Chapter 5

After devouring the hanged ghost, the green-clad female ghost seemed to sense someone watching her from behind. Still holding the unrolled painting, she abruptly turned around.

Rong Li had already averted her gaze. She was looking up at the gloomy sky, her eyes slightly narrowed and her expression relaxed and composed. Only the muscles along her back remained tightly strained.

The green-clad ghost stared at her for a while before snorting coldly. With a turn of her body, she transformed into a cloud of ghostly energy and flew away.

That ghostly energy was a sinister shade of green, resembling the poisonous miasma found deep in the mountains. In an instant, it dispersed without leaving the slightest trace.

But Rong Li didn’t dare relax. Who knew whether the ghost was hiding somewhere in the shadows, secretly watching her? She continued gazing up at the sky until her eyes grew dry and her body shivered again. Only then did she rub her hands together and close the window.

Darkness had already fallen outside, leaving only a faint streak of light along the horizon. Yet Xiao Fu still hadn’t returned. Rong Li had no idea what might have delayed her.

After closing the window, Rong Li’s heart continued pounding wildly. Whenever her heart raced like this, she felt as though she were about to stop breathing. She had no choice but to press a hand against her chest and slowly walk to the table to sit down. Her head felt heavy and dizzy, but she didn’t dare close her eyes. She was alone in the room, and if another ghost appeared, she feared it might frighten her to death.

She believed she had never done anything that weighed on her conscience, so encountering ghosts from the residence hadn’t frightened her to the point of paralysis. But if a ghost from outside the residence appeared, like that green-clad female ghost earlier, then she truly knew what fear was.

Just as she was about to pick up her teacup, Yuzhuo, the maid sent by Meng Yuan, spoke from outside the room. “Young Miss, Third Madam has prepared a banquet at Tingchun Pavilion to welcome the Master home and help him recover from his journey. She has invited Young Miss to attend as well.”

Rong Li let out a long breath and narrowed her eyes slightly. When she blinked again, she had resumed her usual delicate, frail appearance. She stood and said, “Then let’s go.”

The three maids stood outside, waiting for her to emerge.

Tingchun Pavilion stood in the middle of a lake. The lake had been excavated many years ago. It was said that First Madam had wanted to enjoy boating on the water, but because of her poor health, she wasn’t read the original at bailiantales.comsuited to traveling far. Rong Changting had therefore specially ordered a lake to be dug within the residence.

The lake was so clear that its bottom could be seen, and fish had been raised in its waters. Whenever a school of fish suddenly swam past, they resembled rippling lengths of fine silk.

The wooden walkway leading to Tingchun Pavilion was extremely narrow and winding, with railings so thin that they looked as though they would snap if someone leaned against them.

By the time Rong Li walked from Orchid Courtyard to the lakeside, she was already panting heavily. She rested her slender wrist against the railing and stopped to catch her breath.

The pavilion was indeed filled with delicious dishes. Rong Changting and several of his Madams were seated inside, chatting and laughing together. The atmosphere appeared genuinely harmonious.

“Young Miss, we’ll be there once we cross this walkway. Why don’t you rest after we get across?” Kongqing, who rarely spoke, suggested.

“Or perhaps I could carry Young Miss across on my back?” Yuzhuo suddenly offered.

Rong Li remembered it clearly. Back then, she had climbed onto Yuzhuo’s back. With one sudden stumble, Yuzhuo had knocked the railing apart, sending Rong Li tumbling into the water, while Yuzhuo herself had remained perfectly safe on the walkway.

Rong Li wasn’t a strong swimmer. Falling into the water was already enough to place one foot inside the gates of the King of Hell’s palace, let alone during the depths of winter, when the lake water was bone-chillingly cold.

“There’s no need. If I have to be carried just to attend a meal, wouldn’t Father feel even more distressed when he sees me?” Rong Li leaned toward the railing as though unintentionally. Sure enough, it swayed precariously, as though someone had tampered with it.

Although she hadn’t visited Tingchun Pavilion in a long time, even a railing that had fallen into disrepair over the years shouldn’t have been this unstable.

Rong Li straightened and slowly walked forward. When she was nearly halfway across, she suddenly heard the maids speaking behind her.

“You’re going to spill that soup! Let me carry it,” Yuzhuo scolded.

Rong Li stopped and turned around. She saw a young maid holding a pot of soup with her head lowered. The maid whispered, “I haven’t spilled any.”

There wasn’t even a drop of soup on the rim of the pot. Rong Li couldn’t imagine where Yuzhuo had supposedly seen it spilling.

Nevertheless, Yuzhuo had already reached out and taken the pot from her. “How clumsy! If you spill this on Young Miss, you’ll be in serious trouble.”

Rong Li smiled, her eyes curving slightly. “If she spills it, then she spills it. It wouldn’t be intentional. Why bother scolding her?”

“It’s better if I carry it myself. The new maids in this residence truly don’t know how to behave.” Yuzhuo snorted coldly. Perhaps because she had spent so long serving Meng Yuan, her expression was exceedingly arrogant.

Holding the soup, Yuzhuo continued, “Young Miss, hurry into the pavilion. They’ve lit the braziers inside, so it’s very warm. Don’t stand out here in the cold wind.”

Rong Li had barely turned around when Yuzhuo suddenly stumbled, sending the scalding soup spilling out of the pot.

The soup was steaming hot. If it splashed onto someone’s body, it would surely scald off a layer of skin.

Rong Li twisted sideways and abruptly collided with the railing. With a loud creak, the railing snapped, sending wood splinters flying.

The Eldest Young Miss, wrapped in her fox-fur cloak, fell straight into the lake, sending a great splash of water into the air. Her ink-black hair spread out instantly, like ink dissolving in water.

Inside the pavilion, Rong Changting abruptly rose to his feet, and several young servants immediately jumped into the lake.

Rong Li sank into the water and vaguely saw several figures swimming toward her from a distance. [stolen content]The water stung her eyes terribly, but she didn’t dare close them. Her lungs felt as though they were burning, her throat seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, and the pressure in her head was almost unbearable.

A shadow silently approached. Rong Li kept her aching eyes open and suddenly realized that the first to reach her wasn’t one of the residence’s servants, but—

A water ghost.

The ghost’s entire body had turned pale from being submerged in water. Its hair was long and black, floating around it like a curtain. On its deathly white face were two eyes so black that not even a trace of white could be seen, as though two perfectly round pieces of black jade had been embedded there.

Seeing someone fall into the lake, the water ghost’s extraordinarily long hair seemed to develop a mind of its own, stretching toward Rong Li’s ankles and wrapping around them.

Rong Li suddenly regretted her decision. If she had known there was a ghost in the water, she would rather have let the hot soup spill all over her.

Fortunately, the servants who had jumped in were skilled swimmers. They brought her back to the surface, and when the strands of black hair wrapped around her ankles sensed living people approaching, they quickly withdrew with a rustling sound.

On the wooden walkway, the soup pot lay shattered beyond recognition beside Yuzhuo. She knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing and crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. “Master, it’s all this servant’s fault! I failed to hold the soup pot securely, and it slipped from my hands, frightening Young Miss. Otherwise… otherwise, Young Miss wouldn’t have fallen into the lake while trying to avoid it.”

Rong Li lay nearby, completely drenched. Her slender fingers were slightly curled against the fox fur lining her sleeves, and the blue veins on the backs of her hands stood out clearly. Her clothes were soaked through, making her look as though she were still submerged in the lake. The cold had drained every trace of color from her body.

Rong Changting pointed a trembling finger at the kneeling maid, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Meng Yuan stood nearby, frowning as she said, “You wretched thing! Is this how you take care of Eldest Young Miss?”

Yuzhuo knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, as though she hadn’t been the one who had deliberately dropped the soup pot moments earlier.

Meng Yuan continued, “If Master wishes to punish her, please wait [stolen content]until Li’er wakes up before deciding. When the time comes, let Li’er decide how she should be punished.”

“Drag her to the woodshed. I don’t want to see her for the next few days,” Rong Changting ordered, unwilling to spare the maid another glance.

Meng Yuan’s misty brows furrowed slightly, and tears shimmered in her lowered eyes. “I also ask Master to punish this lowly concubine. I was the one who sent this ignorant maid to care for Li’er. Who could have known she would be so careless?”

Si Zhao stood nearby, raising a hand to cover the lower half of her face. She merely smiled without saying a word.

“Third Madam should also remain in her room for the next few days,” Rong Changting said coldly.

Meng Yuan froze. She hadn’t expected that taking the initiative to admit fault would no longer work.

“Escort Third Madam back to her room.” Rong Changting waved his hand. “As for this meal, I don’t think anyone needs to eat it anymore.”

The entire table of delicacies in Tingchun Pavilion remained untouched until the food turned cold. In the end, the servants cleared everything away and returned it to the kitchen.

When Rong Li woke up, Xiao Fu was sitting beside her, looking at her anxiously. Her eyes were so red they looked as though they had been stained with rouge.

Seeing Rong Li open her eyes, Xiao Fu immediately bent forward. Afraid that speaking too loudly might startle her young lady, she lowered her voice and said, “Young Miss caught a chill, and now you have a terrible fever. You mustn’t get up.”

Rong Li was still groggy when she opened her eyes, but hearing those words instantly brought her fully awake. Pressing her lips together and frowning, she forced herself to sit up. Gripping the edge of the quilt, she asked, “Has the residence physician come?”

“He has. He prescribed some medicine. One batch is to be brewed each day, and each batch provides enough for two doses.” Xiao Fu turned slightly to look outside the room.

It was already late at night. Candlelight flickered outside, casting the shadows of [Read on BaiLianTales]two figures standing guard onto the door. They were probably Bailiu and Kongqing, who hadn’t been punished.

Rong Li’s clothes were dry. Xiao Fu had changed them after she lost consciousness. Her hair had also been dried, and the vermilion ribbon that had been tied in it had been completely removed.

There wasn’t a trace of makeup on her face. Her complexion was so pale it almost seemed translucent, while her eyes were drowsy and moist. Her slightly trembling eyelashes resembled butterflies resting on the surface of a deep pool.

“Young Miss?” Xiao Fu’s heart leaped into her throat.

“Did you feed me the medicine prescribed by the residence physician?” Rong Li raised a hand and touched her lips.

Uneasiness stirred in her heart. In her previous life, she had taken the medicine prescribed by the residence physician. Although it had cured her cold, it had left her with a lingering illness.

“No.” Xiao Fu lowered her voice and leaned close to Rong Li’s ear. “I used the excuse of cooking thin rice porridge to enter the kitchen and secretly brewed the medicine Young Miss sent me outside to purchase. The medicine I fed Young Miss was the one I brought back from outside the residence.”

She paused and said hesitantly, “I only managed to feed you one mouthful. I couldn’t get you to swallow the rest.”

Rong Li nodded slightly, pressing the tip of her tongue against the gaps between her teeth. She could still taste a lingering bitterness in her mouth.

Xiao Fu continued, “When I bought the medicine, the physician asked whether someone in our family was skilled in medicine. Then he said that this prescription could both treat a cold and nourish the body, preventing weakness from setting in after the cold had been cured.”

She paused, then asked in confusion, “But how did Young Miss know you would catch a cold? Could it be… could it be that Young Miss already knew Yuzhuo had ulterior motives?”

Rong Li leaned against the bedpost, still gripping the edge of the quilt tightly. When she tightened her five fingers, her knuckles turned white. Although she was so weak that even speaking was difficult, she still managed a faint smile and said softly, “How could I have known that she would suddenly stumble? I didn’t know the soup would spill toward me, nor did I know the railing along the walkway was so fragile.”

Xiao Fu’s breath caught. For some reason, she felt that her young lady’s words carried a hidden meaning.

“One misstep, and I fell into the lake. Before that, I had merely been exposed to the cold wind and wasn’t feeling well, so I sent you out to purchase some medicine,” Rong Li continued slowly.

“Our poor Young Miss.” As Xiao Fu spoke, she looked ready to burst into tears again.

Rong Li swept her gaze across all four corners of the room. Only after confirming that there were no ghosts did she ask, “Has my father come to see me?”

“The Master came twice, but when he saw Young Miss hadn’t woken up, he left.” Xiao Fu paused. “Now that Young Miss is awake, should I go inform the Master?”

“No.” Rong Li’s thin lips moved, and her gaze shifted toward the window. However, the lattice was covered with paper, preventing her from seeing the darkness outside. “If Father comes, tell him I still haven’t woken up. If you find an opportunity to leave the residence over the next few days, spread some news for me.”

“What news?” Xiao Fu asked hesitantly.

“Say that the Rong residence is haunted. A ghost dragged the short-lived Eldest Young Miss into the lake, and she has been afflicted by an evil presence and can no longer wake up,” Rong Li said unhurriedly.

“B-but this…” Xiao Fu stared at her with wide eyes.

“Make sure Father believes it. Encourage him to invite a few Buddhist monks and Taoist priests. While you’re at it, take the gold hairpin Mother left behind and pawn it for silver. Use the money to bribe the invited Masters and have them say that I’m being haunted by a vengeful spirit and that anyone who comes near me will meet a terrible death.”

Rong Li turned over and got out of bed, then stood and retrieved the gold hairpin from the cabinet.

Strictly speaking, she really was surrounded by vengeful spirits. She didn’t know whether the green-clad ghost she had seen during the day would return. Since that ghost had come searching here, the ghost depicted in the painting was probably somewhere in Qian City.

That ghost in the painting…

She wondered what it looked like. Unfortunately, she had only managed to glimpse one corner of the painting.