Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 97 Soul-Suppressing Lock

"But slowly I came to like this feeling, and I spent more and more time pretending to be Xiao Tian. Why are men destined to be more free than women? Why? Hahahaha... Ridiculous! Besides, as long as I become Xiao Tian, ​​Xiao Tian is not dead, is he?"

Yin Yue took a deep breath and calmed herself down: "My mother was a Miao witch. She taught me puppetry before. She said I was particularly talented. Later, I used this puppetry to 'revive' Xiao Tian and dressed him up to look like me. That way, I could always be Xiao Tian. I've always been strong-willed and stubbornly believed that women were inferior to men in every way. But I never imagined that deep down I hated being a woman and longed to be a man. It's really ridiculous when I think about it."

Yan Mingzhang listened patiently to her rambling: "And then what happened? How did the villagers discover Xiaotian's...?"

Yin Yue smiled bitterly, "Remember that son of a bitch, the village chief? He thought Xiao Tian hadn't died after falling off the cliff, and his lustful desires remained unchanged. He sneaked into my house in the dark, went into our room, and tried to take advantage of him. But what awaited him was a doll! Hahahaha, you didn't see the look on his face when he rolled out. It was hilarious! Hahaha!"

Yin Yue was somewhat deranged, laughing and then crying: "It's a pity I didn't kill him back then! He spread the news everywhere, and the villagers had long coveted our fields and ancestral home, so they used this as an excuse to frame my mother... to frame my mother as a witch, and kidnapped her... In order to protect us, my mother told me to take Xiao Tian and run away quickly... She promised to meet us within three days."

Yan Mingzhang listened attentively, pondering carefully: "You escaped?"

Yin Yue nodded and continued, "Do you remember the place where Xiao Tian fell off the cliff? There's a cave there, and Xiao Tian and I hid there for many days, but Mother never came. So I went back to save her, but it was too late..."

Although many years had passed, Yin Yue still choked up as she spoke: "When I returned to the village, it was engulfed in flames... I also wanted to know where my mother was, but after all these years, I've tried my best to find the truth, but I have no clue how the fire started..."

Yan Mingzhang said firmly, "It's kerosene..."

"Oil?" Yin Yue was somewhat surprised. "There is indeed oil in the back mountain of Yin Family Village, but Xiao Tian and I found it. No one except Mother told us."

Yan Mingzhang continued, "It was your mother who told me. I spoke with several surviving elders from Yinjia Village. According to their accounts, when several clan elders tortured your mother, she told them about the kerosene. They then imprisoned her in the woodshed while they scrambled to grab the kerosene. However, they only knew the kerosene was incredibly valuable, unaware of its flammability and explosiveness. I went to the scene; there were fire lines set up from the altar to every villager's house, and the ground was charred black. I estimate that once the villagers burned your mother to death, the fire lines would spread, and whoever had the most kerosene would have the biggest fire burning the brightest..."

"I understand now... So Mother set up this trap after discovering the oil. She was willing to perish with them to protect us! She had long anticipated that these greedy tribesmen might try to harm her..." Yin Yue was overwhelmed with grief, tears streaming down her face. "No wonder she told us not to make a sound after we discovered the oil, so that's why... so that's why..."

Yan Mingzhang slowly said, "This matter is from the past. The villagers of Yin Family Village who were burned to death were also guilty of their own greed, and they only had themselves to blame. I will briefly report to His Majesty. As for whether you want to become Yin Yue or Yin Tian, ​​it's up to you..."

Yin Yue calmed down a bit: "Thank you for letting me know the truth. I will cure this wolfsbane, and I will do my best to save this girl. After all, I feel a connection with her... You all go outside and wait!"

Yan Mingzhang felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. It was done!

Yin Yue dismissed everyone, leaving only Yan Mingzhang and Doctor Yan to help.

The bandage was removed, revealing a long, deep, and gruesome scar on Rong Wanyin's back. The wound was already festering. Yin Yue gently placed a large red spider on Rong Wanyin's back, and the spider crawled into the wound, greedily sucking its prey. Doctor Yan panicked and tried to stop them, but Yan Mingzhang stopped him, and they could only wait patiently.

In no time, all the dark red blood had entered the red spider's belly, and the wound was now oozing bright red blood. The red spider continued to feed, and Yin Yue grabbed it and put it into the white porcelain jar, cursing, "You filthy thing, you're never satisfied!"

Yin Yue stood up and said, "That's all I can do. The rest is up to you and this girl's fate."

Yan Mingzhang and Doctor Yan exchanged a glance, and Doctor Yan nodded, acknowledging Yin Yue's words. Everyone happily entered the house.

Suddenly, Yin Yue stopped in her tracks, flicked a small red spider at her, and gave a sly smile. The spider landed on Yan Mingzhang's hand, immediately biting a small hole and burrowing inside. Yan Mingzhang had no time to react: "Oh right, I forgot to give you a gift. This is a 'child gu'. With it, as long as the mother gu is in my hands, I can know where you are, whether you are dead or alive. Otherwise, the world is so big, how can I find you? You agree, Lord Yan! I will definitely verify the truth of what you said today."

Yan Mingzhang winced in pain, clutching his wound and arching his back. Cold sweat poured down his forehead. "Wait, you put this inside Miss Rong's body too?"

Yin Tian made no attempt to hide anything: "Of course, otherwise how would I know this girl is about to die? How would I make a fresh puppet?"

"Give it to me!" Yan Mingzhang's veins bulged, he was furious, but he still had to suppress his emotions.

"You can't even take care of yourself, yet you have time to worry about others!" Yin Yue chuckled disdainfully, her eyes full of amusement.

"Take it out!" Yan Mingzhang's gaze was firm.

Yin Yue leaned against the doorframe, a playful look on her face: "If I told you that you could only take one of her or her, what would you choose?"

“Keep mine. Now that you have no deal with Miss Rong, take the spider out of her body!” Yan Mingzhang’s eyes were firm and he did not hesitate.

Yin Yue opened her mouth, but didn't say anything more, her eyes filled with complicated emotions: "Hmph!"

She used a small dagger to cut open Rong Wanyin's hand and her own fingers, dripping the blood from her finger onto the wound on Rong Wanyin's hand. Soon, a tiny red spider, no bigger than an ant, crawled out and greedily licked Yin Yue's blood. Yin Yue picked up the little spider and expressionlessly crushed it to death: "Weak creatures don't deserve to live!"

After Yin Yue finished speaking, she picked up her sister from the chair and left with Ruoping, who had been waiting at the door. After taking a few steps, she turned back and said, "That silver lock can suppress the soul. Ruoping said she gave it to Rong as a thank-you gift. Rong is weak-willed and follows you to crime scenes. Don't let her get involved with anything evil... Ruoping's child's soul has already scattered, so it's useless to keep it. This silver lock is called the Soul-Suppressing Lock, and it has the effect of protecting the soul."