Died In Vain

Xie Qiao lifted the curtains on the carriage and peeked at the weather outside. Her brows furrowed lightly. 

"I still have some business to tend to. Tell the madam that we'll see if we could stay overnight in the mountains tonight," Xie Qiao said. 

It was normal to camp out while traveling, after all. 

The coachman stopped the carriage, rushed to Ms. Lu's side, and whispered to her ear. 

Ms. Lu's face showed her displeasure. "What could be so important? She must be so used to acting so wild and fooling around."

"Then should we stop the carriage? Mother, I heard that this area is famous for producing jade… Precious stones are everywhere in the town's market. If we could reach the town earlier, then we could have some time to browse the wares," Pei Wanyue suggested as she cocked her head to the side. 

Her voice was soft, making her look even more lovable. 

Ms. Lu had not spent time with her daughter for a few years now. She missed her so much, so of course, she would cater to her every whim. 

"Go tell the first young lady that she shouldn't be so playful and frivolous. If she insists on stopping just to fool around, then she will have to walk to the town on her own." Ms. Lu was extremely stern. 

She was not her biological mother, but she was brought back by Xie Niushan in a carriage to be his wife after his previous wife passed. 

At the very least, she had the right to educate his children. 

The coachman conveyed the message back, word for word. When Xie Qiao heard this, her slightly furrowed brows smoothed back out instead as she shook her head. 

"Da Xiong, let's get off the carriage." Xie Qiao said toward the huge rooster. 

After she said this, she picked up her heavy bamboo box and hopped off the carriage. "In that case, you should go together with the madam. I'll meet up with them tomorrow morning."

Before this, she did not pay attention to Ms. Lu's facial features. She only spared her a glance. 

However, she could tell that her facial features were dull, her face was covered in dust, and her eyes did not have any shine to them. Also, the tip of her nose was red, and the sign of fortune on her face was dull and gloomy. These were all subtle signs of bad fortune.

The place that she stopped at was considered to have the highest concentrations of water and wood elements. The air was refreshing and moist. If she were to meditate for a night here before leaving, then she would most definitely clear up the fog in her mind. Those little signs of bad fortune on her face would disappear too. 

Some would remain in denial no matter how much she attempted to explain. In fact...

Xie Qiao squinted her eyes and thought for a moment. 

With Ms. Lu's departure, she might experience a loss of fortune, but she could avoid a disaster, and that was good too. 

The coachman was stunned for a moment. When he looked at the first carriage upfront, he remembered the madam's words from earlier and figured that it was not a good idea to stay and wait for the first young lady. 

Besides, Xie Qiao had already lifted that bamboo box onto her back and was headed toward the forest. 

Her body was thin and slight. Every now and then, she would cough too. That bamboo box seemed like it would break her spine at any minute. 

Meanwhile, that huge rooster stuck close to her tail. It was a strange and mysterious sight to behold.

Xie Qiao walked for about an hour or so as she reached a place. 

Suddenly, her footsteps halted. 

"So it's here? Then you have to stay put. As you can see, I'm rather frail. All this physical work has gotten me beat. If we dig the wrong spot, I am definitely not going to start over," Xie Qiao said to the air. 

In the direction she was staring at, there was a floating figure. 

It had the shape of a rather dashing man. The only thing about it was that it looked rather dumb. 

On his face was a scar that cut diagonally along his face. It was still dripping red, and his eyes were bulging. He was dressed in normal clothes. 

However, only Xie Qiao could see this sight. 

"It's here." The soul's voice was hoarse. It sounded horrifying. 

After he said that, he even floated over and stretched his head out. It seemed as if he was extremely worked up. 

If anyone else were here, they would not hear this hoarse sound. Perhaps they could feel the chilling breeze pass them by and hear the rustle from it. 

"Stay away from me, otherwise I'll exorcise you." Xie Qiao rolled her eyes at this ghoul. "You may think that you have died in vain. In my eyes, it all happened for a reason."