Su Yunmo, thinking of Lin Chenxi's leg, ordered a carriage to the Marquis's mansion.
The Marquis's grand estate, even the two stone lions at the entrance, seemed to stand in solemn attendance.
This was once Su Yunmo's home, yet after only about a month, she felt a profound sense of unfamiliarity.
Lin Chenxi had servants waiting at the entrance to welcome her, and Su Yunmo followed them into the mansion.
As she passed through familiar scenes, memories of the past resurfaced.
"That depends on how far Miss wishes to go. This old Taoist has two secret methods for expelling ghosts."
Su Yunmo paused, glancing to the side. Not far within was her former residence. "What is happening inside?"
The servant replied, "The second young lady has been overly frightened these past two days, constantly claiming to see ghosts, so she's invited a Taoist priest to perform an exorcism."
Su Yunmo lowered her gaze and hummed in acknowledgment, remaining silent. However, she changed her direction.
The familiar courtyard had transformed. Darkened steps, wisps of black ash scattered across the yard, and broken windows all bore the marks of a great fire.
Ziyuan had said she had been gone for over a month. In such a long time, had no one tended to this courtyard?
The old Taoist, clad in a dark yellow robe, stood in the center of the courtyard, a long table set up with offerings.
He stroked his beard, exuding a cheap, street-hawker's air. "This old Taoist has two methods. One is to perform a ritual to pacify the angry spirits, allowing them to reincarnate sooner. The second..."
He frowned. "Is to burn all the deceased's belongings and smash their spirit tablet. This method yields immediate results."
"Use the second method! Do it now!" Lin Yuning's bloodshot eyes were filled with madness.
Su Yunmo halted, watching from the doorway. She saw bloodstains on Lin Yuning's hands and black dog's blood splashed in a corner of the yard.
The old Taoist appeared somewhat surprised. He had heard in the town that the Marquis's two young ladies had a very good relationship. To prevent Lin Yuning from misunderstanding, he added,
"Although it yields immediate results, the deceased will never be reborn and will suffer the torment of soul-burning fire. It is quite detrimental to one's virtue and excessively cruel..."
"I said to burn it, didn't you hear me? Burn it! Let her never appear again!" Lin Yuning's beautiful features were contorted on her pale face.
She shoved the Taoist aside, snatched the spirit tablet bearing the name "Lin Niange" from the table, and smashed it onto the ground. Picking up a brick nearby, she brought it down with great force.
"You deserve to never be reborn! The King of Hell should gouge out your eyes and throw you into a cauldron of boiling oil! Bitch, bitch!"
The wooden tablet cracked, then broke in two along the fissure.
A flicker of satisfaction appeared in Lin Yuning's frenzied eyes, but it wasn't enough. She continued to smash it, again and again, until the tablet was completely destroyed.
The old Taoist, witnessing someone treat a family spirit tablet in such a manner for the first time, couldn't help but intervene. "Second young lady, this is sufficient."
"It's not enough. She's a demon. Even like this, she can still come out of hell. I must kill her completely!" Lin Yuning frantically searched her surroundings.
Finally, she snatched a torch from a servant and threw it onto the spirit tablet, watching it instantly ignite. She then burst into maniacal laughter.
"It's burned, it's finally burned, hahaha... Wonderful, she can't haunt me anymore..."
The flames reflected in Su Yunmo's eyes. She felt the burning heart in her chest being torn apart.
Lin Yuning had once danced around a fire like this before.
That time, she had broken a vase and was punished by the third concubine, locked up for a day without food. Su Yunmo had climbed over the wall to find her, and they had secretly roasted a rabbit in the courtyard.
The rabbit was caught by Su Yunmo in the woods, as she had no money to buy one. She had even encountered a wolf and her arm was scratched by its claws. Fortunately, she had awakened her special ability and managed to return alive.
Seeing the wound, Yuning had cried profusely. She had said Su Yunmo was the kindest to her and that dancing for her would make the pain go away.
She had said, "I love you the most too, sister. We'll always be together from now on."
"Belongings, there's still one more thing, the lucky knot, the lucky knot!" Lin Yuning looked up and saw the person at the doorway. She lunged like a madwoman, tackling Su Yunmo to the ground.
She choked Su Yunmo's neck, her usually gentle eyes now filled with murderous intent.
"Give me the lucky knot! I want to burn everything she left behind! I want her to suffer burning even in death!"
Su Yunmo looked at her. The image of Lin Yuning in her memory began to blur, but the words she had once spoken became clearer.
'Sister, Yuning will protect you from now on.'
"Demons shouldn't live. If it weren't for you, I would be the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's mansion. All the glory would be mine!" Lin Yuning was so deranged she seemed to have mistaken her identity.
'Sister, will you die if you get hurt? Don't die, Yuning will be scared alone.'
"You should have died long ago! What if I deliberately told no one to save you from the fire? Since anyone who gives you a smile can use you, why can't I?"
'Sister, we'll always be together.'
"It's all because of this damned lucky knot that I encountered such terrible things! It's all because of you! If I had known, I should have doused you with oil that day, leaving nothing but ashes!"
Lin Yuning's fingers tightened, squeezing harder and harder.
Su Yunmo felt no physical pain, but her heart ached ten thousand times more.
She suddenly found it laughable. The sister she had protected with her life hated her so much.
In her eyes, she had been nothing more than a pitiable, love-starved wretch from beginning to end.
"Hahaha..."
Su Yunmo burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face, her entire body trembling.
Servants stepped forward to pull Lin Yuning away. Lin Yuning clung to Su Yunmo's waist, tearing off the lucky knot from her belt.
Su Yunmo watched as she broke free from everyone's grasp, threw the lucky knot on the ground, stomped on it a few times, and then, screaming, rushed into the house, setting fires everywhere.
Su Yunmo wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, a red glint flashing in their depths.
"Here, Yuning, do you really want to get rid of your sister? It's very easy.
As long as you die, you won't see your sister again."
"Miss Su, our master is waiting. You should go," the servant said, gesturing for her to proceed.
It was time to leave.
Su Yunmo suppressed all expression and turned to leave the courtyard.
The moment she stepped out, the house collapsed with a roar.
Then, screams of "Save her!" erupted from within the courtyard.
Su Yunmo followed them to Lin Chenxi's residence.
Lin Chenxi was waiting for her at the stone table in the courtyard. Seeing her, he was about to greet her when he paused, his expression softening, and asked cautiously, "Your complexion isn't good? Did something happen?"
Su Yunmo lowered her gaze and shook her head. "Nothing at all."
As if to prove her words, Su Yunmo forced a smile, but there was no mirth in her eyes.
"Is that so? That's good." Lin Chenxi glanced at the servant who had led the way.
The servant remained silent. Lin Chenxi's eyes flickered, concealing his thoughts.
Su Yunmo took out the medicine she had prepared earlier from her sleeve. "This is what you didn't take last time. After you finish this bottle, I'll give you another qi-replenishing medicine."
This time, Lin Chenxi did not refuse her. He took the medicine, his gaze lingering on her expression. He said casually, as if by chance, "I thought no one would care about my leg after Niange left. You're like her shadow."
Su Yunmo's body stiffened, her fingers slowly curling. "I am not."
She was Su Yunmo now, just Su Yunmo.