Chapter 16: This Madwoman, Why Is Her Tongue So Sharp?

Chapter 16: This Madwoman, How Can Her Tongue Be So Poisonous?

"A ghost!"

The piercing scream caused the once-quiet funeral hall to be swarmed with people once again.

When Lang Zhengping heard the news that the hall was haunted, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Upon arriving at the hall and seeing the third son's sixth child, Liu Lang, screaming maniacally about a ghost, the veins on his temples bulged.

There were also his eldest son and his concubine-born son; aside from the red swelling on their foreheads, both were deathly pale with vacant eyes, looking as if they had been struck by terror.

The relatives who had rushed over were all chattering away, asking what had happened and why they looked so disheveled.

The funeral hall, which should have been solemn, had been turned into a noisy, bustling marketplace, even with the coffin of a deceased friend present.

It was utterly absurd.

"Nonsense!" Lang Zhengping roared in fury. "How dare you make such a racket in the funeral hall!"

His shout, fueled by full lung capacity and intense rage, caused the clamor to fall into sudden silence.

Lang Jiuchuan was kneeling before the coffin. She pulled the brazier closer, picked up the yellow paper from the ground, and tossed it inside.

The yellow paper ignited spontaneously without any flame.

Twelve Lang, the notorious little tyrant of the Lang family's main branch, happened to glance over. His eyes bulged in shock, and he rubbed them vigorously; the light was too dim, he must be seeing things.

Otherwise, how could the paper burn without fire?

Wait, what did Sixth Brother just say? A ghost?

Could this be ghost fire?

With a yelp, Lang Twelve turned and bolted out of the hall, acting like a stone thrown into a lake that had only just settled. This caused Lang Caize to snap back to his senses, saying in terror, "Uncle, there really is a ghost! It grabbed my face and kissed me! Waaa, if you don't believe me, ask Big Brother. We couldn't get out just now."

Lang Caimeng was singled out, and after his wife gave him a sharp pinch on the soft flesh of his inner arm, he let out a hiss of pain and became completely sober.

"Absurd! If you are tired, go down and rest. Third Son, take him down," Lang Zhengping barked again, glaring at the third son, Lang Zhengwen. Did he not see the nonsense his son was spewing?

Lang Zhengwen’s face also turned green. The classics say one should not speak of the supernatural; this damn child was even claiming a ghost kissed him. What, was he so desperate to be a groom that he'd gone mad?

Even if he wanted to, he had to hold it in until the mourning period was over before discussing marriage!

Lang Zhengwen called a servant to drag his son away, but Lang Caize struggled as if possessed, shouting, "I'm not lying! Big Brother and Fourth Brother both know! Oh, and that dead girl, Lang Jiu!"

Lang Jiu?

Everyone froze.

Who was that? Ah, right, the Ninth Miss who had caused quite a stir immediately upon her return home.

Sensing the smell of burning paper, everyone looked over. They saw the girl, who usually had little presence, dressed in white mourning clothes and kneeling by the coffin. She was burning sheets of yellow paper one after another, her eyes closed in an expression that looked quite intoxicated—or perhaps, pious?

Lang Jiuchuan was currently absorbing meager amounts of merit. Sensing eyes upon her, she snapped her eyes open.

The flickering candlelight reflected off her pale, cold face, casting shifting shadows across her large, somewhat hollow eyes. Everyone instinctively let out a gasp in their hearts.

*To me, she looks just like a ghost!*

Lady Cui, supported by her nanny, looked toward Lang Jiuchuan with a furrowed brow.

Lang Zhengping also felt a headache coming on. Why was this niece everywhere? She had been back for less than a day, and the funeral hall had already been thrown into chaos twice. He wanted to reprimand her, but glancing at Lady Cui, he held it back.

Lang Caicheng swallowed hard and said, "The door really couldn't be opened just now. It was as if someone had locked it."

"Then how did it open just now?"

Lang Caicheng looked at Lang Jiuchuan but did not answer.

"Did Ninth Sister kick it open?" Lang Caimeng also looked at Lang Jiuchuan.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck Lang Caize, and he glared at Lang Jiuchuan. "Could it be that you're the one playing tricks? Are you pretending to be a ghost just to scare us?"

An attempt to accuse the victim first?

Lang Jiuchuan narrowed her eyes. This was forcing her hand into her "madness." Just as she was about to speak, Lang Caimeng interjected, "Sixth Brother, watch your words. When the incident happened, only the three of us brothers were here. Ninth Sister arrived later."

"But once she arrived, the door could open." Lang Caize still felt she was the prime suspect.

Taking the opportunity, Lang Cailing said from behind Lang Caize, "What is she doing here at this hour?"

"To keep vigil and show filial piety. Is that not allowed?" Lang Jiuchuan grabbed a handful of spirit money and threw it into the brazier. The paper ash flew wildly, and the smoke dispersed, making people cough.

She stood up and stared at Lang Caize. "If I had known you were so ungrateful, I would have let that female ghost haunt you. If I hadn't given it a kick, you'd have been dragged away by a ghost to be a groom by now. Actually, that's not right. To be a ghost groom, one must be legitimate. You have no betrothal letter and no marriage contract; you aren't legitimate. You wouldn't even be a groom; at most, you'd be a 'concubine's man'."

Everyone's eyes widened: "?"

What kind of bizarre, aggressive rhetoric was this? They couldn't quite follow.

Lang Caize jumped up in rage, pointing a trembling finger at her. "You, you, you..."

Not even a groom, but a "concubine's man"? That was too insulting!

How could her tongue be so poisonous?

Lang Jiuchuan said, "Before you try to play the victim, think about the immoral things you've done. Being haunted by a ghost—isn't that something you brought upon yourself?"

Lang Caize: "!"

*What did I do?*

Lang Jiuchuan walked toward the row of paper effigy maidens and said, "Just tell me, did you attract her or not?"

Everyone followed her finger to the lifelike paper maiden. For some reason, they felt a chill run down their spines, especially her eyes, which seemed to be staring at them with an eerie intensity.

"It's the middle of the night, who are you trying to scare!" Lang Cailing snapped, her face pale.

Lang Caize, however, had frozen. He tried to maintain his composure, saying, "It's just a paper sacrificial offering. How could I have attracted her?"

"If you hadn't praised her for being beautiful, why would she kiss you?" Lang Jiuchuan sneered. "You flirted with the ghost first; you cast the hook. She was simply giving you what you wanted."

Lang Caimeng and Lang Caicheng were both stunned. How did she know?

Naturally, it was because the female ghost haunting Lang Caize had blurted it out herself before fleeing, fearing the girl would bring her bad luck. As it happened, the ghost had been a flirt in life, and in death, she was naturally a flirtatious ghost.

Lang Caize felt a chill run through his entire body. He wanted to say something, but his throat felt as if it were choked by something.

"Utter nonsense!" Seeing that the family had gone silent like chickens, seemingly intimidated, Lang Zhengping could no longer care about Lady Cui. He glared at Lang Jiuchuan. "I didn't tell you to come here; I told you to attend to your grandmother. What are you doing here? Someone, take Ninth Miss and the Sixth Young Master away."

Lang Jiuchuan replied, "You are the ones who brought me back to be a filial descendant, so no one can stop me from fulfilling my filial duties to the Old Master."

Besides, being near the coffin was better for her cultivation. She wanted to absorb as much merit as possible before the burial.

She pointed at the paper maiden again. "Also, tonight's incident was no accident. If I were you, I would investigate where this maiden came from. When a paper figure is 'enlivened,' any yin spirit can enter."

She glanced at the maiden's feet and raised an eyebrow. No wonder more than just a minor ghost had come; there was an object here acting as a lure for ghosts.

The people present felt their heads buzzing. What was she saying? Why couldn't they understand her!

They couldn't understand, but that didn't stop them from seeing her movements clearly. Lady Cui's expression changed drastically, and she barked, "You wicked creature! What are you trying to do? Stop this instant!"

This madwoman was actually trying to desecrate the sacrificial offerings!