After I stopped being a lady from a rich family, I fought all over the capital

Chapter 307 Mushroom Wine

"Could there really be something unclean in this Temple of Longevity?" the girl sobbed, clearly terrified.

"But isn't this a Taoist temple? Why do those unclean things dare to enter a Taoist temple? Aren't the Celestial Masters supposed to be the best at catching these things?"

Everyone was already terrified and had lost all instinct to think quietly.

Especially that girl whose arms were completely withered, covered only by a layer of skin and flesh just now.

She was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Waaaaah... What is going on? Am I really going to die? Am I really going to become like Yang Qing? Save me, someone save me! I don't want to die."

Her cries were so heart-wrenching that, in the quiet night, they made the already tense and fearful hearts even more horrified.

"Oh dear! Don't cry."

"Wait, even if there's no evil spirit, you'll attract it anyway."

"What's the use of crying?"

"Will this solve the problem?"

The girl's stern reprimand caught Song Lan's attention.

She looked up and quickly obtained the girl's identity information.

Lin Zhixiu's father was a minor official in the Ministry of Works, and her mother ran a funeral shop... a funeral shop?
Song Lan was slightly surprised.

The matriarchs of prominent families are naturally skilled in business and have an eye for investment.

Otherwise, with a large family eating and drinking, they can't rely on that meager salary.

Officials of the third rank or above who own property and land are fortunate, but lower-ranking officials and clerks, if they cannot increase their income and reduce their expenditures, can only rely on their meager salaries to ensure that they can eat their fill, or even eat well.

But supporting a large family is a difficult task.

Not to mention that some of the officials and clerks in Beijing were not actually from the capital.

In places like Beijing where land is incredibly valuable, owning property is simply unaffordable.

Song Lan recalled that when she first wanted to buy a house, she hesitated after learning about the housing prices in Beijing.

...Her father was a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court back then.

Her mother was even more skilled in business, and the family's assets were no longer just meager.

When her mother and father were alive, the Song family was the richest family in Jiangzhou, with deep roots and powerful connections.

But for her, the housing prices in Beijing were still an unattainable dream.

It's not that they can't afford it at all.

However, if I were to buy this house, I would be struggling to make ends meet with the cash I have available.

Therefore, doing some business is the main source of livelihood for each household.

Even the wives of minor officials, or even lowly clerks, never knew anyone who would do business related to funerals.

Lin Zhixiu's mother is quite interesting.

Song Lan carefully checked the identity information of Lin Zhixiu's mother.

Lin Zhixiu's mother's surname is Ma. Her family used to live outside the Great Wall and did indeed have some lineage of shamanic practices.

However, the Ma family did not inherit the family business.

However, having been exposed to it at home for many years, I know a little bit about it.

In addition, the gold ingots are stacked particularly well.

Song Lan immediately became interested.

At this moment, Zhao Yueli, the girl who had been scolded by Lin Zhixiu, stopped crying and glared angrily at the heartless woman: "You speak so easily! Then tell me, what else can be done? How else can this be resolved? Do you have a solution?"

"Why aren't you crying! Of course you're not afraid since it hasn't happened to you."

Lin Zhixiu's face darkened for a moment, but she did not argue with Zhao Yueli, as if she really just wanted to find a solution, rather than mocking Zhao Yueli.

"Xue Wan! We were all invited by you, and now that this has happened, shouldn't you give us an explanation?"

Lin Zhixiu looked at Xue Wan, who was organizing the event.

Xue Wan didn't take it seriously: "What do I have to explain? You don't actually believe Song Lan's words, do you?"

"She's just spreading rumors and misleading the public."

At this moment, everyone couldn't help but look at Song Lan.

Yes! Everything that's happening now has been exactly as Song Lan predicted.

Does Song Lan have a solution?
"But Yang Qing is still lying there, his life hanging in the balance..."

The phrase "their fate is unknown" is actually quite euphemistic.

Yang Qing was there, dry and withered, just a thin layer of skin tightly wrapped around his skeleton, without a trace of flesh or blood.

How could he still be alive?
However, no one wanted to say this fact out loud.

It was as if only by doing this could everyone still have a chance to survive.

"Yes!"

Zhao Yueli chimed in, "Even if Yang Qing is fake, she's just playing a prank on us, putting on an act. Does that mean what just happened to me was fake too?"

"Everyone just witnessed it with their own eyes!"

Xue Wan didn't take it seriously: "Yes! You've all had too much to drink and are hallucinating."

At this point, she had no desire to explain anymore.

Since these people would naturally die as long as he left this place, why should he waste his breath?

If he hadn't just witnessed Zhao Yueli's miserable state, turning into that bitch Yang Qing, he would have been quite troubled, wondering how to explain it without causing trouble and ruining his plans.

Now...

All these people will die as soon as they go out, so what is there for him to panic about, and what is there to explain?

Just wait for them to die peacefully.

"Everyone should go back and rest early, and stop listening to that witch's nonsense."

"Yang Qing has probably already gone back by now."

As Xue Wan spoke, she turned and left.

It's as if they're showing off: See, see, I went out and nothing happened, didn't I?
Before anyone could say anything more, they all held their breath and stared intently at Xue Wan's retreating figure as she walked away from the firelight.

"How come Xue Wan is alright!"

When Xue Wan's figure disappeared into the darkness and could no longer be found, someone finally couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"What exactly is going on? Could all of this really just be Yang Qing's prank?"

"Did she do something on purpose to scare us here?"

"But how could that be? We clearly saw it happen right before our eyes, and Yue Li was there too..."

Everyone was filled with anxiety and uncertainty, their hearts pounding with fear.

"Even if Yang Qing isn't real, isn't Yue Li's one too?"

"They even said we were drunk..."

"How is that possible? How could such a vivid hallucination be caused by being drunk? It's not like we were drinking mushroom wine."

Zhao Yueli immediately added, "Yes, yes, everyone saw how my arm looked just now, didn't they?"

"Now you're saying we drank too much? Isn't that absurd?"

"Besides, look at Yang Qing now, he's turned back to normal!" "Could all of this be fake?"

Everyone expressed doubt about Xue Wan's words.

But then again—"Although we all saw it, Yang Qing is still lying there now. We don't know if it's because he played a prank on us, used some unknown means to deliberately scare us, or if it's really... The things that just happened to Yue Li are still fresh in our minds."

"But Xue Wan just walked out of here unharmed, swaggering around, which we saw with our own eyes, didn't we?"

The crowd was now even more uncertain.

I don't know which one to believe.
I saw each of them with my own eyes.

"I don't care, I'm staying here. If you still want to follow Xue Wan, then go ahead."

Lin Zhixiu was the first to speak, and the most decisive.

After hearing her words, Zhao Yueli, though still resentful of Lin Zhixiu's earlier criticism, quickly echoed her sentiments.

"I'll stay here too."

"Anyway, no matter what I say, I will never leave the area covered by the fire again."

That experience was enough to terrify her.

She absolutely does not want to go through it again.

If we stay, we will eventually face the same fate anyway, so let this happen a little later!
When death was imminent and there was no way to escape, she had no choice but to accept her fate.

But since she still has a choice, she naturally chooses to die slowly.

What if things take a turn for the better at this time?
One after another, people expressed their opinions, and the majority chose to stay.

But some people followed Xue Wan and chose to leave.

Their purpose in coming here was very clear: to befriend Xue Wan, help their fathers and brothers, and establish connections with the Xue family.

But they soon regretted it.

The moment they stepped out of the fire's reach, these people quickly met the same fate as Yang Qing.

He didn't even have time to let out a scream.

"My God!"

"How could this be?"

Everyone was terrified by what they saw.

Several people, right in front of them, suddenly...

"Xue Wan was perfectly fine when she walked out."

A girl who had just been hesitating, unsure whether to stay or leave with these people, murmured something.

She was so close, so very close, that she would have ended up like these people, lying there as a dried-up corpse.

"What exactly is going on?" Ye Ling couldn't help but ask.

If they left the area illuminated by the fire, they would turn into mummies and die.

Why was Xue Wan unharmed just now?
Everyone witnessed Xue Wan leaving!
Lin Zhixiu sneered: "Isn't that clear enough? Are you all fools? Things have come to this point, and you still can't understand why?"

Everyone was caught off guard by the scolding, and their faces turned rather ugly.

"why?"

Rather than being scolded, Ye Ling wanted to know the answer.

She really couldn't figure out why, so she simply asked Lin Zhixiu.

Ye Ling's willingness to ask questions made Lin Zhixiu, who usually spoke sarcastically and had a sharp tongue, feel somewhat embarrassed.

"...Because Xue Wan is the mastermind behind it all!"

"Didn't you ever think about it? Why would Xue Wan go to such lengths to hold a flower appreciation and poetry gathering in such a remote place as Changsheng Temple? Isn't there a place in the capital where she could hold such a gathering?"

"Even if there aren't any in the capital, does that mean the Xue family won't have any?"

"As a family with a history of over a hundred years, surely the Xue family can't grow a few novel flowers?"

"Not to mention, even if there are no flowers to see in the capital, as long as Xue Wan sends invitations to us in the name of the Xue family, who would refuse?"

To put it bluntly, the reason these people rushed over to join in the fun was simply because they wanted to establish some connection with the Xue family.

"Besides, don't you find it strange?"

"Would Xue Wan not have any of her usual socialite daughters attending her flower-viewing and poetry gathering?"

"But look around, apart from those of us from similar backgrounds, where is there a single noblewoman from a high-ranking family?"

"Now that this has happened, it can only be said that Xue Wan had planned this all along."

"She's targeting people like us who live in poverty!"

Lin Zhixiu felt a pang of sorrow: "I'm afraid she's thinking that we come from humble backgrounds, our fathers and brothers are not as high-ranking as the men of the Xue family, and our families are not as prestigious as the Xue family. Even if Xue Wan invited us out, in the end only she returned safely. Our fathers, brothers, and family members, because of the power and status of the Xue family, probably wouldn't dare to ask for an explanation."

At that point, I'm afraid their deaths will be in vain.

It's possible that they didn't die in vain, but rather in exchange for a good price.

No one cares whether they live or die.

After hearing Lin Zhixiu's words, everyone finally realized that something was wrong.

Yes!

Since Xue Wan was organizing a flower appreciation and poetry gathering, why wouldn't she think of inviting her old friends?

unless……

This flower-appreciation and poetry gathering was originally intended to cause harm.

It's full of calculation!

They wanted to take their lives!
Who were the people who were on good terms with Xue Wanping? Most of them were people of equal status to the Xue family, or even relatives of the emperor.

If any of them had an accident at Xue Wan's poetry gathering, how could they possibly let the Xue family off the hook?
But they are different.

Even if their families cherish them, they would likely be powerless against the powerful Xue family.

A mayfly trying to shake a tree...

Thinking about all this, they felt even more pathetic.

"What should we do now?" Zhao Yueli couldn't help but cry.

Lin Zhixiu glanced at her: "What else can we do?"

She scoffed, "The instigator is already gone. Even if we wanted them to hand over the antidote, there's no way to do so."

Moreover, this matter is probably not due to poisoning.

It's a crooked and evil practice!

Lin Zhixiu felt depressed. She hated this feeling of helplessness and was even more annoyed that she hadn't learned her mother's family's secret skills.

If she had the ability to intervene, she wouldn't be completely helpless now.

Just as everyone's faces were filled with despair and their eyes were dull, Su Xianyun blinked, seemingly completely unable to understand why they were so pessimistic.

"Have you all forgotten?"

Su Xianyun suddenly spoke up, instantly attracting everyone's attention. All eyes turned to her.

The young girl was a little unaccustomed to being stared at by so many people at once, and subconsciously looked at Song Lan.

Following her gaze, everyone finally remembered what they had forgotten.

Song Lan!
Song Lan just told them...