Chapter 19 At Night, He Knows He'd Kill His Husband and Seize Power

Cheng Xi lightly brushed the back of her hand against Jiang Geyun's veil.

He didn't actually touch her; he didn't even touch her cheek. He just lightly stroked her, the warmth of his hand briefly approaching her before leaving without touching her. He slowly moved around to the back of Jiang Geyun's head and gently untied the knot of her veil.

Like a gentle breeze brushing against the tip of my nose, soft white fabric fluttered and fell.

Jiang Geyun had already adjusted her mood in that short time.

She didn't know what the painting was, but she knew that what was depicted in the painting didn't represent what she wanted to be. She believed that Cheng Xi wasn't the kind of person depicted in the painting, and it would be a great pity if he really did that.

Thankfully, he didn't.

Cheng Xi said, "I thought my wife was going to destroy the statue."

“I said I would try to live,” Jiang Geyun blinked slowly, glanced at the fabric lying on her knees, tied it back around her wrists, and said, “My lord, please do me one more favor.”

This "busy" naturally refers to—

Tie the flowers together on the branches.

The two worked together seamlessly; Cheng Xi handed over the items while she tied up the person.

A short while later, when Hua Biezhi slowly woke up, she immediately saw the familiar mountain god temple and the two people standing in front of her. The next moment, she realized that she was firmly tied to a chair.

Hua Biezhi still looked a little dizzy. After opening her eyes, she remained silent for a long time before finding her voice and asking, "...What time is it now?"

Jiang Geyun estimated for a moment and replied, "It's not past 7 PM yet."

After speaking, Jiang Geyun glanced at Cheng Xi.

The man seemed to be staring at her the whole time. When she turned around, she saw him nodding at her with a smile.

Although Hua Biezhi was bound, her aura remained strong. She snorted coldly and said, "If we don't perform the blood sacrifice soon, it might be too late. Can Miss Jiang bear the consequences?"

Jiang Geyun was not in a hurry and said, "Miss Biezhi wanted to kill me, so I could only control her. What I did was for self-defense."

"As for the blood sacrifice, that is Miss Biezhi's responsibility. If it fails, it is Miss Biezhi's problem, and she should bear the consequences."

Hua Biezhi was furious and shouted, "You smooth talker!"

Yes, Jiang Geyun is just being glib.

After all, this mountain god isn't one to reason. He doesn't care about the principal offender or accomplices. If he gets really angry, he'll probably wipe out everyone in Yunling Manor.

That's outrageous! Do gods have the right to be unreasonable?

...Yes, sister, you can.

Alas, the rule of law is lagging behind!

Jiang Geyun suppressed her thoughts, leaned forward, and approached Hua Biezhi.

Not wanting to provoke the other party, she carefully said in what she thought was a shy tone, "So, I'll have to trouble Miss Biezhi to teach me what to do."

What she considered a shy tone sounded quite different to others. Hua Biezhi leaned back, but instead of being appeased, she became even angrier and glared at Jiang Geyun.

Realizing that time was running out, Hua Biezhi finally relented, saying helplessly, "Take my blood and smear it on the lips and eyes of the idol."

With so many statues, are we going to paint over them one by one? This blood sacrifice is quite physically demanding.

If that's the case, could it be that everything smeared on him before was Jiang Yu's blood? The bandages all over his body suddenly made an explanation.

If this process has to be followed every day, it's no wonder that the previous three wives have already passed away. The scale of this is somewhat terrifying; how could an ordinary person withstand it?

Jiang Geyun looked at Hua Biezhi and hesitated for a moment.

Hua Biezhi sneered, "What, you're scared now? Or is it that kind-hearted Miss Jiang wants to use her own blood?"

It's hard to say whether this is a provocation tactic or just his natural personality...

Jiang Geyun sighed, took out Shouzhuo, and gestured to Huabiezhi.

She thought for a moment. She remembered that blood was drawn from the inside of the elbow when donating blood? She didn't really know much about medicine, but since the doctors did it that way, there must be a reason. Should she try starting from there?

Jiang Geyun reached out and pulled the rope on Hua Biezhi's right hand back a little, briefly freeing Hua Biezhi's right hand.

As time drew near, Hua Biezhi frowned. Before Jiang Geyun could make a move, she grabbed Shou Zhuo's blade with her bare hand, and blood instantly dripped down the dagger!

Jiang Geyun hurriedly got up, just as she was looking for a container, Cheng Xi handed her a plate.

Jiang Geyun breathed a sigh of relief, thanked Cheng Xi, and quickly caught the blood, trying not to waste a single drop. Hua Biezhi stared at her movements expressionlessly.

Next, following Hua Biezhi's instructions, Jiang Geyun used a brush prepared in the temple to dip into the blood in the dish and applied it stroke by stroke to the eyes and lips of the mountain god statue.

With little time left, Jiang Geyun applied the paint hastily, resulting in somewhat rough marks.

Fortunately, it was completed in time.

Jiang Geyun put down her pen and plate, raised her sleeve to wipe the thin layer of sweat that had formed on the tip of her nose from her anxiety, and turned to walk towards the two of them.

Seeing that Hua Biezhi's expression had relaxed considerably, Jiang Geyun finally became convinced that this method was correct. In fact, she had been worried that the ritual might be fake, that Hua Biezhi was just trying to deceive her and make everyone perish together.

Jiang Geyun lowered her head and used the veil she had tied to her wrist to simply bandage Hua Biezhi, temporarily stopping the bleeding.

Looking at Jiang Geyun bandaging her wound, Hua Biezhi suddenly asked, "Why do you keep glancing at the gate?"

Without this step, Jiang Geyun would apply the ointment faster.

Jiang Geyun replied in what she considered a shy tone, "I'm afraid Miss Biezhi will call for help. If there's any commotion, I need to return to your side immediately."

Why come back so soon?

Of course, it's about kidnapping Hua Biezhi!

Hua Biezhi understood Jiang Geyun's implication, her expression becoming complex and unreadable. After a few seconds of pause, she said, "Hmph... Weren't you already prepared?"

Jiang Geyun was somewhat puzzled.

Before Hua Biezhi could speak, Cheng Xi, who had just come out of her reverie after witnessing Jiang Geyun's entire ritual, said, "So that's how it is. This blood sacrifice is to bribe the immortals."

The flower on the branch looked at the person in blue.

The man was smiling gently, his gaze fixed on Jiang Geyun.

After Hua Biezhi woke up and discovered this person, his gaze never left Jiang Geyun. She had thought about trying to strike up a conversation, but her intuition told her that the person would most likely ignore her. Hua Biezhi was always proud and naturally did not want to do something that would not please her.

What Hua Biezhi wanted to say was, hadn't Jiang Geyun already dealt with the guards at the manor? Otherwise, she would have definitely seized the opportunity before fainting to summon them over.

Before fainting, Hua Biezhi lamented her unfamiliarity with techniques she herself could use, attributing it to her overly condescending attitude. Meanwhile, she wondered—

Why can't I summon anyone?

Could it be...?

This girl was incredibly well-prepared; it was terrifying!

Jiang Geyun had no idea what Hua Biezhi was thinking. Following Cheng Xi's topic, she suddenly realized, "So this was a bribe."

Cheng Xi nodded and explained gently, "Applying the eye cream is to make the immortals turn a blind eye to certain things, and applying it to the lips is to prevent the immortals from speaking and taking lives."

Hua Biezhi sneered: "Otherwise, where do you think this manor got its wealth from? Does that guy surnamed Bai seem to have that kind of ability?"

That's not quite right. Whether you have ability or not doesn't prevent a pig from taking off in the wind, like that incompetent boss she encountered during her internship who reaped all the benefits of the times... Just as Jiang Geyun was about to continue the conversation, a sound came from the temple gate.

The next moment, blinding light rushed in from outside the door.

Jiang Geyun had grown accustomed to the slightly dim mountain god temple, and for a moment she turned her head and closed her eyes uncomfortably.

Cheng Xi stepped forward and used his sleeve to shield her from the oncoming light.

Once Jiang Geyun's eyes adjusted to the light, she rubbed them and looked up. The first thing she saw was Cheng Xi's chest, and she suddenly remembered the time when the two first met.

Jiang Geyun's mind went blank. She glanced at Cheng Xi and hurriedly thanked him, "Thank you, my lord. I'm all better now."

Cheng Xi smiled and withdrew her hand, taking half a step back. The awkward, almost-hugging gesture returned to normal.

As Cheng Xi stepped back, Jiang Geyun saw the two people at the door.

It was both unexpected and, as she suspected, exactly what had happened.

—It is Xie Jiming and Mu Jin.

The girl in purple, Mu Jin, saw the strange scene in the temple and immediately hid behind Xie Jiming, who quickly protected her.

Jiang Geyun, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, asked: [System, what was the name of the beautiful mistress of Yunling Manor when the male protagonist came here?]

The system said: [Wait, let me take a look...]

Oh, so the manor owner's surname must be Mu.

*

Even after entering the temple and hearing Jiang Geyun's explanation, Mu Jin still cautiously hid behind Xie Jiming, like a frightened herbivore.

After listening patiently, Xie Jiming said, "Is that so? Thank you for your hard work, Miss Jiang."

Stop telling her she's had a hard time. A joke that gets old quickly becomes unfunny and makes her feel like she has a really tough life...

Jiang Geyun smiled faintly and shook her head, saying, "No."

Xie Jiming said, "Actually, Miss Jiang can use the Spirit Rhinoceros to contact us, which would give us a better chance of success."

Jiang Geyun had considered this method.

If she hadn't found the incense, she probably would have done the same thing: contacted the three of them in advance using the telepathic connection, and then stalled for time until the impasse was resolved.

She didn't choose that option for two reasons: first, she wanted to take the opportunity to extract some information from Hua Biezhi, and she didn't want anyone to overhear the process; second, since the event hadn't happened yet, if she confidently claimed that she already knew the outcome, the three of them might not believe her.

It's too much trouble to think about how to stall for time while trying to gain people's trust. It's better to just take action first.

Moreover, one of the reasons she judged the murderer to be "Zhi Niang" was the "beautiful manor lord" she had heard from the system—

Isn't it easy to associate this with murdering one's husband to seize power?

She was completely immersed in the imagination of Bluebeard!

Unexpectedly, it was both right and wrong.

Jiang Geyun glanced down at Mu Jin behind Xie Jiming.

Mu Jin wasn't really afraid of Jiang Geyun. She acted this way because she thought Xie Jiming would definitely like this kind of submissive behavior. When she saw the girl in white looking at her, she suddenly felt a little annoyed.

Mu Jin's mother taught her that no matter what, she should not do evil or be an evil person; while her father told her that in all things, she should put herself first.

Survival may be easy, but it's not that easy either.

She has been very careful to maintain a balance between the two.

Since Cheng Xi was so focused on Jiang Geyun, she decided to change her target. She was always good at choosing people, just like the winning bets in poetry gatherings.

She'd already compromised, so why was Jiang Geyun still looking at her strangely? Had she guessed something? But with Gu Xiang that time, she just thought the man was too fierce and didn't want to be dragged into saying unpleasant things, so she figured out a way to escape…

Mu Jin hid herself completely behind Xie Jiming, reaching out to grab the clothes on his back.

Xie Jiming frowned and asked, "Miss Jiang?"

Jiang Geyun withdrew her gaze and looked at Xie Jiming with a natural expression, her tone even showing some concern. She said, "Time is tight, and there was no time to contact everyone. But Lord Xie, why did you bring Miss Mu here? This place is dangerous after all."

Before Xie Jiming could answer, Mu Jin spoke first, whispering, "It was my insistence on following Lord Xie. I feel safest by his side... Lord Xie, do you think I'm a nuisance?"

After she finished speaking, she looked up, her eyes seemingly brimming with a pool of shimmering autumn water.

Seeing this, Xie Jiming immediately replied, "How could that be? Miss Mu, don't worry!"

Before Jiang Geyun could speak, Hua Biezhi, who was sitting on the chair, couldn't stand it any longer and said coldly, "Those two are one thing, but why did you two come to my mountain temple?"

Xie Jiming snapped out of his daze and wanted to bow to Hua Biezhi, the current owner of Yunling Manor, but seeing the impatient and condescending expression of the man in red who was tied to the chair, he withdrew his hand.

He then turned to Jiang Geyun and Cheng Xi and said, "Gentlemen, Brother Pei has found the exit of the manor."

A note from the author:

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In fact, according to the setting, the official robes of high-ranking officials are vermilion, so Zhi shouldn't wear red. However, the red here is crimson, a lighter color, so it's not offensive. Just like the white of linen and the white of silk are not the same concept (I haven't found a suitable time to explain this in the past few chapters, so I'll leave it in the author's notes for now). Also, the character design is too good for red, so I couldn't give it up. In short, I still let her wear it!