A master of metaphysics is farming.

Zeng Yunqing was kicked upwards, and she felt the push on her back. She flailed her arms and swam wildly upwards.

Since her feet were immobilized, fear had risen in her heart, and it intensified when she was pulled into the water. The chill from the cold water spreading throughout her body was exacerbated as she fell in.

She felt she should be happy, but the pounding in her heart betrayed her true feelings; she was afraid, she was terrified.

She doesn't want to die!

The thought crossed her mind, and she flailed her arms even faster; she was filled with fear.

Xiang He looked back at her struggling upwards and felt a little relieved. She lay flat and turned to face Zhang Rumin.

His face was contorted in a ferocious expression, and as he spread his arms outstretched, he exuded even greater darkness, making the underwater world appear even darker.

Xiang He didn't dare to delay. He held a small wooden stick in front of him, with red thread wrapped around it. With his other hand, he trembled and revealed more than a dozen copper coins. As he pulled out the thread, he threaded the coins through it.

He silently recited in his heart—"Heaven and Earth have their laws, the six stars reverse, the Five Thunder Palace is clear..."

The red thread in her hand moved lightly, undulating in the water. After all eighteen copper coins had passed through it, she gently raised the red thread in her hands, and the red thread seemed to come alive as it flew towards Zhang Rumin.

The other person's body became strange, twisting its body in an attempt to dodge the red rope, but how could Xiang He give him a chance to escape?

With a thread wrapped around her right hand, she parted the river water with both hands and moved towards him, her body moving lightly through the water as if the water's resistance had no effect on her.

When Zhang Rumin saw her make a move, his Yin energy transformed into sharp blades and attacked. Xiang He easily dodged them, which made Zhang Rumin anxious. He increased the number of sharp blades and cut Xiang He's cheek.

Feeling the injury on her face, Xiang He didn't dare to slow down. She turned her body a few times, and the red thread followed her. The thrown thread end was like a water snake, and it wrapped around Zhang Rumin in no time.

Seeing this, Xiang He formed a hand seal in the water. As he moved his right hand, he silently recited the decree in his heart. With a flick of his wrist, the red thread immediately tightened, binding Zhang Rumin tightly.

Zhang Rumin struggled violently, but the copper coin on the red thread clung tightly to him, emitting golden light while burning his genitals.

"ah!!!--"

With a deafening scream of pain, Xiang He twisted the red thread in her hand a few times and pulled it back. Zhang Rumin was also easily pulled closer by her. The red thread pulled Zhang Rumin, and Xiang He swam towards the surface of the water.

Zeng Yunqing's figure was already close to the shore. In the shadows, he saw several figures on the shore. Xiang He pulled Zhang Rumin ashore, holding on to his last breath, trying to break out of the water.

But Zhang Rumin's genitals suddenly became incredibly heavy!

He was pulled down from his upstream position. Xiang He frowned and turned around. Zhang Rumin smiled sinisterly and said, "Daoist, what can you do to me!"

[So that's another trick!]

Xiang He's mind went slightly dark. The underwater energy was very strong. Just as she was about to break her fingers to resist, an arm pressed against her waist.

Looking down, I could clearly see that the finger bones were those of a man's hand.

Xiang He's heart stirred. She grasped his middle finger and scratched it with her fingernail. A drop of blood formed on her hand, and she silently chanted an incantation as the blood droplet danced between her two fingers—

[Shape imitation borrowing method, concrete manifestation! 】

As soon as the coded message was uttered, the blood droplet shot straight through the air towards Zhang Rumin's brow, instantly merging into his Yintang acupoint.

With a flash of white light, Zhang Rumin's ferocious face twisted, and finally he tilted his head back, opened his mouth wide, and couldn't utter a sound.

With a sudden lightness in his hand, Xiang He immediately pulled the red rope in his hand and lightly patted his large hand in front of his abdomen.

The person behind her immediately swung his free hand, turned around, and carried her upstream.

With someone's help, Xiang He, her face flushed, persevered until her face broke the surface of the water. She took a deep breath, tilted her head back, and shouted, "Mirror!"

Before she could even see the people on the shore clearly, someone threw a flashing object at her.

Xiang He raised her hand to catch it, took a breath, held it, and looked into the water. Using the protrusion of the glasses frame in her hand, she cut her fingertip and stained it with blood.

After silently repeating the mantra to himself, Zhang Rumin's bound body was instantly sucked into the mirror, along with the red thread, which also disappeared.

After a struggle, Xiang He suddenly tilted her head back and surfaced, with the person who had been holding her from behind leading her to the shore.

Xing Ji rushed over anxiously, "Young Master, seize my subordinate!"

Xiang He, who was being held by He Suian, was weak and let him lead her to the shore.

Once she sat down on the shore, Xiang He just wanted to lie down. She glanced at He Suian and smiled, "Thanks."

He unfolded his outer robe and draped it over Xiang He's shoulders. "Put this on first."

Her words were cold and aloof. Xiang He nodded slightly and did as she was told. Looking around, she saw Zeng Yunqing hugging her knees and crying. Magistrate Zeng was gently comforting her and patting her back.

It seems she was terrified; she should be thankful now.

Xiang He exhaled a breath of turbid air, pinched the mirror and looked at the mirror surface. Zhang Rumin's figure appeared in the mirror. He was still struggling to break free of the red thread, but he could not move an inch.

After a long silence, Xiang He looked at He Suian and asked, "Have you found out?"

"Yes, go back and change your clothes first, so you don't catch a cold."

Xiang He nodded blankly, but before he could stand up, his forearm was grabbed and he was gently lifted to his feet.

It was rare to see him without a gentle smile on his face. Xiang He was curious but didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she turned to look at Zeng Yunqing and said, "Miss Zeng, I will come to your residence later to explain."

Upon hearing the soft call, Zeng Yunqing shrank back, her eyes trembling with fear as she nodded, "Okay..."

She looked extremely frightened; she could still tell from the sudden fall into the water and the malice behind her.

Xiang He said no more, followed He Suian into the carriage, and hurried to the private school.

Inside the carriage, Wen Hesuan exhaled and glanced at He, saying, "Thank you very much, sir."

"No need to thank me," he said, raising his hand to rub his temples. "How did you suddenly fall into the water?"

His tone returned to normal, and he sighed as he recounted everything that had happened at Chunqiu Pavilion.

-

-

They visited the county government office again, but this time they didn't go to the back courtyard; instead, they went to the inner residence.

Xiang He carried Xing Ji back to retrieve her cloth bag, thankful that no one else was passing by at the time, otherwise her stub would have been stolen.

Xiang He sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, with Xing Ji standing behind her.

He Sui'an was busy teaching her students and didn't have time to come with her.

The two waited for a short while before Zeng Yunqing was helped out by a woman, who was her mother.

Magistrate Zeng, holding a file in his hand, walked to the table and unfolded it. "The young scholar said it should be this family. Miss, please take a look and see if it is true."

Everyone sat around the stone table. Zeng Yunqing leaned on her mother's shoulder, her face pale and very weak.

Xiang He leaned closer to look, pointing to the names on the list one by one. She found a woman surnamed Li who had been imprisoned for murdering her husband. Before the magistrate could question her, she committed suicide by crashing into her own head in the cell.

His son, Zhang Rumin, came to claim the body and even caused a scene at the county government office; this is clearly documented.

"Sir, where did Zhang Rumin go after causing such a scene at the county government office?"

Magistrate Zeng sighed softly, "He buried his mother's body and then committed suicide at her grave..."