A huge, full moon hung high in the sky. Behind the rockery stones of the waterside pavilion, three heads were huddled together, their gazes locked intently in a single direction.
"Brother Lianpeng, do you think that 'ghost' will show up tonight?" The one whispering in a suppressed voice was none other than Qian Mingyue, who had marched Ma Xianggui off to the yamen in grand style that day, only to sneak back here later.
Li Lianhua cleared his throat and frowned slightly. "Lord Qian, one must not speak lightly of ghosts and spirits. I simply feel that if there is a second person involved in this matter besides Ma Xianggui, that person will surely not be able to sit still tonight."
"Then what makes you so certain that Ma Xianggui has an accomplice?" Qian Mingyue asked with curiosity.
"I am not certain at all," Li Lianhua said with a very sincere smile. "It's just that two human lives, combined with so many twists of fate, seem a bit too coincidental. Besides, Miss Bai's words earlier reminded me."
"Since Ma Xianggui had already poisoned the pendant, his original intention was only to murder Madam Liu. Why, then, did Jin Dagen and Jin Fulu end up dead?"
"I've turned it over in my mind, and only one possibility seems reasonable: the culprit who frightened Jin Dagen and Jin Fulu to death is a different person from Ma Xianggui, and it is very likely that Ma Xianggui didn't even know of this other person's existence. Of course, this is merely my own conjecture and holds no official weight..."
Qian Mingyue's eyes widened. "This is truly..."
"Quiet, someone is heading over that way." Bai Buyu suddenly pressed her hand down toward them, signaling that someone was approaching.
Qian Mingyue and Li Lianhua fell silent, hiding behind the rockery stones and looking together in that direction.
They saw a slender figure dressed in emerald-green attire making her way unhurriedly toward the main house.
"Isn't that Madam Liu?" Qian Mingyue asked, tilting his head in confusion toward Li Lianhua. "In the dead of night, shouldn't she have gone to rest long ago? What is she doing coming out at an hour like this?"
"Don't you guys think Madam Liu looks a bit strange?" Bai Buyu frowned slightly, tilting her head as if wondering about something.
"What's so strange about her?" Qian Mingyue stared wide-eyed, looking over and over before saying with certainty, "She looks no different from usual to me."
"No," Bai Buyu frowned. "Her left foot seemed injured, and her makeup looked a bit too pale. Her husband has just died—why would she be putting on makeup in the middle of the night for no reason?"
Qian Mingyue's mouth dropped open, his voice trembling slightly. "You mean... could it be that Madam Liu is possessed?"
Bai Buyu cast a look of utter disdain at Qian Mingyue. "She has the fluorescent powder I sprinkled on Jin Fulu earlier right on her hands. The three of us have been keeping watch here since the *xu* hour. If she really is Liu Ruyu, unless she is truly a female ghost, there is absolutely no way she could have slipped away silently right under my nose and then run back from the front hall. Something is wrong with her. Let's follow her."
"Liu Ruyu" smoothed down a lock of hair hanging over her left shoulder, reached out, and pushed open the bedroom door. A single candle was burning inside, sending up wisps of white smoke. Liu Ruyu glanced at the person on the bed, then sat down expressionlessly in front of the bronze mirror at the vanity to comb her hair, just as she had two days ago.
The person in the bronze mirror had applied heavy powder, yet still could not conceal her exhaustion. The slightly drooping corners of her eyes and the fine lines all proclaimed that her youth was gone. "Liu Ruyu" sighed softly, picked up the powder puff from the table, and mechanically patted it against her face over and over again.
*Why! Why won't it cover it up? Why won't it cover it up?!*
"Liu Ruyu" gazed with resentment through the bronze mirror at the person on the bed. *It's all her! This is all her fault! Why should she get to keep everything that originally belonged to me? My son! My husband! And my youth!*
Thinking of this, "Liu Ruyu" abruptly stood up, hurried over to the bed, and leaned down, glaring with venomous hatred at that young face.
Just as her hand brushed against the slender neck of the person on the bed, the bedroom door was kicked open violently from the outside. Bai Buyu charged into the room first, her eyes instantly taking in a ghostly scene.
Under the dim lamplight, what a terrifying face that was: the right half was made deathly pale by powder, while the left half was covered in hideous scars. Even more horrifying, the moment she lifted her eyes, her left socket was completely empty.
"A ghost!" Qian Mingyue and Li Lianhua, entering a step behind, let out an immediate, terrified scream upon seeing this scene in the flickering, dim candlelight. "There really are ghosts! Help!"
Li Lianhua was yanked off balance by Qian Mingyue, his complexion turning somewhat pale. However, he quickly steadied himself, patted Qian Mingyue on the shoulder, and consoled him, "Lord Qian, do not panic. Sometimes, living people are far more terrifying than ghosts." Li Lianhua smiled gently at the female ghost. "Am I right, Madam Ma?"
The female ghost "Liu Ruyu" smiled, a growing madness in her eyes. She slowly leaned down and whispered into Liu Ruyu's ear, "I know you're awake. Why don't you dare open your eyes and look at me?"
Liu Ruyu was shaking uncontrollably. She could feel the hand on her neck slowly tightening, but she lacked the courage to resist, just as she lacked the courage to open her eyes and look. She wished she could simply pass out right this instant.
"Madam Ma, actually you didn't want to kill Madam Liu, did you?" Li Lianhua shook his head gently at Bai Buyu, stopping her right as she was about to step forward.
"Oh?" Ma Caifeng's hand caressed Liu Ruyu's cheek—a young face that bore far too much resemblance to her own, a resemblance that infuriated her.
"Master Li, one truly shouldn't underestimate a fool like Ma Xianggui. But since you've guessed who I am, how can you say I don't want to kill this bitch?"
Li Lianhua said, "If you had wanted to kill Madam Liu, you would have made your move two days ago. Why would you deliberately spare her life? I suspect you came here specifically tonight to take back that poisoned pendant. Not only do you not want Madam Liu's dead, but on the contrary, you're afraid she might accidentally lose her life to poisoning from that pendant."