Chapter 290: A Tragic Past, True Form Revealed
Lin Tianlu silently walked around the boudoir, examining it.
Rouge, powder, and cosmetics were neatly arranged on the dressing table, along with sewing tools and several finished handkerchiefs, suggesting the boudoir’s owner was quite skilled.
Looking at the fragrant bed, he vaguely saw some bloodstains on the quilt, as if someone had been injured and bled there.
Slap!
Just then, a crisp slapping sound suddenly rang out.
Lin Tianlu looked towards the sound and saw two figures appear not far away.
A woman with a delicate and sorrowful face was covering her cheek, collapsing weakly onto the ground. Another woman, a middle-aged woman with heavy makeup and a fierce expression, was kicking the woman’s abdomen with her skirt lifted, saying hatefully: “You truly are a shameless hussy, our Li family doesn’t need a disgraceful slut like you!”
“N-No, I just…”
“Shut up! Master was blind to take you as a concubine!”
The middle-aged woman immediately interrupted her explanation, her anger seemingly unabated as she bent down and grabbed the pitiful woman’s hair, slapping her several more times. The woman screamed, her previously smooth and fair cheeks swelling slightly, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
“As long as I’m here, you slut will never have a good day in the Li family!”
“M-Madam, I truly haven’t done anything inappropriate…”
Slap!
“If you dare talk back again, I’ll have someone rip your mouth apart! And break your legs!”
After uttering these harsh words, the middle-aged woman angrily flung her sleeves and left, leaving the pitiful woman lying on the ground, covering her bruised and swollen cheeks as she sobbed, gradually burying her face in her arms, her cries becoming more and more sorrowful and desperate.
Then, the two figures disappeared.
Clearly, everything that had just happened was just a lingering illusion.
“Could it be that the previous owner of this room… suffered domestic violence in this mansion?”
Lin Tianlu wondered, looking back at the bed.
The dried bloodstains on it might be the blood of the boudoir’s owner?
“Ah!”
A scream suddenly rang out.
Lin Tianlu frowned and quickly walked to the door, looking out. He saw the pitiful woman being held down and forced to kneel by two maids. The middle-aged woman was pouring a bucket of cold water over the woman’s head, drenching her hair and making her shiver.
“S-So cold…”
“You deserve it!”
The middle-aged woman kicked her to the ground and stomped on her a few times as if filled with resentment: “Tonight, we’re going to a banquet, you stay home and eat the leftovers, you’re not allowed to go anywhere!”
“Sob…”
After another beating, the middle-aged woman left with the maids, leaving the pitiful woman curled up on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Her previously clean and pretty face and dress were now soaked with dirty water and covered in footprints.
Lin Tianlu rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
This woman seemed truly pitiful, but this scene seemed—
Hum!
A humming sound echoed in his ears. Looking around, more and more illusions of the pitiful woman began to appear throughout the old mansion.
Being punished and scolded in the courtyard, mocked and ridiculed by servants, even being abused and tortured in the bedroom by the middle-aged woman’s orders, her legs tied and whipped, cries, wails, pleas for mercy… All kinds of sounds mixed together, seemingly forming a tragic portrayal of the young woman’s life.
Until everything before him dissipated in the fragmented sounds, only two figures remained frozen in the bedroom amidst the flashing lightning and pouring rain.
The young woman, tears streaming down her face, clutched a dagger, plunging it into the middle-aged woman’s throat. Blood spurted out as they both fell to their knees.
But the one who died was the abusive middle-aged woman.
The young woman trembled as she released her hands, looking up at the sky, laughing and crying as if liberated, a truly tragic scene.
Lin Tianlu stood there, silently watching.
After a moment, the illusions completely dissipated, returning the bedroom to its previous empty and deserted state.
Rustle
The faint sound of rustling fabric echoed in the room. Several bright red ribbons appeared out of thin air, intertwining and wrapping around the room. The walls of the bedroom seemed to dissipate like mist, transforming into a long and dimly lit passage. Red candles flickered, casting a seductive and ambiguous light, a slender and graceful silhouette seemingly dancing at the end of the passage.
…
Long sleeves danced like clouds and mist, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and a slender waist and curvy hips were clearly outlined by the sash of her gauze skirt. Her long, gauze-wrapped legs were faintly visible beneath her skirt, creating a captivating and otherworldly white silhouette.
As the red gauze swirled, the young woman’s pretty face was vaguely visible, a faint look of sorrow and melancholy in her eyes, like a delicate willow in the wind, making one’s heart ache with pity.
This woman was the pitiful woman who had been constantly abused and tormented in the illusions.
Looking at her beautiful and graceful dance, and recalling the suffering she had endured, made one want to hold her gently in their arms and protect her, preventing her from suffering any more tragic torment and abuse.
“Clap, clap, clap—”
The sudden applause made the young woman, dancing amidst the red gauze, pause her steps and turn around curiously. She saw Lin Tianlu walking into the empty cellar with a gentle smile.
“Your dance is truly beautiful, Miss.”
“Sir, you are…”
“I just happened to pass by and saw your figure, so I came to take a look.” Lin Tianlu glanced around the cellar and chuckled: “But I wonder why you’re alone in such a strange place, Miss?”
The young woman took two steps back and said timidly: “Do you think I’m still alive, sir?”
“If you’re already a ghost, why aren’t you staying in the room outside?”
Lin Tianlu casually looked around and saw a large bed beside the stage formed by the red gauze, covered with flower petals and light gauze, quite feminine.
“I… can’t leave this place.”
But the young woman hugged herself anxiously and whispered: “I was beaten to death and buried here, and the courtyard is covered in talismans placed by some Daoists, I can’t leave, not even a single step.”
“I see.” Lin Tianlu nodded thoughtfully.
The young woman raised her lively eyes, looking at the man before her curiously.
Seeing his handsome and tall figure, she couldn’t help but blush slightly, a hint of shyness in her eyes.
“May I ask where you came from, sir? And why are you in this remote old mansion?”
“I’m not from Tunqing Village. I’m traveling with my wives and happened to pass by here. I heard about some demons and ghosts causing trouble, so I came to investigate alone at night, following some clues to this old mansion.”
Lin Tianlu smiled gently, cupping his hands: “Do you know anything about this, Miss? Can you tell me?”
“I’ve been staying here for many years and haven’t heard of any demons or ghosts.” The young woman curtsied apologetically and said softly: “It must be some skilled bandits or thieves causing trouble and blaming it on so-called evil ghosts, so they can escape easily.”
“What you said does make sense, after all, the local authorities and martial artists have been investigating for a while without any results. Perhaps the culprit has already escaped to the ends of the earth.”
Lin Tianlu sighed and shook his head.
The young woman hesitated to speak, and after a moment of silence, she said softly: “There’s no need to be discouraged, sir. Although you can’t catch the evildoer, your kindness is commendable. As for that villain, he will surely receive his retribution in the future, he can’t escape justice forever.”
“Thank you for your encouragement, Miss.”
Lin Tianlu frowned slightly and slowly approached her: “But after entering this mansion, I saw some strange illusions. I wonder if those were all your—”
Hearing this, a look of fear and resentment appeared on the young woman’s face, and she pursed her lips: “…You don’t know, sir, my family was ruined when I was young, and I became homeless. I was sold to a brothel to play music. When I was a bit older, a wealthy landowner took a fancy to me and bought me out of the brothel, taking me as his concubine.
I thought I would finally have a happy life, but after marrying into the Li family, his other wives constantly abused and punished me, falsely accusing me of having an affair… And Master gradually lost interest in me, my life at home deteriorating. In the end, they even started torturing me with whips, nails, and hammers, wanting to torment me to death.”
“In the end, I couldn’t bear the humiliation any longer and killed the abusive main wife with a dagger. But then I was beaten to death by the other wives and hastily buried in the cellar.”
So that was why she had been staying in this place after becoming a ghost?
“Your experience is truly tragic, Miss.”
Lin Tianlu softened his tone and said gently: “But the Li family seems to have fallen into decline a long time ago, what happened to them afterward…?”
“Master Li’s family fortune declined, he cheated and deceived others, accumulating a lot of debt, and was finally killed by his enemies. Now, more than ten years have passed, and no one else has lived in this mansion.”
The young woman’s hands, clasped in front of her, gradually tightened: “For so many years, you are the first living person I’ve seen, sir.”
Lin Tianlu smiled and cupped his hands: “Then it’s truly my good fortune.
However, did you see a seductive blue-haired woman just now, Miss? She’s a friend traveling with me, and we got separated in this old mansion.”
“I… I saw her from afar.”
The young woman suddenly said: “But there seemed to be someone following that woman, and she also seemed to knock someone unconscious. I didn’t dare to speak up. I didn’t know she was your companion, sir.”
“There are other people in this mansion?”
Lin Tianlu looked thoughtfully towards the exit.
But at this moment, the young woman ran towards him with a worried expression, grabbing his sleeve: “Sir, please don’t leave.”
“Why?”
“P-Perhaps it’s just my intuition, but there might be danger outside, staying here is the safest.”
The young woman blushed shyly and murmured: “And ever since I saw you, sir, I feel… a tightness in my chest, and I want to… spend more time with you. Please stay and accompany me.”
Lin Tianlu was stunned: “Miss, you’re—”
“Perhaps it’s because I’ve been alone here for so many years, or perhaps… my dying wish was to find true love.”
The young woman raised her head, her pitiful face filled with shyness and desire: “Sir, would you like to spend the night with me?”
Saying this, she pulled Lin Tianlu’s arm and walked towards the large bed.
“Isn’t your invitation a bit too straightforward, Miss?”
Lin Tianlu couldn’t help but chuckle: “After all, we just met, and you want to be intimate after less than a stick of incense’s worth of time?”
“I was indeed a woman of the pleasure district, but after becoming a ghost, I’ve regained my purity.”
The young woman lowered her head and murmured: “Perhaps you think I’m too wanton and casual, sir, but I’m afraid that if I miss this opportunity, I’ll have to stay in this empty and cold cellar for decades, alone every day and night, waiting for my release.”
“Even if you think I’m impure, I don’t want to miss this opportunity.”
As she spoke, she gracefully walked to the bed, her hands brushing her shoulders and waist, revealing her flawless body like the sun emerging from the clouds.
Turning slightly, her blushing face seemed both shy and innocent as she whispered: “Sir, please join me in bed… and let’s get to know each other better.”
“…”
“Sir?”
Seeing that Lin Tianlu didn’t react, the young woman looked puzzled.
But she quickly realized something, blushing again, and sat sideways on the edge of the bed as if suppressing her shyness, slightly bending her slender and naked legs to accentuate her curves. With a flick of her sleeve, red ribbons flew out and wrapped around Lin Tianlu’s hands, and she whispered: “Don’t worry, sir, just treat me like a woman from the pleasure district, enjoy me as you please. But I hope that in the future, I can be even closer to you—”
“Alright, that’s enough.”
Lin Tianlu suddenly sighed, breaking the ribbons, and waved his hand: “If this goes on, it will truly become inappropriate. Although I’m not averse to romance, I’m not so desperate.”
“S-Sir?!”
The young woman’s face turned pale: “Did I do something to displease you, sir? If you truly dislike me, I won’t force you—”
“Stop this act of a pure and innocent girl.”
Lin Tianlu smiled and shook his head: “If you continue, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back.”
The young woman’s eyes widened in surprise:
“What… what do you mean, sir?”
“Literally.”
Lin Tianlu tapped his forehead: “I was just playing along, wanting to see what methods you used to deceive those villagers and merchants. Now that I’ve seen you undress, it’s probably this kind of seduction, right?”
Seduction was indeed the simplest and most direct method.
With such a pretty and delicate young woman shyly offering herself, few men could resist.
Moreover, this woman had such a tragic past, a pitiful little wish, and even a kind and gentle heart… She possessed all the qualities many men dreamed of, incredibly charming.
“You must have misunderstood, sir, I’ve never deceived anyone—”
“Wrong.”
Lin Tianlu smiled and raised a finger: “You’ve been mistaken from the very beginning.”
The young woman blinked her eyes blankly: “W-What?”
“From the moment we met, I already knew you were a ruthless killer with countless lives on your hands.”
“You’ve misunderstood, sir!!”
The young woman said anxiously: “I only killed the main wife of the Li family in a fit of rage!”
“That’s why I said you were mistaken.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled: “Was it only the main wife who died by your hand, or were there dozens of lives in the Li family, including those pitiful people whose Yang energy you’ve drained recently? I can see clearly how many lives you’ve taken.”
“…”
“Or perhaps, the illusions you deliberately showed me were also manipulated, like concealing the true extent of your crimes, making the Li family women so furious?”
“…”
The young woman’s eyes widened as if she were frozen in place.
After a moment, the previously innocent look on her face vanished, replaced by a sinister coldness.
“There’s actually someone with such a strange ability in this world, truly unexpected. I thought I could move your heart with these words, but I was exposed from the very beginning.”
Her previously soft and sweet voice was gone, replaced by a sinister coldness.
Lin Tianlu chuckled: “You’ve finally dropped the act, no longer pretending to be that delicate and pitiful woman that makes people shudder?”
“Heh! Since you dislike it, sir, I won’t bother with such a thankless task.”
A sinister and arrogant smile appeared on the young woman’s lips as she sat back on the bed, unconcerned about her exposed body, crossing her fair legs: “I originally saw that you were refined and handsome, with the temperament of a scholar, quite likable, and wanted to give you a special treat, letting you die in warmth and bliss.
But since you’re so merciless, I naturally have to make you suffer a bit and teach you your place. A mere mortal should kneel obediently!”
Facing the oppressive coldness, Lin Tianlu stretched his shoulders and chuckled: “Tit for tat, it seems I also have to prepare a surprise for you, Miss.”
