The following morning, a scream shattered the apparent tranquility of the Hao residence.
A maidservant responsible for sweeping the path noticed something amiss in the grass. The tangled branches and leaves looked different from how they usually appeared when the wind blew through them. Following the trail, she walked behind the artificial hill and found a servant lying on the grass, disheveled and naked from the waist down, who had been dead for some time.
One after another, people in the manor died. The maid was so frightened that she fell to the ground. It took her a long time to come to her senses before she screamed and ran into the courtyard.
One after another, servants came over, all standing a foot away from the corpse, looking at it from a distance with expressions of horror and fear. Recalling the ghost story from a few days ago, they didn't dare to breathe loudly for a moment.
As usual, Cui Ruliu got up and went to check on Hao Zheng first, wiping her son's face with a handkerchief. Gui Mama rushed over, and seeing her mistress's solemn expression as she focused on wiping Hao Zheng's face, she was momentarily speechless, unsure whether to speak. She waited for about fifteen minutes until Cui Ruliu finished, then nervously moved her lips to say, "Mistress, another person has died in the manor."
"What's the panic?" Cui Ruliu said sternly. "Let's talk outside. Don't wake Zheng'er."
Before leaving, Cui Ruliu rearranged the ice basin, then closed the door and went out. She sat down at the stone table in the courtyard and said slowly, "What do you mean 'again'? Haven't enough people died in the manor?"
For a moment, Madam Gui was confused about Cui Ruliu's meaning. Since Hao Zheng's accident, she had served Cui Ruliu even more diligently, but her mistress's thoughts were becoming increasingly unpredictable. With a heavy heart, she tentatively asked, "Mistress, shouldn't we start making preparations?"
"Hmm?" Cui Ruliu glanced sideways, her eyes devoid of any emotion. This old servant is becoming increasingly unruly.
Madam Gui was startled and hurriedly said, "It was the servant who was responsible for watching over the young lady. He died inexplicably behind the artificial hill. The manner of his death..."
Madam Gui couldn't continue. Thinking back to what she'd overheard that day, she couldn't help but think of Hao Yuchun. If what Xue Rumei's ghost said was true, wouldn't this mansion have become a living hell?
She dared not think any further; the chill that ran through her body was truly unbearable.
Cui Ruliu remained silent for a moment, then stood up and ordered, "Call a few strong men to come with me."
"yes!"
Xiang Wan didn't go to see the commotion in the manor. At that moment, she was being cornered in her room by some shameless person.
Last night, this man inexplicably wanted to follow her. After being rejected, he was persistent and, shortly after she left, sneaked into her room in the dark.
She had already changed her clothes when she turned around and found him sitting directly on her bed. She almost choked on her own breath and cried out. Looking at his leisurely demeanor, and what he'd said, "A step too late," it seemed he was disappointed he hadn't seen her change. Xiang Wan felt an urge to cleave him in two.
Considering he had helped her, Xiang Wan gathered her breath and exhaled repeatedly, finally managing to suppress her rage and let him leave on his own. Unexpectedly, he casually lay down on her bed, pulled the blanket over his shoulder, sniffed it, and said matter-of-factly, "I'm not leaving. It's quite interesting following you. If someone sees us, we could make a perfect couple."
At this moment, seeing that the mission was progressing in the direction she had hoped for, Xiang Wan did not want to cause a scene and ruin everything, so she sat down and wanted to have a good talk with him.
Just as she was about to ask her questions, a soft snore drifted over. Xiang Wan was furious. What had she done to deserve this? Not only was her bed taken over for no reason, but she was also being threatened by him.
Xiang Wan called out to Xiao Qi countless times in her heart, but she didn't know if it really didn't hear her or was pretending; it just wouldn't make a sound. Xiang Wan's heart sank even further. At crucial moments, this unreliable system always disappeared.
To avoid being driven mad with anger and suffering from insomnia, Xiang Wan took out some powder and drugged the man until he was unconscious. Once she was sure he was truly asleep, Xiang Wan gently pushed him further into the bed and lay down on the outer side herself. She thought to herself that she would definitely get him out of there in the morning.
As it turned out, this person woke up earlier than her. When she opened her eyes and saw a man's face magnified in front of her, Xiang Wan's self-control was already quite good.
Xiang Wan heard the exclamations and footsteps of the servants outside the door, but no matter how she tried to persuade them, the man wouldn't let her out.
At this time, all the servants went to the rockery or stayed by their masters' side. If she didn't appear, wouldn't it be too conspicuous?
"If you agree to my suggestion, it will only benefit you and not harm you. You'll also have someone to run errands for you. What's wrong with that? Your little bit of reserve, hmm, you could try to change that a little."
Xiang Wan nearly vomited blood. What the hell? Is this some kind of reserved thing? How can someone's thought process be so bizarre?
She couldn't resist the urge to use her precious medicinal powders again, but this person quickly stopped her.
"Sigh, there aren't many people in this world as eager to help others as I am. Aren't you going to consider it?"
What a load of crap! This guy just showed up out of nowhere and we don't even know his name or identity. It would be crazy to keep him around.
“Since that’s the case,” the man suddenly lowered his head, his breath hitting Xiang Wan’s face, “then I won’t be polite.”
Xiang Wan's face flushed red, and she quickly turned her head to the side.
Even if someone is good-looking, they can still try to take advantage of her, but it depends on whether she agrees.
Her whole body was tense, her blood was rushing to her head, and she had an air of fearlessness in the face of death. This was the first time Xiang Wan had encountered such a situation in all the worlds she had experienced.
His inner strength suddenly gathered in his palm, condensing into an ice spike that seemed capable of wiping out his offspring if he dared to touch it.
The expected warmth did not appear; instead, a feeling of lightness washed over me, and the oppressive sensation vanished instantly.
Looking up, she saw that the person had already jumped to the window, pushed open the window frame, glanced outside, and then turned to Xiang Wan meaningfully, saying, "This is getting more and more interesting. I will come again." After saying that, the person turned and left without leaving a trace.
Xiang Wan was furious. In broad daylight, how come no one noticed that someone was coming and going freely in the mansion?
Seeing that it was getting late, Xiang Wan quickly tidied up and washed up before heading towards where the servants were gathered.
Cui Ruliu had already led people over and was dealing with the body. The other servants stood on both sides, leaving a path open.
According to the servants, the deceased was named A Bing, whom the Hao family had bought from outside a few years ago. He usually worked in the outer courtyard, delivering messages and running errands, and died here for unknown reasons. His death was similar to Hao Zheng's, but the onlookers did not see Hao Zheng's naked body, only A Bing's bare legs and disheveled clothes, making it difficult to guess the cause of death.
Some said it was a vengeful spirit seeking revenge, while others said it was someone seeking retribution for his past misconduct. Xiang Wan could tell the truth from the fearful and anxious expression on Gui's mother's face and the horrified look on Cui Ruliu's face. Now, they probably believed seven or eight tenths of the ghost story Xiang Wan had fabricated.
Several burly men wrapped Ah Bing in a white cloth and carried him out. Cui Ruliu was at the back. Seeing that the crowd hadn't dispersed, she reprimanded them and sent them all away. Before leaving, she gave Xiang Wan a deep look before hurrying back to the courtyard.
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