Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

In Lingzhou City, deep in the alleys, there is a quiet house.

Xie Qingli gently peeled back a layer of oil paper, revealing a lifelike human skin mask. She gently lifted the mask and held it up to the sunlight, revealing that it was as thin as a cicada's wing and had a uniform texture.

Chu Yuncang's fingertips gently slid across the mask, the delicate touch no different from human skin. Although it wasn't his first time seeing it, he couldn't help but exclaim: "This is simply a magical skill!"

Xie Qingli stood on tiptoe and gently placed the mask on Chu Yuncang's face, then placed a handful of gray beard on Chu Yuncang's chin. She stepped back, examined it carefully for a moment, picked up the portrait on the table and compared it, then nodded with satisfaction.

She winked playfully and chuckled, "Your Highness, if we want to solve the Mao mother and daughter problem once and for all, it's up to you. Now that Your Highness has disguised himself as Liang Fu, take a few steps and give it a try!"

Chu Yuncang obediently walked back and forth in the room a few times. After stopping, he looked at Xie Qingli with anticipation.

Xie Qingli felt a little uncomfortable. She frowned slightly and said softly, "Your Highness, although Liang Fu lives a wealthy life and takes good care of himself, he certainly doesn't walk as straight and upright as you do."

She stretched out her hand and gently gestured at Chu Yuncang's shoulder, indicating that Chu Yuncang's shoulders should droop slightly.

"Bang~"

Suddenly, a black object broke through the window and fell heavily at the feet of the two people. Chu Yuncang subconsciously reached out and held Xie Qingli in his arms.

The two of them looked closely and saw a man covered in blood, dying.

Just at this moment, Zou Ping strode into the room. He was exhausted and looked gloomy. When he saw the two people hugging each other, his face became even gloomier and he couldn't help but cough loudly.

Chu Yuncang hurriedly let go of Xie Qingli. A trace of embarrassment at being caught cheating by an elder flashed across his face. He said respectfully, "Senior, you're back."

Zou Ping snorted coldly, walked past the two of them and sat down on the chair.

Seeing this, Xie Qingli hurriedly poured a cup of hot tea and held it in front of Zou Ping, saying softly, "Master, why did you leave in such a hurry that day? And who is this person on the ground?"

Zou Ping took the teacup and took a sip. The hot tea moistened his thirsty throat and a warm current flowed through his body. His gloomy expression finally softened a little.

Zou Ping did not answer Xie Qingli's question. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Chu Yuncang's face and said calmly, "My dear disciple, did you make this mask?"

Xie Qingli nodded and smiled shyly: "Yes, Master, I am not very good at learning. I hope you will not punish me."

Chu Yuncang quickly took off the human skin mask on his face and carefully presented it to Zou Ping.

Zou Ping took the mask and carefully stroked its texture. A complex glint shone in his eyes: admiration, emotion, and a subtle hint of sadness. Finally, all these complex emotions dissolved into a deep sigh.

His gaze fixed on the mask, he spoke slowly, "My dear disciple, you've probably already guessed it. I'm from the Fengqian Zou family, my real name being Zou Xiangxun. This human-skin mask is a unique skill of the Zou family, coveted by both the underworld and the underworld. Yet, the Zou family has managed to survive through centuries of adversity, all because they believe in seclusion, living in seclusion in a remote corner of the northwest, never getting involved in the disputes of the martial arts world or the imperial court."

"My father was the previous head of the Zou family. He devoted himself to the art of mask making, toiling for half his life until he finally developed the secret recipe for this mask, bringing the Zou family's human skin mask-making skills to the pinnacle."

"On his deathbed, my father passed on the secret recipe of the mask to me, and I was supposed to be the next head of the Zou family. However, things change, and the Fengqian Imperial Family also set their sights on this skill. They repeatedly sent people to try to lure the Zou family into serving the royal family, promising huge profits, but I sternly refused every request."

"The Fengqian Imperial Family didn't give up. They colluded with my cousin Zou Xiangming, secretly promising to support him as the Patriarch. Zou Xiangming then joined forces with several greedy elders to force me to hand over the secret formula and the position of Patriarch. At that time, the power and status of the Zou family were shaken by the power and status promised by the Imperial Family, and I, who followed the ancestral teachings, became the target of public criticism."

"The ugly faces of those people made me feel disheartened. At one point, I wanted to give up resistance, abandon everything and wander the world. But I am not alone. Although my wife has passed away, my daughter Jiaojiao is still alive. To ensure her stable life, I must grit my teeth and persevere."

Zou Ping's previously calm eyes gradually flared with anger, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke, "But the Emperor of Feng Qian was so shameless that he actually issued an imperial decree, summoning Jiaojiao to the palace as a concubine. I was furious and had planned to quietly escape Feng Qian with Jiaojiao, but Zou Xiangming summoned dozens of experts to monitor Jiaojiao and me day and night, leaving us with nowhere to hide."

The anger in his eyes gradually turned to sadness, and he sighed softly, "Without any other options, I could only reluctantly send Jiaojiao to the palace, hoping to slowly negotiate with the royal family until I had accumulated enough strength to rescue Jiaojiao from the palace. I never expected that Jiaojiao would die of illness less than a year after entering the palace."

At this point, Zou Ping's eyes glistened with tears. His blurry vision fell on Xie Qingli, as if he had glimpsed the Jiaojiao of yesteryear through the mist of time. An indescribable sense of guilt and longing welled up in his heart, and he murmured, "Jiaojiao, Daddy is sorry! Daddy was wrong. Daddy should have taken you away from that place of trouble sooner..."

Xie Qingli's nose felt sore, and tears welled up in her eyes. She had never imagined that her master had such a sad past. She reached out and grabbed Zou Ping's arm, choking with sobs, "Master..."

This call brought some clarity to Zou Ping's chaotic mind. He suppressed the tears in his eyes and regained his composure, "Just after Jiaojiao passed away, Zou Xiangming once again teamed up with the elders to force me to hand over the secret recipe. I burned it completely in front of them. Zou Xiangming was furious and ordered those masters to kill me immediately."

"I fought tooth and nail to escape Feng Qian, but those masters found me. I fought a desperate battle with them. Although I escaped the encirclement, I was covered in wounds. Just as I was lying on the side of the road, about to die, I was saved by Master Zhang who happened to be passing by."

"It took me over a year to recover from my injuries, but while physical injuries are easy to heal, emotional injuries are difficult to heal. I completely lost my fighting spirit. Master Zhang was very kind to me, so I decided to become a groom in the Zhang Mansion."

He suddenly raised his head and looked at Xie Qingli, saying calmly, "You know everything that happened next. If I hadn't met you, I would have stayed in Zhang's house and spent the rest of my life there."

"You asked me why I left in such a hurry that day. It was because the mask found in the Hongyun Inn was made by the Fengqian Zou family!"

"What?" Xie Qingli's pupils shrank, and he frowned, "Why is the Fengqian Zou family related to the people who instigated the Dongling riots..."