Chapter 349: All Know
Zhe was not surprised. Ordinary people rarely choose a given name, "Then I'll just call you Huaiyi for now. This name is excellent. But since you've entered the academy and are a serious student, whe...After taking a moment to compose himself, Yao Changjun called his attendant in and asked, "What have you found out"
Chang Sui shook his head nervously. He was usually very capable, otherwise he couldn't have served beside the head of the Yao family. But tonight's events were all too strange, with not a single clue to be found.
Yao Changjun slammed his fist on the table, "Trash! Everything that is done leaves a trace. Are you all blind"
Chang Sui knelt on the ground, startled. "Master, I've searched everywhere, but there's no trace of anything. I even had those two guards beaten, but they still insist they only fainted inexplicably. They claim to have heard nothing and seen nothing. But all these valuables are missing from your study – enough to fill a whole bag! The red coral alone is over half a meter tall, and there's that jade-carved horse, which I couldn't even carry by myself. How did the thief manage to take them without a sound"
So, it wasn't a thief at all, nor a human, but a ghost! Only a ghost could explain these strange occurrences.
Yao Changjun shivered, suddenly feeling a bone-chilling coldness in the study. He was half-believing and half-doubting the ghost story. Why would his home inexplicably attract such evil things But if it wasn't a ghost, who could have done this
Rather than having attracted some powerful figure, he would rather it be a ghost haunting him at this moment.
"Set out for the city early and quickly find some powerful Taoists. Invite several to perform rituals at home. Remember, keep a low profile. If anyone asks, just say... The Second Master had a nightmare last night, so we invited the Taoists as a precaution."
Chang Sui bowed respectfully and replied, "If it weren't too late now and I couldn't leave the city gates, I would have gone right away."
It's really scary to live in the mansion right now. He's afraid that the ghosts haven't left yet, and what if they pop up again from somewhere What should he do then
He had seen with his own eyes the plight of those former servants, and he knew the state of the second master. A curse could still be cured, but if something was wrong with one's life root, that was a lifelong tragedy.
Master Yao's servants toiled all night, unable to sleep.
The 'big bad wolf' responsible for all this was asleep snoring in the motorhome, until he was woken by his daughter-in-law. He blinked sleepily, only just waking up. After finishing his work last night, when it was already late, he had only slept for two hours at most. His mind was still fuzzy, and he mumbled, "Let me nap for a few more minutes..."
Gu Huanxi was staring at the thing that had suddenly popped out of the car, still unable to react. There was no way she would let him continue sleeping, "Don't sleep, it's time! If you don't go out, Li YunTing will get suspicious."
Xu Huaiyi closed his eyes and said, "It's nothing. I stayed in the new house last night, all by myself..."
When Gu Huan thought of something, his face changed. "Did you go to the Yao family last night Was it successful Were you injured Was anyone found out"
Hearing her worry, Xu Huaiyi wiped his face and sat up. "It went very smoothly, nothing happened, you see those things, they are all spoils of war, this trip was really worth it."
Seeing that he truly had no injuries, Gu Huan finally relaxed. "Quickly tell me, what have you done Did you break Yao Changming's leg And did you steal from his warehouse while you were at it"
Xu Huaiyi chuckled and pinched her nose, "You got it wrong again."
Gu Huanxi raised an eyebrow and slapped his hand away, "You didn't break Yao Changming's leg You didn't steal anything Then where did all this stuff come from"
Xu Huaiyi thought of something, ambiguously winked at her, "You could also say I broke Yao Changming's leg, but it was his third leg though."
Gu Huanxi, "…"
Is that what she meant
Just like you think, hahaha, Yao Changming will be just like an eunuch from now on, the only difference is that he still has things, but he can't use them. Just watching this happen, I estimate it will make him even more heartbroken, hahaha...
Gu Huanxi was speechless and curious, "How did you do that"
Xu Huaiyi described everything that happened last night in detail, and finally asked proudly, "How is it Did I do a good job"
Gu Huanxi gave a thumbs up.
Xu Huaiyi's face lit up. "I agree, compared to directly breaking his leg, last night's trickery was a stroke of genius. It was fate that he was still messing around so late! This is karma for him, plotting against me behind my back. With this opportunity, I couldn't let it pass!"
Gu Huanxi pondered for a moment, "With a house and a car, disguising oneself as a ghost wouldn't leave any trace. But the people from the Yao family, do you think they believe in ghosts Will they suspect you After all, you were the one they plotted against, making you the most likely culprit."
Xu Huaiyi said, “Certainly will. In order to strengthen the impression of a ghost, I specially performed a ghostly disappearance in front of those servants when leaving. After all, my current light gong skills are insufficient, so I can only focus on cultivating ghostly arts. Besides, my attire was incredibly lifelike, a perfect recreation of Hei Wuchang! People in ancient times were superstitious and easily fooled.”
Gu Huanxi nodded, "Then what about these things"
Huai-Yi Xu said, "These were moved from Yao Chang-Jun's study. Oh, and these things too..."
As he spoke, he opened his phone and enlarged the pictures he had taken to show her.
Gu Huanxi's face, which was initially pleased, gradually changed.
Xu Huaiyi was most impatient with looking at account books and similar things, not even wanting to read letters. Not only were there many traditional characters inside, but he also liked to quote classics, beat around the bush, and use wordplay, which was too taxing on his brainpower. So when Gu Huanxi was reading, he went to wash up. After washing up, he ate two of the steamed buns that had been prepared earlier, and only then did Gu Huanxi lift his head from the phone screen.
Seeing her expression, Xu Huaiyi knew there was important news she wanted to convey. However, he couldn't afford to listen right now. "Honey, I'm going to be late. Let's talk in the car at lunchtime. If you're too busy, we can wait until tonight."
Gu Huan nodded and said, "Okay, I'll organize those useful things too, so it's easier for you to see."
"Good, good..." That'll save me some effort.
Xu Huaiyi dashed out of his house in a car, dressed neatly, and hurried towards the Wushu Academy. He arrived just on time and rushed into the classroom. However, he barely listened to anything the teacher said, his mind was preoccupied with the contents of the letters and whether the accounts involved someone important. Otherwise, why was his wife's face so grim
After much deliberation, Xu Huaiyi remained clueless. His brows furrowed tightly, and he seemed restless and agitated. Li Yun Ting observed this, sensing that he was troubled by a difficult problem and struggling to find a solution.
Then, after class, he pulled Xu Huaiyi to a secluded corner and asked with concern, "Is something the matter"
Xu Huaiyi shook his head. "No."
He answered quickly and curtly. Li Yunting paused, "Don't you trust me Unwilling to tell me"
Xu Huaiyi laughed and punched him on the shoulder, "What are you thinking about I'm not lying to you, nothing happened, look, I'm fine, aren't I Not even a scratch on me."
Li Yunting naturally believed him, and asked in confusion, "Then in class, why did I feel like something was wrong with you"
Xu Huaiyi smiled wryly, “Well, you really are... not paying attention in class and always watching what I'm doing I'm thinking about things, there's something I don't understand, that's why I'm feeling troubled…”
"What's going on that doesn't make sense"
"I'm not able to tell you right now. I'll get back to you in two days after I've thought it through, so you won't be bothered."
At this, Li Yun Ting's lips curled into a smile. He stopped asking further questions; it wasn't that he didn't trust him or thought he was making up excuses. As long as he had a reason, it was fine. As for whether he went to the Yao family for revenge last night, such topics were best left unmentioned out of respect.
Even the best of friends should have privacy that cannot be shared with outsiders. Asking everything and telling everything is foolish.
However, he sent people out to investigate, mainly keeping an eye on the Yao family's every move. So, by noon, he had a pretty good idea of what happened at the Yao residence that day. Even though Yao Changjun issued a gag order, too many people were involved last night. The cries and howls echoed throughout the entire mansion, impossible to keep hidden.
Furthermore, the Yao family sent several waves of people out of the city to search for Taoist priests, high-ranking ones with deep knowledge of Taoism. Anyone who listened closely would know what was going on—the house was haunted, so they invited Taoist priests to come back and capture the ghost!
Besides that, the Yao family was robbed. Yao Changjun is also an old fox who knows that half-truths are more believable. Therefore, he did not hide the fact that his study had been stolen and even went so far as to report it to the authorities. The Jingzhao Mansion came to investigate, but unfortunately, after turning the entire mansion upside down, they found no useful clues.
However, the most shocking thing was Yao Changming's scandal. Yao Changjun originally didn't want to see a doctor from outside, fearing that it would be ridiculed. But he underestimated Yao Changming's ability to handle this matter. Knowing that he could not pass on his lineage and even found it difficult to have sex, he directly collapsed, yelling and scolding, urging the servants to find a skilled doctor to treat him, disregarding everything else.
Yao Changjun was unable to soothe him, and with no other choice, he could only let him toss and turn. Even then, he used his personal connections to invite an imperial physician.
However, wave after wave of doctors saw him and politely said that the hope of recovery was slim. In fact, most shock-induced ailments only need to calm down mentally, adjust their emotions, and mostly recover on their own without medication. Yao Changming's case was special, though. First, he was a bit older, second, the shock was incredibly intense, terrifying him so much that his soul left his body, he fainted. Naturally, the degree of injury was more severe. Third, it was his bad luck that his emotional excitement coincided with being frightened and falling from a high place to the ground. He didn't go crazy, which is considered strong in itself.
Where there are many people, there is much chatter. News about the Yao family spread quickly, especially gossip about Yao Changming becoming an eunuch, which was most popular among the common people.
When it comes to discussing high-ranking officials, commoners would still show some restraint and respect. But the Yao family, despite being from a family of fifth-rank officials, was treated as nothing special in the capital city. They could easily encounter several wealthy individuals just by strolling around; a fifth-rank official wasn't considered important at all.
In contrast, the Jingwu Academy was closed off and hadn't spread the news. When Li YunTing found out, he treated it like gossip and casually mentioned it during a meal.
Besides Su Zhe, no one else knew that Xu Huaiyi suspected the Yao family had plotted against him, so after hearing it, they just listened for the fun of it.
But Su Zhe's heart couldn't help but churn. He thought much like Li Yun Ting, that the 'ghost' couldn't possibly be Xu Huai Yi pretending, could it
But then again, I thought it was impossible. Judging from the reaction of the Yao family, they didn't suspect someone was playing tricks at all; they firmly believed it was a ghost haunting them. They described it with all sorts of eerie details: shifting and disappearing, appearing out of thin air, eight feet tall with a blue face and fangs. In short, besides being a ghost, no human could possibly act like that.
Ancient people believed in ghosts and spirits, which is also the reason why Xu Huaiyi dared to play this trick. By blaming everything on ghosts, he could clear himself of suspicion.
Facing Su Zhe's meaningful gaze, Xu Huaiyi remained composed. He even joined Zhao San'you in discussing Yao family gossip, appearing completely unconcerned. Even Li YunTing didn't notice anything amiss.
"The Yao family is so unlucky, how did they end up with a ghost Did they do something evil" Zhao San was outspoken and said whatever came to mind. "Could it be that the ghost is here to collect their soul"
Wang Qiusheng said, "Didn't you say that the Yao family didn't have any deaths Only a few were fainted. If it was a ghost messenger, he could still return empty-handed"
"Well, that's true. What does it mean for a ghost to appear out of nowhere Couldn't it just be to scare people" Zhao Sanyou couldn't figure it out, scratching his head and ears, he was incredibly curious.
Meng Ping chimed in, "Isn't it said that the Yao family study was also burglarized Could it be for those things"
Zhao Sanshou was even more confused, “The study is full of gold, silver, and jade ornaments. What else would a ghost need Would it be useful to take them back When we visit our ancestors' graves, we burn paper replicas of gold ingots. Who has ever burned real ones”
Wang Qiusheng's eyes flickered. "Perhaps it wasn't a ghost, maybe there was just a gentleman visiting."
Zhao San said, "It's very likely that it was a master of such high skill that he didn't leave any trace at all. Even the officials from Jingzhao Mansion couldn't find any clues after investigating. I wonder why someone with such abilities would choose to be a thief Why not join us in taking the martial arts exam"
Su Zhe suddenly said, "Ordinary thieves rarely steal from study rooms because study rooms are heavily guarded, the guards are the strictest, and there is the least gold and silver inside. The treasury is the most sensible choice to rob."
Zhao San's friend spoke, and Zhao San suddenly felt enlightened. "That's right! Why would you steal something from the study Studies are usually full of books. Stealing those wouldn't be easy to handle... Could it be..."
He hesitated for a moment, his voice low and mysterious, "Could it be that you want to find the secrets of the Yao family"
The study is the place where secrets are most abundant. This can be said to be common sense. If you want to know someone's weakness, go to their study for the best chance of finding it.
This guess was approved by several others.
Su Zhe couldn't help himself and asked, "Huai Yi, what do you think"
Xu Huaiyi said, "I don't think so."
Why
Others also looked at him curiously.
Only Li Yunting knew what was going on, but he still ate calmly and unhurriedly.
Xu Huaiyi explained, "It's simple. Didn't Lord Yao report the case If something important was really lost from his study, would he allow people from the Metropolitan Police to investigate He'd be hiding it and wouldn't even have time to spread the word, how could everyone know"
"You're right, how could I have not thought of that" Zhao SanYOU beat his head in frustration.
Wang Qiusheng wryly smiled, "I even overlooked that, it's really not good."
Su Zhe smiled, "Still Wai Yi meticulous and thoughtful. That thief really only stole some gold, silver, and valuables. It happened on the same night as the ghost in Master Yao Er's courtyard, I wonder if there is any connection."
Zhao San's mind raced, and he speculated, "Could it be that the ghost made all those noises to create a diversion for the thieves"
Xu Huaiyi burst into laughter, "People and ghosts go their separate ways, Zhao brother, what are you thinking You want to cooperate Could it be that the ghost knows people"
Zhao San nodded, "It's very possible. Like our ancestors, after they passed away, didn't they all become... Oops That's not right, they should have reincarnated as soon as they died. Only those who couldn't reincarnate would turn into vengeful spirits. Goodness me, I'm getting goosebumps!"
He actually managed to surprise himself with his own words.. You can also use Su Zhe to control those noble children. With four teams rotating shifts, it should be enough. As for the missing classes, I'll find someone to make up for you later.”Sun Yu took a...