Chapter 399: A Tribulation

Chapter 399: Chapter 399: A Tribulation

Xu Laifu didn’t know why Ji Huan’s expression had suddenly changed, nor why she wanted to tie up a stranger, but he did as she said. He seized the old Daoist, half-carrying and half-dragging the man behind the counter.

Zhou, quick on the uptake, brought over a rope. The two worked in concert, forcing the old Daoist into a chair and tying him up tightly. The knots were incredibly secure.

"Hey? Hey? What are you doing in broad daylight! You can’t be planning to rob and murder me!"

Ji Huan walked up and stood before him, her gaze sweeping over the man from head to toe.

"You’re destitute. Do you look like you have any money to steal?"

The old Daoist fumed, "That was a low blow!"

Ji Huan crossed her arms and sneered. "I respect my elders. I won’t hit you in the face. I’m going to take your life."

"You... you, what do you... Help! Someone, help me! There’s a murderer... Mmph! Mmph mmph!"

Just as he was screaming himself hoarse, Ji Huan gave Zhou a look, and Zhou promptly stuffed a rag in the man’s mouth.

Ji Huan bent down and stared at him. "I’ll take it out if you promise not to scream."

The old Daoist was about to pass out from the rag’s stench. At her words, he nodded eagerly.

True to her word, Ji Huan removed it.

The old Daoist let out a long breath, looking utterly miserable. "Young lady, my good lady, how in the world did I offend you? Was it wrong for me to compliment your good fortune?"

"A resilient fate, suitable for a spirit marriage, and capable of blessing your partner to be wealthier than a king in their next life—is that the kind of ’good fortune’ you meant?"

"My dear lady, you’re so young. There’s no need to speak such curses upon yourself..."

The old Daoist stopped mid-sentence.

He blinked hard, staring intently at Ji Huan’s features. He looked again and again, and combined with her earlier words, a flicker of recognition finally sparked in his mind.

"It’s over..." he murmured, his face slack with shock.

Xu Laifu and Zhou exchanged bewildered glances, completely failing to understand what was happening.

"Remember now?" Ji Huan asked leisurely.

The old Daoist’s lips trembled. "You’re the one from the Bai Mansion... that one..."

’She’s... she’s changed so much!’

Ji Huan nodded. "Thanks to you, I’m that person with the ’resilient fate’ who was almost buried alive with Young Master Bai. Are you surprised?"

She vividly remembered being put in the coffin. Her mouth was gagged and her hands were bound, and she could only watch helplessly as the lid closed. Her final glance had fallen upon Housekeeper Bai, and next to him, the old Daoist with his shifty eyes.

The old Daoist was so panicked he nearly leaped out of his chair.

"Don’t say it’s thanks to me! I didn’t do anything, I really didn’t!"

"How could you say you did nothing? You did plenty. You have no idea how grateful I am. If you hadn’t made that suggestion to the Bai Family, I never would have had the honor of being buried with Young Master Bai. You know, when I was carried into the Bai Mansion, I still had a single breath left in me. I held on to it until the following night... What do you think? Did I die?"

That bone-chilling gaze, that ice-cold tone... Sweat beaded on the old Daoist’s forehead in fright.

Xu Laifu felt goosebumps rise on his skin.

’What kind of question is that?’ he thought. ’She’s standing right here, perfectly fine. Of course she didn’t die.’

"Can’t I just apologize to you here and now?" the old Daoist whimpered.

Ji Huan gave a humorless smile. "Apologize? Are you going to pay with your life?"

"Young lady, don’t be rash! Listen to me, it really wasn’t my fault!

Young Master Bai’s mother was afraid her son would be lonely in the afterlife, so she was determined to arrange a spirit marriage for him.

I had pulled a fast one on the Bai Mansion’s housekeeper in the past, so he trusted me and asked me to find a suitable match. Where was I supposed to find someone like that?

Just then, a woman came looking for the housekeeper. I happened to be there and overheard their conversation.

The woman mentioned how you had died after hitting your head on a pillar at home, and said you’d be perfect to be buried with Young Master Bai.

Because the attempt to use a wedding to ward off his bad luck had failed, the housekeeper felt you were inauspicious and was reluctant at first..."

"So you convinced him."

"I-I thought, since you were already dead, it was better for you to be wronged a little more than for them to go and harm some other girl... I honestly had no idea you weren’t completely dead at the time!"

A glint appeared in Ji Huan’s eyes, and she let out a derisive snort. "You’ve certainly painted yourself as the innocent party."

The old Daoist was on the verge of tears from desperation. "If I’ve told a single lie, may I die a horrible death!"

"Let me ask you this: what did the woman who went to see Housekeeper Bai look like?"

"High cheekbones, a long and pointed face, slanted brows, and triangular eyes..." the old Daoist recalled, struggling. "In any case, she didn’t look like a good person."

After hearing his description, the first person who popped into Ji Huan’s head was Ji Xiu’e.

’She had long suspected it. How could Mrs. Zhu, on her own, have been so well-informed? Not only did she know right away that the Bai Family needed someone for the wedding ritual, but she also immediately came up with the idea of having her buried with the groom.’

’It really was Ji Xiu’e.’

’She really won’t rest until everyone in the second branch of the family is dead.’

Seeing her lost in thought, the old Daoist quietly pleaded with Zhou. "Hey, kid. Untie me."

’Kids are soft-hearted,’ he thought.

But Zhou merely glanced at him without a change in expression.

The old Daoist was about to say more, but Ji Huan kicked his chair leg, and he instantly fell silent.

Mockery glinted in Ji Huan’s eyes. "Even if your part was unintentional, I still ended up in the Bai Mansion because of you. Thinking of leaving? It won’t be that easy."

"Oh, for heaven’s sake..." The old Daoist was in despair. "What is it you want from me?"

Ji Huan said nothing. She picked up a small blade used for cutting rope from a nearby shelf and began twirling it deftly between her fingers, her gaze growing even more chilling.

The old Daoist was dumbstruck.

"M-Miss, you must remain calm! Acting on impulse leads to terrible karma—AH!"

As he watched the blade get closer and closer, the old Daoist’s last word turned into an off-key shriek.

But then, Ji Huan drew the blade back.

Before the old Daoist could even feel relieved, he heard her say to the young man beside her, "This old Daoist is a charlatan who has tricked and harmed countless people. Who knows what filth stains his hands. Take him to the government office."

"Hey?! No, young lady! I just spout nonsense to make a living, that’s all! I’ve never done anything truly wicked! Look how beautiful you are, you must be kind-hearted. You know what they say, ’forgive and forget.’ Please, spare me just this once, and I’ll chant the Diamond Sutra for you for the rest of your life..."

The old Daoist’s face was a mask of supplication. To complete the act, he even managed to squeeze out a single tear.

Ji Huan laughed in exasperation. "You’re a Taoist. Why would you be chanting the Diamond Sutra? It would be more fitting for me to chant the Rebirth Scripture for you."

The old Daoist wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. "I get mixed up when I’m flustered. I actually do know a few lines of the Diamond Sutra... If you don’t like it, I can use a Taoist Secret Technique to pray for your blessings..."

Ji Huan couldn’t be bothered to listen to his ramblings. She glanced outside before her eyes settled on him again. "I just read the stars. It seems your fate includes this particular calamity. You should just resign yourself to a stay in jail."

Xu Laifu untied the rope from the back of the chair and began dragging the man outside.

"Young lady! You can’t do this! Please, have a heart, I only got out of jail a few days ago..." The old Daoist was still struggling desperately.

Hearing the commotion at the front of the shop, Guan Shan came over to see what was going on.

"What’s wrong?" he asked Ji Huan.

"It’s nothing," Ji Huan said. "Just a charlatan."

The old Daoist froze when he saw Guan Shan, but his eyes immediately lit up.

"You... you’re... you’re the one... I remember you! I saved your life!"

Only then did Ji Huan notice Guan Shan wasn’t wearing his bamboo hat. Her heart seized, and she quickly told Xu Laifu to bring the old Daoist back in.

’The old Daoist is staring at the scar on Guan Shan’s face. Don’t tell me he recognizes him.’

She shot Guan Shan a questioning look.

Guan Shan shook his head. "I don’t know him."

The old Daoist stomped his foot in frustration.

"How can you say that! You were a complete wreck, floating down the river. I was the one who pulled you ashore!

I used all of my secret medicinal remedies to treat your wounds! I was afraid you’d freeze to death during the night, so I stole a robe for you. And I was the one who took you to... what was it called... Dafeng Village! Have you forgotten all of that?!"