Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Unless He Comes Back to Testify

In a noisy teahouse, a storyteller was vividly telling the tale of the Wang and Li families. A listener asked: “Sir, did the Li family’s young miss really elope with her lover?”

The storyteller stroked his beard and answered with a calm smile: “I am only a storyteller, not a yamen runner. If the yamen runners cannot decide, I certainly will not speak carelessly. I only know that after the woodcutter left, the Wang and Li families broke with each other.”

“A few months later, the Wang Clan found a fine new match for their son.”

“As for the Li Clan, for some unknown reason their business kept failing. Bad luck clung to the family. Several young masters met with accidents one after another, until only an old couple was left, barely hanging on. Not long after, the old couple died as well.”

“In contrast, the Wang Clan kept rising. The new wife bore two fine grandsons, which made the old couple grin from ear to ear.”

Hearing this, the listeners whispered to each other: “Why does it sound like the Li family did something immoral and got punished by heaven?”

“What do you mean ‘sound like’? That must be it. The Li miss broke her promise and ran off with some man right before the wedding. You expect me to believe the Li family knew nothing? They pretended to be confused so the Wang family would lose face.”

“Who knew that heaven has eyes. Justice stands clear. Retribution never fails. The Li family ended in ruin while the Wang family prospered. It is like revenge for all the honest folks in the world.”

Quite a few people chimed in, even some women.

The storyteller narrowed his eyes, a sharp smile in his gaze. [What a bunch of fools.]

Suddenly, his face froze.

A clear, pleasant girl’s voice sounded: “Liu Dong Ping, first you let your daughter wreck another’s betrothal. You then led Wang Ao to drug his fiancée and sell her to kidnappers. Later, greedy for the Wang family’s wealth, you killed Elder Wang and poisoned Old Madam Wang to control her. After your daughter was caught committing adultery, you urged her to kill Wang Ao.”

“These are one evil deed after another, all too wicked to be tolerated by heaven. Do you never have nightmares in the middle of the night?”

Liu Dong Ping was the storyteller. At first he turned pale, but once he reacted he slapped the table and shouted: “Where did this little girl come from, to slander a man in public with empty words!”

Yu Zhi Yi walked down from the second floor. A young woman stepped down at an easy, unhurried pace. Her face was gentle and lovely, her presence clear and light. As she moved, her plain skirt swayed softly. Though her dress was simple, she seemed almost otherworldly.

She said: “We will know soon whether I am slandering you, or you are the one full of malice and sin.”

Reaching the last step, she curved her lips slightly and said: “Soldiers are already searching Wang Manor. Whether it is the poisoned Madam Wang, the wives and concubines you hid inside Wang Manor, or the ledgers showing how you moved the Wang family’s property over the years, the yamen should have all of it by now.”

Liu Dong Ping’s face changed: “The yamen?”

When the guests saw his expression shift and then watched him run for the door without saying another word, they could not help looking at each other. Could that young lady be right? Did Liu Dong Ping really work with the Wang young master to harm Miss Li?

Just as he was about to rush out, Liu Dong Ping suddenly stopped. He spun around and glared at the graceful young woman: “What did you do?”

The guests were baffled. Other than speaking a few sentences, the young lady had not done anything, had she?

They did not know, but Liu Dong Ping felt it clearly. An invisible barrier stood in front of him, keeping him from leaving the teahouse.

Yu Zhi Yi stepped behind the storyteller’s table, lifted the wooden block, and slammed it down hard. She said: “I like to settle things fast. People are already searching for the evidence at Wang Manor, but it would take days to go from finding it to making you confess. I do not have much time, so I need you to admit it quickly.”

The storyteller’s eyes turned cold as he said: “Little miss, you are young, so I did not want to argue with you. But if you keep smearing me, do not blame me for being rude.”

Over the years he had used the Wang family’s money and connections to build his own network. Cleaning up a stranger of unknown background would take him only a few words. As for what she had said about the Wang and Li families, he felt both shocked and angry, but not afraid. Miss Li had long been sold into a deadly den. Even if all the local yamen went out, they might not be able to rescue her. Do not ask how he knew. Back then, to set his mind at ease, he had gone to check for himself and even named Miss Li to serve him. So he knew very well that Miss Li would never come back.

As long as Miss Li’s case did not come to light, the rest did not matter. His daughter was now the public face of the Wang Clan’s leadership. He had wiped out every trail. Unless that Wang brat came back from the dead and exposed his plot, there was no evidence at all to convict him. As for the fact that he held the real control of the Wang Clan… he sneered in his heart. His daughter was willing to offer him benefits. Who could complain?

Thinking this, he calmed down. But his new calm vanished in an instant when the beautiful stranger asked: “If your conscience is clear, do you dare remove the jade pendant from your neck?”

Liu Dong Ping’s face twitched. He denied it, saying: “What jade pendant? I do not know what you are talking about.” Yet his hand rose to his neck without thinking.

Yu Zhi Yi laughed softly and said: “You do not dare because you know Wang Ao died full of hate. You fear he will come back as a vengeful ghost to claim your life. So you paid an expert to pin his soul at the bottom of a dry well in the Wang family’s backyard.”

Li Yu’s soul had been following behind Yu Zhi Yi. Hearing this, she understood that after betraying her, Wang Ao met a bad end and was murdered by the other woman and her father. She felt great relief. Learning that his soul was also pinned in a dry well made that relief swell even more. A thousand words came down to one thought: [Serves him right.]

Yu Zhi Yi suddenly asked: “He will be back soon. Do you want to settle accounts after they are done, or do you want to do it first?”

In a very good mood, Li Yu’s ghostly chill faded a little. She said: “Let them finish first.”

She wanted all the world’s heartless men to see that such men would never meet a good end.

Yu Zhi Yi nodded slightly and said: “Then find a place to hide for now.”

The crowd watched in confusion, not understanding whom she was talking to.

Liu Dong Ping snorted and said: “Playing tricks with gods and ghosts.”

Pointing toward the doorway, Yu Zhi Yi said: “I am not pretending to be a god, but as for using ghosts… that is not wrong.”