Starting as the young master of a medicine shop, he practiced swordsmanship for twenty years.

Chapter 431 Unexpected! Mother and Daughter Jump into Well!
"Marshal, something bad has happened!"

The adjutant stumbled and crawled into the hall, followed by a pale-faced feng shui master and a middle-aged man trembling like a leaf.

"The tenth and seventeenth concubines and Miss Qing...they...they are both dead!"

Lu Xuan's eyes narrowed. It was just as he thought of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao appeared.

These so-called seventeen concubines and Miss Xiao Qing are none other than the wife and daughter of Boss Chen, whom the original owner forcibly took.
The adjutant said in a trembling voice, "Yes, they jumped into the well... Just when we went to General Mountain, they sent away the old woman guarding them and together... together they jumped into the well."

Butler Wu, who was standing nearby, was trembling and unable to speak. The feng shui master quickly chimed in:
"Just now, Steward Wu thought that the Marshal had returned exhausted from General Mountain, so he specially went to invite the Seventeenth Concubine and Miss Xiao Qing to come and serve him, but the house was empty... Finally, he found this by the old well in the backyard..."

The feng shui master nervously presented a torn piece of clothing with several lines of writing in blood on it.

Only then did Steward Wu regain his voice, banging his head on the ground and wailing, "General, spare me! I really didn't know anything, they took their own lives..."

Lu Xuan took the blood-stained cloth and looked at the dripping writing on it.

"You beast, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

The handwriting on the blood-written letter was messy and mournful, as if one could still hear the writer's dying curse.

Lu Xuan calmly put away the blood-written letter, his gaze sweeping over Steward Wu, who was kowtowing incessantly on the ground.

This man was in his early forties and looked quite capable.

"Lead the way, let's go take a look."

Lu Xuan was not the useless warlord who only knew how to think with guns; he would never believe anyone's one-sided story.

The mother and daughter jumped into the well at the same time? That's really strange.

Parents everywhere would do the same. Even if a mother, unable to bear the humiliation, chose to commit suicide, how could she possibly take her young daughter with her to the afterlife?

Even if she misses her deceased husband, she should still hope that her daughter lives a good life.

Upon entering the East Courtyard, the servants and maids along the way all turned pale, and upon seeing Lu Xuan's figure in the distance, they dared not even breathe loudly.

"Greetings, Commander!" Greetings echoed from one after another.

The horrific scene of Master Chen and his three young masters being shot to death a few days ago is still vivid in my mind.

Now that such a calamity has befallen the manor, no one knows whether this murderous god will take his anger out on his servants.

In this chaotic world, it's easier for a warlord to kill a few people than to crush an ant.

Lu Xuan ignored the kneeling and worshipping people along the way and went straight to the backyard.

The courtyard gate was wide open, and as soon as I stepped inside, I heard a muffled sobbing sound.

Several maids knelt by the well, trembling with sobs. When they saw Lu Xuan enter, they were so frightened that they dared not utter a sound.

Lu Xuan ignored all of this, walked straight to the ancient well, and unabashedly stepped onto the rim with his military boots, leaning down to look down—

In the deep well water, the corpses of two women dressed in skirts floated on the water.

They were submerged face down in the water, their long hair spread out like seaweed, their bare necks and arms were frighteningly white, a lifeless, deathly white.

"Pull it up."

As soon as those three words were uttered, the adjutant and the feng shui master, as if they had agreed beforehand, simultaneously took a half step back, making Manager Wu stand out at the very front.

Such an unlucky task as retrieving corpses is something these "respectable people" would naturally avoid if they could.

Even the soldiers standing guard with guns nearby turned their faces away.

Manager Wu stood there all alone, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He looked to his adjutant for help, but only received a warning look in return.

"What?" Lu Xuan's voice was devoid of emotion. "You want me, the great general, to go down and retrieve it myself?"

"You go down."

Lu Xuan casually pointed to Steward Wu, and the adjutant immediately understood—this was a perfect opportunity to show his loyalty.

"Steward Wu, what are you standing there for!" The adjutant stepped forward and kicked the man in the back of the knee. "Didn't you hear the commander's orders? Go down and pull up Seventeenth Concubine and Miss Qing right now!"

He naturally didn't give this down-on-his-luck butler a friendly look.

This old fellow was originally the steward of the Chen family. When his former master fell from power, he hurriedly surrendered and sold out all the secrets of the Chen family.

Such a traitorous fellow is not even as good as a dog in the adjutant's eyes.

Manager Wu staggered from the kick, his face ashen. He stared at the deep well opening, his legs trembling so badly he could barely stand.

"If you dawdle any longer, we'll throw you down there!" the adjutant shouted, and several soldiers immediately approached with guns drawn.

Seeing that the unlucky steward Wu had been assigned to do this dreadful job, the adjutant and soldiers immediately perked up and worked extra hard.

"Quick! Tie the rope securely!"

"Go and fetch a plank!"

"Be quicker and more efficient!"

Shouts rose and fell as everyone bustled about, yet all tacitly maintained a safe distance from the ancient well.

"Better to die for your fellow Daoist than for your own"—this principle is most true in chaotic times.

Since someone had taken on this arduous task, they were naturally happy to cheer them on from the sidelines.

Several soldiers even stepped forward to hold down Steward Wu and hurriedly tied a rope around his waist.

Finally, Manager Wu shakily stepped into the wooden bucket for drawing water, gripping the rough hemp rope tightly with both hands, and slowly lowered into the well under the watchful eyes of everyone.

The well walls were damp, slippery, and cold, and the light grew dimmer as you went down.

As his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, the two floating female corpses came into clear view.

The waterlogged dress clung tightly to her body, outlining her still shapely curves.

A complex emotion suddenly flashed in Manager Wu's eyes, which had been filled with fear.

The process went surprisingly smoothly.

Before long, the two female corpses that had been pulled from the well were laid flat on the bluestone slab beside the well.

If it weren't for her excessively pale complexion, she would appear to be peacefully asleep at first glance.

The older woman was about thirty years old, dressed in a plain white dress. Her face was beautiful and lifelike, and she wore the hairstyle of a married woman. There was still a hint of elegance in her eyes.

The woman next to her was even more shockingly young—she looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, wearing a blue and white dress, with wet bangs plastered to her forehead, and her still-childish face still possessing the delicate features unique to young girls.

The servants watching turned away and covered their faces, and several maids couldn't help but sob softly.

Lu Xuan stared expressionlessly at the two female corpses on the ground, his gaze sweeping over their soaked clothes and pale skin.

So clean.

On the surface, everything appeared normal—clothes intact, face calm, not even a trace of struggle could be found. But this was precisely the most abnormal thing.

Even if someone is determined to die by jumping into a well, the instinct for survival will cause their body to struggle wildly when the cold well water enters their lungs.

Fingernails would scratch the well wall, leaving bloodstains; wrists would be injured from unconscious scratching. It would never be like this now... as if it had just quietly sunk after a deep sleep.

Just as Lu Xuan was deep in thought, a chilling aura, imperceptible to ordinary people, quietly brushed past his senses.

Lu Xuan's gaze narrowed slightly—no one understood this aura better than him. Immediately, Lu Xuan casually pointed to Steward Wu, who was trembling like a leaf beside him: "You, stay and watch over them tonight, and arrange for their burial tomorrow."

Wu Guan was taken aback at first, but when he heard the words "to be buried in peace," he felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately kowtowed repeatedly.

"Thank you, Commander! Thank you for your mercy, Commander! I will do my utmost to protect the Seventeenth Concubine and Miss Qing!"

He was overjoyed—since the commander-in-chief had granted permission for the burial, he didn't intend to investigate the matter further, and his life was temporarily saved!

As for the fear of keeping vigil, it's nothing compared to being shot immediately.

Lu Xuan said no more and turned to leave.

In the dead of night, the main room that originally belonged to the seventeenth concubine was temporarily converted into a mourning hall.

The candlelight flickered, casting a dim light on the room.

Several servants assigned to keep watch outside the door huddled together, deliberately keeping their breathing quiet.

Inside the room, two thin coffins, not yet covered, sat side by side in the center.

Inside the coffin, the seventeenth concubine and Miss Qing had peaceful expressions, as if they were simply sleeping.

Manager Wu sat alone in the chair directly in front of the coffin, an angle that forced him to face the two lifeless faces.

The wisps of smoke from burning incense swirled and lingered in the main room, mingling with the lingering scent of cosmetics and a faint stench of death, creating a nauseatingly sweet aroma.

Manager Wu stared intently at the flickering candlelight before him, mechanically chanting a mumbled mantra for rebirth.

Every slight flicker of the candlelight sent a shiver down his spine, as if the two people in the coffin... were about to sit up.

"If we just wait another three hours, it will be dawn. We should... we should be fine."

Just as Manager Wu lowered his head to comfort himself, a sudden, unseen gust of cold wind swept past his back.

He jumped up from his chair and turned to look at the door in a panic.

"Manager Wu, what's wrong?"

The same few servants were still on night watch outside the door. They were startled by Steward Wu's sudden action and peered inside, their faces full of confusion, clearly not having noticed anything.

"N-nothing..." Manager Wu waved his hand, trying to appear calm, but his heart was pounding wildly.

"Alright, keep an eye on your door!"

Manager Wu waved his hand in frustration, trying to get rid of the few servants who were peeking around at the door.

But this time, there was complete silence outside the door.

He subconsciously looked up and saw the three servants frozen in place, their eyes wide open, staring intently at the interior of the hall behind him.

Their faces were contorted and distorted in the dim light, filled with extreme fear, and they trembled all over.

"You, you all..." Manager Wu's words caught in his throat.

"puff--"

With a soft sound, all the candles in the room went out at the same instant!

Immediately afterwards, the open door was slammed shut with a loud bang, as if pushed by an invisible giant hand, completely blocking out the last bit of moonlight.

Suddenly, a piercing, inhuman scream erupted from outside the door: "A ghost—!!"

The sound quickly faded into the distance, clearly indicating that the three people had fled for their lives.

Manager Wu was trapped alone in the completely dark mourning hall, his body ice-cold. He could feel something slowly approaching from behind him.

Just as a cold hand was about to touch the back of Manager Wu's neck.

"Buzz!"

A warm and dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth from his arms, instantly dispelling the thick darkness around him!
Almost simultaneously, a piercing, inhuman scream rang out in the room, making Manager Wu's eardrums ache.

Using the brief golden light, he turned around and saw the scene before him clearly.

The seventeenth concubine was standing right in front of him, less than three feet away!

Her face was pale, her eyes were black, and her once beautiful face was twisted with resentment and venom. Her ten fingers were bent like hooks, and she was still in a posture of attacking.

However, at this moment, her body was sizzling and wisps of white smoke were constantly rising from it, as if she were being burned by invisible flames.

The seventeenth concubine stared intently at Steward Wu, her eyes filled with hatred that was almost tangible, yet also with a hint of fear of the golden light, daring not to take another step forward.

"You...you...you!"

Manager Wu was so terrified by the horrific sight before him that he collapsed to the ground, scrambling backward until his back pressed against the cold door.

However, after the extreme fear, a ruthless, desperate spirit suddenly erupted.

In a few breaths, Manager Wu suddenly got up from the ground, his previous cowardice replaced by a desperate frenzy.

"You shameless woman! You dare come back to me even after you're dead! I can kill you once, and I can make you die again!"

"What, didn't your daughter, Chen Qing, that little beauty, come back with you?" Manager Wu said, a lewd and crazed smile twisting his face.

"Let me tell you, your daughter is really voluptuous... she's given me quite a few pleasures! If you have any complaints, blame yourself for not keeping a close eye on her!"

He stared at the increasingly distorted and resentful face of the seventeenth concubine, his heart filled with a mixture of fear and perverse pleasure, which drove him even more insane.

"But this little slut doesn't know what's good for her! She's only played around a few times and she wants to go to the commander to complain? Humph, I'll have no choice but to kill you and your mother."

As he spoke, Steward Wu suddenly pulled a crimson triangular talisman from his pocket and gripped it tightly in his hand.

This was a "talisman to ward off evil spirits" that he had obtained from Fuyuan Temple at great expense. It was said to be able to drive away evil spirits, and he never expected it to actually come in handy tonight.

The talisman felt slightly warm to the touch, seemingly giving Manager Wu a vague sense of confidence.

"Hehehe..." He looked at the seventeenth concubine, whose figure seemed to be forced back half a step by the faint red light emitted by the talisman, and let out a triumphant and hoarse laugh.

But Wu's sinister smile didn't last long before the vengeful spirit of the Seventeenth Concubine suddenly flicked her sleeve!
A heavy coffin suddenly flew into the air, accompanied by a whistling sound, and crashed down on him!

Although the crimson talisman in Manager Wu's hand could dispel evil spirits, it was completely ineffective against this physical attack.

The next second, the smugness on Manager Wu's face instantly turned into horror. He let out a strange cry and scrambled out of the room, desperately fleeing towards the courtyard square.

Just as Manager Wu staggered to the center of the square, he heard a whooshing sound coming from behind him.

The coffin followed him like a shadow, flying out and about to smash him into a pulp!
"You audacious beast!"

A sharp shout pierced the night sky, and a lithe gray figure swept past like a gust of wind, shoving Manager Wu aside at the last second.

"Boom!"

The coffin crashed heavily onto the bluestone slab, instantly shattering into pieces, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

Still shaken, Manager Wu looked up and saw two people standing in the moonlight.

One of them was the old Taoist's junior brother, whom Lu Xuan had pointed a gun at during the day at Fuyuan Temple!

The other person was the pale-faced adjutant.

(End of this chapter)