Chapter 55: Bone Hairpin 10: Blood Letter
Cai You's house in Xilizheng was on the north side of the village. Its high walls, blue tiles, and whitewashed walls blended in with the ordinary dwellings, a strange yet not ostentatious presence. The gates stood wide open, and a simple mourning tent had been erected in the courtyard for mourners to pay their respects. The sound of mourning banners fluttering in the wind, mingled with the sound of sobs, a wave of overwhelming sadness.
Perhaps due to the late hour, the courtyard was deserted, save for two servants. Xun Shu and his companions, disguised as old friends of Cai You, had come to offer their condolences. After hearing their introductions, the two servants politely let them into the courtyard without further questioning.
Following Ningyuan Village custom, the courtyard's mourning shed was divided into two sections. Passing through the mourning hall, decorated with paper figures of young boys and girls and mountains of gold and silver, one reached the coffin. Before the coffin, a woman knelt in a corner, weeping and throwing paper money into the flames of a copper basin before her. Two half-grown children flanked her, their eyes wide open, innocent, completely unaware of what was happening.
Chi Xiao stepped forward and presented the gift money, which a servant beside him accepted on behalf of the child. The woman kneeling on the ground didn't recognize the people before her and sobbed as she returned the gift according to custom. Li Xuanhe seized this opportunity, forcing a mournful expression. Wiping away nonexistent tears with her sleeve, she said mournfully, "Brother Cai left so quickly. Sister-in-law, please take care of yourself!"
Madam Cai stared at the people before her for a long moment, her face filled with confusion. Just as she was about to ask who they were, Li Xuanhe, standing opposite her, spoke first, "We've received a favor from Brother Cai before, so we made a detour to Ningyuan Village, intending to treat him to a drink. We didn't expect to encounter something like this... I heard that Brother Cai died from a haunting. Is that true?"
As soon as the word "evil ghost" came out, Madam Cai's face changed instantly. She said in a cold voice: "The master has just passed away, and his soul has not yet left. Please don't say anything nonsense in front of the spirit."
Li Xuanhe had seen many people who lied so forcefully since childhood. Looking at Mrs. Cai, so terrified that she had forgotten even to cry, he felt like looking at a helpless child. He feigned a serious and thoughtful attitude, saying, "Sister-in-law, now that the ghost's blood letter has spread throughout Ningyuan Village, why are you still hiding it from me? The person is gone, but there are still people alive! You should always think about these two children!"
Mrs. Cai took the two children into her arms, her expression hesitant, no longer as repulsive as before: "What do you mean? What does the master's death have to do with my children?"
"The evil spirit is seeking revenge. Brother Cai must have done something in his lifetime that created a grudge with this evil spirit. He would rather not be reincarnated and stay in the human world, just to find an opportunity for revenge. What a huge hatred this must be! How can killing just one person satisfy such a huge hatred? Perhaps he will kill these two children together to wipe out the entire family!"
Mrs. Cai hugged the child tighter, as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw: "How can I protect my child? If it is a ghost, we living people can't see or touch it, what should we do?"
Li Xuanhe stood up straight, his face still serious. "Madam, you may not know this, but my sister has entered the Xuanmen sect by chance and is proficient in some techniques of exorcism. If you tell her everything, she will surely find a solution to save your family's lives."
Xun Shu had been standing quietly behind Li Xuanhe, listening to him swindle and cheat, diligently watching the show from the audience, but he didn't expect that he would suddenly be pulled onto the stage and become the leading actor.
She took a step forward, not knowing what to say or do for a moment.
No one told her how to act in today's scene or what lines to say, and she was not good at lying, unlike Li Xuanhe who was an expert at it... Seeing that Mrs. Cai's expression was becoming more and more suspicious, she had an idea and took out the copper plate from her bag and shook it.
The copper plate was shining brightly, and it was obvious that it had been polished for a long time. It was an old item.
Mrs. Cai finally believed it after seeing it. She stood up with the help of her maid. Although there was still doubt in her eyes, she said, "Please follow me."
The Cai residence consisted of two courtyards: the front courtyard was used for meeting guests and studying, while the back courtyard was the family's residence. Mrs. Cai left her two children in the mourning hall, guarded by servants, while she, along with a few others, passed through the hanging flower gate and went to the back courtyard, stopping in front of the main house.
"Yesterday, a letter written in blood suddenly arrived at our house. It appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost sent from the sky. The master was terrified when he saw it, and immediately handed it to me, asking me to burn it. He then began to pack his bags, as if to leave. I exchanged a few words with him and forgot to burn the letter. It's in my room now. Please wait here for a moment, I'll go get it."
After saying this, Madam Cai turned and went into the main room, leaving the door ajar. Xun Shu stood in the courtyard, looking around and carefully sizing up the entire yard.
The yard is not big, facing south and square. Pomegranate trees and jujube trees are planted in the yard, which symbolize many children and good fortune. It is an ordinary house without any complicated feng shui layout.
Xun Shu withdrew his gaze, and Mrs. Cai happened to walk out of the house. The moment the door opened and closed, Xun Shu vaguely saw the Duobao Pavilion in the house.
The Duobao Pavilion reached up to the sky and was filled with rare treasures. It looked much more magnificent than the residence of County Magistrate Zhao.
Madam Cai carefully closed the door and handed Li Xuanhe a folded white cloth. She recounted everything that had happened the previous night: "Last night, there was a sudden loud noise. My master took some men to investigate, and I stayed home to look after him. I was worried about him, so I stayed in the front yard with a few servants, waiting for him to return. He was gone for most of the hour, and when he returned, I returned with him to the backyard, where this blood letter was placed on the ground."
Li Xuanhe spread out the white cloth, and several lines of bright red characters came into view.
"Friend Cai! My five sisters and I have been persecuted by you. We are wronged and will never rest in peace! We have planned for years, not entering reincarnation, but seeking redress! Now the time is ripe, we will slay our enemies and claim your life. Be prepared, and wait for us!"
Xun Shu stood aside and couldn't help but click his tongue when he saw these words: "This blood book is written very clearly."
Li Xuanhe twisted the cloth with his fingers, then brought the place with the bloody words to his nose and sniffed carefully. He said, "The cloth is the most common white folded cloth. But the handwriting has a sweet and fishy smell, which is indeed the smell of human blood."
Madam Cai opened her eyes wide, stunned, her voice trembling, "Human blood? I thought it was pig's blood or goat's blood... Could it really be a ghost claiming my life?"
Li Xuanhe didn't answer her question, but instead asked, "Where was this blood letter found?"
Madam Cai pointed tremblingly at the spot beneath their feet. "It's almost here. When I left the room and went to the front yard, the ground was spotless, with nothing on it. The back door to the yard is always locked, with no signs of being pried open. The servants and I stayed in the front yard, so it's impossible for someone to break in through the main gate and drop this blood letter in the backyard. It's as if this blood letter appeared out of thin air, very strange." She muttered, tears welling in her eyes. A closer look revealed a sense of relief. "I originally thought the servants in the house might have had second thoughts, but after asking them one by one today, they all said it wasn't them. If all this was done by a ghost, then it could be explained."
"What did the blood letter look like at that time?"
"It must have been blown by the wind, spreading on the ground like a ball of rag."
How could this blood letter appear out of thin air? Li Xuanhe pondered for a moment, then handed the cloth to Chi Xiao, who was following behind him, and casually explained, "This cloth is needed to perform rituals to exorcise ghosts. I'll return it to your residence once I've used it."
That blood letter wasn't a good thing to begin with. Mrs. Cai was already hiding from it, so why would she want them to return it? She waved her hand hastily, "Burn it after you're done with it. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Let everything have its place."
"Since sister-in-law says so, we must obey." Li Xuanhe nodded in agreement and continued, "In order to exorcise the ghost, we need to ask a few more questions. Sister-in-law, do you know who the 'five sisters' mentioned in this blood letter are?"
Madam Cai clutched her sleeves tightly, a light flashing in her eyes. She seemed to hesitate, but in the end she shook her head: "I have never heard the master mention it."
Li Xuanhe raised his eyebrows and continued to ask, "Did Brother Cai have any enemies during his lifetime?"
"As the head of Ningxi Village, I often have to help the villagers resolve disputes. Sometimes I handle them unfairly, which can lead to jealousy, but these are far from being enemies!"
"That's not the kind of hatred he's talking about," Xun Shu couldn't help but correct him. "What he wants to ask is, has Chief Cai ever killed innocent people for personal gain? For example, did he kill five girls, leaving them with lingering memories and unable to leave their souls?"
Mrs. Cai's eyelashes trembled slightly, her throat slid, and she still insisted: "No. The master has always been kind to others. He will take the initiative to help the villagers when they encounter difficulties. How could he kill others?"
Xun Shu and Li Xuanhe looked at each other and understood what was going on.
Mrs. Cai answered so firmly. If she really knew nothing, there was only one possibility. The secret she was hiding and the thing she was unwilling to say must be more terrifying to her than the evil spirit taking her life or losing her child.
If he continued to ask, he was afraid of alerting the other party, so Li Xuanhe changed the question: "What did you do after picking up this piece of white cloth yesterday? Did Brother Cai mention anything to you?"
"After finding the blood letter, the master panicked and said he would leave the village for a while. He started packing his bags, not caring that it was still the middle of the night. I'm educated and recognized the handwriting on the blood letter. Seeing that he only wanted to escape alone and didn't want to care about me and the two children, I was very angry and argued with him. But he said that this was his own problem and that as long as he left here and went far away, no one would come to harm us. I couldn't persuade him, and I thought he had some truth, so I let him go.
"Shortly after dawn, I saw him off and went back to rest. But just over an hour later, someone knocked on the door and said something had happened to my master... You all know what happened after that."
Mentioning her deceased husband again, Mrs. Cai burst into tears, barely able to stand. Li Xuanhe offered a few perfunctory words of comfort, then continued to spin his lies, promising to exorcise the ghost and protect her and her two children. He then found an excuse to leave the Cai residence.
When I went out, it was already dark.
The night sky was moonless, and white lanterns had been hung at the gate of the house, lighting the way for the group to leave. As the wind blew, the lanterns swayed, the candlelight flickered, and the light flickered, creating a particularly eerie atmosphere.
After they took a few steps, they heard light footsteps behind them. It was the sound of someone being followed. Li Xuanhe and the others were wary and remained silent. They walked a dozen more steps, almost reaching the next street, when their pursuer suddenly called out, "Please stay, my lords. I may know who the five girls in the blood letter are."
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