Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
As dawn broke, a dilapidated carriage came to a stop outside the inn. The waiter glanced at it and looked away; such a run-down carriage could hardly be carrying any important guests.
thump!
With a thud, the driver fell off the carriage, and two figures stepped out. The one in front wore a beaded curtain, and his face was covered by a veil, so his outline could only be vaguely seen. The one standing behind looked slightly tired, gripped the hilt of a sword, and looked very wary.
Congrong: "Miss... what should we do with him?"
Xiao Zheyu was somewhat tired, and her voice softened a little: "Whatever you say."
Cong Rong glanced at the coachman on the ground, then stepped inside.
When the waiter saw her come in, he was really scared. Cong Rong walked up to him, took out some silver from her bosom and put it on the table: "A superior room. Bring hot water and food up later."
The waiter's eyes lit up when he saw it was a tael of silver, and he said happily, "Yes, yes, please come with me."
Cong Rong went out and helped Xiao Zheyu upstairs. Xiao Zheyu, wearing a beaded curtain, bumped into someone on the corner of the stairs. The person didn't say a word.
Xiao Zheyu took a step back and said, "I'm sorry."
The man paused for a moment, then said coldly from above, "It's nothing." He then passed by her, but Xiao Zheyu lifted the beaded curtain to look at his back. His crown was neatly tied, and his Taoist robe clung to his body perfectly. As he walked away, the sword at his waist was pure white and clean.
Xiao Zheyu murmured in a daze, "It's him."
The waiter was mesmerized by her beauty.
Thick, distinct eyebrows like green mountains, long and alluring, deep and beautiful eyes, crimson lips, and cloud-like hair, yet her expression was cold and aloof, ruining the allure of her eyes, giving her an overall aloof and arrogant demeanor.
The waiter briefly saw Xiao Zheyu quickly lower the beaded curtain, while Cong Rong coughed coldly and looked at the waiter with an unfriendly gaze: "Lead the way."
The waiter hurriedly bowed his head: "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I've offended you two distinguished guests."
Then he walked in front of the two and led the way.
Cong Rong walked to Xiao Zheyu's side and asked, "Miss, do you know that person from just now?"
Xiao Zheyu didn't pause: "We've met once."
Cong Rong wanted to ask more, but seeing Xiao Zheyu looking down as if lost in thought, she swallowed back the words she was about to say.
Downstairs, the white-clad, upright figure stopped, clenched his fists, tilted his head slightly back, then straightened it again, as if something was chasing him, and quickly walked outside.
Meng Yingying saw everything, but said nothing. She hadn't slept a wink all night, her eyes wide open until dawn. Now, it felt like everything from yesterday was just a dream. Meng Yingying covered her mouth and yawned. Xiao Zheyu and Congrong walked past her, bringing with them a delicate, cool fragrance.
Meng Yingying glanced back casually. Xiao Zheyu stood tall, his entire demeanor conveying only one message: "You can't afford to offend him." Meng Yingying couldn't help but shake her head and say, "Is this the protagonist's inherent halo?"
"Senior Meng, you're up so early?"
Meng Yingying turned her head and asked politely, "May I ask who you are?"
The person in front of her stared at her in disbelief: "Senior Meng, we've met before, Wushuang Temple, the number one!"
Meng Yingying carefully examined it and exclaimed in surprise, "Kong Fusheng?"
Kong Fusheng, feeling her gaze, said, "This morning, a funeral was held in Qiguai Alley. Senior Zhou was invited to perform the ritual. I got up a little late, and Senior Zhou didn't wait for me. I went out and tripped and fell flat on my face, which is why my face is like this."
If you get up late, you don't need to go. That's Zhou Xiuqi's style. Meng Yingying remembered that Zhou Xiuqi had gone out before dawn for several days, and she didn't know what he was busy with. Suddenly she paused.
A bad feeling crept into her mind, as if something had already happened and she was powerless to stop it. Suddenly, Meng Yingying rushed out, and Kong Fusheng called her from behind, but she couldn't hear anything, only a buzzing in her head.
I pray in my heart that it won't happen.
But what you fear most is what will happen to you.
Outside the Li family's gate, the man in the blue robe knelt on the ground, shouting angrily, "How could Zhao Di be dead! You must have killed her! You are unreasonable! You are unworthy to be parents!"
Meng Yingying's feet felt like they weighed a ton, her eyes fixed on that direction.
"My daughter is dead, don't I feel any pain! Go back to where you came from!" Li Youde kicked him impatiently, leaving a black mark on his blue shirt. Zhou Runsheng was kicked down and then knelt up again: "I want to see Zhao Di's body! She is..." Neither family knew anything about it, and there was no parental consent. His words added a crime to her name.
For a moment, I felt like I had a fishbone stuck in my throat.
Li Youde lost his patience and cursed, "My daughter is still a maiden, you can see her if you want! You're tarnishing her reputation! Where did you come from! Get out of my way!" Zhao Qiao'er was crying uncontrollably, her triangular eyes swollen.
Li Youde was even more agitated. He turned around and closed the door. Zhou Runsheng went up and banged on the door, shouting, "You won't let me see the body! You must have killed Zhaodi! It must have been you!"
No matter how much he pounded on the door, it wouldn't open. His pageboy followed him up and said, "Young master, your mother is waiting for you to return."
Zhou Runsheng cried out, "Atong, please go to the government office to report this to the authorities. They must have killed Zhaodi. I don't believe she died on her own."
A-Tong was pushed and shoved towards the government office.
"Zhou Runsheng".
Hearing someone call his name, Zhou Runsheng burst into tears, ignoring the caller and continuing to pound on the door.
Meng Yingying didn't waste any more words with him, and knocked him unconscious with a chop to the neck. She turned to his page and said, "Take your young master to the Haolai Inn." The page hesitated and said, "But his mother is still waiting for him to return."
Meng Yingying raised her hand and said, "Would you like to try some too?"
Atong quickly lowered his head: "I wouldn't dare!"
After bringing him to the inn, Meng Yingying was finally able to catch her breath. A heavy weight pressed on her chest. Ling Daozi, leading Kong Fusheng, walked over from the side of the corridor and was shocked to see that there was a man beside her.
"Meng Yuan! Your parents' words and the matchmaker's agreement are binding. Even if you don't want to listen to your parents, you can't forcibly take a man away!"
Kong Fusheng gaped in disbelief: "Senior Meng, are you really that fierce?"
Meng Yingying had no time for jokes and asked directly, "Master, have you investigated the details of Weng Xian's whereabouts recently?"
Seeing her solemn expression, which was unlike her usual demeanor, Ling Daozi said with a slight frown, "I found some information, but it's not of much use."
"In the past three years, no woman in Liuzhou has given birth to a man. This is the strangest thing about Liuzhou. The sex of a child cannot be determined. This place has heavy yin energy and thin yang energy, so it is naturally shrouded in continuous rainy weather."
Kong Fusheng found it strange. He had been in the temple for a long time and had never heard of anyone not having descended to earth for three years. He asked, "Senior Ling Daozi, no one from our temple has come to talk about this. How did you find out?"
"Last time I was tired, I went to a brothel for drinks. The old lady there told me that if someone can't have children, they won't blame it on evil spirits. They probably blame it all on themselves."
Upon hearing this, Kong Fusheng said, "Senior Ling Daozi, how can you, as a Daoist, go to a brothel to drink?" He frowned.
Ling Daozi let out a "yo-ho" and, holding his wine gourd, said, "Who says a Taoist priest can't drink wine and women?"
Kong Fusheng said, "My master said that Taoists should cultivate their character and temperament, avoid being frivolous and impetuous, and practice meditation and sitting meditation on ordinary days. These worldly things will affect a Taoist's cultivation."
Ling Daozi laughed loudly: "Your master is just an old rascal. If a Taoist doesn't drink, he's all rigid and silly."
Meng Yingying felt a headache coming on, but she also received the news that it wasn't just Li Zhaodi's mother who couldn't give birth to a son; women in Liuzhou were all unable to have children. It was strange, truly strange.
"Why did you tie me up here?" Zhou Runsheng asked, and everyone fell silent. His face was expressionless, but tears still lingered in his eyes.
“Girl, do you know Zhao Di? What kind of person was she? Why would she commit suicide?” he said mournfully. Meng Yingying’s eyes widened in shock.
“Tell me everything they told you, without missing a single one.”
“When I returned from Lin’an, I learned of her death. I didn’t believe it, so I went to their house to question them. Zhao Di’s father said that she didn’t want to marry some rich man, so she committed suicide. I didn’t believe it. Zhao Di was never the kind of woman who would give up her life so easily.” As he spoke, his eyes reddened.
Li Zhaodi was turned into an old woman, and her mother was not without fault. But just now, she pretended to be grief-stricken and said that she committed suicide, wanting to be a good person and cleanse the evil people.
"What are you doing?" Zhou Xiuqi returned from outside and saw them gathered together. He walked up to Ling Daozi, bowed, and then looked at the absent-minded Meng Yingying.
Meng Yingying said, "Senior brother, Li Zhaodi is dead."
Zhou Xiuqi showed no surprise, but his brows twitched slightly beneath the thin veil. Seeing his lack of reaction, Meng Yingying lowered her gaze and said, "She would never commit suicide."
How could someone who still has hope and aspirations for life commit suicide? All of this seems suspicious. She would never let the villain behind this get away with it. Meng Yingying slammed her hand on the table and stood up, saying, "I'm going to investigate."
The group looked at her. Kong Fusheng asked, "Senior Meng?"
Ling Daozi stroked his beard, smiled but didn't speak. Zhou Xiuqi cast a glance at him: "I've been to a place these past few days. There's a temple in the south called Biyun Temple. Behind the mountain there is a house where many young girls are imprisoned, the youngest being no more than five years old."
So familiar! Meng Yingying looked up. This was the place she had visited last night. She continued listening.
“There were two rooms. One room held a woman whose hands and feet had not yet been cut off, and the other room held a woman who had already been turned into a human yi. I felt something was wrong, so I rescued a little girl and asked her. As a result, she ran back to the house because she had to pay off her family's debts. Only in this way could she help ease the burden on her family.”
"Those who can withstand having their limbs cut off can be kept; those who cannot will be left to rot in the wild and be eaten by wild animals."
Zhou Xiuqi's voice was calm, and a thin veil covered his eyes, obscuring his expression.
Kong Fusheng cursed, "This is outrageous!"
It was even more inhumane than what she had witnessed with her own eyes, and she gradually calmed down.
"Even tigers don't eat their cubs. What are these people thinking? Even if they're struggling financially, how can they sell their own daughters to others without feeling any remorse?" Kong Fusheng said indignantly.
Zhou Xiuqi said, "Women in Liuzhou cannot give birth to sons, Li Zhaodi died, and women were made into human sacrificial vessels. Every event is related to a certain place."
“Biyun Temple.” His voice was cold and indifferent. Meng Yingying was actually somewhat familiar with this Biyun Temple.
The image of the monk I brushed past when I met Li Zhaodi yesterday flashed through my mind.
Who was that person just now?
"The master of Biyun Temple has the Dharma name Jicang."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
