"Fine, you say it." The two Miao men looked coldly at the Third Madam, gritting their teeth.
Over the years, they had been searching for Hong Yinshuang's whereabouts, enduring hardships and countless scornful looks, which made them suffer greatly. Their village was originally a paradise where everyone lived in harmony, and no one had ever thought of using the village's treasure to refine a powerful Gu.
Because everyone knows that the lifeline of the entire village is contained in that small jar; if one part is affected, everything else will follow.
Therefore, nothing is more important than that little jar.
After a moment's thought, the old master of the Leng family said, "Could you two stay at our Xiejian Manor for a few more days? I will send someone to frantically search for your village's treasure. This way, we can both fulfill A-Tou's filial duty and resolve your village's crisis."
This idea is indeed moderate.
Although the two Miao people were resentful, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and agree for the sake of the bigger picture.
They stayed there for more than half a month.
Although these two Miao people had been deceived by Hong Yinshuang and had suffered a lot in their pursuit of her over the past three years, their simple and honest folk customs over the years had instilled in them a kind of honesty in their bones. During their stay, they actually got along quite well with everyone in the village.
The First Madam, in particular, learned several ways to pickle vegetables from them.
On the fourteenth day, the people who had retrieved the small altar returned, weary from their journey.
The small jar was only the size of a palm, black in color, and its mouth was sealed tightly with thick cowhide. The jar was covered with talismans, and the whole body of the jar was made in a very ancient style. It had some weight to it.
The two Miao people were naturally very happy to see the small jar. After taking it and examining it, they confirmed once again that it was the village's prized possession and there was nothing wrong with it.
Originally, things could have ended happily here.
Unexpectedly, two weeks later, the two Miao people returned, angrily declaring that they would perish together with Xiejian Manor.
That small black jar had already been opened, and the contents inside had long since disappeared.
After much thought, it seems only someone from the Unloading Sword Manor had come into contact with the sacred artifact. The artifact must still be in the hands of someone from the Unloading Sword Manor.
Those two Miao people were stubborn and inflexible; once they accepted the facts, they became even more unforgiving.
The lives of the entire village were tied up in this jar of contents, and now that it's gone, they are in utter despair.
They risked their lives in this final gamble.
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"And then what happened?" Igoro asked curiously, treating the First Lady's recollections as a story, frowning as he pondered, "Who exactly moved the contents of that jar?"
The First Madam sighed and replied, "It is the Third Madam."
It was indeed the Third Madam. The thing in that jar was an extremely ugly, bright red toad. When Hong Yinshuang died, she had instructed her to pour some blood into it every two days.
As for how to administer the medication, the Third Madam had no idea.
Because Hong Yinshuang didn't tell her that the blood needed had to be mixed with phosphorus powder. In Miao villages, once a child is born, they go to the village chief to pray. Then, the village chief takes out the village's treasured possession to bless the newborn. If the blessing is successful, the child's blood will have a faint phosphorescence.
They called this phosphorescence holy light.
The third wife, of course, knew nothing of this, so when she opened the jar on the first day and saw the small, bright red toad at the bottom, she was so frightened that she dropped the jar.
Incidentally, they let the toad escape.
"Then why don't the people in the village know about that?" Ishiro continued to ask.
The First Madam sighed and patiently replied, "The people in the manor have all come in gradually over the past twenty years. Most of the original people died in that desperate struggle."
Only three wives remained: the deceased Old Liu, Zhou Yidao, and Bihe.
Even the old master of the Leng family died within three years after being poisoned by the corpse oil from the Holy Domain.
“I understand,” Isoro jumped up, half-squatted onto the round stool, slammed his hand on the table, squinted his eyes, and said, word by word, “Who is the real murderer!”
Everyone held their breath, and even Leng Wushuang turned her head slightly to listen.
"The murderer is... the wronged soul from Miao territory!" Wu Shilang laughed loudly, gesturing with self-satisfaction: "Hahaha, I'm so clever."
He laughed for a moment, then suddenly fell silent, looking at Leng Wushuang with teary eyes, pleading pitifully, "Wushuang, am I so smart that I'll never have a haircut... I don't want it..."
Then she buried her face in her hands and burst into tears.
Master Xiao's head was bald, so he always wore a hat. When Wushilang was little, whenever she misbehaved, her aunt would scare her: "Wushilang, if you are naughty again, you will be bald like the master."
In Isoro's mind, being mischievous was equivalent to being intelligent.
That's why she cried so bitterly today.
The crowd, who had been listening intently, remained silent, staring at Igarashi in silence.
Leng Wushuang's face grew even colder, and she simply picked up the steamed bun on the table and shoved it into Wushilang's mouth.
Sure enough, it immediately fell silent.
I shouldn't have overestimated Isoro's intelligence in the first place!
Leng Wushuang sighed deeply inwardly, stood up, and said calmly, "I don't believe in vengeful ghosts in this world, so the murderer must be among us."
There are only 42 people now.
Excluding the innocent Ishiro, all 41 people in the village are suspects.
“And it could only be someone who knew about this from 20 years ago,” Wulang interjected. This time, Leng Wushuang didn’t glare at her fiercely, but just snorted coldly from her nose and said, “Nonsense.”
Frustrated, Wu Shilang immediately stuffed the steamed bun in his hand into his mouth, then looked at Leng Wushuang with wide eyes.
"Alright, since everyone is tired, let's go back and pack up. From today onwards, we will stay together and not separate anymore, so please go back and pack up your belongings as much as possible." The First Madam stood up, looking exhausted and a little sad.
He was clearly thinking of the deceased old manor lord again.
Everyone stood up in silence. Isoro noticed that everyone was equipped with weapons, including knives, swords, and even whips, which they usually kept hidden.
"Wushuang, what should I do?" Wushilang pointed to her nose and asked Leng Wushuang. Ever since that incident in the kitchen, she had become so dependent on Leng Wushuang that she couldn't be separated from her for a moment.
Leng Wushuang glared and said angrily, "Who gave you permission to call me Wushuang?" His face was cold and even impatient, as if he didn't know Wushuang well, which immediately made Wushilang feel annoyed.
"Peerless, peerless, peerless..." He told him not to call him that, but Wu Shilang insisted on calling him that, and he called him that at least ten times in one breath.
This time, Leng Wushuang wasn't angry. His eyes flashed as he stared at the Second Madam, who was brushing past him and stepping over the threshold. Suddenly, he said coldly, "Second Madam! Please wait!"
When he called out, everyone turned around and stared at him in surprise.
"Second Madam, may I take a look at your sachet?" Leng Wushuang gradually moved closer, slowly extending her hand, her slender fingers slightly curved upwards, looking earnestly requesting it.
The second wife's face turned pale instantly, and she stammered, "What sachet? I never use sachets. Could it be the sandalwood scent from the Buddhist temple?"
The First Madam gradually stood up, turned her face, and looked at the Second Madam with a face full of surprise.
"Or should I call you... Third Madam?" Leng Wushuang's eyebrows were like frost, and her eyes were dark and bright.
The Third Madam, the Third Madam who is already dead?!
Wu Shilang shrank behind Leng Wushuang, only peeking out his head. "Then where is the Second Madam?"
Leng Wushuang sneered: "Where is the Second Madam? You'll have to ask the Third Madam."
Sure enough, the third wife, disguised as the second wife, straightened up and glanced at Leng Wushuang with great charm. Her voice immediately became sweet and soft: "I say, young master's eyesight is getting better and better every day."
"Why are you impersonating Yingying? Where is she?" the First Madam asked, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Madam, don't worry. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, everyone will be able to gather together," the Third Madam slowly removed the human skin mask from her face, appearing completely open and honest, with a gentle laugh. "I originally thought that we could all just quietly fall asleep like this, so that our friendship over the years wouldn't have been in vain. However, in the end, the young master saw through it."
"You poisoned it?"
"Third Madam, why did you poison me?"
The previously silent crowd immediately became agitated, tightly surrounding the Third Madam in the center of the circle.
Isoro immediately covered his mouth, his eyes wide open.
"Wushuang, we're all going to die now!" Tears welled up in her eyes again, glistening.
"What are you afraid of?" Leng Wushuang glanced at her coldly and said, "Anyway, you've already been poisoned."
The implication is that being wrong in one way or two ways is still wrong, so a dead pig isn't afraid of boiling water, and the one who should be most worried here is obviously not her, Wu Shilang.
"Let me, let me ask a question first!" Ishiro's heart immediately felt utterly desolate. She pushed aside the crowd and squeezed through, asking plaintively, "Third Madam..."
Everyone quieted down and listened to her question.
"Will this poison have any side effects, such as causing scarring, deformities, or disfigurement..."
silent……
Everyone stared at her in silence, as if these weren't the questions that should be asked at this moment...
The third wife was stunned for a moment, then immediately replied very seriously, "Who do you take me for, Hong Yinshuang? I never use those low-grade medicines." She paused, then patted her chest and assured Wushilang, "I guarantee that when you die, you will be beautiful and your face will be as it was..."
Ah, I see. Ishiro was immediately relieved and patted his chest with a smile: "Now I can rest assured."
The crowd glared angrily, wishing they could be like Young Master Wushuang and cleave Fifty-Lang in half with a single hand.
"Why did you poison him?" the First Madam asked coldly, her finger pressing on her Qingfeng sword. "The old master was poisoned by Miao poison because of you. You don't remember the past kindness, but you should think about the years we've been through thick and thin together."
Over the past 20 years, the villa has become increasingly desolate. In addition, the First Madam has always adhered to a low-key and discreet approach, making many things very difficult.
The Third Madam suddenly threw her head back and burst into laughter, her whole body trembling with ecstasy.
Pointing at Leng Wushuang, he said bitterly, "I hate her so much!"
Her eyes shone with the most resentful gaze in the world, as if she wished her gaze could turn into countless small knives to slice off Leng Wushuang's flesh piece by piece.
“Wushuang…could it be…” Wushilang covered his mouth, his gaze shifting between the Third Madam and Leng Wushuang, his eyes brimming with tears, “could it be…that you and the Third Madam have an affair?” This is too incestuous, it’s practically a glamorous mother-son relationship, even though Young Master Leng isn’t the Third Madam’s biological son.
Everyone looked as if they had just realized something, their unspoken and ambiguous gazes following Isoro.
Even the First Madam, upon hearing Wushilang's question, pouted and asked with tears in her eyes, "Wushuang, is that so?" When did these two secretly begin their affair? It's too splendid!
Leng Wushuang's eyes twitched, then he lowered his head, and the temperature around him suddenly dropped, emanating a strong and bone-chilling cold. He slowly reached his hand to his shoulder and pulled out the green sword little by little.
The third wife's lips twitched as if she had suffered a stroke, and her eyes shifted from hatred to resentment before shooting towards Wushilang.
A powerful aura immediately enveloped Isoro's head.
Isoro took a step back, suddenly crouched down, covered his head with his hands, and shouted, "Everyone, run! They're going to kill us to silence us..."
silent……
In an instant, the crowd surrounding the Third Madam scattered like birds and beasts, rushing outside the hall. They looked at Leng Wushuang and the Third Madam with utter contempt, their eyes seeing them as adulterers in a compromising situation.
The Third Madam was practically in tears. It wasn't supposed to be like this! She had designed countless magnificent scenes, complete with chilling candlelight effects, her tearful recounting of the past, followed by a raging massacre. According to her script, everyone's eyes should have been filled with horror, utter terror…
Tears welled up in her eyes, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Suddenly, she sprang up and reached out with her ten blue fingers to grab at Wu Shilang.
Ichiro squatted on the ground, dumbfounded, watching her grab him without even blinking. The Peerless Young Master had said, "One hit is one hit, two hits are one hit..." He'd given up entirely...