Volume 6, Chapter 359 – Your Father’s Soul Is in My Hands

“And this young lady is…?”

Lady Shen looked at Qi Huang with a questioning gaze.

“Great-Grandmother, she’s a maid I hired while in Yongning Province.”

Liu Yingyue quickly introduced her, though she added at the end, “Don’t underestimate her just because she’s a maid, her abilities are exceptional.”

“Exceptional, you say?”

Lady Shen scrutinized Qi Huang once more before nodding. “I believe it! For you to double the profits of that Yongning branch in such a short time, you must have had some formidable help.”

Qi Huang was slightly taken aback. This elderly woman appeared to be on the verge of death, yet her mind remained sharp. She truly wasn’t simple.

“May I ask why you’re inquiring about this, young lady?” Shen-shi then questioned.

“Miss Yue is unwilling to enter a marriage of convenience, yet she doesn’t wish to trouble you, her great-grandmother. As her maid, it’s naturally my duty to ease her worries. If we can find the person supplying those medicines, wouldn’t you then have the leverage to oppose Second Master Liu?”

Qi Huang’s tone was neither submissive nor arrogant.

“Child, I appreciate your kindness, but my grandson has remained tight-lipped about this matter. He likely intends to use it to control me. Getting to the bottom of it won’t be easy.”

Lady Shen tactfully declined without showing any change in expression.

“Just tell me, Elder. Whether I can manage it or not is my concern.”

Qi Huang remained unmoved.

“Very well, then I’ll trouble you with this, young lady. My grandson will be going to purchase my medicine the day after tomorrow.”

Lady Shen finally relented, as though she had no choice but to accept this “unavoidable kindness”.

Qi Huang said nothing further. For some reason, she felt something was off.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with her great-grandmother, Liu Yingyue stood to take her leave.

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Qi Huang followed her out, but as she stepped through the door, she glanced back out of the corner of her eye, just in time to catch a faint, almost imperceptible smirk on Lady Shen’s lips.

‘Was that my imagination?’

Liu Yingyue fell into complete silence, deeply disappointed by her great-grandmother’s behavior and unable to let it go.

Qi Huang, however, grew increasingly suspicious. She released her divine sense, sending it back into Lady Shen’s chambers to monitor the conversation.

“Just as you predicted, Ancestress, the Ninth Miss did indeed bring back someone capable.”

The maid, Little Ju, spoke with admiration.

“Indeed. Yingyue isn’t foolish. She knew her return wouldn’t be smooth, so if she truly had skilled people around her, it was only natural they’d accompany her. This is my only hope now.”

Lady Shen sighed.

“But she seems far too young…” Xiao Ju voiced her concern.

“Child, appearances can be deceiving. The fact that they arrived safely at the Liu residence after losing all their guards, that’s no coincidence.”

Lady Shen’s deduction was sharp.

“You’re right, Ancestress. As long as she can find the medicine supplier, you’ll no longer have to tolerate Second Master’s tyranny.”

Xiao Ju flattered.

‘So that’s how it is!’

The doubts in Qi Huang’s mind instantly cleared. She had felt used, and as it turned out, a woman’s intuition was frighteningly accurate, even if it was acquired later in life.

‘What a shrewd old woman. That pitiful act earlier was clearly for my benefit.’

Qi Huang gritted her teeth in frustration. She hadn’t even made her move yet, and already she’d been made a pawn in someone else’s scheme. It seemed the rumors about the Liu family’s matriarch weren’t exaggerated in the slightest. Even in her half-dead state, she still held the reins.

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‘Fine. If you’re going to use me, then I won’t feel guilty when it’s my turn to use you.’

She bit her lip, a cold smile forming on her face.

What she meant by “using” Lady Shen was simple: by leveraging the old woman, she could lure Liu Biao into making another move. Once caught red-handed, he’d have no room for denial. That was her entire plan.

But first, she had to uncover the origin of those medicines. Otherwise, Lady Shen would never dare oppose Liu Biao, not when her life depended on them.

Liu Yingyue changed into mourning robes and began her vigil beside the coffin. Qi Huang had no choice but to stay by her side.

By evening, Qi Huang ordered the coffin opened and retrieved the talismans she had placed earlier. By now, the corpse of the late Liu patriarch was completely free of Yin energy.

“Eldest Brother… should we inform Mother about Father’s passing?”

A man in his thirties—Liu Yingmei, Liu Yingyue’s fifth brother and the eldest son of the patriarch’s second wife—timidly asked.

“Inform her? That shameless, adulterous woman betrayed Father! What right does a whore like her have to step foot in the Liu family again?”

Liu Yingliang exploded in fury.

“But… she and Father were once husband and wife…”

Liu Yingmei weakly protested.

“Husband and wife? Father himself said that woman was dead to him! Don’t try to glorify your mother!”

Liu Yingliang continued his tirade.

Cowed, Liu Yingmei didn’t dare say another word. Because of his mother’s actions, he and his three younger siblings were treated no better than servants in the household.

Qi Huang watched in astonishment, her curiosity piqued. At the first opportunity, she pulled Liu Yingyue aside to ask about it.

“After Father’s first wife passed away from illness, he married Wang Hong as his second wife. Perhaps out of guilt toward his first wife, he poured all his love into Wang Hong, not only doting on her at home but even taking her with him on business trips.”

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Liu Yingyue began recounting the story.

“He took her on business trips? That’s… quite the privilege.”

Qi Huang was impressed.

“Yes. Unfortunately, he misjudged her. During one of those trips, Wang Hong not only took a liking to a foreign merchant’s business but also to the man himself. So she abandoned Father and their four children to run off with him.”

Liu Yingyue sighed.

“No wonder your eldest brother flew into a rage. Anyone would find that hard to swallow.”

Qi Huang curled her lip in disdain.

“Because of her, Fifth Brother and his siblings are looked down upon not just in the household but throughout the entire Liu clan. They’ve had a very difficult life.”

A trace of sympathy flashed across Liu Yingyue’s face. Perhaps because she hadn’t experienced it firsthand, her feelings toward Wang Hong, while negative, didn’t affect her relationship with her half-siblings.

“So after Wang Hong left, your father married your mother?”

Qi Huang confirmed.

“Yes. My mother was his third wife.”

Liu Yingyue nodded.

“Why only wives? Didn’t your father take any concubines?”

Qi Huang found this odd. Since entering the Liu household, she hadn’t seen any concubines around.

“No. I once asked him, and he said that after traveling the world, he’d seen too many men who couldn’t even find a wife. Since he already had a wife, why should he compete with those less fortunate? ‘People should have compassion,’ he said.”

Liu Yingyue explained.

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“Your father’s character is truly admirable. I think he would’ve made a far better emperor.”

Qi Huang was genuinely impressed. Compared to the insatiable greed of the current emperor, the late Liu patriarch was a saint.

“Don’t say such things! We’re at the foot of the imperial palace!”

Liu Yingyue hastily shushed her.

Not long after, Second Master Liu returned, this time with a newly hired “ritual master” in tow.

This master, surnamed Xu, was a clean-shaven, slender man with refined features. Unlike the previous fraud, he was the real deal, a cultivator at the Unity Realm.

Qi Huang was surprised. For Liu Biao to convince a Unity Realm cultivator to lower himself to conducting funeral rites… he truly had connections.

The day passed without incident.

But the next morning, Liu Yingyue received a letter delivered by a servant, sent by an unknown stranger.

She examined the envelope, finding no name or signature. Her delicate brows furrowed in hesitation.

‘What if it’s urgent?’

After much deliberation, she finally opened it.

Her beautiful eyes widened in horror the moment she skimmed its contents. She immediately turned to Qi Huang for help.

“What’s wrong?”

Qi Huang took the letter, her own expression darkening as she read:

“Miss Liu, your father’s soul is in my hands. If you want him to live, come alone to the abandoned temple north of the city tonight. Don’t be late.”

That was all it said.