Seeing Jie’er remain silent, the old man continued, “Actually, there is a most direct way to resolve the blood curse…”
“What?” Jie’er looked up in surprise, “If there’s a way, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The old man turned away, his gaze fixed on the distant mountains, lush and verdant. After a long pause, he spoke, “Because that method is too difficult and impossible to achieve!”
Jie’er spoke with determination, “No matter how difficult, I want to try. Please tell me, Master!”
The divine physician looked at her expression and couldn’t help but sigh, “Once the curse-caster dies, the poison will dissipate!”
Jie’er furrowed her brow slightly, “Do you mean we just need to find the curse-caster and kill him?” Although killing wasn’t good, the curse-caster was surely not a good person, and killing him would be eliminating a threat to the people.
“Wrong!” Unexpectedly, the divine physician shook his head, “When I say ‘die’, I mean the curse-caster must be completely desperate, willingly ending their own life. If someone else acts or there’s any coercion, the poison in the victim’s body will immediately erupt, and even a god couldn’t save them!”
Jie’er exclaimed, “How is that possible?” The curse-caster had deliberately harmed the two brothers, surely harboring some great conspiracy or deep hatred. How could such a person willingly commit suicide?
The old man sighed, “That’s why I say this method is impossible. Not to mention finding the curse-caster before the poison’s final outbreak, but to make that person willingly commit suicide – do you think that’s possible?”
…
Jie’er fell silent. Indeed, achieving what he described was extremely difficult. But no matter how hard, she would try. The wind blew her bangs, and she suddenly remembered a words Xia Wei had once told her before crossing over: as long as belief exists, nothing is impossible.
For A’yan, for Fan Yu, she couldn’t give up. Everything had happened in Lou Family Fortress, which was the source of it all. Jie’er believed the mastermind was definitely hiding in some corner of the fortress, satisfiedly admiring their own masterpiece…
Jie’er sat across from him, propping her chin with both hands, just staring at him without saying a word, because she knew that speaking at this moment would only add to his troubles.
Suddenly, a knock on the door.
Lou Shanyu and Jie’er exchanged a tacit glance, and he said softly, “What is it?”
Qin’s steward’s voice sounded from outside the door: “Young Master Yan, the old master requests your presence to discuss a matter regarding the debt!”
Lou Shanyu sat up straight and responded: “I understand, tell my father I’ll be there shortly!”
“Yes!”
After Qin’s steward left, Jie’er immediately leaned close to Lou Shanyu and asked suspiciously, “Do you think this matter might be related to Qin’s steward? Could he be behind this?”
“Why do you say that?” Lou Shanyu couldn’t help but ask.
Jie’er said bluntly, “Didn’t you say his behavior was suspicious? And, I just can’t see him as a good person!”
Her words immediately aroused Shanyu’s suspicion: “We said? Who do you mean by ‘we’?”
“Isn’t it you and Han Xue!” As soon as the words left her mouth, Jie’er realized she had let something slip, and it was too late to cover her mouth…
Lou Shanyu held onto her slip of the tongue, raising an eyebrow with a teasing look: “Me and Han Xue? How did you know?”
Jie’er felt uncomfortable under his gaze and couldn’t help but say, “Okay, okay, I admit I overheard you talking that day! But I want to clarify, I didn’t intentionally eavesdrop!” Hehe, she had purely intentionally eavesdropped…
“Is that so?” Lou Shanyu looked completely unconvinced – how could her little scheme escape his eyes!
He then spoke with a tone that was half-certain and half-speculative: “You wouldn’t happen to have decided that the person hiding in the shadows was Qin’s steward because of overhearing our conversation, and that’s why you’re so insistent on coming back?”
Jie’er bit her lip, feeling a bit aggrieved by his tone: “Yes and no!” She had come with good intentions to help them find the bad guy, so why was he acting like she was the villain?
The narrative continues with their interaction, discussing the mysterious circumstances surrounding the money house fire and the potential involvement of an unknown person, with Jie’er accompanying Lou Shanyu to meet his father about the debt situation.
Lou Shan Yu quickly covered Jie’er’s mouth, signaling with his eyes that someone was following them. Jie’er turned back in surprise, catching a glimpse of a figure quickly hiding in the nearby flower bushes, apparently Secretary Qin!
Jie’er obediently kept quiet until they reached the western courtyard where Lou Shan Yan was, and Lou Shan Yan carefully closed the doors and windows, frowning, “I think my father is acting strange!”
“Your father, why?” Jie’er asked in surprise.
Lou Shan Yu recalled, “I remember when I was young, I once insisted that my father open the treasure vault for us to see, but he said the vault was of great importance and could not be opened unless absolutely necessary! Given my father’s reverence for the vault, how could he easily let me use the treasures inside?”
“Isn’t this exactly such a time?” Jie’er didn’t understand.
Lou Shan Yu shook his head, “Such things have happened before, but never to the point of needing to open the vault. Normally, my father would have me find other solutions instead of so easily letting me open the vault. Moreover, even if the vault was opened, it couldn’t solve the current urgent situation!”
“Why?” Jie’er was even more confused. Wasn’t the vault supposed to be full of gold and silver?
Lou Shan Yu explained, “You don’t know, the vault’s key was specially designed by craftsmen, containing five-element techniques. To open the vault door, not only must it be the Lou family’s heir, but it must also be done on a full moon night. At the moment moonlight shines on the iron lock, one must drip their own blood into the keyhole to open the vault!”
“So complicated?” Jie’er exclaimed, feeling like she was watching a fantasy movie.
Lou Shan Yu spoke seriously, “You must understand, this is a treasure vault of half a national treasury. Once opened, it would inevitably attract more people’s attention. Whether from the imperial court or the martial world, there would definitely be those with designs on it, undoubtedly bringing unnecessary trouble to the Lou family!”
“This is why the vault has not been opened for hundreds of years. The emperor may appear to respect the Lou family, but in fact, he fears the Lou family using this treasure to compete for the world. A’Yan has been frequently traveling to the capital these years, just to keep an eye on the court’s movements!”
Some things, once obtained, become difficult to let go…
Jie’er couldn’t help but furrow her brow, “But today is only the 26th, and the next full moon is almost twenty days away…”
Lou Shan Yu’s thin lips pressed together, his gaze deep, “That’s why I say opening the vault won’t solve the immediate crisis. It’s better to ask everyone to give the Lou family more time to rebuild the bank!”
“The Lou family bank may be destroyed, but the other hundred-plus shops are still operating. We definitely won’t owe anyone money! Moreover, I suspect these many people coming to collect debts might be deliberately instigated!”
A white light flashed in Jie’er’s mind, “His purpose, could it be to make you open the vault?”
A trace of anger crossed Lou Shan Yu’s handsome face, his expression grave, “Now that I think about it, that does seem possible…”
Lou Shan Yu looked at the key in his hand, smoothed by years, and his heart sank. The Lou family had experienced so many consecutive events. Could it really be because of the vault?
