Chapter 24
Late at night, Zhou Xuanzhi took Ye Lingxi home.
Xiao Mu had already lit rhinoceros horn incense at the Ye family's house, so that the family could see each other one last time.
In truth, Ye Lingxi's current appearance was far from good. Although the stitches in her mouth had been removed, she no longer had a tongue and could not speak. Her previously ashen complexion, caused by resentment, had eased somewhat, but she still looked terrible. Her parents, seeing their daughter standing before them in this state, nearly collapsed in tears.
Thanks to the rhinoceros horn incense, the two elderly people can now reach out and touch their daughter's face.
Su Qiwen stood aside, not disturbing her. At this moment, she needed to have a proper meeting with her parents. He was still grateful to the three people from Tianyu Mountain, after all, Ye Lingxi had changed into a new outfit, covering up the bloody holes in her body so that the two elders wouldn't see them.
Seeing her parents like this, Ye Lingxi cried incessantly. She tried to say something, but when she opened her bloody, empty mouth, she could only utter "ah" and "uh".
"What did that heartless bastard do to my daughter?" The mother cried, holding Ye Lingxi. "How much pain you must have been in then."
Ye Lingxi hugged her mother, who was also crying. She wanted to cry out all the grievances she had suffered over the past year, and she wanted to tell her parents how terrified she was when she was cruelly nailed to the coffin.
Looking at his daughter like this, the father wished he could kill that whole family right now. Especially the second son of the Zhang family, who even in death dragged his daughter down with him.
Upon seeing this scene, the three of them left the house, not wanting to disturb the family's brief reunion.
Zhou Xuanzhi thought of Shi Wanqing. He now missed the days he spent with his master and junior brother on the back mountain of Lingqiu Peak. Back then, he and his junior brother were very mischievous.
I've forgotten what exactly happened that time, I only remember my master cursing me out in anger. That was the first time my master had ever lost his temper like that. If it weren't for my senior uncle, the sect leader, intervening, he probably would have banished my junior brother and me down the mountain. After that incident, although they were more restrained, they would still occasionally provoke their master's wrath.
I was scolded by my master almost every day when I was young, and I was always scared when I was scolded. But now that I think about it, my master was really good, and that time was really good.
"Where did you get this rhinoceros horn incense?" Xiao Mu had only intended to temporarily open their Heavenly Eyes so they could meet, but he hadn't expected Zhou Xuanzhi to actually obtain the rhinoceros horn incense. Now, this family could not only meet, but also touch each other.
Not only Tianyu Mountain, but all sects and factions would not give rhinoceros horn incense to their disciples, let alone allow them to use it during their training at the foot of the mountain.
"Left by my master." I hadn't originally planned to take it out, but the situation in Jianye Town is really not good. These days, the two people who were tortured to death are saying that there are still some tricky things here.
Xiao Mu recalled the record of rhinoceros horn incense he had read in a book: "Qiao traveled to Wuchang. When he arrived at Niuzhuji, the water was unfathomably deep. It was said that there were many monsters below. Qiao then burned a rhinoceros horn to illuminate the water. In a short while, he saw aquatic creatures emerge, all of strange shapes and sizes."
Using rhinoceros horn incense just to let Ye Lingxi's family meet is heartbreaking. If others knew, they would definitely be distressed. To be honest, I am distressed too. Xiao Mu looked at Zhou Xuanzhi beside him and asked, "Are you sure you're not distressed?"
Seeing Xiao Mu's distressed expression, Zhou Xuanzhi shook his head and said, "The rhinoceros horn incense just wasn't distributed to us disciples, it's nothing."
The crying inside made Xiao Mu take a few steps further away. He couldn't go too far, because he still needed to send Ye Lingxi to reincarnation after the incense went out.
The old father could no longer bear his daughter's crying. He went to the corner of the wall, grabbed a pickaxe, and rushed out the door.
All of this happened so suddenly that before Xiao Mu could even understand what was going on, Shi Yunzhou had already rushed forward and stopped Ye's father. Then, Hou Suqiwen also rushed out and grabbed Ye's father's arm.
Seeing the two people blocking his way, Ye's father said with red eyes, "Don't stop me, I'm going to kill them."
When Ye Lingxi and her mother chased after them, they saw people outside trying to persuade her father.
“Uncle, the Zhang family has been arrested. You need to calm down.” Su Qiwen’s face was full of grief. “They will definitely be punished.”
Zhou Xuanzhi looked at Ye Lingxi and Ye's mother behind Ye's father and said, "The Zhang family is all in jail now, and they won't let you in. Even if you do get in, killing that family won't do you any good."
Su Qiwen nodded and said, "It's not worth risking your life for a family like this."
Ye's father was now in a fit of rage, his blood boiling, and his words of persuasion seemed to have little effect. He struggled, trying to break free from the two of them.
Looking at the nearly burnt-out rhinoceros horn incense, Zhou Xuanzhi comforted her, "Miss Ye doesn't have much time left. Don't you have anything you want to say to her?"
These words finally made Ye's father turn around and look at his daughter who had come to his side. He cried and roared, "Look what they have done to my daughter!"
“I’ve never been able to hit her or say a harsh word to her in all her life, and this is how they treat my daughter.” Ye’s father finally put down the pickaxe and hugged Ye Lingxi, crying.
Ye Lingxi hugged her father helplessly, her eyes filled with grievance and apology as she looked at Su Qiwen. Finally, she lowered her head and refused to look at him anymore.
At this moment, Zhou Xuanzhi even felt a little envious of Ye Lingxi, who received all of her parents' love. Although her family background was ordinary, she received no less love than any other child.
"If you have something to say..." He suddenly couldn't bring himself to say it. Looking at this family, Zhou Xuanzhi finally retreated to Shi Yunzhou, who had long since gone far away.
Su Qiwen has been blaming himself for the past two days, wondering if things would have turned out differently if he had gone with her then. If he had passed the imperial examinations earlier, could he have taken her away from here?
Xiao Mu has now turned away and is no longer looking at that family.
The stars in the sky were still twinkling, and he wondered if becoming a god would allow him to save Ye Lingxi.
As if knowing what he was thinking, Zhou Xuanzhi said, "Some things happen and there's no way to change them. What we need to do now is to capture the monster that tortured and killed those two men and send the innocent to the underworld."
This matter seems to be more complicated than it appears. If we want everyone there to get rid of their resentment, we'll probably have to trouble the elders on the mountain or a highly accomplished monk to perform a ritual.
The rhinoceros horn incense finally burned out, and Ye's mother's hand passed through Ye Lingxi's body. She looked at her own hand, then at her daughter, her expression blank, her eyes unblinking.
Ye Lingxi opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything. Ye's father looked at Zhou Xuanzhi and pleaded, "Immortal, please give us a little more time so I can see her again." He then knelt down.
Seeing her father kneel before Zhou Xuanzhi for her sake, Ye Lingxi truly couldn't bear it. She wanted to tell her father to get up, but she couldn't speak. She pointed at her father and looked at her mother, wanting her mother to tell her father to get up.
When Ye's father knelt down, Zhou Xuanzhi and Xiao Mu quickly helped him up. He looked at the sky and said, "We only have half an hour."
After thanking him, Ye's father looked at Su Qiwen, who was standing there watching Ye Lingxi, and thought about how he had never given up searching for her over the past year. Finally, he sighed and pulled Su Qiwen to sit next to Ye Lingxi.
"You two talk!" he said, pulling Ye's mother away.
The two looked at each other, neither speaking first. Finally, Su Qiwen raised his hand, wanting to wipe her tears, but his hand passed right through hers, and he slowly lowered his head, sobbing. Ye Lingxi kept watching Su Qiwen; she wanted to touch him too, but she couldn't.
Thinking about that short half-hour, Su Qiwen raised his head and asked, "Will you hate me? If we had gone out together that day, you wouldn't..."
But Ye Lingxi just smiled and shook her head. How could she blame you? You're about to take the exam, so naturally you should stay home and study. She couldn't speak, but her lips were still lip-synced.
The three of them naturally wouldn't listen to or watch the engaged couple talking.
"I heard from Young Master Su that Miss Ye is a gentle girl. She was going out to buy things on the day of the accident, but he stayed home to study because he had an exam to take soon. He said he regretted it and that if he had gone with her, nothing would have happened." Xiao Mu thought of the person he saw in the coffin shop that day. He looked exactly like Su Qiwen, but his mental state and behavior were like those of a completely different person.
Actually, besides the fact that Ye Lingxi's birth chart matched that of the Zhang family's second son, another reason for her death was that the second son had long harbored feelings for her. In life, she was Su Qiwen's fiancée, so in death, she was to become her son's wife. This family is truly unreasonable.
“Their family has been eyeing Miss Ye for a long time. Even if they went out together that day, no one could guarantee that they would be safe the next day.” Zhou Xuanzhi smiled bitterly at this point. “In the end, it’s the people here who have a problem with their views. A ghost marriage? I don’t know how they came up with such a thing.”
He glanced back at the two people who were talking and heard Su Qiwen say, "Wait for me. I'll come find you after I've taken care of everything."
Hearing this, Ye Lingxi wanted to stop them, but there was nothing she could do. She could only shake her head and mutter something. Xiao Mu, though far away, could guess what she was saying.
"He's not thinking of dying, is he?" Actually, it's good to be alive. There are many injustices in this world, and someone needs to stand up and solve them. From his conversation with Su Qiwen earlier, Xiao Mu could sense that this person would be responsible to the people if he became an official.
"Probably not. He knows that Miss Ye's death was due to the local people's beliefs. He might go and take the imperial examinations to resolve the issues here."
Perhaps that's how it will be! Xiao Mu truly hopes he can live a good life. He suddenly felt that something was missing today. He looked up at Shi Yunzhou standing to the side, who hadn't spoken today.
At this moment, Ye Lingxi had already walked towards the two of them. It was time for her to leave. Ye's parents were crying so hard they could barely stand, supporting each other as they watched their daughter walk towards the two men. Su Qiwen followed behind.
Looking at this family, Zhou Xuanzhi's expression changed. Xiao Mu suddenly thought of Zhou Xuanzhi's background. His family was a prominent and wealthy clan in the capital, and his mother was the daughter of another prominent family. After his mother passed away, his father remarried to a daughter from another wealthy family. After his stepmother gave birth to a son, he, the child left behind by his ex-wife, seemed out of place in that family.
His stepmother's dislike for him was known throughout the capital, and his father's neglect made his life in that home even more difficult. He must have envied such a family, with both parents by his side! And what about Shi Yunzhou? His parents disappeared after his birth and haven't been heard from since. He was raised by beggars. Now that he's home, did he envy those children when he was young?
"Let's go!" Zhou Xuanzhi said, and then took Ye Lingxi away.
Su Qiwen wanted to chase after them but was stopped by Xiao Mu. He felt sorry for the family, but some things should not be done outside the rules just because of their misfortune.
"Let her go like this! More worries won't do her any good." After all, the resentment around her has only just been dispelled; if she gets tainted by resentment again, she'll only be a wandering ghost.
Su Qiwen stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on Xiao Mu without wavering: "Will they die?"
"If you became an official, would you let them die?" Xiao Mu didn't answer, but asked instead.
There's no need to lie about this. Su Qiwen's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he spoke frankly, "Yes, we will make them wish they were dead."
Xiao Mu nodded, "Don't get your hands dirty. Use your hands to save the girls in Jianye Town. There are many girls here who have suffered like Miss Ye."
Becoming an official through the imperial examinations was inherently difficult, and even he himself hadn't had the courage to say he would definitely succeed. Su Qiwen knew that he hadn't studied much this year, making it even harder to pass the exams. However, he still had plenty of time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
