Hua Zhuo was utterly speechless—if she lashed out at Xu Ruyi, it would go against her character as the original host: the sweet, obedient, almost clingy younger sister. So all she could do was swallow her frustration like she was eating bitter herbs, and nod silently.

Liang Nanyin couldn’t help but beam with joy when she heard this. She whispered, “Fifth Sister, that’s wonderful.”

She truly believed that someone as charming as Liang Shanyuan—even a proud, temperamental noble girl from Chang’an would eventually come to like her Fifth Sister.

Liang Shanyuan’s gaze lingered briefly on the siblings. The petite girl was curled up in a wooden chair, her fair face flushed with a stifled red, looking both frustrated and upset as she stared straight at that little Daoist priest.

A faint, amused smile flickered in the woman’s dark eyes as she approached the siblings. She lowered her gaze to the small coin pouch resting on the girl’s lap—half embroidered with the chubby face of a blessing and longevity doll.

Hua Zhuo saw her and felt a rush of frustration at her plan falling apart. She let out a cold snort.

“Miss Hua Zhuo, your work is lovely,” the woman said gently. “Daoist Xu will surely like it.”

Hua Zhuo froze.

Xu Ruyi stared blankly for a moment. Only when he caught Meng Qiuci’s hesitant, conflicted expression did realization dawn on him. He quickly crouched down. “Zhuo’er, you… you were going to give it to me?”

“Of course!” Hua Zhuo puffed out her cheeks indignantly. “When have I ever given gifts to anyone else? Every gift I make is for Brother—only for Brother. I would never give them to anyone else.”

As she heard the mental ding of “+10 karmic merit,” Hua Zhuo pressed her lips together to hide her smile—just barely.

But then, she felt a heavy gaze lingering above her. She looked up to find Liang Shanyuan standing in front of her, gently caressing the white jade bracelet on her wrist. She said nothing, but when she noticed Hua Zhuo looking at her, she returned the gaze with a soft, delicate smile.

But for some reason, when their eyes met, it felt as if a venomous snake had coiled itself around her.

What kind of scheme was that black-hearted lotus brewing?

Hua Zhuo didn’t believe for a second that her actions were without ulterior motive.

Xu Ruyi, however, was sincerely grateful. He had wandered since childhood with his master and had never known the warmth of family, so he deeply cherished Hua Zhuo as his younger sister.

“It’s all thanks to Miss Shanyuan’s beauty and wisdom, and her meticulous nature. Otherwise, I would’ve made a complete fool of myself today. I truly apologize. Miss Shanyuan, is there anything you particularly like? I’ll be sure to bring a gift to thank you properly another day.”

“Then I suppose I need to think about it,” Liang Shanyuan said with a faint smile. “My Eighth Sister has already called her over—why don’t you ask her first? Cuirou still needs to attend the funeral, so she can’t stay too long.”

Only then did the others turn their eyes toward her.

The woman named Cuirou had a delicate, fair face and a gentle figure. She appeared somewhat timid, hiding slightly behind Liang Nanyin. With lowered eyes and a polite demeanor, she bowed and twisted her handkerchief nervously. “Greetings, Daoists. May I ask what you wish to know…?”

Seeing that Xu Ruyi and the others looked a bit curious, Liang Nanyin added, “Cuirou used to be my Fifth Sister’s personal maid. After my Fifth Sister went missing and Cuirou had nowhere to return to, my Fifth Brother took her in as a concubine.”

“Thankfully, the master of the house took pity on me,” Cuirou said softly, her head remaining lowered.

Xu Ruyi asked everyone to sit down first, then turned to face Cuirou, just about to question her when Meng Qiuci patted Xu Ruyi’s shoulder. “Senior Brother, let me assist you.”

Only then did Xu Ruyi notice that Cuirou was clearly somewhat afraid of him and also seemed intimidated by the richly dressed Hua Zhuo—her head was practically lowered to her chest.

The senior and junior brothers and sisters switched places. Meng Qiuci sat next to Liang Shanyuan, with Hua Zhuo also sitting beside her, and Liang Nanyin, with her kind face, sat on the other side. The four women edged Xu Ruyi out of the way, and only then did Cuirou slightly raise her head.

“Please… go ahead and ask,” Cuirou said. “The Ninth Young Master is being buried today, so I won’t be able to stay long.”

“Alright,” Hua Zhuo said. “Before your former mistress passed, were you by her side day and night?”

“Yes.”

“Did she show any signs of something unusual? Illness, or pain and discomfort in her body?”

“None,” Cuirou replied softly. “She was…” She paused, then she noticed Liang Shanyuan in front of her, and changed her words,

“Fifth Miss understood medicine. Since childhood, she was always finding ways to nourish her health. Besides, she was still young back then—not only did she not complain of pain or discomfort, she rarely even got sick.”

Hua Zhuo nodded slightly. “Then let me ask you—while your former mistress was alive, was she ever forced by the family to eat monkey brain?”

Cuirou’s face turned pale. Just as she was about to speak, she choked on her own saliva and immediately burst into a violent coughing fit.

A figure in plain white stood up—it was Liang Shanyuan, who walked over to Cuirou, gently patted her back a few times, and handed her a cup of warm water.

“Don’t worry. We’re just asking. The two Daoists and Miss Hua Zhuo aren’t the type to gossip. Just tell us what you know.”

Hua Zhuo stood frozen, a little stunned.

So this was where she was waiting!

What a schemer that black-hearted lotus was! She actually used her as a prop to put on a show and increase her favorability with Xu Ruyi!

Cuirou swallowed a few mouthfuls of water, caught her breath, and quickly nodded.

Liang Shanyuan turned around to meet the grateful or admiring gazes of the others, only to be met with Hua Zhuo’s face full of deep resentment.

The woman paused, her fingertips tapping thoughtfully as she gently stroked the white jade bracelet on her wrist, then sat back down.

Angry?

But why?

Liang Shanyuan didn’t quite understand. He only felt a wave of discouragement, as if all previous efforts had been wasted. His fingertips pressed against the jade bracelet and he kept his eyes lowered, concealing the killing intent and irritation in his gaze.

The alarm went off briefly and stopped. Hua Zhuo’s skin prickled with goosebumps, but Cuirou timidly said first,

“It was eaten…”

“It was?” Hua Zhuo instinctively repeated, then gave a light cough to organize her tangled thoughts.

“That’s strange then. Back when Liang Bailing was alive, she was forced by Madam Yang to eat monkey brain. Liang Shanyuan was also forced to eat it back then. So who was the one who fed him monkey brain?”

“I-It was my mother-in-law…”

Cuirou hesitated and added, “I hope all of you won’t breathe a word of this to anyone—otherwise, I’ll be the one to suffer for it.”

“Of course we won’t tell anyone. We’re not the gossiping type. You just need to explain things clearly—there’ll be plenty of benefits for you when it’s all done.”

After saying this, Hua Zhuo fell into deep thought.

What she had seen in the illusion clearly showed that Liang Changjun had intended to do something to the former Liang Shanyuan.

So how did this Madam Li get involved?

“Was your mother-in-law good to Liang Shanyuan back then?”

“She was extremely kind, beyond reproach,” Cui Rou said. “Are you all… suspecting my mother-in-law of doing something? Please allow me to say this—my mother-in-law is a devout Buddhist, kind at heart from the very root. If you suspect her, you won’t find anything.”

Meng Qiuci blinked. “So you have suspected her?”

Cuirou pressed her lips together and gave a small nod.

“I grew up with Fifth Miss—we’re the same age,” she said.

At the mention of Fifth Miss, a smile tugged at Cuirou’s lips, making her delicate features even more striking. “Fifth Miss was such a kind person. Back then, life felt like something out of a fairy tale… When she passed, I couldn’t accept it. I know it’s unfilial, but I ended up suspecting everyone in the Liang household…”

She couldn’t be held up for too long—once the questions were asked and the silver and gold handed over, Cuirou followed Liang Nanyin out.

Today was Ninth Young Master’s funeral, and outside, the sounds of gongs and drums gradually began. Seeing this, Xu Ruyi and Meng Qiuci also prepared to go along. “Zhuo’er, are you coming with us?”

Hua Zhuo thought for a moment, then shook her head.

Attending a funeral was exhausting. “I’ll go when the music stops—when it’s time to eat.”

“You little glutton,” Xu Ruyi said with a laughing sigh. “Don’t forget to bring your ghost-repelling talisman. Tomorrow, I’ll draw you another evil-warding charm to hang by your bed.”

“I know, I know! My brother is the best brother in the world!”

Hua Zhuo smiled as she watched the two of them leave. Then she turned to glare at Liang Shanyuan, frowning. “Why are you still here?”

The sky was overcast and gray.

The woman in white sat on the wooden bench, showing no intention of leaving. She didn’t respond to the question, instead she silently gazed at her through the gloomy sky with a pair of pitch-black eyes.

Hua Zhuo, like a wary cat, suddenly straightened up a little.

“Liang Shanyuan?”

“Call me Ah Shan, Miss Hua Zhuo.”

In her long, fair fingers, was a bamboo-patterned cup, her fingertip brushed against the rim. She glanced toward Hua Zhuo, lips curling into a faint smile.

“Who do you think you are? I’ll call you whatever I like,” Hua Zhuo snapped back.

Just as she was glancing around, thinking of finding something to give Liang Shanyuan as an apology, a sharp alarm suddenly blared in her mind, it buzzed so loudly that it made her dizzy.

Then came the sharp sound of something shattering — the bamboo cup had slipped from those pale hands and hit the floor, spilling tea everywhere and shattering into pieces.

“Warning, Zhuozhuo — current scan shows character Liang Shanyuan’s killing intent at 97%, 98%…”

Hua Zhuo’s fingertips trembled slightly. She looked up — Liang Shanyuan’s brows were gracefully arched, her face was as pale as winter snow, and her eyes black like a dried-up well; her lips curved into a faint smile. A pair of white jade earrings hung from her ears, making her resemble a jade Guanyin from a painting.

Then, she stood up and began walking toward Hua Zhuo.

“Warning! Warning! Current hostility level detected — Liang Shanyuan’s intent to kill is at 99%!”

A chill shot down Hua Zhuo’s spine. Almost instantly, she stiffened and marched toward the exit in long, hurried strides, muttering as she went:

“Don’t follow me! I miss my brother! I’m going to find my brother! You don’t need to see me off!”

Footsteps followed her out from behind. A cold wind blew past, and Hua Zhuo’s forehead started sweating. Her right eye twitched uncontrollably as she strode quickly toward the corridor ahead.

Yet the footsteps behind her remained unhurried. No matter how fast she walked, whenever she looked back, Liang Shanyuan was always trailing a short distance behind her, walking slowly, not saying a word, simply watching her with those pitch-black eyes; she smiled faintly, yet she looked eerily calm.

Why?! The original host had been arrogant and overbearing, yet still survived all the way to the end of the haunted Liang Manor! But here she was — even after cursing someone out, she still offered pastries and gifts as an apology! So why was she about to die even faster than the original?! Was it really true that kind people got bullied by ghosts?!

Tears streamed down Hua Zhuo’s heart as she cried out,

“Stay away from me! I hate you!”

The alarm blared louder and louder in her mind, yet the footsteps behind her remained steady, neither fast nor slow. In this pitch-black darkness, the “person” behind her felt like a cat toying with a mouse. Unfortunately, she hadn’t yet given the soul-link bell to Xu Ruyi. Hua Zhuo was in a state of utter panic, drenched in cold sweat, the creeping chill behind her grew ever more oppressive — as if something was just waiting for her to completely break down and flee from the corridor, only to then lunge forward, seize her by the neck, and strangle her to death!

At that thought, Hua Zhuo realized that playing it smart was pointless. Lifting her skirts, she broke into a run—

But she had barely taken one step—

When the blaring alarm abruptly stopped. Hua Zhuo looked up, and the scene before her had changed completely.

This was…

Had she been dragged into another of the Liang Manor ghost’s memories?

The previously gloomy skies had turned pitch-dark. Overhead hung a crescent moon and a few dim stars. Hua Zhuo stood stunned, glancing around at the surrounding darkness. Suddenly, a chill seeped deep into her bones. She bit her lip and hugged her arms tightly, her body trembling as she softly began to sing,

“Just caught a few demons…

Then subdued a few more devils…”