It seemed the other four Gates had not visited the Forbidden Chamber in a very long time. Otherwise, why would Lu Dongqing and Feng Pengqi only now show such astonishment?
“As you can see,” Yinyu coughed twice, pressing the back of her hand to her lips, her cheeks flushing red from the effort.
Lu Dongqing and Feng Pengqi remained silent. It was Wu Qixing who spoke first: “No wonder you never took the position of Family Head.”
Wu Qixing truly cared about the position of Family Head. Even while looking at the Ancestral Genealogy Book, his mind was still fixated on the matter of having the seat usurped.
“I didn’t take it, but not because of this.” Wu Yinyu’s coughing ceased. She tilted her head and exhaled lightly, speaking slowly, “The matter of me being the Wu family’s adopted daughter should be set aside for now. Though it goes against the rules, there are more pressing matters at hand, aren’t there?”
The Gates were once inseparable. Just looking at this genealogy book made that clear. The founding ancestors had established rules: no unique skills from the Five Gates could ever be passed to outsiders, not even to adopted children.
Lu Dongqing simply turned his head and cast a glance at Song Youzhi, his shoulders slumping. He let out a sigh and said, “Let’s look at the genealogy book first.”
Song Youzhi dared not raise her head. Since the other Gates wished to examine the family register, the matter of adopting an outsider was bound to be exposed; she couldn’t hide it at all. Only after everyone looked away did she sway and lean back against Wu Wanying, looking utterly feeble.
Wu Yinyu swept her gaze around, her eyes falling on the Yu family’s section. She hadn’t expected the Yu family to have only two living members left, not even collateral branches. The name “Yu Zezhi” was written neatly and properly at the bottom.
Rumor had it this clan register was linked to the fortunes and fates of the Five Gates. Anyone not of the Five Gates who wanted their name added had to find a way to deceive the Underworld Register first.
Her gaze lingered for a long time. She couldn’t fathom what methods “Yu Zezhi” had used.
On the genealogy, the Liu family’s situation was even more tragic. A large swath of names had turned black, leaving only a single gray line of script—neither alive nor dead. The rumor was that the person had vanished in childhood and was still missing to this day.
Wu Yinyu looked at the genealogy book, then at the high platform covered in hearth ash. Her heart pounded wildly, as if something inside was beckoning her closer.
With so many people present, it was naturally inconvenient for her to go and sift through it now. She could only feign indifference and look away.
Lu Dongqing sighed emotionally, “Back then, that old man from the Liu family declared that his granddaughter’s name couldn’t be traced in black until her life or death was confirmed. Now that he’s gone, the name remains gray.”
“Where life and death are unconfirmed, a sliver of hope remains,” Feng Pengqi sighed.
“Look at the Gaozu Generation.” Lu Dongqing tilted his head up, squinting to examine the genealogy book.
This was their true purpose for entering the Forbidden Chamber. This calamity befalling the Five Gates must be deeply connected to the ancestors.
Lu Dongqing silently memorized the names of the Gaozu Generation. Both he and Feng Pengqi were in their seventies or eighties; their eyesight was naturally not as good as the younger folk’s, so for a moment, they overlooked a cobweb in the corner.
The cobweb was thickly layered, a grayish-white patch that blended with the wall’s color, making it look as if the genealogy book had been torn at the corner.
There had to be a name hidden beneath it, because Wu Yinyu hadn’t found the name “Wuxian.”
Song Youzhi was distracted. Wu Wanying, busy caring for her, had no attention to spare for anything else and barely glanced at the genealogy book. It was Wu Qixing who squinted at that spot and said, “How is there a tear in the corner of the genealogy book?”
“Where?” Lu Dongqing fumbled in his pocket, realizing he’d forgotten his glasses.
Following the direction Wu Qixing pointed, Feng Pengqi found it. He approached the wall and tilted his face up to scrutinize it, but it was truly unclear. He turned and asked Song Youzhi, “Is there a name under there?”
Song Youzhi froze, then quickly shook her head. “I don’t know. This is only my second time entering since I got the key. I wouldn’t dare casually touch the things inside the Forbidden Chamber.”
Judging by its position, it truly was from the Gaozu Generation—Wu Wanying’s grandfather’s grandfather’s generation. Several generations removed. If it truly was the doing of someone from that generation, that person certainly hadn’t yet entered the Reincarnation Cycle.
“Fetch a broom,” Feng Pengqi said urgently.
“I’ll get it,” Wu Wanying said quickly.
There were none in the Forbidden Chamber; he had to search outside. A while later, Wu Wanying brought the broom back. He raised it and scraped for a long time but failed to scrape that patch of cobweb off.
“If it really won’t work, go get a ladder,” Wu Yinyu said, looking up.
Wu Wanying put the broom down and turned to fetch a ladder. Once he climbed to the top and wiped the cobweb away, he said, stunned, “Truly torn at the corner.”
His astonished expression didn’t seem feigned, yet Wu Yinyu could clearly see the cobweb still tightly clinging to the edge of the genealogy book.
Wu Qixing quickly shone his phone flashlight on that spot and said, “The genealogy book can be damaged? Torn off deliberately?”
Clearly, he couldn’t see the problem either.
Wu Yinyu retreated a few steps and leaned against the wall, folding her arms and lowering her gaze as if listless. She was certain—the name Wuxian must be hidden right there.
The matter was dropped. After examining the genealogy book, they seemed to have found nothing and could only leave one after another.
Song Youzhi leaned on the wall, gasping for breath for a long time. Her legs were weak as if from fright, and she couldn’t walk for quite a while.
Wu Yinyu noticed that Song Youzhi, the last to leave, was dawdling. Something seemed hidden under her outer garment, bulging slightly.
The moment she left the Forbidden Chamber, Song Youzhi’s heart leaped to her throat. Under the scrutiny of the two elders, Lu Dongqing and Feng Pengqi, cold sweat beaded on her forehead as she began, “The matter of the adopted daughter…”
Wu Yinyu had no desire to see Song Youzhi embarrassed and proactively changed the subject. “Elder Lu, Elder Feng, don’t make things difficult for my mother. The Wu family adopted me out of kindness. To let me feel at ease, they never mentioned the matter of adoption. As for the transmission of skills, the Wu family never openly taught me anything. It was my own high comprehension; I learned just by watching. You can’t blame the Wu family for that.”
Perhaps due to some past incident, the Five Gates had established rules holding a particular taboo against adopted children. So much so that even now, with the Liu family fallen to such a state, they still couldn’t adopt out-of-family surnames, much less pass on their household skills.
As the Head of the Five Gates, the Wu family had been the first to break the rules. For Wu Wanying, having only recently succeeded as Family Head, this was hardly good news under any circumstances.
Wu Yinyu had originally intended to leave anyway. What she wanted to know was, if she left, would that mass of Ink Qi follow her?
After a moment of thought, she folded her arms and said, “So be it. Even if punishment is due, it can only fall on me. My father has been gone for some time now, and my mother’s state is there for all to see, not to mention Wanying—he was barely a year old when I was adopted.”
Saying it wouldn’t be difficult was impossible. Lu Dongqing found it hard to decide. After all, he had watched these two Wu children grow up. Especially now, having just lost his two grandsons, he cherished these juniors like precious treasures.
He looked at Song Youzhi, puzzled and alarmed, and asked, “But I remember Yinyu is your… child, born after ten months of pregnancy.”
Song Youzhi, who had been enduring it all rigidly, closed her eyes and said in a trembling voice, “Stillborn.”
“You were trying to…” Lu Dongqing was stunned. Hearing this, he could understand why Song Youzhi would adopt a child from another family. Carrying for ten months, only to find her own child had no soul… it would cause unbearable grief. Naturally, she would seek some other form of solace.
Wu Yinyu hadn’t expected Song Youzhi wouldn’t immediately reveal the whole truth, making no mention of the female ghost “entrusting the orphan.”
After she spoke, Song Youzhi’s shoulders trembled, her eyes brimming with tears, appearing even more fragile than Wu Yinyu, who was still running a fever.
How could Lu Dongqing bear to question her further? He looked at Wu Yinyu standing alone at the side and was moved again. His hand clenched into a fist at his side. “Though the rules passed down from the ancestors cannot be defied, rules are dead, but people are alive. Yinyu… can be considered someone I watched grow up. I naturally know whether this girl is good or not.”
He paused, then looked at Feng Pengqi. “What do you think?”
Feng Pengqi’s expression was equally troubled. In truth, they had never been told how the rules set by their ancestors came to be. Mentally and physically exhausted, with his own child’s whereabouts unknown, how could he bear to see the children of the other Five Gates adrift? He said decisively, “Let Yinyu stay.”
In their view, this should be the best solution, and presumably, it would be just what Song Youzhi wanted. Yet unexpectedly, Song Youzhi fainted right there, startling Wu Wanying, who hastily reached out to catch her.
With Song Youzhi collapsing, Wu Yinyu was even less willing to stay at the Wu household. She exchanged a glance with Wu Wanying, carrying a very faint smile as she said, “Help Mom to rest.”
“And you?” Wu Wanying seemed to have guessed something.
Wu Yinyu gave an ambiguous answer: “I’m going to pack some things.”
Wu Wanying didn’t urge her to stay, merely assuming she was going to tidy up her room.
Now that they had memorized the names of the Gaozu Generation, Lu Dongqing and Feng Pengqi naturally had to trace these names. They left the Wu residence one after another; only Wu Qixing remained.
Wu Qixing should have been the type to kick someone when they were down. To him, it was naturally best if Wu Yinyu left. After all, Wu Wanying was unskilled in suppressing ghosts and eliminating evil entities. Without Wu Yinyu’s help, how could he have become Family Head? Once Wu Yinyu left, the Family Head of the Wu family should change hands.
But the current Wu family felt more like a whirlpool. Just a stolen glimpse of a corner was enough to drench him in cold sweat. He felt this mess was better left untouched.
Wu Yinyu watched Wu Wanying help Song Youzhi into the house. She stood in the corridor for a while before returning to her room to pack.
She actually didn’t have many belongings to take. A few sets of clothes, her pipe tobacco, and the Lotus Pattern Jade Pendant from the drawer were about it.
As she packed, a sudden knock came at the door. Wu Wanying’s voice came from outside, “Can I come in?”
Wu Yinyu was kneeling on the floor, folding clothes and placing them inside. She answered, telling him to come in.
The door opened. Wu Wanying’s steps paused as he entered. Looking down at her, he said, “Elder Lu and Elder Feng both said you don’t have to leave.”
Wu Yinyu looked up, her eyes showing no anger or reluctance, as if this were just an ordinary departure. She chuckled and said, “It’s my choice to leave.”
Wu Wanying frowned. He was merely unskilled at exorcising ghosts, not completely ignorant. He went straight to the point, “You still believe the disappearances of Sansheng and the others are connected to you?”
Wu Yinyu’s hand touched the Lotus Pattern Jade Pendant wrapped in red satin. She thought for a moment, closed the box, and stuffed the whole thing into her suitcase. “I sleepwalked and drew the Devil Buddha. Naturally, I’m more aware of it than anyone else.”
“Then why didn’t you tell Elder Lu and Elder Feng?” Wu Wanying asked.
Wu Yinyu laughed aloud and looked at Wu Wanying with leisurely composure, folding her arms. “Do you think that after knowing, Elder Lu and Elder Feng would allow me to leave the Five Gates? Don’t be naive. If they thought I was possessed by an evil entity, I’d be dead for sure.”
Wu Wanying’s expression turned serious. “You are not possessed by an evil entity.”
