down at it.

"This is the first time something has come to me of my own accord. How novel!"

The fox spoke in a pleasant female voice.

The monster opened its mouth, but couldn't utter the two words "Ji Chan" that were on the tip of its tongue.

"Are you here to eat me?" Achan asked curiously, looking at the mouth full of sharp teeth.

The monster remained silent.

"Who sent you to find me?" Achan raised her paw and nudged the monster.

The monster cowered, unable to speak.

Achan slammed her paw on the ground: "If you don't tell me, I'll eat you up!"

The monster stared wide-eyed, then suddenly its eyes rolled back, and its body turned into a puddle of water.

Ah Chan tried to grab it, but caught nothing.

"Tsk, so pretty." Ah Chan grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Just as the monster was about to escape from the dream, the chains on Achan's body suddenly moved. They appeared out of thin air outside the house, and the sound of chains rang out. The shapeless monster was bound in the air by the chains.

Achan stood at the doorway, unable to leave the room. She could only watch as the monster was completely crushed by the chains and vanished from her consciousness.

The chains disappeared, and Achan's consciousness became hazy. She closed her eyes and drifted out of sleep.

When she woke up, it was still dark. There was a large puddle of water in the center of the room, with a foul, fishy smell. Ah Chan shouted at the top of her lungs, "Hui Niang~ Hui Niang~"

Chen Hui rushed into her room and, seeing the water all over the floor, asked coldly, "How did it happen?"

"How annoying, I didn't get any information."

"What do we do next?" Although they knew it was related to the Xue family, they couldn't find out who was behind it, so they would remain in a passive position.

Achan smiled and said, "Of course I'll report it to the authorities. Lord Bai is so capable, he can definitely help me catch the bad guys."