Noticing that Zhao Manxiang's hands were covered in dust, clearly having been through quite a rough time, Wen Zhu couldn't help but express concern: "Young Madam, you haven't had a chance to wash your hands yet? It's not good to touch food directly with your hands in this state. Please wait a moment. I'll get you a basin of clean water to wash thoroughly."
Having said that, he was already preparing to walk out of the yard without waiting for an answer.
After getting her approval, Zhao Manxiang nodded slightly, feeling a little warm in her heart for her thoughtful and considerate behavior.
After a whole day of being almost alone, coupled with the sudden accelerated heartbeat she had experienced not long ago, Zhao Manxiang's attitude towards the people around her has become much gentler.
Despite the disturbing incident of the fire at Yaotai Yue, the maid in front of him did not seem to have any bad thoughts about it and continued to serve him wholeheartedly.
After a while, the servant waiting at the door saw Wen Zhu returning with a basin full of clear water that exuded a faint floral fragrance.
It turned out that she had deliberately added some juice made from rose petals to the water. "I added some freshly extracted rose essence to this basin of clear water. It can be used to cleanse your hands and maintain personal hygiene even in a special place like the ancestral hall."
Wen Zhu's voice sounded softly and kindly.
Zhao Manxiang walked gently to Wen Zhu, stretched out her slightly dirty hands, slowly immersed them in the cool rose perfume, and gently rubbed them with her fingertips, feeling this rare freshness and relaxation.
After everything was ready, Wen Zhu and Qing Ti respectfully took their leave and left the room. The servant waiting outside the door carefully checked the door lock again and closed it again to ensure that there were no safety hazards.
On the other side, Wen Zhu found an open space and slowly poured out the unused water. After simply rinsing the basin, he handed it over to other servants to clean up afterwards.
At this time, the sun has completely set and night is gradually falling.
The world around was shrouded in deep darkness, with only a few dim lights flickering faintly.
The ancestral hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and an uneasy atmosphere hung in the air.
Returning to this silent space again, Zhao Manxiang's previous courage seemed to disappear in an instant, replaced by endless fear and tension.
She felt her hands and feet begin to tremble slightly, to the point where she could hardly move. In such an environment, how could she have the mind to eat?
At this time, the "Earth Store Sutra" on the table came into view. The book looked a bit old, and the cover was slightly yellowed, but it was still well preserved.
Zhao Manxiang thought that perhaps copying some scriptures now would help her calm down.
Thinking of this, the "Dipankara Sutra" was like a spark of hope, igniting a touch of warmth in her heart.
So she gently turned the pages of the book, took out a blank piece of paper from her bag and spread it out, then carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on the paper with her fingers, as if doing so could give her more courage to face what was about to happen.
Suddenly, a sharp "Ah——" broke the brief silence.
The voice seemed to burst out from the depths of the soul, filled with extreme panic.
It turned out that there was a bright red handprint on the paper, which looked like someone had just pressed it hard.
Blood?
For a moment, Zhao Manxiang felt cold sweat on her back. She immediately raised her hands and checked carefully, but found that there was nothing unusual on her body. Her hands were still clean and there were no wounds.
What's going on?
Zhao Manxiang, full of doubts, decided to try again. She found a brand new blank piece of paper and took a deep breath to ease the panic that was rising in her heart.
This time she was extremely cautious, almost holding her breath, and then slowly placed her palm on it.
Then he silently recited a few words to comfort himself, and then slowly raised his hand.
But what appeared before his eyes was still the same scene - blood!
The creepy red mark was still clearly visible, as if everything that had just happened was not an illusion but real.
Why is this happening?
Zhao Manxiang tried to test it by constantly changing different papers to see if only a specific type of paper would cause this situation to occur.
However, the result was the same to her despair. As soon as the new yellowish paper touched her skin, bloodstains would immediately appear.
After repeated attempts, there were ten pieces of blood-stained paper scattered on the floor.
"Ah——" Another uncontrolled scream echoed throughout the ancestral hall.
Zhao Manxiang frantically slapped her sleeves, trying to clean up the so-called "blood" that could neither be seen nor touched.
She kept asking herself what was going on?
Is it true, as the legend says, that I accidentally got stained with the blood of a ghost?
This thought lingers like a nightmare, making people terrified.
"No matter how despicable you were in your lifetime, no matter how many sins you committed, you are not worth my fear in this world! Now you are using such insidious means to deal with me? Come out, where are you hiding?"
Zhao Manxiang's face turned ashen with anger. She roared loudly and paced back and forth in the ancestral hall. The wooden floor under her feet made a slight creaking sound under her footsteps.
The servant waiting outside the door heard the noise coming from inside, his face showing displeasure. He slowly walked to the door, carefully poked his head out and said, "Young Madam, please keep your voice down and don't disturb others' rest."
"There's something evil here! There's strange bloodstains on the copybook!"
As soon as she saw someone coming in, Zhao Manxiang rushed to the door like a drowning person grabbing a life-saving straw.
She desperately pulled at the man's sleeve, her eyes filled with fear.
She tried to push open the heavy door, but suddenly the scene of the bat hitting the door last night flashed through her mind. She couldn't help but tremble all over. She quickly let go of her hand, covered her face and screamed.
There was an obvious cry in her voice, showing her extreme fear and helplessness at the moment.
Hearing the young lady's cry, the accompanying person felt uneasy, but out of duty, he had to bite the bullet and go forward to check the situation.
He took a deep breath, then mustered up the courage to open the door to the outside world.
The moment the door opened, Zhao Manxiang grabbed his arm tightly, her tone filled with undisguised panic: "Hurry and take a look! There really is blood on the copybook paper! This is horrible! Please help me, check it out quickly."
The man looked in the direction the young lady pointed and found several blank sheets of rice paper scattered on the ground.
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