Chapter 163: Coming Down the Mountain

Chapter 163: Coming Down the Mountain

Feng Jinyu blinked her big eyes, "I'm so stressed that I feel like pulling my hair out."

"It's strange, but as soon as I pull my hair, my mind seems to clear up."

"I was thinking, no wonder many famous scholars lose their hair at a young age, they must be brilliant!"

Lu Mingchao: ...

Truly brilliant.

After all, she's a lovely young girl, and he couldn't stand to see her bald.

Pretending to rummage through a box, he took out a wig from the Space Supermarket and handed it to Feng Jinyu, "Use this next time."

Feng Jinyu said in a daze, "Master, can you imagine the sharp sound and slight pain when hair is pulled out?"

"That's the essence!"

Lu Mingchao was speechless, unable to respond.

After a long pause, he said, "If you actually go bald, I'm afraid that brother with eyes like copper bells, radiating sharp intelligence, will smack me into a pulp with his fan-like hand."

"Filial piety and respect for elders and teachers are traditional virtues in Daqian. Please consider the Master's dignity and safety before indulging in any peculiar habits."

Feng Jinyu rubbed the wig until it was a mess.

"Shrewd?"

"Master actually called Feng Jinmao 'shrewd,' such an unusual word."

Lu Mingchao: Is that the point?

Before it got completely dark outside, Feng Jinyu left the Xie family, holding a math scroll in one hand and a wig in the other, looking dazed.

As the last glimmer of sunset faded, Xie Yan returned on horseback, bathed in the soft glow of lanterns, elegant and noble like an orchid, steady and majestic like a towering mountain.

Inside the room, the candle wick burned brightly, suddenly crackling with a small pop.

Lu Mingchao poured a cup of hot tea for Xie Yan, his eyes shining, "Are the old cases you've been looking into lately connected to Lu Minghui?"

Xie Yan lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea, "You always figure things out."

"Back then, Lu Xin likely fell into the water and became mentally impaired due to Lu Minghui's deliberate actions."

Xie Yan put down the teacup, took Lu Mingchao's hand, and explained gently.

Lu Mingchao frowned, "Didn't my second brother already suspect this?"

"Lu Minghui resented Xiao Xin for stealing her affection, so she maliciously tricked Xiao Xin into skating on the not-yet-frozen river east of the village, causing him to fall into the water."

"Not just that." Xie Yan shook his head, "When you asked me to make that silver-plated hairpin to lure Lu Minghui into action, I had doubts, feeling there was something fishy about the situation."

"Not long after Lu Chunhe and his son tricked Lu Minghui with the silver-plated hairpin, Lu Xin fell into the water, developed a high fever, and became mentally impaired. Coincidences often mean conspiracies."

"I arranged for someone to investigate the old matters in detail."

"You mentioned that Lu Chunhe and his son had designs on Lu Miao, nearly luring her into the fields with a silver-plated hairpin."

"But what I discovered was not the case. It wasn't almost, but already, with clothes stripped off and skin touching, nearly..."

Xie Yan stopped short and shifted the topic, continuing, "Back then, Lu Minghui was more cunning, leaving the still young Lu Xin in the fields. At the last moment, Lu Xin came and interrupted the evil deeds of Lu Chunhe and his son."

"Not long after, Lu Xin fell into the water and became mentally disabled."

"Is there really no connection whatsoever?"

The corners of Lu Mingchao's mouth, which had been slightly raised, gradually straightened into a line. Her once bright and sparkling eyes, like spring waters and autumn lights, were now shrouded in gloom, revealing a cold and sharp edge.

"If the truth is as you suspect, then Lu Minghui is truly heartless, devoid of humanity, inherently vile and ugly."

At that time, Lu Minghui was barely over ten years old!

Such a disposition, such scheming, is truly horrifying.

Lu Chunhe and his son are worse than animals, and Lu Minghui is equally ruthless.

Lu Mingchao's eyes moved, and after a moment of silence, she added, "Dogs biting dogs—if Lu Minghui could be so cruel to Xiao Xin, she would not show any mercy to Lu Chunhe and his son."

"Lu Minghui is the daughter of the Yongning Marquis's household, how could she tolerate such unstable elements in her world?"

"At the moment of life and death for Lu Chunhe and his son, lending a hand—as people are about to die, their words are kind. It's not too late to make the necessary arrangements before they die."

Xie Yan raised his hand and gently pressed on Lu Mingchao's furrowed brow, "I have the same intention."

"Mingchao, I have everything under control."

Night slowly fell, and the darkness deepened around them.

The cold wind was biting, with the sound of howling never ceasing, carrying fine snowflakes like grains of salt through the air.

It blew through Changxi Village, towards the desolate Taoist temple outside the city.

The temple rarely had residents; it was poor and spartan.

Once night fell, without lanterns, the thick darkness could not be dispersed.

Madam Sun was now curled up in a sheltered corner, gazing at the withered weeds in the cracks of the bluestone floor by the faint light of a dim candle in the room. Under the tattered eaves, old spider webs hung down. She squinted her eyes, as if she could catch the huge spider tirelessly weaving its web.

The willows in the courtyard had already withered, leaving only dry canopies and branches. Their shapes twisted like ghostly claws, stretching into the dark and lightless night, sending a chill through one's heart.

The wind grew more biting, and the withered trees seemed to bare their claws.

Madam Sun instinctively moved towards the light, seeking its warmth.

In the wind, there was a faint sound of a woman's soft laughter and panting, barely audible.

Madam Sun's body stiffened suddenly, and she looked up at the only lit room in the dilapidated backyard, her heart racing.

Taking a deep breath, she rose and walked towards the corner room, her steps cautious.

Stumbling and groping for the fire starter, she lit the candle. The beams, roof, and table—everywhere visible—were covered with cobwebs, the paint peeling, and dust thickly accumulated.

This was where she now lived, a far cry from her former life.

Even when the Sun family had not yet prospered, she had never endured such hardship.

Looking around, her eyes were filled with an inescapable gloom, a heavy weight on her heart.

The faint, almost ghostly laughter in the wind felt like countless silver needles stabbing her heart and choking her throat, making it hard to breathe or speak, deepening her longing for her son, long buried in the earth.

How devoted Peng'er had been!

Brushing away the tears that streamed down her face, Madam Sun donned a thick cotton-padded jacket, crafted a makeshift lantern, and with a small bundle on her back, she slipped down the mountain under the cover of night.

She loathed Lu Mingchao, who had ruined everything.

She despised even more her unfilial, heartless eldest son and her cold, uncaring husband!

Staying here meant nothing but a path to ruin.

She couldn’t bear to live like this any longer.

Old Master Sun was fixated on siring children and had no time to spare, while Qu Ying employed every trick to cling to him, completely unaware that Madam Sun was carrying a pale lantern, staggering down the mountain path.

A shivering acolyte stood at the temple’s back door, clutching a lantern. "Abbot, isn’t this woman afraid of the dark? How could she dare walk the mountain path at night?"

The abbot, with an air of immortality and white hair and beard, stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "There is light."

The acolyte exclaimed, "That broken lantern?"

"Yes, and no." The abbot gazed distantly at the location of the rear courtyard's side room, his brows slightly furrowed, and shook his head.

"It’s a cursed year."