Chapter 689

I kept trembling as I held the doll's hand.

I never would have imagined that someone like the matriarch would actually use such dark arts on her own daughter, who had only just passed away!

After half a month of finally calming my mind, it was shattered in an instant.

Even harsher than before, and harder to accept.

Why would the matriarch do this?

Zhao Zixun said that the wedding procession that night, as well as the later water burial, were all the matriarch's idea.

With this series of actions, is the matriarch trying to liberate the Second Young Lady's soul, or… there's no liberation method that involves driving silver needles into a tablet bearing the daughter's birth date and time, is there?

I raised my hand, intending to pull out those two silver needles.

But before my fingers even touched the silver needles, I realized that if spirits really exist, rashly pulling them out might adversely affect the Second Young Lady's corpse and soul.

In these chaotic times, evil spirits run rampant, and many in our village believe in such things—my parents included.

Adding to the dreams I'd had before, at this moment I felt I couldn't help but believe.

After thinking, I didn't pull out the needles, nor did I put the doll back; instead I reburied the memorial tablet in its original spot, clasped my hands in prayer before it, then took the box containing the doll and went home.

Actually, the first person I thought of was Zhao Zixun, but he hasn't been in Wufu Town lately.

With the front lines heating up, Marshal Chen couldn't stay secluded and carefree, so Zhao Zixun inevitably had to follow him on the campaign.

Marshal Chen is still a man of great ambition; he not only wants to be the hegemon of Wufu Town, but also keeps pushing to expand his territory outward.

Less than a month after his daughter's death, his victory report had already reached Wufu Town.

Every piece of land he conquered was won by Zhao Zixun charging forward and fighting in the front lines.

This life of licking blood from the blade's edge was destined from the moment Marshal Chen picked up Zhao Zixun.

This is Zhao Zixun's fate.

That night at the gate of the Huang Manor, Zhao Zixun and I formed a tacit understanding.

I know he holds me in his heart, and he knows my thoughts.

Before this deployment, he even came to see me alone once, but we never defined our relationship.

He had reservations.

I understood his reservations.

I don't insist; I only hope our feelings can endure this turbulent period and welcome the dawn of victory—I'm still young, I can wait.

I brought the doll home and called my mother to my room.

My mother entered the room and asked, "Why are you being so mysterious at home? What's going on?"

I closed the door and handed the box to my mother.

My mother opened it and gasped in shock: "Wanwan, where did you get this? It's dark arts! Listen, don't touch it—take it back where you got it, and I'll go with you."

She said this while standing up, pulling me to go outside.

I hurriedly pressed her down, lowered my voice, and said, "Mom, don't get agitated—listen to me: the birth date and time on this doll belong to the Second Young Lady, and the doll was made by the matriarch."

My mother froze, her lips trembling: "Wanwan, are you hysterical? The matriarch is the Second Young Lady's own mother—how could she…?"

"I've seen it with my own eyes." I interrupted her, saying, "Since the Second Young Lady's passing, many things have actually happened…"

I told my mother everything about the seventh‑day memorial procession and the water burial.

After hearing this, my mother's face turned ashen.

She fell silent for a while, then took my hand and spoke earnestly: "Wanwan, I know you're close to the Second Young Lady and want to seek justice for her, but don't forget that Marshal Zhao is the ruler of this region. Without his approval, nothing can be done. We're just ordinary folks; even making a living is hard. We can't and shouldn't meddle in other people's affairs, understand?"

I understand the reasoning, but I just can't let out this pent‑up frustration.

My mom patted the back of my hand and said, "Also, the Huang Manor in Wufu Town that you mentioned is not someone we can afford to offend."

I exclaimed, "Mom, do you know about the Huang Manor?"

"Our family lives in the countryside, and you used to study in the county town, so you're not familiar with the old legends of the town." My mother recalled, "When I was little, my grandmother told me stories, saying that there were immortals guarding Wufu Town."

"Immortals?"

"Yes, immortals—supposedly animals that cultivated into spirits, five in total, known as the Five Blessings Immortals of Wufu Town. They once did many good deeds for the people, but then something happened: some of the Five Blessings Immortals disappeared, and though others remain, their reputations plummeted. Take the Huang Manor as an example: it's said they enshrine the Yellow Immortal among the Five Blessings Immortals."

My interest was instantly piqued. It seems I really should visit the town more often when I'm free to learn about its history—or rather, its unofficial history.

I asked curiously, "What's the reputation of the Yellow Immortal now?"

My mother shook her head, not giving a direct evaluation, but leaned in and whispered, "Yellow weasels bear grudges—when it comes to the Huang Manor, it's best to avoid contact if we can."

I realized: the Second Young Lady being betrothed to the Huang Manor surely bodes no good; it's unlikely to be a yin marriage.

My mother nodded: "From what you've told me, the chance of a yin marriage is small. It's more like some kind of sacrificial ritual—the matriarch using this doll‑binding dark art to suppress her own daughter; perhaps she knows the inside story and feels uneasy."

I recalled seeing the matriarch's face at the temple today—it was indeed terrible.

My mother put the Doll into the box, then handed it to me, saying: "Wanwan, everyone has their fate; this is the Second Young Lady's fate. We can't help her. Listen to mother, bury it back."

I was still hesitating.

My mother continued to advise: "Silly child, even if you successfully break the Doll's dark art, would you really have saved the Second Young Lady? The matriarch has someone guiding her behind the scenes; without the Doll's dark art, there will be something else. The more trouble we make, the more uneasy people's hearts will become, and the dark arts used against the Second Young Lady later will only grow worse. You are not saving her; you are harming her!"

My mother's words hit me like a blow to the head.

Yes, I was too naive, too idealistic.

I cannot save the Second Young Lady.

I held the box, lowered my head, sighed, and then compromised: "It's already dark; the temple should be closed by now. I'll go again early tomorrow."

"All right." Mother comforted me, "Wash your hands and come over for dinner."

That night, I slept holding the box containing the Doll.

I barely slept all night.

I felt guilty toward the Second Young Lady.

It seems that her earlier dream asking for help was real; later I could no longer dream of her, not because she had been reincarnated, but because… she had been suppressed…