Chapter 79 Quite Vindictive

Chapter 79: Holding Quite the Grudge

A Chan and Bai Xiuming arrived a little late. By the time they stepped into the courtyard, Old Lady Tian was already kneeling there, shackled.

The moment A Chan entered, she spotted the shriveled, gaunt old woman, hunched over as if the heavy shackles made it impossible for her to straighten up.

Noticing Bai Xiuming’s arrival, Feng Yang reported, “My lord, we found the human-horse. It was kept in a water jar in this old woman’s house, but it was already dead when we discovered it.”

“Cause of death?”

“No external injuries. The cause is unknown for now.”

Bai Xiuming glanced at A Chan beside him. She turned her head away, avoiding his gaze—why was he looking at her? She knew nothing.

After withdrawing his gaze, Bai Xiuming continued, “Anything else?”

“There’s a bone carving enshrined in the house. We haven’t found anything unusual about it yet.”

Once Feng Yang finished speaking, Bai Xiuming strode toward the house. The already cramped room seemed even more confined after he entered.

The furnishings inside were sparse and easily visible, the most prominent being the statue, now uncovered from its black cloth.

It was a statue carved entirely from bone-white material, depicting a flood dragon. The flood dragon’s snake-like body coiled around a stone stele, its four claws gripping the edges. Resembling a dragon but lacking horns, its appearance was slightly eerie.

The flood dragon’s eyes were carved with uncanny realism, giving the unsettling impression that something was watching whoever looked at it.

The moment Bai Xiuming approached the statue, it suddenly emitted a series of cracking noises.

He lowered his gaze to the ring on his finger—the black band now emitted a faint glow.

For the dragon soul to react like this… the statue was connected to a flood dragon. Quite the bold undertaking. The question was, which family had the audacity to privately raise a flood dragon, let alone use it to absorb worship power?

The bone carving seemed linked to Old Lady Tian—as cracks appeared on its surface, the woman outside let out a piercing scream: “My lord, please! Don’t destroy it!”

Bai Xiuming didn’t step closer. Instead, he rotated the ring on his finger and asked the Bright Mirror Bureau guard beside him, “Anything else in the house?”

The guard quickly replied, “We found a few small cloth bundles containing hair, pouches, fingernails, and the like. The rest are common items like incense, candles, and red cloth. We also uncovered three thousand taels in silver banknotes. Oh, and some rotting meat—deer meat, likely used to feed the human-horse.”

Bai Xiuming waved his hand. “Step outside for now. Bring her in.”

“Yes, sir.” The guards withdrew from the house and stood watch outside.

Feng Yang, meanwhile, grabbed Old Lady Tian by the collar and dragged her inside.

A Chan followed Feng Yang in as well. Bai Xiuming spared her a glance, noting how she had casually taken a seat on a stool, looking perfectly well-behaved, before shifting his attention away.

Old Lady Tian lay prostrate on the ground, able to see only the official boots and the hem of the vermilion robe of the man standing before her.

She knew full well—this was the man who had nearly shattered the Flood Dragon King’s statue just by approaching it. Her soul was tied to the statue; if it were destroyed, she would die on the spot.

Even if she understood that being caught by the Bright Mirror Bureau meant no good end, who wouldn’t cling to life for even one more day?

“Where did the bone carving come from?” Bai Xiuming asked, bypassing the curse entirely to focus on the statue.

“I—I brought it from the Dragon King Temple in my hometown,” Old Lady Tian answered hastily.

Bai Xiuming gave Feng Yang a look. In response, Feng Yang drew his blade and severed the tendons in Old Lady Tian’s foot with a single slash.

She screamed in pain, collapsing fully to the ground as she begged, “My lord, have mercy!”

“I’ll ask again—where did the statue come from?”

“I—I had someone buy it from Western Tombs! Five thousand taels of silver!”

“Which family in Western Tombs? What was it bought for?”

“The Shen family! They said this statue could control water spirits! The human-horse was sold to me by them too—three thousand taels!” Trembling, Old Lady Tian spilled everything without even waiting for further questioning.

She continued, “Back in my hometown, I only used water spirits to locate drowned corpses. But business was poor, and I couldn’t earn much, so I came to the capital city to make a living.”

“And how did you make a living after arriving in the capital city?” Bai Xiuming pressed.

Old Lady Tian suddenly fell silent.

Feng Yang clicked his tongue impatiently and raised his blade. The flash of steel made her shriek, “Curses! I made a living by cursing people!”

“How many cases have you taken?”

Old Lady Tian shook her head. “Too many to remember.”

“What kind of people came to you?” Bai Xiuming asked.

“Wealthy families,” Old Lady Tian said miserably. “My lord, most who sought me out were either embroiled in inner courtyard conflicts, intra-clan killings, or business rivalries—people I couldn’t afford to offend. How could I dare pry into their identities?”

“What was the most recent job for?”

Old Lady Tian swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Bai Xiuming arched a brow, clearly displeased with the answer.

“My lord, this old crone wouldn’t dare lie! The lady who came to me had an extraordinary presence—clearly not from a common household. She only said she wanted someone dead, never explaining why. I feared asking too much would bring trouble, so I didn’t inquire further.”

“You don’t even know her name?”

Old Lady Tian shook her head frantically. “She was introduced by a repeat customer. She never gave a name—just told me to call her ‘Madame.’”

With the questioning over, Old Lady Tian lay motionless on the ground, not daring to move. Bai Xiuming looked down at her, a flicker of killing intent in his eyes.

Stubborn to the end—not a single truthful word. He hoped she’d keep that stubbornness once she entered the Prison of Suppressed Evil.

After a pause, Bai Xiuming spoke again. “Can the curse you cast be undone?”

“Y-yes! It can be undone!” Old Lady Tian said hurriedly.

Bai Xiuming gestured to A Chan. “Come here.”

Once she stood beside him, he said, “Remove the curse from her.”

Old Lady Tian raised her head to look at A Chan.

A Chan smiled back at her.

A trace of confusion flashed in Old Lady Tian’s eyes. She seemed like a normal-looking woman—so why had the human-horse died on the final day of the curse?

Not daring to dwell on it, Old Lady Tian said to Bai Xiuming, “I wouldn’t dare refuse your orders, my lord, but…”

“But what?”

“But undoing the curse requires the bone carving’s cooperation. Your collective presence is… overpowering. If you remain in the room, the carving may refuse to assist. Please… please have everyone leave the room.” She forced the words out, her voice trembling.

Bai Xiuming looked at A Chan, who immediately said, "Don't worry, Lord Bai, everything will be fine."

Since she had agreed herself, Bai Xiuming didn't say another word and turned to leave the room, with Feng Yang following closely behind.

Finally, only A Chan and Old Lady Tian remained in the room.

With the others gone, Old Lady Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief. She struggled to get up from the ground, her injured foot sending sharp pain shooting through her as soon as it touched the floor, but she still limped toward the altar.

She fumbled around the altar and found a pair of scissors. Using the tip, she sliced open her palm and let the blood drip onto a white bone carving. The blood was absorbed the moment it touched the surface, leaving no trace on the spotless carving.

Just then, someone suddenly spoke behind her: "Using your own blood to offer to the bone carving and asking it to lift the curse—that's a straightforward method. But there’s one condition: the flood dragon you’re offering to must still be alive, and you must have some connection to it. You didn't pledge your own soul as a sacrifice to it, did you?"

Old Lady Tian was startled and whirled around to see A Chan standing not far behind her, studying the bone carving with interest.

"What are you talking about, girl? This old woman has no idea."

Old Lady Tian tried to deny it, but A Chan continued, "Of the answers you gave earlier, how many were actually true?"

"You're joking, girl. How could this old woman dare lie to the Bright Mirror Bureau’s lords?"

"I wouldn't be so sure." A Chan narrowed her pretty almond-shaped eyes. "For example, do you really not know who it was that cursed me?"

"Of course not," Old Lady Tian insisted.

A Chan tsk'd. "Still protecting your clients' secrets even now, no wonder your business is so prosperous—even the Xue family could find their way to you."

"Who are you talking about, girl?" Old Lady Tian pretended not to understand.

A Chan curled her lips into a smile. "Granny, you strike me as a clever one—brave and cunning. It’s just a shame you’re not flexible enough. You don’t really think that by covering for others, you’ll come out unscathed, do you?"

Old Lady Tian turned away, as if refusing to continue the conversation.

"Do you know who it was that interrogated you just now?"

A Chan didn’t wait for an answer before revealing it herself: "He’s the Bright Mirror Bureau Commander, in charge of all supernatural cases in the capital. Originally, this case shouldn’t have fallen to him."

Though Old Lady Tian didn’t turn back, she listened intently. She, too, wanted to know why she had ended up in the Bright Mirror Bureau’s hands.

A Chan laughed softly behind her. "Guess why he showed up here?"

Old Lady Tian couldn’t resist asking, "Why?"

"Because I went to him and told him someone was trying to harm me." A Chan played with her slender, pale fingers. "Let me think—from the moment I sought him out to the Bright Mirror Bureau capturing you, it took less than two hours. Pretty fast, isn’t it?"

Old Lady Tian’s stomach dropped, and she looked at A Chan with open fear.

"You’re afraid of offending them, but not afraid of offending me, the victim?" A Chan leaned in slightly, whispered in her ear. "Even in death, there are many ways to die. Some die instantly, without suffering. Others… Well, you probably don’t know what the Bright Mirror Bureau’s prison is like, do you? The tortures there are unimaginably cruel. If I just say a word to him, Granny, you’ll find yourself begging for death but finding none."

"What do you want?" Old Lady Tian finally spoke. As A Chan had said, she was indeed a clever woman.

"Cursing others always requires leaving behind some connection. I’d guess someone as shrewd as you would keep some insurance to protect yourself in case your clients try to silence you permanently."

"You seem quite knowledgeable about curses, girl."

"Only a little." A Chan wasn’t lying—she was no curse expert, but she knew enough about one or two methods.

Old Lady Tian hesitated for a long moment before finally saying, "Her fingernails are here. There are a few unused ones left—you can take them."

As she spoke, her other hand felt around under the altar and retrieved two fingernails, still dusty.

A Chan had to admire Old Lady Tian. The best way to hide something was to leave it in plain sight—even the Bright Mirror Bureau Guards hadn’t noticed.

She took out a handkerchief, wrapped the nails in it, and tucked it away before saying to Old Lady Tian, "You wouldn't dare trick me, Granny, with someone else’s nails, would you?"

"I wouldn’t dare." In her current situation, she likely didn’t have many days left—she just wanted to suffer less.

This girl before her… She had misjudged her entirely.

With her innocent, harmless appearance, she had a viper's tongue. It wouldn’t be surprising if the deaths of those men and horses were also linked to her. Rather than angering her, it was better to give up Lady Xue.

If not for that Lady Xue, how would she be in this fix?

Old Lady Tian didn’t dare take her anger out on A Chan, so she blamed everything on the Xue family instead. She forgot that she had only lured the Xue family here for her own purposes.

Soon, the blood Old Lady Tian had dropped onto the bone carving stopped being absorbed. She withdrew her hand, respectfully lit incense for the carving, then kowtowed three times and bowed nine before chanting quietly to it.

After the incantations, the incense in the burner suddenly burned rapidly. A faint wisp of smoke curled around A Chan before dissipating, and she felt as though something had left her body—though the sensation was vague.

Old Lady Tian watched the burning incense. When it no longer burned at an unnatural rate, she finally said to A Chan, "The Flood Dragon King has lifted the curse from you."

"Thank you, Granny." Now that the curse was lifted, A Chan turned and walked toward the door. She opened it to see Bai Xiuming standing in the courtyard, arms folded behind his back.

Seeing A Chan emerge at last, Feng Yang waved, and immediately four Bright Mirror Bureau Guards rushed into the room to restrain Old Lady Tian.

A Chan approached Bai Xiuming and said sweetly, "Lord Bai."

"Something else?"

"To thank you for saving my life, how about I tell you a secret?" A Chan felt she couldn’t always impose on others—she ought to return the favor occasionally so she could ask for more in the future with a clearer conscience.

"Go on."

"That old woman didn’t tell you a single truth earlier. I suspect she’s actually from the Shen family."

Bai Xiuming seemed slightly surprised and raised an eyebrow. "How did you figure that out?"

"A Flood Dragon statue worth five thousand taels—ordinary people probably couldn’t afford it. She doesn’t look like someone with that kind of money. Even if she could, how would such a mystical statue be sold to her so easily?"

"Hmm, that makes sense. Anything else?"

Seeing no trace of surprise on Bai Xiuming’s face, A Chan immediately guessed that he had likely known all along that the old woman was full of lies.

She snorted. "Also, she’s done so many terrible things—you absolutely must not let her off."

That old hag had given her three days of nightmares—did she think she could live peacefully after that? In your dreams!

Bai Xiuming’s lips curled slightly. "Quite the grudge-holder."