On the way to the inn, Ji Qing slowed down the carriage , but someone still bumped into it.
That person was dressed in rough clothes, and white hair was sprinkled on his head. There were age spots on his wrinkled face.
He rushed forward in front of the carriage and fell, lying a foot away. Someone shouted at the top of their voice.
"Hey, come and take a look! Someone was killed."
Ji Qing quickly tightened the reins, and the horse stopped, raising its front hooves high.
Soon, the people who were watching the scene surrounded the place.
"You're full of energy. Don't be unreasonable."
"I wouldn't want to admit it if I wasn't truly hurt, right?"
The old man wriggled on the ground in pain.
"I'm poor, but I wouldn't blackmail people at my age, right?
"If you don't give me an explanation today, don't even think about leaving!"
"What do you want?"
The old man stretched out his rough hand. "You can't compensate me with just a tael of silver. I'm not done with you."
In order to have a good New Year, he had cheated no less than five foreigners in just a few days.
He had calculated that these rich kids were in a hurry to get somewhere, so they would think it was better to avoid trouble and simply see this as a simple toll.
He hugged his unharmed leg and howled miserably, "My legs are going to break."
The crowd clamored, all indignant for the old man.
"You hit someone, and you aren't sending him to the clinic. You won't even consider his medical fees. You're a bully!"
"How shameless!"
Ji Qing laughed coldly. How could his master stand for this?
Sure enough, Cui Yun's voice came from the carriage.
"Ji Qing."
"Yes, tour subordinate is here."
The man's eyes were as dark as ink. Many people had threatened him before, but none of them had gotten a good ending.
He was a cold person.
"Hit him."
The crowd fell silent.
It was fine if he did not show his face, but now, he wanted to encourage violence?
The old man was even more dumbfounded. "Are you crazy?"
Cui Yun closed his eyes. The sons of the Cui family were very handsome. Even their bone structure was elegant.
The curtains in the carriage were drawn after Ji He left. The light was blocked outside, and Cui Yun was in familiar darkness.
There was clearly no rotting smell coming off of him, but Cui Yun's shallow breathing made him look like a walking corpse.
Being slandered was not a pleasant thing.
He was still holding a thin banknote in his hand. His expression was still indifferent, but his voice was smooth and gentle. It sounded like pearls and jade falling on a plate, but his words were extremely ruthless.
"I'll give you five hundred taels to buy your life. How about that?"
---
As soon as Shen Hua returned to the courtyard, Yi Cui welcomed her. However, the smile on her face disappeared when she saw the medicine in Shen Hua's hand.
"What's wrong with my Lady?"
"It's to moisten my throat."
Hearing this, Yi Cui was relieved and took it with both hands.
Although there were more servants in the courtyard, all her medicine was prepared by Yi Cui. It was not that she did not trust her, but that she would only feel at ease if she did it herself.
Shen Hua clumsily walked into the room. It was warm enough inside, so she sighed contently and took off her thick mink fur.
"My Lady."
Yi Cui closed the door, stepped forward, and said softly.
"There's news from the scouts."
Shen Hua said seriously.
Ever since Shen Hua saw Lady Qiu, who was serving Lady Liu, Shen Hua had taken a liking to her.
In a netherworld marriage, everything was handled with the most attention to taboos, such as viewing the partner's portraits and calculating compatibility through ancient methods. None of them could be missing.
All of this had to be done by the shaman from the Dong family.
"Although the Dong family has closed their doors, Old Master Dong has to go to the shop to check the accounts every few days. All these years, it has been the same.
"This time, the Dong family is extremely secretive. Perhaps the silver they were given was enough to keep their mouths shut. Old Master Dong didn't find any clues when he went out to check the accounts, so you must be on guard."
"There's a message from the other side. Should we continue to keep an eye on them?" Yi Cui asked softly.
If it was not for the fact that this matter was related to Shen Zhui, they would not have heard anything about it.
Perhaps the visitor would eventually find something, but Shen Hua was worried that the time given was too short. If the Dong family were to investigate themselves...
Shen Hua's gaze fell on the carvings of flowers, birds, fish, and insects.
"No need," she said faintly after a while.
"However…"
She changed the topic.
"There's something I need you to do."
Yi Cui quickly leaned in to listen. When she heard what Shen Hua said, her face turned into an expression of shock.
The setting sun was setting in the west, and its afterglow was dim and dull. All the surroundings were devoured by Twilight.
On Chidong Street, someone was walking barefoot. A strange black Magus robe wrapped his body tightly, and he wore a huge hood on his head to cover his face.
"Mother, his attire is really interesting! It's more interesting than my grandfather wearing a shroud."
On the street, children clapped their hands childishly. Soon, someone pinched their ears.
"Little b*stard!"
"Mother, it hurts! Why hasn't Grandpa come back for dinner these past few days?"
"Your grandpa won't be coming back."
"It must be because the food you cooked tasted terrible! Grandpa ran away from home. He's so mean! He called me his good grandson but didn't bring me along. "
The man held his walking stick and walked on silently.
The walking stick knocked to the ground, but the bell hanging on it did not move at all.
Until he passed by the Dong family's residence.
The string of bells suddenly shook violently, tinkling loudly.
The black-robed man stopped in his tracks and raised his head to look at the tightly shut door of the Dong family. As the wind blew, his hood slid down, and wrinkles appeared on his weathered face.
It made him even more mysterious.
He did not say a word, and the bells continued ringing.
The passers-by crowded around as if they were watching a good show.
At this moment, a voice came from the crowd.
"It's said that wizards use charms to expel evil spirits. This... Is this the Resentment Bell?"
The people in this world believed in ghosts and gods with all their hearts. Moreover, many years ago, the Dong family had to bury many of their own. There was precedent for this.
This sentence made everyone's expression change.
How much resentment did he have?
"Could it be that the Dong family is up to something again?"
"How terrible. The Dong family has been unlucky all these years. Could it be that the vengeful spirits are still lingering around? "
Some of them carefully looked at the magus' expression. "Master, I pass by the Dong Residence every day. I won't get their bad luck, right?"
The doorkeeper of the Dong family received the news and opened the door a little.
The magus moved.
His voice was sharp and hoarse. "Stop."
When the servant heard this, he immediately put his hands on his hips.
"Where did you come from? Why are you acting so rashly in front of our Dong Residence?
"Disperse! Disperse now, or I'll report this to the authorities and throw all of you in jail!"
The shaman looked intently at the signboard of the Dong Residence, sneered, and turned to leave. The ringing of the bells was incessant, and his voice had a strange tone, making it difficult to distinguish whether he was a male or a female.
"The Dong family is bent on doing things their own way. Their sins are grave, and they must pay for their blood debts."
"Nonsense!" The servant slammed the door shut.
However, very soon, his legs were weakened, and he collapsed to the ground. A similarly-dressed servant boy went to pull him up, but he pushed him away. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
"Go! Quickly go and tell Old Master!"
After Old Master Dong learned of this matter, his heart skipped a beat. He ignored his usual etiquette and rushed to the West Garden.
Soon, his question came from inside.
"Old Shaman, you buried my son last year and performed a ritual to clean up the mess. I trust you very much, but why are you using the Resentment Bell?"
'Who is he? We've been acting according to the plan. If he notices something and comes to stir up trouble…'