“Brother, are you really not going to go coax Sixth Sister anymore…?” Sheng Mingbo asked in a low voice.
“I coaxed her the whole way, and she still threw a tantrum. Let her be—” Sheng Mingjian replied with a frown.
At this moment, Sheng Mingjian’s expression was grim, his body tense.
His entire demeanor radiated agitation.
He rubbed his brow, left the words “You should head back too,” and strode off quickly.
Sheng Mingbo watched his eldest brother’s retreating figure, his heart feeling heavy, as if struck by a blunt instrument.
He had finally managed to lift his spirits for the lively Lantern Festival, wanting to enjoy himself, but then…
Third Brother didn’t join, and Sixth Sister was in a foul mood all evening.
Elder Brother was unhappy too, which killed any desire he had to admire the lanterns.
On his way back, he ran into Second Brother, Fourth Brother, their cousin, and that girl at the gate.
They were all beaming, holding delicate and lovely lanterns—clearly, they’d had a wonderful time…
Sheng Mingbo instantly felt envious.
There was a time when he used to hang out with Eldest Brother, Third Brother, and Sixth Sister.
They always had fun together, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Mother would often gaze at them with affectionate eyes, taking meticulous care of them.
Father could be stern at times, but he often praised them too…
So, he had many warm and beautiful memories of family harmony.
But now Mother didn’t bother with them, and Father’s attention wasn’t on them either…
The time spent with his siblings brought more frustration than joy…
They no longer felt like a real family…
Sheng Mingbo had gone through a lot of unpleasant things recently, but aside from Third Brother sending him some gifts, no one had come to comfort him…
Suddenly, he found himself missing Third Brother…
He turned and walked toward Third Brother’s courtyard, but when he arrived, he found the gates tightly shut.
The deep red doors were cloaked in the darkness, silently refusing him entry.
Instantly, he felt a wave of tears welling up…
“Young Master, Third Young Master has always been frail—he’s probably already asleep…”
Hearing Liuxing’s voice, Sheng Mingbo turned to see him looking back with a face full of concern.
He never expected that the person who cared most about him now, the one who could keep him company, was just a servant.
Sheng Mingbo felt even more like crying, his eyes stinging unbearably.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?
“I’ll go knock on the door right away…”
Not sure if it was his expression that startled Liuxing, the servant nervously moved to knock.
“No need!”
Sheng Mingbo wiped the tears from his eyes in one swift motion. “Let’s go. We’re heading back too…”
But deep down, he knew nothing could ever return to how it was.
——–
Time flew by, and more than two years passed in the blink of an eye.
The maid Qingdai, whom Sheng Minmin had sent to investigate Master Da Le and Lin Zhijing, had finally returned.
Qingdai seemed to have grown a little taller and tanned quite a bit, looking more mature and steady.
After she left, she would usually send a letter back to the capital each month.
Fearing their correspondence might leak secrets, Qingdai only wrote about her safety and the places she’d passed through in her letters.
Half a year ago, Qingdai said she would disappear for a while, and Sheng Minmin was deeply worried.
It wasn’t until a month ago, when she received word from Qingdai again saying she was already on her way back to the capital, that Sheng Minmin breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, seeing Qingdai back safe and sound, her heart finally settled completely.
“Madam.”
Qingdai bowed, her movements carrying a faint sense of heaviness.
Not exhaustion, but a weighty sorrow.
Her once sparkling eyes now held a hint of shadow.
Sheng Minmin had a bad feeling about this.
There was no one else in the room. Sheng Minmin personally helped Qingdai up and guided her to sit on the bed.
“It’s good that you’ve returned safely…”
Qingdai realized that her dejected appearance had made the madam think she had failed.
But the madam didn’t blame her—she only wished for her safety…
Qingdai felt deeply moved.
But she hadn’t failed.
She had uncovered so many things, revealing the dark underbelly of this world.
Over the past few months, Qingdai had barely eaten or slept well because she truly hadn’t expected it.
She never imagined there could be so many selfish, irresponsible parents in the world, nor so many people treated like livestock…
Organizing her thoughts, Qingdai finally spoke.
“Madam, I’ve found out some things.
“Before Master Da Le took on Lin Zhijing and Sheng Mingzhu as disciples, he had already accepted three other students.
“His eldest disciple, Mulun, went by the alias Mu Hui. Twenty years ago, he went to Zongyong Prefecture in the west and established the Changhuan Cult in a place called Shaji County. The cult worships a so-called ‘Great Immortal’ named Changhuan.
“Mu Hui spread word everywhere that the Great Immortal Changhuan possessed divine powers capable of healing the sick and saving lives.
“Fifteen years ago, a plague suddenly broke out in Shaji County, killing many elderly people.
“At that time, Mu Hui distributed a kind of pill to the local residents. After taking it, the people gradually recovered, and the spread of the plague was halted…
“I discovered that when this so-called plague began, Lin Zhijing’s grandfather was in Shaji County. I suspect the plague was staged by them all along.”
As she spoke, Qingdai felt her voice grow hoarse.
“After the plague, the people of Shaji County began to worship the Great Immortal Changhuan as a deity, and gradually, the influence spread to neighboring counties, drawing even more followers into the Changhuan Cult.
“Mu Hui then told the people that the Great Immortal Changhuan could bestow blessings upon devout believers.
“All they had to do was offer up their children in this lifetime, making them servants of the Great Immortal…
“And in the next life, the Great Immortal would grant them endless wealth, health, wisdom, and beauty…”
Sheng Minmin’s brow furrowed tightly, her eyes filled with unmistakable disgust and resistance.
“Servants of an immortal? How could those people believe such absurd nonsense?”
“Madam, those counties are in harsh, remote, and isolated areas. The people there are ignorant and poor—
“Many of them genuinely believed Mu Hui’s lies, while some found it suspicious but didn’t dare to speak out.
“There were also some parents… who probably felt they couldn’t raise their children properly and figured it was better to just hand them over to the Great Immortal as servants…
“They thought their children would have ‘prospects,’ and they themselves would be blessed in the next life…
“But in reality, those children were locked up by the Changhuan Cult, living lives worse than death…
“The gu insects used on Sheng Mingzhu back then were almost certainly cultivated using those innocent children…”
Sheng Minmin’s eyes widened in fury, the color draining from her face.
“If people in several counties believe in a cult, do the local officials completely ignore it?”
Qingdai shook her head.
“Several corrupt officials are also followers of the Changhuan Cult.
“Madam, the cult members have done many inhuman things to those children…”
Qingdai couldn’t go on, as tears streamed down her face.
She recalled sneaking into an underground palace of the Changhuan Cult, where the scenes were like something out of hell.
Anyone who had witnessed it felt as though their soul had been swallowed by a bottomless abyss…
Sheng Minmin held Qingdai, comforting her, while a storm raged inside her.
Qingdai’s words carried a tremendous amount of information.
She had been right—that bald fraud Da Le was indeed despicable…
But with so many people in several counties fervently believing in a cult, she wondered whether this had been reported to the imperial court.
The current emperor was diligent and cared for his people; if he knew, he wouldn’t just leave it alone.
It was likely that the mountains were high and the emperor far away, and the local officials had covered it up and failed to report it…
Sheng Minmin thought it was probably the latter, so they could no longer investigate this matter privately.
At this moment, Sheng Minmin felt immensely grateful that Qingdai had returned safely.
She decided to let Qingdai rest well first. Once she was fully recovered, she would write down everything she knew, and Sheng Minmin would then pass the information to the Eldest Princess.
