Chapter 19: Another Death! Playing Along (1/2)

Ye Qingning and the system were both stunned, the amount of information they just received was simply overwhelming and needed time to process.

Setting aside whether it’s supernatural or not, the phrase “servant husband” had them both frozen for a solid three seconds.

Had she entered the wrong trial realm? Others might get a heavenly girl falling from the sky, but she got two “servant husbands” instead?

Shouldn’t someone have prepared her for this kind of wild development? Is this something that can even be broadcasted?

[Ningning, don’t be scared! Just two…!!]

The system’s eyes were full of anticipation, eager to see what would happen! But just as it was about to say “roots,” Ye Qingning shot it a look, causing it to obediently shut up.

Still not giving up, the system tried to explain in another way: [What I mean is, this maid not only knows that there are dried corpses in the house after death, but also knows about servant husbands—she shouldn’t be a trial disciple.]

[But forget about the two servant husbands! My suggestion is to summon them over to test them. They might really be trial disciples, and if they are, the points will be ours! Don’t worry, the two old men outside and the supervising disciples won’t allow anything improper. It’s just a simple test, stop overthinking it!]

[And it’s my fault for letting you get involved with that scum, Xie Jibai, in your past life. You never even got a decent meal…]

Ye Qingning: “…” What is even going on? Who exactly is thinking about something improper here?

And why bring up that scum Xie Jibai again? Is there no basic respect?

The maid, seeing Ye Qingning hesitating, tried to persuade her with all her might.

“Miss, just listen to me. If you really want to wander around the manor, wait until tomorrow when the eldest young miss returns. The immortals will come with her to exorcise ghosts and rid the evil spirits. Everything will be taken care of!”

“You’re saying the eldest sister is coming back tomorrow? With members of the Immortal Sect?”

Ye Qingning hadn’t expected that the one truly holding a cultivator identity in the trial realm would be arriving soon.

If there are trial disciples among them who, like her, draw a cultivator identity, they would have far more freedom to act.

This situation suddenly became interesting.

The maid continued, “Yes, tomorrow is the master’s birthday. The eldest young miss received a message from the master. She’s coming back not only to celebrate his birthday, but also because of the evil spirits causing trouble in the city. The immortal cultivators will be coming down the mountain to catch the demons and spirits. They’ll be here by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“Miss, please be patient. I’ll go and bring those two servant husbands over to keep you entertained!”

Ye Qingning suddenly realized, no wonder the courtyard was decorated with red lanterns. Tomorrow must be the birthday banquet. Her “father” in this trial realm really had a big heart.

It seemed that the second madam’s nephew had died at the manor because he came to celebrate her father’s birthday.

Perhaps the guesthouses were filled with other visitors attending the banquet. The manor was indeed lively.

Ye Qingning snapped back to her thoughts, but just as she was about to stop the maid, thinking she could manage on her own, a series of stumbling footsteps approached rapidly.

Soon, a young boy about fourteen years old stumbled toward her, pale as paper, looking like he had been frightened out of his wits.

Upon seeing her, he stammered in fear, “S-second miss, Greenro, the front yard… someone died again!”

“I… I saw something… something floated past me, like it was not human, nor anything I’ve ever seen! It was so weird, it made strange sounds!”

“I’m too scared! I couldn’t look anymore, so I ran here to tell you. Please don’t leave the courtyard, second miss! What I said is all true!”

While speaking, the boy’s eyes darted around nervously, as if he feared whatever he had seen might jump out of the darkness, his body trembling in terror.

Despite his obvious fear, Ye Qingning remained suspicious.

If her identity were that of a ghost, she could easily claim to have seen a spirit kill someone and put on such an act herself.

So, she wasn’t sure whether the boy before her was a trial disciple or not.

Then, the system screamed: [Ningning, quick, look! Does that boy have a blue jade pendant hanging from his waist?! He… He can’t be that scum, Qin Changsheng, right?]

Just now, while the boy had been scrambling to get to her, Ye Qingning hadn’t noticed what was hanging at his waist. After all, she didn’t have a habit of staring at other people’s waists upon first meeting.

Unless the waist was unusually slim… cough, cough.

To get back on track, during the pre-trial phase, Qin Changsheng, the scumbag, had told her he would hang a blue jade pendant from his waist so she could easily recognize him.

Who would have thought she’d run into him here?

The scumbag was truly skilled at acting. Before seeing the pendant, she hadn’t suspected him at all.

Clearly, his acting skills were remarkable.

Moreover, for him to recognize her as the second miss of the Yu family and call out Greenro’s name, it was obvious that Qin Changsheng had done his homework and investigated the situation at her manor beforehand.

[Ningning, these points are basically handed to us! But I wonder what identity that scum has. If we guess wrong, our points will be deducted.]

Ye Qingning: [Failure to verify someone’s identity results in losing half of my current points as a punishment. My points are currently zero—can they even deduct more?]

[The real headache is that I can’t verify anyone else for the next three days.]

The system fluttered its wings. With zero points, there was nothing to fear. The real concern was making the wrong guess and then not being able to verify anyone else for three days.

Ye Qingning wasn’t sure whether the scumbag’s identity was “a ghost” or not. Even if she wanted to verify, she couldn’t take out the identity card at this time.

She could only play along, swallowing her fear and pretending to be calm as she said to the scumbag: “Isn’t it just another death? Why are you so scared! If everyone in the manor were like you, it’d be in chaos!”

“Now that something has happened in the manor, it’s already in a mess. Since you know about it, you can’t just sit by. If you want to follow me, then follow, but if you’re too scared, stay here and don’t become a snack for the evil spirits!”

Ye Qingning didn’t know exactly what kind of person the second miss of the Yu family was, but from Greenro’s words, she guessed she was probably somewhat spoiled and had a temper.

As expected, after hearing these words, Greenro showed no suspicion and said without hesitation, “Miss, I’m your personal maid, wherever you go, I go! If anything happens, at worst, I’ll be punished by the master!”

Actually, Greenro was also curious to see which unlucky soul died this time.

The scumbag was a master of acting. Not only did he show no suspicion towards Ye Qingning, but now, he also pretended to be terrified.

With a stiff face, he said: “Second miss, as the protector of the manor, I can’t let you go alone. I’ll lead the way for you!”

Ye Qingning glanced at the scumbag and Greenro, then hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“Fine, let’s go then. But you better stay alert, I’m not the one who’s scared here,” she said with a half-smile, trying to maintain the illusion of confidence.

As they headed toward the front yard, the atmosphere grew heavier with every step. The boy who had come to report the death trailed behind them, still glancing nervously at every shadow. The air around them felt thick, almost suffocating, and the usual sounds of the night seemed oddly muted, as though the very air was holding its breath.

The front yard came into view, bathed in the pale glow of lanterns. The once cheerful and lively place now felt eerily still. There were several servants gathered around, whispering in low voices, their faces filled with dread. In the middle of the courtyard, a body lay sprawled in an unnatural position, its limbs twisted at odd angles. The deathly silence was broken only by the occasional rustling of the wind and the low murmur of the crowd.

Ye Qingning’s eyes narrowed. Despite the scene before her, she didn’t feel the chill she expected from such a situation. Instead, her thoughts raced. This was too staged. The death, the atmosphere—it all felt too convenient, as if someone was deliberately trying to create fear.

[Ningning, I have a bad feeling about this.] The system’s voice crackled in her mind. [The timing is just too perfect. And the way they’re all acting—don’t you think it’s all too much like a performance?]

She agreed. Something was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She had been in the trial realm long enough to know when things didn’t add up.

The servants quickly made way for her as she approached the body. The sight before her was unsettling. The body, a young man, appeared to have died from a severe shock. His eyes were wide open in terror, his mouth slightly agape. But what really stood out were the deep claw marks across his neck, as if something had shredded him apart.

“Who found the body?” Ye Qingning asked, her voice calm but sharp.

One of the servants, a woman with a face ashen with fear, stepped forward. “It was me, Miss. I was coming to check on the preparations for tomorrow’s banquet when I saw… I saw him like this, lying here… with those marks on his neck.”

“Did anyone else see anything unusual?” Ye Qingning asked, her gaze scanning the faces of the servants around her.

One of the men, trembling, spoke up. “There were strange noises… like whispers, but… louder. And we thought we saw something move in the shadows… but when we looked, there was nothing there.”

Ye Qingning nodded slowly, processing the information. It wasn’t just a death—it was a carefully crafted scene designed to invoke fear. Whoever was behind this wanted to make sure that everyone would believe in the supernatural. The more they feared, the more control the person behind this would have.

“Get the body out of here,” she instructed coldly, turning to the servants. “And make sure to keep your eyes peeled. If anything happens, report it immediately.”

As they began to move the body, Ye Qingning turned to the scumbag, who was standing just behind her. His face was pale, though it was hard to tell whether it was from fear or the effort of maintaining his cover.

“Are you afraid, Qin Changsheng?” Ye Qingning asked, her voice low, as she leaned in just enough for him to hear.

His eyes widened slightly, but he quickly recovered his composure. “I’m just trying to be careful, second miss,” he said, bowing his head slightly.

Ye Qingning smiled inwardly. He was still trying to act the part of a protector, but she could see through it. His fear wasn’t real—it was just another layer of his performance.

[Ningning, we’ve got to be careful. If he’s really Qin Changsheng, then this whole thing could be part of some bigger scheme. You can’t trust anything right now.] The system warned her.

Ye Qingning didn’t reply immediately. Her mind was already racing with possibilities. She needed to figure out what was going on—who was orchestrating this, and why?

“Let’s go inside,” she said finally, straightening up. “I’ve seen enough for tonight.”

She turned on her heel and walked toward the house, but her thoughts were elsewhere. There was something she was missing, something that didn’t fit. This wasn’t just a death—it was part of a larger game, and she needed to figure out who was playing it and why.

As she walked back toward the mansion, the feeling of being watched intensified. It was as if every shadow, every flicker of movement in the corner of her eye, was part of this twisted drama. Ye Qingning’s grip tightened on her sleeve, and she knew—this night was far from over.

[Ningning, whatever happens next, stay alert. There’s more to this than you think.]

She nodded, her gaze hardening. Whatever the game was, she was ready to play.