I am a wandering immortal in the mortal realm.

Upon seeing the blue spots and smelling the odor, Jiang Niang lost all her previous composure and became furious, overturning the teacup on the table.

Hearing the commotion, the maids exchanged a glance, lowered their heads, and silently entered.

Jiang Niang immediately turned cold and snapped, "Get out!"

The maids were all startled.

Although this new master is usually busy, he is good at dealing with people and rarely scolds or punishes anyone.

Why is he suddenly so furious today? Could it be that he had a falling out with the master and lost favor?

Since the matter involved the private affairs of the inner quarters, the maids dared not ask any further questions and carefully withdrew.

As soon as the door closed, the room suddenly went dark.

Jiang Niang was clearly furious; her chest heaved violently. After sitting quietly for a while, her nameless anger gradually dissipated, and she calmed down.

She glanced outside and suddenly called out, "Jin Cui!"

The door creaked open, and a young maid of about twelve or thirteen years old walked in, bowing her head and saying, "Master..."

Jiang Niang glanced at her, smiled, and seemed to have returned to her former elegance and grace, saying, "Go to the kitchen and get me a live chicken."

"Live...live chicken?" Jin Cui thought she had misheard and couldn't help but ask, "Does Master want to drink chicken soup? I'll tell the kitchen to prepare it right away."

Jiang Niang frowned slightly and snorted, "Can't you understand me? I said go and fetch a live chicken!"

"Can……"

"If I tell you to go, then go!"

Jiang Niang gave another light rebuke, and Jin Cui dared not say another word, hurriedly retreating.

As soon as she stepped out the door and turned the corner of a corridor, another maidservant came towards her, smiling and calling out, "Jin Cui."

Jin Cui was walking with her head down when she heard the voice. She quickly looked up, her eyes lit up, and she replied, "Sister Qingdai."

The person who came was the head maidservant of the county magistrate's wife, and also the elder sister from the same village who introduced Jin Cui to the household.

Qingdai glanced around and, seeing that no one was around, gave a wink.

Jin Cui understood and quickly followed him to the corner.

"Good sister, you've been serving that person for a while now, have you found out anything?" Qingdai went straight to the point.

Jin Cui pursed her lips, then shook her head vigorously, whispering urgently, "She's extremely cautious; she usually doesn't let the maids into the room to serve her."

Upon hearing this, Qingdai looked at her and couldn't help but frown.

Jin Cui was a little uneasy, afraid that the other party would blame her, so she tried to make amends: "Sister Qingdai, Master has already taken several concubines, so why...why does Madam pay so much attention to Jiang Niangzi?"

Qingdai rolled her eyes and scolded, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

"Ah...yes..." Jin Cui trembled and quickly shrank her neck.

Seeing this, Qingdai sighed again, gently grasped her hand, and advised, "I know what you're worried about. Do you think Madam is acting this way to win favor? Ha, Madam is from a noble family, and she has given birth to a young master. Her position is secure. Even when the master comes, he must treat her with utmost respect. Winning favor is meaningless to her. What Madam truly cares about is the peace and tranquility of this household!"

Jin Cui lowered her head and remained silent.

Qingdai then pointed in the direction of Jiang Niang's courtyard and whispered, "Master didn't even ask any questions before bringing this Jiang Niang in. As the head of the household, Madam naturally had to investigate. But she sent people to brothels to inquire, and guess what? They couldn't find out anything about her background..."

She said meaningfully, "Just think about it, if she were just an ordinary courtesan, how could she possibly have such great abilities?"

"Ah..." Jin Cui's eyes widened, her heart pounding. "You mean..."

Qingdai nodded and said, "What Madam is worried about is that some unscrupulous person might sneak in. Didn't someone storm the county government office a few days ago and almost harm Master? So you don't need to feel guilty. If that person really has a problem, and it is found out in the future, Madam will definitely give you credit for it. It's not impossible that she will promote you to be her mistress..."

Jin Cui blushed, stammered, twisting her handkerchief, her heart filled with conflicting emotions.

Qingdai stared at her for a moment, then smiled and said, "Think it over carefully." With that, she turned to leave.

But she had only taken one step when Jin Cui called out to her, "Sister Qingdai, wait a moment."

Qingdai stopped, turned around, and looked at her with a half-smile: "Is there anything else, sister?"

Jin Cui took a deep breath before gritting her teeth and saying, "I...I'm not lying. That person has indeed been fine lately, but today he's been acting a bit strangely."

"Oh?" Qingdai's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "What's unusual about it?"

Jin Cui then recounted the whole story, and then looked at Qing Dai with trepidation.

Qingdai asked thoughtfully, "Do you know what she and the master talked about?"

"How would I know? Master always sent us away." Jin Cui said softly, then added as if she had just remembered something, "Ah, I remember Master was quite happy when he left, he didn't seem like there was any conflict. I just don't know why he got so angry later."

"What about the chicken? What does she want a live chicken for?" Qingdai asked again.

Jin Cui thought for a moment, then shook her head again.

Qingdai cursed him inwardly for being useless, but smiled on the surface: "I understand. What you said is very useful. If the madam bestows a reward upon you, I will secretly bring it to you."

"Thank you so much, Sister Qingdai!" Jin Cui was overjoyed, and then said, "If there's nothing else here, Sister, I'll head to the kitchen now?"

"Go, go!"

Qingdai slipped her a piece of silver and waved for her to leave.

Once Jin Cui had walked away, her face instantly darkened, her eyes flickered, and she turned and walked down another path.

……

Before long, Qingdai arrived at another spacious and bright courtyard.

She knocked on the door first and respectfully called out, "Madam!"

"Enter!"

Qingdai pushed open the door and saw a middle-aged woman sitting in front of a Buddha statue, meditating with her eyes closed.

Incense smoke curled from the altar, and the Buddha statue exuded an extraordinary charm. Holding prayer beads, she chanted scriptures, displaying a dignified and solemn demeanor.

"Madam's understanding of Buddhism has become increasingly profound. I didn't notice it just now and thought some Bodhisattva had appeared in the room!" Qingdai smiled before speaking.

Although she was a senior maid, she was only in charge of the weaving room and could not serve him personally, so she naturally had to seize every opportunity to flatter him.

The beautiful woman seemed to have been tickled; she opened her eyes, a smile appearing on her serious face, and said lightly, "You, you always have such a silver tongue. What's wrong? Has news come from your fellow villager?"

"Indeed, nothing can be hidden from the madam."

Qingdai covered her mouth and smiled, then repeated exactly what Jin Cui had said.

Upon hearing that Magistrate Zhou had been spending all his time with Jiang Niang during the day, the beautiful woman's face immediately turned extremely ugly, and she cursed, "You slut!"

Her face contorted in a ferocious expression, a stark contrast to her previous radiant and serene demeanor.

Qingdai was also somewhat frightened. She glanced at the other woman cautiously and said with a forced smile, "Madam, please don't be angry. This servant has already found a way and is preparing to teach that person a lesson!"

"Oh?" The beautiful woman's eyes flashed, and she turned her head to look at her.

Then Qingdai said, "That person must have had a fight with the master, which is why she's trying to win his favor by cooking a live chicken. Luckily, Wu Mama, who's in charge of the kitchen, is one of our people, so I sent someone to inform her in advance. We'll make sure that person doesn't get a single chicken feather today."

"Heh..." The beautiful woman offered no comment, only saying, "Can't she go out and buy it?"

Qingdai smiled and said, "Madam, have you forgotten that the matter of the ill-gotten gains has caused quite a stir lately? Shouldn't we take this opportunity to regulate the rules for entering and leaving our manor?"

The beautiful woman's eyes lit up, and Qingdai pressed her advantage: "This servant has come to ask Madam for a warrant. I suppose for the sake of the safety of the household, no one else can say anything."

"Not bad! Not bad!" The beautiful woman pondered for a long time, then nodded to herself, hesitatingly saying, "What if she complains to the master that I deliberately mistreated her? You don't know, that little slut is quite the charmer!"

Qingdai feigned ignorance and said, "How is Madam being stingy? It's just a chicken. Can't we buy one tomorrow or the day after? Does not getting to eat it today constitute stinginess? What kind of logic is that?"

She then lowered her voice and said, "If we just stall for time and make that clever woman unable to cook without rice, the master will eventually get tired of it."

The beautiful woman gave her a deep look, then suddenly said, "You're quite cunning!"

Qingdai was terrified and quickly knelt down, saying, "Madam, my loyalty is as clear as day!"

"Alright, alright," the beautiful woman waved her hand lazily and said indifferently, "There's no need for such talk in front of me. I need neither your loyalty nor the master's favor. What I want is to ensure Jing-ge's interests are not harmed. Once he enters school and is granted an official position, won't he also enjoy your wealth and status?"

"What you say is true, that's exactly what I was thinking," Qingdai hurriedly replied.

The beautiful woman continued, "It's good that you're putting in the effort. But that woman might not be so easy to deal with. I have a feeling she's not as simple as she seems, so you should be extra careful."

"Thank you for your concern, Madam!"

"Alright, go now. If anything is missing, just go to Aunt Jiang's place to get it."

"yes!"

Qingdai was so flustered by the beautiful woman that she was in a daze when she left.

As soon as she left, an old monk suddenly emerged from behind a curtain.

The beautiful woman glanced at him and said calmly, "Master, please excuse my poor appearance."

The old monk simply shook his head and chuckled, "The people below are all scheming and have many thoughts. If Madam didn't pretend to be a little foolish, how could she get them to jump out on their own?"

The beautiful woman did not answer, but only asked, "Master, is there anything you need me to do?"

The old monk smiled and said, "There is something I need your help with!"

He took out a thin piece of paper and handed it over.

The beautiful woman glanced at it once, and the paper spontaneously combusted without a flame. She nodded, "I understand, and I will do my best."

The old monk clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Thank you, Madam."

Having said that, he was about to leave when he suddenly glanced outside, paused, and then reminded her, "I sense a faint evil aura permeating the mansion. Madam should be careful."

"What?" the beautiful woman exclaimed in surprise.

The old monk shook his head: "I can't tell anything for now. It could be the lingering evil energy from that day's wicked silver. However, with the protection of my Jin Guang Temple's Fudo Myoo here, Madam should be fine."

The beautiful woman, however, said with concern, "What I'm worried about is Jing-ge'er."

"Don't panic, Madam!" The old monk stretched out his hand and said, "May I borrow your prayer beads?"

The beautiful woman was taken aback, then handed over the prayer beads in her hand.

The old monk held the prayer beads and chanted sutras for a while. He then returned and said, "This humble monk has blessed the prayer beads with magical power. As long as you carry these beads with you, young master, you will not be disturbed by external evils."

The beautiful woman was overjoyed: "Thank you, Master!"

The old monk simply clasped his hands together and smiled, but his figure began to fade, gradually disappearing into nothingness, turning into a wisp of green smoke.

Even though it wasn't the first time she'd seen it, the beautiful woman still stared wide-eyed, finding it incredibly skillful.

This is also the driving force behind her unwavering commitment to Buddhism.

They possess great magical powers!

Then, she hurriedly picked up the prayer beads, called out "Mother Jiang," and rushed out.

……

On the other side, Jin Cui indeed did not bring back any live chickens.

She nervously told Jiang Niang what she had said, but the other woman didn't get angry.

As soon as the person left, Jiang Niang's face darkened instantly, and she cursed under her breath, "You slut."

Then she went to the bedside, lifted the bed board, and pulled out a stone statue the length of an adult's arm from underneath.

The stone statue was carved rather roughly, but the facial features were distinct. It had two heads, one crying and one laughing, which looked extremely eerie.

The empty eyes, when they meet someone's gaze, can even give the illusion that they are sneering...

Jiang Niang placed the stone statue, then lit three incense sticks, chanted some incantation, and suddenly her eyes sharpened. She took out a small knife and made a cut on her hand.

Blood trickled out, and as if afraid of wasting it, she hurriedly smeared it on the stone statue, cursing as she did so: "You bitch, you provoked me first!"

The blood dripped onto the stone statue, initially appearing horrifying, but after a while, it seemed to be absorbed and gradually faded.

Jiang Niang also seemed extremely weak; the blue spots on her temples had become larger, and the strange smell was getting stronger.

Just then, the green smoke suddenly trembled violently, and with a whoosh, it transformed into three wisps of black smoke, which condensed into a strange shadow in the air.

"Your blood is getting worse and worse." A strange voice suddenly rang out.

Jiang Niang's face turned ugly: "I was thinking of preparing a live chicken for you, but someone wouldn't allow it."

The ghostly figure slurped and asked, "What do you want?"

Jiang Niang said, "I've already found the person. When are you going to change my body?"

"No rush, I still need to make some preparations."

"Do we have to wait any longer?" Jiang Niang asked anxiously. "Do you know my body can't hold on much longer?"

"Heh..." the ghostly figure sneered, "You think you can teach me how to do things? You've probably forgotten just how ugly you used to be, haven't you?"

Jiang Niang was startled, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. Her gaze instantly shifted from aggressive to pleading: "Didn't you say you were omnipotent? If my appearance is damaged, how can I work for you in the future?"

The ghostly figure spoke calmly, "Don't worry." As it spoke, it separated a wisp of black energy and absorbed it into Jiang Niang's body.

Jiang Niang's spirits lifted immediately. She looked into the bronze mirror and saw that the blue spots had indeed disappeared.

"This magic power will keep you in this state for ten days. After ten days, I will come to help you change your body."

"There's one more thing."

"Are you ever going to stop?" Ghost Shadow said irritably.

Jiang Niang took a deep breath and said, "Help me kill the magistrate's wife. With her around, I'll be hindered in many ways and won't be able to do things for you."

"She is protected by the ritual implements of Jin Guang Temple. I cannot harm her if I am not physically present."

"Then let's deal with her son, so she won't have time to attend to anything else, is that feasible?"

The ghostly figure didn't speak, and after a moment, the black smoke turned into blue smoke.

Jiang Niang sneered, and then slowly tidied everything up.

That evening, the magistrate's son's grandmother let out a scream that echoed throughout the entire county government office.

The magistrate's wife rushed over and immediately noticed the prayer beads that had been carelessly discarded outside. She swayed, felt dizzy, and collapsed.

"lady!"

"lady!"

The household instantly erupted into chaos.

……

Zhou Jing's jaw clenched as he ran forward, terror gripping his body. He felt as if the darkness behind him was tangible, about to cling to him...

The little child had been running for an unknown amount of time when suddenly a shrill voice came from beside him: "What are you running for?"

He turned his head and saw a large black fox face right in front of him, letting out a howl, and the figure faded considerably.

Just then, another beam of azure light flew in and enveloped him completely. A remarkably pleasant voice rang in his ears: "Ah, what's this? A living soul?"