Chapter 204: Cursing Away Evil Spirits
The fire was blazing. From the looks of it, there was no stopping it now. Public outrage wouldn’t be easy to quell.
’I wonder if those two murdered someone’s parents and children behind their backs. These people are even more eager to kill them than I am.’
’This is perfect. Dad doesn’t have to lift a finger, and neither do I. The wicked will be dealt with by others. How marvelous.’
Gu Lao finished his tea with a SLURP and turned to look toward the main gate. "It’s gotten louder again. Just how many people are coming?"
"Who cares how many. Just relax and drink your tea," Ye Qianning said, pouring him another cup.
Listening to the sounds, Gu Lao grew restless. He suddenly shot to his feet, as if he had just made a momentous decision.
Ye Qianning felt a throb in her temples.
"There’s no one in charge of the estate right now. Since you’ve accepted me as your honorary grandfather, we’re family. I’ll go out and take a look."
"...Maybe you shouldn’t."
"How could I not? I’m the only pillar of this estate right now! If I don’t go, who will? You just stay put, little girl. I will go handle it." Gu Lao was fired up and full of passion.
’Hearing the two words "our estate," Ye Qianning’s lip twitched. He certainly makes himself at home quickly... In a few more days, I bet Gu Lao will forget his own surname is Gu.’
Gu Lao turned and left, his departing figure possessing the valiant air of a warrior heading into battle.
’Ye Qianning sighed in resignation. Let him go. She had Gu Lao’s personality pretty much figured out. The moment he stepped out that door, he would definitely start storytelling for the crowd.’
"Pangtuan..."
Fourth Granny came in, steadying herself against the doorframe.
Ye Qianning rushed forward to support her. "Fourth Granny, why are you out of bed?"
"I’m alright, Pangtuan. It’s so noisy outside. Did something happen?" Fourth Granny asked, a look of panic on her face.
"It’s nothing. There’s a new custom in the Capital City recently. People gather together and shout to drive away evil spirits," Ye Qianning said, helping her sit down.
"Drive away evil spirits?"
"Mhm. The nastier the insults, the better they are at driving out evil."
"Beili has a custom like that? This is the first I’ve heard of it." Fourth Granny had been woken by the noise and, thinking something terrible had happened, was badly frightened.
"It’s like in Nanyuan, when a child is bewitched, you just tap them with a peach branch and say a few curses, and they’re fine. But the evil spirits in our General’s Estate are powerful, so everyone has to curse together to drive them away," Ye Qianning said with a serious look on her little face.
Fourth Granny nodded. "The General fights on the battlefield, so he’s tainted by all sorts of evil. He really should be cursed at more, to make all that evil scatter from him. I’ll go add a few curses myself."
As she spoke, she pushed against the table to stand.
"...Fourth Granny, you shouldn’t go. You’re not even steady on your feet yet," Ye Qianning said, holding her back.
"One more curse drives away one more evil spirit."
"There’s really no need."
"I’m good at cursing, too."
"...I know. Let’s wait until you’ve recovered before we go cursing. Besides, this custom lasts for a few days. You should save your energy first so you have the strength to really let them have it, right?" Ye Qianning didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but her heart felt warm.
"Alright..."
"Fourth Granny, let me help you back to bed. It’s time to change the dressing on your wounds," Ye Qianning said, supporting her.
Fourth Granny didn’t dare put her full weight on Ye Qianning. She endured the searing pain as she walked to the bedside, beads of sweat forming on her forehead from the effort.
Ye Qianning wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, then began to unfasten Fourth Granny’s clothes. Seeing the wounds covering her body, her mood grew heavy.
’The people she cared about were getting hurt, one after another. Fourth Granny, Dad, Gu Lao...’
’And she was the cause of it all. Her space’s luck value... forget about it skyrocketing, it wasn’t even budging an inch now. It was like it was completely stuck.’
’Her arrival was just constantly bringing disaster to the people around her. Forget good fortune; she was starting to feel like a walking catastrophe...’