Wife is hell

Chapter 88 (Long chapter, 6,000 words)

No one could understand Pan Sheng'er's feelings at that moment.

Extreme fear and extreme despair intertwined, like cold iron chains tightening around her heart.

It nearly suffocated and broke her.

She didn't even dare to move.

She sat stiffly in the still-warm bathtub, her lips pale, her hand holding the letter trembling uncontrollably.

"Madam, you smell so good."

That perverted lecher had been hiding inside her bathtub all along!

Right now, right beneath her.

Moreover, it was the carpenter she thought had eloped with her!

Pan Sheng'er opened her mouth to call for help, but the sound seemed to be stuck in her throat, and she couldn't make a sound.

Scalding tears fell silently, like beads of water breaking off their string, mingling with the lukewarm bathwater.

The sandalwood incense burning on the table emitted wisps of smoke.

The strange fragrance seemed to transform into a venomous snake, coiling around her limbs and trapping her.

It's that same scent again.

She suddenly remembered...

Before I inexplicably fainted last time, I smelled this same fragrance.

"Click——"

A slight scraping sound of wooden planks suddenly came from under the bathtub.

Pan Sheng'er trembled with fright.

At this point, she could clearly feel that her limbs were gradually losing sensation.

The letter slowly drifted down from between my fingers.

It fell into the water.

As the hidden compartment was pushed open from the inside, a slender, ape-like figure emerged from the bottom of the bucket with remarkable flexibility, almost like a reptile.

It looks just like a spider crawling out of a dark corner.

The man stood up.

He had dark skin, his features were scrunched up, and his eyes gleamed with an unusual light in the dim light.

Pan Sheng'er stared at him blankly.

Although the other party had identified themselves in the letter, seeing it in person was still a huge shock that left her mind blank.

Mo Hai'er!
This was the little carpenter she once thought had run away with his personal maid!

She never expected that the perverted lecher who harassed her day and night was actually him!
To her surprise, the other party had been hiding in a secret compartment of the bathtub. No wonder she thought the bottom of the new bathtub was much higher when she received it; she assumed it was a new design.

"lady……"

Mo Hai'er stared intently at the terrified woman in the bathtub, her eyes bloodshot, filled with infatuation and guilt.

"I know, I know...you're scared..."

He reached out his hand, trembling, wanting to touch the skin so close to his, but then withdrew it out of cowardice due to his inferiority complex.

"so similar."

"Madam, you and she really look so alike."

Pan Sheng'er naturally realized that the "she" the other person was referring to was the widowed neighbor.

“Back then, my second uncle would beat me when he was drunk and let me go hungry. It was she who gave me food.”

“Back then, we didn’t have any new clothes to wear for the New Year, so she altered old clothes for me.”

"Back then, I vowed that I would marry her when I grew up."

"I still remember that birthmark on her back, which looked like a leaf or a butterfly wing..."

"I still can't forget her body."

"Madam, you look so much like her. Marry me, and I will treat you well."

Mo Hai'er pleaded tearfully, her voice choked with sobs.

He finally mustered his courage, stretched out his arms, and reached out to hug the shivering woman in the water.

Pan Sheng'er completely broke down.

She prayed frantically that a maid or servant would appear and save her.

"Actually, all I want to know is whether you killed that girl named Nan'er."

Suddenly, a calm voice rang out.

The two people inside the room were both stunned.

Mo Hai'er turned her head and saw a young man sitting on a rattan chair in the corner.

The candlelight seemed to deliberately avoid that corner.

His figure was shrouded in a hazy, dark atmosphere, like a ghost.

Young Master Mu!
Pan Sheng'er was stunned.

He thought he was hallucinating out of fear.

The moment Mo Hai'er saw Jiang Mu, he immediately rushed towards the window.

The window was not bolted.

He had every opportunity to jump out of the window and escape to the nearest courtyard wall.

clang--

The bell rang.

Mo Hai'er let out a shrill scream, as if struck by a heavy hammer, curled up and fell to the ground, covering her ears tightly with her hands, and glaring bright red blood seeped from between her fingers.

At the same time, the door was pushed open with a "bang".

Madam Yan rushed in, looking flustered.

When Jiang Mu sensed something was wrong, he informed her on the way and then sneaked in first.

"Sister Pan!"

She spotted her pale-faced friend in the bathtub and rushed over to her.

Realizing she was finally saved, Pan Shenger could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

Jiang Mu extinguished the eerie burning sandalwood incense stick, walked to Mo Hai'er who was curled up on the ground, groaning in pain, and looked down at her with an indifferent tone:
"You're very clever. After I saw those hidden compartments in the wardrobes you made, I wondered if someone might be hiding in them, but after searching and not finding anything, I didn't think much of it."

However, I completely overlooked the bathtub. After all, it was right there in the room, the easiest thing to see, yet also the easiest to ignore. "The darkest place is under the lamp," I thought, "I had a good time."

Lady Yan brought some clothes and draped them over her friend.

She turned her head and glared at Mo Haier, her eyes burning with anger, while a deep sense of fear welled up inside her.

If Jiang Mu hadn't noticed in time and arrived in time, my friend might have been in serious trouble tonight...

She didn't dare to think about it anymore.

But what puzzled her was the man they had pulled out of the cellar earlier.
"Answer my question just now."

Jiang Mu stepped on Mo Hai'er's ankle, slowly applying pressure. "Did you kill Nan'er?"

Mo Hai'er's face contorted in pain: "No...no! I have no idea where she went!"

Jiang Mu stared at him for a moment and concluded that the other party was not lying.

Since Miss Nan'er did not elope with Mo Hai'er but has disappeared, she has most likely met with some misfortune.

When was the last time you saw her?

Jiang Mu pressed on in a cold voice.

Mo Hai'er was in so much pain that she was covered in cold sweat, and said in a trembling voice:
"It was on the second night after I hid in this bathtub that she came to add water to the tub, said a few words to the madam, and then... I haven't seen her since."

"Has she done anything unusual?"

Jiang Mu asked again.

"No... I didn't notice anything unusual. Oh, right!"

Mo Hai'er suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "That afternoon, I vaguely heard Xiao Nan tell others that an old woman outside asked her for water and gave her an apple."

"apple?"

Jiang Mu frowned.

This was the second time he had heard the word today.

The first time was when Jiang Xiaoyuan said it.

The octogenarian woman who died naked on the street a while ago was holding a rotten apple she had barely eaten in her hand before she died.

"Yes, I saw Xiaonan eat the apple through the crack in the secret compartment, and then she coughed for a while."

At the time, I just found it strange and didn't think much of it. But the next day, she never showed up again.

Mo Hai'er recounted what had happened.

At this moment, Pan Shenger, whose emotions had calmed down slightly, also added, choking back tears:
“I remember now. That night, Xiao Nan was indeed a bit absent-minded and did things in a daze, so I scolded her a few times for it.”

Later she disappeared. I assumed she was acting strangely because she was thinking about eloping and something was on her mind…

Jiang Mu seemed to be deep in thought.

He looked at Pan Shenger and asked, "What do you plan to do with this lecher?"

Madam Yan said resentfully, "Of course it should be delivered to—"

She had intended to suggest sending it to the "government," but then she realized that her friend valued her reputation highly and would never agree. She was speechless and didn't know what to do.

Pan Sheng'er was equally distraught, and sobbed, "Just... just kick him out..."

"Kick them out?"

Jiang Mu shook his head secretly.

He took the damp letter and read it over.

He became even more convinced that with this man's twisted obsession, even if his legs were broken, he would crawl back here.

It seems that only he can resolve this matter.

However, it was inconvenient to make a move directly in front of the two women.

"Alright, then let's do as Madam says and kick him out." Jiang Mu said calmly, pulling up the limp Mo Hai'er and walking towards the door.

Madam Yan wanted to say something, but her friend tugged at her sleeve, so she had no choice but to give up.

She thought that at least breaking his leg before kicking him out would be acceptable.

Jiang Mu dragged Mo Hai'er to a secluded, deserted alley outside the courtyard.

"Are you... are you going to kill me?"

Mo Hai'er asked in a trembling voice.

Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow: "Although he's a pervert, he's not stupid."

Mo Hai'er was so frightened that she tried to break free, but to no avail. She could only plead, "Great hero, please let me go. I will never dare to do it again. I really won't dare to do it again."

"Mo Hai'er, in fact you underestimate your own personality."

Jiang Mu took out the bell and said calmly, "Someone like you is terrified when you're scared, but once your desires are rekindled, you'll do the same thing again."

And if I'm not mistaken, the reason you came out tonight was because you planned to kidnap Madam Pan, right?

Mo Hai'er's lips trembled, unable to utter a word.

"Child, you can try to be reborn in an island nation in your next life; it's a good place for you."

Jiang Mu placed the Donghuang Taichu Bell next to his ear and gently shook it.

Mo Hai'er didn't even have time to scream before she collapsed to the ground, blood flowing from all seven orifices.

"Young master, you're quite ruthless. You must have killed a lot of people before."

The woman in green floated in the air, somewhat surprised by Jiang Mu's ruthlessness.

Jiang Mu ignored her, placed the bell above Mo Hai'er's corpse, and gently shook it, causing a drop of thick liquid to fall.

Soon, Mo Hai'er's body, along with her clothes, turned into ashes.

"Huh? This is..."

Jiang Mu noticed a bracelet lying on the ground nearby.

He picked it up and found that it was made of pure copper.

Jiang Mu examined it closely and discovered two small characters engraved inside the bronze bracelet—Xiu Yun.

"It should be the name of the widowed neighbor who was Mo Hai'er's white moonlight when he was young."

Jiang Mu originally intended to throw it away, but after thinking about it, he put it back in his pocket.

-

After disposing of the body, Jiang Mu returned to the house. Pan Sheng'er was already dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed, sobbing softly.

Lady Yan gently comforted her from the side.

Upon seeing Jiang Mu enter, Pan Sheng'er hurriedly rose, gracefully bowed, and spoke with a choked voice:

"Lord Mu, thank you so much for saving my life! If you hadn't arrived in time tonight, I would probably be in grave danger. This kindness and gratitude are beyond words..."

"Take me to that cellar."

Jiang Mu interrupted her thanks and spoke directly.

"what?"

Pan Sheng'er was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and quickly got up to lead Jiang Mu to the cellar in the backyard.

The cellar had been sealed off before.

Pan Sheng'er then summoned a servant to reopen the door.

Pan Sheng'er said:
"After the mirage, the house was infested with rats, so I ordered my servants to clean it thoroughly."

We stumbled upon this abandoned cellar by chance. At the time, both Sister Yan and I thought the person hiding inside was that lecherous fellow.

Lady Yan asked in confusion, "If that man wasn't a lecher, why did he admit it?"

Jiang Mu said calmly:
"He only confessed because you were going to report him to the authorities. This means he's a shady character, either hiding here with a murder charge on his conscience, or he has some secret." The two women felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing this.

Have you checked this place?

Jiang Mu asked.

Pan Sheng'er nodded: "I sent a servant down to check, and there was nothing there except some rotten food."

Jiang Mu brought a torch and climbed down the ladder alone.

The cellar was dilapidated, with withered yellow leaves and rotten food scattered around.

Apart from that, it was empty and ordinary, with nothing unusual.

"There is a secret room here."

A figure in green floated out, half of its body disappearing into the wall.

Then it disappeared again.

A muffled voice came from inside: "Wow, this place is really scary."

Chamber of Secrets?

Jiang Mu carefully observed the stone wall where Qingyi had disappeared and quickly discovered a groove at the bottom.

He kicked it hard with his foot.

A hidden door slid open with a click.

Jiang Mu entered with a torch, but froze in place when he saw what was inside.

Inside was a secret room of about ten square meters.

There were many dead rats lying on the ground.

What's most unsettling is that the wooden shelves embedded in the three walls are densely packed with white porcelain plates.

The plate contained a heart.

That's right, it's the human heart!

The surface of those hearts seemed to be covered with a thin, translucent gel, which subtly maintained a vibrant state of contraction and relaxation, as if they had just been removed from the body.

Jiang Mu was shocked.

Could the man hiding in the cellar be a serial killer?

He suppressed his discomfort and went closer to take a closer look.

They discovered that the bottom of each plate containing a heart was covered with eerie runes drawn in dark red blood.

All these runes are connected by a thin bloodline, forming a complete pattern.

Following the blood trail, Jiang Mu thoroughly examined the secret room and finally came to a conclusion.

This is a sacrificial formation!

He found the end of the bloodline.

There was also a rune drawn there, on which was offered a chipped earthenware bowl.

There is also a heart in the bowl.

It was already highly rotten and emitted a foul stench.

Next to the bowl, there was a name written on it—Huang Xiang'er.

"Huang Xiang'er?"

Jiang Mu was startled.

The murderer who killed several spoiled young men in the last revenge-related spiritual disaster case that shocked Yancheng was named Huang Xiang'er.

Is it just a coincidence of having the same name?
Or is this heart Huang Xiang'er's?
If it was taken out after Huang Xiang'er's death, who was that person?
It shouldn't be Yu Zhengqing.

He has no need to, and cannot, do that.

But if someone were alive and offered their heart here as a sacrifice, that would be horrifying.

Jiang Mu realized that he had inadvertently stumbled upon a secret hidden beneath the previous spiritual disaster case.

"Forget it, let's leave this mess to Big Soft Candy."

Jiang Mu thought to himself, "This is obviously a major spiritual disaster case, and it's probably going to cause a lot of trouble. If that woman wants my help, then I'll help her. If she doesn't want to, I'd better stay away."

Jiang Mu climbed out of the cellar and said to Pan Sheng'er:
"Guard this place well and don't let anyone else go down. I'm going to find the patrol office. If Chief Tang asks what happened, tell the truth and don't hide anything."

"Rest assured, Chief Supervisor Tang is prudent in his actions and will protect your reputation. However, this case is of utmost importance; you must understand the implications, understand?"

Seeing Jiang Mu's serious expression, Pan Sheng'er nodded repeatedly in fright.

The woman was emotionally devastated.

How did the patrol office get involved again?

-

The night was deep, and the cool moonlight shone into the room through the window paper.

Tang Jinxian was fast asleep.

The brocade quilt partially covered her body, outlining her graceful, undulating figure.

She was slightly frowning in her sleep, as if she were lost in a dream.

In her dream, she wore a collar around her slender neck, with a long rope attached to the collar.

The other end was held in Jiang Mu's hand.

She crawled along the empty street like a puppy, with a fluffy tail wagging gently behind her.

Jiang Mu casually tossed out a porcelain plate.

She immediately pounced on him, grabbed the plate with her mouth, and crawled back to his feet.

It raised its head and wagged its tail happily.

Jiang Mu squatted down, took the plate from her mouth, and ruffled her hair with his large hand.

She squinted comfortably.

She nuzzled his cheek affectionately.

Just then, a voice calling her name suddenly rang out.

"grown ups……"

She froze in fright and hurriedly pleaded with Jiang Mu to take her away and hide.

If anyone saw her like this, she wouldn't be able to live.

But Jiang Mu just stood there, looking at her with a mocking expression.

The calls grew more urgent and closer...

In extreme fear and anxiety, she suddenly felt an urge to urinate.

Finally, he completely collapsed, his legs went weak...

……

"grown ups."

A slightly raised call abruptly pulled her out of this absurd dream.

Tang Jinxian suddenly opened her eyes.

The woman's chest heaved violently, and her forehead and temples were soaked with cold sweat.

Her gaze wavered for a moment before focusing and making out the familiar canopy above her head. Her cheeks burned, as if the sense of collapse from her dream still lingered.

"grown ups."

The maid's cautious, soft call came from outside the door again.

Tang Jinxian was startled, but then realized it was the maid on night watch. She breathed a sigh of relief and calmed herself down before asking, "What is it?"

"Lord Mu is outside requesting an audience, saying he has urgent business and needs to see you immediately, sir."

The maid's voice was hesitant, clearly indicating that she knew it was inappropriate to disturb her at this moment.

Mujiang?

Recalling that utterly humiliating dream, the heat that had just subsided on Tang Jinxian's face returned, and she spat inwardly.

But she immediately realized that Jiang Mu's sudden visit late at night must be something serious, so she suppressed her unease and said in a calm tone, "I understand. Tell him to wait outside."

"Yes."

The maid responded and retreated.

Tang Jinxian let out a long sigh of relief, lifted the quilt, and prepared to get out of bed.

Just then, a cool touch from beneath her legs made her abruptly stop in her tracks as she tried to get out of bed.

She looked in disbelief.

Then, she subconsciously reached out and touched the sheets beneath her, her beautiful eyes widening in surprise.

Was the last time you wet the bed when you were a baby?
A wave of immense embarrassment and shame instantly overwhelmed her.

"what!!!"

She buried her face in the still-warm quilt, pounding it with her fists, almost spitting out a low growl through clenched teeth:
"Mu Jiang...I'll kill you!"

-

Jiang Mu waited for quite a while before being led into the inner room by a maid.

The moment I stepped into the room, a chill and a fierce killing intent rushed towards me.

It made him shiver involuntarily.

Looking up, I saw Tang Jinxian sitting upright in the main armchair, her beautiful face covered with frost.

She resembled a jade sculpture of a beautiful woman just taken out of an ice cellar.

Especially the cold glint in her phoenix eyes seemed to have pierced a hole in him on the spot.

Jiang Muxin was puzzled.

What's going on?

This woman's morning temper is just too much!

"Tell me, what do you want from me in the middle of the night?" Tang Jinxian asked through gritted teeth.

Looking at the man standing below, she felt a surge of anger at the embarrassment she had caused by his shattered dream, but she had to forcefully suppress her anger and maintain her composure.

And even though I've changed into a clean inner shirt and outer skirt, I still feel extremely uncomfortable.

Shift your sitting posture every now and then.

Jiang Mu noticed her subtle shift in posture and, combined with her grumpy face, immediately understood what was going on.

Oh, it's my period.

No wonder he's so irritable.

What bad luck to run into the line of fire!

He sighed inwardly, composed himself, and recounted the situation at Pan Shenger's home.

"Huang Xiang'er?"

Upon hearing this name, Tang Jinxian's expression hardened.

The woman immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.

Although the previous spiritual disaster case has been closed, the name Huang Xiang'er has reappeared, and in such a bizarre way, which undoubtedly indicates that there is a big secret behind the case.

Jiang Mu suggested, "Why don't we hand this case over to Yu Zhengqing to investigate?"

"Yu Zhengqing is still reporting the case to the headquarters and won't be back for a while."

Tang Jinxian knew what Jiang Mu was worried about and said, "Don't worry, this case is unlikely to be related to Yu Zhengqing. I'll take some people to check it out first."

"Then I won't go with you."

Jiang Mu said, "I'm very tired right now. I got into a fight today and got injured."

"There was a fight?"

Tang Jinxian's expression changed. "Who's causing you trouble?"

Jiang Mu recounted how Gan Yuanyuan had run him over on horseback in the street, and said with lingering fear:

"If I hadn't been lucky, I would have really died. If you don't believe me, you can ask those people at the county government; they all saw it."

I told Lord Gan that I worked for Chief Steward Tang, and she said she was only disciplining Lord Tang's people, and that if I ever saw her again, I should stay far away.

Snapped! !

Tang Jinxian slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her pretty face ashen and her chest heaving violently.

You little devil, Gan Yuanyuan!

I thought you'd behaved yourself, but I never expected you to bully my people, Tang Jinxian!

Jiang Mu said in a low voice:

"Manager Tang, why don't we just let it go? She wouldn't dare to publicly reprimand you, but dealing with a nobody like me is a piece of cake."

"What do you mean!"

Tang Jinxian said coldly, "Go home and rest first. Leave this matter to me."

"Oh, then I'll take my leave."

Jiang Mu left the house.

Tang Jinxian suppressed her anger and gathered her people to go to the Pan family's house to investigate.

Once inside the carriage, the woman suddenly let out a sneer:
"That brat is definitely exaggerating, deliberately trying to provoke me into confronting Gan Yuanyuan. But... since he dared to complain, it means that this really happened."

Tang Jinxian's beautiful eyes flashed with a cold light.

This Gan Yuanyuan is really courting death.

-

[P.S.: That's all for today's update]

　Thanks to book friend 20220724010247747 for the reward

　　
　
(End of this chapter)