Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Suppression

Bai Zhengliu had lifted many people before. In the past, when he was with Fu Ming, Fu Ming’s bodyguards were often eager to spar with the blade master. Over time, Bai Zhengliu accumulated plenty of experience in “leaving adult men who couldn’t get up after being beaten on the side and piling them up.”

But what exactly was wrong?

If we’re talking about weight, the middle-aged man in front of him—oh, he was already stammering and admitting that he was Lord Chang—was lighter than the bodyguards who had practiced martial arts for years. But that made sense; the physiques of both sides were evident. If Lord Chang, a man who looked like he barely weighed two taels of meat, had the same weight as the bodyguards, the bodyguards would surely feel ashamed and would ask for additional training.

But as for other details, for a moment, Bai Zhengliu couldn’t figure it out.

He had no choice but to suppress his questions for now and focus on the situation before him.

Mei Yinghan was already asking, "So, you were hiding in the wardrobe earlier?"

Lord Chang shrank back and answered, "Yes."

Mei Yinghan asked, "Why?"

A flash of fear and resentment crossed Lord Chang’s face.

He did have some hidden intentions. The room was dark, and neither Bai Zhengliu nor Mei Yinghan could clearly see Lord Chang’s expressions or features. However, the way Lord Chang ground his teeth while speaking made it clear that he was afraid others wouldn’t realize just how much he hated the Liu family.

“That woman,” Lord Chang said, “Even though I wronged her in the past, she shouldn’t be so unforgiving! It wasn’t me who killed her! I clearly made sure she was well taken care of, though my treatment wasn’t as good as that of that wicked woman, Madam Huang. It was still better than her days in the village...”

As he spoke, Lord Chang’s momentum slowly weakened, and he even started to shiver.

He had completely lost his nerve, repeatedly muttering, "She killed Madam Huang, but that’s not enough, is it? Why won’t she let me go? I’ve never wronged her. She kills people every day, and every day she watches me from outside this house, tormenting me."

With Lord Chang’s disjointed words, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan had to make a considerable effort to sort through what he was saying.

In short, Liu Shi really didn’t have any intention of letting Lord Chang go.

She first killed Miss Huang, then the other servants in the house. During this process, she never forgot to visit Lord Chang’s house every night.

She only visited, but never came in.

Every night, Lord Chang would see a wet shadow standing outside the window, and occasionally, foul-smelling water would seep through the cracks in the door, windows, and even the head of his bed. But that was all. Liu Shi had no intention of drowning him or dragging him along to be buried with her. On the contrary, she seemed more inclined to slowly torment Lord Chang, watching him wither away and crumble day by day.

As Bai Zhengliu listened to the sounds of weeping and Mei Yinghan carefully asking about the old events in Chang’s residence, he felt a sense of deepening unease.He silently distinguished the details. When it came to the two wives, Lord Chang’s account was not much different from that of An Bo or Ping Ge. The only difference was that his version was more detailed.

For example, how exactly Liu Shi died.

“She knocked over the basin prepared for Madam Huang, the poison woman. That poison woman scolded her, saying she couldn’t even handle such a small task properly and needed someone to teach her some manners. The person who did this was that poison woman’s personal maid, named La Mei, who had always been the one to torment Second Madam the most.

“Second Madam was pushed into the water basin by that heartless maid. At first, she could still struggle, but later, bit by bit, she stopped moving…”

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan silently confirmed: so "Second Madam" referred to Liu Shi.

In those days, it was not uncommon for ordinary people to not have names. As children, they were often called “Big Brother,” “Second Brother,” and so on. When they grew older, some fortunate ones could receive a name based on their birth year, but many people spent their entire lives being referred to by their surname and rank.

This was the case for men, and even more so for women. Only in scholarly families would daughters be given names. As for Liu Shi, from birth to death, she was simply “Second Madam of the Liu Family.” After her husband abandoned her and remarried, her title "Liu Shi" couldn’t even be prefixed with “Chang’s” anymore.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan closed their eyes for a moment. When they opened them again, they spoke in turn.

Mei Yinghan’s voice was cold: “While she was struggling, what were you doing?”

Lord Chang’s cheek twitched, but he remained silent.

However, even if he didn’t speak, the two could guess the answer.

Bai Zhengliu said flatly: “You were just watching. Watching La Mei and Madam Huang take action while Liu Shi slowly lost her breath. At this point, your group finally panicked and threw her into the well.”

Lord Chang trembled all over and didn’t dare to speak.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan looked at him with disgust. But while feeling disgusted, they couldn’t help but think of other aspects as well.

Earlier, they had speculated that Miss Huang might not be the person An Bo and the others described. Now, seeing Lord Chang’s performance, they sometimes felt his reaction was genuine, while other times they thought he might be acting.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Zhengliu simply said: “Mei brother, I think this matter with the Chang residence can be solved easily.”

Mei Yinghan’s eyes flickered slightly, “Please, Bai brother, go on.”

Bai Zhengliu curled his lips, his expression cold and somber, speaking casually: “We’ll tie up everyone Liu Shi hated and give them to her, let her kill them one by one. Once her resentment is settled, won’t the matter be resolved?”"Resolved?" Mei Yinghan sighed, knowing Bai Zhengliu wasn’t truly serious, so he played along and said, "That makes sense. If we drag this on any longer, who knows what might happen."

Saying this, he slowly drew his sword.

Lord Chang looked at them in terror. "No, you can't!"

Bai Zhengliu lowered his eyes and glanced at him.

The swordsman spoke harsh words, but his face wore a warm smile. "Why can’t we? Unless Lord Chang can tell me and Mei brother that you’re actually wronged, and that something else happened in the Chang residence."

He was provoking Lord Chang, hoping to get him to spill more information in his panic. And Lord Chang did not disappoint Bai Zhengliu’s intentions. As Mei Yinghan’s "Zhenxing" sword came out of its sheath, despite the dim surroundings, the sword’s edge still reflected his own shadow… his body trembled incessantly, and with both hands pushing against the floor behind him, he kept retreating. Where was the grandeur of a wealthy merchant?

"No!!" Lord Chang completely broke down. "I can't die!"

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan spoke in unison, their voices sharp: "Why can’t you die?"

Lord Chang cried out, "I invited a master to suppress the poison woman Liu Shi! As long as I’m alive, she won’t go out to harm anyone! If I die, she will bring disaster to the whole of Guang'an Prefecture! No, no, no! Not just Guang'an Prefecture, all the people in the world will suffer because of her!"

By the end, Lord Chang was hoarse, his voice cracked with desperation. Veins bulged on his face, and his whole body twisted in a terrifying manner.

Had the light in the room been better, even Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan, who would be called "heroes" by people outside, might have been startled by his contorted expression. As it was, they could only vaguely make out the twitching of his face. If Lord Chang were outside, he might have frightened more people.

"Suppress?" Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan froze upon hearing the words.

It truly led them to a new development. But this new development left both of them confused.

Fortunately, at this point, Lord Chang likely realized his fate was sealed. He no longer needed the swordsman and the swordsman to press him further; he began spilling everything like beans from a bamboo tube.

It all started with the death of Madam Huang. At that time, he had already encountered the vengeful ghost Liu Shi, who had crawled out of the well. But he hadn’t realized she was intent on destroying the Chang residence; he thought she merely hated him. So, Lord Chang secretly went to the Miaoji Temple outside the city, hoping to seek protection from the Daoist sect.

The Daoist priest at the temple immediately saw the darkness in his brow and, in just a few words, predicted the misfortune at his home. Lord Chang was both shocked and delighted. He was shocked that this meant his family's crime of murder and corpse hiding would be exposed, and they would probably all be sent to the authorities. He was delighted, however, because the Daoist seemed to have powers, and perhaps the Chang residence could still be saved.

Both sides reached an agreement. The Miaoji Temple would help the Chang residence eliminate the ghost, and the Chang residence would turn itself in after Liu Shi was subdued.

After that, Lord Chang eagerly asked the Daoist when he could take action. The Daoist only told him to go home and wait, saying he needed to make more preparations.

Lord Chang uneasily returned home. As later events showed, his unease was entirely justified. He never saw the Daoist again, but instead, he received the news of Madam Huang’s death. Then, came the servants who had attended Madam Huang’s house.Lord Chang wanted to escape. But whether he went to the manor outside the city or to some further place, Liu Shi would follow.

Fortunately, at this moment, the Daoists from Miaoji Temple finally arrived.

They set up their altar and performed rituals, using various magical tools and talismans, and fought with the manifested Liu Shi, injuring and sealing her!

At this point, the middle-aged man, who had been looking dejected, suddenly revealed a sharp glint in his eyes, and a look of cruelty crossed his face as he said to Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan: "It's a pity that the vile woman didn’t die."

—This seemed like a sincere remark.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan exchanged a glance, then looked away and turned their gaze back to Lord Chang.

Lord Chang continued, "Instead, she caused the Daoists to perish… Fortunately, before they died, they forced themselves to teach me how to activate the talismans, and at the most critical moment, sealed her beneath the water forever!"

Bai Zhengliu's eyelids twitched. Remembering the doubts about Miss Huang's temperament, he decided not to speak the words “You are the main culprit, how can you be so shameless,” and instead, said slowly, "The ‘forever sealing’ seems a bit off, doesn’t it?"

Lord Chang was stunned. After a long pause, he finally lowered his voice and admitted, "The situation was chaotic at the time, and I was not an expert in the Dao…”

So, there were flaws in the use of the talismans. Liu Shi was only trapped inside the Chang residence, unable to cause any more trouble outside. But the people inside the house were left to suffer and be killed by her.

As the one who set the talismans, Lord Chang could not leave the house for even a moment. Otherwise, the seal would break immediately.

This explained the paper man in the room, swaying its head and body. After all, Liu Shi wouldn’t be able to enter the house at that time, so they placed a paper man to intimidate her. As for what would happen next, they would deal with it later.

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan fell silent after hearing this. When Lord Chang later eagerly asked them about methods to slay ghosts, they could only dryly say, "Why don’t you think carefully about what the Daoists said that day? Also, the monks after them…”

According to Lord Chang’s earlier story, the monks were reinforcements he had called after the Daoists of Miaoji Temple were wiped out. Unfortunately, they only stayed for one night before meeting the same fate as the Daoists.

By this point, no matter how much Lord Chang tried to conceal the truth, the reason he had sought out "heroes" was clear: his desire to eliminate ghosts might be genuine, but the idea that as long as an outsider died, Liu Shi would stop causing harm to the Chang residence was probably true as well.

If Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan had really been called by him, they would likely have to consider the possibility that Lord Chang’s intentions were ruthless. But as of now, they were trapped in the house and could not leave, so they had no choice but to suppress their disgust toward the master of the Chang residence and look for a way to resolve the situation.

Under the pressure of the swordsman and the swordsman, Lord Chang, with a face full of苦色 (苦色 could mean "a pained expression"), promised that he would carefully recall and organize the spells and talismans the Daoists had used, and would no longer disappear during the day.

Normally, Bai Zhengliu should have arrested him by now to prevent any further problems. However, he was still concerned about the discoveries at Miss Huang’s house earlier. At this moment, he preferred to carefully analyze everything and then make a decision.

Moreover, Ping Ge was born in the second year of Shunning, and what age was Lord Chang? Don't be fooled by his current cowardly appearance—whether he was human or ghost was still uncertain.The young man exchanged a glance with the figure beside him. Mei Yinghan slightly nodded, agreeing that they couldn't let such an unknown person remain by their side.

Bai Zhengliu then said, "Alright. You sort things out, and once there’s progress, come find us immediately!"

Lord Chang hurriedly said, "Of course, of course."

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan warned him once more before leaving under the cover of night.

Halfway down the road, they suddenly sensed something was wrong—

The bushes beside them rustled. The moonlight, along with the lantern light, combined, casting a faint shadow above the bushes, revealing another strange figure.

At first glance, the shadow seemed like some kind of beast, its four limbs lying flat on the ground. But upon closer inspection, it had long arms and legs, resembling a human shape.