Chapter 375 Discussion

Bai Youran was not there, and the room was cold. Lin Yuesha washed up and lay on the bed, but she couldn't fall asleep.

Knock, knock, knock—a knock came at the door.

Lin Yuesha got out of bed, groped around to light the oil lamp in the dark, and saw two swaying figures reflected on the Korean paper in front of the door. One of the figures said, "Miss, it's white tea, and I'll have Longjing tea with it."

Bai Cha carried a lantern and patted the water droplets off his clothes.

With a creak, Lin Yuesha opened the door and saw her maid outside, which inexplicably brought her a sense of peace.

The three of them entered the girls' school together, but the maids had their own courtyards and were not usually seen. Tonight was the first time the three of them, master and servants, had met at the girls' school.

“Other young ladies share a room with two people. Miss Bai has left the girls’ school, and we were worried that you wouldn’t be able to sleep well, so Granny Fang asked me and Bai Cha to keep you company.”

Bai Youran went to find Jixiang and Ruyi and left in a hurry. Bai Cha then learned that something had happened at the girls' school. However, the maids around were not well-informed, and no one knew what had happened.

"Miss, what exactly happened?"

In the afternoon, Granny Kang went to inform the maids that they would return home with their young mistress to rest the next day, and that the etiquette lessons would be suspended.

Bai Cha wanted to ask why, but the old woman who taught her manners told her that the maid should not be nosy and ask about her master's affairs.

Not long ago, the maids of the two young ladies of the Li family were taken away. They were unaware of the reason and were filled with anxiety.

"Something terrible has happened."

There was no need for Lin Yuesha to hide anything from her maid, so she recounted the whole story in detail.

Lin Yuesha initially thought Li Ruoxue had fallen into Bai Youran's trap, simply because Bai Youran didn't want Li Ruoxue to become her sister-in-law. However, she was even more shocked than she was when she saw Bai Youran, yet it didn't seem like it.

It seems her words had an effect; although Li Ruoshuang blamed her for sowing discord, she actually took action.

This time, they went all out.

"I've heard that witchcraft is a forbidden art. Although it's evil, very few people actually master it."

Longjing came from the south, and she remembered something.

“My village is separated by a high mountain. On the other side of the mountain is the land of Nanzhang. The women of Nanzhang have lived in the mountains for generations, and few of them come out.”

I've heard that in Nanzhang, women are in charge of the household and the clan system is very strict. When a woman reaches a certain age, she goes out to find a man to marry. If she becomes pregnant, she must return to the clan to continue the bloodline.

“There is a woman in the village who came from Nanzhang, but the villagers do not know this and think she is an orphan.”

This woman married a hunter, and the couple were very loving. If there was any regret, it was that they had no children.

As a result, the hunter's mother disliked the woman very much and often scolded her as a barren hen, while the hunter's elder brother already had three sons, which made the contrast very stark.

How was her identity later discovered?

Bai Cha heard this for the first time and quickly asked for more information.

"The woman told her mother-in-law that if anyone insulted her outside, her family line would end, and all of her husband's elder brother's children would die tragically."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a quarrel, but the mother-in-law didn't take it to heart. However, not long after, all three boys had accidents: one drowned, another fell off a cliff while playing on the mountain, and the most absurd thing was that when they went to the outhouse, two wooden planks suddenly broke, and one of the little boys fell into the latrine and died.

Now, the hunter's mother was heartbroken and blamed everything on her daughter-in-law. Thinking of what her daughter-in-law had said, the hunter's mother felt a chill run down her spine.

Not long after, the hunter's wife suspected her daughter-in-law of hiding money. While her daughter-in-law was at the market in town, she secretly entered her daughter-in-law's room and discovered a witchcraft doll in a crack in the wall.

Three dolls with their grandchildren's birth dates written on them had needles stuck into their hearts.

The hunter's wife was shocked and frightened. Suspicious, she ran to the town to report the matter to the authorities.

"Is it really that strange?"

Bai Cha rubbed his shoulder. One death might be a coincidence, but for all three boys to die a violent death, it couldn't be a coincidence.

"Was the woman from Nanzhang dealt with?"

Lin Yuesha gasped and asked Longjing, "Does the Great Qi really ban witchcraft and sorcery, and punish them with beheadings?"

"Yes, his head was chopped off."

Longjing nodded affirmatively, saying that she was very young at the time and had a deep impression of it.

After the woman from Nanzhang was beheaded, the hunter's wife held a feast. At that time, Longjing's family was poor, and she only got to eat there once a year. She actually got to eat a piece of fatty meat.

After chatting for a while, Lin Yuesha, feeling tired, drooped her eyelids and soon fell asleep.

Rainy nights are perfect for sleeping soundly, and the front courtyard of the Bai residence is brightly lit, as if it were daytime.

Inside the hall, Prefect Bai and Madam Yan sat upright, with Bai Dingfeng sitting with his hands hanging down, while Bai Youran looked disheveled, her skirt still dripping water.

"Father, Mother, such a huge mess has happened, what are we going to do?"

Bai Youran took the large cloth that Ruyi handed her and casually wiped her hair, her face showing undisguised panic.

Upon receiving the news, in order to buy time to discuss with her family, Bai Youran rushed back from the girls' school with Jixiang and Ruyi. Although she was supported by two maids along the way, the rainy night made the road slippery and the sky dark, and Bai Youran still stumbled a few times.

The reason she sent the message in advance was to prepare her parents and older brother so that they wouldn't be caught off guard.

The art of witchcraft is no small matter. If Zhao Fendie hadn't died, she could have found a way to cover it up, but now, it's too late to say anything.

Li Ruoxue is a troublemaker. It's a good thing she didn't enter our family, otherwise the Bai family would have been dragged down with her.

Madam Yan was so shocked that she couldn't speak. She could only look at Prefect Bai and ask in a trembling voice, "Master, what should we do? The official matchmaker arrived at the Li residence yesterday. Our Bai family is related to the Li family by marriage."

Madam Yan panicked. She thought that the falling out between Li Ruoxue and Li Ruoshuang would at most result in them framing each other and ruining each other's reputations, which wouldn't have much of an impact on the Bai family. She thought she could take this opportunity to break off the engagement. However, Li Ruoxue didn't play by the rules and played a big game. Even if the Bai family intervened, they couldn't cover it up.

"Hmph, what a woman's view!"

When Prefect Bai heard Yan's idea, he was so angry that he jumped up and down. He had said long ago that a real man should marry a virtuous wife. It would be a waste to marry a troublemaker. She might even die of anger before she could spend the dowry money.

Indeed, the prophecy came true!

"Sir, is this the time to complain about me? You should think of a solution first!"

Yan had a headache. Forcing herself to analyze the situation calmly, she asked again to confirm, "You Ran, are you saying Zhao Fundie is dead?"

There's a difference between being seriously injured and dying. If Zhao Fendie is injured, there's still a chance to turn things around.

"Dead."

Not only dead, but utterly and completely dead.

Li Ruoxue's knife pierced Zhao Fendie's heart; even if a celestial being were to appear, they couldn't save her.

"I met my cousin on my way back. She had been there."

It's too late. Zhao Fendie's body has already been wrapped in a bed sheet. Granny Fang informed the Zhao family that it couldn't be hidden any longer.