Chapter 268: Wu Yue Deduces the Main Storyline Under High Mental Pollution

Chapter 268 Wu Yue Pieces Together the Truth Under Extreme Mental Pollution

The painting depicts a woman with a simple composition—green grass in the background, the sun in the sky, and the woman’s smile.

Sketched in sparse lines, it’s hard to discern exactly who is being portrayed.

Jian Suiyu notices the deep, shadowed eye sockets of the woman in the painting.

A child’s perception differs from that of an adult—their imagination runs wild, unconstrained by societal norms.

The paintings they create reflect an unfiltered, instinctive perspective of what they see, yet they often reveal a person’s essence most accurately.

Now, this painting is placed in the master bedroom of the castle’s mistress.

If the woman in the painting had once met briefly with the child who drew it before entering the castle...

After entering the castle, she sees this child—who should have been playing freely as an impoverished noble child from the marshes—suddenly become one of the honored heirs of the castle.

As she reels in shock, she enters the young master’s room to clean.

Suddenly, in the young master’s keepsake drawer, she discovers a portrait depicting her former likeness.

What would her first reaction be?

She realizes—it’s a trap—and bolts.

But in reality, she’s caught, and the child suffers severe abuse.

Then, this painting appears in the centerpiece of the mistress’s room.

A warning, a boast, and above all—a trophy of absolute power!

Jian Suiyu looks up at Fu Yanqi, who meets his gaze at the same time, holding a blonde doll in his hand.

"This must be the doll the black witch used to trade lives with Mrs. Leah back then."

Jian Suiyu takes the doll and examines it closely. "Exactly. Where did you find it?"

Fu Yanqi points under the pillow. "Right here."

As he speaks, his expression suddenly contorts in horror. Jian Suiyu walks over, puzzled.

"What—"

Before he can finish, he sees, buried slightly deeper under the pillow, the glimmer of another doll.

Emerging from the white sheets—a doll with black hair.

Fu Yanqi quickly pulls out the second doll. Seeing it dressed in an extravagant gown, a mirror of Wu Yue’s, they go ghostly white.

"That real Mrs. Leah—this time, she’s trying to trade lives with Wu Yue!!"

Wu Chong bounces gleefully.

"Great news! We’ve got the black witch’s journal over here—it contains a way to reverse the life trade!!"

Jiang Yuhua, a step behind, whirls around and shoulders past Wu Chong.

"What did you say?! Who’s stealing Wu Yue’s life?!"

The previously lively atmosphere among the group suddenly froze. Their expressions darkened as they stared at the black-haired life-swapping doll in Fu Yanqi's hand.

Jian Suiyu's tone was grim. "It seems Mrs. Leah has been targeting Wu Yue for a while. She wants to swap lives with Wu Yue."

"If the purpose of the last life exchange was the witch’s pursuit of immortality, then this time, the goal is..."

"To leave this place and enter the human world—as Wu Yue!"

.....

Wu Yue felt the entire world plunged into an eerie silence. She removed the black cloth covering her eyes.

Before her stood a person who looked exactly like her, wearing the same black cloth and the same gown, walking away arm-in-arm with Shen Que.

Wu Yue reached out to touch, but her fingers met an invisible barrier. The moment of contact sent ripples through the air, like ripples from a stone dropped in water.

The ripples spread outward until they vanished completely.

Wu Yue immediately understood—from the very beginning, this invitation had been meant for her alone.

Her gaze fell on the retreating figure of the butler. Beyond the invisible barrier, his low, mechanical voice introducing the wine cellar was chillingly clear.

She withdrew her gaze and slowly turned her head,

looking toward the butler standing nearby, whose smile was as fixed as a mask.

Wu Yue smiled. "It seems this was a private performance just for me."

"Isn't that right, Butler Harald?"

"Or should I call you... the real Mrs. Leah?"

The butler elegantly extended a hand—too slender and delicate for a man’s, with nails painted the deep red of pigeon's blood.

The butler's entire face slid away like a mask,

and beneath it was—

the true mistress of this castle, the true Mrs. Leah.

Mrs. Leah wore a smile entirely unlike the black witch's—unbridled, predatory, with a domineering aura and an icy, mocking twist of her lips.

Even in the stiff butler’s uniform, she exuded the commanding presence of a supreme ruler.

Mrs. Leah smirked wickedly, materializing before Wu Yue, lifting her chin with one hand.

"Now, Miss Wu Yue, I’d like to hear exactly how you pieced it together."

"You’d better be careful—I’m not as naive and gullible as Ambika."

"If I catch even a single lie, my wine cellar will gain another... specimen."

Wu Yue said, "Might Mrs. Leah permit me to close my eyes while speaking?"

Mrs. Leah sneered. "How insolent. Are you afraid my beauty will make you feel inferior?"

Wu Yue shook her head. "No. To me, you look like a huge, flapping, red-taloned pig-bat hybrid."

Mrs. Leah's face contorted briefly.

Wu Yue quickly added, "Now it’s the pig’s snout and beady eyes, the lower half of a bat, with pink eyelashes and swaddled in garish red and green rags..."

Wu Yue deduced that Mrs. Leah's killing conditions in this scenario did not include offending her.

Because the act of deduction itself exposed her crimes.

Mrs. Leah, "That's enough! Shut your eyes this instant!!"

Wu Yue complied, closing her eyes, "Alright, thank you, Mrs. Leah. I'm grateful."

Without having to look directly at the boss, Wu Yue felt her muddled thoughts finally clearing slightly.

She estimated her current Mental Pollution level was around 60%, and it was climbing by 2% per minute while in Mrs. Leah’s presence. Once it reached 100%, she'd face brain death.

She had to complete the deduction within 20 minutes and convince Mrs. Leah.

Every second counted.

Wu Yue, "From now on, I’ll refer to you as Mrs. Leah, and the black witch (who first appeared as Mrs. Leah) as Ambika."

"1. My first clue came from Ambika’s table manners. Her cutlery made inappropriate noises, and she failed to immediately correct it or scold those causing the disturbance."

"This showed Ambika wasn’t accustomed to hosting dinners as the lady of the house. Considering the castle hadn’t had guests in years,"

"it meant Ambika had only appeared as the hostess twice during meals, with no further opportunities to practice or correct mistakes."

"2. The portrait in the hallway—the lady of the house sat in the absolute seat of authority. Yet in Ambika’s description, she was a very submissive hostess."

"But the woman in the painting had fierce, domineering eyes, radiating commanding presence."

The arrogance and superiority in that portrait of Mrs. Leah were so ingrained that she didn’t even bother to conceal them.