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Chapter 9: A Visit to Purgatory Palace
Dong Qin fell silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Sister Nine is an orphan. She was adopted by Uncle Tang in the village. Ten years ago, Sister Nine and I were about the same age. Uncle Tang had her killed by someone from Purgatory Palace. But before that, Sister Nine and I were very close; Uncle Tang treated her like his own daughter."
Ji Zichen found it strange and asked, "If Uncle Tang treated her like his own daughter, then their relationship must have been very good."
Dong Qin nodded. "Yes."
Ji Zichen continued, "Then why would she work for Purgatory Palace, the ones who caused her adoptive father's death?"
Dong Qin shook his head and sighed lightly. "Because that's just the kind of person she is."
Ji Zichen was puzzled. "What do you mean by 'that kind of person'?"
Dong Qin sighed wistfully. "Sister Nine is very smart, much smarter than I am. She always finds ways to get what she wants. When we were seven, Sister Nine wanted a white jade hairpin. At that time, I laughed at her because we poor folks couldn't afford such things."
Xia Zhou couldn't help but laugh. "Everyone in your village seems to be quite clever; even at seven, they know how to decorate themselves."
Dong Qin replied, "I thought the same way back then. What would we country folks need that for? It wasn't convenient while working in the fields. Sister Nine was different; she would never stay in the village forever. Three months later, I had completely forgotten about it. Then one day, money was stolen from the village chief's house—money that had been pooled together by everyone to buy seedlings."
"When the money disappeared, it was as if the village had exploded with chaos because it meant there would be no harvest next year. The village chief felt he had betrayed the trust of the villagers and fell ill out of anger. Later, it was discovered that Zhang Er from the village had stolen it. Zhang Er was a good-for-nothing who lazed around all day; everyone treated him like a plague."
"The villagers caught Zhang Er and demanded he return the money. He cried out in protest, claiming he was innocent. When they saw he couldn't produce it, they locked him up, but during the night, someone secretly let him go. A few days later, I saw Sister Nine by the creek looking at herself with the white jade hairpin on her head; at that moment, everything became clear to me."
"I approached her and asked if she had made Zhang Er steal the money. Sister Nine replied that she only liked the white jade hairpin and that she had nothing to do with Zhang Er's theft."
Ji Zichen gasped in shock. "For someone so young, Sister Nine has such thoughts—it's truly frightening! This isn't just cleverness; it's calculating behavior! But how old is Zhang Er? How could he listen to Sister Nine?"
"Dong Qin said, 'He seems to be in his thirties, but I can't remember clearly.'
Xia Zhou, as if listening to a strange tale, replied, 'How could a thirty-year-old man be used by a girl—oh, no, a young girl?'
Dong Qin paused slightly and continued, 'I asked Sister Nine that question back then. She promised Zhang Er that she would marry him when she grew up a bit more.'
Xia Zhou couldn't help but laugh. 'Zhang Er must be crazy about wanting a wife. By that logic, Sister Nine must have been very beautiful back then.'
Dong Qin nodded. 'Yes, Sister Nine was very pretty. Many people in the village wanted to be related to Uncle Tang.'
Xia Zhou remarked, 'So Sister Nine really had her share of tricks. Only someone like her could collude with someone from Purgatory Palace.'
Dong Qin chose not to comment further on that since they were good friends back then. She said, 'Two years ago, Zhang Er came back.'
'He dared to come back?' Xia Zhou asked eagerly. 'What did he come back for?'
Ji Zichen snorted coldly. 'What else could he come back for? After years of hiding, he must have heard that Sister Nine has grown up. Zhang Er is back to get married.'
Xia Zhou thought for a moment and said, 'Oh, that makes sense.'
At that moment, Dong Qin trembled as she said, 'But someone found him dead in the pond west of Tide Mountain.'
Xia Zhou gasped. 'Who killed him?'
Ji Zichen had her own suspicions and replied, 'Who else could it be? The one who killed him must be Sister Nine. Someone like her would never fulfill her promise to marry a good-for-nothing layabout.'"
Xia Zhou couldn't help but sigh, "Zhang Er really deserves it for running into someone like Sister Nine."
"Qin!" An elderly voice called out from outside. Upon hearing this, Dong Qin immediately rushed out. Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou approached the table and looked out the window, spotting an old man with a cane slowly making his way toward them. The old man had gray hair at his temples and a face full of wrinkles; Ji Zichen estimated he was at least seventy.
Dong Qin hurried to the old man's side and said, "Village Chief, what brings you here?"
At that moment, Xia Zhou also stepped outside to take a look. Seeing it was the Village Chief, she approached Dong Qin and remarked, "So this is the Village Chief? It seems he hasn't been crushed by that theft incident."
The Village Chief was quite old; to those far away, he appeared as nothing more than a blurry shadow, but those close by could see him clearly.
As the Village Chief noticed Dong Qin approaching, he smiled warmly and said, "Qin, this is the silver we gathered in the village. Take it to Sister Nine and see if you can use it to get Chief Qi back."
Chief Qi was her father.
As Dong Qin drew closer, the Village Chief noticed her and said, "You're here too."
He handed a small pouch of coins to Dong Qin. She took it but found it surprisingly light. Weighing it in her hand, she realized there were only about seven or eight taels of silver inside.
Feeling grateful that the Village Chief had gathered money to bring her father back, she felt a lump in her throat and said, "Village Chief, keep this money. Sister Nine promised me that after three days, she would release my father."
The Village Chief looked astonished. "Is that true?"
Just as he was about to speak further, Dong Qin interjected, "Village Chief, don’t listen to her nonsense; she's just a child."
Dong Qin shot him a glance and pouted her lips shut, knowing that her sister didn't want the Village Chief to worry about her going to Purgatory Palace.
The village chief sighed, "I suppose he's missing his father, talking nonsense like that."
Dong Qin handed the pouch of silver to the village chief and said, "Chief, I don't think Sister Nine will accept such a small amount."
The village chief replied anxiously, "Qin, you used to be close with Sister Nine. Go plead with Chief Qi for us. It's not that we don't want to pay; we truly have nothing. No one knows the village's situation better than Sister Nine. We may not have much money, but we need to show her that we're trying to gather funds. Do you understand?"
After listening, Dong Qin fell silent for a moment before saying, "Chief, I don't want to see her."
The village chief became frantic, "Qin, this isn't the time to be stubborn. You know you're the only one in the village who can talk to her. If we don't pay, who knows who Purgatory Palace will take next? Qin, I'm begging you."
Dong Qin quickly replied, "Chief, what are you saying? I'll go, I'll go!"
Seeing Dong Qin agree, the village chief smiled broadly. "Then go now." He gently pushed the pouch back and reminded her, "Keep the money safe; don’t lose it. We can't gather more right now."
Dong Qin tucked the pouch back into her clothes and assured him, "Don't worry; I won't lose it."
"Good, good," the village chief said as he added, "Stay inside after you return; don’t wander around, understand?"
She responded dismissively, "Got it, Chief."
The village chief took his leave.
Dong Qin returned to the house and glanced at Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou. "Did you hear that?"
Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou nodded. Dong Qin continued, "Can I ask you both for a favor?"
Ji Zichen smiled and said, "Are you trying to keep an eye on us?"
Dong Qin replied, "Yes, I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve. Don't let him sneak away. I'll be back soon."
At that moment, someone said, "Sister Dong, let me go with you."
Dong Qin sternly replied, "Go where? Stay at home and behave."
With that, she left the room.
Just as Dong Qin stepped out, she was about to cross the threshold when Xia Zhou grabbed her by the collar and smiled slightly, "Where do you think you're going?"
With a quick glance, Dong Qin bent down and held her stomach, saying, "Oh no, my stomach hurts. I need to use the restroom."
Xia Zhou chuckled and said, "You need to use the restroom? Perfect timing; I need to go too."
Dong Qin shot Xia Zhou a glare and suddenly straightened up. She returned to her chair and said unhappily, "My stomach doesn't hurt anymore. If you want to go, just go by yourself."
Xia Zhou immediately made a pained face and clutched her stomach. "I really need to go. Where's the restroom?"
---
Purgatory Palace was half an hour away from the village. No matter how slowly Dong Qin walked, she soon found herself in front of the closed gates of Purgatory Palace. The gates were tightly shut, with guards stationed on either side.
As the guards noticed Dong Qin approaching, one of them called out loudly, "What do you want?"
"Dong Qin," she said, "I come from Shangyu Village to see Sister Nine."
The guard understood it was a payment matter and waved his hand downwards. The door opened, and Dong Qin stepped inside.
Sister Nine, having been informed, left the tower and returned to the square room. Dong Qin stood before a table that resembled flames, and as Sister Nine entered, she caught sight of Dong Qin's familiar yet distant silhouette.
No matter what, seeing an old friend always brings joy. Sister Nine's voice was filled with delight as she exclaimed, "Qin, what brings you here? Come sit down; why are you standing?"
However, Dong Qin appeared quite reserved. Coldly, she replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Sister Nine. I'll stand; it's fine. I'm just a country girl with dirty clothes; I wouldn't want to soil your chair."
Sister Nine's masked eyes showed a hint of pain, but then they narrowed into a smile as she said, "If you prefer to stand, that's fine. Are you here for Big Qi?"
Sister Nine stood face to face with Dong Qin, but Dong Qin never glanced at her. She placed the money pouch on the fiery table and tightened her expression. "You know the situation in the village better than anyone. This is all we could gather; I hope you can release Big Qi. Keeping him here serves no purpose; it would be better to let him go so he can find a way to raise more money."
Just as Sister Nine was about to respond, Black Eyes entered from outside. Black Eyes walked in and deliberately scrutinized Dong Qin before saying, "Who is this person? Why does she look so sour?"
Dong Qin dared to show her displeasure in front of Sister Nine because she knew that Sister Nine would not act against her out of past friendship. However, with Black Eyes' arrival, Dong Qin couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
The pristine white mask of Black Eyes made her uncomfortable, yet despite this, Dong Qin did not shrink back. Her gaze remained fixed on the dark eye sockets of Black Eyes' white mask.
Black Eyes smirked ominously and said to Dong Qin, "I know who you are now; you're the exception in Sister Nine's heart."
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