In previous years, the Qing family’s ancestor-worship ceremonies did not permit servants to be present, but since they were to stay for a full day this time, a few handymen were left behind in the backyard.
Breakfast was delivered to their respective rooms. The wing rooms beside the main hall in the front courtyard were reserved for the elders, while in the backyard, each of the three young masters of the main branch had a room to himself. Naturally, the legitimate eldest young master, Qing Wenxu, stayed in the backyard’s main house, whereas Qing Ling was housed in the eastern wing room. Breakfast naturally went uneaten, but dinner was a meal shared together by the whole family.
However, with everyone harboring their own hidden agendas, the meal was eaten amidst an awkwardly bizarre atmosphere. Qing Wenxu in particular kept lifting his head to gaze around and furrowing his brows, earning two reprimands from Qing Congnan that left his complexion looking quite unsightly.
Just before everyone returned to their respective quarters, Qing Congnan gave a final admonishment: “Do not leave the ancestral hall.” Qing Ling felt somewhat curious, on what grounds did he assume everything would be fine inside the ancestral hall? That female ghost was still lingering not far from Qing Wenxu, watching him intently.
Just as Qing Ling was preparing to return to his room, he unexpectedly discovered that Qing Conglan and his wife had gone to Qing Congnan’s room. He deliberately crept close to the exterior wall beneath the window, overhearing the conversation drifting from within.
“I said back then that that matter should never have been done,” Qing Conglan sneered coldly. “Was there anything wrong with what Sister-in-law said? This ill-fated brat should never have been brought back in the first place. The moment he returned, so many troubles arose. Eldest Brother, you brought forth such a disaster, if you dispose of him sooner, we might still have a fighting chance to survive!”
After a momentary silence, Qing Congnan said coldly, “That bitch’s affair was fishy; she should have had her soul scattered to the winds years ago! Nor can Qing Ling be killed. Since that entity didn’t kill him, how could it ever be our turn to make a move? If the Qing family is handed over to Qing Ling, how could he possibly fail to protect his fellow Qing clansmen? Stop putting on acts of benevolence and righteousness either, didn’t you want that bitch for yourself back then, only to lose your chance at becoming the head of the household because I snatched her first? Now you’re here speaking in hindsight. If you have any sense, you should know what needs to be done.”
Neither of the two brothers yielded an inch. Instead, it was that gentle and delicate wife who began softly offering mediation: “Eldest Brother, Master, calm your tempers. From what I can see, that child Qing Ling is not an easy person to deal with; he remains quiet and still like an icy stone.”
Qing Conglan scoffed. “Left to fend for himself until he was nearly at death’s door, only to be brought back and crammed into the backyard, can you expect him to feel any deep affection for the Qing family? It would be far better to follow Father’s suggestion: kill him back then, which would incidentally have sent away the one inside Dragon-Slaying Mountain as well. How could we have ever ended up in today’s predicament?”
“Enough,” Qing Congnan frowned. “As long as we deal with that bitch, Qing Ling is just a green, inexperienced youth who has never seen the world. The more coldly we treat him, the more he will realize that without the Qing family, he has no way to survive in this world. During tonight’s sacrifice, I have my own plans. You two should go back.”
“You…” Qing Conglan’s tone sounded shocked, as if realizing something, before he let out another cold snort. “You’d better be able to resolve this.”
Silently and without a sound, Qing Ling retreated into the shadow of the corner, lowering his head in deep thought.
So that was what registering him as a legitimate son today was really about. No wonder he had always felt there was a trap hidden in all of this.
Before he survived, Qing Congnan couldn’t be sure whether Qing Ling would capture Shang Zhangheng’s favor. But the simple logic was: with his protection, he would live; without it, he would die, which was why they had so shabbily left him with only elderly Uncle Yu.
Now that he had emerged alive from Dragon-Slaying Mountain, how could someone who had endured a life of bitter hardship possibly let go of a position as head of the household that was practically within his grasp? Naturally, he would dedicate body and soul to toiling for the Qing family, after all, they were all grasshoppers tied to the same rope.
Yet Qing Congnan hadn’t anticipated that Qing Ling knew the Qing family would sooner or later be wiped out in one fell swoop by Shang Zhangheng. Forget about becoming head of the household; even if offered wealth matching a nation, Qing Ling would respectfully decline. He wanted to live.
As for Qing Conglan, he was an even worse piece of work, he had practically wanted to straight-up murder him just moments ago.
Then there were those “sacrificial offerings” of unknown nature personally prepared by Qing Wenxu, alongside the second concubine-born brother who clearly stood on Qing Wenxu’s side.
This entire family residing in the Qing estate were lawless outlaws.
Qing Ling concluded: not a single one of them was a decent bird.
As night approached, the faint silhouette of the moon hovered in the sky.
Shang Zhangheng’s figure materialized inside the room once again, standing by the propped-open window to gaze outside.
“When it gets dark, I’m going to step away for a bit,” he said.
Qing Ling was sitting at the table resting his chin in his hand, shifting his gaze over at the words.
“To get the thing buried underground?”
With an “Mhm,” Shang Zhangheng turned serious with rare solemnity. “A corpse-nurturing array has been set up around this ancestral hall. The yin energy is far too heavy; do not easily step outside this room.”
At this moment, the usually sinister and paranoid fierce ghost displayed an unusual, calm sense of noble poise.
Qing Ling felt as though he caught a fleeting, trance-like glimpse of those unyielding, engraved-into-the-soul qualities of a true gentleman that could never be erased.
Just as he momentarily lost his focus, the evil spirit was already right in front of him.
His chin was pinched by cold fingers, and the handsome face of the evil spirit pressed in very close, whispering a nearly threatening warning: “Be a good boy and wait for me.”
Qing Ling let out a huff.
He must have seen things wrong just a moment ago.
The moment the last lingering trace of sunset sank into the darkness, Shang Zhangheng’s figure quietly vanished as well. Qing Ling could roughly guess: with a name as straightforward as “corpse-nurturing array,” how could he possibly fail to deduce what was being nurtured beneath the ancestral hall? That was undoubtedly Shang Zhangheng’s target.
With the moon illuminating the empty courtyard, a figure nimbly vaulted over the courtyard wall. The person paused in brief silence as they looked out over a courtyard permeated with yin energy mixed with faint traces of corpse aura, before stealthily pushing open the door of the room where the yin energy was particularly dense.
Qing Ling, sitting inside the room, glanced toward the doorway and raised his brows in mild surprise.
“Master Miaoyuan?” Qing Ling stood up, recognizing that the person standing outside the door was none other than the monk Miaoyuan, who had saved his life on the mountain road that day. Stepping aside to invite him inside, Qing Ling asked, “What brings you here?”
Miaoyuan had studied Buddhist teachings since childhood, and the monks of Wunian Temple primarily focused on physical refinement. When he first met Qing Ling, he had been in a rush to enter Dragon-Slaying Mountain, which was why he had only noticed the strangeness in his destiny without carefully deducing it. Looking at it now, however, this destiny of his was outrageously wretched, judging by the vague, flickering aura of death on his body, he was clearly someone fated to die young, yet he had managed to survive until the present day.
With a complex expression, Miaoyuan stepped into the room and said, “I’ll keep it short, Benefactor. You must have encountered that evil spirit beneath Dragon-Slaying Mountain. That evil spirit possesses a millennium of cultivation and will undoubtedly bring disaster to the world. I arrived at Dragon-Slaying Mountain too late; the evil spirit had already broken the seal and re-entered the mortal realm. I sincerely hope Benefactor can lend this humble monk a hand to vanquish and execute the evil spirit!”
Judging by how fast he spoke, it was clear he was truly in a rush. Hearing the word “vanquish,” Qing Ling couldn’t help feeling startled. In his impression, monks were generally known for compassion, rarely showing such decisive ruthlessness.
Weighing the situation for a brief moment, Qing Ling asked, “How shall we proceed?”
Seeing that he agreed, Miaoyuan immediately stated, “First we set up the array. Then this humble monk will conceal Benefactor’s aura, using a substitute to lure the evil spirit into the array, and we can execute it right there! Since Benefactor has agreed, simply provide me with your birth characters, and we can begin preparations!”
Shang Zhangheng was a lethal, life-claiming blade. Finally catching a glimmer of a way out from beneath the shadow of this blade, Qing Ling couldn’t help but exhale a quiet sigh of relief.
Qing Ling wrote down his birth characters. Just as the brush tip touched the paper to write the characters for “Gui-mao”, a shrill scream suddenly pierced the night from outside—extremely brief, cutting itself short the moment it was uttered.
Miaoyuan’s brows locked into a deep frown as he snapped his head toward the direction from which the scream had come.
“Why is this estate starting to feel like a ghost cave,” Miaoyuan muttered under his breath.
Qing Ling’s hand froze holding the brush.
Could it be that over on Qing Wenxu’s side, they had already started making their move?
Miaoyuan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gritted his teeth and decided to go check it out. If a fierce ghost was harming people, how could he stand idly by?!
Yet the moment he made a move to leave, Qing Ling called out to stop him.
“Master Miaoyuan.”
Miaoyuan turned his head back. “What is it?”
Qing Ling gripped the shaft of the brush, his expression as calm as still water.
“Other people’s karma… it’s better not to meddle in it.”
Hearing this, Miaoyuan’s expression slowly turned serious, and his gaze turned analytical and scrutinizing as he looked at the delicate, refined young man before him.