Chapter 187: Your Generosity Knows No Bounds
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Du Zi Heng never imagined things would take such a turn.
He had invited Yu Zhi Yi here to treat You Bing Yue, yet as soon as she arrived, she had to endure You Bing Yue’s malicious slander.
While Du Zi Heng felt a twinge of discomfort at the accusations, his innate loyalty to old ties outweighed his personal feelings. Still concerned about You Bing Yue’s mysterious bouts of unconsciousness, he set aside his emotions and earnestly pleaded, “Zhi Yi, please take a look at her. Don’t worry; I’ll make sure your reward is generous.”
Motivated by the promise of payment, Yu Zhi Yi chose not to refuse. After all, this matter required her attention anyway. The crux of the issue lay with two evil spirits, who had slipped past her oversight and fled South Cao Village.
Yes, evil spirits.
You Bing Yue’s episodes of unconsciousness and recurring nightmares stemmed from being haunted by these malicious entities. They tormented her in her dreams not for amusement but to siphon away her vital essence.
Du Zi Heng had been wise enough to use one of Yu Zhi Yi’s protective talismans to suppress the malevolence.
It was precisely due to the talisman’s power that the two evil spirits were momentarily subdued. However, talismans were defensive in nature, not offensive, and their energy was finite. Once exhausted, they would be rendered completely ineffective.
Had Yu Zhi Yi not arrived today, You Bing Yue would have once again fallen into unconsciousness by nightfall. Worse still, the two evil spirits, angered by their brief suppression, would have accelerated their extraction of her vital essence.
Yu Zhi Yi was no saint. After You Bing Yue’s repeated attempts to steal credit for her accomplishments, she saw no reason to feign magnanimity.
Thus, she was willing to let the evil spirits torment You Bing Yue, but she would never allow them to kill her. Allowing death by such means, though technically free of culpability, would disturb her inner harmony.
For a cultivator, the growth of inner demons was the greatest taboo. Should she grow accustomed to using evil spirits to achieve her aims, the consequences would inevitably catch up to her.
After all, such behavior could easily spiral out of control.
Yu Zhi Yi trusted no one—not even herself—to resist such temptations indefinitely.
You Bing Yue, swallowing her resentment, lowered her gaze and asked, “Why have I been falling unconscious? And why do I keep dreaming of becoming Cao Da Li’s daughter-in-law, taking Cao Zhao Di’s place to become Cao Yao Zu’s stepmother?”
The idea of being a sophisticated modern woman forced to stoop so low as to ask this ancient “relic” for answers was enough to make her stomach churn. But curiosity overpowered her pride.
Yu Zhi Yi replied indifferently, “It’s because Cao Da Li and his wife have latched onto you.”
“What?!”
You Bing Yue’s face paled, her shock so profound she momentarily forgot the pain in her face and arms.
Du Zi Heng was equally astonished. “Cao Da Li and his wife? Haven’t they already reincarnated?”
Yu Zhi Yi’s lips curled into a faint smile. “With Cao Zhao Di watching over them, how could they possibly move on?”
“So, you’re saying… there’s more than just Cao Zhao Di in South Cao Village?” Du Zi Heng’s eyes widened as realization struck.
Yu Zhi Yi nodded. “That’s right. None of the people killed by Cao Yao Zu back then managed to reincarnate. The ‘villagers’ you saw when you entered the village are actually all spirits.”
“The ones who welcomed you were Cao Zhao Di’s parents.
“That Seventh Aunt you met? She’s Cao Zhao Di’s mother.”
“After becoming a fierce ghost, Cao Zhao Di, though seething with immense hatred, retained a sliver of rationality due to the Golden Light of Merit gifted by Sister Fan. Though she desperately wanted to devour her enemies whole, that sliver of clarity held her back.”
“Even though Cao Da Li and the others were evil ghosts, they were no match for Cao Zhao Di. Not even when they combined forces could they move a single finger of hers.”
“After they died, Cao Zhao Di dealt with them ruthlessly and then sank into a deep slumber at the bottom of the river.”
“At first, the ghosts worried that Cao Zhao Di might wake up and continue tormenting them. But as time passed, they realized she seemed to be in an eternal sleep. So, they began wandering the village. Whenever some foolhardy person ventured into the area, these ghosts would appear to frighten them.”
“At one point, they even harbored malicious intentions. Fortunately, as Cao Nan Village grew more desolate and the legend of the female ghost spread, people stopped daring to enter the place.”
“They despised the desolation of the village, but since their remains were buried there, they had no way to leave.”
“That is, until a few days ago, when we arrived.”
Du Zi Heng frowned in confusion. “If their remains can’t leave the village, why did they cling to Bing Yue?”
Yu Zhi Yi smirked faintly as she gazed at You Bing Yue. “Naturally, it’s because she took something from the village. That gave them a medium to latch onto.”
Du Zi Heng stared in shock.
You Bing Yue instinctively denied it. “You’re lying!”
But when she looked up, she met the smirking eyes of Yu Zhi Yi.
“Are you sure you want to lie at this point?”
You Bing Yue held her breath, momentarily stunned. How could she have forgotten? She still needed this woman’s help to deal with the ghosts!
She’d considered asking Ou Yang Shuo for assistance instead, but then recalled his earlier performance in the village. Besides, Ou Yang Shuo had been injured by the female ghost, and who knew how long it would take for him to recover?
She was utterly fed up with being haunted by those things.
Grinding her teeth, she finally admitted, with a face full of humiliation, “Yes, I took something…”
Du Zi Heng stared at her incredulously.
Flushing with indignation under his gaze, she explained, “I only thought the things in the village were ownerless. I didn’t want them to go to waste, just sitting there!”
Du Zi Heng pursed his lips, remaining silent.
Her reasoning was… difficult to judge. Technically, she hadn’t committed some heinous crime. After all, she hadn’t taken anything from the living. Without the presence of ghosts, no one would’ve even thought to hold her accountable.
But there were ghosts. And that changed everything.
He rubbed his temples and turned away from her.
Vice-Minister Fan, however, chuckled as he voiced what Du Zi Heng had left unsaid. “In truth, what Miss You did isn’t entirely wrong. After all, who would expect that an empty house could still harbor ghosts?”
“Without knowing about the ghosts, taking some ownerless items seems quite reasonable, doesn’t it? It’s like finding something on the street. If no one comes back to claim it, most people would naturally assume it’s theirs now.”
Yu Zhi Yi looked at him thoughtfully. “So, what you’re saying is that the item rightfully belongs to Miss You?”
Vice-Minister Fan nodded. “Since she found it, it’s her fortune and capability. Others have no right to interfere.”
Yu Zhi Yi clapped her hands lightly. “Such magnanimity from Vice-Minister Fan.”
There was a subtle trace of sarcasm in her tone, but Vice-Minister Fan pretended not to notice.
However, Yu Zhi Yi continued, “Miss You took a priceless jade pendant. It was a gift from a king of the Western Regions to your father, who then passed it to your younger brother. That pendant was later lost in Cao Nan Village.”
She smiled faintly. “Quite the heirloom, wouldn’t you agree, Vice-Minister Fan?”
Vice-Minister Fan’s gracious smile froze. “What?”