Translator: Cinder Translations
--------
The ghost in the painting was now indistinguishable from a real person, with a sinister expression that showed no attempt to hide her malicious intent. Her hands displayed a kind of tearing beauty, and one of her legs was poised as if she could tear through the painting and step out at any moment.
Chen Qiang knew very well that this was no illusion.
Because, to his horror, he realized that the ghost's eyes were now following their movements.
He clearly remembered that the first time he came with Chen Xiaomeng, the ghost's gaze had been directed to the left. But just now, when he came with Hao Shuai, the ghost's eyes had locked on the door, as if waiting for them.
The ghost knew they would come back!
Why… was that Fatty in the painting?
And who was that sweet-looking maid, seemingly close to the Fatty? Chen Qiang's eyes shifted as he suddenly thought of the ragged little beggar.
He clearly remembered the state the Fatty was in after the beggar was beaten to death—he and Hao Shuai couldn't hold him back. If they hadn't knocked him unconscious, things would have escalated badly.
And it was only after that event that the Fatty and the maid appeared in the painting. Could it be that the maid had some connection to the little beggar?
Just as he was about to grasp the key idea, the door opened.
A figure appeared outside the door.
Before the sky fully darkened, An Xuan finally returned.
He was a bit dirty, as if he had crawled through somewhere, with dust on his wrists, sleeves, and elbows.
However, he didn't look disheveled. On the contrary, he seemed very calm.
"I found a way to deal with the ghost," An Xuan said as soon as he entered, surprising everyone present.
Xia Meng immediately asked, "What is it?"
"Midnight strikes, a boat sails on the moon, a half-filled plain pouch, can resolve the sorrow in the heart," An Xuan spoke with an unquestionable tone.
Since he was an ally of Xia Meng, he had naturally obtained the clues from her about the information in the newspapers. Jiang Cheng was not surprised.
"Tonight, at midnight, a boat will appear on the lake carrying a bride. The boat will stop on the reflection of the moon on the lake. This is the key moment to break the situation," he explained.
"I just went to Young Master Huang's attic. Beneath the bed where the copper mirror is facing, I found a book that records a type of black magic," he continued, glancing at Jiang Cheng, clearly confirming what Jiang Cheng had previously indicated.
"It's a summoning ritual, right?" Fatty, with lingering fear, asked. "We found a book like that in Drum Alley before…"
Fatty stopped suddenly because he saw An Xuan look at him, then shake his head. "It's not summoning," he emphasized. "It's a soul-snatching ritual."
"Doesn't soul-snatching and summoning not contradict each other?" Chen Qiang recalled the clues he had gathered, analyzing the situation.
It was clear that the butler Zhou was the father of the ghost Xuanji. After Xuanji's death, the troupe master infiltrated the Huang family, taking control in the name of reviving Young Master Huang.
And he became the butler Zhou, taking real control of the Huang family.
Eventually, by using a book recording dark magic, he planned to sacrifice a living person as bait to summon his daughter's ghost, intending to bring Xuanji back to life.
This reasoning made sense both emotionally and logically.
"It's only soul-snatching," An Xuan said, looking at him coldly. "There's no summoning."
"How did he revive his daughter then?" Fatty, after a moment of hesitation, asked in confusion.
"He didn't actually plan to revive Xuanji," Jiang Cheng said, looking at An Xuan. "He was just using Xuanji's ghost to kill people, wasn't he?"
An Xuan stared at him with a calm gaze. After a moment, he nodded. "Yes."
"Then what was his real goal? Was it just revenge for his daughter?" Fatty felt his head spinning. It seemed like he couldn't quite grasp what Jiang Cheng and An Xuan were discussing.
"Because Xuanji wasn't actually Zhou's daughter. She was just a pitiful pawn used by Zhou and his group," Jiang Cheng explained.
Fatty's pupils suddenly contracted.
"That's right," An Xuan continued. "According to the ancient text I found, the preparation for this was incredibly complex. It couldn't have been completed in a short time, which means Zhou and his group started planning this long before."
He looked at Fatty with a calm expression. "They started planning this while Xuanji was still alive, not after they learned of her death."
Fatty swallowed, stunned. "Before Xuanji died…"
"To be more accurate, Xuanji's death was also caused by Zhou and his group, along with the subsequent death of Young Master Huang. Even Xuanji's relationship with Young Master Huang, her secret marriage to the Huang family, was orchestrated by them," Jiang Cheng said. "They even took advantage of Old Master Huang's dissatisfaction with Xuanji's humble background, provoking him to kill her. For them, this was not difficult."
"Their ultimate goal was to have Xuanji die in the Huang family and then use her resentment to turn her into a vengeful ghost, killing everyone in the Huang family."
"And Xuanji, as a deceased person, didn't know any of this. She always believed that Old Master Huang was the one who caused her death, so naturally, she wouldn't hold Zhou and his group accountable."
Hearing Jiang Cheng speak so calmly about this, An Xuan's gaze shifted. He glanced at Xia Meng, then turned to look at Jiang Cheng's face.
Jiang Cheng didn't pay attention to An Xuan or Xia Meng's expressions. He looked at the stunned Fatty and continued, "Do you remember Xiao Wan?"
"I do." Fatty nodded.
"If I'm not mistaken, she's actually Zhou's daughter," Jiang Cheng said calmly. "Otherwise, I don't understand why they would keep her alive."
That's right. From Fatty's understanding of Zhou and his group, they were ruthless and merciless. They would never keep someone like Xiao Wan, who was no longer of any use and could expose their secrets, alive unless there was a special reason.
And according to the timeline, this whole setup would have taken years, and Xiao Wan… was likely the one who secretly helped Xuanji and Young Master Huang. She was the one who introduced them to each other and even helped Xuanji marry into the Huang family.
In this whole web of manipulation, it was probably Xiao Wan, Xuanji's close friend, who played a significant role.
Zhou and his people spent years, or even longer, weaving an enormous web, manipulating Xuanji, Old Master Huang, Young Master Huang, and others. Until their deaths, they never understood the true story.
Chen Qiang, who had been shocked at first, gradually calmed down. To him, how unbelievable this story sounded didn't matter. What mattered was its logic and reason.
(End of the Chapter)
---
Read (NS) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c428.
Early Access at $1.
Translated (5) Series, (2.2K+) Chapters, (2.9M+) Words.