"The hour is late, I shall take my leave," the man said, rising.
Dao Ji leaned against the doorframe, watching the man's figure disappear into the darkness ahead, lost in thought for a moment. It had been nearly twenty years, and he wondered what storms his return would stir up.
Qingshan Temple indeed ought to be closed!
After Dao Ji left, Yin of the Southern Dynasty inquired about the results. Upon hearing that the other party stated plainly that the Southern Residence was ghost-free, she was not surprised. She merely instructed Nan Yuan'er to stop being so superstitious now that she had found a master and gotten a result.
Nan Yuan'er bowed her head, acknowledging the instruction.
After she left the study, she heard about what had happened at Li Wan Pavilion and hurried to see Madam Liu. Madam Liu's face had already stopped swelling, but the palm prints remained on both cheeks.
"Yuan'er!"
The moment Nan Yuan'er entered, Madam Liu began to weep.
Looking at Madam Liu's face, Nan Yuan'er was filled with both anger and indignation. She slammed the table and pointed at the several senior maids beside Madam Liu, furiously scolding, "Are you all dead? How could you allow Madam Wang to run rampant in Li Wan Pavilion!"
Qing'er trembled all over and immediately knelt to beg for forgiveness, "This servant is guilty, please punish this servant, Miss!"
Nan Yuan'er stepped forward and slapped Qing'er hard, with such force that Qing'er's mouth began to bleed. "Useless wretch!"
After slapping several maids, her anger finally subsided somewhat. She waved her hand dismissively, her expression one of annoyance, and sent them away. "Scram!"
"Yes!"
Qing'er and the others quickly retreated.
"Why do you blame them!"
Once Qing'er and the others had left the room, Madam Liu expressed her slight displeasure at Nan Yuan'er's actions. As the saying goes, one must consider the owner before striking the dog. The one who hit her was Madam Wang, so why was her daughter taking her anger out on her maids?
"They failed to protect their mistress, shouldn't they be punished?" Nan Yuan'er asked Madam Liu.
Madam Liu was momentarily speechless, then began to cry again. "Why is my life so bitter? After being bullied, my daughter not only fails to avenge me but also takes her anger out on my maids..."
"Mother!"
Another instance of her unreasonable behavior. She was not her father, so why was she crying and making such a fuss? Nan Yuan'er felt a flicker of annoyance but did not show it. Regardless, she was her mother, who had given birth to her and raised her!
"Stop crying. If you want your daughter to avenge you, you must also tell me what happened!" Nan Yuan'er suppressed her inner impatience and gently comforted her.
Upon hearing this, Madam Liu indeed stopped crying. She twisted her handkerchief, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said with a tearful voice, "Today..."
Madam Liu spoke in detail, but carefully omitted her own curses towards Madam Wang. Nan Yuan'er's frown deepened with every word she heard. She felt that Madam Liu was likely hiding something, but these were not the important matters. The important thing was why Madam Wang would be so kind as to personally return the treasury key.
No matter what was said about her poor health, in the current situation, Madam Wang would never return the household management even if she were on her deathbed.
"You took it?"
"Did Father say anything?"
Nan Yuan'er pondered for a long time, still unable to figure out what Madam Wang and Nan Yu Jin were planning!
"Of course, I took it!"
Why wouldn't she?
"As for your father... your father merely said that after Madam Wang recovered a bit, I should return the household management!"
"He didn't say anything else?"
Madam Liu was unsure of the reason but still thought back carefully, replying with some hesitation, "He didn't say anything else, but your father's attitude was a little strange."
"How was it strange?" Nan Yuan'er pressed.
"He seemed hesitant to speak!"
Nan Yuan'er fell silent for a few seconds, increasingly suspecting that Madam Wang's actions today held a deeper meaning. Moreover, the timing was almost perfectly aligned with her departure for Qingshan Temple. They had likely sent a maid to summon her mother, fearing that if she were present, she might notice something amiss and disrupt their plans.
Nan Yuan'er felt a growing unease, as if a dark cloud was lingering in her heart, impossible to dissipate.
"Mother, you must be careful during these days," she advised.
Madam Liu nodded, feeling that Nan Yuan'er was being overly cautious. What trouble could Madam Wang, in her condition, possibly cause? She would likely have a heart failure and die if one were to put even a little effort into it.
However, the moment she thought of the humiliation she had suffered, Madam Liu felt ashamed, indignant, and resentful. She looked at Nan Yuan'er and asked, "Didn't you say you would avenge me? Have you thought of a plan?"
Nan Yuan'er was a little speechless. Dealing with Madam Wang was simple, but she feared that Madam Wang was precisely waiting for her to make a move.
"There's no rush for this matter!" Nan Yuan'er evaded.
"No rush, but..."
"Mother, aren't you going to ask if my trip to Qingshan Temple was successful?" Nan Yuan'er, unwilling to let Madam Liu dwell on the matter, tried to divert her attention with another topic.
Madam Liu then remembered Nan Yuan'er's visit to Qingshan Temple.
"Quick, tell me! Did you find someone? How did it go? Was the ghost dispelled?" Madam Liu grabbed Nan Yuan'er's hand and asked anxiously.
Nan Yuan'er replied, "I found someone, but no ghost was dispelled!"
"Why?"
"Because the Daoist priest said there are no ghosts in the Southern Residence!"
"What? That's impossible! Yuan'er, did you truly invite Daoist Qingyun from Qingshan Temple? You didn't happen to invite some quack charlatan from the martial arts world, did you? No ghosts? How could there be no ghosts? If there are no ghosts, then what was it I saw? You saw it too, didn't you? Not just you and I, but also the servants in the residence. What, are you saying everyone had hallucinations?"
"No ghosts?"
"It's utterly ridiculous!"
After Madam Liu had vented her frustration, Nan Yuan'er continued, "I'm not sure if it was a hallucination, but... although the person who came was not Daoist Qingyun, he was the eldest disciple of the current abbot of Qingshan Temple. He is a true Daoist master, filled with righteous energy, and by no means someone who deceives others for fame or a swindler."
"Qingshan Temple wouldn't ruin its own reputation."
"Therefore, I believe him!"
"But..."
"Mother, it was done by human hands!"
Nan Yuan'er looked at Madam Liu, her slightly furrowed brows seemingly carrying a glint of cold light.
Madam Liu shivered under Nan Yuan'er's gaze, feeling as if she were being stared at by a venomous snake. A layer of frost seemed to form on her entire body.
Madam Liu's scalp tingled, and she dared not meet Yuan'er's eyes again. She lowered her head slightly, her fingers twisting a handkerchief until it formed a long, snake-like shape. As if electrocuted, Madam Liu threw the handkerchief away.