Chapter 37: Clues

Qi Yuxian's face was twisted with fury; she pointed at the Aunt Zhang seized by many servants, too angry to speak.

At this moment, a servant woman held an iron can in her hand; inside the can was another cloth doll, on which was written the eight characters of birth year and hour in yellow paper; the doll was naked, wearing a headband, with nails pierced through its chest, and an iron chain locked around its neck.

What made Qi Yuxian grit her teeth even more was that inside the iron tube were two clay-sculpted demon kings, utterly licentious and evil.

Devious servant, shameless and wicked!

At this moment, the servant woman beside her shouted loudly.

"No one may spread word of today's events; if anyone hears even a whisper of rumor, everyone present will be sold off, the women of the household sent away, and the children likewise dispatched, with no mercy!"

Hearing this, the servants and attendant women trembled all over and hurriedly knelt on the ground.

"Hatred, I hate it so much!"

At this moment, the captured Aunt Zhang continued to curse without cease.

Her eyes seemed to bleed as she glared hatefully at Qi Yuxian.

"You wretched little slut, your despicable kind has ruined my plans..."

Before she could finish speaking, the servant woman slapped her hard, and her face visibly swelled.

Qi Yuxian's visage was icy and bone-chilling; she merely clenched the corner of her garment.

At the same time, a hint of relief flickered in the depths of her eyes.

She had been waiting for news in the garden when she suddenly saw a sneaky figure pass by; out of curiosity she followed, and unexpectedly discovered Aunt Zhang digging in the flowerbed, thus catching her in the act.

Without such a coincidence, she would truly not have known that someone was practicing demonic suppression sorcery within the Qi household, especially cursing her own mother.

Yet Qi Yuxian still harbored a sliver of doubt, for the shadow she had previously seen and this Aunt Zhang's hunchbacked, obese appearance did not match well.

This thought flashed through her mind and then vanished.

Burning with rage, she could not help but point at the terrifying-looking old woman before her and berate her.

"Aunt Zhang, you are an elder beside my mother; my mother has always trusted your family greatly, yet I never expected you to betray her, using such vicious sorcery to secretly harm the household—where is your conscience?"

Hearing this, the servant woman burst into mad laughter.

"Conscience? I scoff at that—trust is merely a show put on by the Zhou clan's venomous woman for others to see; she simply doesn't want people to call her jealous, lest it affect the eldest master's prospects!"

"And you, you little wretch, don't pretend to be ignorant—was the death of my daughter and grandson truly just an accident?"

"Over these years, so many concubines in the eldest master's quarters have been sold off for no reason or suffered unexplained miscarriages; you know full well it is that jealous venomous woman who has killed so many pitiful souls, including my poor daughter and my unborn grandson; I wish I could flay that venomous woman alive, but alas I am powerless and can never avenge her."

Seeing Aunt Zhang still cursing, the tall, stout servant woman gestured to the nearby servants to gag her, lest she continue uttering shocking things.

At the same time she approached Qi Yuxian and said, "Miss, how should we deal with this damned Aunt Zhang?"

Qi Yuxian's countenance changed at this moment.

She had actually long heard of the Zhou clan's deeds, but had always held a hopeful outlook; now that the lid was lifted directly, how could she not suspect?

The main branch had indeed been the least populated among the households these years; aside from her, the legitimate daughter, there were only two younger brothers behind her.

But seeing everyone's gazes turn toward her, Qi Yuxian's expression swiftly recovered, and she rebuked.

"Anyone who is enormously wicked will always beforehand shift all their crimes onto others to ease the guilt from their conscience being condemned; Aunt Zhang, I personally witnessed what happened to your daughter—this matter has already been judged by my father, and it was your daughter who colluded with the household servants, broke the rules, feared punishment from the master, and thus threw herself into the well; what does that have to do with my Qi family?"

"But today you used the Demonic Suppression Technique to harm my mother—this is ironclad evidence, an unforgivable sin; I will shortly have you dragged before my father to be dealt with according to our household laws and regulations, and besides, you surely have accomplices, for otherwise someone of your standing would not dare to scheme against the master; I will investigate to the very end!"

Qi Yuxian's face was icy, her gaze sweeping over everyone with extreme severity.

In the shadows, Zhang Jian witnessed this scene, his eyes flickering inwardly.

He sighed silently in his heart, inwardly leaning toward believing Aunt Zhang.

Were it not for deep hatred and great grudge, he would not rather suffer backlash from the Demonic Suppression Technique, rotting into this state, to plot against others.

This is a lose‑lose situation.

Zhang Jian felt that he might truly have interfered with others' "Acting on Heaven's Behalf."

If this great aunt were truly so wicked, then she deserves retribution!

But such matters cannot be blamed on him.

After all, it is the heretical art that harms people by taking hold first.

That Demonic Suppression Technique is indeed evil and nefarious.

Although it is fighting poison with poison.

But just then, he suddenly lifted his head and saw in the darkness a fleeting loss manifest and fly toward Aunt Zhang.

Moreover, several such losses fell respectively toward the sturdy men beside Aunt Zhang, and even upon Qi Yuxian.

Seeing this, Zhang Jian's divine sense surged forth in an instant, and a layer of magnificent Extreme Yang Gale Wind swept out, instantly blowing away those losses.

Amid the clinking sounds, several crossbow bolts were seen falling to the ground.

The crossbow bolts concealed a fishy odor; at a glance they were clearly laced with deadly poison.

Was this preparation to kill and silence?

"There's an assassin!"

At this moment, a group of servant women and attendants, having seen this, reacted; one's face changed, and they shouted loudly, while several stout female servant women hurriedly escorted Qi Yuxian to take shelter beneath the eaves.

Qi Yuxian's face also paled somewhat, yet her eyes instinctively scanned the surroundings.

Yet there was no trace of the person who had made the move.

Zhang Jian, however, had already pursued outward; his divine sense and perception were extraordinarily keen, and the moment he locked onto that shadow, his Wind Travel Technique unfurled, like a gentle breeze sweeping over the high wall.

In the darkness, one of the black‑clad figures fled like a startled bird.

That figure, however, was greatly startled, and when the overbearing spirit mechanism swept over, he instantly knew he had met his match.

Only those who have achieved some accomplishment as Left Path Practitioners can produce such substantive spirit pressure and aura; such practitioners have already approached the Gate of the Great Dao, most being highly skilled, far beyond what a Left Path Practitioner at the Qi Refining Stage like him could rival.

On the long street, Zhang Jian watched the black‑shadowed figure speed away, his eyes slightly narrowed, yet he did not continue the chase.

His masked figure shone especially pure beneath the moonlight.

Actually, if needed, he could immediately employ the Minor Wind Thunder Technique to intercept the opponent.

However, after thinking it over repeatedly, Zhang Jian still chose not to intervene again.

The reason is simple—Zhang Jian found he apparently had no reason to intervene.

The Zhang and Qi clans are not yet allies; as for the family ties, judging by his maternal grandfather's attitude, they aren't necessarily close, so he naturally doesn't need to go to great trouble to help investigate the camphor.

Moreover, they are targeting the main branch, not the second branch that is closely tied to the Zhang family, and there's no need to shout threats at them—after all, his relationship with them isn't that close either.

If he acted rashly, he would inevitably be drawn prematurely into the prefecture city's treacherous situation.

Moreover, intervening to save Qi Yuxian was only out of respect for family ties; otherwise he would hardly bother to act.

"Maybe I should just go back to sleep!"

Thinking this, Zhang Jian immediately went back.

What he needs now is peaceful years, to steadily complete his accumulation, rather than actively stir up trouble!

Yet this left the black-clad figure desperately fleeing feeling inexplicably astonished; he clearly sensed that the shadow behind him clung like a shadow, as if it could snatch his life at any moment.

But after pursuing and pursuing, the person behind him had disappeared?

Could it be that he was tired?

Zhan Liren still seemed a bit dazed—he had just escaped death so easily?