The stench of blood in the great hall was so thick it was almost tangible, like a viscous red gauze shrouding every inch of the carved beams and painted rafters.
The red silks that once hung from the pillars now drooped beside piles of corpses, making it hard to distinguish the celebratory red from the... red of life.
Granny Ling retracted her suffocating aura, the sharp killing intent in her cloudy old eyes also fading away.
It was replaced by a kind of helplessness tinged with doting affection.
She glanced at the dead Ye Dafu on the floor, then at the long-cold body of Ye Chen not far away, and let out a soft sigh, her voice aged and hoarse:
"Young Mistress..."
Granny Ling turned to look at the back of the young maiden who was strolling as casually as if in a courtyard towards a screen, her tone complex:
"This Ye family, after all, were old friends designated by the Master back in the day. That old thing Ye Dafu, though snobbish, did indeed offer the Master a meal in his time of need.
"And now you've wiped out the entire Ye family...
"If this news spreads back to the clan and the Master finds out, I'm afraid he will punish you for acting so willfully."
Jiang Qingwan stopped.
She extended a slender, onion-white finger and gently pushed aside the screen painted with blood-splattered plum blossoms.
Peering through the gap in the screen, she looked back.
Her exquisitely beautiful profile was shadowy and indistinct in the gloom, only her eyes shining with a startling brightness, holding a trace of mischievous amusement:
"Granny, you're confused."
The maiden's voice was soft, like a spring breeze, yet it spoke the most chilling words:
"Who said it was us who destroyed the Ye family?"
Granny Ling was taken aback, the wrinkles on her face trembling slightly. "But this floor full of..."
"This world is a chaotic place."
Jiang Qingwan interrupted her nonchalantly, her gaze sweeping over the few cowering guests in the corner:
Green Spirit City is remote, plagued by rampant mountain bandits and marauding raiders.
"Today, the Ye family was celebrating, their guard was down, and it just so happened a gang of vicious robbers came down the mountain to plunder.
"The Ye father and son resisted desperately, but they were outnumbered and ultimately... the entire clan died a heroic death."
As she said this, she even shook her head regretfully, as if genuinely saddened by the Ye family's fate:
"Such a tragedy. They didn't even leave a single chicken behind."
After speaking, she looked at those few guests, a playful curve lifting the corner of her mouth:
"Gentlemen... is there any error in what I've said?"
The scrutinized men gulped. They were, after all, notable figures in Green Spirit City and not fools.
They immediately dropped to their knees, kowtowing to Jiang Qingwan with resounding thuds.
"Young Lady Jiang, you are absolutely right! You are absolutely correct! We can testify to that!"
"Yes! Yes! The Ye family invited divine wrath with their misdeeds, brought this calamity upon themselves. We can prove it!"
"Young Lady Jiang! I've had a grudge against this Ye family for a long time! Rest assured! Rest assured!"
Granny Ling stared blankly at the scene before her.
After a long moment, her aged face suddenly blossomed into a chrysanthemum-like smile, the worry in her eyes instantly transforming into admiration and indulgence.
"Yes, this old servant was confused."
Granny Ling gently tapped her cane on the floor, chuckling as she chimed in:
"It truly was bandits running amok. Those damned robbers were vicious in their methods. This old servant fought desperately to protect the Young Mistress and barely escaped with our lives...
"It's been a harrowing journey. We must have the Master properly help you settle your nerves when we return."
Jiang Qingwan nodded in satisfaction. "That's more like it."
With that, she hesitated no longer, turned, and kicked open the hidden door behind the screen.
It revealed a stone-step secret passage leading underground.
Guided by the golden arrows of her system map, Jiang Qingwan had no need to search for mechanisms.
She directly ignored all the flashy traps and walked straight to a heavy stone door at the end.
"Open it."
Jiang Qingwan took half a step back, elegantly lifting her chin.
Granny Ling understood. Her withered palm pressed against the stone door, Foundation Establishment stage spiritual power surging forth.
Rumble—
The thousand-catty stone door groaned heavily as it slowly rose.
Instantly, a dazzling array of jewels and treasures assailed their senses.
Though merely the wealthiest family in a small town, over the years, by currying favor with the Jiang family and through swindling, the Ye family had amassed a rather substantial fortune.
Rows of red sandalwood shelves were laden with chests of gold, silver, and jewels. Corners were piled with low-grade spirit stones and medicinal herbs.
In the dimly lit cellar, these items emitted a tempting, sinful glow.
[Ding! Detected high-energy spiritual material reaction ten paces straight ahead, three feet underground!]
[Target item: Three-hundred-year Seven-leaf Spirit Ginseng!]
[Item description: The foundation of the Ye family's rise, the male lead Ye Chen's first pot of gold in the original work.]
Jiang Qingwan's eyebrow arched slightly.
As expected, there was good stuff.
She paid no further attention to the vulgar gold and silver, walking directly to an inconspicuous floor tile in the corner. The tip of her foot tapped lightly, a wisp of spiritual power released.
Crack.
The tile shattered, revealing a black iron box sealed with talismans beneath.
As the box opened, a rich medicinal aroma that made one's pores dilate instantly filled the entire secret room.
Inside the box lay a ginseng root, its body like translucent jade. Seven leaves shimmered with a faint, flowing light, clearly something extraordinary at a glance.
"A three-hundred-year Seven-leaf Spirit Ginseng?"
Granny Ling drew a sharp breath, a flash of shock in her cloudy eyes:
"A mere merchant family like the Ye's actually hid such a treasure?
"This is a spiritual herb even Foundation Establishment cultivators would covet!"
"It was originally left by the Ye family for that waste Ye Chen to use for breaking through his bottleneck. Now it belongs to me."
Jiang Qingwan unceremoniously closed the lid and tossed the box into her storage ring.
Then she turned to look at the room full of valuables, the playful smile at her lips deepening.
"Granny."
"This old servant is here."
"Since it was a 'bandit raid,' if the Ye family treasury were still full, wouldn't it make those bandits seem rather unprofessional?"
Jiang Qingwan smoothed the stray hairs at her temple, her tone leisurely:
"The act must be thorough. Bandits, naturally, should leave... not a blade of grass, not a single grain behind."
Upon hearing this, a bright gleam shone in Granny Ling's eyes:
"Hahaha! The Young Mistress is absolutely right!
"If they are bandits, then of course they shouldn't leave even a single floor tile!
"This old servant will get to work immediately. I guarantee we'll clear it out spotlessly. We absolutely must not bring shame to our Jiang fami... oh no, must not bring shame to those bandits!"
...
A quarter of an hour later.
The once splendid Ye residence was now a place of deathly silence.
Jiang Qingwan stood outside the main gate of the Ye manor, a prepared carriage waiting behind her.
She looked back, casting a final glance at this estate that was once so full of itself.
Granny Ling stood beside her, holding a crimson red talisman in her hand—a low-level "Blaze Talisman" commonly used by cultivators.
"Burn it."
Jiang Qingwan spoke softly, her voice devoid of any discernible emotion.
"This place is too filthy. Only after a fire cleanses it can new grass grow."
Granny Ling flicked her wrist. The talisman transformed into a fire dragon, roaring as it charged into the corpse-strewn great hall.
Boom!
The flames swelled upon meeting the wind, instantly engulfing the pillars hung with red silks.
Engulfing the plaque that read "Great Ambitions Soaring."
And engulfing Ye Chen's head, whose eyes had not yet had time to close.
The fierce fire blazed, dyeing half the sky crimson.
Amidst the billowing black smoke, the torn marriage contract curled and blackened in the scorching heat, finally dissolving into a wisp of flying ash, vanishing completely between heaven and earth.
The three-year promise,
the talk of fortunes shifting,
the defiance against the young and poor—
before absolute power and thunderous methods, it was nothing but a farce that ended before it even began.
"Let's go, Nanny."
Jiang Qingwan turned around, never casting another glance at the sea of flames behind her.
She stepped onto the carriage stool and boarded, her skirt swaying like a white lotus blooming at the edge of purgatory—aloof, noble, yet tinged with a ruthlessness that chilled the soul.
"We return to Xuandu."
The carriage wheels turned, crushing the fallen leaves on the bluestone pavement as it headed out of the city.
All that remained was the towering inferno left behind, burning a shocking, indelible full stop into the history of Qingling City.
