The sudden death of two people threw the mansion into chaos, and everyone was filled with fear.
When Liu Yushu heard that the two maids had been strangled with a blood - stained white cloth, her heart skipped a beat, and she slumped into a chair. She knew in her heart that it was the cold - faced man who had broken into her room last night.
Sure enough, he wasn't a common thief. An ordinary thief would just try to escape; they wouldn't be so cruel and take two lives at once. And being able to hang the bodies up high, this man must have some martial arts skills.
The more Liu Yushu thought about it, the more confused she became. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, which startled her. She looked up and saw Zuitao.
"Where were you last night?" Zuitao hadn't returned all night, and Liu Yushu was worried that she might have been captured by Lady He's people.
Zuitao shook her head blankly. "I went to the kitchen last night. As soon as I stepped out the door, someone hit me on the back of my neck from behind." Zuitao rubbed her neck. "When I woke up, it was already dawn. I lay in the corridor all night, and my neck still hurts badly."
Liu Yushu heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Zuitao was safe. She knew clearly that it must have been that mysterious man who knocked Zuitao out.
"Miss, what's wrong? Is Young Master Yi not well?" Zuitao saw the blood - stained clothes that Liu Yushu had changed out of and nervously grabbed her hand.
Liu Yushu gave Zuitao a warning look, signaling her to be quiet. She then whispered an order for Zuitao to cut the clothes into pieces with scissors and burn them in a copper basin.
Only in this way could she ensure that there were no loopholes and prevent others from finding out and using it against her.
Since a traitor had emerged from her younger brother's room, among the people left in the mansion, she only trusted Nanny Lu and Zuitao.
While burning the clothes, Zuitao said to Liu Yushu, "Miss, I just took a walk outside the Danfeng Pavilion. There was a huge commotion there. Several maids had their mouths slapped and were kneeling outside. But the people in their courtyard were really scared. I heard that Lady He was so frightened that she fell ill and is still in bed."
Lady He had been scolded by the old lady before. Now, the maids she had sent to harm Liu Yushu had died a tragic death. Having a guilty conscience, she was afraid that the two maids would come back as ghosts to take her life. She had her personal maid, Fulei, secretly burn a lot of paper money and even invited a Taoist priest in through the back door to exorcise ghosts and paste talismans in the courtyard.
Lady Sun and her daughter from the Bilian Pavilion were terrified. After all, the two maids had been hanging on the tree in their courtyard. Lady Sun sent a maid to secretly bring the Taoist priest that Lady He had invited to their courtyard to exorcise evil spirits and ask for some talisman papers. However, Fulei found out and slapped the maid several times, scolding, "Tell your mistress to behave herself."
Liu Yuyu, who had been waiting to see Liu Yushu's joke, was so scared that she didn't even dare to open the window and was praying in the room.
Liu Yushu thought that Lady He should not dare to cause trouble again.
Early the next morning, when Liu Yushu got up, she saw that the purple bruises on her younger brother's leg had faded a bit, and his complexion had improved a lot.
She felt a bit more at ease and thought of getting some agarwood incense that was only available in the old lady's room. She could only sleep soundly when she smelled that fragrance.
After getting off the covered bridge and following the path towards the old lady's Shanhui Hall, from afar, she saw two servants and a maid standing at the corridor entrance. The maid had her back to her and seemed to be talking to the servants, who nodded frequently.
The maid turned sideways, and Liu Yushu saw that it was Fulei. She turned around and walked back the way she came, but the two servants blocked her path. She pretended to be calm and said coldly, "How dare you block my way! Get out of the way quickly."
"Where are you in such a hurry to go, Miss Shu? Could it be that you're going to kill someone?" Fulei walked up to her with a sneering smile and sized her up coldly.
Fulei's sarcastic tone clearly showed that she had ill intentions.
Liu Yushu was alone, and there was no one around. She was afraid of getting into trouble and didn't want to entangle with Fulei. She ordered coldly, "Get out of the way."
"Miss Shu, please come with me. My mistress said that she wants to investigate the cause of the two maids' deaths. We can't allow some heartless people to make waves in this mansion and make everyone live in fear." Fulei commanded arrogantly.
"Heh." She sneered disdainfully. "Everyone living in fear? You actually know how to be scared. I'm sure you've done so many bad things that you're afraid the two maids will come back as ghosts to take your life. You know very well how Qinghua and Xiangmei died and who they were instructed by to do evil things before they died."
These words immediately changed Fulei's complexion. Fulei pointed at Liu Yushu's nose nervously and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense." Then she glared at the two servants. "Don't just stand there like dead people! Tie this bitch up quickly so that my mistress can deal with her."
The two servants grabbed her hands, making her unable to move.
In this moment of crisis, they heard Fulei scream, "Ghost! There's a ghost!"
Liu Yushu looked back and saw a white figure flash past the rockery. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared. Then she heard two crisp slapping sounds, and Fulei's cheeks were bruised and swollen.
The two servants also let go of her and lay on the ground in great pain. Liu Yushu lowered her head and took a closer look. Her eyes widened in horror, and she took several steps back.
The knees of the two servants were covered in blood. It seemed that they couldn't walk and had fainted from the pain.
"Qinghua and Xiangmei have come back to take our lives! The evil spirits have come back to take our lives!" Fulei shouted like a madwoman and ran away.
Liu Yushu looked confused. She didn't believe that there were really ghosts in this world. She was sure that the figure just now must have been a person.
"Is this yours?" Just as Liu Yushu was thinking, the figure from just now suddenly appeared in front of her. Wu Qing was wearing her younger brother's clothes. Although his exposed half - arm looked thin, it was very muscular, and several blue veins were clearly visible.
Liu Yushu looked at the white jade earring in Wu Qing's hand, then looked up at him, and carefully took it with both hands. Her fingertips accidentally touched Wu Qing's hand. The cool and soft touch made a ripple appear in Wu Qing's calm and cold eyes.
"Thank you for helping me." Her voice was gentle.
Wu Qing stared at her with his clear eyes. "You don't need to thank me. Those people got what they deserved." His tone was firm. His eyes lingered on her eyes and eyebrows, making her feel uncomfortable, and her cheeks couldn't help but feel hot.
She had never been stared at like this by a man before. His gaze was so sharp that it seemed to see through her. She turned her face away uncomfortably. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turning to leave. She timidly asked, "Is your injury better?"
Now there was no one in the mansion to support her. Things like being bullied today would surely happen again in the future. So, she had to find a temporary backer for herself.
The man in front of her was the most suitable one.
Wu Qing stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. He tightly pursed his lips and said nothing.
"Have you changed the dressing on the wound on your back?"
"..."
"If you don't mind, I'll help you change the dressing. It's just my way of thanking you for helping me." Liu Yushu walked up to him. Her smile was as bright and gentle as a hibiscus flower, delicate and weak. He could easily have his way with her with just a move of his finger.
Her face was pure and lovely, and her eyes were always full of affection, making people's hearts melt.
Wu Qing stared at her intently. The comforting smell of licorice on her body lingered in his nostrils. His thin jaw tightened even more. A thought flashed through his mind, and then a burning heat erupted deep in his heart, making even his slightly healed wound feel unbearably hot.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Liu Yushu thought she had been too abrupt. She smiled awkwardly. "The Shanhui Hall in front is where my grandmother lives. She's not in the mansion now. I see that you seem to know martial arts. You can hide there to recuperate your injury."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Qing leaped onto the roof beside him and disappeared.
For the first time in twenty - three years, a wicked thought popped into his mind.
He wanted to possess this graceful and soft girl in front of him. Next time, he wouldn't let her go so easily!