Free Web NovelChapter 73: Chapter 73: Resisting the Debt of Life
By now, even Su Tingting realized something was amiss. It was Master Bai who had brought the child to Feng Mansion ten years ago, which basically matched the timing the Coachman mentioned.
Moreover, the child was only five or six years old back then; if she were still alive today, she would be around fifteen or sixteen. Unlike modern times, it was normal for girls of this age to be courted and married off back in those days, and indeed, the Young Lady they met was quite young.
The thought that the esteemed Young Lady of the Feng Family might actually be Ms. Chun’s missing child sent a shiver down Su Tingting’s spine.
But soon, reason took over, and Su Tingting realized a key issue. That didn’t make sense. If the Young Lady was indeed Ms. Chun’s child, why would Ms. Chun’s vengeful spirit still want to kill her? freewebnovёl.ƈom
The peril on the lake last night was still vivid in her mind, and Su Tingting had no doubt that Ms. Chun’s vengeful spirit was intent on killing the Young Lady.
This question also troubled Yang Xiao and Kuang Hongyi. The Feng Family’s waters were too deep; up to now, they hadn’t completely unraveled its secrets, and they didn’t know how much Master Feng was still hiding from them.
Seeing that Kuang Hongyi had something to say, Yang Xiao let down the thick curtains of the carriage door, and the three of them huddled together. Kuang Hongyi spoke in a hushed tone, "Chu, have you ever heard of ’spiritual debts’?"
At the mention of these three words, Yang Xiao’s expression changed dramatically, and the vague sense he had before quickly took on a clear shape, "The Young Lady is Feng Family’s ’spiritual debtor’?"
Seeing the change in Yang Xiao’s face, Su Tingting knew that they were onto something and eagerly asked, "What’s a ’spiritual debt’? Please, could you explain it more clearly?"
Typically, Kuang Hongyi wouldn’t bother to explain things to Su Tingting, seeing it as futile, but considering that they might need her help later with dealing with Manager Liu from the coffin shop, he reluctantly explained, "The so-called ’spiritual debt’ is an obscure rule among those who deal with yin and yang. I don’t understand the specifics, but let me give you an example. Suppose a small fishing village, which depends on water for its livelihood, suddenly can’t catch fish one year. The villagers would think they have offended the River God, so they would organize a draw to decide which family should give up a daughter as a human sacrifice to the deity."
"If a poor family is drawn, they have no choice but to offer their daughter, but if it’s a wealthy family or one that is well-off, they certainly wouldn’t want to sacrifice their daughter. In that case, they would come up with the money or food to buy a child from a poor family to take their daughter’s place as an offering to the River God."
"People back then placed great importance on fate and fortune. Even if they used silver to resolve the situation, in the end, it was still using someone else’s child to save their own, which could ruin the family’s feng shui. Thus, the concept of a ’spiritual debt’ arose, which means that after using a poor family’s child as a substitute, the rich family would have to ’repay’ by providing another child back to them."
"However, this was just a notion, not to be taken seriously. Which rich family would willingly let their child live in hardship with a poor family? As a result, an unwritten rule evolved over time: after each ceremony, the wealthy family would find another child from the poor family to adopt."
"They were not allowed to be choosy. Whichever child the poor family provided, that was the one to be accepted. Even if it were a child barely clinging to life due to illness or disability, the rich family had to take care and nurture the child as if their own, for life, as if to make amends for the child that was sacrificed. That’s why this practice is called a ’spiritual debt,’ and the fortunate child who gets to live a life of wealth as a result, is referred to as the ’spiritual debtor.’
Su Tingting listened to this explanation, baffled. Both Kuang Hongyi and Yang Xiao had far more knowledge than she could compare to. Now, Su Tingting couldn’t help but feel fortunate that she had followed the right people. If it had been Shi Dali, her fate might not have been any better than Shi Guanming’s or Ke Long’s.
"Kuang, you truly are knowledgeable!" Su Tingting praised from the heart, then quietly asked, "So you’re saying that the Young Lady might be the White Family Troupe’s... ’spiritual debtor’?"
Kuang Hongyi didn’t commit to a stance and simply furrowed his brows, "This is only my speculation. Whether it is true or not, we need to continue investigating."
Things had developed beyond his expectations, and he knew he needed to leave this place as soon as possible. Not to mention that Ms. Chun’s resentful spirit was restless, even Master Feng had developed a murderous intent toward them. If they delayed any longer, they might never make it back.
After a bumpy journey, they finally reached Crouching Tiger Manor. Yang Xiao did not let the martial master surnamed Zhao and his group follow; the three of them made a series of turns and eventually arrived at a coffin shop.
As soon as they walked in the door, the young lad they had met once was sawing wood. When he saw Yang Xiao and his companions, he was surprised at first, then scurried to scoop a ladle of clear water and happily trotted over. Yang Xiao was about to take it when he saw the boy offer the ladle to Su Tingting with great deference, "Sister Apprentice, here’s some water for you. I’ll go call Master!"
Yang Xiao: "???"
Kuang Hongyi: "Sister Apprentice?"
Yang Xiao quickly figured it out; Manager Liu had taken in Su Tingting as his adopted daughter, which elevated her status. It was no wonder the apprentice called her Sister Apprentice.
Kuang Hongyi was also a sensible man. Seeing Su Tingting’s sudden rise in status, he naturally smiled amicably, "Miss Su, later on at Manager Liu’s place you’ll have to help us out a lot. You know, there are some things that Chu and I wouldn’t be appropriate asking."
"Su Tingting, later on, follow my cues. When I signal you to ask, you just mention Ms. Chun’s and Young Lady’s birth dates and characters. With Manager Liu’s ability, he’ll know if they are mother and daughter with just one calculation," Yang Xiao planned this from the start.
If he could confirm that the two were mother and daughter, then everything would be much simpler. All they had to do was return to Feng Mansion, find any excuse to get close to the Young Lady, and then hand over Ms. Chun’s belongings. After that, they wouldn’t need to worry about anything else.
Their mission would be accomplished.
Manager Liu quickly made his way out accompanied by the young apprentice upon hearing of Su Tingting’s arrival. Su Tingting was happy to see him again, but soon felt a bit embarrassed, "Godfather, we came in such a rush this time, we didn’t prepare any decent gifts. It’s quite rude of us."
Manager Liu waved his hand indicating it was fine; then his empty eye sockets turned towards Kuang Hongyi, bearing an intimidating air without showing anger: "And who might this be..."
"Oh, godfather, this is Brother Kuang, he’s also a friend of mine who has helped me a great deal," Su Tingting hurriedly explained.
Upon hearing this, Manager Liu nodded, and only then did he divert his face, "Did you encounter any troubles today?"
It was indeed strange; Kuang Hongyi had just felt a chilling gaze sizing him up, yet... Manager Liu clearly had no eyes. It wasn’t until he looked away that the lingering sense of being watched slowly subsided.
It was at that moment that Kuang Hongyi labeled Manager Liu as dangerous. Those involved in these shady dealings were the most troublesome with methods unsuitable for the public eye, all eerily exceptional. Daring to open a coffin shop that deals with unnatural deaths, one would think his skills were extraordinary. Su Tingting really had picked up a treasure.
