Zhang Yushu never expected that as soon as he opened the door, he would be greeted by An Peng's scathing accusations. Under everyone's gaze, he felt a bit embarrassed for a moment. With a铁青 face, he coughed and stepped aside slightly. Only then did An Peng notice the disciples following closely behind.
She was slightly taken aback and scanned the group up and down suspiciously. She asked hesitantly,
"Who are they?"
Zhang Yushu quickly introduced them, "My lady, these are all outstanding disciples from the Myriad Phenomena Academy. They've come to help deal with the matter between you and Xiaoxiao..."
Before his enthusiastic words were finished, An Peng's expression changed. Her voice suddenly rose in pitch, and she interrupted him rudely with a scowl,
"Celestial Masters?"
The scorn in An Peng's eyes was almost palpable. Her gaze swept across each face contemptuously as she sneered,
"What bullshit Celestial Masters? Xiaoxiao and I don't need them at all! Look at them. They're all so young. Most of them must be charlatans! I've never believed in such things. Zhang Yushu, send these people back to where you got them immediately. Don't bring any riff - raff into our home in the future!"
After saying that, without caring how embarrassed Zhang Yushu looked, An Peng turned around and slammed the door shut with a "bang"!
Everyone:??!
For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to freeze. Zhang Yushu stood there stiffly. His expression was beyond just embarrassment!
The disciples looked at each other, looking rather bewildered. Since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, Celestial Masters had helped the founding emperor establish the country. Due to the scarcity of Celestial Masters, the Great Xia Dynasty had always respected them. During all their missions, every person seeking help had been polite. It was rare to encounter someone as impolite as An Peng!
Some of the young and hot - tempered disciples darkened their faces and were about to leave. Fortunately, they were held back by the other disciples!
Xiaoxiao seemed to be frightened by this sudden turn of events. She shrank into Zhang Yushu's arms and sobbed softly.
For a moment, the scene was in chaos, with a strange feeling of everything going awry...
Zhang Yushu never expected things to develop like this. The veins on his forehead throbbed. He took a deep breath, first comforted Xiaoxiao in his arms, then turned to the Celestial Masters with an apologetic smile and explained,
"I'm really sorry. An Peng... was spoiled since childhood, so her words and actions often offend others. She has no other intentions... I hope you Celestial Masters won't mind and will help us! I... I'm really at my wit's end!"
As he said this, his eyes turned red. He lowered his head wearily. At that moment, his weariness and aging were almost impossible to hide.
The disciples were still young. Young people are usually not so fussy, and they immediately let it go.
However, An Peng's attitude just now was really strange!
Zhong Shengwan had never been shut out like this before. She asked expressionlessly,
"Is she always like this?"
Zhang Yushu was silent for a moment, his expression bitter.
"No... Usually, although An Peng is arrogant, she's never been as hot - tempered and unreasonable as today..." He thought about what An Peng had said just now and suddenly felt confused. "Moreover... she didn't used to disbelieve in such mysterious things. When I first met An Peng, there was a certain kind of statue enshrined in her family!"
As soon as he said this, the yellow - rank disciples present didn't react much, but Shen Cuiyu, Zhong Shengwan and the others immediately became alert!
This crucial piece of information made everyone think of the evil clay doll in the Shanshan incident. So Zhong Shengwan asked with great concern,
"What kind of statue was it?"
Zhang Yushu thought carefully for a while and tried to describe it,
"It's been four or five years. My memory is already blurred. I don't know exactly what the statue was. I only remember that the statue was wrapped in red cloth... It was placed in An Peng's bedroom. Since we weren't married at that time, I didn't see the statue many times. But judging from the outline, it should be the figure of a petite woman... I heard from her parents that it seemed to be a statue that blessed the An Mansion's business... By the way, there were also many talismans beside the statue that I couldn't understand."
After hearing this, the disciples thought of all the goddesses in their minds but couldn't come up with a definite answer.
Pei Yu thought for a moment and questioned faintly,
"Such statues are usually enshrined respectfully in the ancestral hall. Why was it placed in an unmarried girl's boudoir?"
Zhang Yushu replied, "I was also confused about this and asked my father - in - law. It's said that An Peng had a weak constitution since childhood. Placing the statue in her room could protect her..."
The disciples glanced at each other. They all thought this explanation was rather unconvincing!
Shen Cuiyu looked up at Zhang Yushu's expression. She saw that his face was sincere and there was a hint of confusion in his eyes from time to time. He should not be lying.
In a corner that no one noticed, Xiaoxiao in Zhang Yushu's arms stopped sobbing at some point. She silently turned her head and looked at the closed door. There was no emotion in her black eyes.
Then she yawned twice, adjusted to a more comfortable position in Zhang Yushu's arms, blinked her long eyelashes, and fell asleep soundly!
The courtyard returned to calm. The disciples began to discuss countermeasures. Since they had been entrusted with this task, they naturally wanted to handle it properly. But with An Peng's attitude, they had to plan carefully!
Shen Cuiyu didn't immediately join them. Instead, she stepped forward and slowly closed her eyes. She knew that An Peng must still be listening behind the door.
So, through the closed door, she began to sense the fluctuations of An Peng's aura.
It was a thick and resentful aura, as if it had been wandering in the world for a long time. It was not formed recently. As soon as one got close, they could feel a sense of decay and discomfort.
Shen Cuiyu opened her eyes again, her expression obscure.
She spoke to the closed door, calmly stating a fact,
"You don't have much time left."
As soon as she said this, it was like a thunderbolt. Everyone was stunned on the spot!
Zhong Shengwan and Dongfang Xiao also looked at Shen Cuiyu in amazement. They had completed so many tasks, but this was the first time they had heard Shen Cuiyu so confidently judge someone's lifespan!
An Peng, who had been leaning against the door, listening to everyone's movements, felt her blood freeze and then start to flow backwards when she heard Shen Cuiyu's words!
She really wanted to open the door and scold Shen Cuiyu for talking nonsense, but the fear of death that was so close at hand filled her heart at this moment!
At the same time, An Peng felt a sudden chill all over her body. She stiffly turned her head, and then her pupils suddenly dilated, as if she had seen something extremely terrifying!
"Ah—" A shrill scream came from inside the door!
The Celestial Masters' expressions changed. Dongfang Xiao was the first to react. He immediately kicked the door open, but the scene in front of him was extremely astonishing!