Chapter 192
Madam Chen raised her eyes to look at her and asked in confusion, "How do you know? I did bring a statue of a deity home not long ago. That statue is very efficacious. Whatever I wish for, it grants."
Jingwu looked at the black mist enveloping her, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, and asked, "What did you promise him?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen's expression changed slightly.
Her eyes darted around, and she waved her hand. "Oh, what can I promise? Just a peaceful home and a successful career for my husband. What, Miss Jing, are you interested in that? What are you asking for? A marriage? Or..."
Mrs. Chen gave her a teasing look, changing the subject.
Jingwu looked at her face and frowned: "You're not telling the truth."
Madam Chen was taken aback by these blunt words, and felt somewhat embarrassed. She then said, "What are you saying? What do you mean by telling the truth? What matriarch doesn't want peace and tranquility in her household?"
Jingwu stared intently at her and chuckled softly.
"No, you didn't pray to the statue for that; you prayed for your old lady's early recovery..."
"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Madam Chen stood up abruptly, interrupting her, her brows furrowing deeply. "You little brat, you're just spouting nonsense, you just open your mouth and say whatever comes to mind..."
"Whether what I said is true or false, you know it in your heart. Now, Madam Chen is terminally ill, all because of what you asked for."
Jingwu didn't try to beat around the bush with her and directly confronted her.
Madam Chen's face turned pale instantly. She looked at the person in front of her and began to curse inwardly.
How did she find out? This was something only she and her husband knew; they hadn't even told their children.
Jingwu, observing her expression, guessed what she was thinking. He chuckled and said, "Your husband is born of a concubine and is not favored by the old lady. You and your husband harbor resentment, feeling that he didn't become an official because the old lady didn't use her family's connections to pull strings, so..."
"Miss Jing, I don't understand what you're saying," Madam Chen quickly interrupted her, stood up and looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“Miss Jing, I have matters to attend to at home, so I won’t disturb you any longer. Please give my farewells to Madam Shao for me.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she stood up and walked towards the door without any hesitation.
If you don't leave, she'll expose all your secrets.
If word gets out, she and her husband will be in mortal danger!
Jingwu looked at the woman who was staggering, twitched the corner of his mouth, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
Just by looking at her face, she knew that this person was narrow-minded and jealous.
For fifteen years after marrying into the Chen family, all she did was sow discord among her sisters-in-law and keep an eye on what subsidies Old Madam Chen would give to her own son.
Now, having set its sights on the old lady's dowry, it harbors evil intentions and, driven by its own selfish desires, has brought home the statue of an evil god, attempting to kill the old lady.
Jingwu will absolutely not stand idly by in this matter.
Having made up her mind, she stood up and greeted the few guests.
Originally, the Shao family had not planned to hold a banquet, since they were not familiar with Jing Shu. Allowing her to marry into their family was already a favor because of their kinship.
However, these officials didn't know why, and they inexplicably came to offer their congratulations.
Perhaps they thought that since Shao Chengrui was the top scholar, they should seize this opportunity to build a relationship, which is why they came over so rashly.
Jingwu helped his aunt entertain the only two tables of guests, and his every word and action was very proper, without any faults.
By the afternoon, the guests had left, and Ruan Chongyue was exhausted, so she went back to her room to rest.
Just then, Jingwu returned to the house and teleported to the Chen residence.
As soon as she arrived outside the mansion gate, she bumped into Lady Liu, the wife of Lord Chen, who was about to leave.
Seeing that Liu was about to get into the carriage with several girls, Jingwu took two steps forward and called out to them with a smile.
Upon hearing the sound, Liu turned her head to look.
The girl, who looked about sixteen or seventeen, was dressed in pink, with her hair in a simple bun and no other accessories. She must have been a child from an ordinary family.
Her small face had regular features, and her dark eyes looked straight at us, as if they had some kind of magic that made it impossible to look away.
Madam Liu didn't need to pay any attention to this girl from an ordinary family; she could have simply sent her personal maid to deal with her.
But for some reason today, she actually got off the carriage and walked towards the girl.
"Young lady, are you calling me?"
Jingwu nodded, looking into Liu's gentle eyes, and said with a smile, "Madam, I heard that your old lady is seriously ill, so I came here specifically to treat her."
Looking at the woman in front of her, who was dressed simply and had a kind face, with golden merit emanating from her, she softened her tone.
Upon hearing this, Liu was somewhat surprised. She looked the girl up and down with her eyes and then sized her up again.
This girl doesn't look very old, and her demeanor doesn't seem like that of someone from a family that studies medicine.
Moreover, the family had kept the news of her mother's serious illness a closely guarded secret, so how could this young girl have known?
“Miss, we have a physician in our household, so we won’t trouble you.” Madam Liu said gently, then, as if remembering something, she took out a tael of silver and stuffed it into the woman’s hand: “By the way, are you hungry? Is that why you came to us? Don’t worry, take this silver first, consider it my treat to your meal.”
Jingwu looked at the silver in her palm and her lips twitched. It seemed that the person in front of her had mistaken her for a con artist trying to scam her out of food and drink.
Although she was dressed very simply, she didn't look like someone who couldn't afford to eat at all!
If she had just glanced down at the fabric of her clothes, she would never have imagined this possibility.
Jingwu returned the silver to the person in front of him and said helplessly, "I have money, I'm not here to swindle. I am a sorcerer, I can really save your old lady. Did your old lady's symptoms start three or four days ago? Did someone bring back a statue of a deity from outside three or four days ago?"
Upon hearing this, Liu's expression changed slightly, and she had a bad feeling.
Three or four days ago, the younger brother and sister-in-law of the second wife did bring back a statue from outside. However, the statue was extremely mysterious, as it was wrapped in red cloth, and no one could see what it looked like inside.
She asked her sister-in-law, but they said it was a special instruction from the temple master that the statue should not be exposed to light, otherwise it would lose its power.
Upon careful reflection, it's clear that my mother's serious illness only began after the arrival of the idol.
Could it be...?
Seeing that the person in front of her didn't look well, Jingwu knew that she must have guessed something.
She smiled and continued, "Old Madam Chen's illness was entirely caused by this statue."
Upon hearing this, Liu had a bad feeling. She glanced around and turned to her personal maid.
"I won't be going out today. Go and take the young ladies back to the manor."
The personal maid immediately agreed, walked towards the carriage, and said a few words to the young ladies.
Today, Liu had originally planned to take her daughters to her shop to check the accounts, but after this incident, she could no longer go out.
She watched her daughters return to the mansion, then turned to Jingwu and said, "Miss, let's go inside and talk."
Whether this matter is true or false, it concerns the reputation of the Chen family, and it must not be discussed outside or leaked out.
Jingwu nodded in agreement and followed her into the mansion, arriving at the small hall in the back courtyard of the Chen residence.
She was seated by Liu, and the servants immediately served her some tea and pastries.
"Please have some tea, young lady, to soothe your throat," said Madam Liu, sitting opposite her with a kind smile.
"Thank you, Madam." Jingwu picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then put it down. "Madam, let's get straight to the point. That statue is not an ordinary statue of a god, but a statue of an evil god."
"Are you sure, young lady? Murdering one's stepmother is a capital offense punishable by beheading!" Madam Liu had already dismissed all the servants in the hall and looked at the person in front of her seriously: "Although the second wife is usually a bit petty, she shouldn't dare to commit such a heinous crime..."
Jingwu, unperturbed by these words, slowly replied, "This matter is not urgent. I will verify it with Madam later. The most pressing matter is to go see the old lady and stabilize her condition."
Upon hearing this, Liu agreed wholeheartedly, but she was also worried that the girl in front of her was too young and might do something awful that could harm her mother.
She twisted the handkerchief in her hands, her heart filled with turmoil.
"Would you mind revealing your teacher, young lady?"
"Hmm?" Jingwu was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant and smiled, "I am Jingwu, a disciple of Shuangcheng Temple. If Madam is worried, she is free to go and find out."
Liu frowned slightly as she searched her memory for the place name, before realizing that the person in front of her was not a female healer, but a sorcerer.
Her expression changed slightly, revealing a complex mix of emotions.
She was no stranger to sorcerers, after all, the Empress's sister had married into the Yue family, a prominent family of sorcerers.
When these aristocratic families encountered strange or supernatural things, they would go to the Xuanmen (Taoist sect) for help.
The Liu family did not object, but...
Is this person in front of me, who is so young, someone I can trust?
As Liu lowered her eyes and pondered, just as she was struggling with her dilemma, she heard her personal maid rush in, her face full of terror.
"Madam, something terrible has happened! The old lady..."
As she spoke, the old woman shook her head, gesturing to the woman in front of her.
Upon hearing this, Liu disregarded her complicated thoughts, quickly stood up, and walked towards the door.
He hadn't taken two steps before turning back and speaking with forced composure.
"Young lady, please come with me."
The most urgent task, regardless of any other convoluted ideas, is to bring the person back to life; that is the most important thing.
Jingwu nodded and followed behind her as they walked outside.
Before long, the two arrived at the outside of a house.
The maids and servants rushed in and out in a hurry, and as soon as they saw the lady arrive, they quickly bowed.
The old lady's maidservant saw this scene and came out, her eyes red-rimmed. Looking at Liu Shi with great sorrow, she said, "Madam has arrived. Please go in and see the old lady. The second madam is already inside."
Upon hearing this, Jingwu's eyes flashed with surprise, but he didn't say anything more and followed Liu Shi inside.
As soon as I entered, I smelled a strong medicinal odor.
She looked at the bed and saw a thick black mist hanging above it.
Madam Chen, whom I had seen that morning, was kneeling by the bedside with a sorrowful expression, holding the old lady's hands in her own.
Hearing the noise, she looked up and was about to say something to her sister-in-law when she saw the girl following behind her, and a look of fear appeared in her eyes.
Xu's eyes darted around, and she immediately stood up, wiping away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, and said to Liu.
"Sister-in-law, why did you bring outsiders in when Mother was on her deathbed?"
"This is... Master Jing, who came to see Mother. Perhaps he can save her." Madam Liu patted her hand and was about to turn around to call for someone when she heard the person in front of her continue speaking.
"This girl is so young, how could she possibly save Mother? Sister-in-law, you're being too reckless!" Xu Shi, feeling guilty, raised her voice even more: "Granny, quickly escort her out, don't let Mother leave in peace!"
Seeing her anxious appearance, Jingwu twitched the corner of his mouth and chuckled, "Madam, are you in such a hurry to kick me out because you have something to hide?"
A smile played on her lips as she stared intently at the person before her, as if she could read their mind.
Madam Xu swallowed hard, not daring to meet her gaze, and said stubbornly, "What nonsense are you talking about, you little girl? How could I have anything to hide! Sister-in-law, this person is the cousin of the top scholar Shao Chengrui. How could she know how to treat patients? She's just here to watch the show."
We absolutely cannot let her stay inside, otherwise all our efforts will have been in vain!
After enduring several days and nights of tireless vigil by that old hag's bedside, finally managing to get her to give her two-thirds of her dowry, I can't let this little girl ruin things!
If this matter were to be exposed, she and her husband would be guilty of murdering their stepmother, a capital offense!
As Xu thought this, she became even more anxious, and even her voice changed tone.
She abruptly turned her head to look at the servants standing beside her, her face contorted with rage: "What are you all standing there for? Quickly, get this person out of here!"
Before the servants could act, Liu stopped them.
She frowned as she looked at her sister-in-law. Her unusual behavior just now deepened her suspicions.
If she had nothing to hide, why would Madam Xu have such an expression?
That expression clearly shows that he has something to hide!
After thinking for a moment, Liu turned to the young woman behind her and said, "Please take a look at the old lady, young lady."
"Sister-in-law!" Xu cried out, quickly grabbing her hand. "Sister-in-law, you can't trust her so easily. She looks like an inexperienced young girl. What if she makes Mother's passing even more painful?"
Jingwu ignored her gossip, nodded, and agreed, "Okay!"
She walked towards the bed, looked at the old lady whose face was ashen and who was breathing heavily but not exhaling, and made a hand gesture to dispel the yin energy lingering on her body.
Jingwu took out a Rejuvenation Pill from his pocket and was about to feed it to the old lady.
The next second, a hand slapped her hand hard, knocking the pill to the ground.
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