The Husband I Snatched Is Not Right!-Chapter 267 - 264: Tasting Flesh for the First Time, It’s Hard Not to Crave More
"Men, quickly arrest everyone in the Zhu Mansion." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
With this command, the officers headed towards the Zhu Family.
Not only was the Zhu Family’s old lady taken away, but every servant in the Zhu Family was also taken.
As soon as the Zhu Family was empty, a group of Wei Family Army soldiers in plain clothes swiftly entered and rushed towards the secret chamber.
The night was deep, destined to be eventful.
It was as if a colossal wave was brewing, yet it couldn’t wash away the evil deeds.
Even the main street far from the Goddess Temple was bustling with traffic.
Though it was night, the place was brightly lit. Indeed, it was quite bright.
During the temple fair these two days, there was no curfew at night.
Thus, people were mindful; as soon as the sun set, they feared disturbing the peace of the deity and Mr. Zhu, so they refrained from going towards the Goddess Temple, all heading to the bustling main street instead.
Amidst the busy crowd, Yu Tingwan carried a beautiful and exquisite lantern. She was born bright and charming, her eyes seemed to speak, shining with brilliance.
The lantern swayed as she walked.
The man beside her was inseparable, following her no matter what she did.
However...
Wei Zhao: "Aren’t you tired?"
He glanced at the sky.
"It’s time to go back to sleep."
Yu Tingwan was indeed tired.
Even though they dined at a restaurant, she had been sitting and resting for quite a while.
The young lady cleared her throat, leaned closer, fearing others might hear, and softly asked in his ear.
"Is it the usual kind of sleep?"
Wei Zhao raised an eyebrow.
"Are you teasing me?"
Yu Tingwan: ?
Wei Zhao: "How was the taste of the sugary white bean soup you drank during dinner?"
"Delicious!"
Sweet!
Yu Tingwan drank quite a bit.
Wei Zhao: "Do you want to have it again next time?"
Yu Tingwan was just about to nod, but facing Wei Zhao’s meaningful gaze, she couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine.
Wei Zhao: "Understand me."
"At this age, I’m not that young anymore."
"Having just developed a taste, it’s hard not to think about it."
Yu Tingwan felt her legs go weak as she listened.
It hurt that night, but it was also enjoyable.
But mostly, it was her body’s uncontrollable reactions.
The young lady dawdled, avoiding his gaze.
"I’m still full of energy, not very sleepy."
Wei Zhao chuckled: "Alright."
Suddenly, there was a commotion up ahead.
Someone shouted.
"I just came from the Zhu Mansion, saw a group of officials tie up the old lady of the Zhu Family, and took everyone, masters and servants alike, to the Government Office."
With those words, the crowd suddenly fell silent.
Someone rushed over immediately.
"Which Zhu Family? Don’t speak recklessly."
The speaker sighed: "Which other Zhu Family could it be? I saw it with my own eyes, who could I possibly be deceiving?"
"Oh dear, that scene was extraordinary and terrifying. If it weren’t for seeing those officials with knives at their waists, I would have asked if the Zhu Family had committed some crime."
The crowd was in disbelief.
"How is it possible? The Zhu Family does good deeds, why would the Government arrest them, there must be some misunderstanding. Could they have made a mistake?"
"No way, my son was chosen years ago to be a child servant and received the Zhu Family’s kindness. I cannot watch them be wronged; I must go and see."
As one person spoke, soon a group of people chimed in.
"I’m going too."
"I also want to go."
"Count me in."
The atmosphere was passionately intense, when suddenly someone came running from afar.
It was early spring, still cold, but the person’s forehead was dotted with beads of sweat.
"It’s bad news."
"Mr. Zhu, Mr. Zhu, the monks of the Goddess Temple, and the servants, they have all been sent to the prison."
He panted.
"The Zhu Family... most likely committed a crime."
"Just now, I noticed something was wrong, followed them from a distance, and heard the County Magistrate say to separate them for questioning, even instructing the constable to visit the homes of other boys who served as child servants, to have both adults and children brought to the Government Office for questioning."
"I don’t know about the rest..."
"But it seems those monks at the Goddess Temple... are all fake monks, as they don’t have any identity certificates."
Identity certificates are the credentials for monks, and must be carried with them.
These words left everyone in shock.
Yu Tingwan didn’t know what others were thinking.
She turned her head towards Wei Zhao.
After all, he was the one who reported it.
"What witchcraft is the Zhu Family involved in?"
Wei Zhao did not hide it from her: "In Miaojiang, there is a kind of witchcraft for borrowing life."
"Witchcraft once spread to Da Jin and was prevalent in the former dynasty. However, when the late Emperor was alive, his young son was harmed by witchcraft, and in his grief and anger, he declared it forbidden."
"Whenever it appears, there’s no need to report to the Court. Local Government Offices have the authority to execute offenders."
Yu Tingwan understood and asked, "Did Mr. Zhu borrow the lives of children?"
After she spoke, she realized the impropriety of her words and quickly corrected herself.
"Each year, under the guise of a temple fair, a year of life is borrowed."
Wei Zhao: "As far as I know, the more this evil magic is used, the less effective it becomes for the Zhu Family’s son each time."
At first, two children jointly borrowed a year, which was enough for him to live a year.
Later, two children jointly borrowed four years, only enough for him to live a year.
Then it was six years, enough for him to live a year.
The boys are young and easier to control, which is why the Zhu Family chose them.
Practicing evil magic every year is not because the Wizard is lacking in skill.
Lengthy methods are prone to backfire over time.
Additionally, the Zhu Family’s son’s body couldn’t handle too many years of life-altering magic.
Yu Tingwan absorbed all this.
Without Wei Zhao needing to say more, she already had her suspicions.
"The Zhu Family seeks out severely ill children; firstly, if the child dies, no one would say anything. The Zhu Family is also willing to feed them with various herbs for nurturing."
Poor families can’t afford precious herbs for their terminally ill children.
The difference between a two-to-three-year-old ginseng and a hundred-year-old ginseng is vast. The Zhu Family’s willingness to provide is, after all, able to sustain them for a while.
The news of living a little longer spreads, making the Goddess Temple seem more divine, and the following year, more children would come for selection.
Wei Zhao: "That’s true, but there’s another point."
"The yang energy borrowed by the Zhu Family’s son can only come from children with similar age and birth characters. The heavy yang energy of children, if moderated by a frail body, could make the progress of the evil magic smoother."
"With witchcraft involved, the Zhu Family’s son would be enticed to state his willingness, and after getting a confirmation response, he would drink Talismanic Water, forming what is known as a pact in the witchcraft."
The Zhu Family was indeed despicable.
Yu Tingwan absorbed all this.
Because of the earlier fuss, many people had left.
The streets became emptier, less crowded.
There was a ring toss game ahead.
The stall owner was an elderly woman. She called out to Yu Tingwan, "Miss, would you like to play ring toss? Ten coins per round, with five rings."
Yu Tingwan put away her thoughts and walked over.
The stall was filled with handicrafts, various bamboo weavings.
Each was no bigger than a palm.
Seeing her looking at them, the old woman quickly said, "These were all made by my pregnant daughter-in-law. She’s handy and can’t stay idle."
"I thought I could try to earn a little money. This money could be saved, and when the child is born, there will be plenty of expenses."
The old woman was kind and smiled warmly at her.
"Try it, buy for twenty coins, and I’ll give you two extra rings."
Her business here was slow, and bamboo crafts weren’t worth much.
Usually, just two coins would buy one.
It’s all just for fun.
Yu Tingwan went over.
Wei Zhao paid the money.
Twenty coins.
Yu Tingwan held twelve rings, thinking Wei Zhao underestimated her.
It didn’t look hard; how could she miss?
She was confident, "I’ll win a rabbit for my husband."
Yu Tingwan threw with force.
The ring fell, rolled and rolled, missing everything.
Then...
Her hand didn’t cooperate, and after tossing ten more, she didn’t win any.
Yu Tingwan couldn’t accept it.
She felt there was something wrong with the rings, not herself.
Wei Zhao saw her pursing her lips and took the last ring from her hand.
"Which rabbit?"
Yes, there was a whole row of rabbits.
Each one was different.
Yu Tingwan raised her hand and pointed, "That one."
Wei Zhao: "Which one?"
Yu Tingwan softly said, "The one with the slightly longer tail."
Wei Zhao thought all the tails seemed long.
With the old woman’s permission, Yu Tingwan went inside and pointed to a rabbit.
"This one."
Wei Zhao asked, "Once I win it, will you give it to me?"
It did seem a bit improper.
But Yu Tingwan didn’t know where his confidence came from, as if he would surely succeed.
Yu Tingwan spoke gently, "Then you choose the one you like."
Wei Zhao raised an eyebrow, calculated the strength and angle, and the ring drew a beautiful arc in the air, precisely going down.
It landed on Yu Tingwan’s head, slid down, and hung around her neck.
Yu Tingwan: ??
She was startled and looked up at Wei Zhao.
Wei Zhao chuckled softly and said in a low voice.
"Got it."
