Chapter 205: Chapter 205

"Okay, Jiu, stop scaring him. If he hasn’t harmed anyone, let him go!"

Yu Nianzhao said, "But... you need to explain in detail what just happened. How did you end up being forced to possess her?"

"Waa... I don’t know either. I was just sleeping at the bottom of the lake like usual, and heard the sound of someone falling into the water, so I came out to take a look. It was two beautiful young ladies, and I just thought of going up to appreciate their beauty. Who knew, as soon as I approached, a mysterious force pulled me in uncontrollably, and when I regained awareness, I was already possessing her."

"A mysterious force?"

Yu Nianzhao looked thoughtfully at Xia Muyan, who was trembling and waking up.

She called out in a daze, shivering all over, "Mother..."

"Yanyan! You’re awake? Are you okay now?"

The Zhaohua was brought back to reality by this soft call, and seeing Xia Muyan looking normal again, she felt relieved at once, rushed forward, and hugged her, playfully saying, "My goodness, you child, you really scared me to death. You clearly know how to swim, how could you carelessly fall into the lake like that? Stay away from the lakeside in the future."

Xia Muyan softly reassured her, "See, I’m fine, right?"

Xia Muyan indeed seemed to have returned to her original state, but Yu Nianzhao, staring at the center of her brows, curled his lips into a cold smile, "So that’s how it is."

"So you really are innocent."

Yu Nianzhao released him, saying indifferently, "Even though you haven’t harmed anyone, staying at this lake for too long could get you tainted by evil, turning into an evil spirit. Better head to the underworld while you have the chance."

Yu Nianzhao drew a rune on the water ghost, "This rune will guide the ghost messengers of the underworld to take you there. Strive for a chance to reincarnate once you’re there."

The rune gave the water ghost an unprecedented warmth, and sensing the power of the underworld from Yu Nianzhao, the water ghost, both shocked and delighted, kneeled and worshipped him, "Thank you, my lord, thank you!"

He had been a wandering spirit for so many years, never expecting a chance to re-enter reincarnation. He cried, snot and tears flowing, enough to turn a small waterfall into a big one.

"Alright, alright, wash away your resentment first."

Yu Nianzhao waved him off speechlessly, and only then did the water ghost happily roll back into the lake, waiting for the ghost messengers to take him away.

"Is that water ghost... still there?"

The Zhaohua cautiously asked.

Yu Nianzhao said, "The water ghost is gone."

The Zhaohua breathed a sigh of relief, looking better than before, "That’s good. Rest assured, since I promised you a reward, I will certainly give it. I will have the nanny send the silver to Prince Su Mansion in a while."

"Mother, what really happened just now? Could it be that I was possessed by a ghost? That’s too scary, isn’t it?" Chapters fırst released on novel·fiɾe·net

Xia Muyan blinked, shrinking into the embrace of the Zhaohua.

"Don’t be afraid, Yanyan, it’s all over now."

The Zhaohua comforted her, then turned to ask, "By the way, how exactly did you fall into the water? Was it Pei Yunzhi who pushed you?"

At these words, Pei Yunzhi’s face turned as white as a ghost’s, trembling in fear with her mind blank.

In fact, she herself was somewhat confused about what exactly happened while standing by the mast of the boat.

They were clearly chatting. She expressed her admiration for Mr Xie, while Xia Muyan assured her she had only sibling-like feelings for Xie Yunzhe, putting her at ease.

A subtle feeling caused her to lose control of her body’s strength, and in a daze, she saw herself grabbing Xia Muyan’s arm, both falling into the lake together.

Could it be... that she really pushed the Princely Heir?

Even if out of jealousy, where would she find the courage to push someone in front of so many people?

As her thoughts drifted, she heard Xia Muyan’s soft voice in her ear.

"Miss Pei didn’t push me, Mother. We both accidentally fell into the lake together. I’m fine now, just terribly cold. Let’s hurry home."

Xia Muyan’s tone was somewhat urgent, and although Yu Nianzhao was her savior, she didn’t dare meet his eyes, let alone thank him.

"Alright, alright, let’s go back to the mansion."

The Zhaohua ordered someone to bring a cloak, wrapped Xia Muyan in it, then raised her chin slightly and arrogantly said, "Pei Yunzhi, since Yanyan says this incident has nothing to do with you, I’ll let you go this time. If it happens again, I won’t spare you."

Pei Yunzhi, holding back tears, said humiliated, "Yes, thank you for your mercy, Princess."

Yu Nianzhao silently watched the mother and daughter leave. As they passed by him, he could clearly see the avoidance in Xia Muyan’s eyes.

"Phew, how could such a thing happen on a perfectly good boat ride? It’s really bizarre."

After they left, the tense atmosphere finally eased up a bit. Luu Shaoqi grinned and said, "Let’s quickly go have a good meal to comfort our young hearts."

"Zhaozhao, thank goodness for you. If anything had happened to Muyan, we wouldn’t be leaving here today." Song Caiwei sighed in relief, glancing intentionally at the pale Pei Yunzhi and said, "Some people, shouldn’t you thank Zhaozhao properly?"

Pei Yunzhi forced a stiff smile, said awkwardly, "Thank you, Zhaozhao."

She then turned, pleading, "Yunzhe, I was saved when I fell into the water, thanks to you. I’m really unwell now, probably caught a chill from falling into the water. Could you take me back to the mansion for the sake of old times?"

Xie Jiarou murmured, "Even if you need an escort home, it’s not necessary for my brother to personally escort you. Just have a guard do it, clearly ulterior motives."

Xie Yunzhe furrowed his brow, recalling what happened on the lake, and after pondering for a moment, said, "Alright, I’ll take you back."

Pei Yunzhi’s eyes lit up, bashfully saying, "Thank you, Yunzhe."

Xie Yunzhe apologized, "Zhaozhao, sorry. I’ll treat you to a meal next time."

Hearing him also naturally call her ’Zhaozhao,’ Yu Nianzhao felt goosebumps rise and said, pursing her lips, "No problem, I’m more accustomed to eating at the Prince’s Mansion, and besides, I have to accompany the Sixth Prince for a stroll."

Xie Yunzhe nodded slightly, saying distantly, "Zhaozhao, I’ll come find you later. There’s something I need to tell you."

Watching Xie Yunzhe and Pei Yunzhi leave, Yu Nianzhao was completely puzzled as to what Xie Yunzhe wanted to tell her.

"Miss Yu knows Taoist arts?"

Nan Guili silently watched the show, his dark eyes holding a probing interest towards Yu Nianzhao.