All the pilgrims around were startled. Someone with sharp eyes recognized the newcomer and exclaimed in surprise,
"Isn't this Lady Qin? How did she end up like this?!"
The noblewoman staggered to the bottom of the steps. Only then did Shen Cuiyu clearly see her appearance. The woman had dark circles under her eyes, a blackish glow on her forehead, and an ominous black aura lingering around her. Apparently, she had been greatly frightened.
"My... my daughter, Qin Keyun..." Lady Qin grabbed the sleeve of a Taoist priest as if it were a life-saving straw, and said in a trembling voice, "Yesterday... after returning from the Taoist temple, she fainted and didn't wake up! When she woke up... when she woke up, she was babbling nonsense and behaving strangely... and her strength was astonishingly great!" She seemed to recall some terrifying scene, and the color drained from her face. "She... she looked like a completely different person! My maid said... there was a mage here yesterday who predicted that my daughter would encounter a misfortune! Please, tell me where that mage is! Please save my daughter quickly!"
All the pilgrims looked at each other and started whispering.
Shen Zanghai's gaze fell on Shen Cuiyu beside him, with inquiry and silent encouragement. He knew very well that Shen Cuiyu was extremely talented and was a rare unpolished jade in the Taoist world.
This was exactly the opportunity for her to be tempered.
Feeling Shen Zanghai's trusting gaze, Shen Cuiyu quickly stepped down the steps and walked up to the panicked Lady Qin. Her voice was steady and clear.
"Don't panic, Lady Qin. Take me to see Miss Qin."
Lady Qin stared blankly at Shen Cuiyu, sizing her up and down. This girl in front of her was clearly the same age as Keyun. How could she be a Taoist priest?
However, the maid beside her suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Madam! It's her! It was she who warned Miss yesterday that there was something wrong with that scroll!"
"You..." Lady Qin's tone was hesitant.
Just then, a middle - aged man in the crowd sneered,
"Lady Qin, don't be deceived. How old is this girl? Nine out of ten swindlers in the world like to play such tricks. First, they say things like 'disaster is approaching' or 'disaster of bloodshed' to scare you, then when you're in a complete panic, they claim they can help you avoid the disaster by spending money, so as to make a fortune!" After saying that, he shouted at Shen Cuiyu in a mocking and unfriendly tone, "Little girl, if you're going to swindle people, you should at least show some sincerity. You should at least buy a magical instrument to look the part! Trying to get something for nothing like this is really malicious. Aren't you afraid of losing your good karma and ruining your reputation? No one will want to marry you in the future!"
As soon as he said this, the people with him started to snicker, looking at Shen Cuiyu with malicious looks in their eyes.
"Believe me or not, it's up to you," Shen Cuiyu gave the man a cold look. "But your face is turning green. You've really damaged your good karma. When you go down the steps later, you'd better step with your right foot first, or you'll break your leg."
The man was stunned for a moment and then angrily roared, "You little girl, how dare you curse me? You're looking for trouble!"
He stared with wide eyes and was about to go down the steps to cause trouble for Shen Cuiyu. As a result, he slipped and fell headlong!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Amid the exclamations of the crowd, the man almost perfectly rolled from the first step to the last step. Finally, he fell to the ground, not only with a bleeding head but also clutching his leg and crying out in pain!
All this happened so fast that the crowd hardly had time to react!
"What are you standing there for? Save... save me. My leg!" Tears streamed down the man's face. Only then did his friends react. They were about to go down the steps to help him, but as soon as they took a step, they looked at each other and unconsciously changed to their right feet, walking down carefully.
The crowd looked at Shen Cuiyu in surprise and suspicion. From her prediction of the man's broken leg to his fall down the stairs, it was just a blink of an eye. Even immediate retribution couldn't be this fast!
Lady Qin also came to her senses. The look in her eyes when she looked at Shen Cuiyu had changed from doubt to deep awe. She quickly said to Shen Cuiyu respectfully,
"Taoist priest, please come with me!"
A group of people hurried to the Qin Mansion. Pei Yu looked at Shen Cuiyu's departing back thoughtfully and then also stepped forward to follow.
The scorching sun was high in the sky at noon.
The Qin Mansion was in complete chaos at this moment. The air was filled with anxiety and panic. The old and the young only dared to cry from afar around Qin Keyun's boudoir. No one dared to step forward!
As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, a strong stench assailed their nostrils. Shen Cuiyu immediately recognized that this was the same smell she had smelled in the corridor that day!
If the stench yesterday was barely perceptible, then today's smell was like spilled ink, pungent and extremely strong. Not only did Shen Cuiyu smell it, but everyone else in the Qin Mansion also noticed it. They all covered their noses and retched, looking extremely uncomfortable.
The doors and windows of Qin Keyun's boudoir were tightly closed, completely silent, as if isolating it from the outside world.
Shen Cuiyu asked, "Where is the scroll that Miss Qin brought back?"
A scroll wrapped in red cloth was tremblingly presented by the butler. "Yesterday, after Miss brought this scroll back, she hugged it tightly and refused to let go. Only when four or five maids and servants stepped forward together were they able to take it out of Miss's arms..."
Shen Cuiyu slowly unfurled the scroll. The beauty in the painting still looked the same, but she didn't look closely. Instead, she gently touched the canvas for a moment. A fleeting look of inexpressible pity flashed in her eyes.
"No wonder the resentment is so great. It turns out she died a violent death," she murmured in a low voice, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"What?! What?!" Lady Qin's face instantly turned deathly pale.
"There was originally an evil ghost living in this painting. This painting is the carrier of that ghost," Shen Cuiyu explained. "Miss Qin got this painting, and the ghost took the opportunity to possess her."
As soon as she said this, everyone around gasped and quickly scattered even further away. They looked at the painting as if it were a wild beast.
Shen Cuiyu turned to look at Pei Yu standing quietly not far away and called out loudly, "My lord prince." After Pei Yu looked over, she continued, "Please come and help. You've seen and experienced a lot, and you're serving in the Supreme Court of Judicature. You've handled countless strange cases. Could you help me identify what material this canvas is made of?"
Pei Yu raised his eyebrows slightly but didn't decline. He calmly stepped forward.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stared intently at the painting for a while. Just like Shen Cuiyu did before, he also reached out and touched the paper. When his slender fingers touched the extremely soft and cold canvas, Pei Yu's face suddenly turned cold and solemn. "This is human skin."
"Hu... human skin?!" Lady Qin let out a shrill scream, rolled her eyes, and fell straight backward. She was clumsily caught by the maid.
For a moment, there was complete silence around. All that could be heard were the heavy breathing and the chattering of teeth of the crowd due to shock.