In the center of the altar was not a divine statue, but a small, somewhat crude clay sculpture of Shi Qiu.
Judging solely from its appearance, it only vaguely resembled Shi Qiu, perhaps only four or five out of ten. But after the celestial master initiated the ritual and opened the altar, the clay sculpture suddenly seemed to come to life!
It fixed its venomous and icy eyes on An Peng, as if it were about to speak the next moment!
An Peng was so frightened by this sight that she nearly fainted. However, the celestial master claimed there was no need to worry. He quickly wrapped the clay sculpture with a red cloth soaked in cinnabar and inscribed with scriptures. Only then did the chilling aura completely dissipate.
The ritual lasted for a full day and night before it ended.
When the celestial master walked out of the room, his expression seemed years older. He claimed that he had never conducted such a strenuous and labor - intensive ritual before! He took the generous reward from the An Mansion without a trace of guilt. Before leaving, he warned the An family members sternly that they must never move the altar without permission. An Peng, in particular, needed to pay devout respects every day, offering incense to appease the resentment.
After Shi Qiu's altar was set up, strange occurrences in the An Mansion indeed ceased...
Not long after An Peng had caused Shi Qiu's death, Zhang Yushu left the village due to a family upheaval. As a result, a void formed in An Peng's heart.
However, as the young lady of the An family, she had always gotten whatever she wanted since childhood. She was determined to have Zhang Yushu.
An Peng's father doted on his daughter excessively. Even though he was aware that she had blood on her hands, he chose to shield her completely. Moreover, he admired Zhang Yushu's family background and talent. Coincidentally, when he was promoted and transferred to the county seat, the whole family moved. Facilitated by the elders of both families, Zhang Yushu and An Peng got married half a year later.
At this moment, faced with the irrefutable truth, An Peng burst into tears. She clung tightly to Zhang Yushu's sleeve, attributing everything to her infatuation with him. "Yushu, I did all this... for you!"
Zhang Yushu looked at his wife, whom he had known for many years, but he felt as if he were looking at a stranger. In his memory, he had no impression of An Peng during their days of studying in the village. It was only after the An family moved to the county seat and the two families had more interactions that they got acquainted. Even though he knew she was a bit spoiled, he thought that a husband and wife should tolerate each other. Now that he knew the truth, she was still shirking responsibility and making excuses!
"If you had taken notice of me, why didn't you just talk to me directly instead of harming the innocent?! Even now, you're still making excuses?!" He was filled with grief and indignation, but he couldn't just abandon his wife.
He turned to the celestial masters, his voice hesitant yet firm.
"Gentlemen, I now understand the whole story. An Peng has made mistakes, but it all started because of me." His voice grew softer, full of helplessness. How could he atone for Shi Qiu's tragic death at such a young age? "If it's possible to pacify Shi Qiu's soul and allow her to reincarnate, that would be the best. If not... I'm willing to take full responsibility. I only beg her to spare my wife and child."
As soon as he said this, the scene fell silent for a moment, except for An Peng's sobs.
After a while, Zhong Shengwan said coldly, "Karma and retribution are not something you can simply take on as you wish."
Zhang Yushu was left speechless.
Despite this, Xiaoxiao was innocent after all. They still had to solve the problem.
Shen Cuiyu keenly grasped the key point. "If the formation was strong enough, there shouldn't have been any problems. It's been seven years since the incident. Why did Shi Qiu come for revenge only now?" She turned to An Peng, her eyes blazing. "Did you move the altar?"
An Peng trembled all over. After a long silence, she finally told the truth.
According to the celestial master's instructions back then, she couldn't stray far from the altar. Wherever she went, the altar had to be moved there. So, after she and Zhang Yushu got married, the altar should have been moved into their bridal chamber.
However, An Peng suddenly felt a sense of unease and resentment.
She had always been wary of Shi Qiu's affection for Zhang Yushu. She thought it was creepy to have an altar dedicated to Shi Qiu in their wedding room. Did it mean that every word and deed of her and Zhang Yushu would be exposed to Shi Qiu in the future?
Day after day, year after year. Every time she knelt before the clay sculpture wrapped in the red cloth, a twisted sense of resentment grew in her heart.
She couldn't help but think that as the young lady of the An family, she had to kneel and kowtow to the daughter of a groom for the rest of her life?!
She had only made a momentary mistake in that incident. Did she really have to atone for it for the rest of her life?
It was so unfair!
Moreover, several years had passed since Shi Qiu's death. During these years, she had come of age safely and gotten married.
It seemed that Shi Qiu's resentment wasn't as strong as the celestial master had said. Maybe one day she wouldn't have to worship the altar anymore...
The past fears were finally drowned out by the growing resentment and the sense of a fluke. Many dark thoughts piled up and fermented in her mind.
Finally, on a quiet night, An Peng's heart pounded like a drum. An impulse drove her... She trembled as she reached out her hand. Her fingertips touched the faded red cloth, and she gave it a sudden tug.
The red cloth fluttered to the ground.
Shi Qiu's crude clay sculpture was completely exposed to the air. In the dim candlelight, the carved eyes seemed to be "staring" at her eerily.
An inexplicable, bone - chilling coldness instantly shot up An Peng's spine!
It was like the cold touch of a venomous snake's stare, as if the clay sculpture would come to life the next moment. Overwhelmed by extreme fear, she let out a scream. She fumbled to pick up the red cloth, wrapped the sculpture tightly in a hurry, and then fled her room in a panic. Her inner clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
In the following days, she lived in constant trepidation, fearing that a terrifying retribution would descend at any moment.
However, one day, two days... a month passed, and everything was calm. Nothing happened.
There were no nightmares, no dark shadows, and no suffocating pressure.
An Peng's tense nerves gradually relaxed. An idea popped up uncontrollably. "Could it be that... Shi Qiu's soul has really dispersed? Or, has she finally accepted her fate and gone to be reincarnated?"
Once the mentality of a fluke took root, it grew like wild grass.
She started to test the waters. First, she deliberately missed one or two morning and evening sacrifices. Then, she became increasingly slack... Still, nothing happened.
This continued until An Peng found out that she was pregnant.
The arrival of this new life brought great joy, but it also stirred up deeper fears. "Should I let my child be born in a house where a wronged soul is enshrined? If he asks about it in the future, how can I explain?" The past sins were like a venomous snake, coiling around every day of her pregnancy. She was determined not to lose everything she had now - her husband's love, a comfortable life, and a respected social status.
Looking at the clay sculpture covered by the red cloth on the altar, which had not bothered her for a long time, it now seemed so harmless, even superfluous.