Translator: Cinder Translations
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TL/N: The chapter starts off abruptly, but I believe it's from the Miao family's perspective.
At a young age, she was already well-versed in poetry and books, and her painting and calligraphy skills were unparalleled.
The Huang family seemed lax on the outside, but in reality, they were tight on the inside. They had hired bodyguard martial artists for many years. They (Miao Family) had considered assassination before, but in the end, they gave up on it.
It wasn't until one fateful opportunity that they discovered an ancient book that recorded dark arts.
However, the book required the practitioner to perform a ritual on the night of the full moon, using marriage as a live sacrifice, enduring the pain of skinning and beating the drum. Only then could the soul be summoned by striking the drum made from human skin.
As the years passed, Miao Cheng's two daughters gradually grew into beautiful women. The elder sister was gentle and graceful, while the younger sister was delicate and cute. Both were rare beauties.
Thus, a plot targeting Huang Old Master's precious son, Young Master Huang, gradually took shape.
Miao Cheng reluctantly sold his two daughters to a brothel, taking the names Xuan Ji and Xiao Wan. A grand drama began to unfold.
Through Xiao Wan's outburst, it was revealed that both sisters had prepared to sacrifice themselves. The two vied for Young Master Huang's affection, but their ultimate goal was for him to choose one of them, thus sparing the life of the other.
However, Young Master Huang ultimately fell in love with the elder sister, Xuan Ji.
On a full moon night, Xuan Ji, as planned, was carried in a sedan chair and brought to the mansion. Huang Old Master, who had not been in the mansion, "coincidentally" learned of this and rushed back in anger.
He ordered the evil servants to stop the sedan chair and drown Xuan Ji in the lake.
The subsequent events unfolded like a pre-written script. Young Master Huang, who was already weak, fell ill and eventually died.
Huang Old Master, heartbroken over the loss of his son, became mentally exhausted and physically deteriorated.
At this point, Miao Cheng and his group, pretending to be traveling sorcerers, appeared. After showing Huang Old Master some tricks from ancient texts, he grew fully convinced of their claimed powers.
They promised to bring Young Master Huang back to life, but only if Huang Old Master cooperated.
He was to play the role of his son and kill a few people to be used in a live sacrifice, selecting them based on their birth dates.
Had Huang Old Master been in his right mind, he would have dismissed these words. But desperate after losing his son, he was too distressed to think clearly.
Thus, Miao Cheng transformed into the Huang family's butler, and with his arrangement, most of the servants were dismissed, especially the martial artists who had previously found him suspicious.
But no one expected the only change to come from those "doctors" selected to treat Young Master Huang.
An Xuan took out a piece of rough paper, which had been folded multiple times. After opening it, it revealed an introduction to three people—Qin Jian, Shi Liao Zhi, and You Qi.
All three were from Huang Family Slope and had been involved in the poisoning incident. Qin Jian, in particular, was Huang Old Master's insider in the royal mansion at the time.
The paper had been torn from a larger sheet, and one side showed signs of tooth marks. You Qi's details were only half provided, indicating there was more.
Jiang Cheng, after briefly scanning the paper, crumpled it and threw it on the ground.
It was now clear—these "doctors" had been part of the massacre years ago.
This was the butler's revenge! He wanted to use Huang Old Master's hands to kill all his former accomplices.
After An Xuan found the book that contained these records, he knew everything but chose not to reveal it, fearing that guilt would soften their hearts during the final confrontation with the butler's group.
"You... You all deserve to die!" Xiao Wan's eyes were bloodshot, as though blood was about to pour from them. "I will never forgive you, even as a ghost!"
"Never forgive you!"
The butler, who had lost an arm, was holding the middle-aged woman's body and wept bitterly. He couldn't understand why they had failed. They had almost succeeded, and his eldest daughter had even sacrificed herself. Could it be that heaven was blind, helping these evil people instead?
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The sound of the drum echoed.
It was the drum of the third watch.
This drumbeat felt different from all the others, carrying a sense of indescribable sorrow, melancholy, but also a trace of hope and lingering attachment.
"Let's go." Jiang Cheng patted Fatty, and everyone began running towards the lake.
After running for some distance, Fatty turned back and saw the three still standing there, their figures becoming increasingly blurred.
Chen Qiang had retrieved the phoenix crown he had hidden before and handed it to Jiang Cheng, who then passed it to Fatty.
Time was pressing. Once they completed the last task, they could leave.
Upon reaching the lakeside, the mist reappeared, though much thinner than before. In the center of the lake stood a woman wearing a red veil.
Her figure was graceful, identical to the woman in the painting.
The larger boat from before appeared again, the same one where Fatty had found Shi Liao Zhi's dismembered body.
After boarding the boat, Fatty stood at the bow, and the boat immediately started moving toward the ghostly woman.
The closer they got, the more uneasy they felt. An Xuan, Chen Qiang, and Xia Meng instinctively leaned back.
The boat finally stopped.
Fatty stood before the woman.
A bright moonlight suddenly shone down, casting a glow on both Fatty and the ghostly woman.
Then, an astonishing scene occurred. Fatty's costume started to disappear, replaced by the attire of a groom.
He gently lifted the woman's red veil, revealing not a fearsome ghost's face, but an incredibly beautiful one.
With bright eyes and a radiant smile, her features were like a painting, and a hairpin styled like a blooming lotus flower adorned her hair, adding a striking touch of elegance.
The woman looked at Fatty in his new attire, and her eyes seemed to melt away the winter's chill.
Sighing softly, Xia Meng understood in that moment—the butler had never anticipated this.
His daughter, Xuan Ji, had truly fallen in love with Young Master Huang.
The enmity of two generations intertwined, leaving only bloodshed and desolation on the ground, alongside an indescribable feeling of wistfulness.
Who would have thought that Xuan Ji's final wish was for the son of her enemy to personally place the bridal crown on her head?
The moonlight enveloped them, and for a moment, the scene felt sacred.
A solemn atmosphere lingered.
As Fatty gently placed the phoenix crown on Xuan Ji's head, she finally... smiled.
Like a blossom blooming in an instant, her beauty was enough to dispel the entire night.
Clad in a red veil, Xuan Ji began to fade inch by inch, starting with her legs, then her body, and finally her face. The speed was so fast that Fatty barely had time to reach out before her fingertips vanished.
The sky... was beginning to lighten.
(End of the Chapter)
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