Li Man’er smiled sweetly, but her smile was like a demon to Cui shi, sending a chill down her spine.
"You..." Cui shi's body trembled involuntarily. How could Li Man’er know about what happened over a decade ago?
"Surprised?" Li Man’er curled her lips. "Shall we make a deal?"
Cui shi was a little bewildered, not understanding what Li Man’er meant. She stared with her murky, beady triangular eyes, a mixture of fear and curiosity in them.
"Tell me the truth about how she wanted to harm my mother, and I'll help you get rid of the curse."
Cui shi turned her head away, her voice very weak, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Then, would you like me to remind you what you had your sister and Guo shi do on the day of my full moon banquet over ten years ago?"
Cui shi's heart began to pound uncontrollably. It was beating so fast that she felt dizzy, as if she might faint at any moment.
Li Man’er moved closer to Cui shi's bed, leaned down, and stared intently at her. "The Grand Princess was there that day too, wasn't she? You even exchanged knowing smiles, hmm?"
"It wasn't like that." A chill rose from the soles of Cui shi's feet to the crown of her head. The fear and panic in her eyes were about to burst out.
"So, the one who wanted to harm my mother was actually the Grand Princess. The Grand Princess held your unsavory past over you, even possessing leverage that would surely lead to your death, so to please the Grand Princess, and to preserve your own innocence and reputation, you had no choice but to agree to her demands and kill my mother, is that right?"
Li Man’er spoke the last two words lightly, but Cui shi smelled a hint of death.
"How did you know?" The shock in Cui shi's heart was indescribable. Li Man’er was only a month old when those events happened over a decade ago; what could she possibly know? How could she know?
"To prevent gossip, one must not act." Li Man’er pointed a finger at the sky. "Heaven is not blind; the Way of Heaven is active."
Cui shi snorted coldly, "The Way of Heaven is active? If the Way of Heaven is active, why are you still alive?"
"It seems you have no intention of speaking. That's fine." Li Man’er snorted coldly. "Whether you speak or not, it won't stop me from getting my revenge."
Suddenly, a needle appeared in Li Man’er's hand. Cui shi's pupils contracted sharply, and she blurted out urgently, "What are you doing? You..."
Without hesitation, Li Man’er's needle pierced an acupoint on Cui shi's head. Cui shi felt a sharp roaring sound in her ears, followed by a blankness in her mind. Her vision went dark, and she knew nothing more.
Li Man’er collected the needle into her spatial storage, took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands, and looked at Cui shi with disgust.
Since she refused to say anything, she was as good as a useless person. Useless people didn't need to be kept around.
After finishing, Li Man’er didn't rush to leave. She carefully searched Cui shi's room, hoping to find some evidence.
Her movements were light; she put everything back as she found it, but after searching for a long time, she found nothing.
The Guanyin statue on the wall, with its benevolent face, seemed to foreshadow something.
Li Man’er remembered that Cui shi had a habit of worshipping Buddha and reciting scriptures, and even had a small Buddhist altar in her room.
Her nose was keen, and she could already smell the scent of sandalwood. She followed it to the small Buddhist altar at the back, finding very few things there. Apart from the altar, a prayer cushion, and a small incense table, there was almost nothing else in sight.
This was an illusion; good things were often hidden.
Li Man’er examined the layout of the small Buddhist altar, tapping here and there, but still found nothing. However, she was not one to give up easily.
Finally, Li Man’er's gaze fell upon the altar itself.
She was not particular about what she ate or avoided, nor did she have any religious beliefs, so she intended to pick up the Buddha statue directly to see if there was anything hidden beneath.
However, after trying to lift it a couple of times, Li Man’er couldn't move the statue. A slight smile touched her lips. See, she had found something suspicious.
The statue was attached to its base. Li Man’er observed it carefully and then, holding the statue, turned it to the right. Indeed, she discovered a secret.
A square-shaped hidden compartment was revealed behind the altar. Li Man’er waited for a while, not seeing any poisonous smoke or hidden weapons, before reaching her hand inside.
The moment she put her hand into the hidden compartment, a dark shadow darted out from the corner, lunging fiercely at Li Man’er's finger. One second it seemed to taste fresh blood, and the next, Li Man’er had its head firmly in her grip, unable to move.
"Dare to bite me? Aren't you afraid of death?" Li Man’er lifted the little creature that had attacked her and found it to be a mutated scorpion. It was red all over and had two small horns on its head, making it hard to notice at first glance.
This red scorpion had six brown stripes on its abdomen.
"I didn't expect this. You've swallowed six poisonous creatures, and your combat power is quite strong."
In Li Man’er's hand, the red scorpion was as docile as an insect. It wished it could play dead, remaining motionless.
Li Man’er took a jar from her spatial storage, placed the scorpion in her hand into it, and then stored the jar back into her spatial storage.
She thought to herself, with Cui shi's malicious heart, how could she not have rigged the hidden compartment? She just didn't expect her to place a Gu insect here instead of hidden weapons or poisonous smoke.
And it was a Gu King level one at that.
Li Man’er reached into the hidden compartment again and took out a wooden box. She shook it gently, then opened it.
Upon seeing the contents, Li Man’er's eyes lit up. She picked up the items and examined them closely, finding a handwritten journal placed on top.
This was likely Cui shi's diary.
She flipped through it casually and discovered that it mostly recorded Cui shi's hidden, darker side.
If Cui shi had enjoyed pranking her friends and younger sisters in her youth, performing acts that embarrassed others, then her married life was akin to a history of dark and vicious schemes.
Several of the Old Marquis's concubines had been murdered by Cui shi. Originally, the Li family had many descendants, and the Old Marquis was quite potent, but these illegitimate sons and daughters had all perished prematurely.
"Most of them died in the womb!" Li Man’er exclaimed as she flipped through, "Truly, the heart of a woman is the most venomous."
She had learned a lot.
However, it surprised her that Li Nian had survived. He must have been a lucky survivor. Cui shi's ruthlessness was comparable to an abortion squad.
One for two!
Towards the end of the journal, it also recorded information about Ning shi.
Cui shi had initially thought highly of Ning shi. Her family was wealthy, her appearance was striking, and she was talented. Most importantly, the Marquis's mansion's financial crisis could be resolved through a marriage alliance with the Ning family.
It was a pity that Ning shi had offended someone she shouldn't have.
This was Cui shi's last recorded sentence about Ning shi.