The next day, the Daoist woman indeed arrived on time. After some preparations, she began performing the ritual in the courtyard.

All the female family members of the Lu residence were present, as they needed to cleanse the bad luck from everyone.

Halfway through the ritual, the Daoist woman, who had been sitting on the ground with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them and stared fixedly at Qin Feifei, saying in a sinister voice: “Third sister, why did you frame me for having an affair with the steward? You deliberately set a trap – wasn’t it all for money? The Zhou family died at mother’s hands, and so much silver went into mother’s pocket, yet you still weren’t satisfied?”

Qin Feifei’s face drained of all color. This voice was clearly Qin Yaoyao’s!

How was this possible? How could this be?

Qin Feifei instinctively stepped back two paces and refuted: “No, no… Second… you, you’re talking nonsense, talking nonsense…”

But the Daoist woman continued in that sinister voice: “Whether I’m talking nonsense or not, third sister knows in her heart. Let me tell you, the Zhou family members have been wandering in the underworld, unwilling to reincarnate, and I won’t go either – we won’t close our eyes in peace! You killed Feng’er, and he won’t rest in peace either. He will watch your children every day!”

Qin Feifei held onto a nearby maid: “It wasn’t me, you, don’t haunt me! Don’t, don’t…”

“If I don’t haunt you, who should I haunt? Third sister, you were the one who killed me. If I don’t haunt you, who should I haunt? And my husband – he clearly knew I was innocent, yet he allowed you to harm me! Just wait and see, I’ll make you all die without burial places, one by one!”

Qin Feifei let out a piercing scream: “Get away from me, get away!”

Qin Feifei grabbed whatever was at hand and hurled it at the Daoist woman.

They were far apart, and Qin Feifei had lost her aim, so she couldn’t hit the Daoist woman.

The Daoist woman suddenly closed her eyes again.

Old Madam Lu watched this scene with folded arms, muttering to herself: “So you were the one who killed her maternal uncle too.”

Aunt Lu, Nanny Yuan, Lu Changju and others were all present. Hearing what the Daoist woman said was shocking enough, and with Qin Feifei’s screaming and shouting, they didn’t hear Old Madam Lu’s words.

Old Madam Lu gave a look, and servants and maids went to support Qin Feifei, but she was already in a state of madness. How was this possible? How could this be?

After closing her eyes, the Daoist woman opened them again after a while, looking confused. Seeing the situation before her, she was very puzzled: “What happened to First Madam? I feel like I just went to a misty place where I couldn’t see anything clearly. I only felt there was a lady in black robes with red patterns crying, crying so painfully, so sadly… What on earth happened?”

Nanny Yuan shivered. Black with red patterns…

No one answered the Daoist woman’s question. Old Madam Lu looked at her with searching eyes.

Suddenly, the Daoist woman seemed to remember her mission and asked the Daoist boy she brought: “What happened just now? The residence invited us to perform a ritual – it should be finished by now, right?”

The Daoist boy looked as if he’d seen a ghost, his face pale as he said: “Master, master, you, you, you were just possessed by that fierce ghost…”

The Daoist woman’s eyes widened: “That’s absolutely impossible! This master has profound magical power. Ordinary ghosts cannot even approach, let alone possess me!”

The Daoist boy said: “Master, it’s true. Everyone just witnessed it.”

“What?”

The Daoist woman looked around and seemed to understand something from everyone’s frightened and terrified gazes.

The Daoist boy said: “Master, that, that fierce ghost was very powerful. You just said many strange things… The fierce ghost said she died unjustly, said she came back to seek revenge. I fear, I fear…”

The Daoist woman closed her eyes and calculated with her fingers. Her face quickly turned pale, and she suddenly stood up.

She looked around in panic, trembling as she said: “Disciple, disciple, you’re right. This fierce ghost died wrongfully and has returned for revenge! Keep the silver – let’s leave quickly, quickly… This female ghost is too powerful. Master cannot subdue her. If we delay even a moment, I fear we’ll suffer backlash!”

The Daoist boy frantically gathered their things. The Daoist woman also shakily went to retrieve her peach wood sword, but it seemed fixed to the ground. She tried twice but couldn’t lift it.

The Daoist woman was so frightened she trembled and actually wet herself. A foul smell permeated the air. People watched as her gray Daoist robe was quickly soaked, but no one dared cover their nose.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry, Great Immortal! This humble person came to your territory today and caused much disturbance, truly not knowing the Great Immortal was here! Please don’t, don’t… please spare me. I’ll leave immediately, immediately…”

With that, abandoning even the peach wood sword, she ran toward the main gate. But frightened as she was, she stumbled all the way, falling several times before disappearing from everyone’s sight.

The Daoist boy stood stunned for a moment, let out a strange cry, then chased after his master.

This sudden turn of events happened so abruptly that before those present could react, the master and disciple had already vanished.

Though it was April weather and quite warm, everyone felt a bone-chilling cold and instinctively huddled together.

The former madam… was wrongfully accused?

She was unwilling to accept it and returned as a fierce ghost?

Those discussions at the main gate in recent days – were they true? Did the current First Madam kill her own sister and steal her own brother-in-law?

Old Madam Lu had been unwilling to believe it. Having mixed in society, she had always been skeptical about such matters. Some Daoist women often took money to do people’s bidding, and their shadows frequently appeared in the secrets of great households.

But seeing that the Daoist woman had actually wet herself, Old Madam Lu’s doubts were dispelled.

Wetting oneself in public – if this were fake, it would be too degrading. Moreover, in front of so many people, how could she manage to urinate?

It could only be genuine fright.

Besides, this person was invited by Qin Feifei herself. Qin Feifei surely wouldn’t invite someone disadvantageous to herself. Every word the Daoist woman spoke pointed to Qin Feifei, and the person most frightened was Qin Feifei herself.

Qin Feifei couldn’t possibly pay someone to work against herself.

Thinking of Lu Changxuan and Lu Changsong’s consecutive misfortunes, Old Madam Lu became ninety percent convinced that Qin Yaoyao’s ghost lingered.

Old Madam Lu said urgently: “Quick, quickly go to the yamen to bring the master back!”

Lu Changxuan’s usual duties weren’t at the yamen, but Old Madam Lu didn’t understand her son’s work and always referred to the Ministry of Personnel where Lu Changxuan worked as “the yamen.” Aunt Lu and Nanny Yuan did the same.

Nanny Yuan was stunned for a moment before saying: “Old Madam, the master is no longer working now.”

Old Madam Lu’s cloudy eyes blinked, and it took her a long time to remember that Changxuan truly wasn’t working anymore.

“This… this… has she really returned? Has she come to take revenge on us?”

All the female family members became panicked. In Qin Feifei’s terrified eyes flashed hatred and unwillingness.

“Qin Yaoyao, don’t think you can frighten me! When you were alive, you never defeated me. Now that you’re dead, do you still think you can defeat me? I’m going to get some talismans, yes, talismans to suppress you so you can never be reborn! I want you to remain a wandering ghost even in death, never to be reborn!”