Grudge Breaker

Chapter 274: Fighting Openly and Secretly (Part )
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Looking at his own pair of white bony hands playing the guqin, Song Weichen was horrified.

What did Qin Xueying say just now?

She said that when the piano sounded three times, she would "see herself". Could it be that she had already... had she already?!
"when!"

I panicked, and the strings broke, cutting my fingers. The blood dripped down my fingers onto the zither. Tick-tock! I saw flesh growing on the bones; tick-tock! I saw the flesh regain its color, and everything returned to normal.

"This...what the hell is going on?"

Song Weichen looked at his hands, stunned for a moment.
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"Oh, my sister is injured, Banxia!"

Qin Xueying quickly summoned Banxia to get the hemostatic ointment, while she carefully picked up Song Weichen's finger to check the injury, her words and actions full of concern.

"How come such a beautiful pair of white jade hands got injured like this after sitting here for a while? It's my sister's fault."

"It's a minor injury, don't blame yourself, Princess."

At this time, Banxia had already rushed back with a hemostatic bag. She carefully applied a light grass green ointment on Song Weichen's fingers. It was cool and refreshing, and the bleeding stopped immediately.

He then carefully bandaged the wound with gauze before leaving. He was extremely careful and gentle throughout the whole process, completely different from his harsh appearance outside the hall.

Song Weichen looked at his fingers and thought of the appearance of the dry bones just now. After hesitating for a long time, he couldn't help but speak.

"Princess, may I ask if you have ever played this zither before? Have you ever seen any strange visions?"

Qin Xueying looked at her seriously and did not answer directly. Instead, she put her hand on the strings of the zither and plucked them. In an instant, Song Weichen felt a surge of majestic energy passing through his body and cleansing his insides.

"The sky is high and the earth is vast, the universe is infinite, and you and I are as insignificant as the grains of sand in the Ganges. But each grain of sand is a world. From another perspective, you and I are the heaven and earth, and you and I are all living beings."

“This first sound of the piano allows people to see the world and the greater self.”

After saying that, Qin Xueying raised her hand and swept it across the guqin. As the music started, she turned into Song Weichen again, even the wound on her hand that had just been bandaged was exactly the same.

Song Weichen was secretly frightened when she saw that the people in front of her had changed again. At first, they were familiar faces: Ruan Mianmian, Zhuang Yuheng, Mo Tingfeng... gradually, they began to turn into other unfamiliar people, men, women, young and old, until the lingering sound of the second piano sound completely disappeared, and Qin Xueying completely returned to her own appearance.

"Already aware of the vastness of the universe, I still pity the green grass and trees. This second sound of the piano allows people to see the world rolling, the ups and downs of all living beings, and allows people to no longer cling to themselves."

……

"Sister Sang Pu, the vision you just saw was seeing the heaven and earth and all living things, and this third sound..."

Qin Xueying raised her hand again, but did not put it down for a long time. In the end, she just placed it lightly on the strings without plucking them.

"When you were playing just now, as soon as the third note came out, I saw the beast that hurt me during the spring hunt. You, sister Sang Pu, you turned into the beast that hurt me, sitting in front of me playing the zither."

"The so-called seeing oneself after three sounds actually means to let people 'see' one's inner demons, that is, the fears and resentments deep in your heart. Only by facing up to their existence can we break through them."

"'Confusing Heart' is actually a broken magic harp. Everyone will see different things after the third melody sounds. The only commonality is that the things you see must be the things that have frightened you recently."

Qin Xueying said this and leaned closer to Song Weichen, staring into her eyes intently.

"I wonder what my sister saw just now that made her so frightened?"

After hearing Qin Xueying's explanation so detailed and frankly, Song Weichen felt that there was no need to conceal what he had seen, so he told her the whole story of himself becoming a pile of dried bones.

"Maybe it's because I'm afraid of death," she laughed at herself.

Qin Xueying smiled, took her injured hand and patted it gently, as if to comfort her.

"Maybe you got scared because of the maid's accident yesterday. You are a lucky person, and you are also very kind to Lord Si Chen. You should be more relaxed about everything."

……

Ruan Mianmian was obviously trying to sow discord, but when she saw that Qin Xueying was not jealous but was so intimate with Song Weichen, she became even more unwilling. When she saw the maid she brought into the hall with brewed tea, she stood up to take the tea tray, walked to the two of them, chose a corner of the table to sit down, and poured tea for them.

"The eldest princess keeps calling me sister Sang Pu. It seems that she has completely forgotten that she has a sister like me. I also heard the music just now, but why didn't you ask me if I saw any horrible vision?"

Qin Xueying didn't respond to what she heard, but leisurely took the teacup handed to her by Ruan Mianmian, took a sip with a smile. However, Song Weichen couldn't help but be curious, what did Lao Longjing see?
"May I ask what strange phenomenon Miss Mianmian saw?"

Ruan Mianmian sighed, picked up the teacup, covered her face with her sleeves and pretended to sip, but in fact she was hiding the smile that she could no longer suppress.

"What a broken magic harp, what about meeting me, it's really hilarious."

Ruan Mianmian thought to herself that what she saw was not "what she feared" but clearly "what she desired".

When the third piano sounded, Ruan Mianmian saw a strange scene: Song Weichen was lying on the ground, half-held in the arms of a man whose face was blurred and whose identity could not be seen clearly. She was wearing a white dress stained with blood and had already died.

"It's better to die, die well!"

Ruan Mianmian's mouth corners were raised high, and she almost couldn't hold back her laughter. She really used up all her acting skills to hold it back, and changed her expression to a resentful one.

"I...saw that dead girl Xi Que haunting the ghost market. How unlucky! Am I afraid of her?"

Hearing her suddenly mention the magpie, Song Weichen's heart stagnated. This old dove was probably unlucky for her - she had been plagued by disasters of all sizes since she met this master and servant. She had narrowly escaped death in the Ghost Market and had to face death in Fanlou. If she had to talk about inner demons, the magpie should be her, Song Weichen's, inner demon.

But if there was anyone that Xi Que had ever given her true heart to in her life, that person could only be Ruan Mianmian. Ruan Mianmian was to blame for the fact that she ended up in such a situation and fate.

But now when talking about magpies, Lao Longjing feels nothing but bad luck and no regrets.

It seems that no matter whether she is a personal maid or not, no matter whether they have lived together since childhood or not, she is ultimately the same as Xiao'an, a lowly "unimportant person".

...Song Weichen didn't say anything. Unexpectedly, Qin Xueying didn't agree to comfort him. The atmosphere was awkward for a moment. Ruan Mianmian felt bored and quickly changed the subject.

"Oh, let's not talk about this anymore. I have a great medicinal tea here that can clear away heat and regulate qi. Drinking it will make you feel refreshed. Sister Sangpu, please try it!"

Song Weichen didn't believe Ruan Mianmian and was afraid that there was something fishy in the tea, but seeing Qin Xueying also drank it, he thought that she would not dare to act rashly in front of the eldest princess, so he drank it with peace of mind.

Ruan Mianmian was quite enthusiastic. She made small talk about family matters and kept refilling Song Weichen's tea. She drank so much that she ran to the toilet several times but was not allowed to leave. Another hour had passed and Qin Xueying yawned.

"I am a little tired, so let's gather here today."

"It looks like it will rain in the next two days. How about I host a banquet in the back hills of Sichen Mansion to enjoy the magnolias when the weather clears up next time? I can also invite Mr. Shu from Wangyue Tower to join us. Fortunately, he sent me many precious medicinal herbs during my injury, which is why I was able to recover so quickly."

Qin Xueying once again put her hand on the guqin "Confusing Heart".

"How about asking Sister Sang Pu to perform for everyone then? Sister, you don't know that you are just trying out your skills today, so you only saw the strange vision. If someone who is very good at music can play a complete piece of music with this harp, it can break the demons in the hearts of the listeners."

"I brought it here specially this time, but I have the selfish intention of getting rid of the inner demon. I hope Sister Sang Pu can show her skills."

"You are too kind, Princess. Sang Pu will do his best. I will take my leave today and not disturb you."

Song Weichen stood up hurriedly. She felt a dull pain in her lower abdomen, as if her period was approaching. She subconsciously covered her lower abdomen, bowed to Qin Xueying, and hurried out of the hall.

Seeing her reaction, Ruan Mianmian's smile became even wider. She had just given Song Weichen a lot of good things to drink... Tsk, they were all valuable things, what a bargain for this little bitch.
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After Song Weichen left, Qin Xueying picked up the teacup with a smile, sniffed it, took a sip and put it down again.

"Sister Mianmian, are you being too harsh?"

"Sister Xueying, I don't understand what you are saying."

Ruan Mianmian looked innocent.

"don't know?"

"Although I am not as familiar with pharmacology and medicinal properties as Lord Sikong, I have smelled the scent of some herbs many times among the wives and concubines of my father, uncles, and aunts since I was a child. I feel a sense of familiarity."

"If I'm not mistaken, this medicinal tea of ​​my sister contains saffron, light bamboo leaves, five-element grass, cassia twigs... and musk, right?"

"If I remember correctly, these herbs can cause miscarriage at best, or even prevent a person from ever having children again at worst, sister, is that right?"

……

Although Ruan Mianmian was exposed, she was not frightened at all. She smiled and touched her abdomen, which was the place where she was injured by the man in black in the ghost market.

"Speaking of which, Sister Xueying's ointment is really good. I asked Banxia for some ointment to apply on my old injury and it feels great. No wonder it stopped the bleeding on Sister Sangpu's hand so quickly."

"If I'm not mistaken, this ointment is made from the best 'Vagina Leaves' in the upper realm, right? This is a holy medicine that can stop bleeding and relieve pain. My sister is not very knowledgeable, but I vaguely remember that it has other effects. What are they?"

Ruan Mianmian pretended to be thinking, deliberately ignoring that Qin Xueying's face was already unhappy.

"Oh, I remember now. Look at my brain. Wangbuliuxing has the 'three-way' effect, which is to promote lactation, menstruation and stranguria. If a pregnant woman applies this medicine, she may suffer from miscarriage. Fortunately, none of us sisters are married yet, let alone pregnant, so it's better not to mention this effect."

"But judging from the color of the ointment, it should contain more than just fenugreek. I have learned some medical skills from my cousin since I was a child. After identifying the color and smelling it, I feel that oleander is also added to the ointment. This medicine is naturally very good for pain relief, but it can also cause miscarriage. Don't you think so, sister?"

After Ruan Mianmian finished speaking, she looked at Qin Xueying obediently.

The two looked at each other, and soon burst into laughter, shaking with laughter, and each covered their face with their sleeves - if others saw it, they would only admire their intimacy and harmony.

After laughing enough, Ruan Mianmian stood up and bowed to Qin Xueying.
"In my sister's heart, my elder sister comes first. This feeling can be witnessed by heaven and earth!"

Qin Xueying quickly stood up to help her, "You and I have been like sisters since childhood, there is no need to say more."

……

After another round of false flattery, Ruan Mianmian took her leave. When she turned around, her eyes instantly became as cold as ice, exactly the same as the expression of Qin Xueying who was looking at her from behind.

"He's just a man," Qin Xueying thought to herself as she looked at her back.

She had no feelings for Mo Tingfeng in her heart, and it was her father's idea that brought her to the mansion this time. But at this moment, she couldn't tell why, but she wanted to compete with him - not because she had feelings for Mo Tingfeng, but because of the competitive spirit among women.

After all, it was simply that she couldn't stand Ruan Mianmian's behavior, but she didn't want to lose to a commoner zither player in front of her father.
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Song Weichen got her period before she even reached Tingfeng Mansion. Unlike usual, this time not only was her lower abdomen swollen as heavy as lead, but her blood flow was also astonishing, almost like a hemorrhage.

Fortunately, she met Guyu - she was worried about Song Weichen, so she had been lingering near the gate of the mansion waiting. When she saw someone coming from afar, she hurried to greet him. She was secretly surprised to see that Song Weichen's face was pale, and hurriedly took him back to the mansion.

First, she took a bath with medicinal herbs to regulate her menstruation, then she boiled a hot water bottle to warm her abdomen, and cooked some brown sugar, red dates, ginger tea and eggs to replenish her blood and dispel the cold. It was not until dark that Song Weichen finally recovered a little.

Just as the situation calmed down a bit, Ding Heran arrived. He found the information Song Weichen needed.

On the day of the incident, there was only one person who did not register to leave the house but only registered to enter the house. She was Ruan Mianmian's current personal maid Du Juan.

However, she was sent back by a servant from a clinic on Shui Street. It was said that she had multiple sharp wounds on her hands, knees and legs, and the infection of the wounds caused high fever and convulsions, so she was sent out of the house for treatment. Therefore, there was no record of her leaving the house at that time. The registration was made only when she regained consciousness when she returned to the house - the reason was reasonable and there was nothing unusual.

"No wonder I didn't see her in the Venerable Mansion today..." Song Weichen muttered to himself.

She recalled Dujuan's appearance when she came to meet the emperor yesterday, her staggering steps and her swollen hands under her sleeves - what on earth had happened to her?
If Du Juan was injured like this, why didn't Ruan Mianmian ask the doctor from Si Chen Mansion's clinic to treat her, but instead went out of the mansion to see a doctor?

Song Weichen's expression became more and more solemn.

Upon closer thought, why did Ruan Mianmian intentionally interrupt her when she mentioned the murder case today, and describe the incident as so nonchalant?
What exactly is she trying to hide?
... Could it be that I misjudged Ruan Mianmian and she was a major suspect in Xiao'an's case? !

(End of this chapter)