Chapter 31 The Suicide Bride (Bug Fix) The bride was soaking in the water...

Li Chen said, "Grandma, don't be afraid. We were invited by Master Wu to subdue the evil spirits, and we came here with Master Wu's permission."

"We have heard that someone from your household died a violent death, and we see that the resentment here is still lingering. Therefore, we would like to inquire about the identity of that person so that we can use this as a starting point to see if the evil spirit haunting Young Master Wu is indeed that person who died a violent death."

The old woman was stunned for a moment. Seeing that they didn't seem like bad people, nor did they seem to be lying, she sighed softly and said, "Actually, everyone in town knows about this, but the younger girls and boys don't dare to mention it, for fear of being haunted by vengeful spirits..."

Li Chen exclaimed, "Could it be that the person harbored a lot of resentment when they died? Now that they're clinging to Young Master Wu, could they be someone related to Young Master Wu?"

The old woman said, "Alas... it was the young master's new bride more than seven months ago. It's a pitiful story. The bride couldn't bear it on her wedding night and committed suicide. Alas... she threw herself into the lake at night, the lake we see here now."

"I don't know where she hit her head when she jumped in. There was a huge hole in the back of her head! And to make matters worse, the bride stayed in the water all night. When she was found and pulled out the next day, her whole head was gone!"

"Sigh... What a tragedy... I don't know if it was soaked in water or eaten by the fish in this lake, it's completely clean, there's nothing left in its head, not even an eyeball..."

Han Shannan was chilled to the bone by what she said. "Why...why did she want to drown herself in the lake?"

The old woman sighed again, "Perhaps it's because that girl harbors resentment..."

According to the old woman, the young master Wu married a woman named Guo Hanyan more than seven months ago.

Guo Hanyan was the daughter of a merchant family in the town. Although the family was not as wealthy as the Wu family, they were still considered well-off. At least the family members did not have to worry about food and clothing every day like ordinary people.

Guo Hanyan was intelligent from a young age and had a great talent for business and accounting. Therefore, she was groomed by her parents to be their future successor from childhood.

Unexpectedly, this happy time did not last long. When Guo Hanyan was fourteen or fifteen years old, her mother unfortunately passed away due to illness. Her father fainted several times because of this, which made people sigh with emotion at the deep love between the couple.

The year after Guo Hanyan's biological mother passed away, her father remarried, and she gained a stepmother.

At first, her stepmother treated her fairly well, but later she became pregnant and gave birth to a boy. She probably thought that her stepmother would compete with her child for the family property, so she gradually distanced herself from her.

Later, by chance, Young Master Wu met Guo Hanyan and fell in love with her at first sight. He asked the best matchmaker in town to propose marriage to Guo's family. Although Guo Hanyan's parents agreed, Guo Hanyan refused to agree and even ran away from home a month before the wedding.

She was eventually found and brought back. After being found, no one knows what her family said to her, but she stopped making a fuss about going out and stayed at home peacefully until the wedding day arrived. She got into the bridal sedan chair and was carried into the Wu family.

Originally, the Wu family was celebrating the addition of a young mistress to the household, and Young Master Wu was extremely affectionate towards her. Even if Guo Hanyan was unwilling to accept it at first, she would eventually realize Young Master Wu's deep affection for her.

But on their wedding night, something happened, and all that could be heard was arguing and smashing things coming from the bridal chamber, making quite a scene.

However, the Wu family has rules that people in the front yard cannot easily go to the back yard, and they, the people in the back yard, cannot easily go to the front yard either. Therefore, she did not know what had happened. She only heard what the people in the front yard were saying: Guo Hanyan was not a virgin and was kicked out of the house by Young Master Wu in a fit of anger.

It is said that when Guo Hanyan was kicked out, she was completely naked. However, since Young Master Wu did not allow anyone to approach the bridal chamber, no one knows whether this is true or not.

However, judging from the fact that Guo Hanyan was still wearing her bright red wedding dress when she was pulled out of the water the next day, it can be seen that the rumor was probably made up by someone who had nothing better to do. It was only because Master Wu and Young Master Wu did not stop it that the rumor spread more and more widely until the whole town knew about it.

After the news of this incident spread, Guo Hanyan's father was so angered that he died. All of the family's property fell into the hands of Guo Hanyan's stepmother, who was naturally overjoyed. As soon as Guo Hanyan's father's remains were buried, she couldn't wait to hold a banquet to celebrate.

The old woman sighed again, saying, "But Madam Guo's happiness didn't last long. After rumors spread in town that evil spirits were harming people, she became the second to die at their hands. After her death, her family's wealth was divided up by Guo's relatives. It's a pity about her two-year-old son; I heard he was thrown out, and I don't know if he's alive or dead now..."

"The first one to die at the hands of the evil spirit was, I heard, a matchmaker surnamed Cao. Actually, after these two died one after another, I could more or less guess who the evil spirit was. But the master and young master usually forbid us from talking about it, so we dared not discuss it too much. But I really feel sorry for that young girl. How could she be so foolish at such a young age? Alas..."

As the old woman spoke, the gazes of the three people present slowly fell upon the emerald-green lake beside them.

The sun is shining brightly, and the lake in front of me is sparkling. The blooming lotus flowers sway gently in the water, and occasionally a few red fish swim by. It's like a fairyland.

But beneath this beautiful scenery lies a life lost, and those red fish might have tasted the brains of that young woman, Guo. The thought is chilling and leaves no room for appreciation of the scenery.

Han Shannan frowned. "If it really is that girl, she shouldn't have taken so long to come here, right? Could it be a coincidence?"

The old woman said, "It must be related to the deity that the master worships."

Han Shannan hurriedly asked, "What kind of deity?"

The old woman said, "I don't know either. I only heard that when the master came to this place, a sorcerer gave it to him, and it was very effective. But I don't know why, recently it seems to be less effective. I wonder if the deity felt that the offerings the master gave were not enough..."

Han Shannan said, "What kind of deity would only do things for people if they had to take enough offerings? And would they do anything? This doesn't sound like a proper deity."

Upon hearing Han Shannan's words, the old woman immediately looked panicked. She quickly glanced around and, seeing no one else was around, said, "You can't say things like that! Master is a devout believer in that deity. If... if Master hears us, we're afraid we'll all be thrown out..."

Li Chen said apologetically, "Children speak without thinking. He is still young and speaks without restraint. Please don't take offense."

The old woman sighed, waved her hand, and said nothing more. After chatting with Li Chenjin for a while, she bid them farewell and left.

Li Chen was still preoccupied with eating, so as soon as he returned to his room, he asked the Wu family's servants to bring him some food.

The food from the Wu family was much more palatable than the dishes cooked by Li Chenjin. At least it had flavor, unlike Li Chenjin's dishes, which had no saltiness at all. It was all about the original flavor, which, while not terrible, wasn't very palatable either.

Han Shannan said, "Could you put some salt in your cooking next time? Who cooks without putting any salt in their food? Don't you ever find it unpalatable when you eat such bland food all day long?"

Li Chen said, "Oh, I had some issues that aggravated my old ailment, and now I have little sense of taste. So whether or not I add salt is meaningless to me. If you really want something flavorful, I'll add some for you later."

Han Shannan asked blankly, "What kind of illness can make someone lose their sense of taste? Even the meditation community can't cure you. You don't really have some kind of terminal disease, do you?"

"Otherwise, after I get the sword manual, I'll accompany you to the alchemy world. After all, you're a friend of the Sword God, and once I learn the sword manual, I'll be considered half of the Sword God's disciple. I'll definitely help you."

Li Chen chuckled and said, "You're quite particular about these things? I didn't realize you were so respectful of your teachers."

"Of course," Han Shannan said with a smile. "Besides, didn't someone say you look a lot like the Sword God? You're the Sword God's friend, you even gave me the sword manual, and you look so much like the Sword God, so you can be considered half my master."

Li Chenjin raised an eyebrow. "You're quick to recognize a master."

"But since you've put it that way, as your half-master, I should teach you something. You're new to the world, and there are many things you don't know or understand about people. To avoid suffering in the future, you must remember not to speak when you shouldn't. As the saying goes, 'Too much talk leads to mistakes, silence is golden.' In many things, it's best to just observe and wait."

Han Shannan paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean? You think I talk too much?"

Li Chen said frankly, "There are a lot. Even the sweet fermented rice balls are quieter than you."

Han Shannan glanced at the ground and saw that the sweet fermented rice balls were lying on the side of his bowl, eating silently. They looked very well-behaved and were indeed very quiet.

But the thought of being compared to a dog by Li Chenjin made him furious, and he shouted, "Li Chenjin!"

Li Chen paused in his eating.

She slowly raised her head, looked at the person opposite her who had stood up with a bowl in his hand, and said in a low voice, "Didn't you say you would acknowledge me as half a master? From ancient times to the present, how can a master scold a disciple and the disciple get angry? Sit down!"

Han Shannan: "..."

He had originally intended to get angry, but upon further reflection, he realized that Li Chenjin's words were indeed reasonable, so he had no choice but to go along with her and sit back down. Just as he was about to say something, the person opposite him said quietly, "Too much talk leads to mistakes; silence is golden."

Han Shannan: "..."

A note from the author:

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This chapter is also dedicated to my darlings. Thank you, my little ones! [Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head]