tailor - Chapter 9
"You want to kill me?" Xue Qiuqiu retorted.
"Do you think we'd let you live now?" Jingzhong shouted, his bloodshot eyes wide.
“You will let me live, because I can help you.” Xue Qiuqiu smiled, a captivating smile.
29. The Story Telled by Mo Bai
They didn't kill Xue Qiuqiu because she could indeed help them. She was an opera singer who needed makeup and, when necessary, artificial faces. She was very skilled at this craft, and in the shortest time, she made three artificial faces for Jingren, Jingzhong, and Jinghai—three faces identical to those of Lao Fu, Xu Mama, and Mo Bai. She knew her husband and friends best, so the faces she made were indistinguishable from real faces unless examined closely. Lao Fu also used his special skill, seamlessly sewing the three artificial faces onto the three real faces. Although none of the three wanted to do this, they had no choice but to do so for survival. They sealed off the underground passage filled with corpses, and dismantled the chair used to enter the passage, turning it into an ordinary chair. They didn't want anyone to see that bloody scene again, nor did they want anyone to find the bodies of Xu Neng and Lao Fu, because they wanted to keep this secret.
In the days that followed, they found an excuse to take the opera troupe away from the temple. As for where Xu Neng, Jing Ren, Jing Zhong, and Jing Hai went, it didn't need to be explained by the opera troupe. They weren't originally from the temple, so no one would suspect that their disappearance was related to the opera troupe.
Everything was going smoothly at first; they and Xue Qiuqiu could have parted ways after leaving the temple, but...
No one knew how that damned ledger appeared, but each time it appeared, it brought a death, and a new entry would be added to the register. The opera troupe was thrown into chaos. No one knew what was happening, no one knew what that damned ledger meant; they only knew that every time the ledger appeared, someone in the troupe would die.
Only the four of them understood the origin of the ledger, but they didn't know how it appeared. They began to feel fear, to feel terror. They suddenly realized that there were truly many inexplicable phenomena in the world, truly many... They wondered if it was the work of ethereal ghosts. The four of them began to feel fear, terror, even to the point of madness, but misfortune never befell them. They suddenly realized that those who had died were either people who wanted to escape or preferred solitude, while the four of them, who were always together, became the only four who hadn't died. They didn't understand the reason, but they understood one thing: the four of them couldn't be separated. They made a decision: all four of them went to the capital at the same time, and the damned black ledger would be kept separately by each of them.
For twenty years, the account books had been exchanged between them, and they had lived in peace. Although the issues hadn't faded and the account books still had a significant influence on them, they had long since settled down. However, at this time, an old woman appeared.
"To avenge your so-called monk husband, you set a trap for us. You found a woman covered in needle marks, then killed Xue Qiuqiu, and pretended to be Lao Fu, pretending to be a ghost and sewing clothes for Xiao Xiang to scare us. Then you forced us to come back here, and then killed us all here. Was that your plan?"
"I did intend to kill you all, for the sake of my husband who has become a monk. Originally, I just found a corpse and sent it to Lao Fu, then had my son steal the body to frame you for corpse theft, putting you in jail. Next, I planned to hide the corpse with Xue Qiuqiu, saying she and Lao Fu were accomplices... Originally, you were all going to go to jail, you were all part of my plan... I just didn't expect Xue Qiuqiu to die, and she died in the coffin I sent..."
"It wasn't you..." Mo Bai's voice was almost out of control. He suddenly realized that they had oversimplified the whole thing.
Xu's mother's handkerchief fell onto the dirty ground.
Old Fu slowly closed his eyes.
A fragrance, an unnamed fragrance, suddenly wafted over from somewhere, and everyone seemed to be intoxicated by it, even forgetting what they were thinking.
It was a sleeping potion. By the time everyone realized it, they had all collapsed to the ground.
Xiao Xiang walked in with light steps. She sat down gently in the uncomfortable chair and looked at everyone, saying, "You're all back."
"Xiao Xiang..." Mo Bai cried out in a trembling voice.
Xiao Xiang glanced at him and said calmly, "We can settle all the accounts today."
"You...who are you?" Xu's mother suddenly realized that she did not recognize Xiao Xiang at all.
"Me? Haha," Xiao Xiang laughed, but her laughter was heartbreaking. Suddenly, she stopped laughing and began to sing a little tune...
Old Fu suddenly raised his head, not believing the sound he was hearing.
Xu's mother stammered, her plump mouth unable to express her feelings at that moment.
Mo Bai was lost in thought; he was convinced that something was wrong with his fan-shaped ears.
Kong Bei's body began to tremble violently.
They heard that familiar voice again, but why was it coming from Xiao Xiang? Could it be that Xue Qiuqiu's ghost had possessed Xiao Xiang again?
30. The living and the dead
"Are you... Xue Qiuqiu or Xiao Xiang?" This is the answer Mo Bai wants to know most right now.
"I am Xiao Xiang, and I am also Xue Qiuqiu," Xiao Xiang said softly, her striking almond-shaped eyes filled with sadness.
"A ghost, it must be a ghost possessing me!" Kong Bei forced himself to move back a little.
"A ghost?" Xiao Xiang gave a bitter smile and said, "I am a ghost. I really was a ghost before, but now I'm alive, and I can live as myself again." Xiao Xiang's face twitched a few times.
"What are you saying?" Mo Bai couldn't understand Xiao Xiang's words at all; no one here could understand her.
"What am I saying?" Xiao Xiang gave another bitter laugh and said, "I am saying that I am Xue Qiuqiu, that I am the living Xue Qiuqiu."
Almost everyone nearly fainted.
Xue Qiuqiu is dead. Everyone saw her die; everyone in the capital knows she's dead. Her death is no secret. Her death was suspicious, yet it's known almost the entire world. But now, there's someone claiming to be a living Xue Qiuqiu.
“You…” Not only was Mo Bai confused, but everyone here was confused.
"Yes, you are Xue Qiuqiu." Old Fu suddenly blurted out, and everyone was stunned.
"Old Fu, you're still the smartest." Xiao Xiang revealed a sly smile.
Old Fu knew that no one understood what he meant, so he continued, "We can be Old Fu, Mama Xu, or Mo Bai, and Xue Qiuqiu could certainly become Xiao Xiang." He was confident that he didn't need to explain further and that everyone would understand. Since Xue Qiuqiu could act as the face of Old Fu, Mama Xu, or Mo Bai, she could naturally also act as Xiao Xiang.
Everyone understands.
"Are you doing this for revenge?" Old Fu asked.
"Yes! It's for my deceased husband and those two friends!" Xiao Xiang's eyes flashed with anger in an instant. She glared and said angrily, "Back then, they saw you being killed by Master Xu Neng and helped out of compassion, but you killed them without asking any questions!" As she said this, Xiao Xiang began to breathe heavily. Her angry eyes turned bloodshot, and a tear filled with hatred welled up in her eyes.
“You always poison the pickles, you always think about how to kill me.” Old Fu smiled bitterly, knowing that the real Old Fu had died at his hands.
“That was just a way of venting. The more I did that, the more you trusted me, because you knew I couldn’t really poison you, which is why you found out I had poisoned you,” Xiao Xiang said.
Xiao Xiang was right; Lao Fu had to admit that he had never doubted her.
"You arranged all this just to get revenge?" Xu's mother asked.
“That’s right. When we were exchanging account books that day, I learned from Lao Fu about the old lady sending over a female corpse. I thought the opportunity had come, and I was going to use it to carry out my plan!” Xiao Xiang said.
"The body in the coffin is Xue Qiuqiu!" Xu's mother didn't understand.
“I think that body is Xiao Xiang’s.” Mo Bai looked at Xiao Xiang, his eyes filled with disappointment, and said, “Xiao Xiang actually died on the day Xue Qiuqiu died, and the Xiao Xiang who has been alive all along has already become Xue Qiuqiu.”
“You’re right, I’ve always been Xue Qiuqiu,” Xiao Xiang said with a smile.
"You've been planning this for a long time, haven't you?" Old Fu suddenly thought of that black ledger.
Xiao Xiang glanced at Lao Fu and laughed, "You are indeed clever. There are no ghosts in this world. That ledger was indeed tampered with by me. I prepared that ledger when I was preparing your face twenty years ago."
"You killed all those people in the opera troupe?" Mo Bai asked in disbelief. He never imagined that such a frail woman back then would be so ruthless.
“That’s right, I’m capable of anything to avenge my husband and friends!” Xiao Xiang said fiercely.
"You wrote that letter, didn't you?" The old lady suddenly felt as if she had been deceived.
"Did you actually plan all this a long time ago?" Mrs. Xu asked.
Xiao Xiang was still smiling.
"Are Yi Kong and Erduo your helpers?" Old Fu thought of them.
“They are indeed my helpers, helpers I raised myself,” Xiao Xiang said.
"You arranged for the appearance of the ears. You were also the one who disguised yourself as Lao Fu and Xiao Xiang when we saw them in the tailor shop. You had Yi Kong kill Yi Xian and Yi Jing. You orchestrated all these ghost stories. Since Yi Kong is the helper you raised since childhood, he naturally knows you best, so his imitation of your appearance and voice is the most accurate. Furthermore, the deaths of Fu Zhuo and Chu Mengjun were also your doing," Lao Fu said calmly.
“Absolutely right, I arranged all of this.” Xiao Xiang smiled again.
"You led us here because your husband and friends died in this ancient tower, so you want us to be buried here with them. But there's one thing I just don't understand: why did you wait twenty years to make your move?" Old Fu really couldn't understand this.
"I'm looking for something," Xiao Xiang said, looking at everyone with a strange expression.
"What is it?" Mrs. Xu asked nervously, a strange premonition suddenly creeping into her mind.
“A pearl.” Xiao Xiang looked at Xu’s mother and smiled, but the smile made Xu’s mother feel very uncomfortable.
The pearl was just an ordinary pearl; Madam Xu had always kept it in the peach wood box in the Butterfly Fragrance Courtyard.
31. Old Fu finally found out.
"Pearls? What pearls?" Mo Bai asked, puzzled.
"What do you mean?" Xiao Xiang ignored Mo Bai and instead asked Xu Mama.
"What are you talking about? What pearls?" Mrs. Xu avoided her sharp gaze and turned to the side, but her face was extremely ugly.
Xiao Xiang stopped smiling, her gaze instantly turning gloomy. She said coldly, "Aunt Xu, do you really not know?"
"I..." For some reason, Xu's mother shuddered when she saw Xiao Xiang's gaze; she felt afraid.
"Aunt Xu, is there something you've been hiding from us?" Mo Bai could no longer hold back. He suddenly realized that Aunt Xu was indeed hiding something from him and Lao Fu.
After a moment of silence, Mrs. Xu finally raised her head slowly and said softly, "The pearl is indeed with me."
"You!" Although Mo Bai didn't know the purpose of the pearl, when he learned that Xu's mother was indeed hiding something, he felt an inexplicable anger rise in his heart.
“I didn’t mean to hide it, it’s just…” Mrs. Xu said, her voice almost trembling with tears, “After we killed Xu Neng, the prayer beads in his hand fell to the ground. I accidentally noticed that one of them had a bit of white showing, so I secretly hid it on my person. I didn’t know what it was; I just picked it up out of curiosity. Later, I found out that it was a pearl. I originally wanted to secretly sell it to get some money, but ever since that black ledger appeared, I’ve thought it really was Xu Neng’s ghost causing trouble, so I’ve been too afraid to sell it or throw it away and have just kept it hidden.”
"I just discovered you're a greedy person!" Mo Bai cursed.
"I exchanged the money because I wanted to share it with everyone..." Even Mrs. Xu felt that she was not speaking with confidence. She knew best that she had indeed wanted to keep that pearl for herself back then.
"That pearl is related to that wooden spoon, isn't it?" Old Fu suddenly said.
Xiao Xiang smiled again. She realized that Lao Fu was the smartest person here. She said, "Anyway, you're going to die, so it doesn't matter if I tell you. That pearl is indeed related to the wooden spoon. Xu Neng killed so many people for money, but I accidentally found out where he kept that money. And that place requires these two things to open."
"How did you know?" Old Fu couldn't understand. Xu Neng was already dead, so how did Xiao Xiang find out?
Xiao Xiang did not answer, but just smiled strangely.
Old Fu suddenly realized that she would never tell them, and that they were certain to die.
Xiao Xiang slowly left the room and closed the door.
The intoxicating smoke was getting thicker, and everyone felt their brains starting to malfunction, as if they needed to take a long nap. That wasn't just intoxicating smoke; it was poisonous smoke...
Xiao Xiang and Yi Kong stood quietly by the water, watching the ear emerge from the water.
"Has anyone been there?" Xiao Xiang asked casually.
"No!" Erduo answered firmly, but his heart was full of questions. He didn't know what had happened back then, or what connection the woman in front of him had with those events. Erduo believed she would tell him the truth, because she had raised him, and they had a bond closer than blood ties.
Xiao Xiang smiled with satisfaction and said, "We can go get that thing now." She held up the pearl in her hand.
Everyone was asleep, perhaps already in the underworld, except for Old Fu, who retained only a sliver of consciousness. He leaned blankly against the wall, feeling nothing now. This was his end, all because he had mistakenly come to this temple, mistakenly entered this temple, and mistakenly identified Xu Neng, leading to this unfortunate end. Old Fu couldn't help but sigh. Xiao Xiang was dead, Fu Zhuo was dead, Chu Mengjun was dead… Suddenly, Old Fu felt a chill. Something was wrong! He had become Old Fu again. Fu Zhuo wasn't his biological son, but he was Xue Qiuqiu's biological son. Xue Qiuqiu was actually avenging her husband; how could she have killed Fu Zhuo? How could Xue Qiuqiu know that Xu Neng had a wife? How could a weak woman like her have killed so many people? And the needle marks on the female corpse and Old Fu seen in the tailor shop—if these were all Xue Qiuqiu's doing, how could she know this craft? Of all the living people in the world, only Old Fu knew this craft, and he had never passed it on to anyone. How did Xue Qiuqiu learn it? Could it be...? Old Fu seemed to suddenly remember something. His mouth gaped open, he reached forward, and shouted with all his might, "I...I know...I know who you are! You...you're not...Xue..."
Everything returned to calm, and no one could hear Lao Fu's last words, including Lao Fu himself.
32. When the dead appear, someone else will always die.
Yi Kong lay quietly on his own bed, his clothes freshly sewn. Erduo was on the bed next door, his clothes not yet finished.
The large silver scissors flew up and down, countless scraps of cloth instantly falling to the ground and blending perfectly with the dust. The remaining pieces gently covered the ear. Delicate threads, following the resolute needles, slowly pierced between the fabric and the ear's body. In an instant, the ear's new clothes were complete...
The account book was gently blown open by the cold night wind, landing on the page from the seventh day of the fourth month twenty years ago. Adorned with bloody handwriting, it clearly recorded the dates of several people's deaths:
The old rich opera troupe was killed in a chaotic battle on the seventh day of the fourth lunar month. He struggled as he died, and was given a few taels of silver and red thread to stitch his facial features.
Xu Mama's opera troupe was killed in a chaotic battle on the seventh day of the fourth lunar month. She struggled in death, and her face was stitched up with red thread.
On the seventh day of the fourth lunar month, the Mo Bai opera troupe was killed in a chaotic battle. As they died, they struggled and obtained a few taels of silver. Their facial features were stitched up with red thread.
Xue Qiuqiu was killed by an axe on the seventh day of the fourth lunar month. She struggled as she died, and thirteen taels of silver were seized and her facial features were stitched up with red thread.