3 The Third Willow Tree

Luo Qingzhou walked out of the living room.

The wind was bone-chilling and the snow was still falling heavily.

Luo Qingzhou pondered over what he had just heard with a heavy heart.

His mother was indeed killed by First Madam. The other murderer was her second son, Luo Yu.

Moreover, they had tried to kill him.

Since he had taken over this body and fused it with the original host's body and memories, naturally, he felt a deep sense of hatred toward them.

However, with his current situation, getting revenge was impossible now.

As for this marriage…

In his previous life, it had been his goal to be idle and be financially supported by a woman.

Moreover, he was unable to reject this arrangement made by the Luo family.

With his current status and strength, he was not even qualified to struggle, let alone resist.

If he dared to talk back, his father might slap him with every ounce of strength he had. If that was the case, he would definitely die.

In this era, disobeying one's elders was a huge offense.

If he disobeyed his father, nobody would say anything even if he got beaten to death.

Escaping was out of the question.

He could attempt that if he had a death wish.

In Mo City, although the Luo Family was not the most influential, they were powerful. Their family was one of the top three in this city.

Besides, he was just a weak scholar. If he fled, where could he go?

Leave the city?

According to his memories, demon beasts were roaming in the Black Forest located outside the city.

Therefore, he had nowhere to go.

At present, there was only one path he could take.

He would give in to the Luo family and obediently marry into the Qin family. After that, he would make other plans.

The sooner he left this place, the sooner he would be out of danger.

If he continued to linger at home, the ruthless First Madam would definitely try to kill him again.

As for what would happen after he married into the Qin family… He could only take it one step at a time.

At the very least, after marrying into the Qin family, no one would try to kill him anymore.

There was a saying, "Where there's life, there's hope."

As long as he was alive, there was hope.

"Young Master, what did Old Master and First Madam talk to you about? Are they going to find a wife for you?"

On the way back, Xiao Die impatiently asked.

Luo Qingzhou glanced at her. Her face was filled with excitement. He could not bear to see her sad, so he nodded and said, "Yes, I'll be taking a wife."

"Wow, that's great! Young Master, which family is she from?"

Xiao Die cheered excitedly.

Luo Qingzhou smiled bitterly and said, "From the Qin family."

He thought, "But she's an idiot. Who knows if she'll drool and have incontinence."

As the two of them spoke, they entered the dilapidated courtyard.

Xiao Die was overjoyed and excited. She went to Luo Qingzhou's side and chattered non-stop, her face full of longing as she described the wonderful life they would have in the future.

Then, she suddenly thought of something and stared at Luo Qingzhou nervously. "Young Master, will you bring me with you when you leave this residence?"

Luo Qingzhou sat in front of the brazier and watched the dancing flames. He nodded and said, "Of course."

He wondered how this girl would feel when she found out that he was leaving the family to become a matrilocal son-in-law and even had to serve their eldest daughter, who was a fool.

How tragic.

He suddenly recalled how he had heard Second Madam's inner thoughts. "How did I do it? Why can't I hear anything else after that?" he thought.

Luo Qingzhou carefully recalled the scene earlier.

Xiao Die was still chattering away. "You're so good to me, Young Master. I promise that in the future, I'll take good care of you and your wife. I can do a lot of things! I can do the laundry, fold the blanket, make tea, massage your back and comb your hair."

Her face was full of joy as she looked at him excitedly.

Probably in Xiao Die's opinion, being able to leave this terrifying place was akin to leaving the tiger's den.

Luo Qingzhou held his breath and stared into her eyes. Suddenly, he heard her internal thoughts. "I can even serve Young Master in bed. Tonight, I'll warm Young Master's bed. Should I insist on staying so that I can serve Young Master in bed? Anyway, Madam said before that I'm Young Master's concubine-maidservant1. Young Master is already so old, but he is still sexually inexperienced. When he gets married and consummates his marriage, his wife might laugh at him. Back then, when Granny Sun bought me, she already educated me in this area. Fortunately, Second Young Master didn't touch me. Hmph, I don't care about him at all. Third Young Master is still the best…"

Xiao Die continued thinking to herself non-stop.

Just as Luo Qingzhou was about to continue listening, a sharp pain shot through his head. It felt like needles stabbing him in the brain. He immediately came to a realization.

Eavesdropping on others' thoughts would consume a lot of his mental energy.

He immediately stopped and moved his gaze away from Xiao Die. Instead, he stared at the falling snow.

Gradually, darkness fell.

There were no oil lamps, candles, or other entertainment, so people in this era usually went to bed early after dinner.

After all, it was warmer under the blanket.

"Young Master, I'll go bring you some food," Xiao Die said.

Luo Qingzhou and Xiao Die ate two meals a day. They got their food from the back kitchen where the servants got their food from.

Luo Qingzhou searched his memories. Not once had he eaten at the same table as his father and First Madam.

Actually, even the Second Madam was not qualified to dine at the same table with them, let alone him.

Xiao Die quickly brought the food over.

Dinner was very simple.

They only had two steamed buns and a plate of pickled vegetables.

However, many commoners were very thankful if they got to eat such steamed buns.

After they had finished their meal, Xiao Die brought back the plates.

Luo Qingzhou did not want to enter the house so early to rest. He left the small courtyard and wandered about in the cold.

The scenery was breathtaking.

He exited through an archway and passed a corridor. Following that, he turned into a garden.

When he left the garden, there was a large open space with a small lake.

The lake was covered in a haze, like a grey shroud. Despite the cold weather, the lake did not freeze. On the contrary, the lake was full of pink lotus flowers blooming.

As soon as Luo Qingzhou approached, he felt a wave of warm air engulf his face, and the fragrance of flowers filled his nostrils.

The water in the lake was actually warm!

At this moment, a person suddenly rushed over from the side. He did not seem to notice Luo Qingzhou's presence. That person had his head lowered and had a nervous look on his face.

Judging from his attire, he should be a servant in the residence.

Luo Qingzhou stared into his eyes and suddenly heard what he was thinking. "The third willow tree, the third willow tree…"

He kept repeating this sentence mentally.

When that servant got close to Luo Qingzhou, he looked up and caught sight of him. That servant was taken aback. He stared at Luo Qingzhou a few times with panic-stricken eyes before hurriedly leaving.

"The third willow tree?" thought Luo Qingzhou.

Luo Qingzhou stared in puzzlement as he watched that servant disappear behind the archway.

Then, he turned his gaze to the lake not too far away.

There was indeed a row of willow trees there.

At this moment.

Night fell, and the light was dim, making it hard to see.

However, under the white snow, he could still see something.

After a brief hesitation, he walked toward that row of willow trees.

He found the third willow tree.

Luo Qingzhou was not in a hurry. After standing by the lake for a while and seeing that no one had entered, he came to the clump of flowering shrubs and crawled in. From there, he carefully studied the third willow tree.

There was nothing unusual on the tree trunk.

He looked at the ground and reached out to pull a clump of withered grass. He easily pulled out the withered grass, along with a lump of soil sticking to it.

Sure enough, there was something buried below!

Luo Qingzhou's heart skipped a beat. He looked up at the arched doorway and thought to himself, "Could it be a human head or a corpse?"

After hesitating for a moment, he mustered his courage and began digging with his hands.

After digging a little bit deeper, a wooden box appeared.

The box was black, and it seemed to glow with a luster in the moonlight. It had a sinister look, looking exactly like a mini coffin.