Chapter 346: Discovering Tian Fu’s Secret
’The people of the Meng Family are always sucking up to the powerful and kicking those who are down. I’m afraid life won’t be easy for my sister...’
"You’re... the Second Lady?"
Guo Min was passing by. When she saw the person sitting by the pavilion, she thought her eyes were deceiving her.
Meng Fanxin looked over. Guo Min looked familiar, and since they had once lived together in the Tian Family, she quickly remembered who she was.
"Sister-in-law Min?"
"Yes, it’s me."
Guo Min excitedly ran over, looking Meng Fanxin up and down several times. "Are you... are you a person or a ghost?"
The corner of Meng Fanxin’s mouth twitched. "I’m human, Sister-in-law Min. I’m still alive."
The shock of seeing Meng Fanxin alive and well was too much for Guo Min. She wanted to say something, but she was at a loss for words.
Her relationship with Meng Fanxin wasn’t particularly good or bad—they were just polite to each other. As a result, she really didn’t know what to say to the "risen from the dead" Meng Fanxin.
Meng Fanxin felt the same way.
Yu An reminded her, "Mrs. Meng, didn’t you want to know how your sister is doing? You could ask Aunt Min."
"Meng Fanxuan?"
Guo Min’s expression turned strange. "You don’t know?"
Meng Fanxin was stunned. "Know what?"
"She..." Guo Min didn’t know how to begin. She took a moment to organize her thoughts. "Right. I suppose there’s no way you would know."
"Three years after you passed away, she was sent over by the Meng Family to become the Second Master’s favored concubine. Later, she was promoted to be his new wife."
Meng Fanxin’s face went white. "How could this be... They actually married Xuan’er to the Second Master! How could they!"
"Was Xuan’er bullied, then?" she asked, grabbing Guo Min’s hand urgently. "Sister-in-law Min, you know the Second Master loathed me. Did he take his anger out on Xuan’er? Did anyone bully her?"
"Not at all," Guo Min said quickly. "After you were gone, the Second Master drank all day and stayed out of the inner residence. Lady Xuan was first a favored concubine and then his new wife. She hasn’t suffered in the slightest."
Only then did Meng Fanxin relax. "You said Xuan’er became the Second Master’s new wife? Then what about the one before her?"
"When I was locked in my courtyard, I heard that the Second Master quickly remarried."
’And he even took several concubines.’
’Of course she had resented him back then. Her own husband didn’t believe she was innocent or help her find the truth. Instead, his affections had shifted elsewhere so quickly.’
’Anyone in that situation would have been heartbroken.’
’What with the heartache and her serious illness, she had lost all will to live. All she wanted was to be free of it all.’
Guo Min looked puzzled. "The one before her? There was no one. After you, the Second Lady, there was only Lady Xuan."
"The Second Master did take a few concubines, but that was after marrying Lady Xuan. He sent them all away later on."
Meng Fanxin froze. She never imagined that the news that had tormented her for so long was actually false!
’The source of that news...’ She thought of Tian Fu.
Guo Min could see that Meng Fanxin wanted to speak with Yu An, so she took her leave. After she left, Meng Fanxin said urgently, "It was Tian Fu! It must have been him! He’s the one who fed me that false information!"
Her mother had died young, and her father, though living, might as well have been dead. The most important people in her heart were her younger sister and her husband.
If either of them were to betray her, the pain would be so great she would wish for death.
At the time, her younger sister, Meng Fanxuan, was away gaining worldly experience and had not returned home. Tian Fu only knew of this maternal aunt through letters and Meng Fanxin’s stories.
Perhaps that was why he chose to use Tian Pingyue as a weapon to hurt Meng Fanxin.
Meng Fanxin was already seriously ill from the servants withholding her food and clothes. After suffering such a blow, it would only be a matter of time before she died.
Back in the Illusion Realm, Yu An hadn’t known that Tian Fu’s body had been possessed by another soul. Now that they knew, they had to explain it clearly to Meng Fanxin.
After listening to the explanation, Meng Fanxin was completely devastated.
"So, it’s not that I gave birth to some monster... but that someone has taken over my son’s body?!"
"Yes," Yu An said, full of sympathy for her. "Look at this painting. The young Tian Fu drew this back in the Illusion Realm."
"I suspect the child who drew this was your real son. His soul might still exist, but I don’t know if it’s being suppressed inside the body by Tian Fu, or if it’s surviving somewhere else."
Yu An unrolled the painting. "Like, for instance, in this very painting."
Meng Fanxin stared blankly at the painting, her hand involuntarily reaching out to touch the small figure in the tree. The moment her hand touched the painting, a drop of blood suddenly seeped out from the spot where the figure was.
The blood melted into Meng Fanxin’s fingertip, and she immediately clutched her head in pain.
Yu An jumped in alarm. "What’s wrong?"
"I-I’m fine."
Meng Fanxin clenched her teeth, processing the new memories that were flooding her mind. She paused for a moment, then grabbed Yu An’s hand.
In an instant, the memories were shared with Yu An. Yu An saw a Blood Pool. In the center was a raised platform where an old man with a white beard and white hair sat cross-legged.
The air was filled with the wails of humans and the shrieks of beasts, but the old man remained unmoved. The water in the Blood Pool surged toward him, its level dropping rapidly.
Just as it was about to run dry, more blood gushed in from all sides, refilling the pool.
Over and over the cycle repeated, the chaotic screams never ceasing.
The scene was incredibly bloody and disturbing, but Yu An forced themself to keep watching.
The scene shifted, and a small figure appeared at the edge of the pool. Yu An looked closer. It was Tian Fu!
He watched with cold eyes. Only after seeing the old man’s hair and beard slowly turn black did he leave, satisfied.
No, he didn’t leave. He turned, then stopped in his tracks, meeting the eyes of Meng Fanxin, who was holding a plate of pastries.
"Fu, you... what are you doing here?"
Tian Fu didn’t answer. His gaze was vicious, his killing intent palpable. Realizing something was terribly wrong, Meng Fanxin turned and fled.
Yu An saw that Tian Fu tried to give chase, but then he clutched his head for some reason, as if struggling against something.
It looked a lot like when Lan Yin and Lan Ying fought for control of their body.
Meng Fanxin was about to get away, but Tian Fu couldn’t pursue her. At the critical moment, a figure appeared before Meng Fanxin and knocked her unconscious.
The man looked very familiar. Yu An thought for a moment, and then it came to them.
He had appeared in the Illusion Realm. He was Tian Fu’s martial master, surnamed Wu.
Martial Artist Wu held the unconscious Meng Fanxin and looked to Tian Fu. "Master, how should we deal with her? Should I..."
He made a throat-slitting gesture.
Tian Fu shook his head. He could finally move again. He walked over to Meng Fanxin and took out a Gu Worm.
"This Gu Worm can make her forget what just happened. But to be safe..."
A vicious glint flashed in Tian Fu’s eyes, along with an almost imperceptible trace of reluctance. "Here’s what you’ll do. Find someone..."
His "parents" were a deeply devoted couple. If Meng Fanxin simply made a mistake, Tian Pingyue would surely cover for her, making it impossible to ensure her death.
Only if she did something truly filthy would Tian Pingyue break down and abandon Meng Fanxin completely.
Martial Artist Wu didn’t understand. "Master, you cannot kill the Second Lady because of your bloodline, but I can. Why not let me do it?"
Tian Fu’s gaze swept over Meng Fanxin, a crazed smile spreading across his small, childish face.
"I just thought of something fun. Don’t you think tearing apart a loving couple whose bond is said to be stronger than gold would be an interesting thing to do?"
His laughter echoed through the empty basement. "Let’s just see... how indestructible their love truly is."