Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 42 - 38 Xi’er the Rabbit Demon

Chapter 42: Chapter 38 Xi’er the Rabbit Demon

The Zhang family, candlelight flickering dimly.

In the somewhat gloomy cabin, Li Nanshuang tightly furrowed her brows.

The young girl held a slender silver needle, gently twisting it at the center of Ms. Zhang’s brow, black mist seeping out along the needle.

We Zhaodi covered her mouth, struggling to suppress her crying.

Zhang Yunwu, who had been given a sleeping potion, was still deeply asleep in the inner room.

Jiang Shouzhong watched for a while before taking We Zhaodi out of the room. Before he could speak, the woman knelt on the ground and pleaded, "Jiang, I’ll bear the blame for this. If it falls on Wu, his life will be ruined."

"And Yue’er?"

Jiang Shouzhong asked with cold eyes.

We Zhaodi’s face was filled with misery. "Wu treats her as his own daughter, and with you and Lu looking after her, even without her mother, Yue’er will suffer no harm."

The fire in the furnace had long been extinguished, making the room slightly cold.

Jiang Shouzhong, who hadn’t worn a thick jacket in his rush to leave the house, clasped his hands inside his sleeves and stared at the flame, as big as a soybean, sighing lightly, "Some sins are not yours to bear if you wish to."

We Zhaodi opened her mouth then collapsed in despair on the cold ground.

At this moment, she seemed like a rootless duckweed.

Jiang Shouzhong looked at the room where Zhang Yunwu was sleeping and said softly, "Before waking Old Zhang, tell me exactly what happened."

The woman fell silent for a moment, then spoke somberly, "Do you remember the demon-catching case half a month ago that injured you, Jiang?"

Jiang Shouzhong nodded.

How could he possibly forget that case.

It was the first day of the month, and they were out drinking at Yangdong Tower with nothing better to do. On their way home at night, slightly drunk, they chanced upon a woman struggling in the lake.

Thinking she had accidentally fallen into the water, they hurried to save her.

To their surprise, a demon lurked in the lake.

Although they saved the woman and killed the demon, Jiang Shouzhong was injured by the demon.

After the case was reported, the Wenxin Department of the Liushan Division had investigated the case.

Until the case was archived, Jiang Shouzhong had never asked about it again.

Hearing We Zhaodi suddenly mention this case now, Jiang Shouzhong was puzzled, "Does this case have something to do with the present situation?"

"That day when Wu came back, while I was helping him wash his clothes, I found a bottle hidden on him," replied We Zhaodi, her head bowed. "Having seen the demon energy you confiscated during investigations, I recognized it as a bottle containing demon energy.

Wu had mentioned using demon energy to treat his mother before, but he had hesitated. Now with his mother’s condition worsening, we had to do something, or she might not have much time left."

Jiang Shouzhong’s expression turned grim.

During the rescue, it was Zhang Yunwu who had killed the demon.

It seemed that the demon indeed had demon energy within.

Thinking of treating his mother, an idea struck Zhang Yunwu, and he secretly kept the demon energy without reporting it or telling anyone.

"Where is the bottle?" Jiang Shouzhong asked.

We Zhaodi silently stood up and fetched a small white porcelain bottle from the wardrobe in the inner room.

Seeing the specially torn seal on the porcelain bottle, Jiang Shouzhong sighed inwardly.

It was indeed a container for storing demon energy.

Demon energy is difficult to store; first, it requires a porcelain container. Secondly, the seal must be made of Dendrobium nobile blended with glutinous rice.

Otherwise, the demon energy would completely dissipate.

Jiang Shouzhong opened the stopper, but there wasn’t a trace of demon energy inside; it had all been used up.

We Zhaodi continued, "Although Wu and I haven’t been married long, I know what he’s thinking. After he brought this vial of demon energy home, Wu hesitated to use it, worried it might implicate us. So, I took it upon myself to do this."

Jiang Shouzhong sat on the chair, lost in thought for a long while, then slowly asked, "What happened next? When did Ge Dasheng threaten you?"

We Zhaodi’s eyes were red, her fists clenched slightly,

"On the fifteenth, I went to buy vegetables on East Street. He stopped me halfway, saying he saw me poisoning my mother-in-law. He demanded I prepare twenty taels of silver, or else he would report to the authorities and tell the neighbors.

If it were really a case of poisoning, I wouldn’t fear, as there’s no evidence and the authorities would simply investigate.

But once the matter of the demon energy came under scrutiny, it would mean the end of Wu’s future.

I didn’t have that much money; our savings went towards treating my mother-in-law’s illness, and in the end, I could only put together a bit more than six taels. Thinking to temporarily shut his mouth, I agreed to meet Ge Dasheng at Wufeng Temple.

Little did I know, Ge Dasheng, not satisfied with the money, also demanded my body as payment. Seeing Ge Dasheng charge at me, I panicked and swung a knife in defense, not expecting..."

Tears streamed down as the woman began to cry softly again.

She knelt on the ground and sobbed, "Jiang, I committed the murder, and I was the one who released the Demon Energy. Wu knows nothing about it. I am willing to confess my crimes.

I seduced you before because I knew you were smart, Jiang. Sooner or later, you would figure it out, and that’s why I acted foolishly."

Jiang Shouzhong rubbed his forehead, feeling a terrible headache.

He initially thought that We Zhaodi’s murder could be settled privately because gamblers and ruffians like Ge Dasheng were just weeds mired in the mud, unworthy of further inquiry.

Furthermore, Jiang Shouzhong was almost certain that the demon and the murderer were not connected, so he would simply pin Ge Dasheng’s death on the demon.

This was why he specifically asked Li Nanshuang today if it could be handled privately.

Although he didn’t know the background of this superior, since even a high official like Yuan Anjiang made fun of him, the background couldn’t be much worse.

If Li Nanshuang was willing to turn a blind eye, he could clear We Zhaodi of the charges.

As an official, Jiang Shouzhong never cared about separating public from private matters; he would act with integrity when possible and seek personal gain when feasible. As long as the people around him didn’t overstep, he would seek personal gains.

But now, it involved secretly harboring and using Demon Energy.

This crime was far more serious than a murder case. Could Li Nanshuang suppress it?

This was happening in the Capital after all.

If it were anywhere else, there were plenty of ways to deceive.

Jiang Shouzhong looked at We Zhaodi, his eyes flashing slightly.

For some reason, even though the woman’s words were forthright, Jiang Shouzhong felt something odd, as if something didn’t fit.

What exactly could be wrong?

"Wait!"

Jiang Shouzhong abruptly looked up into the woman’s eyes, "From what you just said, does Zhang actually not know that you added Demon Energy to the medicine soup you prepared for Ms. Zhang?"

"Yes."

We Zhaodi nodded timidly.

——

Meanwhile, at Zhao Wancang’s house.

A dim light cast a cold, eerie shadow on the figure of a woman.

The woman was Zhao Wancang’s wife.

To be precise, she was the rabbit demon who used to be a maid for Qu Hongling.

Over half a month ago, she stole a bottle of Netherworld Demon Qi from the Sky Demon Sect and came to make a deal with someone from Xichu Pavilion in the Capital.

She fell into the other party’s trap.

That night, dragging her injured body, she fought with the despicable woman from Xichu Pavilion in the water, and by chance, Jiang Shouzhong and two others saw them.

The three thought someone was drowning and went to rescue them.

This incident triggered the subsequent chaos.

To stop Xichu Pavilion from obtaining the Demon Qi, she, in her rage, placed the bottle on one of the officials who carried an axe.

Thinking she couldn’t preserve her remaining spirit, she was extremely fortunate to come across a relatively fresh corpse in Cloud Lake.

The corpse was loaded with resentful energy.

With the help of the Snake Demon Mengniang, she successfully possessed it.

The body had died less than seven days ago, retaining some memories.

The rabbit demon Xi’er initially wanted to kill Zhao Wancang to dissipate the resentful energy bound to the corpse and then leave the Capital to prevent discovery by Xichu Pavilion.

But to her surprise, she found that the official she had secretly placed the "Demon Energy" on was living nearby.

If she could retrieve that bottle of Demon Energy, she could gain some leverage.

"Is the Demon Energy still there?"

Xi’er’s gaze turned distant as she glanced at Zhao Wancang, who was shivering in the corner, and sneered silently, "Once I get the Demon Energy, I’ll deal with you."

Yet at this moment, Xi’er was quite anxious.

Her biggest fear now was being found by the Sect Master, Qu Hongling.

——

At that moment, high above in the sky, a man and a woman flew toward the Capital by Sword Control.

The middle-aged man with five long whiskers looked distinguished.

The young girl was dressed in red.

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