Chapter 170

Chapter 170: Yu the Great Immortal

Cao Zhao Di looked at him coldly; her face, smashed out of shape, looked even more frightening as she said: “You finally admit it? Back then, you killed your own father, your grandfather, your grandmother, the village chief’s whole family, and Cao San Er, all to please me so I would tell you who your mother’s father was.”

Cao Yao Zu denied it at first, but after Cao Zhao Di tore through his lies one by one, he flew into a rage and shouted: “Yes! I wanted to know my maternal grandfather’s identity!”

He yelled: “My mother was the daughter of a high official, and my grandfather is a high official. I want to find him and live a good life, what is wrong with that?”

He snapped: “If you had told me, my life wouldn’t have gotten worse year after year!”

He ranted: “I should have had a bright future, a life with servants in rows and people flattering me. Like the nobles in the city, I should have had many wives and concubines, with countless people trying to curry favor. But because you wouldn’t tell me, I had to be a useless examination candidate all these years.”

He hissed: “They killed my mother and robbed me of riches and honor, so they deserved to die. And you, since you refused to tell me who my grandfather was, you deserve to die too.”

He turned on the old Daoist and barked: “Hurry up and get rid of it!”

The old Daoist gave Cao Zhao Di an awkward smile and did not move.

Cao Yao Zu fumed at him and said: “I hired you not to make you stand there! And this is a vengeful ghost; do you think if you don’t kill it, it won’t kill you?”

Cao Zhao Di suddenly spoke to the five men and said: “You five, go.”

Cao Yao Zu froze and blurted: “What?”

The old Daoist and the other four exchanged looks, speechless.

They were overjoyed. Only a fool would stay at a time like this.

They no longer spared a thought for Cao Yao Zu; even if they could, they didn’t want to.

They didn’t know every detail of what had happened back then, but from what Cao Yao Zu and the ghost woman said, he had killed many people.

They had no wish to stay with such a cruel man. Now that they knew his secret, who knew if he would go mad and kill them too?

Only Cao Yao Zu was left. Cao Zhao Di’s form shifted, and two lines of blood tears flowed from her eyes as she said: “Yao Zu, since you call me Mother, then come take my place. If you die, I can leave this river and be reborn.”

Terror smothered Cao Yao Zu. He shook his head hard and pleaded: “No… don’t!”

He tried to bargain and said: “I already sent you so many people back then; have them take your place!”

Cao Zhao Di answered flatly: “They were not killed by my hand. Even if a few died in the river, unless I strike, their souls cannot take my place.”

Cao Yao Zu cried: “No! You can’t kill me! I am your Sister Fan’s own son!”

As the cold and damp grew heavier, fear swallowed him whole. He babbled: “I can find you more people!”

He hurried on and said: “You know this. I was only fifteen back then, and I still tricked those people down to the river to kill them. Now that I’m grown, luring a few more will only take a few words.”

He promised in a rush and said: “This time I won’t kill them. I’ll hand them to you, and you can kill them yourself.”

That seemed to work. The cold around him faded at once.

His face lit up.

But before the smile could spread, it froze.

Because he heard Cao Zhao Di say: “You heard him, right?”

Cao Yao Zu stiffened and croaked: “Wh… who are you talking to?”

The black mist parted, and Yu Zhi Yi and her companions appeared.

Liu Fei Yang lifted a hand and said with a little wave: “Hi there, murderer.”

Yu Zhi Yi showed her token and said coolly: “I am Yu Zhi Yi, a Official of the Ministry of Justice and a special investigator personally appointed by His Majesty. Four days ago, the ghost case of Cao South Village was reopened. I am here to investigate. Cao Yao Zu, you are suspected of killing two families in Cao South Village, seven people in all; you are under arrest.”

Seeing that the speaker was a very pretty young miss, Cao Yao Zu bolted without thinking.

But no one here was ordinary, so how could they let him escape?

He had taken only a few steps when two vine-like tendrils of black evil energy wrapped his legs.

He fell forward with a thud and skidded two or three meters.

Cao Zhao Di gave him a cold look, then turned to Yu Zhi Yi and said: “I have a favor to ask.”

Yu Zhi Yi pressed her lips together and said: “You want to see the Fan siblings?”

Cao Zhao Di nodded and said: “We all died in this village. Since I could become a ghost, they should be ghosts too. But for some reason, I have never found them.”

Liu Fei Yang edged up to Yu Zhi Yi and asked with a grin: “Great Immortal, if they died wronged just like her, why did Cao Zhao Di become a vengeful ghost but they did not?”

Great Immortal…

Yu Zhi Yi’s brow twitched; she gave him a chilly look.

Liu Fei Yang flashed a fawning smile, showing eight neat teeth.

He looked so silly, like a dumb dog Yu Zhi Yi had once seen on the street.

She found it eye-searing and quietly looked away.

Du Zi Heng’s face sank; he stepped closer and asked: “Yes, Zhi Yi, why is it like this?”

Yu Zhi Yi did not look at Du Zi Heng. With some pity in her eyes, she looked at Cao Zhao Di and said: “Do you truly not remember? Or deep down, do you not want to remember?”

Cao Zhao Di jolted.

Yu Zhi Yi’s clear eyes were like a little stream, as if they could wash a soul clean.

Just by meeting that gaze, Cao Zhao Di felt her spirit grow clear.

Old memories she had forced down rose again.

She suddenly clutched her head and screamed: “Ah!”

Her piercing scream seemed to shake heaven and earth. The evil aura over the whole village boiled; wind howled, the river rolled, and dark red surged under the water.

The group was almost blown away.

At the last moment, golden light flashed around Yu Zhi Yi, and an unseen barrier covered them all.

Liu Fei Yang scooted closer to Yu Zhi Yi and breathed in her faint sandalwood scent, which calmed his heart as he asked: “So scary. What is happening to her?”

You Bing Yue watched as the Yunnan prince’s heir apparent, who had liked her before, suddenly drew close to Yu Zhi Yi; a flash of chill crossed her eyes.

Before Yu Zhi Yi could answer, she spoke coldly and said: “Her sudden madness should be tied to the souls of the Fan siblings. Maybe the Fan siblings are in danger.”

Ou Yang Shuo had recovered somewhat. Unwilling to be outdone by this outsider with unorthodox ways, he looked at Yu Zhi Yi with a complicated gaze and said in a deep voice: “Or maybe the villagers feared their ghosts would cause trouble and hired an expert to suppress them.”

Liu Fei Yang looked at Yu Zhi Yi and asked: “Official Yu, Yu the Great Immortal, what is going on?”

Yu Zhi Yi’s brow twitched again; she gave a deathly smile and said: “If I hear ‘Great Immortal’ again, I will show you what a ‘Great Immortal’ can do.”