Volume One, Chapter 20: Help! Someone Has Fallen Into the Water!

“Throw, throw the body...?”

Upon hearing those words, Lin Wanyin’s knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her parents chatting happily with the Meng family couple, the atmosphere warm and congenial.

Her brother was now raising a toast and laughing heartily with the Pei brothers.

But where was Fu Lingzhou?

She glanced around but could no longer see any trace of him.

Even if she wanted to seek help now, there was no one to turn to.

“Miss Xie, please hurry,” the maid’s voice sounded again, carrying an unmistakable urgency.

Lin Wanyin's heart trembled with unease and anxiety so intense that she failed to notice the maid’s unusual tone.

After a long moment, she gritted her teeth and made her decision.

Whether the person was alive or dead, with the entire Xie family backing her now, what fear did she, Xie Wanning, have?

Moreover, her brother was right.

Xie Wanning herself had abandoned the ailing Lu Yanci to marry Fu Lingzhou. All she needed to do was add fuel to the fire in front of Lu Yanci—claiming that Xie Wanning couldn’t bear the loneliness and had been consorting with other men. Once Lu Yanci heard that, he would never protect her again.

He might even come to hate her.

Better yet, throw her into the darkest places, make her a prostitute ridden by thousands!

At the thought of this, a cold gleam flashed in Lin Wanyin’s eyes, and her inner anxiety vanished instantly.

She strode alongside the maid to the edge of the pool.

From a distance, she spotted a slender figure dressed in white.

Wherever she stood, she was a sight to behold.

At that moment, looking at Xie Wanning, an air of ethereal detachment seemed to settle upon her. The white dress she wore made her appear like a fairy untouched by the dust of the world, captivating all eyes.

That woman had always been so unbearable.

Lin Wanyin glanced around to confirm no one was nearby, then summoned her courage and approached.

Over the past two years, Xie Wanning had long been terrorized by Fu Lingzhou. No matter how cruelly they tormented her, she cowered in the corner, afraid to fight back, not even daring to cry.

Every time she saw Lin Wanyin, she screamed in fright, sometimes even losing control.

Facing such a useless creature, what was there to fear?

She now only hated herself for not smashing harder that day, for leaving her alive.

Clenching her fists, Lin Wanyin growled through gritted teeth, “Xie Wanning, you truly have a miserable fate! I smashed your head open, yet you’re still alive!”

“Oh? Sorry to disappoint you,” Xie Wanning slowly turned around, lifting her eyelids slightly. Her icy eyes pierced Lin Wanyin’s soul like sharp knives.

“You…”

Lin Wanyin felt an indescribable chill surge from her heart, involuntarily stepping back several paces, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Just a few days apart, but how had her gaze become so terrifying?

Like a demon from hell, wielding the power to devour everything.

A wave of inexplicable fear surged like a tide, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably.

Xie Wanning stood still, and with a single look, she shattered her opponent’s courage completely.

So even a murderous demon could feel fear.

“Xie Wanning, you want to take revenge on me?”

Lin Wanyin clenched her fists again, mustering her courage to meet Xie Wanning’s gaze. She sneered harshly, “Do you think Lu Yanci will still support you? You abandoned him, betrayed him, hurt him. A vile woman like you—Lu Yanci probably wants to kill you even more than I do!”

Seeing Xie Wanning remain silent, Lin Wanyin’s confidence grew.

She continued, “Have you forgotten how you knelt in that cage like a dog, begging for mercy? Have you forgotten how you kowtowed to me, begging me not to kill you?”

“Hahaha!” Lin Wanyin suddenly burst into laughter, a hint of madness in her expression. “My high and mighty sister, worshipped by all, you were born lowly—what right do you have to be nobler than me?”

Everyone knew she was a fake heiress.

Yet their mother still allowed her to be a daughter.

She had done everything so perfectly, only to show that this true heiress was inferior to her in every way.

So she would trample her underfoot, drag her into the dirt, and ensure she would never raise her head again.

But now, looking at the pure and unblemished Xie Wanning, it was unbearably glaring.

“Do you see how she looks?” The original soul’s voice echoed in Xie Wanning’s mind. “She’s a lunatic—seemingly innocent and harmless, but inside she’s venomous, ruthless, and twisted!”

The original soul surged toward Lin Wanyin, trying to strangle her, but as a mere spirit, it couldn’t touch her at all.

The enemy was right before her eyes, yet she was powerless. The original soul was nearly driven mad by the feeling, shouting at Xie Wanning, “Kill her! You must kill her for me!”

“Shut up.”

Xie Wanning shot a cold glare at the original soul, silencing it instantly.

Watching Lin Wanyin continue to rage madly, Xie Wanning opened her palm, and a small paper doll flew out.

Soon, Lin Wanyin stiffened as if frozen, her expression vacant.

Xie Wanning stepped forward, snatching the jade pendant from Lin Wanyin’s hand.

She examined it with a puzzled look.

This pendant was originally paired with Lu Yanci’s jade piece. His was filled with deathly energy, but this pendant radiated spiritual energy.

She pinched a talisman between her fingers and formed a hand seal.

“Spiritual forces of heaven and earth, unite!”

As her words fell, the talisman ignited instantly.

The original soul was drawn into the jade pendant by a mysterious force.

When the ritual was complete, Xie Wanning placed the jade pendant back around Lin Wanyin’s neck.

Then she snapped her fingers.

Lin Wanyin’s vacant expression remained as she mindlessly walked toward the pool like a living corpse.

“Have fun. Just remember, don’t cause any deaths.”

With those words, Xie Wanning turned and left.

Splash!

Water splashed as Lin Wanyin fell in.

Suddenly awake in the water, she struggled fiercely, desperate to surface.

Yet an inexplicable force spread from beneath her feet, binding her tightly. No matter how she struggled, she could not move.

In horror, she looked down. Through the mottled water, she caught sight of a twisted, distorted ghostly face, terrifying and close at hand.

“Ah—gulp, gulp…”

Ripples spread across the surface with her thrashing, bubbles rising like breaths of despair.

A nearby maid, passing by, noticed the commotion and hurried over.

Seeing someone struggling in the pool, she dropped her tray and ran stumbling toward the crowd, her voice sharp with urgency:

“Someone! Come quickly! There’s a person drowning—”

She shouted as she ran, soon drawing the attention of the crowd.