Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 9 Blood-stained Poria Cake
Wenrou's face was filled with disdain. With a slight curl of her lips, she continued, "Humph, they're out there, enjoying themselves. Unlike us, we're trapped here, living in fear every day. Let this female ghost kill our whole family. You think you can just pick two random people to get rid of us?"

Master Wen's eyes were dark and blue, and it looked like he hadn't slept well for several days. Seeing that his little daughter was touching on his sore spot, he scolded her with a stern face: "Wenrou, what nonsense are you talking about! You are such a grown-up, and you keep talking nonsense every day!"

Wenrou was scolded and stamped her feet in dissatisfaction. She grabbed Madam Wen's arm and cried, "Mom! Dad is mean to me!"

Seeing her precious daughter being wronged, Madam Wen stiffened her neck and glared at her, "How dare you, Wen Yi, speak to us mother and daughter like that? You used to be a rat in the ditch. It's all thanks to our Xu family that you are where you are today. Now you've grown wings and dare to bully us mother and daughter?"

Changfeng lowered his head and looked at Mo Yun beside him. He understood what was going on. Master Wen's face was ashen. It seemed that the rumors were true. Wen Yi was just a poor boy in his early years. He married into the Xu family and expanded his business with the help of the Xu family's wealth. Therefore, he always bowed his head in front of Madam Wen.

It was not until both Old Master Xu and Old Madam Xu passed away that Wen Yi finally stood up straight. In recent years, he had become increasingly impatient with Madam Wen.

Mr. Wen did not respond. He raised his hand to signal the guests to sit down, and then ordered the servants to bring some exquisite pastries so that everyone could eat and chat.

There were five kinds of snacks: crystal cake, poria cake, peanut candy, albizzia roll, and red date cake. Four pieces of each were placed in two layers, three at the bottom and one at the top. Each snack was placed on a small plate. All the snacks were exquisitely crafted, ready to be eaten in one go.

Wen Xinrou helped to take care of things and greet everyone.

"Dad, wash your face!" Wen Xin put a handkerchief into a copper basin to wet it, wrung it dry, and handed it to Wen Yi. Wen Yi nodded, took the handkerchief, wiped his face and hands carefully, and then threw the handkerchief back into the basin. The water splashed all over Wen Xin, but Wen Xin remained calm and looked as if he was used to it.

"Dad, have a cup of tea to moisten your throat." Wenrou handed a cup of tea to Wen Yi obediently.

"Good boy!" Wen Yi smiled so much that his eyes almost narrowed. He took the teacup and drank from it in big gulps. After finishing the tea, he randomly picked up a piece of red date cake and stuffed it into his mouth, savoring it carefully. "This date cake is good!"

Yan Mingzhang smiled slightly, glanced at the plate of date cakes, frowned slightly, avoided the date cakes and picked up a crystal cake.

Rong Wanyin stuffed a piece of red date cake into her mouth, then glanced at Yan Mingzhang. This guy actually hated red date cake! This red date cake was so delicious, and he actually didn't want to eat it!

"Sister, come and have a cup too. This tea is good!" Wenrou looked harmless and smiled as she handed a cup of tea to Wenxin.

"Okay, thank you, sister!" Wen Xin stiffened and glanced at Wen Rou warily, her expression somewhat unnatural. In front of the strangers, she took the tea and took a sip. Rong Wanyin noticed that the amount of water in the cup had not decreased. It seemed that Wen Xin had only pretended to take a sip, but in fact she had only let the tea moisten her lips and did not swallow it.

The relationship between this family is interesting.

Wenrou was busy with her hands, but her expression was unnatural. She would occasionally glance at Wenxin out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that Wenxin drank the tea, she felt relieved, and the corners of her mouth could not help but rise. Rong Wanyin drank her tea and watched Wenxin's performance calmly, muttering to herself, "Why does Wenrou keep staring at Sister Xin? Is there something wrong with this tea? Even if she is stupid, she wouldn't poison it in front of so many people!" Rong Wanyin saw that Wenxin didn't actually drink the tea, and her heart was finally at ease.

Madam Wen picked up a piece of snow-white Poria cocos cake and handed it to Wenrou: "Rou'er, eat a piece of Poria cocos cake, it's good for your stomach." Wenrou shook her head reluctantly: "It has no taste at all, it's not delicious."

Mrs. Wen had no choice but to take a bite. Suddenly, she felt a drop of cold liquid "pa" hit her face. She subconsciously raised her hand to wipe it away. It felt sticky, and then she looked again. Her fingertips were covered in blood. Her eyes widened in horror, and before she could react, another drop of blood landed precisely on the Poria cocos cake in her hand.

At first, blood dripped only sporadically onto the snow-white Poria cocos cake. The crimson specks stood out against the pristine whiteness, like red plum blossoms splattered on white jade, yet with an indescribable strangeness. Then, the drops grew more frequent, from an occasional drop to a continuous fall, staining the cake, the table, and the ground like a blossoming, evil flower.

As time went on, the blood stopped falling drop by drop and instead flowed in streams, trickling down from the cracks in the roof and instantly staining the entire tabletop red. Blood flowed over the edge of the tabletop, meandering down the legs, gathering in a pool on the ground. The stench of blood quickly filled the entire hall.

Madam Wen screamed, and the Poria Cocos Cake in her hand fell to the ground, soaked in blood. She slumped in her chair, staring intently at the gushing blood, her whole body shaking uncontrollably, and she almost fainted. Wen Rou was also frightened. She hugged Madam Wen tightly, her voice tingling with tears, "Mom, what's going on?" For a moment, the entire hall was in chaos, and Master Wen's face turned extremely grim. Yan Mingzhang and others quickly stood up, observing their surroundings vigilantly. The atmosphere in the room instantly reached a peak of tension.

Yan Mingzhang touched the blood with his fingers, and the feeling made him frown. The blood was icy cold, not as sticky as normal blood, and it had an indescribable strangeness. Rong Wanyin had already rushed out like an arrow from a bow. Her body was nimble and she was on the roof in the blink of an eye, shouting, "I want to see who's causing trouble!"

But when she leaped onto the roof, the scene before her stunned her. The roof was completely silent, devoid of a soul, only a shocking pool of blood, emitting a strange aura. Rong Wanyin's eyes were as sharp as torches, quickly scanning the surroundings, leaving no corner untouched. But aside from the pool of blood, there wasn't even a trace of a footprint. Rong Wanyin squatted down, carefully examining the blood, muttering softly, "Ice chips?"

Yan Mingzhang stood up and wiped the blood from his hands. Mo Yun followed closely behind Rong Wanyin, tapping his toes and scrambling onto the rooftop like an agile monkey. He quickly glanced around, and indeed, there was no one there, only the shocking pool of blood.

Yan Mingzhang came out of the house, looked up at the roof, and asked loudly, "Mo Yun, have you found anything?" Mo Yun heard the sound and turned down. He shook his head helplessly and replied, "Sir, there is nothing on the roof, only a pool of blood."

Rong Wanyin smiled playfully, her eyes curved into crescents, and said, "Come up and see for yourself and you'll know." Without waiting for Yan Mingzhang's consent, she suddenly grabbed his wrist, exerted force on her toes, and the two of them flew onto the roof like an arrow.

Unexpectedly, the moment Yan Mingzhang stepped onto the roof and felt the height, his face turned pale. He subconsciously grasped Rong Wanyin's arm tightly, his legs trembling slightly, not daring to look down, and beads of sweat oozed from his forehead.

Rong Wanyin was stunned at first, but then she realized what was happening and burst out laughing: "So you're afraid of heights!"

The clear laughter echoed on the silent roof, startling a few birds perched on the eaves.

(End of this chapter)