PTYS Chapter 187

Xiao Qian and Shen Wanlin’s faces changed drastically upon hearing Miao Anli’s words. However, it reaffirmed their suspicion that Miao Anli was the last survivor of the Dong family.

But they couldn’t understand what went wrong. Miao Anli was only a teenager at the time, yet they had no memory of such a person.

Shen Wanlin, still rational, worried most about his daughter being there. He took a deep breath and said, “Anli, I don’t know what madness has seized you, but I can see your grudge against our two families is deep.

I don’t know what happened, but since you’re targeting the Shen and Xiao families, let’s discuss it. What do you want?

Qingqiu and Muyu are still children and were terrified last night. Let them go rest.”

He looked at Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu, “You should leave now. Qingqiu, your mother has returned from Baiyun Mountain and is worried about you. Go accompany her.”

Shen Qingqiu understood his intention and silently admired Shen Wanlin. He was clearly more composed than Xiao Qian.

Their initial panic was due to shock and the gruesome rumors of Lord Bai He, which filled their minds with the image of the vengeful Dong family ghosts.

But learning that Miao Anli might be a Dong family orphan dispelled their fear. He had blood on his hands from years ago; he wouldn’t fear a mere human.

Miao Anli saw through his change in demeanor, his hatred flaring anew. Regret and fear were nonexistent. How could such ruthless killers regret their actions?

“What, are you afraid your daughter will see your true, ugly self? Do you think you can hide the past?

Miao Anli stood up, facing Xiao Qian and Shen Wanlin. He then turned to Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu, gritting his teeth, “She also said you had nothing to do with it and didn’t partake in their crimes. But being their daughters is your greatest sin, just like those born into the Dong family had to die for no reason!”

He pointed sharply at Shen Wanlin, “Do you think I’d dare to say this in front of you if I were afraid? Do you think Lord Bai He would crawl out of the river after twenty years just to seek revenge on your daughters?”

Shen Wanlin and Xiao Qian’s faces turned grim. Xiao Muyu, tired of Miao Anli’s torment, spoke up, “Enough, Miao Anli. You didn’t come here to expose our fathers to us. Spare us the drama.

We’ve heard your story. I just want to know, is it true? And what role are you playing?”

She stared at Miao Anli, her eyes clear, her voice calm as if the matter didn’t concern her. Her words hit Xiao Qian like a thunderbolt, his mouth agape but silenced by Shen Wanlin’s cold gaze.

Miao Anli’s face, full of mirth, turned stiff. He glared at Xiao Muyu, chuckling, “I thought you and she would be dead, but you ruined my plans.

I thought it was a coincidence, but now I see I was wrong. You outshine your father.”

Ignoring his taunts, Xiao Muyu asked again, “Is it true? Was Lord Bai He’s family betrayed and slaughtered by these two?”

She looked at Xiao Qian and Shen Wanlin.

Shen Wanlin’s eyes were dark, and Xiao Qian didn’t dare meet her gaze. Xiao Muyu nodded, “I understand.”

Shen Wanlin snapped, “What do you understand?”

Xiao Muyu looked at him, her eyes showing either pity or resignation, “It seems he was right. Killing a family, raping a wife, and seizing their property—how could you live peacefully for twenty years?”

“Xiao Muyu, you’re deluded!” Shen Wanlin roared.

Xiao Muyu ignored him, turning to Miao Anli, “And what about you? Enduring hardship, marrying his sister, managing his business. Do you hate Shen Yurou too? How will you torment her?”

Mentioning Shen Yurou, Miao Anli’s face showed a moment of confusion. His expression hardened, “You think I married her for love? She’s just a pawn in my revenge. How do you think Shen Wanlin feels?”

He laughed, “Why do you think she can’t have children, no matter the doctor? I made sure no child of Shen’s would be born from Dong’s blood!”

Shen Wanlin stood abruptly, “Miao Anli, you bastard! What did she do to you? You’ve been married for over ten years. Do you not know her kindness? How could you be so despicable?”

“I…” Miao Anli’s harsh words were cut off as the door opened, revealing Shen Yurou.

Shen Qingqiu whispered to Xiao Muyu, “It’s a bloodbath.”

There was a hint of schadenfreude in her tone. Seeing Shen Yurou’s expression, Shen Qingqiu sobered up.

Shen Yurou, contrary to her name, was not a demure lady. She was usually cheerful and bold. Shen Qingqiu admired her aunt.

Now, the always-smiling Shen Yurou was pale, her eyes red but tearless.

A normal person would break down upon hearing such words from their husband. But Shen Yurou just looked at Miao Anli, took a deep breath, and asked, “Is what you said true?”

Miao Anli hesitated, then said coldly, “This is between me and them. You don’t need to get involved.”

Shen Yurou laughed bitterly, “I don’t need to get involved? Who dragged me into this! What enmity do you have that made you treat us this way? Did you deliberately endanger Qingqiu, knowing the risks?”

Miao Anli’s eyes burned red, “So what if I did? They deserve it! If you think what I did is cruel, then what about what Shen Wanlin and Xiao Qian did?”

He turned to Xiao Muyu, “Can you tell her what they did?”

Xiao Muyu calmly recounted the story of the Dong family’s tragedy.

Shen Yurou, devastated, recalled how her brother, Shen Wanlin, brought her and their mother back, claiming he had made a fortune honestly. She couldn’t believe her brother capable of such cruelty.

“Brother, is it true? Tell me it isn’t!”

Shen Wanlin gritted his teeth, “Nonsense. What Dong family, what massacre? Miao Anli, you’re insane. If it’s true, why didn’t you come forward years ago? Now you make up lies because of Lord Bai He. It’s ridiculous.”

” I really don’t understand. Our Shen family has treated you well, and my sister has been wholeheartedly devoted to you. You would have had a share in the Shen family in the future. How could you be so heartless and betray us for such a small inheritance?”

Shen Wanlin’s words made it clear that he would never admit it. Shen Yurou looked at him with a mix of expectation and confusion. Maybe it was a misunderstanding?

“Ridiculous. If I wanted the Shen family’s property, why would I involve Xiao Qian? You should know better than anyone when you returned to Yingzhou City and how entangled you were with each other. And Xiao Qian, why do you think those two guards died? Don’t you know?”

Miao Anli’s words crushed Xiao Qian’s restless thoughts completely. His heart trembled, and he couldn’t help but glance at Shen Wanlin.

Xiao Muyu had no interest in their debate over the established facts. Based on the system’s set questions, she had already deduced that Bai He Langjun was not lying. Now, the confrontation between Miao Anli and Shen Wanlin further proved this point.

At this moment, the number of key characters had become 4/? and the understanding of love and hate had become 3/?. Xiao Qian’s story was already clear. Miao Anli’s involvement was confirmed, leaving only Mei Qianqian, who had remained inactive.

“What is the point of this argument now? You were the witnesses to what happened back then. You know the truth better than anyone and there’s no need to hide anything from us.

I am just curious, as Uncle Shen said, what is your relationship with the Dong family, Miao Anli?

According to you, the Dong family was exterminated. The memorial tablets and anomalies I saw indeed confirmed this. How did you escape? And why did you endure it for so many years?” Xiao Muyu asked directly.

Miao Anli looked at her coldly. “Are you really Xiao Muyu? Aren’t you even a little curious about what your father did in the past?”

Xiao Muyu felt a slight sinking in her heart as the system beeped a warning, “Please watch your tone, player.”

Shen Qingqiu lowered her eyelids, then raised her head and sneered. “Curious about what? Some things are known to everyone, whether admitted or not. Once it happens, it inevitably exists. What do you expect us to do? Be hysterical and incredulous? Unfortunately, we already digested these emotions yesterday.

“But, Uncle, I think it’s not you avenging Bai He Langjun, but Bai He Langjun using you for revenge, right?

What methods have you used all these years? What kind of dark arts have you learned to reverse the yin and yang and turn a skeleton into a vengeful ghost?”

She looked at Miao Anli coldly, her last words carrying a hint of killing intent, and her aura pressed straight at him.

Her demeanor surprised Miao Anli. After a while, he laughed heartily. “It seems it was redundant to make you admit your misdeeds. You two have really raised good daughters, more perceptive and secretive than you. But why should I talk to you so much? Let me send you to hell first.”

After speaking, Miao Anli’s expression changed. He took out a handful of paper money and threw it into the air. The white paper money scattered down, making Xiao Qian and Shen Wanlin’s hearts tighten suddenly. Wasn’t this the paper money thrown during a funeral?

Xiao Muyu also became vigilant. As the paper money fell to the ground, the sky outside suddenly darkened. Amid terrified screams, something quickly approached. In an instant, the doors and windows were broken, and four figures appeared in the room, looking up at Xiao Qian and Shen Wanlin.

“No, impossible!” Xiao Qian’s eyes widened in horror.

Shen Wanlin also staggered back a few steps, pointing at the four people who shouldn’t exist, “What… what dark arts did you learn? They have been dead for over twenty years. Miao Anli, stop pretending to be a ghost!”

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu recognized these four people as the Dong family’s couple and their son Dong Zhongxuan and his bride Liu Shi from the illusion.

Xiao Muyu looked closely and whispered to Shen Qingqiu and the others, “They are still paper figures, just too lifelike to distinguish from real ones.”

But there was no doubt that these paper figures were not just decorations.

At this moment, everyone’s expressions in the room fully exposed themselves. Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu, and their group were alert but not panicked.

Xiao Qian and Shen Wanlin were utterly terrified, their faces ashen. Shen Yurou was frightened but hadn’t realized that the four figures were not human, so she wasn’t scared senseless.

As for Mei Qianqian, she had not spoken a word from the beginning, sitting there like a bystander. It wasn’t until the four paper figures appeared that she clenched her hands and stared at them with a sorrowful expression.

Xiao Muyu focused her gaze on her and said, “Second Aunt, are you still going to be a bystander? Can you not take a clear stance in this enmity?”

After speaking, she sent a message to Chen Kaijie and the others, reminding them to transfer all the favorability points to Mei Qianqian.

With a ding, the system spoke, “Player Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu, Chen Kaijie, Su Jin, and Zuo Tiantian’s favorability points are being transferred. A total of 3.9 favorability points. Please choose immediately who to allocate these points to.”

Initially, they thought the 3.9 favorability points added to Mei Qianqian would increase the team’s overall favorability towards her. They didn’t expect they would need to choose among themselves for distribution.

As the words fell, the names of everyone, including themselves, appeared in their minds, with only three seconds to choose.

Shen Qingqiu quickly scanned Chen Kaijie and the others, making a decisive and swift decision. Everyone almost reflexively locked in on Xiao Muyu.

In an instant, they were reminded of the second instance where they had to choose Xiao Muyu under Shen Qingqiu’s pressure. But this time, they were confident in their choice.