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Father Lu looked at her and said, "Sister Wan, if I had no sincerity, why would I come to find you? Here’s a gold bar as a reward."
"A single one?" Sister Wan murmured, her eyes shifting slightly, her thoughts stirring.
But the words that came out were quite the opposite. "At this time, a gold bar is practically worthless! Are you trying to fool me? Big brother, do you think I'm easy to bully just because I'm older?"
Father Lu chuckled lightly. "Sister Wan, although gold bars may not hold much value now, we both know their true worth. You’ve seen enough of the world to understand this."
"Gold has always been hard currency. While it may have depreciated somewhat now, its value is still there. Times will change and develop; we’ve both ventured out enough to know that the value of gold will surely rise again. We’re both clear about that in our hearts."
Sister Wan raised an eyebrow and smiled at Father Lu before bursting into laughter. "Talking to someone smart is refreshing! Given our long-standing friendship, I’ll make it two gold bars flat; otherwise, there’s no deal."
"Deal!"
Seeing Father Lu agree so readily made her heart sink slightly; he was deliberately provoking her, trying to disrupt her thoughts to gain an advantage. Otherwise, her terms wouldn’t have been just two gold bars.
"Now tell me, what do you need me for?" Sister Wan casually broke off a twig from the broom, wiped it with her hand, and began to pick her teeth with the end.
"My daughter-in-law has been possessed; we need your help to bring her back," Father Lu said, emphasizing his words and looking at her meaningfully. Sister Wan noticed this and blinked before a smile crept onto her lips.
"Alright, leave this matter to me; I’ll ensure you get what you want."
"Thank you very much, Sister Wan."
Father Lu pulled out the two gold bars from his pocket, shook them in front of her, and placed them on the table.
Sister Wan picked one up to bite it but quickly put it down again; she had forgotten that she only had a few teeth left in her mouth.
"We’ll follow you tonight; you all stay here for now while I go prepare some things."
"What kind of master is this? Is he a con artist?" She thought to herself. The old man wouldn’t listen to her warnings; now he was in trouble—gold bars gone and perhaps everything else would be lost too.
Lu Zheng brought the village chief over. Before he even entered the courtyard, he caught a whiff of a strong metallic smell mixed with something foul.
"What’s going on here?" As he stepped inside and saw the dark patches on the ground and two people tied up, he frowned and asked sternly.
"Village chief, they’re up to something sinister here!"
"What?" The village chief hurriedly closed the courtyard gate as he spoke. This was serious! If word got out, the entire village could be implicated.
"What is going on? Speak clearly."
On the way, the Village Chief kept asking Lu Zheng, who simply replied that there was something going on but never elaborated. If he had known it was this kind of matter, he wouldn't have come. If he got dragged into it, that would be disastrous.
"Village Chief, you should ask them," Lu Zheng suggested.
The Village Chief furrowed his brow tightly as he looked at Lu Fu and Ding Cuihua. "What are you two up to? Can't you settle down for a moment?"
Ding Cuihua trembled as she spoke, her words hurried and fragmented. "Village Chief, they are lying! Don’t believe them. These two are our relatives who have come to stay temporarily."
"To stay with you, they need to wear strange clothes and bring chili peppers, garlic, and foul blood?"
With the conversation reaching this point, even the Village Chief understood what was happening. He stepped forward and pulled off the masks from the faces of the two bound individuals. He immediately recognized one of them as Wan Jie.
"It’s you? You... I thought you had quit this line of work?"
Although this era did not permit such things to happen openly, there were still some people in the countryside who believed in her and would seek her help when strange occurrences arose. However, those were usually minor issues that could be quietly resolved without anyone saying a word. But this was the first time such a commotion had been stirred up.
Wan Jie was relatively well-known in the nearby villages; everyone recognized her. She smiled and said, "Village Chief Jiang, it’s your villagers who asked me to do this. They offered too much for me to refuse. You can understand that."
"You... how could you do this?" Ding Cuihua stared at her in disbelief, unable to comprehend that she would so directly betray them.
"Village Chief Jiang, how do you plan to resolve this? If others find out, we’ll all be doomed. It’s better to sit down and discuss this properly."
The Village Chief looked at Wan Jie, hesitation flickering in his eyes. He turned to Wen Qian and Lu Zheng, seeking their opinions. "What do you two plan to do?"
Wen Qian approached Wan Jie and coldly asked, "What did they hire you for?"
"They said their daughter-in-law was possessed, and I came to help them get her back."
Wen Qian smiled at her nonchalant demeanor. "You’re not telling the whole truth, are you?"
Wan Jie blinked and suddenly burst into laughter as she looked at Wen Qian. The dim light cast upon her made her appear like a vengeful spirit come to collect a debt.
"What's it to you? They made me take your soul."
I underestimated you; you're not ordinary at all. I thought I would never encounter someone like you in my lifetime, yet here you are.
As she spoke, Wen Qian watched as the old woman before her transformed from laughter to a bloodthirsty grin. Her eyes glowed crimson as they fixed on Wen Qian, a cold smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
A sudden thought flashed through Wen Qian's mind—she realized she was reborn.
The woman continued to mutter to herself, almost as if she had gone mad. "I've calculated my entire life, and I never expected it to be true. My time is running out."
The man beside her trembled in fear and shouted, "Mother! Mother, what's wrong? Wake up!"
The people in the courtyard looked at Wan Jie with confusion, seemingly puzzled by her sudden change.
Perhaps it was the man's voice that summoned the last shred of sanity in Wan Jie. She was dying, but her son still needed to live.
She turned to Wen Qian, her voice heavy with sorrow. "What must we do to be spared?"
"An eye for an eye," Wen Qian replied sharply.
"That's not acceptable."
If that were the case, it wouldn't just be her suffering; her son and grandson would also perish at this woman's hands.
With a creaking sound, Wan Jie suddenly broke free from her restraints. She raised her hand and pulled out a piece of jade from her bosom, offering it to Wen Qian.
"This is my apology. I will compensate you myself; it has nothing to do with my son and grandson."
Wen Qian looked at the white jade, pure and flawless—it certainly appeared to be a fine piece. She felt as if a mist surrounded the jade.
She reached out to take it; the jade warmed slightly in her palm. She lifted her gaze to meet the woman's eyes.
The woman smiled at her. "It's yours anyway; take it." With that, she seemed utterly exhausted and sank down onto the ground, leaning against her son's embrace.
Her face bore a mix of reluctance and relief.
Wen Qian exchanged glances with Lu Zheng before turning to the village chief. "Chief, I can promise not to disclose this matter, but I must be compensated. I cannot suffer this for nothing."
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