In the middle of the night, while Lin Zhi was asleep, Jiang Chuting got up and gently pushed open the door. She saw Yin Ziqiu waiting in the courtyard. The dim light of the lantern illuminated her swollen cheeks and sallow complexion.
As soon as Jiang Chuting appeared, she bent her knees, knelt down in front of him, and kowtowed several times.
Jiang Chuting's lips moved, but she didn't make a sound.
Her voice was even hoarser than before, "Thank you for stopping me, otherwise I would have made an even bigger mistake."
Jiang Chuting didn't need her thanks; he only came out to see her because he had questions to ask.
"I have something I want to ask you."
Yin Ziqiu looked up at him and said, "Please speak."
Jiang Chuting asked, "Why did you use the Flying Flower Order before? The Flying Flower Order appeared in a family annihilation case a few years ago, and the murderer is still a mystery. Is it related to you, or to someone you know?"
How she escaped from the den of demons and how she learned martial arts were never explicitly stated, but Jiang Chuting was quite certain that someone must have guided and assisted her behind the scenes. Otherwise, even with elixirs to enhance her internal strength, it would have been impossible for someone who had never practiced martial arts to achieve such proficiency in just a few years.
Moreover, the use of a "Flying Flower Order" as a warning before the murder inevitably brought to mind the previous massacre of his entire family. It was said that the family had all died from a very insidious palm technique, somewhat similar to Yin Ziqiu's path of revenge.
Yin Ziqiu remained silent for a moment before saying, "What happened a few years ago has nothing to do with me or anyone I know. I just heard about it and then used it as a reference."
Jiang Chuting stared at her with his bright black eyes and said calmly, "Is that so?"
Yin Ziqiu met his gaze and said in a low voice, "Yes."
Jiang Chuting stopped talking.
Suppressed coughing came from Huang Yu's room; it was Huang Wanwan and the Huang family father and son inside. Yin Ziqiu turned the direction he was kneeling towards and kowtowed several more times, his voice hoarse as if speaking to those inside, "I have one last thing to do. After I finish it, I will give you an explanation no matter what." Then, with a pale face, he let out a long sigh, stood up, and left without a reply from inside.
Jiang Chuting didn't stop him and returned to his room. Lin Zhi was already awake, sitting on the couch with her eyes wide open, watching him approach.
Jiang Chuting's expression softened, and she asked, "Did I wake you up?"
"I woke up when you got up." Lin Zhi asked him, "Are we just going to let her go like that? What if she's lying?"
Jiang Chuting sat down on the edge of the couch. "Probably not." He had done all he could. The Huang family would not be in danger again. They could decide how to handle the aftermath themselves; he didn't intend to interfere.
Lin Zhi suddenly glanced at him. He had noticed someone outside the door earlier and had gone out wearing only his undershirt and an outer robe. Actually, there was nothing wrong with him being dressed neatly, but he didn't realize that when he was thinly dressed and didn't show any strength, he looked very vulnerable to being bullied.
Lin Zhi immediately reached out and pulled his clothes up, frowning seriously as she said, "Why did you go out like this? It's very dangerous."
Hearing the seriousness in his tone, Jiang Chuting was very puzzled: "Why would it be dangerous?"
"...It's cold, you'll freeze."
Unexpectedly, he made such a fuss, and Jiang Chuting couldn't help but laugh and say, "It's okay, I'm not afraid of the cold."
Lin Zhi gritted his teeth and said, "But I'm afraid you'll be cold! You need to be careful in the future, or you'll catch a cold." Without waiting for a reply, he pulled him down onto the couch, covered him tightly with the blanket, snorted, and then lay down himself.
At that moment, neither of them expected that after Yin Ziqiu left, he would use extremely brutal methods to create a major event in Jian'an City that would shock the entire city and have a profound impact.
Before dawn, three still-dripping corpses were hung high at the city gate, their deaths gruesome, and long blood-written letters were hung beside them, their crimes clearly stated in large characters.
One abandoned his wife, causing her to commit suicide out of humiliation; another abandoned his daughter, causing her to drown in a pond; and one abused his daughter-in-law, driving her insane and causing her to disappear.
When the soldiers arrived, half dealt with the bodies and the other half dispersed the noisy crowd. In the midst of the commotion, a gust of wind suddenly blew by, and the thick stack of papers placed at the very top of the high city gate was instantly swept away and scattered like snowflakes. The scene was both eerie and spectacular, eliciting screams from the crowd.
Someone randomly grabbed a piece of paper—white paper with a red drawing. On it was a large, red eye that seemed to be staring straight at you no matter which way you looked at it, with a sinister smile in its gaze that sent chills down your spine.
News of the "ghost eye" spread like wildfire within half a day, causing panic in Jian'an City. Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi took a stroll through the streets and found many people hurriedly buying things for their weddings. They probably wanted to get married as soon as possible, regardless of whether they had given birth or not, to avoid bringing disaster upon themselves.
Those who have lost their children or abused their wives are probably keeping their doors tightly shut right now, not daring to step out, for fear of ending up like the three men at the city gate.
A commotion arose from the shops next door, which were almost emptied out. Two families were arguing heatedly over the last remaining red silk. Lin Zhi almost laughed at the sight and snorted, "Sure enough, nothing is stronger than threatening someone with their life."
However, even if the atmosphere in Jian'an City becomes slightly more upright in a short period of time, it is not because they have reflected on their actions, but simply because they are afraid of losing their lives and want to avoid trouble.
Deeply ingrained ideas are not so easy to change, and old habits may resurface soon. But at least for now, some people will be spared from harm, and some children will survive.
Jiang Chuting couldn't quite describe her feelings. She sighed softly and said to Lin Zhi, who was still watching the commotion, "Let's go back."
When Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi returned to the Huang family, Huang Wanwan was dressed in plain clothes, without any decorations on her clothes or hair, and was bidding farewell to the Huang family father and son.
She herself had not done anything wrong, but she was Yin Ziqiu's daughter, and if she continued to stay in the Huang family, no one would have a good time. She had already chosen to shave her head and become a nun, and would spend the rest of her life guarding the longevity tablets for Zhou Qingqing and the two young masters of the Huang family, devoutly chanting scriptures and praying for their well-being.
Old Master Huang looked heartbroken and sighed repeatedly. Huang Yu also looked a little upset. After all, he had been raised in the Huang family for more than ten years, so it was impossible for him not to have feelings for them.
But……
Master Huang said in a trembling voice, "It's getting late, perhaps we should... perhaps we should leave tomorrow morning?"
"No." Huang Wanwan shook her head, her moist and sorrowful eyes looking at the two of them as if imprinting them in her heart. Tears streaming down her face, she said, "Take good care of yourselves from now on." After saying that, she turned and left alone without further hesitation. Master Huang and Huang Yu couldn't help but follow her for several steps, but in the end, they only stopped in the courtyard, watching her frail figure disappear from sight. For a moment, even the surrounding air became desolate.
The next day, Master Huang and Huang Yu went to the cemetery, only to find signs that someone had come to pay their respects at the grave. When they returned after performing the ritual, they found Yin Ziqiu, who had died by poison, nearby.
The dead cannot be brought back to life, and this is the only explanation she can give.
The matter had been resolved, and Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi were about to bid farewell to Master Huang. On their way to the front hall, they overheard two servants whispering about their master's affairs.
"Both the eldest and second young masters are not destined to have children. It's no use for Young Master Yu to keep those male concubines, since they can't have children."
"Yes, the master is deeply in love with his wife and probably won't remarry. Wouldn't that mean the Huang family line will end?"
"Good deeds don't always go well. How could the Huang family have encountered such a thing? Sigh."
"It's all because God is blind."
“It’s a real pity about the Huang family.” Lin Zhi said to Jiang Chuting as they walked. “However, for me personally, whether I have children or not is not important. What’s important is being with the person I love.”
Jiang Chuting smiled but remained silent upon hearing this. Indeed, such naive words from a young person. Once they have children, both the person they love and the child will be more important.
As I passed the pavilion in the middle of the lake next to the garden, I happened to see Huang Yu interrogating someone. One of Huang Yu's male concubines had tried to escape the night before but was caught by the guards and was now being brought before him.
Jiang Chuting looked closely and recognized him as the young master she had encountered before.
Shaojun knelt on the ground, his body trembling.
He didn't steal anything from the manor, only packed two pieces of clothing; he genuinely just wanted to escape. Huang Yu stared at him for a moment, then sighed and squatted down: "Although I may be a bit of a womanizer, I redeemed you from the brothel, gave you good food, drink, and lodging, and I believe I've treated you fairly well. Why are you running away? If you run away, will you have a place to stay and enough to eat?"
Without raising his head, Shaojun began to sob, "Young Master, you have been very good to me, but... but I'm afraid I won't be able to serve you anymore, so I have to leave." He kept kowtowing, "It was Shaojun's fault. I will accept whatever Young Master decides for me and will never complain."
The Huang family has been dealing with a lot of trouble lately, and Huang Yu doesn't have the energy to deal with him much. Since he insisted on leaving, Huang Yu didn't force him. He had someone bring him some silver, told him to get up, and stuffed it into his hand without any expression. "Alright, considering we've been together, I won't punish you. You can go now."
Shaojun held the not-so-light money bag, stared at him blankly for a moment, struggled for a long time, and finally accepted the money.
He looked at Huang Yu, his eyes red, and said, "Young Master, thank you for your great kindness."
He had been determined to leave, but when he was finally allowed to go, he kept turning back to look at me, and only after a long while did he look away and quicken his pace to leave.
As he passed by, Jiang Chuting couldn't help but stare at him a few more times.
Lin Zhi felt very frustrated and asked him, "Chu Ran, why do I feel like you care about him a lot?"
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