Chapter 194: Encountering a Clear Day Chapter 171: Evil Ghosts Must Die

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Seeing Feng Zhu enter first, and behind her, as servants lowered their umbrellas, the figures of Lady Shentu and the Marquis of Lu appearing, Feng Xu was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly rose to welcome them, saying: "Zhu'er, Mother, Father... why have you suddenly returned? Why did Father not send word ahead so I could go out of the city to meet you!"

He had surprise on his face, a smile in his eyes, and his demeanor was as usual.

Feng Zhu merely looked at him calmly and said: "Hasn't Brother already sent someone to meet us? Not only out of the city, but beyond Hangu Pass, through Luoyang, into Beimang Shan, where we were met in the mountains."

Feng Xu's expression was one of bewildered incomprehension, and he asked uncertainly: "Zhu'er, are you now clear-headed, or... why can Brother not understand a word of what you mean?"

As he spoke, he cast a questioning glance toward the two elders; the Marquis of Lu had already helped Lady Shentu to sit at the head, which was precisely the seat Feng Xu had occupied just before.

Lady Shentu said nothing, and the Marquis of Lu remained silent; the atmosphere was like the weather outside the hall. Feng Zhu turned toward the misty wind and rain outside the hall: "Mao Shu, since Brother cannot understand, let them speak."

Feng Mao's hair was white as flowers; he had followed the Marquis of Lu for many years and was one of those accompanying this time. Hearing the young lady speak, he clasped his hands and answered "Yes," soon escorting four people with their hands bound behind their backs into the hall.

The four bore various injuries; two wore ordinary rough clothes, while the other two were dressed as servants of the Feng Family.

They had confessed on the road, and no further interrogation was needed now. The two middle-aged servants cried out and pointed fingers at each other: "... it was the Young Master's order; I have an old family and young children, I truly dared not disobey!"

One of those in rough clothes raised his head, glanced at Feng Xu, then turned his face away. Resigned, he said calmly: "The Young Master ordered us to guard the must-pass road in Beimang Shan and intercept and kill the Marquis's lady and the young lady..."

Looking outward from above the speaker's head, in the courtyard outside the hall beneath the rain curtain, more than ten captives had already been brought to kneel one after another. They wore all sorts of rough clothes, and if they held knives in their hands, they looked like a rabble of bandits who had taken to the mountains.

Feng Xu was struck as by thunder, his face full of disbelief, seeming utterly unable to digest this sudden, enormous charge. He could only mutter: "Who are you? Who drives you? Why do you wrong me..."

The Marquis of Lu watched Feng Xu's reaction. The evidence was before them; he showed only astonishment and surprise, no sign of guilt or panic, not a trace of pretense.

For so many years, from childhood to adulthood, he had always been this way, and no one had ever doubted him...

This time, a thread of suspicion arose from the lady's awareness. From Zhu'er's intermittent words and reactions when she began showing signs of recovery, the lady made a guess that astonished him.

This journey to Henei Jun was the result of Zhu'er's subconscious repeated urging to recover her memories, and also a trap set by the lady.

Before setting out, the lady had hinted in daily conversation that she harbored doubts about Zhu'er's past misfortune. This was a bait to probe hearts; if there truly were a villain with ill intent, he could not sit idly by while this suspicion grew, nor until it was confirmed.

Leaving Henei Jun and returning by the same route, they first took a boat across the river, exited the Yellow River Ferry, entered Beimang Shan, and once out of the Beimang Shan road, they could travel the Luoyang official road, smooth all the way back to Chang'an—

But within Beimang Shan, while traveling a winding, narrow mountain road, a large band of villains suddenly appeared. Not only did they seize wealth, they sought lives: first blocking the road with rolling stones and bows and arrows, then rushing forward with blades.

When leaving the capital, the Marquis of Lu had, with an impatient attitude, ordered his adopted son not to prepare too many attendants for him.

Even so, apart from the maidservants, this journey still carried more than twenty guards and household servants out of the capital. And just as danger arose in Beimang Shan, during the fight, seven or eight of the guards and servants fled in panic, showing no act of protecting their master. Seeing this, the Marquis of Lu knew these seven or eight were probably preparing to strike from behind at the last moment, then return weeping to Chang'an to announce the deaths of his family of three, disguising this calamity as bandit robbery and murder.

But since a trap was set, there could be no lack of preparation.

In recent years, many affairs of the Feng Family were handled by Feng Xu. To ensure no word leaked, the Marquis of Lu did not mobilize anyone from the Feng Family. The hidden backup he secretly prepared this time came from the Shentu Family.

But appearing alongside the Shentu Family's guards lying in wait was also a group of experts of unknown origin. As soon as they appeared, they first rushed to protect Feng Zhu's carriage.

At that time, Feng Zhu had not yet fully recovered her memories. She sat inside the carriage, hearing the slaughter in the mountain forest outside, smelling blood. In the instant the mountain wind lifted the carriage curtain, blades and swords flashed before her eyes. The chaos in her mind was suddenly split open, and the wordless cry in her heart finally found an outlet.

She cried out in alarm, like piercing mist and crumbling mountain rock. Vast pain surged forth, and in a daze she returned to the time of the calamity years ago.

She fled all the way, driven to the edge of a mountain cliff. As she fell, she heard the bandits above laughing: 【It must be said this deal is especially profitable; there are two sums of money to be had!】

Robbing wealth was one sum; where did the other come from?

The cliff was steep. Fortunately, loose rocks and horizontal branches served as a buffer. She did not die in the great calamity, covered in injuries. Waking from a coma, she found herself hanging from a tree trunk at the cliff's edge, with birds circling nearby, ready to fight over carrion.

Her cry for help failed. She gathered her strength, endured the pain, and leaped from this tree to another below. Seeing that the distance to the ground was still too great, she untied her outer clothes and belt to make a rope, tied it tightly to the tree trunk, and lowered herself. At the end of the rope, the remaining distance was not fatal. She gritted her teeth, let go, and fell into a grass bush.

It was nearly dark then. She felt her way out with injuries and collapsed in an unknown place. When she awoke, she instead encountered true bandit plunder. They were defeated soldiers and fleeing bandits from somewhere unknown, their leader claiming to be a descendant of a famous general of the Pre-Qin era. They wandered and fled, eventually arriving within the borders of Lu State, and taking advantage of the chaos to occupy Tianlang Mountain.

Several escape attempts earned her a crippled leg and several broken fingers. She was a general's daughter raised in war, the cherished pearl of her parents' palms, possessing both indomitable will and boundless love for the world. But the days there were darker than she could ever have imagined in her life.

Time and again she pulled herself back from the edge of death. She must live and return home; she must discover who wanted to harm her.

Amid endless torment, she guessed the enemy's identity again and again, suspected her parents' enemies, and once briefly doubted Yi Ming.

Yi Ming never concealed his infatuation with Yan Mian, nor his hostility and weariness toward her.

But she clearly remembered that the year they entered the capital, these family members were ambushed by remnant soldiers on the way and forced to remain trapped in the mountains for a full seven days. She fell ill with a high fever, with no kin by her side. In a haze of fear, she once heard Yi Ming instruct the doctor: 【You must cure her, otherwise Quan Shan might suspect I took the opportunity to harm her, and would surely bear a grudge against me.】

After her condition improved, Yi Ming still treated her with a bad expression. But from that time on, she knew Yi Ming could distinguish cause and effect.

Though there are those who kill for love out of passion, those who kill for enmity and profit are always more common.

Enmity and profit... Feng Zhu thought countless times, but lacking evidence, she never had a definitive answer.

Until this very moment, Feng Zhu looked at this brother she had trusted implicitly since childhood. Thinking of all she had experienced over these years, clear hatred finally appeared in her eyes.

Unlike in the past when one needed heavy gold to hire killers, her brother, by managing the Hou Mansion these years, now had his own people available in secret—people who could be used to kill her once again.

Facing the increasing identifications from the captives, Feng Xu repeatedly denied and explained. Seeing that the Marquis of Lu and Lady Shentu remained silent, he anxiously said to Feng Zhu: "Zhu'er, this must be someone deliberately sowing discord. We must investigate this thoroughly!"

"—Slap!"

Feng Zhu's eyes held hatred, her face expressionless. A heavy slap landed on his face.

"Zhu'er..." Feng Xu was greatly startled. Sad tears appeared in his eyes: "You and I have been brother and sister for many years. Do you truly believe your brother would harm you and Father and Mother?"

"—Slap!"

Another slap, this time on the other side of his face. As they faced each other, Feng Zhu still said nothing.

Feng Xu's lips trembled. He asked through tears: "When you were eight, Uncle and Aunt were not home. You had a high fever at night, and I carried you through the snow to the county town to find a doctor, walking for half the night... On the way we met a pack of wild dogs. I protected you in my arms... These scars remain to this day. Have you forgotten?"

As he spoke, he rolled up his left sleeve, revealing the marks of the wild dogs' bites.

But the next moment, another louder slap landed on his face. This time Feng Zhu used nearly all her strength, turning his head to one side, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"I remember everything. Otherwise, how could Father and Mother never have doubted Brother?" Tears also appeared in Feng Zhu's eyes. She asked word by word: "So why has Brother become like this? Why?"

For a moment Feng Xu did not turn his face back, maintaining a stiff posture. He asked: "Doudou, what will it take for you to believe me?"

"I have already decided. I will not believe you no matter what." Feng Zhu's tone was unshakable. "So, Brother, leave yourself some dignity. Do not let yourself end up so wretched and shameless, not daring to speak a single true word even at death. Is that not living worse than a pig or dog?"

Feng Xu slowly turned his head and face back, looking at his younger sister.

The once resilient pearl, having survived a calamity that nearly crushed it to pieces, now sees the light of day again, its radiance undiminished, even increased; this light is not merely the pearl's luster, but more like the keen gleam of a blade.

Three slaps severing all ties of sentiment, the most direct humiliation and revenge, like swords and blades hacking down, decisive and ruthless, not listening to a single word of explanation from him, not looking at any of his disguises, intent only on forcing out his true face.

Feng Xu looked at her, then looked toward his silently standing Father Mother — no, Uncle Aunt……

Realized, already determined, would not believe no matter what.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Feng Xu murmured a sigh: "Truly…… like a dream."

Cheeks burning red-hot with pain, mouth holding blood foam, wretched and pitiable like a pig or dog awaiting slaughter, yet clearly the moment before he still sat in the seat of honor, waiting for the death notice to return, preparing to become the true master of this marquis mansion.

When he opened his eyes, Feng Xu's expression could be called calm, his gaze toward his younger sister still held protectiveness: "Zhu'er, you are good in every way, just too greedy. Do you still remember, that day what words you and Yan Mian spoke before the garden swing?"

"Seems you've long forgotten……" Feng Xu smiled, saying: "You were discussing a marriage alliance."

At that time he was still residing in the mansion as a nephew; since a daughter could also inherit her father's title, his Uncle Aunt originally intended to recruit a live-in husband for their niece, but the Yan clan might not agree; that day the niece sat on the swing, face flushed red, saying to her sweetheart, if they had two children in the future, one surnamed Feng, one surnamed Yan would be fine.

He heard these words from behind the tall flower clusters, only feeling there was no more greedy person in the world; Zhu'er already possessed so much, Yan Mian was also exceptionally favored and valued by the Former Emperor, treated like his own child, destined to reach the pinnacle of ministers; why must these two heaven's favored children simultaneously seize everything of both the Yan and Feng families? Unwilling to leave anything for this pitiable person who lost both father and mother?

"……Zhu'er, how greedy you are?" Feng Xu speaks of this matter to this day, still with a face of absurd contempt and unbearable disgust.

He said: "So even Heaven couldn't bear to watch, letting Aunt fall ill, your maternal grandfather in Henei Jun also suddenly falling gravely ill, so you had to rush to Henei Jun to pray for Mother's blessing and visit Grandfather…… just then the Luoyang remnants rebelled, you couldn't take Beimang Shan into Henei Jun, you had to borrow a path from the north face of Taixing Mountain, that place is most steep, if something happened, not even a corpse could be found!"

"You fell into bandits' hands, suffered torment for over ten years, not my wish! I never thought to humiliate you, I only wanted you to disappear! But you actually didn't die, you actually returned…… and how would I know how much you knew from that year? Would you suddenly remember? Would you expose me? Since your return, I haven't slept peacefully night after night……"

Tears pressed forth in Feng Xu's eyes: "Only blame you for not willing to die back then, causing today this ugly situation!"

Lu Hou's face turned cold, about to speak, but was stopped by Madam Shentu pressing down on the back of his hand.

"A fine 'only blame you for not willing to die'." Feng Zhu looked at the man whose face was gradually turning ferocious, counter-questioning him: "Elder Brother, after entering Lu Hou Fu, what the family gave you, still not enough?"

"What was given to me, what was given to me…… yes, all were you people's charity to me!" Years of suppressed dissatisfaction finally found a suitable timing to erupt, Feng Xu flicked his sleeve, suddenly raised his voice, looked at Lu Hou: "Back then it was my Father Mother who sacrificed their lives to protect, Uncle could have his life to achieve merit; if not so, there would be no Uncle, and no today's Lu Hou Fu!"

He pointed a finger at Lu Hou: "Uncle, it was you who swore before my Father's grave back then, that you would treat me as your own child! But you brought me to this Chang'an Hou Mansion, yet absolutely never mentioned recognizing me as a son! Everything only schemed for Zhu'er!"

"I have always treated you as a son!" Lu Hou finally opened his mouth, staring straight at those greedy eyes: "Since you stepped into this Hou Mansion, everything you obtained was equal to the mansion's young masters; when did I slight you? As for recognizing as own child, my daughter Feng Zhu is still alive, this vast Hou Mansion is not the achievement of I Feng Xi alone, within this there is naturally my wife's half; I owe your father, but they mother and daughter do not owe, by what right do you also covet their share?"

"You this insatiable jackal, don't use demanding gratitude to cover your greed, groundlessly sullying this gratitude!"

Feng Xu instead laughed angrily: "I am greedy? I sully gratitude? Ultimately is it I who know no satisfaction, or you people whose words don't match hearts? When Zhu'er was here, you were reluctant to give me a son's status! When Zhu'er was gone, you again never sought the slightest future for me, mouth open shut close making me guard the home well, today not permitting me to say this that, tomorrow not permitting me to go to Du Family Rui Family to attend banquets! If I were own child, would you still treat me so perfunctorily!"

Tears and snot streaming, saliva flying wildly, almost becoming incoherent.

"Turns out you still have such ambitious aspirations." Madam Shentu's tone held zero emotion: "Current dynasty's Opening Founding Merit families, how many remain now? Making you guard the family business, merely because seeing you mediocre, considering stability."

"You put on a docile lamb appearance, deceiving everyone, yet expect others to treat you differently, regard you as great timber……" Madam Shentu shook her head saying: "If you could use the schemes of secretly harming your own family on the proper path, let me personally see your talent and courage, I and your Uncle might not have chosen you to support the family gate, why would you need such painstaking effort."

Feng Xu heard this, stunned for a moment, then let out a cold laugh, fake, all deliberately dignified magnanimous fake words, merely to attack his heart, make him regret!

"It was you who repeatedly said you self-knew no great ambition no great use, only wished to be a farmstead wealthy householder would be enough." Madam Shentu said: "You are greedy to excess yet also timid and inferior, therefore you dare not openly strive for anything, only dare secretly speculate, engage in underhanded acts, in the end harming others and harming yourself."

Hearing the settling-accounts meaning behind these two words "harming yourself", Feng Xu's teeth chattered, repeatedly saying: "It is you people who are hypocritical stingy…… my Father Mother have gratitude toward you! It is life-saving great gratitude!"

"It is life-saving great gratitude indeed." Lu Hou's face solemn: "Therefore old man also permitted you to come kill once, it is you who lacked the ability to win back this life; now here no one owes you, instead it is you who killed Zhu'er once and again — even if your Father Mother stood before me right now, this account also must be settled with you clearly!"

Madam Shentu: "You recognized the wrong principle, calculated the wrong account, we misjudged the person and also misjudged the gratitude, this price we have no choice but to accept, you yourself should also go accept your share."

"I am Feng Family's elder, hereby by Clan Law sever our Father-Son Relationship. Today will submit Memorial to the Throne, declare everything, seize your Heir Apparent position." Lu Hou cupped hands toward above, steady voice saying: "I won't personally kill you, you are a Killer, the ending you deserve don't think of escaping."

"Killer? When did I ever kill anyone, isn't Zhu'er standing right here fine?" Feng Xu speaking, suddenly gritted teeth, pounced toward Feng Zhu.

Lu Hou quick-eyed quick-handed, swung up the tea table at hand, fiercely smashed toward his knee, Feng Xu pounced onto the ground, immediately two attendants pressed him down.

He struggled, raised his head glaring at Feng Zhu, blood-red tear-filled eyes clearly held jealousy and hatred: "……Since calling me once Elder Brother, why everywhere must compete with me, why must you insist on returning alive!"

Feng Zhu lowered eyes looking at him, answered him: "Because my daughter Qingniang risked her life to save my life, letting me return to repay this revenge."

"As for calling you once Elder Brother, merely called the wrong person before." Feng Zhu's eyes already held not a trace of tear light, only clean severance remaining: "Today I know, I never had an Elder Brother. You originally are an Evil Ghost transformed, empty-handedly pretending to be my Elder Brother, treating me and Mother Father well, merely your technique/art of maintaining human form illusion."

No Elder Brother, not Elder Brother, this layer of relationship erased by her from inside the heart, that fear and grief of being harmed by closest kin was isolated away, only hatred and revenge remaining.

Feng Zhu looking down from above at the struggling person, finally said: "You this Evil Ghost, should go die."

?? Five thousand characters! (When status can write I will definitely write furiously)

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