Lang Jiuchuan stood beneath the covered corridor, watching the younger members of the Lang Family stroll through the garden, guessing lantern riddles. She found it rather dull, and had just turned to leave when a drift of orchid fragrance reached her from nearby.

That fragrance — it was the one Cui Shi habitually wore.

Cui Shi had been watching her for some time already. Seeing her standing in the corridor, taking no part in the games and merriment of the brothers and sisters, doing nothing else either — simply standing there, out of place — Cui Shi could not quite name what she felt.

“Why don’t you go play with them?”

Lang Jiuchuan’s expression was cool and indifferent. “I do have a little self-awareness. Why would I go and spoil their fun?”

A pang went through Cui Shi’s heart. She was silent for a moment, then said, “What you said just now at the family banquet — about your Fourth Sister-in-Law’s condition — you should not have said it in front of your Great Uncle and Great Aunt.”

Lang Jiuchuan turned to look at her.

Cui Shi watched the younger members of the household. “Your intentions were kind, but your Great Aunt is the principal wife, and your Fourth Sister-in-Law is a concubine-born daughter-in-law. Saying what you said about her condition openly — in front of all of them, in front of the entire family — carries the implication of sowing discord. Even if that was not your intent, consider how outsiders might interpret it, how your Great Uncle might think of it — might he feel your Great Aunt has not performed her duties as principal wife? Might he reproach her for failing to show a principal wife’s care? Even if you meant no harm, those words have still cost your Great Aunt her dignity, and given her cause to feel resentment.”

Lang Jiuchuan’s brow furrowed.

Cui Shi said evenly, “I do not say this to reproach you. Only — a young woman who earns a reputation for disrespecting her elders and sowing discord will find it does her nothing but harm.”

“I never learned your eight-directional tact and social grace,” Lang Jiuchuan said with a sardonic smile. “And perhaps that isn’t entirely my failing — if no one raised and taught me, whatever name I carry is the natural result of the causes laid down before it. I survive by my reputation, then I will make sure mine is beyond reproach by anyone. But I am not the sheltered noble daughter raised in the inner chambers of a great household — I am nothing more than a wild weed of an existence. Whether I have a fine name to my name or not means nothing to me. There is no need for Madam to concern yourself.”

Cui Shi’s complexion went white.

“The snow is nearly here — please don’t linger too long admiring the lanterns, Madam, lest you catch cold. Jiuchuan takes her leave.” Lang Jiuchuan gave her a bow of courtesy, then turned and walked away.

Cui Shi’s body swayed, her mouth opening and closing — but not a single word came out.

Lang Jiuchuan walked home in silence and went straight to the study. Jian Lan followed behind her without daring to breathe too loudly — and then suddenly walked straight into Lang Jiuchuan’s back, who had stopped without warning.

“Was what I said at the banquet truly implying discord?” Lang Jiuchuan fixed Jian Lan with a hard look.

Jian Lan hesitated.

“Tell me the truth.”

Jian Lan then said, “Well — although you meant it with good intentions, the First Lady is the principal wife, and the Fourth Young Mistress is only a concubine-born daughter-in-law. In wealthy households, there are always rumors of principal wives mistreating concubine-born children and daughters-in-law. The First Lady would never go that far — but with the Fourth Young Mistress carrying a child, if anything were to go wrong, outsiders might overthink it. After all, the eldest legitimate grandson of the first branch hasn’t been born yet.”

Lang Jiuchuan’s brow knitted into a deep furrow. Was there this much tangled calculation involved in the inner quarters of one family?

“As for what you said — if someone was inclined to suspect the worst, they might feel you were telling the Young Master things that reflected badly on the First Lady. And if the First Lady is a narrow-minded sort, she might resent you for it.” Jian Lan, seeing that Lang Jiuchuan truly had not understood, hurried to give a few examples of petty-minded principal wives who had mistreated concubine-born children and daughters-in-law, then said tactfully, “In great households, concubine-born children and daughters-in-law always stand one head shorter than those of the legitimate line. If you have the fortune of a good principal wife, you’re lucky — if you happen upon a malicious one, life becomes very difficult indeed.”

Lang Jiuchuan said, “The First Lady is not that sort of person.”

“True — but women can be petty,” Jian Lan said very quietly. Gossiping about one’s mistress was itself an offense. “Who can say whether she’ll take it to heart?”

“This household is truly unbearable with so many rules.” Lang Jiuchuan muttered under her breath, then turned and entered the study. “I am going into seclusion — do not disturb me.”

Jian Lan dipped in a bow and sighed.

Over on Lady Fan’s side, she had indeed worked herself into quite a temper — though her good son had talked her down from it. Seeing him defend Lang Jiuchuan at every turn, she gave him a reproachful look. “You don’t even protect your own younger sisters this much. A cousin who hasn’t been home long, and you’ve already taken her side — do you really think I would do something to her?”

“Mother is the most patient and generous of people — of course you wouldn’t stoop to quarreling with a younger one. As for Ninth Sister — you know what she’s like. She grew up on the estate for over ten years and never learned the winding ways of a great household’s inner quarters. She’s straightforward — says what she sees, means what she says. She truly was not trying to make you look bad.” Lang Caimeng smiled warmly.

Lady Fan let out a puff of irritation. “When did I ever say I didn’t know that? Alright — stop standing there in my sight, go back and keep your wife and daughter company.”

Lang Caimeng laughed and agreed, taking his leave.

He had only just stepped out the door when a maidservant announced that Nanny Cheng from Cui Shi’s side had arrived. Lady Fan quickly had her shown in — and Nanny Cheng had even brought a box with her, saying it was a gift from Cui Shi.

Lady Fan immediately tried to refuse it. “Second Sister-in-Law will make me feel terrible — am I truly the sort of Great Aunt who quarrels with a niece? She was doing it for my sister-in-law’s sake — I understand that perfectly. Take it back, please.”

Nanny Cheng smiled and said a few kind words, set down the box, and left.

Lady Fan could not refuse her, and when she had gone, she opened the lid to find inside a translucent imperial green jade bracelet of exceptional quality. She immediately felt it burning her hands.

Was she truly being seen as that petty?

In the study, Jiangche was chattering away at Lang Jiuchuan without end: “Not even a bamboo stalk is as straightforward as you. Wars in the inner quarters kill without shedding blood — you’d do well to learn.”

Lang Jiuchuan summoned the Small Nine Pagoda. “I don’t need to survive in anyone’s inner quarters. I can tell a human from a ghost well enough — there’s no need to bring it up again. My spiritual power has been heavily depleted during this period. Come with me into the pagoda to go into seclusion.”

She sat cross-legged, formed a seal, and sent her primordial spirit into the Small Nine Pagoda.

She first pulled out the soul of Cong Jinnian — mangled nearly to ruin by the demon-vanquishing formation — and studied the near-shattered fragments of his soul, her gaze cold and still. She asked, “How did Cong Bian come to know how to inscribe demonic markings? Where did he obtain the demonic scripture? And where is that thing now?”

Cong Jinnian looked at her and a thread of fear stirred within him — but he said nothing. Only a sneer curled at the corner of his mouth. “What is called the righteous path is nothing but a facade. What you call righteousness — how do you know it’s not just a false skin stretched over something rotten? You destroyed our Cong Family’s hundred-year great scheme. I curse you—”

“Silence!” Lang Jiuchuan seized his soul and, with a focused act of will, tore it further apart.

Cong Jinnian: “—!”

She was the truly wicked and demonic one. If she had it in her to do it, she might as well scatter his soul entirely — why resort to this kind of torment?

“If you will not speak, I will send you to the hellfire sea, and you will know what it is to be burned by the karmic flames. That place makes this demon-vanquishing formation seem gentle by comparison — your soul will keep burning until you have paid off all your karmic debt, and only then will you be allowed to pass through the six paths of reincarnation. Speak — where did he obtain it?”

Cong Jinnian shuddered, and immediately said, “I don’t know. I have never seen any such scripture myself. I only know that the Old Ancestor’s master was Kong Jin. All the techniques the Old Ancestor knew were transcribed into a codex — it is hidden in a secret compartment in the incense burner in the Cong Family’s ancestral hall.”

Lang Jiuchuan’s expression darkened. It was truly the demonic practitioner Kong Jin?

“How did you find people and carry out the refining of the corpse fiend? From beginning to end — tell me everything. If you speak honestly, I will let you enter the underworld and pass through the six paths.”

Cong Jinnian was not entirely sure he could trust her — but under her overwhelming pressure, he dared not refuse. Besides, whether he spoke or not, death was all that awaited him. So he recounted the Cong Family’s hundred-year great scheme from start to finish.

Lang Jiuchuan’s gaze grew colder and colder as she listened. When he had finished, she pressed him further with a few more probing questions, then threw him back into the demon-vanquishing formation. “Entering the underworld isn’t anything good either. You were no decent person in life — then be a decent ghost, and serve as fodder for my demon-vanquishing formation.”

The wooden fish received its command, its power surging. It had been growing impatient long since, and now it ground Cong Jinnian into complete obliteration.

Cong Jinnian: “…”

Faithless woman — let her meet a wretched end!