The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 223 The Shop of Everything, A Ghostly Guest Arrives

Jiang Che couldn't understand how Lang Jiuchuan could be so bold as to let Gong Tinglan identify half of the portrait on their first meeting. Wasn't he afraid that the other party was truly devoted to him?
"Given your cautious and prudent nature, you shouldn't have trusted the other person so much on the first meeting!"

Lang Jiuchuan smiled faintly: "What can half a human image represent? You should know that I am a possessed soul in this woman named Xi Yun. She can actually turn a blind eye and pretend that she did nothing. Most importantly, she doesn't know what I know."

If Xi Yunruo was indeed the one who took action, she would know the condition of her body better than anyone else. Therefore, whether or not she was the original owner of the body was not a secret to her, and it didn't matter whether it was revealed or not.

“In Xi Yun’s eyes, I’m nothing more than a wandering ghost possessed by an unkillable evil spirit.” Lang Jiuchuan continued, “But does anyone outside know what she did? I had Young Master Gong identify the portrait for two reasons: first, out of personal motives, to see if anyone could actually recognize it; and second, to plant a seed of suspicion in Young Master Gong’s heart.”

Jiang Che: "?"

"And look, it really was such an unexpected surprise! Madam Rong, the Fourth Lady, Xi Yun, the mother of the young master of the Rong family—how noble she is!" Lang Jiuchuan held the half-portrait and said, "Then the question arises: why would such a noble woman harbor such murderous intent towards the daughter of a military general? The young master of the palace doesn't know, but he will wonder why I would use half a portrait to find someone. What connection does the Fourth Lady Rong, whom he knows, have with me? People, once their curiosity is piqued, will pay attention to the smallest details. Who knows, there might be an even bigger surprise waiting for us!"

Jiang Che: "Are you trying to get the young master of the palace to help you investigate why Xi Yun did this?"

Lang Jiuchuan nodded: "I heard that Young Master Gong is not yet married, and neither is Young Master Rong. Didn't you say that the Xuan Clan has a tradition of intermarriage, especially for those with Dao roots, who are not allowed to marry outsiders to avoid changes in the bloodline? Do you think there is any possibility of a marriage alliance between these two families? Although it's our first meeting, don't be fooled by his otherworldly and gentlemanly appearance; he has a rebellious streak!"

“Hmm, Gong family son, you and I are the same kind.” Jiang Che said fearlessly.

Lang Jiuchuan glared at her irritably and said, "He's not married at his age, either because he doesn't want to be arranged by his elders and traditions, or because he hasn't taken a liking to anyone. I'm just throwing out an idea to get something unexpected, which would be great. Since I can get what I want, do you think Young Master Gong might have any thoughts about the Rong family?"

“I understand, it’s a divisive tactic.” Jiang Che nodded solemnly: “Your heart is indeed as black as a crow.”

"Shut up! I just asked him to help identify someone, I didn't have any bad intentions!"

Haha, don't you feel guilty saying that?
Lang Jiuchuan didn't speak again. Suddenly, she paused slightly, sat up cross-legged, excitedly formed a hand seal, placed her hands on her knees, and accepted the situation calmly.

The merit gained from vanquishing evil has arrived.

……

On the Lantern Festival, the usually lively festival was more desolate and quiet than usual because the case of the tragic death of the young lady from the Marquis of Zhongyong's family had not yet been resolved. In particular, the young ladies dared not go out alone, lest they follow in the footsteps of the Miss Qi. Therefore, this year's Lantern Festival seemed much more somber.

The Lang family, however, remained unaffected. After all, they were in mourning and wouldn't hold a grand celebration. They simply used plain lanterns with riddles painted on them, intending to enjoy them in the evening and solve the riddles.

What they talked about most was the elusive village girl, Lang Jiuchuan. After all, since her return, the number of times they had seen her could be counted on one hand. Sometimes, they would deliberately walk to her courtyard and still not see her. Jianlan said that she was recuperating and not to be disturbed, but they secretly guessed that she had run away.

This is so unfair. Everyone else is staying home and observing mourning, feeling restless and anxious. Why is she allowed to run around outside all day like she's not on a leash, and yet no one criticizes her? Her widowed second aunt, who chants Buddhist prayers all day, doesn't care, nor does her eldest uncle, the head of the household. Instead, they scold them for her sake.

Lang Cailing and the other younger generation were puzzled as to why they were favoring her. Just because she had lived in the manor for more than ten years, did they expect her to do whatever she wanted? Did they expect her to hand them a ladder if she wanted to climb on the roof?
"Is that Lang Jiu? How did she suddenly appear?" Lang Caiyi, with a piece of sesame candy in her mouth, stared wide-eyed at Lang Jiuchuan, who had suddenly appeared at the gate of her courtyard. The sesame candy fell to the ground.

Lang Jiuchuan waved his hand behind him as if saying goodbye to someone, then turned his head to look at them ominously, raising his stiff hand to greet them.

She was still shrouded in an aura of gloom, appearing and disappearing like a ghost in broad daylight. With her pale face and dark blue eyes, she resembled a phantom.

Everyone: "!" Watching them howl and scatter like birds and beasts, leaving behind a pile of plain lanterns, which were blown by the wind to Langjiuchuan's feet.

Lang Jiuchuan scoffed, picked up a lantern, and snorted, "Pathetic."

Cha rolled his eyes. Luckily, the entrance to the underworld didn't open directly in front of them, otherwise they would have to give up some of the merits they had just earned.

Doesn't it require compensation if someone is scared to death?
At Qichi Pavilion, upon hearing that Lang Jiuchuan had returned, Madam Cui remained silent for a moment before saying, "Let's prepare the meal."

Granny Cheng was overjoyed; she was finally able to serve meals on her own initiative.

Xifang, Xunxiang Hutong.

Zhuang Quan Hai looked at the newly hung shop signboard with a worried expression and sighed deeply.

When Ding Mangu came out of the shop and heard the sigh, his brow twitched. He said, "Old Zhuang, ever since the shop opened, your sighs have been enough to make the snow fall."

Zhuang Quan Hai: "You don't understand. The shop has been open for a few days, but look, there are hardly any customers, and even passersby are few."

Ding Mangu said in a deep voice, "Because of that matter, Wujing has been in a state of panic lately, and people are not going out much, especially young lady... things will be fine once this is over."

Zhuang Quan Hai stiffened again, knowing what he was talking about—the death of the young lady from the Marquis of Zhongyong's family. Seeing the sorrow in his old friend's eyes, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, the truth will come out one day, and Su Qiu will have a clear conscience. Look at today's sunny day; I feel a sense of joy as if the clouds have parted."

"I hope so." Ding Mangu wiped his eyes and said, "My heart aches just thinking about what she went through. If she died like Miss Qi, how terrified she must have been."

"Fortunately, Zhuo Yu also lost his life," Zhuang Quan Hai offered a dry consolation.

Ding Mangu's eyes were filled with hatred as he said, "Trying to get something from a tiger only makes you meat in its mouth. It's good that he died; he got off easy."

"You were lucky to come out unharmed."

Ding Mangu took a deep breath, stood next to him, looked up at the shop's signboard, and said, "So you don't need to worry, this shop has no shortage of customers."

The owner is a capable person, so why worry about not having customers?
Zhuang Quan Hai nodded, then suddenly froze, looked around, clutched the slightly warm jade pendant to his chest, his teeth chattering, and asked in a trembling voice, "Is it... is it the ghost guest?"

jingle.

The ancient wind chimes in front of the shop trembled without wind, producing a clear, ringing sound, as if in deep thought.

"The All-Purpose Shop, Solving All Problems?" A sigh echoed through the alley.

I heard there were level 12 gales in North China today. How are the winds where you are?