Chарtеr 257: Guаngсhun Наll 2
By nоw, Хiuхiu hаd stоpped сrуing. Zhu Yan cliсked her tоnguе in аdmirаtiоn—trulу worthy оf being the Deputy Hеlm Мastеr of Guаngсhun Наll. Hе hаd а wау with maniрulating hearts аnd minds, сalming Хiuxiu’s emotiоns with just a few wоrds.
Wang Buzui hаd Хiuхiu rеturn tо hеr sеat befоrе straightеning uр. Нe glаncеd аt Zhu Yan out оf thе cоrner of his eуe, noticing shе sееmed lоst in thought, and deсidеd nоt to bоthеr with hеr furthеr. Не then turnеd аnd left thе Dark Нall.
Hе still didn’t fully trust his subоrdinаtеs; at сritiсаl mоments, it was morе reassuring to keeр a closе watch himsеlf.
As sооn as Wаng Buzui left, Zhu Yan stood up and approached the group of women, whispering, "Were all of you captured today?"
With Wang Buzui gone, the women grew bolder. Some answered yes, while others said no.
Zhu Yan asked again, "Was there anything strange about it?"
One of them replied, "I was captured three days ago. Although we weren’t treated lavishly, we weren’t starved either, and we didn’t suffer any physical abuse. As for anything strange… oh, right, they made us eat candied fruits and preserved fruits with every meal. Those preserved fruits had a hint of spice in them."
"This young lady is right," Xiuxiu chimed in. "But that’s only for those who obey. Those who don’t are dragged away and never come back."
She had been brought here by Wang Buzui yesterday, and by then, several other girls were already here.
They ate, slept, and relieved themselves all in this place. If anyone cried, made a fuss, or tried to escape, they would be dragged away by those Half-Faced Ghosts.
They were all young women, usually fearful of ghosts and spirits, and had heard many rumors about Half-Faced Ghosts eating people. Faced with such a scene, how could they dare to resist? Naturally, they obeyed obediently.
Earlier, she had dared to crawl over and cling to Wang Buzui’s leg only because he had removed his mask, revealing the face she was familiar with. That gave her the courage to go over and beg for mercy.
"Every meal consists of candied and preserved fruits?" Zhu Yan murmured to herself, storing this information away. She then added, "Is the Fire Moth Party really that wealthy?"
Candied and preserved fruits, while not particularly rare, were still beyond the reach of poor families.
"Brother Wang often visits the Scented Pavilion in his free time, and it’s common for him to spend extravagantly," Xiuxiu said.
Zhu Yan nodded. In truth, it wasn’t surprising. Ji Dafu was also a member of the Fire Moth Party, but on the surface, he was a merchant. Setting aside other matters, just the underground gambling den he ran had amassed considerable wealth.
Moreover, the Fire Moth Party had grown significantly, with members spread everywhere. It was no wonder they had substantial resources.
Otherwise, people like Lai Luofu wouldn’t have been able to stir up trouble.
But the candied and preserved fruits… something seemed to click in Zhu Yan’s mind. She raised her delicate nose and sniffed the air. A complex fragrance lingered—at first, it smelled like the ordinary incense these women used, but the lingering notes carried the ethereal, purifying scent of pine, sandalwood, and agarwood, reminiscent of temples.
So it was indeed the case—the same old trick. Resurrection from death? Today, having entered this gate of hell, she would see for herself what this so-called resurrection from death entailed.
After a moment of silence, Zhu Yan turned her gaze back to Xiuxiu. "Xiuxiu, when did you meet Wang Buzui? And why do you call him Brother Wang?"
From their conversation, it wasn’t hard to see that she was unguarded around Wang Buzui, which made her easily swayed.
Besides, if it weren’t for Xiuxiu shifting the blame, they might have discovered the clues much earlier.
Under Zhu Yan’s piercing stare, Xiuxiu grew uneasy and instinctively averted her eyes, her expression troubled as she hesitated over whether to speak.
Just then, Du Xiaowan, who had been unconscious all along, fluttered her eyelashes and let out a soft groan.Zhu Yan helped her up as soon as she woke. "Madam Li, are you alright?"
Xiuxiu also moved closer, letting Du Xiaowan lean against her for comfort.
Du Xiaowan frowned, clearly still reeling from the earlier shock. "Lord Zhu? Where is this place? How did I get here?"
She remembered being seized by the Half-Faced Ghost, who had cut her flesh to intimidate the crowd, and then... ugh...
Du Xiaowan retched dryly. Worried she might actually vomit, the woman beside her quickly fetched the chamber pot.
They had no idea how long they would be trapped in this dreadful place, and they couldn’t let her vomit on the floor!
The smell alone was unbearable enough; their minds were already tormented, and they couldn’t bear to let their bodies suffer further.
Fortunately, Du Xiaowan was only nauseated by the memory. After a few dry heaves, nothing came up.
Her wound still throbbed faintly, but compared to the terror she felt now, it was negligible.
Zhu Yan, who had somehow procured a cup of water, handed it to her to soothe her nerves before explaining, "This is likely the Half-Faced Ghost’s lair. We were all captured for their so-called resurrection secret."
At the mention of "Half-Faced Ghost," Du Xiaowan trembled uncontrollably. Combined with the lingering pain in her arm, she couldn’t hold back her tears.
Sobbing, she choked out, "Lord... Lord Zhu, even you were captured. Does that mean we’re all doomed? Wuwu..."
Zhu Yan faltered, unable to offer any guarantees. She could only try to comfort her. "Don’t worry, someone will come to rescue us. We will escape."
Xiuxiu, not wanting to dampen their spirits but feeling the need to caution them, whispered, "Better not talk about escaping. If they hear us, who knows what they’ll do."
Upon hearing this, Du Xiaowan’s tears burst forth like a floodgate opening, her sobs growing louder and more desperate.
Wang Buzui walked in with his men just as Du Xiaowan’s wails filled the air. Irritated, he snapped, "How noisy."
He had no patience to comfort one crying woman after another and was about to order someone to knock Du Xiaowan unconscious.
But Zhu Yan spoke up. "Deputy Helm Master Wang, if the noise bothers you, why not provide some wound medicine and bandage her injury? That should stop the crying. Besides, if you take her away, you’ll have fewer people to use. If anything goes wrong and the resurrection fails, all your efforts will be wasted."
She couldn’t be sure where they would take Du Xiaowan or what they would do to her. It was safer to keep her here.
Xiuxiu added, "Brother Wang, Miss Du has lost a lot of blood. If the wound isn’t treated, she might bleed to death, and all your efforts would be in vain."
Whenever he visited the Fragrant Pavilion, he had always requested her company, spending generously. Since everyone loves wealth, she didn’t mind helping out when she could.
Whether intentional or not, she knew more than the others.
Wang Buzui found Xiuxiu’s reasoning sound. If the ritual began and Du Xiaowan died first, catching another person in time would be difficult.
So he pulled a bottle of wound medicine from his sleeve and tossed it onto Du Xiaowan. "Bandage her up."Xiuxiu picked up the medicine bottle from Du Xiaowan's side and then comforted the still-sobbing Du Xiaowan: "Bear with it a little longer. I'll apply the medicine for you now, but you mustn't cry anymore. If you annoy Brother Wang, who knows what he might do?"
Xiuxiu spoke softly, but Du Xiaowan heard every word clearly.
After a few more sobs, she gradually stopped crying. With Zhu Yan's help, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing the bloody, mangled wound on her wrist.
Fortunately, Ji Dafu hadn't cut too deep, otherwise Du Xiaowan would have truly bled to death.
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