Chapter 368: I’m Arrogant, and There’s a Reason
“What’s with the ‘ah’? Get out of my way quickly! Eldest brother is dead, and it’s only natural for her to return to mourn as his daughter. How dare you stop her? This is simply rebellious. If you don’t move aside, don’t blame me for using my authority as clan leader to expel you from the Liu family.”
Liu Biao’s words became more forceful, giving the impression that he was favoring his own daughter… no, it was more like he was showing filial piety to his own mother. He was a completely different person from before.
“What exactly did you say to him?”
Liu Yingyue asked Qi Huang, dumbfounded. She never dreamed that her second uncle, who was only interested in profit, would actually expel her brothers and sisters from the Liu family for her sake.
“Nothing! I just reasoned with him, appealing to his emotions and logic. Perhaps his conscience finally kicked in.”
Qi Huang bluffed.
Doubts lingered on Liu Yingyue’s pretty face. She wasn’t stupid. If her second uncle had a conscience, things wouldn’t have reached this point.
The reason for Liu Biao’s drastic change was, of course, that after Qi Huang’s reminder, he suddenly realized he had fallen into a huge logical fallacy. He thought that by marrying off this niece, the Liu family would definitely benefit. However, he had completely overlooked the principle that “harmony in the family leads to prosperity.” The benefits the Liu family could gain still depended on Liu Yingyue mediating things.
“Why didn’t I think of this before? As the saying goes, ‘a married daughter is like spilled water.’ Once Liu Yingyue gets married, she’ll be someone else’s daughter-in-law. Then, as clan leader, I’ll have no right to boss her around. Whether she helps her maternal family will depend entirely on her mood. If we sour our relationship now, this beneficial marriage alliance will end up being just an alliance without any benefit.”
Liu Biao understood this principle, so naturally, he couldn’t just stand by idly. From this moment on, he decided to do his utmost to win his niece’s favor.
Of course, the prerequisite was that Liu Yingyue would not object to the beneficial marriage alliance!
Although Liu Yingyue’s brothers and sisters were difficult, they didn’t dare to go against the Liu family’s clan leader and could only unwillingly make way.
Liu Yingyue gave Qi Huang a deep look before hurriedly entering the main gate.
Liu Biao, worried that she would be bullied again, stayed by her side without leaving.
As servants, Qi Huang and Xia Wei could only follow behind.
As Qi Huang passed Liu Yingliang, she taunted him, “How about it? Now you know how I brought her into the Liu family? I’m arrogant, and there’s a reason for it.”
“You…”
Liu Yingliang never dreamed that such a lowly maidservant would dare to mock him. His face immediately turned red with anger.
“Not convinced? If you’re not convinced, feel free to stop me. I’d like to see who has the final say in the Liu family, the clan leader or the head of the household.”
Qi Huang provoked him again before flicking her hair and leaving, the fragrance of Jinming Flower immediately spreading.
“…”
Liu Yingliang, fueled by her words, was suddenly furious, his teeth creaking. However, he still didn’t dare to say anything more.
“It smells so good!”
“Yes! What kind of powder is she using? Why does it smell so good?”
At this moment, two younger brothers beside him said with infatuation.
“Useless!”
Liu Yingliang was enraged. He kicked each of his younger brothers before gloomily following behind.
Liu Yingyue entered the gate and followed her mother straight to the main hall of the main house, where it had been set up as the mourning hall for the elder master Liu, so that relatives and friends could pay their respects.
Qi Huang knew that there would inevitably be crying before the spirit tablet. She really didn’t want to witness such a scene, but as a personal maidservant, she had to stay by “Miss’s” side at all times.
As Qi Huang predicted, as soon as Liu Yingyue and Xia Wei saw the coffin of the elder master Liu, they began to cry inconsolably, which sounded truly desolate and tragic.
Qi Huang stood by helplessly. She wasn’t afraid of fighting, but she was afraid of witnessing such partings. Unfortunately, as a personal maidservant, she couldn’t slip away and occasionally had to offer some comfort.
‘If I had known earlier, I should have insisted on being a bodyguard. That way, at least…’
Qi Huang regretted it to the extreme.
Qi Huang felt like time was passing very slowly. Out of curiosity about the cause of the elder master Liu’s death, she wanted to use her spiritual sense to examine the coffin, but in the end, she held back. After all, her relationship with Liu Yingyue was good now, and it would be too rude to do so without her permission.
“Mother… I… I heard you say that Father was killed by evil spirits?”
After crying for an hour or two, Liu Yingyue’s emotions stabilized a bit, and she thought of the important matters.
“Yes. Your father had something to attend to that night, so he stayed in the study. I was too tired, so I went to sleep first. When I woke up, I still didn’t see him. So, I went to check with an oil lamp and found that he had already been murdered.”
Fang Yun said, choking back sobs.
“But how do you know he was killed by evil spirits?”
Liu Yingyue persistently asked.
“When your father died, his expression was terrified, and his features were distorted. The coroner from the yamen examined him, and indeed, it matched the characteristics of dying from fright. Moreover, he had no other external injuries, and there were no fatal poisons remaining in his body.”
Fang Yun explained carefully.
“I also asked a cultivator to look at him a few days ago, and they said that eldest brother was indeed killed by evil spirits.”
Liu Biao also said hypocritically from the side.
“Mother, I want to see Father!”
Liu Yingyue suddenly made a request after a moment of silence.
“As his daughter, it’s only right for you to see your father’s body. However, his expression when he died was indeed a bit… unbearable to look at. I’m afraid it will scare you.”
Fang Yun kindly advised.
“When has a daughter ever been afraid of her father? I must see him.”
Liu Yingyue said stubbornly. She did this only to confirm if her father was really killed by evil spirits. Even if she didn’t understand anything, she still wanted some psychological comfort.
“Alright, but you have to be mentally prepared.”
Fang Yun reminded her again before instructing the servants nearby to open the coffin.
Liu Yingyue took a deep breath, and then, supported by Xia Wei, she walked up.
Qi Huang was worried about not having a reason, but now she could finally examine it legitimately, so she also went closer.
As for Liu Biao, perhaps out of fear, he not only didn’t step forward but also unconsciously took a few steps back.
Liu Yingyue’s brothers and sisters were the same. Even their children were afraid, which indicated that the death of the elder master Liu must have been very gruesome.
Because it was the middle of winter, and the Liu family had made special arrangements, even after more than ten days, there was no obvious odor in the coffin. However, no odor did not mean that the body was necessarily presentable.
Qi Huang, having experienced battles for over a year, couldn’t help but click her tongue when she saw the elder master Liu’s body.
As Fang Yun had said, Master Liu’s expression was indeed difficult to look at. His features were completely twisted due to terror, and with the addition of large and small black corpse spots, his face looked like freshly peeled tree bark, with flesh and skin crisscrossed, completely unrecognizable as human. Moreover, his joints were also deformed to varying degrees, causing his limbs to bend into unnatural shapes, like withered branches of an old tree. If the coffin hadn’t been spacious enough, it might not have been able to fit him.
Even though Liu Yingyue had prepared herself mentally, at that moment, she couldn’t withstand the intense visual impact and instantly slumped down. The people around her rushed to support her in fright.
Qi Huang, however, took advantage of this opportunity to carefully examine him with her spiritual sense, as even a fool could tell that Master Liu’s death was very suspicious.
Liu Yingyue recovered more than half an hour later and insisted on coming up to examine him again. Unfortunately, she understood neither medicine nor cultivation, so she could only worry anxiously.
Liu Yingyue looked around anxiously, her gaze gradually falling on Qi Huang. After hesitating, she tentatively asked, “Little Jade Sister, can you see anything?”
When the people around heard this, they also turned their attention to Qi Huang.
Qi Huang turned her head to look at Liu Yingyue and found her pretty face as pale as paper. Feeling a pang of sympathy, she took a deep breath and said solemnly, “Sister, your father was indeed killed by evil spirits.”
“How can you be sure?”
Liu Yingyue asked unwillingly. If he died at the hands of evil spirits, then whom would she seek revenge from?
“Your father’s features were distorted, clearly caused by fright. His direct cause of death was a ruptured heart, leading to internal bleeding. This also fits the characteristic of increased blood pressure and subsequent tearing of the heart muscle after being frightened.”
Qi Huang explained seriously. Although she was not a doctor, she was a cultivator and had seen quite a few people scared to death by ghosts.
“She didn’t even touch Father, why is she saying something almost identical to those doctors?”
“What’s so strange about that? The news of Father being scared to death has spread throughout the entire Imperial Capital. The characteristics of someone who died of fright can be easily found out by asking around.”
“Are you saying she’s putting on an act?”
“Of course. A maidservant can only gain her master’s attention this way.”
…
Someone whispered.
“That only proves he died of fright; it doesn’t prove he was scared to death by ghosts!”
Liu Yingyue raised her objection. She did not suspect Qi Huang of putting on an act.
“Yes, people can scare each other to death too.”
Xia Wei also chimed in.
“Indeed. However, there’s still a trace of Yin Energy remaining on your father’s body, which is a condition that only occurs when evil spirits possess someone.”
Qi Huang then added.
With these words, the hall fell into dead silence again. Everyone looked at Qi Huang in surprise, wondering if she was just repeating hearsay or if she had actually seen Yin Energy.
