Volume 6, Chapter 358 – I’ll Make Sure He Dies Convinced and Conceding

“What method? As long as there’s even the slightest possibility, I’m willing to try it.”

Liu Yingyue eagerly grabbed Qi Huang’s hand.

“Sister Yue, haven’t you heard that ‘haste makes waste’?”

Qi Huang sighed helplessly before turning serious. “Tell me honestly, do you think your father’s death was an accident, or was it deliberately caused by someone?”

“At first, I also thought someone had harmed him, but didn’t you say he was killed by an evil spirit?”

Liu Yingyue countered.

“Have you considered that the evil spirit might have just been a tool?”

Qi Huang’s lips curled slightly.

“Hmm?”

Liu Yingyue’s expression turned thoughtful.

“Think carefully. Although these are troubled times, we’re still in the imperial capital, the most prosperous area, where yang energy is abundant. Evil spirits and monsters shouldn’t be able to penetrate so deeply. So, where did the evil spirit that killed your father come from?”

Qi Huang continued to guide her.

“Little Yu, are you saying someone deliberately brought it into our estate?”

Liu Yingyue asked in shock.

“It’s highly likely.”

Qi Huang nodded solemnly before pressing further. “Sister Yue, if this was indeed deliberate, then the evil spirit was merely a tool. We just need to investigate the suspects one by one, and we’ll quickly find the real culprit.”

She laid out her plan.

“Right! Why didn’t I think of that? You’re so clever, Little Yu.”

The gloom on Liu Yingyue’s face immediately lightened.

“Sister Yue, tell me truthfully—if your father really was murdered, who would be the most suspicious?”

Qi Huang asked with a grave expression.

Rеаԁ оո КаtRеaⅾіngСаfе

“My second uncle!”

After hesitating, Liu Yingyue finally answered, then added, “With my father gone, he, as the acting clan head, can smoothly take over the position. He has the strongest motive, so naturally, he’s the most suspicious. But…”

She hesitated again. “He’s still my second uncle. Could he really be so cold-blooded as to kill his own elder brother?”

“Don’t worry. I would never wrong an innocent person. When the time comes, I’ll give you a clear answer.”

Qi Huang assured her.

“Then what do you plan to do?”

Liu Yingyue asked urgently.

“Nothing, for now. We’ll observe in secret. Once he slips up, I’ll make sure he dies convinced and conceding.”

Qi Huang smirked coldly as her divine sense spread outward, crossing the courtyard walls and infiltrating the neighboring residence of Liu Biao. She wanted to see if the man was still at home.

At that moment, Liu Biao was sitting in the main hall of his house, his heart still unsettled. Having sweated profusely, his mouth was parched, so he ordered a servant to brew him a cup of hot tea.

“Husband! What’s wrong? Why do you look so distraught?”

His wife, Madam Liu, asked in confusion.

“Don’t even ask. It’s all because of that useless Liu Yingliang, he hired a fraud of a cultivator who couldn’t even perform the rites properly. It nearly caused my elder brother’s corpse to transform!”

Liu Biao lifted the teacup with trembling hands and took a sip.

“What? Corpse transformation?!”

Madam Lü’s face instantly paled. After a long pause, she forced herself to remain calm and reassured him, “Husband, don’t worry. Even if your elder brother had transformed, so what? It’s not like he knows the evil spirit was connected to us. Besides, I’ve heard that zombies have no intelligence, would he even come after us for revenge?”

“That may be so, but we still need to be cautious.”

Liu Biao exhaled deeply, his nerves settling slightly.

“Then how did you discover the anomaly?”

Madam Liu asked curiously.

Reаⅾ οո KαtRеaⅾіոgСαfе

“All thanks to that little maid Liu Yingyue brought back, she actually had Cat’s Tears on her, allowing her to see the corpse’s yin energy.”

Liu Biao explained.

“What? How would a mere maid have Cat’s Tears?”

Madam Liu gasped in shock.

“I don’t know, but anyone who carries something like that definitely isn’t ordinary. From now on, you must watch your words carefully. Don’t let anything slip.”

Liu Biao warned.

“Don’t worry.”

Madam Liu nodded quickly.

“I need to go out soon. That fraud of a ‘cultivator’ has already been chased away. This time, I must find a real, capable cultivator to handle the rites. There can’t be any more mishaps, I refuse to kill my elder brother a second time.”

Liu Biao stood up, preparing to leave.

“Who are you planning to hire?”

Madam Liu asked curiously.

“Immortal Lu. He’s an acquaintance, and I know his skills well.”

Liu Biao replied without turning back.

Qi Huang retracted her divine sense, a mocking smile on her face. She hadn’t expected the man to slip up so quickly, it seemed cultivators truly operated on a completely different level compared to ordinary people.

She had effortlessly found the culprit. Glancing at Liu Yingyue beside her, she ultimately decided not to reveal it yet. Without concrete evidence, it was better not to alert the enemy prematurely.

Meanwhile, Liu Yingyue still hadn’t changed into mourning clothes. Instead, she headed outside, saying, “Since I’m back, I should visit Great-Grandmother first. Wearing mourning attire wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Qi Huang followed behind, curious to see whether the old Ancestress truly lived up to her legendary reputation as a woman of extraordinary strength.

The two wound through the corridors, heading toward the rear courtyard.

“Sister Yue, tell me honestly. If you had a choice, would you agree to a marriage of political convenience?”

Rеαⅾ oո КαtRеαⅾiոgCаfе

Qi Huang suddenly asked. Since they were about to meet the old matriarch, she needed clarity.

“If I had a choice, I would never become someone’s concubine. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have refused so firmly three years ago. But now… who in the Liu family can still control my second uncle?”

Liu Yingyue sighed softly as she walked.

“Didn’t you say your great-grandmother holds great authority in the Liu family? Could she suppress your second uncle?”

Qi Huang reminded her.

Liu Yingyue gradually stopped walking, then turned her head. “Little Yu, the only reason my great-grandmother has lived this long is because of the medicine my second uncle provides. Even if she wanted to help me, I wouldn’t accept it, otherwise, she’d suffer his retaliation. Wouldn’t that make me even guiltier?”

“What if she found a substitute for the medicine and was willing to stand up for you?”

Qi Huang pressed.

“In that case, I would definitely refuse the marriage.”

Liu Yingyue answered without hesitation.

“Good!”

Qi Huang secretly sighed in relief.

The Liu estate was vast. The two women twisted and turned through the corridors for a long time before finally reaching the rear courtyard and arriving before a back chamber.

“Great-Grandmother, I have returned.”

Liu Yingyue called out toward the door.

“Yingyue is back?”

An elderly woman’s voice responded, followed by an urgent order: “Little Ju, quickly open the door for my granddaughter.”

The door was promptly opened by a maid from inside.

Liu Yingyue hurried in, with Qi Huang following closely behind.

Upon entering, Qi Huang saw an emaciated old woman lying on the bed. Her face was not only deeply wrinkled but also covered in dense age spots, resembling tree bark. Her hands rested atop the quilt, the skin clinging tightly to her bones, making her veins starkly visible, a rather frightening sight.

Rеаԁ οn КαtRеаⅾіnɡСаfе

Qi Huang extended her divine sense to investigate and was even more shocked to discover that the old woman’s Life Soul had already begun to detach from her body. This meant the Liu family’s matriarch was effectively a living corpse, one foot already in the underworld, far worse than her own grandfather’s previous condition.

‘What kind of medicine could forcibly bind a Life Soul to the body?’

Qi Huang was stunned. At this point, she was certain that the old woman before her couldn’t be saved by the low-grade elixirs she carried.

‘Where did Liu Biao even get such miraculous medicine?’

This question arose in her mind, sparking a trace of curiosity.

“Great-Grandmother, this Yingyue has come to see you.”

Liu Yingyue, unafraid, walked over and took the old woman’s hand, exchanging warm words. When the topic turned to her father’s death, the two embraced and wept.

“Great-Grandmother, I have not failed your and Father’s expectations. I’ve completed the mission.”

After a long while, Liu Yingyue shared the good news.

“Good! Good child! I knew I wasn’t wrong about you!”

The old woman smiled in relief before adding, “Do you know? A few days ago, your second uncle came to me, insisting that you must marry into the Hai family to fulfill the political marriage from three years ago. He even forced me to agree.”

“What did you tell him?”

Liu Yingyue asked urgently.

“What could a half-dead old woman like me do? I had to agree. Otherwise, the coffin you’d see upon returning today might not have been the only one.”

The old woman replied calmly.

“What?!”

Liu Yingyue’s body trembled. She had never imagined that her revered great-grandmother would go back on her word.

“Old Madam, could you tell me when Second Master Liu usually brings you your medicine?”

Qi Huang suddenly spoke up.