Chapter 22

Wu Yinyu just smiled, saying nothing.

From the few meetings she’d had with Yu Zezhi, she had already concluded deep down that this person was full of twists and turns, a duplicitous two-faced schemer. Who knew what ill intentions she harbored?

The driver, sitting in the car, saw Wu Yinyu about to leave in another vehicle and quickly called out, “Young Miss?”

Wu Yinyu turned her head and said, “Head back first. Sorry for making you wait for nothing today.”

“Not at all.” The driver had been working for the Wu family for over a decade and had practically watched Wu Yinyu grow up. He pointed down the main road. “In that case, I’ll be off.”

Wu Yinyu waved him away. Only after getting in the car did she realize there was another girl in the back seat.

About six years old, her hair was slightly yellowish, and her limbs thin and frail. She looked somewhat malnourished, timidly clutching a stuffed bunny.

This was likely the other child Yu Xiangge and Wei Liuxing had left behind—Yu Zezhi’s younger sister, Yu Suhan.

Yu Zezhi closed the car door for Wu Yinyu from outside before settling into the driver’s seat. She glanced back and said flatly, “Suhan, greet her.”

Yu Suhan flinched. Her clear, bright eyes darted nervously as she clutched her bunny even tighter. It took her a long moment before she looked at Wu Yinyu and managed a soft “Sister,” a murmur barely audible.

After speaking, as if fearing reprimand, she glanced at Yu Zezhi and repeated herself, a little louder.

“Aiyo, so well-behaved.” Wu Yinyu wouldn’t make things hard for a child. Moreover, this little girl was quite pretty. Softening her voice, she added, “With this age gap, you could even call me Auntie.”

“That would mix up the generations,” Yu Zezhi said, turning the steering wheel and pulling the car out.

Wu Yinyu laughed, her eyes slightly narrowed, teasing, “Seems I can’t take advantage of that, then.”

Yu Zezhi laughed along, but her smile was extremely faint, somewhat aloof.

After a while, Wu Yinyu realized the car wasn’t heading back to the Wu residence. It was clearly going in the opposite direction. She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Where is Boss Yu taking me?”

“To the Lu family residence. You haven’t checked your phone at the hospital, have you?” Yu Zezhi kept her eyes on the road. “Elder Lu called you.”

Wu Yinyu fished her phone out of her bag and saw the missed call.

“The Lu family is preparing the ritual. It will begin as soon as the sun sets,” Yu Zezhi said.

The ritual naturally referred to the matter the Lu family had commissioned outsiders for—performing Maoshan Leaping to Soul Calling for Lu Sansheng.

It was precisely because she knew about the ritual the Lu family was preparing that Wu Yinyu was exceptionally puzzled by Yu Zezhi’s actions.

Soul Calling was inherently sinister, yet Yu Zezhi insisted on bringing Yu Suhan along. A child’s constitution couldn’t compare to an adult’s. If frightened during the ritual, she’d likely fall ill.

Wu Yinyu asked with a deeper meaning, “Does Boss Yu know about this ritual?”

“I’ve heard a bit.”

Wu Yinyu took out her Tobacco Box, sliding the lid open and shut with a click-clack. She continued, “If others saw this, they’d think you were unkind to your own sister. Must you bring such a young child along?”

To her surprise, Yu Zezhi was quite self-righteous about it. She said, “Suhan will be the Head of the Yu Family in the future. Naturally, she must be exposed to these things from a young age.”

Wu Yinyu mused that forcing growth like this wasn’t the way. She clicked her tongue lightly. “Can’t you wait until she’s a bit older?”

“If we wait any longer, it will be too late,” Yu Zezhi said impassively.

This was baffling. What was there to be “too late” for? This path relied on talent. Without it, all the effort was in vain.

Besides, Yu Zezhi was only in her twenties and looked quite healthy. She wasn’t a seventy- or eighty-year-old desperate to pass on her legacy.

“So Boss Yu is an impatient person after all,” Wu Yinyu could only conclude.

“Just wanting to make thorough preparations,” Yu Zezhi clarified, her voice flat.

Yu Suhan clutched her bunny tightly, seemingly not understanding what the two older sisters were discussing. She looked completely bewildered. Perhaps she still hadn’t emerged from the grief and confusion of losing her parents, remaining rather silent and withdrawn.

Wu Yinyu crossed one leg and looked forward nonchalantly. “Ever since Boss Yu returned to Wise City, your heart seems to be fixated on me. Could it be that I am also one of your preparations?”

“Such self-deprecation?” Yu Zezhi teased lightly.

“You’re the one watching so closely. I’ve never been the object of such attention before,” Wu Yinyu said in a low voice.

Yu Zezhi darted a glance at the rearview mirror. “Really?”

Wu Yinyu laughed, her shoulder shaking. “You actually believed that?”

Yu Zezhi retracted her gaze and changed the subject. “Didn’t you say you had something to tell me?”

Wu Yinyu straightened up and said meaningfully, “The photo I took last night changed. The iron bed in the storage room also vanished. As for the photo, Boss Yu saw it too. It couldn’t have been my imagination. That means someone deliberately made it happen.”

“Who do you think would do this, and why?” Yu Zezhi’s expression remained unchanged.

“Could it be intimidation?” Wu Yinyu chose an explanation she herself didn’t quite buy, speaking deliberately. “Could it be that the woman from Twenty-Three Years Ago has made a comeback?”

The phrase “made a comeback” was very telling, clearly branding that woman as a heinous villain.

“Not impossible,” Yu Zezhi said flatly.

Wu Yinyu didn’t continue, mindful of the child present in the car.

This time, the Lu family had invited many from Five Gates to observe the ritual. If Lu Sansheng could be awakened, they would also need to beg for “Hundred-Family Rice” on the spot, then cook a large pot of rice the next day to share with the invited families.

But all that was for later. Whether it would even succeed was another matter. Wu Yinyu had a premonition: regarding that mass of Ink Qi, it was likely lost for good.

Yu Zezhi parked the car outside the Lu residence. Before they even got out, they heard the crackle of firecrackers.

The moment the firecrackers exploded, Yu Suhan shrank into a ball, blocking her left ear with her bunny and covering her right with her hand, her eyes full of terror.

Yu Xiangge and Wei Liuxing had died in a car crash. Sending their Soul Spirits away afterward would certainly have involved rituals, with firecrackers, incense, candles, and Paper Money essential. It was understandable that Yu Suhan feared firecrackers.

Once the firecrackers stopped, Wu Yinyu opened her car door, waving a hand in front of her face and coughing a few times from the gunpowder smell.

The girl in the car looked at her timidly, not daring to move an inch.

Seeing this, Wu Yinyu extended her hand towards the girl. “Suhan, come here.”

Yu Suhan hesitated in the car, shifting twice. Only after hearing Yu Zezhi call her name did she slowly hop out, bunny in hand, and stick close to Yu Zezhi’s side.

Wu Yinyu’s offered hand met empty air, but she felt no embarrassment. She wasn’t familiar with the child, after all.

Someone stood outside the gate handing out red envelopes. The event was meant to dispel misfortune, and having invited people, they needed to borrow their luck. Having borrowed, they must return it. Hence, the red envelopes.

Wu Yinyu took one and stepped over the threshold into the Lu residence. Immediately, she saw Elder Lu sitting in the Front Hall.

Overnight, Lu Dongqing had grown much more haggard. His son and daughter-in-law were greeting guests, leaving him sitting alone. He took a sip of tea and coughed miserably.

A ritual altar was set up in the courtyard, surrounded by countless banner poles. Thirty-six lamps were lit in the four corners, symbolizing a passage to the Netherworld.

Seeing Elder Lu, Wu Yinyu naturally intended to approach and exchange pleasantries. But just as she was about to, her phone suddenly rang. Looking at the caller ID, it was Wu Wanying.

She glanced around but didn’t see Wu Wanying, unsure whether her brother would attend. She answered the call. “What’s up?”

“The cleaner said your room door is locked,” Wu Wanying said.

Wu Yinyu’s heart tightened. She quickly said, “Don’t let her go in. I locked it.”

“She knows. It’s just to tell you that the cleaning hasn’t been done in your room yet,” Wu Wanying explained.

Wu Yinyu breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Yu Zezhi had already brought Yu Suhan before Elder Lu, she decided to wait outside under the eaves for a bit. “Don’t touch that door either. I’ve run into some things. I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Got it.”

“Aren’t you coming to watch the Lu family’s Soul-Summoning Arts ritual?” Wu Yinyu asked.

“I have work to finish. With you there, it’s enough,” Wu Wanying’s voice sounded tired.

Wu Yinyu said, “Alright,” and hung up. Seeing that Yu Zezhi had finished her greetings, she walked into the Front Hall.

Elder Lu beckoned her over and even stood up, his attitude strikingly different from how he treated others.

Wu Yinyu was taken aback and quickly reached out to support him. “Why are you standing up? Please, sit,” she said softly.

With age comes a greater sensitivity to cold than in youth. She was already wearing a Qipao with shoulder-length sleeves, but Elder Lu was still wrapped in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.

Through the not-so-thick fabric, she could feel how much weight Lu Dongqing had lost recently. Looking closer, the old man’s white hair had multiplied, the wrinkles on his face deepened, and the melancholy in his eyes was plain to see.

“Yinyu,” Elder Lu’s voice was weary. “This time, I would like to trouble you to recite and chant the Lu family’s Prophetic Diagram.”

This Prophetic Diagram—once each family gate had its own, passed down from ancient times. The pictures and text could predict auspicious or ominous outcomes. But later, the other gates deemed that using the Prophetic Diagram for prophecy was not efficacious enough. Now, only the Lu family still used it.

Wu Yinyu paused for a moment and said tactfully, “Elder Lu, this isn’t appropriate.”

Elder Lu sighed. “My health is poor. I’m not suited to do this now. But among the new generation of the Lu family, we truly cannot find anyone familiar with the Diagram. I…”

“This Lu family Prophetic Diagram… I’m not familiar with it either,” Wu Yinyu refused gracefully. She secretly glanced towards Yu Zezhi. “Why don’t I ask around for you?”