Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds-Chapter 64: Zhuo Qingyan, Do You Still Remember an Old Acquaintance?
Gu Zhao brought over a small stool and took a handful of melon seeds from his pocket, sharing them with the old woman and the other two. "We bought these roasted snacks on the road. Have some."
The old woman’s son cracked one open, his eyes lighting up. "This is delicious!"
The younger woman ate two seeds before putting the rest away. She then said, "This alley was actually very lively thirty years ago. The people who lived here were all either rich or noble. The Zhuo Family was a family of scholars. The father was the Chief Clerk of the County Yamen and also a County School Teacher, so his status was highly respected.
Mr. Zhuo had only one daughter. She was intelligent, well-read, and sensible from a young age, and he cherished her dearly. Many families came to ask for her hand in marriage, but he politely refused them all, wanting only to find a son-in-law of outstanding character and talent for his daughter.
Later, it’s said that a distant relative of the County Magistrate came to study under Mr. Zhuo. This man was handsome and dashing, as well as erudite and eloquent. Mr. Zhuo was very pleased with him and wanted to arrange a match between the two."
"But unexpectedly, Mr. Zhuo’s daughter refused!" The woman feigned surprise, then turned to the Silk Embroideress. "Do you know why?"
The Silk Embroideress immediately gave the classic answer, "Because she was already secretly promised to someone else!"
"Not at all!" The woman shook her head repeatedly. "Miss Zhuo was a proper lady from a good family. She never even went to places with many men. How could she have been secretly promised to someone?"
"Then why?" the Silk Embroideress asked.
"Because Miss Zhuo said the man had a wicked heart!" the woman revealed.
"How could she tell?" The Silk Embroideress was puzzled.
"I don’t know. All we can say is that Miss Zhuo was born with a discerning eye. It’s a pity that while her sharp eyes could see the good and bad in a person, she couldn’t have predicted the depths of human wickedness!" the old woman sighed.
The younger woman sighed as well. "Miss Zhuo was adamant in her refusal, and of course, Mr. Zhuo wouldn’t force his daughter. But who would have thought that man would hold a grudge over it? He colluded with the County Magistrate to frame Mr. Zhuo, accusing him of embezzling the thirty thousand taels of silver meant for disaster relief."
The Silk Embroideress gasped, "What!?"
"With the County Magistrate investigating from above and his own student testifying against him from below, even the surrounding commoners believed it was true. In the end, unable to bear the humiliation, Mr. Zhuo took his own life to prove his innocence. Madam Zhuo soon followed him in death."
The woman continued in a mournful voice, "And Miss Zhuo, after burying her parents, hated the man for his cruel treachery and hated herself for implicating them. In a moment of despair, she threw herself into a well and committed suicide."
"And then she became a ghost?" Gu Zhao asked.
"Yes." The old woman nodded. "Ever since then, a mournful song can be heard from the Zhuo family residence at night. Everyone says it’s Miss Zhuo, missing her parents and unwilling to leave."
"Afterward, everyone who moved into the residence was woken up by the singing at night. Who would dare to keep living there?" the woman said. "Eventually, even the neighbors moved away."
"What about that villain?" the Silk Embroideress asked indignantly.
"For his success in the investigation, the County Magistrate was promoted to a post in Changping Prefecture, and that man left with him. He never came back." The old woman, fearing they might not believe her, added, "I was a kitchen helper for the Zhuo Family back then, so I know all this. It’s a pity I couldn’t help them."
Taoist Yan Song shook his head. "It seems no good deed goes unpunished."
The Silk Embroideress also said with pity, "That poor lady..."
’No wonder that Miss Zhuo was so cold. Her entire family was framed, and not only did the culprit get away with it, he even benefited from the whole affair.’
Of course, the group believed the old woman’s words. There was no Evil Qi on Miss Zhuo. Although she had been driven to her death, she didn’t indiscriminately kill innocents after becoming a ghost. She only lingered in her family’s courtyard, mourning her parents. One could even call her kind.
And so, the story came to an end.
The small courtyard fell silent as everyone ate quietly. By the time they finished, the sky had already darkened. Just as Gu Zhao and the others were about to make their excuses to leave, all of their expressions shifted.
Several auras suddenly approached from the distance, speeding toward the Ghost House next door. They made no effort to conceal their presence, acting utterly brazen.
The next moment, a pure, cold energy rose from within the Ghost House, seeming to be both a display of anger and a warning.
"What’s happening?" Bai Ke’s tail stood straight up. She could sense that the leading aura was incredibly powerful, perhaps even on par with Taoist Yan Song.
"Let’s get the old woman and her family to rest first." Gu Zhao gave Taoist Yan Song a meaningful look.
They didn’t know what was happening between the Female Ghost and the newcomers, but since they might get involved, they couldn’t let the old woman’s family be caught in the crossfire. So, without using any Magical Power, the two of them seized the opportunity to use the Light Hand Technique, gently striking the back of the three villagers’ necks. They immediately fell unconscious.
After moving the family into the house, Gu Zhao took a silver ingot from his robes and placed it in the old woman’s hands. Then the three humans and one fox left the small courtyard and saw that the auras from before had already swept into the Ghost House.
"Does the Female Ghost have visitors?" Bai Ke said.
"But according to the old woman, Miss Zhuo has been here for decades. She probably hasn’t made any friends, right?" said the Silk Embroideress.
Taoist Yan Song stroked his beard and said in a low voice, "I suspect these visitors have ill intentions."
It was rare to come across a good ghost. Gu Zhao rubbed his hands together. "Let’s go take a look."
So the three of them concealed their auras, leaped over the surrounding wall, and slipped silently into the residence. Using the trees for cover, they crept toward the main hall up ahead.
...
"You must be Sister Qingyan. Truly a devastating beauty. No wonder His Majesty the King was smitten at first sight and wishes to take you into his harem as the third Divine Consort," a charming voice chuckled.
"When Old Ghost Golden Wind left, he said he would give me a month’s time!" a cold voice replied, seemingly suppressing great anger.
Gu Zhao’s group had already circled around to the side of the main hall. They held their breath, completely concealing their auras, and looked ahead.
In the courtyard before the main hall sat a red sedan chair. Four bearers stood at its corners, and two women dressed as handmaidens stood in front of it, one holding a fan and the other an incense burner.
In front of the handmaidens stood another woman.
She had upward-slanting phoenix eyes and fiery red lips. A form-fitting crimson dress of iridescent, patterned cloud-brocade accentuated her enchanting figure, and the tassels of a red-gold, filigree willow-leaf hairpin contrasted against her snow-white skin.
Standing opposite the woman in red was the very same woman in white that Gu Zhao’s group had just met.
The conversation they had just overheard was between these two.
"That’s right, His Majesty our King did indeed give you a month, my dear sister. But who could have foreseen this... accident?" The woman in red raised a sleeve to lightly cover her lips, her gaze toward the woman in white filled with meaning.
"What accident?" the woman in white asked.
"Speaking of which, His Majesty our King had never visited Xiuyue County before. Last time, he came on an inspection tour and unexpectedly discovered a beauty such as yourself languishing in the countryside. Such a pity, really."
The woman in red continued in a low, drawn-out voice, "His Majesty was originally planning to wed you in a month. However, after he mentioned the matter back at the palace, it made another person both surprised and overjoyed. He pleaded with His Majesty to bestow you upon him as a gift.
His Majesty was initially reluctant to agree, but this person is also a friend of His Majesty’s and is very important to the Divine Sect. So, His Majesty had no choice but to make a painful sacrifice and give you to him."
Seeing the ashen look on the woman in white’s face, the woman in red chuckled. "My dear sister, do you know who that person is?"
The woman in white did not answer, but the woman in red took a Jade Flute from her sleeve. "Zhuo Qingyan, do you still remember an old acquaintance?"
