Chapter Seventeen: The White Skull Old Man and the Lad

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When Qin Lian saw Cai Lian was gravely ill, she used this as an excuse to drive her away. Cai Lian had originally thought she could return home to recuperate. However, to her shock, no sooner had she arrived than her father sold her to a new household, forcing her to continue working as a maid. She had no other choice; when her mother was alive, she was protected, but after her mother’s death, her father no longer cared about her fate. Once her health had somewhat recovered, she went to serve that family as a maid. But she never expected her life there to be even harsher than it had been in the Xue household. This family treated her not as a person but as a mere tool, far worse than Qin Lian had. Cai Lian longed to escape but was strictly watched, making it impossible. So she seized the opportunity when sent out shopping to secretly return to the Xue residence. She decided to take a gamble—if she encountered Xue Huaiyuan, she would kneel and beg him. Unexpectedly, she did meet Xue Huaiyuan. At first, he ignored her, but faced with her persistent kneeling and kowtowing, he reluctantly agreed to take her as a concubine. After becoming a concubine, her life improved considerably. Strangely, once she was a concubine, Qin Lian ceased to make trouble for her. The maid who used to speak ill of her also fell silent. Li Yan nodded slightly, then asked the others, "Does anyone else know? How does Qin Lian usually treat you?" "She is terrible; the mistress rules with an iron fist and is extremely jealous." "Yes, almost everyone in the household has been beaten by her." "I've never seen a mistress so strict." Listening to their words, Li Yan understood that Qin Lian had made many enemies, and there was probably no one in the household who didn’t hate her. After gathering this information, Li Yan dismissed everyone. He furrowed his brow and set up a formation here, then began chanting a spell. This formation could summon the spirits from the pond and throughout the Xue residence. The incantation drained much of his eerie energy, and his vision darkened slightly. Finally, he summoned the ghosts, a dense swarm of them. He pondered deeply, wondering just how many had died in the Xue estate. Scanning quickly, he saw no spirits resembling Qin Lian or Cai Lian—only unrelated souls. Still, he intended to question them, hoping for any useful clues.

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“What did you see here last night?” he asked the ghosts. They thought for a moment before one spoke, "I saw a woman leave a room, walk to the pond, and jump in." Another added, "I saw an old man near her. The woman spoke a few words to him, then jumped." Beyond these two accounts, Li Yan heard no further clues and dismissed the spirits. He did not leave immediately but instead hid nearby by the pond, waiting. As night fell, Li Yan began to nod off, having watched all day without noticing anything unusual. Just as he considered returning to rest, a white-haired old man appeared by the pond. The old man faced away from Li Yan, seemingly fishing. Li Yan thought carefully but had never seen this man in the household; he had appeared out of nowhere. Choosing not to alarm him, Li Yan continued observing. Unexpectedly, the old man vanished in an instant. Startled, Li Yan searched around and realized the old man was now before him. The man wore loose, oversized clothes, but his exposed arms and face were composed of white bones—no flesh at all. His eye sockets were dark hollows. Li Yan was shocked, unsure when the old man had noticed him. Before Li Yan could react, the old man patted his shoulder. Strangely, after the touch, Li Yan felt a momentary confusion but quickly regained clarity and decided to turn the situation to his advantage. "Young man, come with me. I will bring you peace," the old man said. Li Yan cautiously followed him to the pond’s edge, where the old man urged him to jump in. Suddenly, Li Yan laughed and sharply demanded, "Who are you? Why are you here luring people to jump into the pond?"

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The old man was somewhat shocked that Li Yan was not deceived—after so many, this was the first time his trick had failed. Li Yan grew anxious, urging the old man to answer quickly. Yet the old man remained calm. "Young man, you do not need to know who I am, for you are about to die. Open your eyes wide and see where you are." Li Yan did not understand the meaning but soon felt his body grow icy cold and heard the sound of water around him. Suddenly, he realized that at the very moment he questioned the old man, he had fallen into his trap once more. Though initially not fooled, the old man had confused him just as he spoke, causing Li Yan to step into the pond’s depths. Panic set in as Li Yan flailed. He could swim and soon floated on the surface, but then something grabbed his ankle. Diving down, he saw a water monkey clutching his leg, refusing to let go. In his mind, Li Yan summoned his long sword and struck to sever the water monkey’s arm. Yet even with the limb severed, he could not escape far. Worse, more hands emerged underwater, clutching his ankles, legs, and arms. He was pulled down deeper, but he fought on, wielding his sword against the grasping hands. Yet the hands seemed endless, impossible to defeat. Exhausted, Li Yan’s strength waned, and the underwater battle grew dire. Then, he noticed not only water monkeys’ hands but also a strange species of fish. Large and wide, covered in numerous eyes, with black skin, it was terrifying—about two meters long and three meters wide, flat-bodied. On the back of this monstrous fish sat a small skeleton-like figure, resembling the little skeleton man from before, perhaps the grandson of the skeletal old man.