Wife is hell

Chapter 90 The Sound of Water (A long chapter of 6,000 words)

The atmosphere inside the room was strange.

Shi Yuhua loosened her clothes slightly and gently pulled Jiang Mu's head into her arms, her fingertips stroking his temples tenderly.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Fortunately, having gotten used to it from previous experiences, I was able to remain much calmer even though there were other people in the room.

His concern for Jiang Mu outweighed everything else.

Tang Jinxian stood to the side, her almond-shaped eyes wide and her face filled with disbelief.

This...this is outrageous!

Who treats illnesses like this?
Looking at Jiang Mu, who resembled a baby, Tang Jinxian's ears flushed pink.

The blush started as a tiny dot, then spread along her neck and into her collar, as if someone had lit a small lamp under her skin, creating an alluring pink glow.

"How shameless!"

Tang Jinxian cursed inwardly.

At this moment, she even suspected that this girl next door named Shi Yuyuan was deliberately showing off their relationship in front of her.

Was it because she saw Mu Jiang being close to her, her beautiful boss?
So, is this a declaration of sovereignty?
Sure enough, the more gentle and tender a woman appears, the more profound and unpredictable her thoughts become.

However, when Da Ruantang saw that Jiang Mu, who had been in pain before, was now gradually relaxing his brows and breathing becoming steady and long in Xiangyu's arms, she was stunned.

It actually...works?
Tang Jinxian looked somewhat surprised.

Looking at Shi Yuyuan, who was gentle and pure, the woman's earlier doubts were mixed with a more complex emotion, making her heart feel slightly heavy.

With treatments like this, what purity can remain between the two of them?

No wonder Shi Yuhuan was always in Jiang Mu's room whenever she came.

This brat.

She even called her the older sister next door.

What a liar!
Hearing the rustling sound, a surge of heat rushed through her body.

She suddenly realized that her staring at someone so intimately was really impolite.

So they prepared to go out.

But when they reached the door, they stopped in their tracks.

No!

The other person is receiving medical treatment; there's nothing to hide.

Furthermore, what if this young man's condition relapses later and he suddenly loses control, injuring this delicate young lady Shi?
The giant gummy candy successfully convinced itself.

don't go!
"Did he often have these episodes before?"

Tang Jinxian made conversation.

Shi Yuyan shook her head and used one hand to gesture in sign language: "Xiao Jiang sometimes does this when he's investigating a case."

Although Tang Jinxian didn't quite understand the sign language, she managed to guess most of it.

This kid must have used a medium again.

A fire suddenly ignited in the woman's heart.

She had warned him repeatedly that using this ability would shorten his lifespan, so why didn't he listen to her advice?

That brat needs someone to keep him in check.

Realizing that Shi Yuhua was currently feeding the giant baby and it was inconvenient for her to chat, she kept quiet.

Sitting in the chair, I quietly sipped my tea.

He had an indifferent expression.

But out of the corner of his eye, he would always find himself uncontrollably glancing at the painting of "mother and child leaning on each other" by the bedside.

Shyness, doubt, sourness—a jumble of emotions piled up one after another.

He insisted on putting on a nonchalant expression.

The woman in green sat on the crossbeam, swinging her small, white feet, watching the two women inside the room with great interest.

"This young man has quite the luck with women."

The woman in green floated gently to Tang Jinxian's side, leaned close, and stared intently at her exquisitely beautiful, porcelain-like face, clicking her tongue in amazement.

"She looks like a charming woman with a hidden allure. If that boy were to actually get his hands on her, it would be a blessing he'd earned over several lifetimes."

Thinking of how Jiang Mu had tricked her into performing a striptease before, her eyes lit up.

"You bullied your older sister, and your older sister bullied your lover. We're even now."

She moved even closer.

"Bah-"

He gave Tang Jinxian a "kiss" on the cheek.

Okay, I'll kiss him for that kid first.

After the kiss, Qingyi floated in front of Shi Yuzhu, intending to do the same thing.

Just as the red lips approached the other's face, Qingyi suddenly realized that her soul was unstable. Before she could react, her soul exploded.

In an instant, their souls were scattered!
Fortunately, with the protection of the Donghuang Taichu Bell, the shattered soul was completely absorbed into the bell.

The two women inside the house had no idea that a lecherous ghost had almost killed them.

As Tang Jinxian watched Shi Yuhua's wrist, which was wrapped around Jiang Mutou's side, slide down to the other's drooping eyelashes, and then down to Jiang Mutou's brows, which were occasionally furrowed in pain, and gently soothe him, her heart felt even tighter.

With each second her gaze lingered, the darkness in her eyes deepened.

Fortunately, once Jiang Mu's breathing stabilized and he returned to normal, Shi Yuhua ended the "treatment".

"Is that all?"

Tang Jinxian quickly asked.

Shi Yuhua straightened her clothes, nodded her little head, and gestured in sign language: "Xiao Jiang will wake up soon."

Tang Jinxian breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at Jiang Mu, who was still unconscious on the bed, Tang Jinxian hesitated for a long time before speaking softly, her tone carefully considered:

"Miss Shi, you are a young lady who is not yet married. Is it... a little improper to be so intimate with her?"

She ultimately failed to speak too bluntly.

Shi Yuhua blushed.

She was silent for a moment, then her slender fingers moved lightly again, gesturing as she spoke:
“I was born mute and cannot have children, and I also have to take care of my younger siblings. I probably will never be able to get married in this life. Xiao Jiang is like a younger brother to me, and I... don't think there's anything wrong with that.”

Looking at Shi Yuhua's gentle eyes, Tang Jinxian felt complicated.

She is indeed a wonderful woman.

Jiang Mu is truly blessed to have such a kind and caring older sister next door in this life.

Because she had to cook for her younger sister and brother, Shi Yuhua left after a while, leaving Tang Jinxian alone to keep watch.

Not long after Shi Yuhua left, Jiang Mu woke up.

"Huh? Manager Tang?"

Jiang Mu was quite surprised when he saw Tang Jinxian sitting in the chair by the bed.
"Why are you here?"

Tang Jinxian's gaze swept over his face, and seeing that he did indeed look like he had just woken up, the inexplicable awkwardness in her heart suddenly faded a little.

When we arrived at the scene of the crime, we found you unconscious in the alley, so we had to take you back to your residence first.

Jiang Mu scratched his head and grinned at her: "Thank you for saving my life, Lord Tang. I'll treat you to osmanthus cake another day."

"Come on this."

Tang Jinxian snorted softly, put down her teacup, twisted her waist, and sat on the edge of the couch, her skirt spreading out like a light purple water lily. She stared straight at him, "Did you use a medium to sense him?"

Smelling the alluring fragrance so close at hand, Jiang Mu shook his head and denied it: "No."

"Mu Jiang, don't think that just because you have the ability to be a medium, it's a blessing from heaven. There are always trade-offs. If you use this thing too often, you won't even know how you died!"

Tang Jinxian said sternly.

Jiang Mu nodded vigorously: "Your teachings are wise, sir. I will keep them in mind. I will be more cautious in the future and will never take risks again. Thank you for your concern, sir."

"Who cares about you?"

The woman's pretty face flushed slightly. She looked away and muttered something under her breath.

She grabbed the teacup next to her and used the steam to cover her slightly flushed cheeks.

Calming herself down, Tang Jinxian returned to the main topic:
"The identity of the elderly woman's body found in the alley has been confirmed. She was a 20-year-old woman from Xiaohu Village who went missing while alone at home."

Jiang Mu's smile faded, his eyes becoming clear:
"The killer carefully selected his targets. He first identified suitable candidates before making his move. The victims were all young women, and he used that strange 'apple' artifact to drain their lifespan."

Jiang Mu did not reveal to Tang Jinxian the mysterious cloaked man he saw in "Tianji Suying".

"good."

Tang Jinxian nodded and continued her analysis.
"However, if it were merely to absorb lifespan, men or children would be acceptable, but he specifically chose women, which suggests that there is some limitation to his spiritual abilities or to himself."

"Some kind of restriction... Apple..."

Jiang Mu's eyes flickered, and he suddenly thought of something.

I remember there was a rare fruit in the Xuanming world that had the miraculous effect of preserving youth.

It seems to be called "Youth-Preserving Fruit".

Could it be this?

The two discussed the details of the case for a while, and when Tang Jinxian saw that Jiang Mu was indeed out of danger, she got up to take her leave.

As she reached the door, she paused slightly and asked, seemingly casually, "Do you know how you woke up?"

Jiang Mu looked completely bewildered:
"Didn't an adult bring me back? I was unconscious the whole time, and when I woke up I saw you."

"...That's all."

Tang Jinxian hesitated for a moment, then finally pushed open the door and left.

After the other person's slender figure completely disappeared outside the courtyard gate, the blank and ignorant expression on Jiang Mu's face slowly faded.

"I never expected Sister Yu-yu to use this method to alleviate the backlash for me..."

He touched the tip of his nose; a faint fragrance seemed to still linger.

In fact, he regained consciousness shortly after Shi Yuzhu pulled him into her arms.

However, his body was still in a state of stiffness and numbness, and he was unable to move.

The other person's warm touch and the sweet fragrance lingering around his nose were so intoxicating that, driven by male instinct, he ultimately chose to remain "unconscious."

There's no way around it, Yuju is just so fragrant.

After sitting for a while, Jiang Mu dispelled the idyllic thoughts in his mind and began to sort out the many doubts in the case.

"The murderer was actually a man."

Jiang Mu recalled the mysterious cloaked man and felt a strange unease.

Based on the descriptions from Shi Yuhua and the victims' family and friends, it should have been an elderly woman.

Could it be a group crime?
He took out a notebook and wrote down the clues.

Although we didn't get to see the killer's face, we did hear their voice, so it wasn't all for naught.

and many more!

sound?!
Jiang Mu suddenly sat up.

He rubbed his forehead hard, recalling the man's voice, his brows furrowing into a deep frown, and muttered:

"That voice... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."

"Yes, I've definitely heard of it."

Suddenly, his pupils contracted: "It's him?!"

He remembered.

Some time ago, in the main hall of Chongtian Temple, he had a debate with a second uninvited guest, in addition to the young man at first.

The voice of that person was seven or eight parts similar to the one I heard today.

Is it really him?

Jiang Mu was also unable to draw a conclusion for the time being.

As evening approached, the manager of Furongzhai suddenly arrived at the door, carrying two heavy wooden boxes.

They said they were sent by Lady Tao to deliver the dividends.

After leaving the box, the shopkeeper took his leave.

Jiang Mu opened the box and gasped in shock.

Good heavens, there were two huge boxes full of glittering gold dust! This amount far exceeded the share of the dividend.

It seems that the eight-foot-tall lady was grateful for his previous life-saving grace, and added an extra generous gift on top of the dividends.

"Great."

Jiang Mu was in a great mood.

Jiang Mu can use this gold powder not only to draw high-level talismans, but also to nourish the Donghuang Taichu Bell.

The number of times the Donghuang Taichu Bell can be used is limited.

Each time it's used, the runes on Bell's body become a little blurrier, rendering it unable to exert its power. It must wait for a period of time to recover before it can unleash its full potential.

With these gold powders constantly nourishing it, the repair process can be twice as effective.

"Suddenly, I feel that Madam Peach is even more fragrant than the giant gummy candy."

Gazing at the shimmering gold dust before him, a thought inexplicably welled up in Jiang Mu's mind.

or……

Should we consider clinging to Mrs. Peach, who is an even stronger "golden thigh"?
-

The next day, Jiang Mu set off for Chongtian Temple, intending to find out more about the man from Master Wenhe.

This time, he also brought along little Shishuang Sui.

There was nothing he could do; the little one had been pestering him relentlessly lately, insisting that he keep his promise to take her out to play.

Jiang Mu declined several times, which made the little girl very dissatisfied.

This morning, before he even got out of bed, this girl ran in and hugged his leg, refusing to let go no matter what he said or did, even when he was using the toilet.

Jiang Mu had no choice but to take her along as well.

"Boss, what exactly is Chongtian Temple for?"

"Boss, are there any monsters in the temple that eat children? Will they eat me? I want to be a monster when I grow up, a powerful one!"

"Boss, I can't walk anymore, carry me."

"..."

Along the way, Shi Shuangsui chattered excitedly, her little mouth never stopping.

She refused to go any further after climbing only half of the mountain path.

In the end, Jiang Mu carried her on his back.

The big white goose followed behind with a proud and arrogant gait, and whenever it encountered a wild cat or titmouse passing by, it would flap its wings and chase after it, pecking wildly.

He looked every bit the mountain bully.

Having become acquainted with her during her previous visit, Jiang Mu simply showed his token and explained his purpose before leading Shi Shuangsui to Hongyuan Peak.

When they stepped onto the long iron chain bridge connecting the two peaks, Shi Shuangsui, who had been chattering incessantly, suddenly fell silent.

Jiang Muxin found it strange.

Turning his head, he saw that the little girl had her eyes tightly closed, her face was pale, and her hands were tightly gripping his clothes.

Jiang Mu was amused.

It turns out this little girl also has a fear of heights.

After crossing the suspension bridge, Shi Shuangsui's tense little body finally relaxed a little.

Her small hand was still clutching Jiang Mu's sleeve at his shoulder, her voice trembling slightly: "Boss, you're right, there really are monsters here."

"What monster?"

Jiang Mu was completely confused.

Shishuang Sui pointed down to the bridge:
"Didn't you see? Just now under the bridge, there were all sorts of ferocious monsters with bared teeth and claws."

Jiang Mu turned around to look.

Only a light mist lingered below the iron bridge.

Where the mountain wind passes, there is only emptiness and seclusion; where can one find any trace of monsters?

"Snapped!"

Jiang Mu casually patted Shi Shuangsui's little bottom and said irritably, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you down. All you do is spout nonsense all day long."

"I'm not making this up."

Shi Shuangsui pouted her little mouth in grievance.

At this moment, Xiao Hai came out of the courtyard, accompanied by a woman dressed in bright clothes.

Jiang Mu thought the woman looked somewhat familiar.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the proprietress of Yuxianglou.

I had met her twice before when I was investigating the case to exonerate Shi Baolu.

The madam recognized Jiang Mu, but assumed he was there on official business and didn't pay him any attention. She simply forced a smile and nodded as a greeting.

However, a hint of sorrow lingered between the madam's brows.

When Xiao Hai saw Jiang Mu, his eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly stepped forward and said, "Young Master Mu, are you here to see my master and grandmaster?"

Jiang Mu smiled and said, "That's right, there are some things I'd like to ask them for advice on."

"Our grandmaster is away meeting with friends and has not yet returned. However, Master is inside the temple. I will lead you there."

Xiao Hai said enthusiastically.

The madam hurriedly grabbed Xiao Hai's sleeve: "Young Immortal Master, what I just said..."

"Don't worry, Auntie. As soon as Brother Qiu returns, he will come to your place to perform the ritual. He is an expert in exorcising evil spirits."

Xiao Hai comforted him.

"Then...how much longer do we have to wait?"

"Don't worry, nothing will go wrong in the next few days."

After finally managing to persuade the worried madam to leave, Xiao Hai turned to Jiang Mu and explained helplessly:

"She's the madam of Yuxianglou. A few days ago, one of the girls couldn't stand it and hanged herself in her room. I guess the customers went too far. After that, rumors spread that the place was haunted and they insisted that we perform a ritual to exorcise the evil spirits."

Hang yourself?

Jiang Mu was speechless.

This Yuxiang Tower is truly plagued by constant turmoil.

Under Xiao Hai's guidance, Jiang Mu soon met Master Wenhe.

The other person was lying on the table, intently copying the two talisman samples that Jiang Mu had sent last time.

Finished and semi-finished talisman paper are piled up on the side of the table.

They were stacked up to be half a person high.

Upon seeing Jiang Mu arrive, Daoist Wenhe was overjoyed, as if he had seen his own father.

Jiang Mu was afraid that he would try to get to the point about talismans again, so he quickly cut to the chase:
"Master Wenhe, when I visited your temple last time, I happened to meet someone whose height was about this..."

He described the man's physical characteristics in detail.

Upon hearing this, Master Wenhe smiled and said, "You must be referring to Mr. Mu."

"Mr. Mu?"

"That's right, his name is Mu Qingshan, and he is an old acquaintance of my master."

Master Wenhe explained, “He is a very learned person who once served as a guest scholar at Baiyang Academy and is known for his profound knowledge of books.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mu realized that what had happened that day was indeed a misunderstanding.

Clearly, the young man initially mistook him for "Mu Qingshan," which is why he made those provocative remarks.

However, after learning more about this person's life and temperament from Master Wenhe, Jiang Mu felt that he was not the kind of villain who would do such a cruel thing.

Could it be that I am overthinking it?
Having learned Mu Qingshan's address, Jiang Mu still decided to go and investigate in person.

Considering the potential risks, he originally intended to take Shi Shuangsui home first.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as the little girl heard that she had to go back, she immediately used all her tricks to refuse, insisting that she had agreed to play all day.

Jiang Mu had no choice. Considering that Mu Qingshan's home was not far from Chongtian Temple, he temporarily entrusted the little girl to play at the temple, promising to pick her up after the investigation was completed.

The little girl was initially reluctant, but when Xiao Hai took out some exquisite wooden horses, bamboo dragonflies and other toys, she immediately forgot about Jiang Mu and went off to play happily.

Jiang Mu gave the little girl a few instructions and then left Chongtian Temple.

I also took the goose with me.

The main concern was that this "goose tyrant" would run rampant within the temple, since the temple also kept many rare birds.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the man and the goose arrived outside Mu Qingshan's residence.

The courtyard gate was locked, indicating that the owner had gone out.

Jiang Mu hesitated for a moment, then climbed over the wall and entered.

Seeing this, the big white goose flapped its wings and easily jumped over the wall.

Unexpectedly, there was a large, fat, and strong yellow dog tied up in the yard.

The yellow dog, seeing a stranger intrude, instinctively began to bark. However, before it could even open its mouth and bare its teeth, it was knocked to the ground by a wing from the large white goose that flew in afterward!
"quack……"

The large white goose stepped on the dog's head, scaring the latter so much that it trembled and whimpered, too afraid to get up.

Jiang Mu's lips twitched slightly.

Where did this goose come from...?
Could it really be some kind of demonic beast that slipped out of the Netherworld?

He gestured to the white goose to keep an eye on the yellow dog, while he himself began to carefully examine the yard.

Soon, his gaze was drawn to a fruit tree in the yard that had lost all its leaves and looked rather bare.

"Fruit trees..."

Jiang Mu's heart sank.

He took out a bell, intending to ring it to summon the woman in green to help investigate the house.

But the dramatic female ghost seemed to be fast asleep, and no matter how he shook her, she didn't react at all.

Jiang Mu had no choice but to investigate each room himself.

Although most of the doors were locked, his ability to walk through walls didn't pose a problem for him.

Jiang Mu first entered the main house to investigate.

The interior was simply furnished, with nothing unusual about it.

Several pieces of women's old clothes were neatly folded on the bedside table, suggesting that Mu Qingshan lived alone.

Jiang Mu had already learned about this person's basic situation from Daoist Wenhe.

He originally had a very loving wife, but unfortunately she passed away from illness last year.

Mu Qingshan became depressed and despondent after this, and spent her days drowning her sorrows in alcohol.

It wasn't until nearly two months later that he seemed to gradually emerge from his grief and start to recover.

His friends were very happy to see him like this.

Master Hongyuan specially invited him there, intending to let him relax and teach those arrogant juniors of Wenhua Mountain a lesson.

But unexpectedly, they ran into Jiang Mu, the "villainous big devil".

Looking at the love poems written to his wife on the desk, Jiang Mu murmured, "It seems that she hasn't completely moved on."

Having found nothing in the main house, Jiang Mu went to investigate the other houses.

Upon entering the kitchen, a sinister atmosphere immediately enveloped them.

"What a heavy yin energy."

Jiang Mu felt a chill run down his spine, and as he scanned the area, his gaze suddenly fell on the water vat.

He held his breath and slowly walked towards the water tank.

Just then, the sound of a lock being opened came from the courtyard gate.

Mu Qingshan is back!

Jiang Mu was startled and instinctively reached out to gently close the kitchen door behind him.

The kitchen went dark instantly.

Through the crack in the door, he saw the big white goose crawl straight into the doghouse.

The big dog looked back at its den, then at its owner entering the yard, and finally chose to remain silent, burying its head between its front paws.

Just as Jiang Mu was marveling at the cleverness of the white goose, he suddenly heard a soft splashing sound coming from the water tank behind him.

(End of this chapter)