The maidservant’s cry startled the entire Yun family.
For a moment, everyone stopped what they were doing.
Changming also opened her eyes at that moment.
Laifu was the first to run to Yun Yichu’s courtyard.
Before he could announce himself, Yun Yichu came running out in only an inner robe.
After Lanfang heard the commotion, she hurriedly got out of bed as well.
She quietly opened the door, leaned out, and asked the maidservant, “I just heard someone say that the First Young Madam hanged herself?”
The maidservant quickly nodded. “That’s what was shouted a few times.”
Lanfang’s eyes shifted. She hurriedly did her hair and makeup, dressed herself, and walked toward Chunlu’s courtyard.
Yun Yichu was the first to enter Chunlu’s courtyard.
He staggered to the door.
Changming followed behind Yun Yichu.
The moment the door opened, a musty smell wafted out.
Through the dust-covered lattice windows, a few strands of sunlight filtered in.
Yun Yichu held on to the doorframe and looked inside.
A length of white silk hung from the beam. Chunlu’s neck rested against it; as the cold wind blew past, her body swayed slightly.
Beneath the corpse was an overturned chair.
Yun Yichu covered his mouth, tears streaming down soundlessly.
Choked with sobs, he could not utter a single word.
His knees went weak, and he slid down along the doorframe, kneeling on the ground.
Everyone in the courtyard lowered their heads.
Lanfang also quietly stood in place, head lowered.
In the oppressive atmosphere, Changming walked inside holding the Soul-Summoning Umbrella.
Only after entering did she discover that Chunlu’s personal maidservant had also died by the bedside, blood spilled all over the floor.
She must have followed her mistress in death.
A red thread flew from Changming’s wrist. After searching for a while, it found the traces left behind by underworld constables after they departed.
When the soul left the body and the underworld constables hooked it away, they would leave a dark-red red spider lily mark stamped on the corpse.
Chunlu should have already gone to reincarnate by now.
Just as that thought occurred to her, the red thread found an unusual floral fragrance on the corpse, drawing Changming’s attention.
She looked up and saw that it was a sachet.
But this sachet had clearly been placed among the ashes by Yun Yichu yesterday.
Changming held the sachet between her fingers, suspicion rising in her heart.
Outside the door, Laifu’s voice sounded. “Young Master? Young Master?”
Yun Yichu knelt by the doorframe, motionless and silent. Laifu called to him, but he did not respond.
His face was deathly pale, his lips without the slightest hint of color.
Seeing this, Laifu hurriedly shouted, “Call a physician! Hurry, call a physician!”
Changming immediately went out and used spiritual power to examine his body. Fortunately, he was only overwhelmed by grief; there was nothing else seriously wrong.
Laifu directed the manservants to carry Yun Yichu back to his room to rest.
The maidservants gradually dispersed as well.
With her eyes lowered, Lanfang brushed past Changming, and a fragrance drifted from her body.
Changming looked deeply at her, as if confirming something.
Fengxing slowly came to stand beside Changming. “Did you notice anything?”
Changming’s voice was flat, betraying no emotion. “Chunlu hanged herself from the beam.”
“And her personal maidservant followed her mistress in death.”
“There are traces of underworld constables having come through the room.”
“Their souls should have been taken away long ago.”
Fengxing asked Changming, “I saw you staring at that woman the whole time. Is there something wrong with her?”
Changming looked at Fengxing and took out the sachet. “I just smelled a floral fragrance on this.”
“And that exact fragrance happens to be on her.”
Fengxing continued Changming’s thought. “So you think she was the one who drove Chunlu to her death.”
He thought for a moment. “Yesterday, Yun Yichu hid both the ashes and the sachet in the ancestral hall.”
“She stole the sachet and told Chunlu the news of Yun Rong’s death.”
“Chunlu couldn’t accept it and died for love.”
Changming smiled faintly. “The affairs of the mortal world have nothing to do with me.”
“It’s just that the trouble caused by the Six-Child Copper Coin in the Yun residence is growing worse and worse. It seems we’ll have to find it quickly.”
“To avoid being dragged into it ourselves.”
At noon, following Yun Yichu’s instructions, Laifu found people to prepare Chunlu’s remains.
A manservant came to ask, “The First Young Madam has just passed away. Should we write a letter to inform the Wang family?”
Laifu glared at him. “Of course we should. Do you have a pig’s brain?”
“If you died in this residence, would your family not need to be informed?”
After being scolded, the young manservant quickly bent at the waist.
“Then I’ll go find a scribe right away.”
But halfway there, he turned back again. “But the Wang family left this place twenty years ago. Even if we write a letter, where should we send it?”
Laifu was stumped. After thinking for a while, he said, “Then set that aside for now. Let the First Young Madam be placed in her coffin first.”
Several young maidservants who had received her kindness burned paper money for Chunlu.
One maidservant said softly, “The First Young Madam died so unjustly. Now that she’s gone, there isn’t even anyone to mourn her.”
Another maidservant echoed, “This was all her own choice. No matter how hard it was, she still had to keep walking down that path.”
“To die a guest in a foreign land can only be called bad fate.”
Those few words made several people begin to cry. They had all come from elsewhere to work as long-term servants.
The First Young Madam’s circumstances were just like theirs.
Even if they died away from home, their families would never know.
Changming returned to the west wing. With a flick of her hand, she pasted a yellow talisman onto the door.
With a light tap of two fingers, she drew out a barrier that covered the surroundings.
She sat cross-legged, the Soul-Summoning Umbrella open above her head.
Her fingertip picked up a little ash from the sachet.
With a gentle blow, it instantly scattered into the air.
The red thread at Changming’s wrist immediately flew out and became stained with the ashes.
Using herself as the medium, she activated the art of divination.
Wherever the red thread passed, blood-red red spider lilies bloomed one after another.
Changming closed her eyes and began searching for the location of the Six-Child Copper Coin.
Outside the door, Fengxing held his sword and stood guard in silence.
Changming probed Yun Rong’s memories and saw the scene before his death.
Using the resentment left behind in Yun Rong’s soul as a guide, she pursued the aura of the Six-Child Copper Coin.
Her consciousness passed through the wall of the ancestral hall and twisted a Buddha statue.
An entrance appeared behind the Yun family’s memorial tablets. She went in, and all around was darkness.
Stairs stretched down into the depths.
She plunged downward all the way. At the end was an ancient copper coin glowing with golden light.
Before she could look closely, a white-clad child suddenly appeared and swept out a palm strike, scattering Changming’s consciousness.
“Pfft.” A mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
The scent of blood drifted outside the door. Fengxing immediately came in and supported Changming.
“How was it?”
Changming wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. “I found its location.”
“It’s right beneath the Yun family ancestral hall.”
“But before I could see clearly, I was struck back.”
“This little thing is rather interesting.”
Fengxing said nothing more and transferred some spiritual power to Changming.
From that spiritual power, Changming sensed Fengxing’s true identity.
She pushed his hand away. “If you’re only a remnant soul, don’t indulge in fantasies of healing me.”
“Over these years, my body has long since become a bottomless pit of illness. It isn’t something your bit of spiritual power can fill.”
She stood and looked at Fengxing. “I’ve already helped you find the location of the Six-Child Copper Coin. Have you decided what you’ll use in exchange?”
Fengxing looked toward the door. “After this matter is over, I’ll fulfill my promise. Is that all right?”
Changming sat by the table and poured herself a cup of tea. “All right. I’ll wait for you.”
I may only update this one chapter today.
Good grief, I only wanted to write a simple book. Why do I still have to fill out all sorts of forms after signing the contract?
So many forms. [crying hard] [crying hard]
I don’t like filling out forms. [crying hard]