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Dong Yezhen’s return undoubtedly resolved all the current difficulties of the Dong Family Fortress. Even the continuous shadows that had lingered for days seemed to be dissipating—her arrival proved that everything was man-made, not caused by ghosts. As for the mastermind, Ma Wenshan, he was already dead, and no one cared how he died. Even the thousand liang of comfort money promised to his disciples, Dong Qishan no longer intended to honor.
Dong Family Fortress returned to calm in just half a day. After Dong Biling took the an-tai medicine (to stabilize pregnancy), her condition turned from critical to stable.
The fetus was still safe, and both mother and child were well.
“Boss, they clearly saw Dong Yezhen disemboweled with their own eyes, so why can she now stand here completely unharmed, as if she never went through such a tribulation?” After the crowd of onlookers dispersed, Wen Yao asked on the way back to their room. Di Jiang’s face was solemn, but her eyes held a hint of interest.
She didn’t immediately answer Wen Yao, but slowly said, “In this world, there is an ancient family of artisans. They exist outside the three realms and five elements, beyond the six paths of reincarnation. They are not bound by the lifespan of heaven and earth and can cause people to regenerate flesh and bone, bringing the dead back to life.”
“You mean, an artisan saved Dong Yezhen?”
“That’s the only possibility.” Di Jiang nodded, then added, “The day we came to Siam Liang City, we encountered the Sen Guang Festival. The artisans’ ritual for bringing the dead back to life is guided by the light of fireflies.”
“Then the Gong Lingyue you’re looking for... could she be the little girl with Yezhen?”
“No,” Di Jiang shook her head. “The artisan clan has always passed down their skills only to males, not females; women don’t become artisans. Moreover, the artisan clan has a very long lifespan, but that child’s lifespan seems to be only a few days left, while Yezhen’s lifespan is very long... Furthermore, if an artisan truly made a deal with Yezhen, seven days is a cycle. Let’s wait seven days.”
“Why wait seven days?”
“Seven days is the limit for the artisan clan to save someone. If Yezhen was saved by an artisan, half of her lifespan will be transferred to the artisan’s fate within seven days. There are still two days left, the artisan will definitely come back for her.”
“I see,” Wen Yao nodded, impressed by something she didn’t quite understand.
“And in Yezhen’s eyes, there is hatred, but beneath that hatred, there’s also an undeniable affection. I want to know what she will ultimately choose.”
Love, hatred, and forgiveness—these three are mutually exclusive and yet interconnected, a matter of a single thought. But as the saying goes, forgiveness is easy; trust, once broken, is not so easily regained...
The next day, earth-shattering gongs and drums exploded outside Dong Family Fortress—”Everyone, come and judge! Miss Dong has killed someone!”
Di Jiang and her companions were awakened from their sleep. When they rushed outside, they saw a group of people dressed in plain white, wearing mourning attire. Among them, a tall man bore a striking resemblance to the deceased Ma Wenshan.
“Who is she?” Di Jiang asked the onlookers.
The person looked blank, speechless. “I’m not too sure, but she says she’s Ma Wenshan’s wife.”
“How can a Daoist priest have a wife?” Wen Yao exclaimed, her voice suddenly rising. Even Zhong Xu beside her couldn’t help but frown, showing his confusion.
The common people exchanged glances, all seeming to find it incredible.
Dong Qishan, who arrived upon hearing the news, brought his wife to the gate. Upon seeing her, he couldn’t help but frown, asking in confusion, “Are you truly Daoist Master Ma’s wife?”
“Absolutely true! This is Wenshan’s son; his face is identical to Wenshan’s, this is irrefutable proof!” Madam Ma anxiously said, “Your daughter killed my husband. How do you plan to settle this debt?”
“My daughter?” Dong Qishan was puzzled.
“Dong Yezhen! Since she’s returned, she must be here for revenge!” No sooner had Madam Ma spoken than Dong Yezhen, dressed in white, quietly walked out from the gate.
She glanced at Madam Ma and said, “It’s true that Ma Wenshan was deceiving people, but I didn’t die, so how can you say I’ve come back for revenge? Besides, I really didn’t kill him...”
“If not you, then who!” Madam Ma was extremely agitated. Dong Yezhen, however, was unhurried and calmly stated, “The one who killed Ma Wenshan was his subordinate. They divided Ma Wenshan’s gold and silver and fled to the north.”
“How do you know that?” Madam Ma asked.
“On my way back, I happened to overhear their conversation. They disguised themselves as a merchant caravan, but in fact, they took the gold and silver north. I already informed the Prefectural Governor this morning, and he has dispatched men to apprehend them. I believe they will be captured within a few days.”
“You...” Madam Ma had not expected that Dong Yezhen could be so thorough.
“If you have nothing more to say, please leave. We apologize for our poor hospitality,” Dong Yezhen said, making a gesture to invite them out.
Dong Qishan then summoned his attendants and coldly ordered, “Why aren’t you chasing these irrelevant people out?”
“You!” Madam Ma, seeing that she had no leverage left and no hope of getting money, became enraged. She suddenly changed her tone, turned her head, and pointed at Dong Qishan’s wife, saying, “It’s all your fault! If I hadn’t helped you do so many evil, conscience-less deeds, Wenshan wouldn’t have died! Give me back my husband!”
“You, you’re talking nonsense!” Madam Dong’s face instantly changed, losing all color.
“Don’t think I don’t know! If you don’t give me an explanation today, I’ll expose your wicked deeds!”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Although Madam Dong claimed not to understand, the fear in her eyes revealed much information. Without much thought, she summoned her subordinates and ordered, “Guards! Quickly throw this madwoman out! Don’t let her step into my Dong mansion again!”
“You’re burning the bridge after crossing it!” Madam Ma pushed away the guards and roared, “When you begged my husband to help you kill those fetuses, you cried and pleaded with us! Now that you’re securely seated on the throne of Madam Dong, you want to live in peace? I tell you, no way! Now that my husband is dead, I might as well die too! But even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me!”
“Is what she said true?” Dong Qishan turned, looking at his wife with a grim expression.
His wife, however, repeatedly shook her head, saying, “Husband, you mustn’t believe her; she’s speaking nonsense!”
“I’m not lying! It’s you! It’s you who made Dong Qishan heirless! It’s you who caused him to have no descendants! Hahahahaha—the most poisonous thing is a woman’s heart, that describes you!” Madam Ma laughed maniacally.
Upon hearing this, Dong Qishan was enraged. Soon, Madam Ma, her son, and their disciples were dragged away and driven out by the guards of Dong Qishan’s mansion.
Afterward, Dong Qishan and his wife talked for half a day in the study. No one knew what they discussed, but people only knew that after Dong Qishan emerged, he ordered someone to dig up Daoist Master Ma’s corpse and whip it for half a day until nothing remained. Finally, even the remaining bones were set ablaze and turned to ash.
And early the next morning, Madam Dong’s body was found by the lake. She had been dead for half a day, with the time of death being around midnight last night, and the cause of death was drowning.
Dong Biling, recovering from her illness, learned of this and immediately dragged Dong Liancheng to Dong Qishan’s study.
“Father! Mother must have been killed by Yezhen! Brother, quickly tell Father what you saw last night!” Dong Biling said, pushing Dong Liancheng in front of Dong Qishan.
Dong Liancheng nodded and said, “Last night, I took the steward to look for Yezhen. Since she just returned, and her former maids had been dismissed, I brought some people, hoping to choose some for Sister Yezhen. But who knew she wasn’t in her room...”
“Enough, stop talking,” Dong Qishan interrupted. “I understand what you mean, but the killer won’t be Yezhen.”
Dong Biling anxiously said, “Father! With Brother Liancheng as a witness, this woman is highly suspicious! She definitely isn’t Sister Yezhen! She’s here to seek revenge on us!”
“Enough, stop making a fuss!” Dong Qishan rubbed his graying temples, looking exhausted. His voice hoarse, he slowly said, “Yezhen is your elder sister. Since she has returned unharmed, you should respect and honor her as always.”
“It’s precisely because she’s unharmed that she’s most suspicious! We clearly saw her corpse with our own eyes...”
“Shut up! Don’t bring up past events again!” Dong Qishan suddenly glared, reprimanding her. “I’d rather go back to a time when nothing had happened and I knew nothing, than this current situation where our family is no longer a family, and people and things are out of place. I now only have you three children; I don’t want you to quarrel amongst yourselves anymore.”
“But Father, Mother died so mysteriously!”
“I said, this matter need not be pursued further. Your mother went to where she should go; it’s her best destination.”
“Father... you...” Dong Biling’s eyes widened, seemingly unable to accept this fact. But from his eyes, one could clearly see murderous intent and an lingering gloom.
Dong Biling suddenly understood that what Madam Ma had said during the day might have been true.
Father was pretending not to believe it, but in reality, he had already concluded that all the stillbirths in the past were caused by Mother.
Tears, large as beans, streamed from Dong Biling’s eyes like a broken chain. No matter what, she could not accept this fact.
“Go back. No one is allowed to mention this matter again. Just pretend you never had a mother, and I never had such a vicious wife.”
“...” Dong Biling’s eyes were wide with disbelief. Perhaps the true killer of her mother was the father standing before her...
“Why aren’t you going back?!” Dong Qishan shouted again.
Dong Biling felt a sudden constriction in her chest, followed by a surge of blood. The next moment, she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and fainted.
“Biling!”
“Sister Biling!”
Dong Qishan and Dong Liancheng were both startled. They rushed forward, protecting Dong Biling so she wouldn’t fall to the ground.
Dong Biling developed a high fever that night. The fever was persistent and severe, and she continued to babble and speak nonsense in her sleep until the chen hour (7-9 AM) the next day. Dong Liancheng and Dong Qishan stayed by her side. In the room, various doctors from around the city constantly came and went, in addition to those continuously replacing ice packs for cooling.
Dong Qishan had almost certainly invited the most renowned doctors in the city for a joint consultation, yet they couldn’t diagnose her illness. However, Di Jiang, who arrived the next day upon hearing the news, took one look and, after a brief pulse diagnosis, said, “Overwhelmed by worry and fear, falling into a state of obsession. As long as she is no longer stimulated and rests for a few more days, she’ll be fine.” After her diagnosis, Di Jiang prescribed a medicine. The prescription mentioned one ingredient: a piece of flesh from the nameless finger of a beloved person, to be combined with dozens of other herbs, decocted with water, and consumed for the medicine to take effect and cure the illness.
“Must flesh be used as a catalyst?” Dong Qishan frowned.
“Yes, not much is needed, a small piece is enough.”
“Use mine!” Dong Liancheng extended his hand, almost without a flicker of hesitation, blurting out, “Whatever it takes to save Sister Biling, I’ll do it.”
Di Jiang’s mouth slightly opened, showing some surprise. Dong Qishan beside her nodded repeatedly in relief, and the servants who heard the news also showed expressions of admiration.
“I’ll go cut it for you right now!”
Di Jiang nodded. “Good.”
Dong Liancheng said, then took a small fruit knife from the table. With a swift movement, he cut a piece of flesh from the pad of his ring finger. Blood immediately gushed out, but he uttered no word of pain.
This scene fell into Dong Qishan’s eyes, and his admiration for Dong Liancheng increased by several folds. He immediately called for the doctor, saying, “Quickly, help Young Master go rest properly.”
“Yes...”
After Dong Liancheng left, he found Dong Yezhen had appeared at the door at some point. She held a medicine bowl in her hands and witnessed everything.
Dong Liancheng looked at Dong Yezhen, paused for a moment, then, without a word, bypassed her and hurried back to his own separate courtyard.
Even long after he left, Dong Yezhen remained rooted to the spot at the doorway, her knuckles white from gripping the food tray too tightly.
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