The Death of Yuhuan (VI)
Taoist Jiang buried his head in the bowl of soup. This was his fourth bowl. “I don’t dare to eat it.”
"Why not?"
He scooped up the fifth bowl of soup and rice, then burped and said contentedly, "I'm afraid of death."
"Someone wants to kill you?"
"Yes and no." He didn't say anything profound or mysterious, his tone was calm, as if he had eaten one more bowl of rice.
Another riddle man.
Xu Wei was silent for a while, then asked: "How do you usually eat?"
"I planted a vegetable garden where I live and raised three chickens."
"Is it at Baiyun Temple?"
Taoist Jiang shook his head.
"Why don't you live in Baiyun Temple?"
"I don't dare."
Yes, there is a story too.
Seeing that Xu Wei didn't say anything for a long time, he was surprised. He raised his head from the bowl and asked in surprise: "Why don't you ask?"
"You don't want to say it, so what's there to ask?" Zhang Yuan took a bag of melon seeds and cracked them nearby.
He smiled and stood up to scoop a bowl of rice.
Xu Wei folded his hands, stared at him for a while, and suddenly asked: "How did your master die?"
"......"
Taoist Jiang was unusually silent, with the chopsticks still in his hand, but he didn't move.
After a while, he opened his mouth as if he was about to speak, then closed it again.
Typical of being hesitant to speak.
Seeing this, Xu Wei asked casually, "What do you want to say?"
Everyone's eyes in the room instantly focused on him, and those light gazes seemed like an invisible pressure that weighed down his body.
Taoist Jiang tightened his grip on the spoon and swallowed the last bite with difficulty: "I'm ready, let's get started."
At noon, the Yang energy is at its peak.
Taoist Jiang dragged everyone to pick and choose, and finally found a "feng shui treasure land".
He wiped the compass gently as if it were a treasure, then straightened his clothes again, picked up the whisk, his eyes changed, and he became serious.
Arms waving wildly.
"The Supreme Star, who is always on the lookout for dangers, exorcises evil spirits, and protects lives and bodies..."
The compass vibrated in response.
"The wisdom is clear, the mind is peaceful, the three souls are eternal, and the spirit is not lost..." A faint green light spread out from the palm of the hand, jumping and circling at the fingertips.
The shaking became more intense, and the pointer on the top dial kept spinning.
After chanting a few incantations, the whisk swept around, the speed of waving increased, the whiskers flying, and a clearly perceptible sound of breaking through the air was made.
"Hurry up and follow the order!" As the hand gesture pointed to the compass, the faint green light disappeared.
After wandering for several times, the pointer pointed to the east.
Xu Wei stared at the compass for a moment, and when he saw no more movement, he frowned and asked, "And then?"
Taoist Jiang put away the compass, apparently very satisfied with his operation, and said in a serious tone: "The evil spirit is in the east!"
"......"
The fist hardened.
"Except us and the maids and servants, the master's family lives on the east side." Zhang Yuan couldn't stand it and added.
Du Xingye and his fourteenth concubine were also there.
It’s like not checking.
Noticing Xu Wei's fist, Taoist Jiang quickly took out the compass again and hesitated, "Yes, or should we go to the east and measure it again?"
When they reached the east, the six people deliberately moved closer to the second wife's courtyard.
Taoist Jiang started to operate again.
"The Supreme Star is always on the alert. He drives away evil spirits and binds demons, protecting lives and bodies. His wisdom is clear and his mind is at peace. His three souls are eternal and his spirit is not lost. Hurry up and obey the command!"
It’s still the same intimidating operation.
This time, the needle turned quickly before the compass vibrated.
"It's filled with evil spirits." Taoist Jiang stared at the compass, stroked his beard, and said seriously.
Everyone had no choice but to follow the pointer in his hand. On the way, they met several servants on duty and could only laugh it off to cover up for themselves.
We walked along the way, passed two unfamiliar courtyards, and finally arrived in front of a huge courtyard gate.
This courtyard is larger than all the courtyards in the mansion. The land outside alone occupies a large area. Even the trees are thicker. The walls are brand new, the ground is paved with cement, and the large flower beds are neatly maintained.
The main house is even more magnificent, with a glazed tile roof and two floors with carved beams and painted rafters in the middle of the side rooms on the left and right. The exterior is painted bright red, decorated with dark gold patterns and dragon head utensils.
The second floor is simpler, with an inner and outer room. The doors and windows of the inner room are closed and cannot be seen, while the outer room has an open space with a coffee table and cushions. A few screens create a delicate sense of space, and there is an elegant mahogany railing around it. It is a great place to enjoy yourself when you have nothing to do.
"What a magnificent building!" Li Shaodong clapped his hands and said, "There are very few buildings like this nowadays."
As they got closer, their attention finally shifted away from the imposing courtyard, and they saw the uniformed soldiers standing guard at the door.
The gatekeeper recognized them and nodded as a greeting, then asked, "Are you here to see the master? Do you need me to pass the message?"
Du Xingye is in the mansion today.
Everyone looked at each other with unfathomable expressions.
Lu Fanye shook his head: "No need, we just walked here, sorry to bother you."
Just as he was about to turn around, he saw Xu Wei straighten his back, walk up to the guard, and look at this young boy who was not much older than him.
People started to feel embarrassed because of the staring. Although their faces were expressionless, the tips of their ears were slightly red.
Xu Wei seemed to realize that she had gone too far and she shyly covered her mouth with her hands and giggled.
“Heh~heh~”
The laughter is very sweet and coquettish.
Don’t ask. If you’re wondering, I learned it from Madam Fourteen.
The guard was so excited by the coquettish voice that he stuttered: "What do you want?"
Xu Wei blinked her eyes and clasped her hands together, looking shy and embarrassed.
After thinking for a while, he said in a pinched voice: "Brother, can I ask you a question?"
After saying that, he shook his body shyly.
Lu Fanye beside him trembled inexplicably.
"I'll go."
From behind, Li Shaodong was kicked by Zhang Yuan.
The guard's face turned serious when he heard this. He tightly grasped his gun and shouted, "It is forbidden to inquire about the master's information. Anyone who violates this will be shot on the spot!"
Still a simple-minded person.
Even if his teammates don't give him face, the show has already begun and Xu Wei still has to continue.
Recite "Madam Fourteen" five times silently in your heart to give yourself courage.
She seemed to be frightened by the roar and took a few steps back. When she recovered, she glared at him shyly at first, then stamped her feet as if she hated him for not understanding the situation, and said angrily: "Oh, brother, I don't want to ask that!"
Someone beside me sighed softly.
The guard brother didn't reply, but Xu Wei didn't get angry. Instead, she reached out to grab his sleeves, but was dodged. She then broke her fingernails aggrievedly: "Brother, don't be so fierce. You scared me."
"I just think Mr. Du's yard is very grand. When I get home, I want to build one as grand as this one."
The guard glanced at her without saying anything, his eyes silently urging them to leave.
"But there are rarely second floors in buildings like this. When we ask someone to repair it, we don't know whether it will be done well." She sighed, as if she had already seen the courtyard building that looked like a weird place.
"I only like the first floor, so I want to ask what the second floor is used for? Is it just for the convenience of looking out over the railing? If it does not affect normal living, I plan not to build a second floor. What do you think?"
This question seemed to be within the scope of the answer. Seeing Xu Wei frowning and mumbling, her whole mind focused on Du Xingye's magnificent building, the guard relaxed his expression and condescended to explain to her: "The second floor is used for watching operas."
"Watching a play? Wow..." Xu Wei was surprised and made an envious sound, "Mr. Du likes to watch a play? Is it the one we saw when we entered the mansion? It was written by the stage in the mansion, and it was very well written."
The guard nodded and said proudly: "The stage in our mansion has been famous in the whole Xi area since it was built. You are in for a feast for the eyes."
Xu Wei agreed at the right time: "Indeed, I haven't seen such a wonderful play since I was a child. Even you said so. It seems that everyone in the mansion is like Mr. Du and is a play lover."
The guard tutted, as if mocking, "Not so much."
"What about the ladies? Do you like watching plays too?" Li Shaodong asked, leaning over from behind.
The guard seemed to wake up at this moment, and realized that he had been chatting with Xu Wei for so long. He raised his hand impatiently and pushed the man back: "Go, go, go, ask someone else, don't disturb me while I am on duty."
After saying that, he walked back to the line holding his gun, staring at this side without blinking, urging them to hurry up.
Everyone had to leave.
Away from Du Xingye's courtyard, Taoist Jiang quickly moved away from Xu Wei and whispered, "I may not be a master of my craft, but my compass will never be wrong. Even if Master Du is not a fierce ghost, he must have come into contact with one. To be infected with such a strong infection, it must have been a close contact!"
Close contact.
Xu Wei thought of the Fourteenth Madam in an instant.
"Did you sense any ghostly aura from the master last night?" Zhang Yuan asked.
Taoist Jiang quietly moved away from Zhang Yuan, and then he stammered, "The ghost fetus last night was also full of ghost energy, plus the resentment of the evil spirits in the mansion, I really... really can't feel it."
Xu Wei took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Fellow Taoist, please hit me gently." Taoist Jiang covered his fat belly and squatted on the ground, looking like he was willing to fight or be beaten.
Lu Fanye patted her shoulder and comforted her, "Don't worry, at least we've confirmed it's someone close to him."
Li Shaodong counted on his fingers: "The ones I have come into contact with recently are the First Madam, the Second Madam, the Fourteenth Madam, and Lihua."
The other ladies have not been treated well recently. Ever since the Fourteenth Lady arrived, the one-third acre of land next to Du Xingye has been divided up by the Second Lady and the Fourteenth Lady. Only the First Lady, because of her status as the legal wife, can be treated well and eat with them.
As for Lihua, Li Shaodong had inquired about her this morning and learned that she had been a personal maid in the master's courtyard before she became the housekeeper.
Zhang Yuan pressed his index finger down: "The second wife is a victim of a haunting. Even the transformation of corpses was caused by the ghost fetus. The portal did not appear last night. It was not her."
Li Shaodong had no choice but to put his index finger down: "The first lady doesn't have much presence. She doesn't talk while eating, and the Marshal doesn't pay any attention to her. Could it be that she turned love into hate? Did she kill someone out of jealousy?"
Zhang Yuan grabbed his hand and pushed it down, helplessly: "Don't think about it anymore, just focus on finding out. It's a disaster to make you think."
"What we want to find out is the truth behind the haunting, not who killed whom."
"The purpose of the haunting is to kill people. Whoever killed the second wife is the murderer!" Li Shaodong seemed dissatisfied.
"Don't you remember the last time..."
The two were arguing on the side, and Lu Fanye looked at Xu Wei: "What did she say to you?"
Xu Wei knew who he was asking, because he was distracted by something last night and forgot to tell others.
"Who is she? Who is she? Who is she investigating?" Li Shaodong was arguing with someone and only heard half of what was said, so he asked in a confused manner.
Zhang Yuan patted his silly head and said, "Of course it's the Fourteenth Madam. You should just do the work of finding out!"
Xu Wei nodded to Zhang Yuan, then looked at Taoist Jiang who was squatting on the side and trying hard to listen.
"Cha Dujon."
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