Chapter 25 Can You Calculate If You Can Survive Tonight?

The street outside was silent, the sound of the watchman's gongs all dispersed.

Shen Hua slept soundly, gradually falling into a dream.

In the dream, it was New Year's Eve.

Shen He Wen led the entire family to visit, insisting on having a reunion dinner at the Shen Family.

Shen Wei, being soft-hearted, did not drive them away in the end.

But Shen Hua wasn't as polite. She directly threw stones at the group of people.

"Who wants to celebrate with you! Every time you come, it's just to ask Daddy for Silver."

"Even the little beggar on the street knows to say thank you for money, but to you it seems like it's rightfully my daddy's obligation."

"Since the family split up, we're no longer family. Why should my daddy support you?"

The stone drew a beautiful arc in the air and finally hit Shen Qu squarely on the forehead.

The latter was furious but dared not speak up. Soon, his forehead swelled with a bump.

Shen Wei scolded, "Yangyang, no matter what, he is still your second uncle."

She proudly tilted her head up, hands on her hips, like a little person who had just won a petty victory: "Yangyang knows it's wrong, but Yangyang won't change."

Shen He Wen humbled himself and quickly said, "It's just children's play, bumps and scrapes are normal, why blame Yangyang?"

His wife, Shen Zhushi, was even more dismissive: "Qu is just a bastard, if he's hurt, then he's hurt."

Saying this, she arrogantly pointed towards Shen Zhui.

"A bastard should play with a concubine daughter. Yet the concubine daughter in elder brother's mansion always follows Yangyang around, one should beware her ambition grows large, forgetting her own status."

The New Year's Eve dinner was eaten by everyone around one table.

Shen Zhushi picked up the airs of an official's daughter: "Elder brother is a rich merchant, perhaps his manners are not as thorough as mine learned from my family. Listening to my sister-in-law, it seems lowborn things born from a concubine shouldn't eat at the same table."

Shen Zhui weakly retracted her chopsticks from the roasted duck, lowering her head in fear.

Ms. Shen Chun frowned, her face cold: "Even if your father is an adult, no matter what, Zhui is still the daughter of our main house, shouldn't your sister-in-law show some respect?"

"I don't like making strict rules, Aunt Liu is honest and Zhui is respectful and obedient, I can't find a fault. If sister-in-law truly doesn't like it, perhaps she should hurry and leave!"

Shen Hua shot a glance at Shen Zhui, but then she reached out to push the plate of roasted duck towards Shen Zhui.

She said innocently, "Second Aunt, do you not have a sister?"

Shen Zhushi tore at her handkerchief furiously.

She forced a smile: "Indeed, I do not."

There were plenty of concubine sisters in the mansion, but those people, how could they be worthy of being her sister?

Shen Hua had a sudden realization.

"So, you don't have a sister to bully, so you bully mine?"

"And yet you still act like an elder, that's really not principled."

"You!" she yelled angrily.

Shen Wei, protective of his daughter, quickly said: "Yangyang is young, sister-in-law surely won't hold it against her."

Ms. Shen Chun also smiled to smooth things over: "Blame it on my carefree ways, teaching a daughter with no manners."

Shen Zhi smiled, like a good child, picked a dish and placed it in Shen Zhushi's bowl.

"Little sister speaks without restraint, hoping second aunt can calm her anger."

No one in the dream ever got into trouble.

Perhaps the dream was too sweet, even in her sleep Shen Hua's face was adorned with a sweet smile.

At a quarter past three, she rubbed her eyes and woke up.

In a daze, Shen Hua walked out of the courtyard, jolted awake by the bone-chilling wind, fully alert now.

"Miss?" Yicui heard the sound and chased after her.

Shen Hua stamped her feet: "I have to go out for a while."

————

Inside the inn, the lights were on. Cui Yun lodged in a premium room, though it couldn't compare to the fineness of the Marquis Mansion. Fortunately, despite his pampered lifestyle, he didn't have many issues.

The night was dim, the inn no longer bustling as before, only a servant at the counter on the first floor was dozing with an abacus in hand.

Cui Yun sat upright, holding a white chess piece, playing against himself.

The Wizard kneeled on the ground, tears covering his face.

Ji Qing stood respectfully to the side.

Shen Hua was the person the master was looking for, so he paid special attention.

But he hadn't expected to find that Shen Hua had hired Miss Sheng'er, who was skilled in vocal mimicry, to haunt the Dong Residence like a ghost.

Shen Hua deliberately incited prejudice against the Dong Family among the common people.

Ji Qing further discovered that the Dong Family was actually using witchcraft!

Learning of this matter, Ji Qing dared not delay, directly abducting him from the West Garden of the Dong Residence.

"Master, the Dong Family originally planned to do witchcraft a month later, but Miss Shen's actions today have made Mr. Dong fearful, afraid of unforeseen changes, he intends to advance it."

He presented the evidence.

Among them were records of the Dong Family's frequent large withdrawals from the bank, high-priced payments to appease the families of the deceased.

There were also unfinished sketches left by a painter who specialized in painting portraits for the Dong Family's girls.

Additionally, there were talisman papers needed by the witch doctor provided by the Dong Family, and animal carcasses drained of blood before the witchcraft.

Etc.

Cui Yun glanced casually. He only felt the whole matter was revolting.

The Wizard was just wearing a thin inner garment. He shivered intensely from the cold, silenced, unable to utter a sound. He could only cower backward like a terrified lunatic.

"Behave yourself!"

Ji Qing reprimanded sharply and pressed his shoulder. With a slight exertion, a 'crack' was heard, breaking his arm.

The Wizard was in such pain that his eyes nearly popped out: !!!

Cui Yun's expression was indifferent, his voice chilly with coldness.

"If insidious witchcraft runs rampant, the world will surely descend into chaos. Human greed knows no bounds, once the Dong Family tastes success..."

This time it was to perform rituals with the dead, who knows if next time it might not be something more sinister.

Using living people for sacrifice.

What wouldn't they do?

If even a merchant could stoop this low, it wouldn't be surprising if all the noble families followed suit...

Cui Yun came only to retrieve someone and never intended to get involved in other matters, but he happened to encounter witchcraft, which he despised most in his life.

Despised it deeply, to say the least.

"I have no great love for the world, yet, my father and brother died for the people. They died heroically. Even if I am cold-blooded, being of the Cui Family, I will not stand by and watch the world fall into chaos, with traitors rising, bewitching people, and disrupting governance."

"The old Daoist at the temple advised me to be kind, but how could I truly stay my hands?"

Those hypocritical Wizards, every time Cui Yun saw one, he would kill one.

Cui Yun chuckled lightly, his voice gentle, speaking slowly: "Then let's help this Miss Shen, who isn't ruthless enough."

Ji Qing obeyed, "Yes."

"Since we are to set a fire, we must add fuel. Now that the Dong Family plans an illicit marriage, with joyous events one after another, how can Dong Family not personally choose?"

Ji Qing understood, soon exiting again to dig up Dong Hui's grave.

The Wizard did not know Cui Yun's identity, but the pain pierced his heart, and listening to Cui Yun's words terrified him.

Dong Hui was dead, how could he choose?

No, how did he know about the Dong Family's incidents?

"Heard your divination skills are excellent?"

With a 'tap' sound, the silence of the room made it particularly loud.

After Cui Yun placed the white chess piece down, the chess board changed rapidly.

Under the lamp light, his side profile appeared especially gentle. Yet these words were like a death warrant.

"Then predict, can you survive tonight?"