Chapter 29
Chapter 29
The scream had indeed come from Zhao Zhiyi and Mu Yunshu’s courtyard. The estate had already been anything but peaceful lately, and now that such a commotion had broken out, everyone gathered around.
Unfortunately, Zhao Zhiyi had gone with his parents to inspect the accounts at their shops outside, leaving only Mu Yunshu to face the probing gazes of the crowd.
“It was these… these things! I found them in the Young Madam’s room!”
The young maid knelt on the ground, trembling all over, not daring to lift her head and look again at those ghastly white bones. She had only come to clean the room. She had never expected something so terrifying to be hidden under the bed.
The Old Madam had clearly been badly frightened as well. Her face was deathly pale. “Mu Yunshu, you… what exactly are you? No, I should be asking-are you even human?”
As it happened, today was especially ill-timed. Old Master Zhao was not home either. Not long ago, the Old Madam had remarked that she had remembered how, when they were young, Old Master Zhao would always go buy water chestnut cakes for her. Perhaps recalling those sweet days of their youth, Old Master Zhao had left the estate in person to buy her favorite water chestnut cakes.
And so, at present, the only person in the estate who could take charge was the Old Madam.
Ah Yuan was squeezed to the outer edge of the crowd. Sensing that the situation was turning against Mu Yunshu, she gritted her teeth and ran off.
Faced with everyone’s terrified stares, Mu Yunshu merely smiled faintly. “Grandmother, you jest. I am Zhiyi’s lawfully wedded wife, married in through proper matchmaker and ceremony. If I am not human, then what else could I be?”
“Then how do you explain these human bones?”
Mu Yunshu said meaningfully, “Grandmother may be advanced in years, but your eyesight is truly impressive. You could tell at a glance that these were human bones and not animal bones.”
The Old Madam’s expression paused slightly, then she answered as though it were only natural. “Recently, some monstrous evil has been causing trouble in the estate. If these are not human bones, what else could they be?”
Mu Yunshu said, “If Grandmother says so, then so be it.”
The people around them immediately began whispering among themselves.
“Could the Young Madam really be a Yaoguai?”
“Haven’t you heard? The Young Madam eats raw flesh and blood, and at night she reveals sharp claws and fangs!”
“I heard the Young Madam is actually a Yaoguai wearing human skin. That’s how she bewitched the young master!”
…
The more the crowd spoke, the more their fear of Mu Yunshu spread. Those noisy voices shot toward her like a storm of arrows, yet she remained calm and composed from beginning to end.
Qiao Ying arrived late and could only stand at the very back. Since she was not tall, she had to rise onto her tiptoes to peer inside. Before long, her feet grew tired. She dropped back onto her heels and sighed, only to suddenly hear a soft laugh above her head.
She lifted her face and saw the young man’s beautiful jawline.
Shen Qingyu was standing right behind her. His figure was tall and slender. Even without standing on tiptoe or doing anything at all, he stood out conspicuously from the crowd, like a crane among chickens.
Compared with his ease, Qiao Ying’s busy, bustling attempts did look rather comical.
Shen Qingyu said, “Shorty.”
The corner of Qiao Ying’s eye twitched. But after thinking it over, she realized she could not beat him, so she decided not to argue. Instead, she lowered her voice and asked, “Shen Qingyu, are those really human bones?”
Shen Qingyu smiled. “Have you forgotten? I cannot see.”
Only belatedly did Qiao Ying remember. Her gaze settled on the white silk blindfold covering his eyes. He truly could not see anything, but after spending so much time with him, she often forgot that fact.
For some reason, curiosity stirred in her. She reached out, and her fingertip lightly touched one corner of the white silk blindfold. The sensation was cool and slightly soft, and it did not seem all that different from any other fabric.
He was probably truly blind, which was why he did not know that Qiao Ying’s fingers had already boldly touched that piece of cloth no ordinary person could touch. He only continued smiling gently, and did not use his Blind Staff to jab her hand until it snapped.
Qiao Ying couldn’t help muttering, “He sees through more than most people do. How could he possibly be blind?”
Who knew what part of her words had struck his fancy this time, but the young man actually laughed again, bright and pleasing, like jade pieces chiming together, full of youthful vigor.
Qiao Ying hurriedly tried to pull her hand back, only for him to catch it and press it once more against that soft white silk blindfold. Through that layer of cloth, she seemed to touch the eyes she had never seen.
His voice was light, yet his tone was inexplicably sticky and coaxing. “Qiao Ying, touch it a little more.”
The last syllable lifted slightly, carrying a note of lazy comfort, like a fox begging to be petted. His movements were sly, as if he was unconsciously hiding a deliberately wicked sort of ambiguity.
A strange sensation suddenly bloomed at her fingertips, then quickly flowed along Qiao Ying’s hand and into her heart. She hastily withdrew her hand and lowered her head. “It’s not that interesting. I don’t want to touch it anymore.”
Shen Qingyu gave an “oh” and said nothing else.
The standoff in the crowd was still going on. As more and more people offered up “evidence” that Mu Yunshu was a Yaoguai, the matter of her being one seemed all but settled.
Seeing the fear among the crowd growing stronger, Old Madam declared loudly, “My Song family is a century-old Demon-Hunting Clan. My husband is the renowned Demon Hunter Zhao Fanhua. Forty years ago, I saw Mountain Yaoguai stirring up trouble, and I also saw my father and husband battle Ghosts that devoured human souls. What sort of demons and monsters have we not brought to justice? So what if she is a Yaoguai? The disciples of the Song family back then, and the disciples of the Zhao family today, are here. No matter how many tricks evil creatures may have, they cannot overcome the righteousness in our hearts!”
Old Madam was worthy of being Old Madam. Her righteous speech was like a shot of strength injected straight into everyone’s veins.
Most of the earlier panic and unease was dispelled. The whispers turned into waves of agreement, one after another. The crowd that had been cowering and retreating gradually straightened their backs, and the looks they cast at Mu Yunshu gained a few more shades of resolve and indignation.
At the same time, Old Steward rushed over with a large group of sword-wielding men, surrounding Mu Yunshu.
Old Steward said, “Old Madam is right. We of the Song family and Zhao family have always taken slaying demons and eliminating evil as our duty. There is nothing to fear about encountering a Yaoguai.”
With so many people attacking at once, even if Mu Yunshu truly was a Yaoguai, she would be hard-pressed to handle them.
Yet Qiao Ying still remembered how, not long ago, during the Water Yaoguai incident, Mu Yunshu had saved Ah Yuan.
After struggling with herself for a long while, she turned back and said to Shen Qingyu, “I want to do something foolish and overestimate myself. If you can stand on my side, I’ll be very happy, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t help me. This is my decision. It has nothing to do with you.”
Shen Qingyu smiled. “Then I won’t help.”
Qiao Ying’s expression fell. “You really won’t help?”
Shen Qingyu shook his head. “Nope.”
Qiao Ying pressed her lips together.
Shen Qingyu laughed softly, reached out to pinch her cheek, and turned her face to the side. “Look. If you don’t hurry up and do your foolish thing, that poor woman is going to be killed by them.”
Everyone drew their swords at Mu Yunshu, who stood alone, and took out all their Talisman and Magical Artifact as well.
At that critical moment, someone shouted in a muffled, unclear voice:
“Stop-!”
Everyone looked toward the voice. All they saw were heads, and not the short girl.
Shen Qingyu’s laughter grew even more delighted. With one hand, he gave Qiao Ying a gentle push from behind. She stumbled two steps forward, thus appearing awkwardly and conspicuously in everyone’s line of sight.