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

Chapter 370 Pei Yuanshi's Tragedy
Those who died suddenly that day, such as Yang Qing, had their families invited to a banquet today.

Having been able to establish a connection with the princess, they naturally didn't want to give it up.

She only wished she could dress more flamboyantly to attract the attention and favor of the eldest princess.

From then on, he rose to prominence and became a rising star in the court.

These families, who originally came here to dream, never imagined that their dreams would shatter so quickly. They were invited here to be whipped.

The words of the Prefect of Jingzhao were like a rusty awl, piercing the hearts of several families.

"...Unexpectedly, their intention to take their daughter back for a proper burial was a pretense; their real purpose was to help the murderer Xue family destroy the body and eliminate evidence!"

The Prefect of Jingzhao sighed, seemingly helpless: "With the most crucial evidence destroyed and a lack of effective confessions, there is nothing we can do."

"That is precisely why I was unable to report this matter..."

He cupped his hands and said, "Now that the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xue family has made accusations, I urge Your Majesty to issue an edict to thoroughly investigate the Xue family's collusion with evil spirits and the murder of many innocent girls!"

As the Prefect of Jingzhao finished speaking, Lin Zhixiu and the others who had also been invited stepped forward, knelt down, and pleaded: "We beg Your Majesty to intervene! We beg Your Majesty to issue an edict to thoroughly investigate the Xue family's collusion with evil spirits to kill innocent people! We demand justice for those who were murdered!"

"you?"

The young emperor looked at the group of people who suddenly appeared, and despite having no prior rehearsal, they smoothly offered him a way out.

Lin Zhixiu and the others immediately added, "We were also harmed by Xue Wan's scheme and almost lost our lives!"

"Thanks to Madam Song's intervention, we were spared from disaster. Otherwise, we would probably have died mysteriously like Yang Qing."

Lin Zhixiu and the others recounted everything that had happened at Changsheng Temple in great detail, one after another.

Everyone listened, finding it all quite bizarre.

It's like listening to a storybook.

The eldest princess and the young emperor were also stunned.

Even though the eldest princess had initially prepared herself mentally, she still found these words strange.

"...Are you serious?"

A perfectly healthy person, once they step out of the area covered by the campfire, instantly turns into a dried-up corpse; once they return to the area covered by the campfire, they transform back into a normal person.

This is just too fantastical.

“Every word is true! If there is even one lie, may we be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!” Lin Zhixiu raised her hands to swear.

The others followed suit.

Seeing that the women were speaking in a very convincing manner, the crowd had already begun to believe them.

Although this sounds really outrageous.

But as the saying goes, when only one outcome remains, no matter how absurd it may seem, it is the truth of the matter!
"...Could it be that the Xue family is really colluding with evil spirits?"

"Oh no! I visited the Xue family not long ago and had a cup of tea there. I wonder if there was any danger?"

"It can't be that weird, can it? Does drinking a cup of tea mean we've agreed to let them borrow our lives and fortune? Wouldn't that throw the world into chaos? Such a thing is against the natural order, and God isn't blind..."

"That's really hard to say! How can we understand the mindset of evil people? They're always ruthless and unscrupulous in their actions. Who knows what dirty tricks they might have used?"

"What's impossible?"

"From what they're saying, it's just about discussing poetry and telling stories around the campfire with that Xue Wan, right? And what was the result? Her lifespan was still stolen, wasn't it?"

"It is clear that the methods of evil spirits are never aboveboard!"

Everyone was talking about it, saying all kinds of things.

Without exception, they were all cursing the Xue family.

"I never would have guessed that Xue Yang would be this kind of person!"

"I usually find him to be gentle and refined, warm and hospitable. Even as the head of the Xue family, he has no airs whatsoever."

"I thought he was some kind of good person."

"I never expected that this guy surnamed Xue was nothing more than a hypocritical beast in human clothing."

Everyone sighed.

"Otherwise, what's the old saying? It's easy to draw the skin of a tiger, but hard to draw its bones; you can know a person's face, but not their heart."

"Some things may look decent enough on the surface, but who knows what they might actually be made of! They don't care about morality or basic principles; they just use despicable methods!"

"You're all mistaken! I think the reason the Xue family dares to be so fearless is that they're convinced that the laws of our dynasty are powerless against their collusion with evil spirits to harm people!"

"Even more so, the Xue family probably thinks that since they collude with evil spirits to harm people, they will not be able to leave any traces or evidence. Even if people find out, discover, and gradually deduce the truth, they will be completely fearless!"

In a few words, everyone unanimously thought of Jiao Bubai.

"...You know what, it actually seems to be true."

"Didn't the Prefect of Jingzhao just say that they have been struggling to find evidence, so they are helpless against the Xue family?"

"And the families of those victims were also heartless accomplices! A little money and a little intimidation were enough to make them aid and abet the evildoers, burning their own daughters' bodies to destroy the evidence, making it difficult to find any more evidence."

"Then how can we expect to get justice?"

"These people are really unlucky to have been born into such a family."

"They're all pitiful people!"

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, completely oblivious to the fact that Xue Wan lay beside them, her bones creaking and twisting, her body sprawled on the ground in an extremely bizarre posture.

"Ah! Ah-"

Suddenly! Someone screamed, and soon the crowd was in chaos.

After finally spreading out a bit, those who had no idea what had happened and had just followed the crowd as they ran finally saw what had just occurred.

Ah! Ah—

Screams erupted once again, one after another.

The crowd then scattered in panic.
-
The Zhang family's haunted house.

The old patriarch Zhang looked at the black mist in front of him with a devout expression.

"grown ups……"

His tone was full of respect, excitement, and a little bit of trepidation.

But more often than not, they were fantasizing about their own glory.

The evil god has summoned him!!
He must be given an important position!
If they could receive the blessing of the evil god, what would the Zhang family's current minor crisis matter?

Let alone returning to his former glory, even if he wanted to become the emperor of this world, it would be an easy task!
The old patriarch Zhang thought with great joy that if he could receive the Evil God's blessing again, it would be possible for him to live forever.

"If something happens to the Xue family, they'll probably be useless soon."

The black mist's voice was ancient and weathered, but if you listened carefully, you could also detect some sharp and high-pitched sounds.

Upon hearing this, Patriarch Zhang became even more excited.

The Xue family is useless, and the Zhou family's territory has also been destroyed.

So right now, the only family the Evil God can truly rely on is the Zhang family.

The old patriarch Zhang was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he was even more excited.

The black fog remained quiet for a long time.

He didn't think much of the Zhang family either; the Xue family was brainless, and the Zhang family wasn't much better.

But right now, they don't have the energy to spare to find new offerings.

In particular, that traitor Song Lan is being watched too closely.

He had no way of seizing more fortune to restore the half of his destroyed soul.
-
At the gate of the Princess's Mansion.

Everyone watched as Xue Wan, who had suddenly become crooked and twisted, as if her neck, limbs, and hands had been broken and then pieced back together, but in disarray and with the connections completely wrong, stood up and screamed in terror, running away in all directions.

Xue Wan's appearance at this moment is truly terrifying!
Especially its scarlet eyes, and its face and neck covered with black streaks, made it look like a man-eating monster!

"Ah!" Just as everyone was both scared and curious, and had run a little further away, they all stopped, unable to suppress their curiosity and wanting to see what was going on. Xue Wan, who was clearly a great distance away from them, seemed to be able to teleport. In a flash, she darted to someone's side, grabbed the person's collar, and kissed them.

The man only had time to scream once before his neck was bitten open, and he quickly turned into a dried-up corpse.

Everyone was startled by this unexpected turn of events, and no longer caring about watching the excitement, they screamed and fled in all directions.

Even the young emperor and the eldest princess were starting to panic.

"Escort! Escort!"

But in a life-or-death situation, who cares about such things?

Aside from the Prefect of Jingzhao, Jiao Bubai, and Su Wenheng, the only ones left to protect the young emperor were those military officers whom Song Lan had found strange earlier.

"Miss Song!"

Pei Yuanshi turned his gaze to Song Lan: "What's wrong with Miss Xue?"

This turn of events was truly unexpected.

He is now completely at a loss and has no idea what to do.

To be honest, Xue Wan's current appearance is quite strange.

It's neither human nor ghost, and it certainly doesn't look like a zombie...

It doesn't seem like any kind of monster or mountain spirit.

Seeing Xue Wan grab another person, she drained that person into a dried corpse in just a few breaths.

Pei Yuanshi was shocked: "What on earth is this thing?!"

Song Lan hummed in response: "A container?"

"container?!"

Pei Yuanshi was even more confused, completely unable to understand the meaning behind Song Lan's words.

Song Lan gave a soft "hmm".

Pei Yuanshi: ...

And then what? I'm not going to say that?

Song Lan blinked, seemingly not understanding: Is there anything more to say? Wasn't it already made very clear?
Containers!
Xue Wan is now just a vessel, or rather, she has always been just a vessel, a medium!
It is that evil spirit that uses it to plunder the lifespan and fortune of innocent people.

This tool also has another function: to evade divine punishment.

Among those present, only Yan Jun remained calm, but when he looked at Xue Wan, who had suddenly turned into a monster, his brows furrowed.

"...This person!"

He was about to blurt out that Xue Wan's soul had also made a deal with evil spirits.

That's why it can be used to evade divine punishment.

When his gaze fell upon Song Lan, he swallowed his words back.

so close!

We almost got exposed.

Song Lan raised an eyebrow, clearly seeing it but pretending not to know.

Pei Yuanshi, however, was already getting anxious.

Xue Wan has already drained six people dry!

If this isn't stopped, even more people will die.

"Miss Song!"

Pei Yuanshi himself was powerless to do anything about it, and could only urge Song Lan to think of a solution.

Song Lan, however, was not in a hurry at all.

"...The container has no independent thoughts; all its actions are in accordance with the wishes of its owner."

"He is now helping his master to reap the rewards owed to those who have made deals with his master."

Therefore, the people Xue Wan is killing now cannot be considered entirely innocent.

“Once he takes it, the payments these people made to their master will naturally stop.”

"what?"

"trade?"

Pei Yuanshi was greatly shocked and remained speechless for a long time.

"Does Miss Song mean that Miss Xue is now deliberately choosing her targets?"

So—is this current chaos actually the result of some people's own actions?
Can……

"But we can't just stand by and watch him kill people here, can we?"

Pei Yuanshi felt uneasy.

In his mind, even these people might have done something wrong.

But we shouldn't let ourselves be harmed by evil spirits like this!

What if they regret their actions and want to change their ways?

There should be a chance to start over.

Otherwise, how many families would be plunged into the pain of losing loved ones?

"Why not?"

Song Lan asked calmly, "How does Master Pei intend to save him?"

"I……"

Pei Yuanshi stammered and couldn't answer.

How could he possibly know how to save these people? If he had known, he would have already started the rescue.

They're nowhere to be found here, they're as anxious as ants on a hot pan...

"There is indeed a way."

Song Lan chuckled, as if laughing, but also as if mocking.

“Master Pei has a heart full of love and cannot bear to see these people die. He can stand up and take their place.”

She raised an eyebrow: "They are currently bound by contractual rules, and even the Heavenly Dao cannot do anything about it."

"There is only one rule: the container must not harm innocent people in the process of receiving payment."

"Once it harms other innocent people, Heaven will naturally intervene, at the very least by sending down a bolt of lightning to shatter their souls."

"so……"

Song Lan looked at Pei Yuanshi and said, "Since Daoist Pei is so eager to stop this tragedy, he can simply step forward and let Xue Wan bite him and suck his flesh clean."

"In that case, Heaven will naturally appear to stop it."

"Naturally, it saved them and gave them a chance to start anew."

Pei Yuanshi frowned slightly.

He seemed to be thinking.

After a while, he said, "Is everything Miss Song said true? If I go there and Xue Wan turns me into a dried corpse, will the evil spirit be exorcised and the others saved?"

"Yes!"

Song Lan was somewhat surprised; Pei Yuanshi seemed genuinely willing to sacrifice himself for righteousness.

Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, Pei Yuanshi flew forward and stood in front of someone who was about to be captured, switching places with him and successfully putting his own neck to Xue Wan's mouth.