Chapter 93: Taking Lady Yin Hostage
This was the simplest birthday Pingyu had ever had. There were no parents by his side, no longevity banquet, and it passed by peacefully and uneventfully.
She opened her eyes, the clearest thing in her vision being the wooden ceiling. Ping Yu tentatively moved each part of her body one by one:
Fingers, here!
Toes, here!
No evil spirits dared to steal her food as a midnight snack while she slept. Pingyu touched herself; her body was perfectly healthy.
In an instant, she rolled over and got out of bed.
The solid ground beneath her feet made her heart soar. For the past eleven years, Pingyu had lived in fear of her "predetermined death," finally overcoming the boulder blocking her path. Now she could grow up properly, and collect the remaining ghosts to pave her way home!
Click.
Her smile froze on her face.
The window shattered and fell to the ground.
It wasn't even the entire window that fell off; rather, half of the window broke off and landed on the ground.
Pingyu: ?
Was the Nezha Palace built by Lady Yin really that plastic?
She knew she had used a bit of force, but not enough to easily damage a piece of wood.
Pingyu squatted down and picked it up.
But as soon as she held it in her hand, she immediately noticed something was wrong.
The cross-section of the wood is black.
Ping was certain that these were not signs of insect infestation, because the wood was solid inside. The only abnormality was the protruding splinter that had been cut off.
The wood splinter is not the natural color of solid wood, but rather a charcoal black color produced by burning.
This subtle discord caused Ping Yu's lighthearted heart to slowly settle down.
Is this some kind of special wood? Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Pingyu could actually smell a faint burnt smell in the air.
She suppressed her turbulent thoughts and pressed her fingers against the splinter.
Pingyu touched it as lightly as if she were touching an eyelash, and the sharp splinter instantly turned into dust upon contact with her skin. The dust stained her clothes, leaving a black stain that was difficult to clean.
It's charcoal.
As soon as the idea popped into her head, the wood in her hands began to change color. Starting from the blunted splinters, a sooty black color, reminiscent of burnt wood, spread outwards from the girl in all directions.
The acrid smell grew stronger, and Pingyu coughed incessantly, choked by the sudden odor. It felt as if the smoke was trying to penetrate her body through her nostrils, permeating and cooking her internal organs. As she coughed violently, covering her nose, she heard the driver outside the window shouting in alarm, "Miss! Miss!"
Pingyu took Xiaohui and went out.
The driver rushed towards her in a panic, looking uneasy. She raised her hand to stop him from speaking, and looked up to take in the surrounding scenery. It was as if the place had been scorched by an invisible, raging fire in a very short time, destroying the beams, walls, and all forms of architectural structures.
The once elegant palace became dilapidated and crumbling in just half an incense stick's time.
Ping Yu's heart sank. It was impossible for the palace to have caught fire during their stay; otherwise, they would all be dead by now.
And they arrived before them.
She recalled encountering a convoy from Chaoge halfway up the mountain; Pingyu, fearing trouble, had deliberately taken a detour. Thinking this way, perhaps the palace was destroyed the very day she arrived at Cuiping Mountain. The smoke rising from the temples she saw along the way wasn't from burning incense, but rather thick smoke from a fire.
But where did those pilgrims come from?
The burned-down palace offered no protection whatsoever, and yesterday's calamity had passed unscathed. According to the Investiture of the Gods storyline, Nezha should be reconstructing his body at Qianyuan Mountain now, so the Taoist's claim of being "entrusted by Nezha" was a lie. Thinking this, Pingyu lifted her skirt and ran towards another bedroom. Passing the main hall, she saw that the golden statues in the palace were made of clay. After the fire, the paint on Nezha's face had completely faded, leaving behind the cracked clay, giving him a grotesque appearance. Inside and outside the hall, including the passageways between the two huge bronze incense burners, there were no worshippers, only scattered melon rinds and fruit peels.
The Taoist priest wasn't throwing out garbage; he was performing a ritual.
Pingyu's heart pounded as she recklessly barged into the Taoist's sleeping quarters.
Behind the door, the old man sat slumped in a rickety chair. He held a date in his hand and looked at Ping Yu: "Have you come to offer tea to your master?"
The girl remained silent and walked forward on her own.
The Taoist watched helplessly as the other person walked up to him and then grabbed his collar.
Pingyu grabbed his collar, expressionless: "What's wrong with my family?"
"What do you mean, 'your home'?" the Taoist priest feigned ignorance.
The girl tightened her grip: "Why are you trapping me here? If you hadn't told me Nezha was in this palace, I would have turned around and gone home long ago."
The Taoist priest was not annoyed: "Since you know everything about what's happening here and what's to come, why do you still need to ask me?"
Pingyu was taken aback.
This man had been sent here to be her master, and Ping Yu didn't know how much he actually knew about her situation. While she was distracted, the thin old man gently pried the girl's hand off his collar: "Since you want to know what's wrong with your family, why don't you just go back?"
He said, "After the ordeal, you should go home first; that's what you said yourself."
Pingyu looked at his loosened palm, glared at him, and then turned and left.
Because the young lady's face was so pale, the coachman dared not utter a word on the way back. The Taoist priest, for some reason, also boarded, remaining opposite Ping Yu. He didn't say anything to add fuel to the fire, only leaning back to watch the girl's dark expression. He seemed thoughtful, shaking his head and sighing softly. The coachman spurred the horse on, and the horse, understanding, increased its pace to its maximum. With great effort, the carriage finally entered Chen Tang Pass at dusk. It was the time when laborers returned home and those with spare money came out to find food. The streets were bustling with people, and the coachman tightened the reins, slowing the horse down. The luxurious carriage instantly attracted the attention of the people within the pass, but what sparked even more discussion was the embroidered character "林" (Lin) on the carriage curtain.
It had only been a few days since the officials and soldiers of Chaoge had taken the Lin family away, and the matter was already generating a lot of buzz within the pass.
The noisy discussions of the people around him traveled through the compartment and reached Ping Yu's ears:
"How come the Lin family was able to come back after being taken away in such a grand manner? Could it be that going to Chaoge is a good thing?"
"What a load of bull! You didn't even open your eyes and see that only three out of dozens of cars went out. How good can this be?"
......
Take them away? What are you taking away?
A growing unease gripped her, and she instinctively glanced at the Taoist priest who seemed to know the truth, only to find him fast asleep in his seat. They would be at the mansion soon; Pingyu pinched the space between her thumb and forefinger to calm herself.
The moment the carriage stopped, Pingyu jumped out of the carriage. She had only taken two steps when she stepped into a puddle of viscous liquid.
Pingyu looked down and saw that the ground in front of her house was a darker and damper color than the rest of the area. When she stepped on it, wet water seeped out, staining her shoes a reddish hue. The lantern, now without fuel, hung dimly at the door, like dried-out heads. The coachman, tying his horse outside, saw it grazing on weeds and patted it. He stepped into the overgrown, untrimmed grass and suddenly felt something soft and hard on the sole of his shoe. Afraid the horse would eat it, he casually kicked it out.
The creature in the grass rolled outwards and stopped not far from Pingyu.
Just as the driver was about to admit he was drunk, he broke out in a cold sweat when he saw what it was: "Miss, look!"
Ping Yu turned his head in response, and saw a section of arm that had turned blue lying there like a withered branch.
The girl gripped the door knocker and pushed it in with a nervous heart.
The smell of blood in the mansion wasn't very strong, but a faint stench of spoiled food mingled with the air. The flowers and plants her mother had carefully tended were all trampled into mud, and the brazier lay overturned on the ground, scattering ashes like bones.
She called out persistently and stepped inside.
The wreckage of lanterns paved the way for Pingyu to move forward, her shouts were echoed by their own voices, and there was nothing else but deathly silence.
The best courtyard in the house showed signs of a struggle, with blood flowing across the ground as if someone had been dealing with livestock. Broken plates and rotten food were scattered everywhere.
At the time of the incident, a large banquet was being held at home.
The girl stood in the mess for a while, then turned and walked towards her room.
Pingyu reached under her pillow and pulled out a sheathed dagger. Because Pingyu was haunted by ghosts and couldn't sleep soundly, Lin Dong, following the advice of various Taoist priests, placed a sharpened dagger under her pillow. It was said that the blade possessed a menacing aura that could scare away some minor ghosts. She grasped the hilt and drew the blade. Everything in the Lin family was of the highest quality, and this dagger was also an exceptional one.
The cold blade reflected the girl's tense face.
Whether it can scare away little ghosts is unknown, but it's definitely very effective at killing people.
She sheathed her sword, tucked it into her bosom, and walked towards the door.
The driver, still in shock, hesitated at the door. He gritted his teeth, ready to go in and accompany the young lady, but then saw the girl walk out from inside.
Pingyu greeted him and instructed, "Go outside and find out what happened in the mansion."
The girl was eerily quiet, and the driver nodded frantically, "Yes...!"
Seeing that Pingyu was about to leave after speaking, the coachman's heart pounded. He couldn't help but ask again, "Miss, where are you going?"
Pingyu paused, then replied, "Something came up; I'll be back later."
Lately, the mansion has only been hosting banquets for one person: Li Jing.
Li Jing was supposed to return the day before yesterday, but he was delayed by Chaoge for a day, which is why Pingyu missed him. Something must have happened that day when she was delayed in the palace, which is why her parents were escorted to Chaoge. Judging from the tone of the people around her, she should have returned before Li Jing. Pingyu touched the short sword in her bosom through her clothes. She thought: To get back to Chaoge in such a short time, there can be no rest along the way. Li Jing must not be home yet, and Madam Yin should not know about this. Even if she does know, it doesn't matter. She is a soft-hearted woman. As long as I find an excuse to cry, it should lower her guard.
In the eyes of both families, Pingyu was a sickly and weak child who couldn't even kill a chicken, which made it easier for her to do things.
Li Jing loved his wife, and as long as she could take Lady Yin hostage first, she wouldn't have to worry about not being able to get the man's information out of him.
She took two more steps forward, only to find someone blocking her way.
The Taoist priest, who had awoke at some point, stood leisurely in front of him: "Have you forgotten what you were supposed to do today?"
Having survived her ordeal, she should now seek a master.
Pingyu: "Is it my fate or my parents'?"
The Taoist priest asked, "What's the difference?"
He gently beckoned, and the short blade in Ping Yu's arms flew out: "No matter what, as long as your life is saved, that's all that matters. Don't forget that you are a celestial being, not a mortal. You were born of heaven and earth, not by ordinary people."
The girl reached out to grab the flying dagger, and heard the other person ask, "And honestly, are these really your parents?"
"What's the meaning."
Ping Yu stopped what he was doing: "If they're not my parents, then who are?"
The Taoist priest asked, "If they are your parents, then who is waiting for you to return?"
Pingyu's mind went blank for a moment, and she remained silent. She lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes. The Taoist's voice, sharp as an axe, slashed down: "You, with no ability whatsoever, barely escaped danger, yet now you're willing to risk your life again. Is it worth it for this place that doesn't belong to you?"
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