“Exactly!” 

Third Master Liang, Liang Mo, flushed red with rage against his otherwise pale complexion. He pounded his hand against Liang Changjun’s back, cursing loudly. 

“Big Brother! I think these so-called ghost tamers are nothing but a bunch of frauds! We spent a fortune hiring them, yet Sixth Brother still died! Our entire Liang family was counting on him!” 

“And that fortune teller! Just earlier, she claimed that Sixth Brother would pass the imperial exams within the next twenty years! Yet the very same night, this happened! If this isn’t deception, then what is?!” 

Xu Ruyi and Meng Qiuci were at a loss, clearly unprepared for such an intense confrontation. Their expressions turned sour. Liang Nanyin furrowed her brows, her naturally gentle nature making her rebuttal sound soft. 

“Fifth Brother! Third Uncle! Father! Please stop arguing! First of all, the two ghost tamers haven’t even begun their ritual yet because Mother and Father insisted on waiting until after Ninth Brother’s seventh-day memorial. Secondly, Sixth Brother has always had the talent to pass the imperial exam—how is that related to what happened today?!”

When Madam Qin heard that Liang Nanyin still dared to get involved, she was scared out of her wits and hurried to pull Liang Nanyin toward the women’s side. But Liang Nanyin refused to move. 

“Just tell me—am I right or not?” 

For a moment, no one could respond. 

Furious, Liang Shanren pointed at her nose and cursed, “This is why they say daughters are like spilled water! The moment they’re born, they’re outsiders! Eighth Sister, are you deliberately siding against our Liang family? What exactly do you want?!” 

Liang Nanyin stared at him in disbelief, frozen in shock. 

“Fifth Brother is absolutely right!” Liang Molian nodded in agreement. “Sixth Brother died this night! Killed by a ghost! Yet she’s still speaking up for outsiders! After eating our Liang family’s food for years, she won’t even stand by us! Pah!”

“You’ve gone too far…!” 

Xu Ruyi had never witnessed such blatant twisting of the truth. But he was naturally cold and aloof, having grown up in a ghost-hunting sect, and with these large men hurling accusations one after another, he had no idea how to interject. 

“Eighth Sister is Ninth Brother’s biological sister! In my opinion, the ghost causing trouble tonight must be Ninth Brother! Eighth Sister is covering for her own brother!” 

Liang Shanren declared with conviction. 

“Of course! Ninth Brother wasn’t so clever in life! He must have been jealous of our Sixth Brother for being even smarter! Clearly, Eighth Sister and Ninth Brother couldn’t stand seeing him succeed, so they wanted him to die a terrible death!” 

Liang Molian sobbed as he shouted, “He was the backbone of the Liang family!” 

Madam Yang wept uncontrollably at the side. 

Qin Shi clutched Liang Nanyin, causing her medical box to fall to the ground, spilling herbs everywhere. But Qin Shi paid no heed, dragging her forcefully toward the gathered family members. Xu Ruyi and Meng Qiuci tried to intervene but couldn’t stop her. 

Furious, Qin Shi grabbed Liang Nanyin’s clothes and screamed, 

“Kneel! You little wretch, kneel! Kneel before your father! Fifth Brother! Third Master! Fourth Concubine! Apologize to Sixth Brother! Hurry up and kneel! This is the sin you brought upon yourself! You wretched girl with your filthy mouth! What does this have to do with your brother?! He’s dead, and he still has to suffer your bad luck! What a disaster!” 

“Madam! Please calm yourself! Miss Nanyin would never do such a thing!”

As soon as Meng Qiuci finished speaking, Qin Shi cut him off sharply: “Outsiders should mind their own business!” 

Qin Shi continued wailing, while tears streamed down Liang Nanyin’s face. She was being forcefully held, her knees about to give in when, beyond the two ghost tamers’ voices trying to intervene, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the room. 

Liang Nanyin, feeling utterly lost, caught a glimpse of bright yellow fabric entering her peripheral vision. 

Then, without warning, the approaching young lady—who had seemed impossibly stubborn—shoved Qin Shi to the ground! 

Qin Shi let out a loud wail of pain, leaving everyone utterly stunned. 

Liang Nanyin, caught in a half-kneeling position, was helped to her feet by the newcomer. She looked up in a daze, her gaze settling on the girl’s dark hair before lowering her eyes to see the fiercely determined young Miss. 

The young woman, half a head shorter than Liang Nanyin, had a commanding presence. She furrowed her brows deeply and glared fiercely at the gathered crowd. 

“You! Where did this little wench come from?! What do you think you’re doing?!” 

Liang Shanren’s hands trembled in anger as he pointed at her. But the moment he saw Liang Shanyuan step in behind her, his voice noticeably softened. 

Hua Zhuo clung to Liang Nanyin at first, remaining silent until she slipped behind Liang Shanyuan. 

Liang Shanyuan turned his head and couldn’t help but chuckle. The girl, who once resembled a timid kitten, now stood like a fierce young leopard, her large almond-shaped eyes glaring from behind him; she exuded an air of borrowed authority. 

“You’re bullying her! So this young lady will interfere!” she declared boldly. 

Her words were as straightforward as could be. 

Liang Nanyin stood there, stunned, before Hua Zhuo gave her a firm push toward Xu Ruyi. Meng Qiuci had already gathered her scattered medical box and personally helped her put everything in place. 

“Who’s bullying her?!” 

Liang Molian choked on his words before shouting again, “Outsiders should mind their own business—” 

“Ptui!” 

Hua Zhuo spat on the ground, but her hands timidly grabbed a handful of fabric from the back of Liang Shanyuan’s robe. 

“And how do you know for sure that a ghost was behind this?” she sneered. “From what I see, there aren’t many decent people in the Liang family! You lot are more vicious than any ghost! I bet Liang Shiqi’s death isn’t as simple as you claim!” 

It was a single sentence, yet it struck like a clap of thunder—waking everyone from their delusions.

A few of the men were still fuming, ready to hurl more insults, but Xu Ruyi stepped forward first, cupping his hands toward Liang Changjun. 

“County Magistrate, I agree with my sister’s view. Simply because it is the seventh lunar month, everyone assumes it must be the work of vengeful spirits. Instead of jumping to conclusions, why not have the coroner examine the body first—” 

“Examine what body?! It’s obviously Ninth Brother’s restless ghost!” Liang Shanren ground his teeth in anger. “These ghost tamers just want to shift the blame!” 

“Nanyin, go over and examine him first! If you find nothing, then call the old doctor from the medical hall! If even he finds nothing, then we can conclude it is the work of an evil ghost!” 

Liang Changjun was clearly exhausted. He had no intention of arguing any further. With a weary sigh, he flicked his sleeve and turned to retreat into his chambers. 

Inside, the flickering candlelight cast wavering shadows on the walls. 

Liang Nanyin carefully packed up her medical box. As she passed by Hua Zhuo and the others, she bowed deeply to Hua Zhuo before wiping her face and hurrying toward the main hall.

Hua Zhuo watched as the others left but didn’t move. For a long time, she stood still until Liang Shanyuan, who had been in front of her, turned his head to look at her. 

The woman’s face was pale, and the white jade earrings dangling from her earlobes swayed slightly. Her dark eyes held a faint trace of amusement. 

Hua Zhuo froze. Even though, in her eyes, Liang Shanyuan looked as eerie as a paper effigy, and exuded an unsettling ghostly aura, at this moment, her smile seemed as gentle as the blossoms of spring and the moonlit nights of autumn. 

She instinctively snapped, “What are you looking at?!” 

“Is Miss Hua Zhuo that scared?” he asked. 

“What do you mean by that?” Hua Zhuo puffed up her chest, keeping her voice firm as she always did in the face of ghosts. “Why would I be scared? I fear nothing, neither heaven nor earth!” 

“Oh.”

Liang Shanyuan smiled and nodded. “Then, Miss Hua Zhuo, could you let go now?” 

Hua Zhuo stared at her for a moment before lowering her gaze—her hand was still clutching Liang Shanyuan’s clothing, having wrinkled a large section of the fabric. 

Hua Zhuo: … 

She quickly let go, even smoothing out the wrinkles with a few careful pats before clearing her throat and stepping back two paces. 

Xu Ruyi and Meng Qiuci had witnessed the entire scene. 

At this moment, both of them felt an overwhelming sense of awkwardness. 

“Ahem.” 

The two now had an even clearer understanding of Hua Zhuo’s tough exterior but soft heart. Xu Ruyi’s face turned slightly red as he struggled to hold back a laugh. But knowing that if he did, his sister would definitely get mad, he instead turned to Liang Shanyuan and said, “Fifth Miss, tomorrow, I shall personally buy you an identical dress as compensation.”

“Fifth Miss, I also have some dresses I haven’t worn yet. You’re taller than me, but I happened to buy one that was a bit too big. It should fit you just right.” 

“No need to trouble yourself. It’s just a few wrinkles.” 

Hua Zhuo: … 

“You’re all so annoying!” Hua Zhuo snapped, both embarrassed and frustrated. “You two have no sense at all! I came all the way over, and you don’t even thank me! Against people like that, you don’t waste time talking—you just act first!” 

Though Hua Zhuo was gentle by nature, she knew full well that dealing with scoundrels required force rather than reason. After all, if logic worked on them, they wouldn’t be scoundrels in the first place. Now, trapped in this body, she had to act even more domineering! 

Xu Ruyi chuckled and sighed. “We do owe you thanks, but why did you come out?” 

“I was worried and wanted to check on my brother,” Hua Zhuo said. 

The truth was, she didn’t want to miss any part of the plot, and she hadn’t expected to walk right into this mess. 

Not wanting to get scolded by Xu Ruyi, she leaned against Liang Shanyuan’s side and added, “Brother, I came out with her.”

Meng Qiuci also smiled and comforted Xu Ruyi, “Thanks to Sister Hua Zhuo’s presence tonight, everything will be easier to handle. The two of us need to stay here. Sister Hua Zhuo should go back first. Fifth Miss, please escort Sister Hua Zhuo back.”

“Okay.” Liang Shanyuan nodded, and Xu Ruyi also nodded in response. Seeing that Hua Zhuo had indeed brought the talisman paper he gave her, he silently watched the two of them leave.

*

As soon as Hua Zhuo walked out of the courtyard, she walked to Ting Lan, who was waiting at the door.

If Hua Zhuo hadn’t seen Liang Shanyuan at the door as soon as she left Huaiguang Pavilion and thought that taking her along would save her from being scolded by Xu Ruyi, Hua Zhuo wouldn’t have wanted to travel with a ghost like Liang Shanyuan in the middle of the night. Without even saying goodbye, she quickly ran away with Ting Lan.

She felt quite uneasy all the way; as soon as she returned to Huaiguang Pavilion, she closed the door. Exhausted after a day’s work, Hua Zhuo sat in front of the dressing mirror, supporting her face with her hands and letting Ting Lan take off her hair accessories.

On the dressing table, two blue-and-white candlesticks burned steadily, their flickering flames casting a bright glow over the scattered cosmetics and the bronze mirror resting atop the table. 

Hua Zhuo lifted her eyelids and looked at the reflection in the mirror. 

Although she had transmigrated into a book, her appearance and figure remained largely unchanged from her previous life. The only difference was that the original owner’s brows and eyes appeared sharper and more intense, whereas her own had slightly rounder corners, making her look softer. 

She actually liked this little change. In her past life, she had been short, and coupled with her gentle features, she had often been bullied by those who preyed on the weak. But in this life, though her height hadn’t changed, a single glare from her sharper eyes was enough to make people hesitate before speaking. 

A sleepy smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She was exhausted. Her eyelids drooped as she felt Tinglan behind her carefully removing her hair ornaments and gently combing through her long hair with a wooden comb, moving from the crown of her head down to the tips.

The combing was meticulous and precise, quite different from the usual somewhat rough technique. 

There was some improvement… 

Hua Zhuo was satisfied. Ting Lan was a maid brought from the palace, chosen from among the lower servants because the older, more experienced maids were too rigid with rules. However, given the urgent circumstances, Ting Lan had made quite a few foolish mistakes—she often pulled too hard when combing hair. 

As her fingers released the smoothly combed black hair and picked up another strand, her fingertips brushed against Hua Zhuo’s scalp—it felt icy cold. 

Drowsiness weighed heavily on Hua Zhuo, and she didn’t bother to lift her eyelids. But suddenly, from outside the window, a loud “bang” shattered the silence. 

Startled, she trembled all over and looked up. In the dim candlelight, a vague human silhouette appeared outside the window. A hand forcefully slapped against the window frame again, making the wooden structure rattle violently.

Hua Zhuo’s heartbeat raced as she lifted a hand to press against her chest. Fear surged through her as the relentless knocking on the window continued. The loud “bang, bang, bang” pounded straight into her heart. 

That ghost couldn’t get in—Xu Ruyi had set up a protective array for her! 

“Stop knocking!” Once she reassured herself, a bold arrogance crept into her tone. With a cold snort, she even smirked, her expression haughty and defiant. “Go back to wherever you came from! This young lady isn’t afraid of ghosts or gods! If you don’t want to die again, get lost!” 

As if hearing her words, the ghost outside became enraged. The knocking grew even more rapid, and faintly, the sound of a woman’s sobbing wove through the noise. 

A deep chill seeped into the room. Hua Zhuo shivered, hugging her own shoulders. With another disdainful snort, she grabbed a second comb from the table and began combing her own hair. “Don’t be scared, Ting Lan. My brother set up a protective array in this room—these ghosts and gods can’t get in! And yet they still dare come here to try and scare me—what a bunch of—”

Hua Zhuo’s hand froze mid-motion, her breath catching in her throat as she stared blankly into the mirror. 

Standing behind her, holding a comb, was a person—or rather, something that looked like a person. 

Its entire body was covered in long, matted hair. It wore Ting Lan’s clothes. 

At that moment, amidst the frantic bang bang bang of fists pounding on the window, a voice—Ting Lan’s voice—rang out from outside, trembling with sheer terror. 

“Your Highness! Come out, Your Highness! Please, come out quickly! Who are you talking to, Your Highness?!”