Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Rain lashed the night. Countless deeds unfit for daylight grew unchecked within the raging storm.
When Ding Yanyu dismounted, his injured body staggered. But he felt no pain. His long-held wish was about to come true; even losing another limb would not diminish his joy.
The servants had been cleared from the Ding Family Villa. In the empty house, only Wuniang could be heard counting beans in a corner.
Born with an incomplete mind, she came from a poor family with many children. Unable to support her, her parents took her to the street to sell her.
Though her mind was impaired, Wuniang had a pretty face. Before anyone from a brothel could approach, the young heir of the Ding family stepped down from his carriage and shielded her.
At fourteen, he was already graceful and distinguished. He asked the man beside him, “That little mole beneath her eye resembles Lingling’s, doesn’t it?”
Scarface asked, “What are you planning?”
The young master said, “What if Lingling has no suitable body when I find her?”
On Ding Fufu’s first day in Ding Ling’s body, she opened her eyes, saw Ding Yanyu beside the bed, and called him Brother. He instantly sensed something wrong.
Outsiders saw his Lingling as timid, withdrawn, and unlikable. To him, she was pure and good. She hated their father for their mother’s sake, yet never thought of driving a blade into his body.
She neither hated nor flattered anyone.
She was too clean, like an unsullied moon in a dark world. She belonged behind him, cherished in his palms, forever a carefree little girl.
The newly awakened girl was nothing like that. Her eyes boldly assessed everyone, and she used shallow cleverness and a lively manner to win their affection.
This was not his Lingling.
Over ten years, Ding Yanyu replaced his father as the true authority of the Ding family. The stronger he became, the more desperately he desired to recover Ding Ling.
Every charlatan told him his sister’s soul had long since scattered, but he refused to believe them.
Fortunately, heaven was not entirely cruel. At last, he had found her.
Ding Yanyu cradled the Demon-Subduing Sword like a priceless treasure. Rain made his face even paler, but excitement filled his eyes. After another stumble, he sat and lit a Glazed Lamp with trembling hands.
The soul within the sword responded, slowly emerging into the air and taking solid form.
Ding Ling stood before him in a daze, mist clouding her lovely eyes.
Ding Yanyu caressed her cold cheek and smiled. “Lingling, it will soon be over. Your body will be warm again very soon.”
He was soaked, water dripping from his black hair. Blood from his reopened wound stained his chest red, and a damp, sinister air clung to him. Yet oblivious to pain, he smiled in delight.
Gentleman Yanyu, praised by all, now resembled a vengeful ghost.
As the Glazed Lamp burned, a faint fragrance appeared. Wuniang collapsed unconscious in the corner.
“What happened to her?” Ding Ling asked.
Ding Yanyu replied carelessly, “She merely needs to sleep. Nothing is wrong, so don’t worry.”
Then a sound came from behind the door.
“What’s in there?” Ding Ling asked.
Interest stirred in Ding Yanyu. Just as when they were children, he took her hand, led her to the door, and pushed it open. The person imprisoned inside a golden cage made a shocking sight.
It was Ding Ling’s body, occupied by Ding Fufu.
Ding Fufu had spent every day weeping, her eyes swollen red. Seeing someone enter, she gripped the cold bars and pleaded, “Brother, I know I was wrong. I truly know. Please let me out…”
Then she saw the girl beside Ding Yanyu. Her voice stopped, her face changed, and she fell backward in terror.
“You… You’re Ding Ling? No, Ding Ling died long ago. Only after she died could I be reborn in this body. You’re a ghost! A ghost!”
Ding Yanyu laughed. “Lingling surpasses the immortals of the Ninth Heaven. She is starlight and the bright moon. How could she be a ghost?”
Ding Fufu hugged herself fearfully. “What… What are you trying to do?”
“Set everything right and make the despicable thief pay the proper price.”
“No, it wasn’t my fault! I didn’t deliberately enter her body, and I never tried to hurt anyone. You can’t do this to me. Ding Yanyu… I called you Brother for ten years. Are you truly so heartless?”
Only mockery showed in his eyes. “If I had not needed you to preserve Lingling’s body, why would I have tolerated you until now?”
All color left Ding Fufu’s face.
Ding Ling looked up. “When Brother says you’ll set everything right, do you mean you’ll return me to my body?”
Ding Yanyu bent down and touched her nose. Instead of answering, he laughed softly.
“I remember Lingling following me everywhere when you were tiny. You feared the dark and could only sleep with me beside you. You once said Brother was the person you loved most in the world.”
“While Mother lay ill, Father still frequented pleasure houses. You secretly cried beside her sickbed, and so did I. No one comforted us; we could only hold and comfort each other.”
“After Mother died, the servants said a new woman would drive us from the manor, that Father would have other children and stop caring about us. Lingling, I held you and told you not to fear, but I was afraid too.”
“Do you remember that night? You hid with me in your room, held my hand, and whispered that you no longer wanted jewelry or fine clothes. If we were driven out, you would work to support me. As long as we remained together, hardship did not matter.”
“But how could I bear to let you suffer? You are all I have. Even every treasure in the world would not be enough for you.”
Ding Yanyu moved closer, smiling gently. “So I had to find a way. One cup of tea made Father impotent, ensuring no other child could steal our place. One small push sent Madam Zhao into the water, and no one could ever drive us away.”
Inside the golden cage, Ding Fufu shot to her feet.
“My mother didn’t fall accidentally. You killed her! Ding Yanyu, you’re vicious!”