Chapter 26: Splendid Voice (V) The young man holding her, a bloodstain between his eyebrows...

The voice was like a plaintive sob, one moment like the laughter of a young girl in her prime, the next, it was the voice of an old woman, and then suddenly, it suddenly turned into a shrill, thin, stretched voice... It was like a mixture of thousands of voices, each one crying and laughing, making one's scalp tingle.

Ye Qingzhan was terrified and quickly covered her ears, but it was no use.

Wen Gu had said that her five senses were different from those of ordinary people, and now it was clearly revealed - the ghostly voices coming from all directions were like prying at her ears, gently and slowly, then urgently and eagerly, drawing her in.

"I've been searching for you so hard."

"Let me grant you a sweet dream."

"They're all dead."

"What's the point of you living..."

It was as if a swarm of ants were burrowing into Ye Qingzhan's ears. She closed her eyes, silently chanting the Heart-Clearing Mantra the Exiled Immortal had taught her, but it was no use. The sound was everywhere, penetrating every pore. She, she was almost unable to hold on...

Ye Qingzhan slowly closed her eyes.

At that moment, the Yin Sha that had always accompanied her erupted from the embroidered handkerchief, breaking into four pieces. Pulling on the handkerchief's corners, it struggled towards the door, desperately trying to escape.

The ghostly voice paused for a moment, as if startled by the flying handkerchief. But only for a moment, and then it was back, like a vicious dog chasing its prey, following closely behind.

The Yin Sha ran even faster.

Finally reaching the front yard, the Yin Sha took aim, and with the combined strength of the four corners, it flung the handkerchief into the arms of the young man, whose eyes were bloodshot.

Wen Gu caught it steadily.

Falling into a familiar palm, the fragrance of plum blossoms awakened the girl who was about to fall asleep. Ye Qingzhan opened her eyes in a daze, wanting to say "thank you for saving me", but after seeing Wen Gu's face clearly at this moment, she suddenly fell silent.

The young man holding her had a blood mark on his brow, just like in a dream.

He hadn't fallen asleep yet, but it was like waking up from a big dream.

Ye Qingzhan was speechless for a moment.

Feeling the warmth from the body of the person in his palm, Wen Gu's raging anger slowly dissipated, and

he asked in a cold voice: "Are you okay?" Watching the mark on his brow recede little by little, Ye Qingzhan said: "I, I'm fine, thank you." Wen

Gu looked at her with calm eyes, and put the embroidered handkerchief into his arms, revealing only a corner.

The exiled immortal who was protecting Mo Zhi under the osmanthus tree saw that the evil spirit around the young man was still lingering, but not as much as before. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked from under the tree to his side.

These ghostly voices did not dare to approach him.

Li Zhixing asked, "How long will you hold out?"

Wen Gu replied, "Until dawn."

"Can you control the pillar?" Li Zhixing glanced at the young man, a vein bulging on his forehead, feeling a pang of guilt. He had rashly agreed to protect the embroiderers, forgetting that matters in the illusion were not to be meddlesome. Perhaps they should never have entered the Chu family in the first place.

Furthermore, they weren't demon exorcists, and these spirits weren't monsters; they were resentful, simmering with hatred. He was a banished immortal, his magical powers largely sealed. Unable to exert his full power in this illusion, he could only rely on this young man to fight resentment with resentment, to cure hatred with hatred.

Wen Gu glanced down at the embroidered handkerchief in his arms and said, "Okay."

The exiled immortal said no more.

Amidst the shrouded darkness, Ye Qingzhan felt a heavy heart. After some thought, she decided to share the news she had overheard.

The night wind blew, stirring withered branches and fallen leaves. The ghostly voice lingered in the air.

Li Zhixing listened with his head tilted, then tutted and began to shake his head, saying, "What's going on?"

Ye Qingzhan's words dispelled his concerns about changing the course of the illusion. This Yun concubine told Chu Letian that even if they hadn't encountered them, she would have used her demonic power to drive away Jin Guan. If they actually encountered the ghostly voice at night, she would have used her demonic power to protect them and ensure a peaceful night. They had, by accident, achieved what Yun concubine had originally intended.

But between Chu Letian and Chu Mozhi, father and daughter, it was difficult for them to intervene…

Wen Gu stared at her and said, “Let nature take its course and wait and see.”

Ye Qingzhan nodded, then added, “If only I weren’t a handkerchief, I could set up a barrier to protect you.” Her tone was filled with distress. She turned to Li Zhixing and said, “Exiled Immortal, why can’t you learn my barrier? I can learn your Ginkgo Leaf Lettering technique instantly.”

“…” Li Zhixing choked for a moment, then said after a moment, “You’re smart.”

He, too, had a lot of questions. The two of them had agreed to teach each other magic. This little girl had mastered his Flying Leaf Lettering technique and was using it with ease. He was clearly the fastest learner of immortal arts in the Heavenly Court, but he couldn’t learn the barrier technique the Tianqi Mountain God had given this little girl.

Ye Qingzhan's lips curled up when he heard the praise from the exiled immortal, and he said to Wen Gu, who was controlling the Yin Sha to resist the ghost voice: "Wen Gu, I will teach you too. I don't want you to release this black and sticky mist every day, and I don't want to see you vomit blood. I promised to protect you, so I must do what I say."

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. It was as if a bunch of white pears bloomed in her heart, with drops of dew falling on the petals.

Wen Gu's tightly pursed lips curved a little, and just as he was about to respond, he felt a sudden and violent pain in his heart.

He knelt on one knee, and blood flowed from the corner of his lips.

"If you also learned this barrier technique, you wouldn't have to work so hard..." A little moisture spread between her eyebrows, and Ye Qingzhan touched it, and her fingertips were stained with blood.

She quickly raised her eyes to look.

Wen Gu's face was as white as snow, without a trace of blood, but his eyes were red.

Li Zhixing and Mo Zhi hurriedly supported him, asking, "Why are you vomiting blood again out of nowhere?"

Wen Gu stood up, only to see a shroud of dark energy rushing impatiently into his body, like a sharp sword piercing his heart.

But he didn't retreat.

The invisible, yet omnipresent, ghostly voices, as if finally finding a way in, drew closer and closer to the people in the courtyard. Soon, they felt a swarm of people surrounding them, close at hand, prying at their ears.

"I've been searching for you so hard."

"Let me grant you a sweet dream."

"She's dead."

"They're all dead."

"What's the point of you living..."

Wen Gu was annoyed by the noise, and just as the gathering dark energy was about to strike back, the voices suddenly vanished.

The sky suddenly brightened.

Li Zhixing watched the rapidly rising sun, glancing at the little girl beside Wen Gu. Mo Zhiyi glanced at him, blinking, his expression still innocent and naive.

He reached out and flicked the girl's brow, saying, "You're truly a quiet achiever." As

soon as these words left his mouth, Wen Gu and Ye Qingzhan in his arms both understood—Mo Zhi, like Qing Huai, had used his own power to forcibly alter the flow of time in the illusion, transforming night into day.

The exiled immortal was about to say something more when a figure hurried out of the room.

Chu Mozhi.

Glancing at the people in the courtyard, she hurriedly said, "Thank you all for your hard work... Sorry, I overslept. I'll prepare dinner for you."

Ye Qingzhan watched her run into the kitchen, and recalled the conversation between Chu Letian and Aunt Yunyan last night, and sighed softly.

The voice was very soft, but Wen Gu still heard it. She lowered her eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

Before she could answer, she heard a voice from the side room, "Has anyone seen my handkerchief?"

Before she finished speaking, Wen Gu hurriedly tucked the corner of the embroidered handkerchief that was exposed outside the collar back into her arms. Ye Qingzhan stayed in the warm arms surrounded by the fragrance of plum blossoms, sniffed gently, and then guiltily warned, "Wen Gu, later, when they are not paying attention, ask Mo Zhi to put the embroidered handkerchief back to Yun Tianpiao. Don't be stubborn anymore, be obedient, I want to sleep for a while..."

Ever since she entered the illusion, she has been very sleepy and always feels sleepy. Although last night was short, it was a thrilling night. At this moment, she was extremely sleepy. Wen Gu's arms were warm and fragrant, perfect for sleeping.

Hearing the sound of steady breathing in his arms, Wen Gu's lips curled up, a fleeting smile.

Yun Tianpiao looked at him, gazing into his eyes, and asked, "Young Master Wen, have you seen my handkerchief?"

The question sounded offensive, but the young man's wicked smile aroused suspicion. Remembering his intense attachment to the handkerchief yesterday, it was hard not to be suspicious.

Wen Gu looked at her and said calmly, "No."

Yun Ying, yawning, emerged from the wing room. Seeing the two people standing close together in the courtyard, each looking more serious than the other, she, intrigued, approached. Before she could get close, she saw Chu Mozhi carrying the prepared medicine toward the main hall. A moment later, she heard the sound of bowls and chopsticks crashing. A crisp

snap—

a sound that startled Ye Qingzhan from his half-sleep. An angry curse followed: "Get out! I won't drink it!"

"If this cheap medicine could cure my illness, would I still be like this?"

The voice was like a beast, and fear washed over the faces of the people in the courtyard as they watched the young woman, being forced out of the main hall step by step by the scolding.

Chu Letian's withered face looked terrifying because of anger, and the three claw marks made it even more ferocious. He pointed at Chu Mozhi and cursed: "If I hadn't given birth to you, that woman would not have left!"

"You have no strength, and you have been weak since childhood. I squandered all the family property for you, and now I have no money to treat your illness."

Every word was heartbreaking. Chu Mozhi's face turned pale, and tears fell like rain. She retreated while saying: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"I'm sorry?" Chu Letian suddenly smiled, "What else can you do besides saying sorry?" He paused, as if he remembered something, and gritted his teeth and said: "Who told you to be so kind and give that jackal a sip of water, but ended up getting into trouble."

The people in the yard looked at each other, thinking of Jin Guan's evil deeds.

Concubine Yun, standing beneath the eaves, could no longer contain her anger. She walked toward Chu Mozhi, hugged her trembling body, and faced the hurling curses of Chu Letian, sternly saying, "Brother Chu, that's enough!"

Not enough, not enough, far from enough...

Chu Letian remained unmoved, as if wanting to vent all the resentment he had accumulated over the years. He continued, "How, how, how could I have given birth to a money-loser like you, just like your dead mother..."

"Dad!"

the trembling girl suddenly erupted in a shrill roar, her voice choked with rage, "Can you please not mention my mother? I, I, I..."

I've never even met her.

Li Zhixing and Wen Gu exchanged a glance, unable to intervene. Mo Zhi, standing nearby, looked blankly at the courtyard like a frightened deer.

Like a madman, Chu Letian persisted, pointing at his daughter and demanding, "Why didn't you die with her!"

Silence fell over the courtyard.

Chu Mozhi, her face filled with horror, stared at her shattered father.

She knew that he hated her, but she never thought that he hated her to this extent. Her heart sank as she gradually lowered her head.

Aunt Yun spoke in the silence, hugged Chu Mozhi, looked at the man under the eaves, and said in a loud voice: "Since Big Brother Chu wants his own daughter to die, then I will take Yunyan away and she will not be a bother to you."

Chu Mozhi raised her head and looked at her with tears in her eyes.

Chu Letian chuckled and said, "Take her away?" He looked at his daughter with tear marks on her face, without any pity in his eyes, and said, "After all, I have raised her for more than ten years and spent a lot of money. You say take her away and take her away?"

It was as if he was talking about a commodity waiting to be sold. Chu Mozhi smiled bitterly and looked at the man she had called father for more than ten years.

Yunyan took out a purse from her sleeve, threw it to him, and said, "Is that enough?" Her words were full of anger, "Chu Letian, you'd better stop it."

It was unclear whether she was talking about his face of "selling daughter" or his extremely unpleasant words.

Chu Letian took the purse, weighed it, and said with an ugly face, "That's better, do you really think that my Chu family is giving you a place to live for free?" He looked at Chu Mozhi and said impatiently, "Take it away, and don't come back to bother me again."

There was no trace of the courtesy of yesterday, and no regard for hospitality. The people in the courtyard suddenly didn't understand, which one was his true self, the Chu Letian they saw yesterday or the Chu Letian they saw today.

But there was one thing they were sure of, Chu Letian didn't like his daughter, and could even be said to hate her.

Yun Ying, who had been stunned by the scolding, came back to her senses, walked towards Chu Mozhi, glanced at the man who had turned his back, and said angrily: "Mozhi, come with us, back to Jinxiu Villa."

Chu Mozhi's pale face was blank, and she nodded at her.

Yun Ying glared at Chu Letian fiercely, hugged her forcefully, turned around, and walked out of the yard. Seeing this, the remaining embroiderers took out their bags from the wing room and hurriedly left the Chu family.

Wen Gu wiped the bloodstains on the embroidered handkerchief and handed it to Mo Zhi. Mo Zhi mixed in with the girls and placed the handkerchief on Yun Tianpiao's pillow. After entering the wing room, Yun Tianpiao was stunned, and then hung the handkerchief tightly around his waist.

Ye Qingzhan was taken out of the Chu family again.

Li Zhixing saw that the girls had almost left, and bowed and said: "We will not bother you anymore, goodbye."

Chu Letian stood at the door of the main hall with a hunched back and waved his hand.

Li Zhixing glanced at Wen Gu, and took Mo Zhi out of the door.

When they reached the door, Wen Gu, who was walking last, suddenly turned around and said, "You, don't regret it."

The person under the eaves seemed to tremble, but Wen Gu didn't see clearly and walked away.

The courtyard returned to silence, with dead branches and leaves swaying in the wind, and the whole scene was desolate.

Chu Letian turned around and his purse fell to the ground. He limped to the cracked autumn osmanthus tree like a zombie, suddenly fell to the ground, and knelt in front of the tree.

A small yellow flower floated in his hand, wet with tears.

Chu Letian held it with both hands, covered his heart, and cried, "I'm sorry."