Chapter 31: A Baby’s Insults Can Be Truly Vile
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
The door thudded loudly, shaking violently.
Deng Zhi’s heart raced as she stared at the door, noticing a faint crack appearing along its edge.
“How could this happen? Aren’t they afraid of the Door God Talismans painted with Cinnabar Ink?” she muttered, horrified. The talismans, which should repel all Malevolent Spirits, seemed powerless.
Madam Xu’s eyes darkened. “Where did you get those talismans?”
Deng Zhi’s face instantly lost all color. “They… they were brought by the Marquis.” As soon as the words escaped her lips, her legs turned weak, and an icy chill shot up her spine.
She felt on the verge of tears. “Before you gave birth, the Marquis had already prepared those talismans. Back then…” She hesitated, knowing that, back then, no one suspected the Marquis of harboring a wandering heart or keeping a mistress.
Madam Xu felt a cold despair seep into her bones.
Outside, the groaning of the door grew louder. Ying Xue and Jue Xia retreated further into the room, trembling as they positioned themselves protectively in front of Madam Xu.
“Hee hee hee hee…”
“Clang, clang, clang, clang…”
“We found you…”
The eerie sounds came from all directions, pressing in until they seemed to drown out everything else. The door wavered under the assault, its hinges threatening to give way. Madam Xu bit down hard on her lip until she tasted blood. Sweat poured down her forehead in cold, stinging rivulets.
“Why haven’t we heard the Righteous Scholar’s Chant yet?” Ying Xue’s voice quivered with tears, sinking the group’s spirits even further.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao lay sprawled on the bed, her chubby little hands raised above her head, her tiny feet splayed out like a baby frog. Her plump arms and legs were soft, covered in thick baby fat, and at this moment, she twitched in irritation.
The incessant laughter and clanging grated on her ears, pulling her out of her slumber. As her round eyes snapped open, her entire face flushed with sleep-induced annoyance. The midnight disturbance had awakened her, and her mood soured to an extent even more frightful than the Malevolent Spirits outside.
“Thunk!”
Her tiny face puffed up with indignation, and she balled her chubby fists, waving them angrily.
Deng Zhi jumped at the sound, rushing to cover the child’s mouth. “Hush…” she whispered shakily, trying to soothe the infant.
But…
In an instant, the cacophony from outside came to an abrupt halt.
The spirits pressing against the door stopped their frenzied assault.
The eerie laughter and taunting cries vanished entirely.
Even the wind that had howled moments before seemed to have been silenced.
The air was deathly still. Not a single sound remained.
Lu Chao Chao glared fiercely, her round eyes flashing with fury as she shoved Deng Zhi’s hand away. Raising a stubby finger, she pointed toward the door, her baby face scrunched in utter outrage. With her tiny mouth wide open, she began scolding in a stream of nonsensical gibberish:
“$#@&*!#%@%&4…”
Her chubby little hands settled on her hips as her tirade continued. No one could understand her words, but the sheer fury radiating from her left no doubt about her intentions. The tiny girl was giving the Malevolent Spirits a dressing-down that would put the most seasoned sailors to shame.
Only Madam Xu, clutching her ears tightly, appeared completely lost and helpless.
“What is she saying?” Ying Xue whispered to Jue Xia.
Jue Xia scratched her head, unsure. She couldn’t deny that Little Miss’s tirade was particularly fierce. The mix of her babyish tone and fiery temperament was strangely adorable.
“Oh, my little ancestor! Please, don’t provoke them! Those are Malevolent Spirits out there! If they get angry, they might devour us all!” Deng Zhi pleaded, half-soothing, half-panicked.
Outside, the spirits huddled together in utter silence, as though struck dumb. The oppressive figures that moments before had embodied terror now quaked as they lay prostrate on the ground. It was a sight to make even the bravest warrior drop to their knees, hailing it as a miracle.
Lu Chao Chao yawned loudly, rubbing her eyes. With a contented glance toward the now silent door, she rolled over and nestled back into her bedding. Within moments, soft snores filled the room as she drifted off to sleep once more.
Outside the manor, the oppressive White Fog receded like a tide, vanishing without a trace.
Deng Zhi cautiously leaned against the door, peering out. “Madam, they’re gone! Could it be that Little Miss scared them off?”
Madam Xu’s eye twitched. “Nonsense! Chao Chao was talking in her sleep. She’s only six months old—what could she possibly understand?”
Deng Zhi chuckled sheepishly. “That’s true.”
The group heaved a collective sigh of relief, thankful to have survived the ordeal.
“I’m going to check the main gate. I need to see the situation outside,” Madam Xu said resolutely, grabbing an outer robe to drape over her shoulders.
“I’ll come with you,” Deng Zhi offered, knowing Madam Xu wouldn’t rest until she was sure her third son was safe.
The two dared not light a lamp, wary of attracting malevolent spirits. The manor was deathly silent, save for the cinnabar markings in Madam Xu’s chamber, which had been shredded to pieces by the evil entities.
“Madam!” Deng Zhi’s eyes were red with fury, her hatred palpable.
Madam Xu’s expression remained indifferent. “From now on, anything he sends shall be kept separate.” [Lu Yuan Ze, you carried me into this manor with the pomp of a grand procession, forcing me to dedicate my life to the Marquis household, only for you to revel in luxury with your mistress!] [I will make sure you lose everything—your reputation, your possessions, and your pride!]
Even a tiger does not harm its cubs, yet Madam Xu was unaware of the true cruelty that Lu Yuan Ze harbored.
The courtyard was deathly still, but beyond the gates, the howls of spirits echoed through the night. Madam Xu and Deng Zhi crouched near the main doors, peeking outside in secret.
“How strange. Our street seems particularly quiet,” Deng Zhi remarked with confusion. Earlier, the sounds of malevolent spirits had been unmistakable. Now, it was unnervingly calm.
“Perhaps the abbot is holding them at bay,” Madam Xu thought fleetingly of Lu Chao Chao’s voice.
Deng Zhi nodded in agreement. “That must be it.”
“Madam, I hear the sound of chanting!” Deng Zhi’s face lit up with joy.
Indeed, faintly audible through the night was a thunderous, resounding reading of scriptures, gradually dispersing the malevolent spirits lurking within the white mist.
Out of concern for Lu Yuan Xiao, they stayed near the doors, sitting on the steps to await his return. The night stretched unbearably long, each passing second an ordeal of anxiety.
At last, as the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, sunlight bathed the earth. The white mist began retreating, hastily withdrawing to the shadows to bide its time until its next resurgence.
“Mmm… mmm…” Stifled sobs echoed from the street—a chorus of joy from those who had survived the ordeal.
Lu Yuan Xiao returned to the manor, swaying on his feet, and Madam Xu immediately ushered him back to the Listening Wind Courtyard.
“Was everything alright last night? Were you frightened?” Madam Xu asked as she arranged breakfast. Though Lu Yuan Xiao lacked appetite, he forced himself to take a few bites to reassure her.
“There’s no need to worry, Mother. Your son is unharmed. Was the manor safe yesterday?”
“We ventured into the streets last night and discovered malevolent spirits had entered the courtyard. They seemed fiercer than in previous years, even causing injuries. Thankfully, the abbot arrived in time; otherwise, disaster would have struck.”
“I was grouped with Lu Jing Huai yesterday,” Lu Yuan Xiao muttered, his lips curling in distaste. He had gleaned from his younger sister’s inner voice that the so-called young genius, Lu Jing Huai, was nothing more than their father’s illegitimate child.
Madam Xu’s eyes trembled subtly.
Lu Yuan Xiao’s expression darkened as he continued, “Mother, Lu Jing Huai’s reputation is immense. Many secretly wager he will achieve the Triple Crown of Excellence, believing him to be a destined Righteous Scholar. Some even speculate he could single-handedly drive away the darkness of the Ghost Festival’s three days.”
“But guess what?”
“The spirits didn’t fear him at all! Isn’t that bizarre?”
“By all accounts, malevolent spirits should recoil from the righteous aura of scholars, and Lu Jing Huai is supposed to be the pinnacle of such individuals. Why didn’t it work?”
Lu Jing Huai, only seventeen, had participated in the street procession for the first time.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao sat cross-legged on her bed, clutching an apple. Her tiny upper teeth had just begun to show, the faint pearly edges barely visible. Still teething, she often used her budding teeth to scrape apple mush to eat.
[Of course, it’s because he plagiarized Brother’s work…]
Mother and son froze simultaneously.
[Big Brother was famous throughout the capital before the age of eight. No one could surpass his brilliance. But after he became paralyzed, it only took two years for Lu Jing Huai to claim the title of ‘young prodigy.’ Even his success as an aspiring scholar at age ten was thanks to stealing Brother’s examination questions.]
Lu Chao Chao smacked her lips, disdain evident. [That so-called genius title of his is completely undeserved!]
Madam Xu’s face abruptly darkened.