Chapter 120: Killing Souls!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

They did not see anyone along the way.

Luo Qingzhou helped the weak Second Young Miss Qin to the first floor.

It was unknown if the maidservants on the second floor had been deliberately sent away by Song Zixi, or if they were all gathered below to watch the poetry competition.

Or perhaps, the other families that were hosting tonight’s poetry gathering had a hand in that incident too.

That was why the space was vacated.

From what the young lady of the Song family said just now, Luo Qingzhou knew that what happened tonight was not simple.

They were not just targeting him.

Those people wanted to ruin the Qin family’s reputation.

The most powerful family in MO City was naturally the City Lord Manor.

Then, there were the four major families: Wang, Luo, Song, and Zhang.

The Qin residence used to be one of the four major families, but the previous generation was too lazy and had no accomplishments, so the family gradually declined and was overtaken by the Song family.

Now that Qin Wenzheng was in charge of the Qin residence, he had no desires or ambitions. He developed the family in a low-key manner.

But even so, there were still people who wanted to do them harm.

After Luo Qingzhou helped Second Young Miss Qin to the hall, Qiu’er hurriedly walked over.

Before she could speak, Qin Weimo said with a pale face, “Qiu’er, go and call

Mother and Zhu’er over… I’m not feeling well and want to go back.”

Qiu’er looked at Qin Weimo and saw the blood coming out of the corner of her mouth. Her expression changed to one of alarm. She hurriedly agreed, turned around, and hurried toward the noblewomen.

At this moment, the results of the second round were being announced on the stage.

Other than the courtesan, Wu Yi, standing on the stage, there was also an old man with white hair and wearing a long robe.

He trembled as he looked at the rice paper in his hand. He looked very agitated, and even his voice was trembling.

Song Ruyue was looking at the stage with a few noblewomen expectantly. Qiu’er walked over and whispered a few words to Zhu’er. Zhu’er’s expression changed and she hurriedly whispered into Song Ruyue’s ear.

Song Ruyue’s expression changed when she heard that. She immediately stood up and said something to those noblewomen whom she was with. Then, she led the two maidservants and hurriedly walked toward Luo Qingzhou and Qin Weimo.

At this moment, Luo Qingzhou was holding onto Qin Weimo’s hand with one hand and supporting her slender waist with the other.

Song Ruyue’s face darkened when she saw this.

Above the hall on the first floor was the hall on the second floor. Behind the hall were two rows of neatly arranged rooms.

At this moment, threads of thin grey smoke had started to seep through the tiny gaps around the door and were spreading throughout the corridor. However, at this moment, the hall on the first floor was filled with excitement.

This was because, on the stage, the respected senior of the literary world was personally reciting the Prelude to Water Melody, which was also considered the “Mid-Autumn” poem by later generations.

I’d like to ride the wind to fly home, yet I fear the crystal and jade mansions are much too high and cold for me. Dancing with my moonlit shadow, it does not seem like the human world.”

“The moon rounds the red mansion, and stoops to silk-pad doors. Shines upon the sleepless, bearing no grudge, why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?”

Below the stage, it was silent. Even the sound of breathing stopped.

The old man paused and glanced at the audience. He continued to recite in a trembling voice, “People experience sorrow, joy, separation, and reunion. The moon may be dim or bright, round or crescent-shaped. This imperfection has been going on since the beginning of time. May we all be blessed with longevity. Though thousands of miles apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.”

The entire hall was deathly silent.

The smoke quickly spread along the corridor and into the hall. The sound of flames burning the wooden boards began to sound.

“Fire!”

It was unknown who shouted, but everyone who was astonished by this peerless poem finally came back to their senses.

As for the old man on the stage, he seemed to be still immersed in the aftertaste of the lyrics in his hand and could not extricate himself. He continued to mutter, “People experience sorrow, joy, separation, and reunion. The moon may be dim or bright, round or crescent-shaped..

“The boat is on fire! Run!”

Someone suddenly shouted in the hall, and everyone began to panic.

The guards, maidservants, and servants gathered outside the hall on the first floor and hurriedly went to get water to extinguish the fire.

The crowd began to scream in fear. They rushed to the exit.

The hall, which had been silent a moment ago, was now in chaos.

Fortunately, Song Ruyue had arrived at the exit in advance. Just as she was about to scold the brat who dared to touch her daughter, she suddenly heard someone shout, “Fire!” Her eyes widened in shock, and she hurriedly said,

“Let’s go! Hurry up and bring Weimo out!”

Luo Qingzhou immediately carried Qin Weimo, bridal-style, out.

Song Ruyue, who was following behind, was stunned. However, this was not the time to scold him. With the help of Zhu’er and Qiu’er, she rushed out in a panic.

The few of them quickly walked up the plank that had been set up from the boat to the bank and rushed to the shore. Only then did they heave a sigh of relief.

When they turned around to look at the boat, their expressions changed.

On the second floor of the pleasure boat, where the room was, there was already a raging fire. Thick smoke and flames were emerging from the window opening and roof!

The boat was filled with the screams of the guests.

The crowd surged toward the exit in fear and panic.

Some people who knew how to swim jumped into the water from the deck and swam ashore.

Seeing that the fire was no longer under control, the guards and servants could only protect the people and retreat.

They surrounded the nobles and forcefully pushed through the chaotic crowd, opening a path for them to leave first.

At this moment, the lives of those nobles were naturally the most important.

Meng Yulan did not leave. She continued to stand on the boat and help to disperse the crowd that was running around.

Fortunately, the two pleasure boats were docked on the shore and did not sail into the middle of the river.

Many people jumped into the water and walked ashore.

The guards on the shore immediately set up more planks.

Not long after, everyone on the boat safely went ashore.

At this moment, Meng Yulan walked ashore with a solemn expression under the escort of her guards.

At this moment, the pleasure boat was already filled with thick smoke and flames.

That was especially so for the second level, which was already a sea of flames.

Another pleasure boat parked at the side had long left, afraid that the fire would spread to them.

Meng Yulan’s face turned pale. She asked the guard beside her loudly, “Is there anyone else on the second floor?”

The guard stammered and did not dare to answer.

Another guard said, “First Young Miss, I just went up. It’s empty. There shouldn’t be anyone there.”

Meng Yulan looked at him and asked, “Have you checked all the rooms? Is there anyone resting?”

The guard said with a bitter expression, “The rooms were where the fire broke out first. At that time, the fire was already very big, and we couldn’t get close, so…” His voice trailed off.

Meng Yulan’s face darkened and she did not say anything else.

Crack!

Amidst the raging flames, the second level of the pleasure boat suddenly collapsed and fell into the sea of fire below. Soon, the wine warehouse was ignited and burned to nothingness.

The entire pleasure boat continued to burn on the water, illuminating half the night sky.

Many tourists by the river came over after hearing the news. They gathered here to watch and discuss.

Many people who hated the rich gloated.

The patrol team in the city also rushed over after hearing the news and asked about the casualties and the cause of the fire.

However, no one could say for sure.

At this moment, the respected old man from the literary world was standing on the shore, surrounded by everyone. He was still holding the rice paper tightly in his hand. His gaze was fixed on the pleasure boat that was about to be burned to ashes, but he was still muttering the lyrics of the poem.

“Let’s go.”

Song Ruyue’s face turned pale. With lingering fear, she led everyone away.

The others also dispersed in fear.

In the carriage.

Song Ruyue calmed herself down for a while before looking at her pale daughter. She sighed and said, “Weimo, it’s my fault this time. I almost harmed you. In the future… you should stay at home and not come out. Sigh, it’s too dangerous outside.”

Qin Weimo coughed a few more times and gripped the blood-stained handkerchief in her hand tightly. She lowered her head and did not speak.

Song Ruyue glanced at the handkerchief in her hand. Heartache filled her eyes as she stared at her daughter. She wanted to reprimand her for behaving so intimately with Luo Qingzhou earlier, but seeing Qin Weimo like this, Song Ruyue swallowed her words and comforted her gently. “It’ll be all right. Go back and rest well. I’ll get Zhu’er to boil some medicine for you later. You’ll be fine after eating it and sleeping for a night.”

Qin Weimo merely made a sound of acknowledgment.

Song Ruyue looked at her worriedly and did not say anything else.

The carriage fell silent.

After the carriage traveled for a while, Qin Weimo could not help but look up at the window. After a brief moment of hesitation, she reached out and lifted the curtain to look outside.

However, she did not see that figure.

The moon was bright in the night sky, and the stars filled the sky.

In the round moon, there was a shadow. It was hazy and unclear. She did not know if it was the palace in the sky that her brother-in-law had written earlier…

Song Ruyue watched her quietly from the side. When they were about to reach the residence, she could not help but say, “Weimo, I want to tell you something. I hope you can listen to me carefully.”

Qin Weimo retracted her gaze from the night sky. After a moment of silence, she said in a low voice, “If it’s about Brother-in-law, Mother, don’t say anything. I know what I should do.”

Song Ruyue frowned. “Actually, I…”

Just as she was about to speak, Qin Weimo looked at her and cut in softly,

“Mother, don’t worry. I won’t do anything that goes against etiquette.”

After a pause, she lowered her head slightly and muttered, “I don’t care, but I can’t harm Brother-in-law… I know that he is definitely not an ordinary person. One day, he will leave this place…”

Speaking of this, she suddenly raised her head and said with a pleading look in her eyes, “Mother, I hope that you won’t make things difficult for Brother-in-law when the time comes. I-if he wants to leave, just let him leave… The Qin residence… is not worthy of him.”

Song Ruyue knitted her brows and moved her lips as if she wanted to say something. She recalled the two poems from tonight and the poems from before. She also recalled the excitement on the face of the elder who was an influential figure in the literary world.

After a while.

She turned her face away and nodded. “All right. I promise you.”

Outside the window.

Luo Qingzhou followed behind the carriage, thinking about what had happened tonight.

When he got back to his house later, he intended to use Out of Body and return to the river to take a look.

If he saw the souls of those people, he would kill them and eliminate them. He did not want to give these ghosts any chance to wander in the human world or reincarnate!

There were too many capable people and strange things in this world. Who could guarantee that those people would not suddenly become alive and spill the beans?

At the same time.

In the back garden of the Ling Chan Moon Palace.

The snow-white figure, who had been sitting motionlessly in the pavilion for a long time, finally looked up. Her snow-white dress fluttered even though there was no wind.

Bai Ling and Xia Chan, who were guarding the door and elsewhere, seemed to have sensed something and immediately walked over.

Bai Ling entered the pavilion and said nervously, “Miss, how is it? Did you break through?”

The snow-white figure looked at the pond outside the pavilion with a calm expression.

After a moment, she nodded slightly. “Yes.”

As soon as she said that, Bai Ling stared at her in wide-eyed astonishment before cheering excitedly.

Even Xia Chan’s expression changed slightly.

Bai Ling was excited for a while, but she asked curiously, “Miss, how did you do it? Logically speaking, without that spiritual liquid and those resources, you should have been stuck in this realm for many years. You might not even be able to break through. Didn’t you already give up? Why did you suddenly break through again? This is too unbelievable!”

Then, she suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up. “Miss, did you suddenly encounter some fortuitous encounter? Or did you encounter a soul senior who helped you?”

The snow-white figure looked at the quiet moon in the pond and was silent for a while. She seemed to be answering Bai Ling but also seemed to be muttering to herself. She muttered softly, “Senior? Perhaps.”

Bai Ling was overjoyed. She did not dare to disturb Qin Jianjia anymore. Instead, she turned around and blinked playfully at the cold girl outside the pavilion, saying in a low voice, “Chanchan, tonight is a joyous day, the young lady has broken through, how should we celebrate?”

“Why don’t… we go and play with Sir? All right?”

Xia Chan looked at her coldly and ignored her. She turned around and walked to the plum blossom tree, hugging her sword and standing there coldly.

The plum blossoms had already withered.

Xia Chan did not practice her swordplay anymore. She just quietly looked at the lotus leaves in the pond in front of her and fell into a daze.

It was already so late…