Volume One, Chapter 19: A White Lotus Sister

Qin Yu was startled and sat up as if propelled by a spring.

Qin Yu asked, "Where did this stone statue come from?"

After waiting for a reply from Shu Tiantian and receiving none, Qin Yu guessed she must have fallen asleep. She closed the chat window.

There was still one unread message in her inbox.

The message read: "Master, I followed your advice and reported it to the police. They did indeed find Bian Yingzi's body in the foul ditch. Thank you, Master! Now I only hope the person who killed Bian Yingzi will be brought to justice soon and executed swiftly, so Yingzi can finally be vindicated!"

Qin Yu considered for a moment and replied with a simple "My condolences."

The dead cannot return, but the pain remains for the living.

After putting down her phone, Qin Yu felt exhausted, yet sleep eluded her. Her mind was filled with images of the faceless stone statue—

Using the grotesque fusion of human and rat as the medium to steal life span and fortune, storing these energies within stone statues, and ultimately extracting them through some special means.

The entire process was disturbingly sophisticated. Who could have created such a device, so cruel and unnatural? How many people had already fallen victim to it?

The thought left Qin Yu with a tight, suffocating feeling in her chest—she could neither dispel it nor express it.

—

Qin Yu was awakened by the vibration of her phone.

She had spent the previous night reciting the Rebirth Mantra and the Serenity Mantra, only closing her eyes when dawn broke.

Irritated, she answered the call—it was the courier she had scheduled for returning the cinnabar and talisman papers.

She thought of asking Mu Ling to run the errand, but was surprised to find he wasn't around.

Puzzled, Qin Yu got up to handle the return herself.

Upon her return, she noticed a note left by Mu Ling on the table: "Out for business, taking leave for three days."

For five years by her side, Mu Ling had never once asked for a day off.

Qin Yu felt a bit lost. Without Mu Ling's constant chatter, she found herself slightly unaccustomed to the quiet.

She wanted to nap again, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Qin Yu: ???

Is anyone allowed to sleep in peace?

Fuming, she opened the door, only to be stunned by the visitor.

"Mr. Su...Su?" she stammered.

Yes, it was her biological father, Su Jin.

—

Su Jin looked at her, his eyes suddenly reddening, "Child, you've suffered so much out there all these years!"

Qin Yu: ???

Even after sitting in the car back to the Su family home, Qin Yu couldn't believe she had been acknowledged by them so easily.

According to Su Jin, he had never given up searching for her all these years, but with no results. Until two days ago, someone left a small note at his door, saying Qin Yu was the missing daughter of the Su family.

He spent two days verifying the information on the note, and once certain, he immediately sought out Qin Yu for their reunion.

Qin Yu gazed at the familiar handwriting in her hand, a warmth blooming in her chest.

It was her master's script. Even after she left the mountain, her master still thought of her.

"Yuyu, in the second year after you disappeared, your mother and I adopted a daughter..." Su Jin spoke, carefully watching Qin Yu's face, afraid of any sign of unhappiness.

Qin Yu, however, merely stared at him, expressionless, waiting for him to continue.

Unable to tell if she was angry, Su Jin hurriedly explained, "Your mother was very depressed at that time. The doctor suggested adopting a daughter to distract her. But Yuyu, don't worry. If you don't like her, we'll have her live elsewhere..."

Qin Yu was somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected Su Jin to value her so highly.

"Mr. Su, there's no need. You can treat her as you normally would."

She had never intended to truly become the Su family's heiress; she was only here to repay her karmic debt.

The more understanding Qin Yu was, the deeper Su Jin's guilt grew.

Getting out of the car, she looked at the small building that had denied her entry only days before, feeling a surge of emotion.

The next moment, a woman in an elegant cheongsam ran over, eyes bright with excitement, "Yuyu, are you Yuyu?"

Her eyes reddened in an instant, tears falling like pearls, "Yuyu, my Yuyu. You’ve suffered so much!"

Qin Yu didn’t understand why everyone kept saying she had suffered. She had lived peacefully and freely at Ling Mountain Temple, never feeling hardship. But she did appreciate the woman’s gentle and noble bearing.

This must be her mother, Qi Huairou.

"Mrs. Su," Qin Yu said.

Unlike Qi Huairou's enthusiasm, Qin Yu was polite yet distant.

Qi Huairou felt a pang in her heart at the address "Mrs. Su," her tears flowing even harder.

Su Jin quickly intervened, "Huairou, what's wrong? The child is back—shouldn't you bring her inside instead of letting her stand here in the sun?"

Qi Huairou clapped her hands in regret, taking Qin Yu by the hand, "Yuyu, come inside with me."

Qin Yu tried to pull away, but seeing the joy on Qi Huairou’s face, she relented.

—

After only a few steps, Qi Huairou noticed Qin Yu had stopped.

"What’s wrong, Yuyu?" Qi Huairou asked in confusion, seeing Qin Yu staring blankly at the fountain pool nearby.

Qin Yu pressed her lips together, about to speak, when a gentle voice came from behind the fountain, "Sister must find the fountain pool beautiful, right? Well, after living in the mountains for so many years, you probably haven’t seen anything quite like it."

The newcomer wore a fitted dress in soft yellow, paired with matching Mary Jane shoes. Her eyes were clear and innocent, and despite her manipulative words, she remained likable.

Qin Yu stayed silent, watching Su Nianxin "innocently" sit by the pool and stir the water.

Qin Yu’s mouth twitched hard.

Should she tell Su Nianxin that the pool she admired actually contained a water ghost? The ghost floated face-down, its exposed skin pale and wrinkled from soaking, its long hair spreading like aquatic weeds across the pool. From Qin Yu’s perspective, Su Nianxin’s stirring motion was directed right at the ghost's forehead, digging and digging...

"Yuyu, let me introduce you. This is your sister, Su Nianxin," Qi Huairou hurried to explain, having heard from Su Jin that Qin Yu wouldn’t mind, but still fearing she might feel hurt.

"I am Qin Yu," she replied, deciding not to mention the water ghost.

Qi Huairou, seeing that Qin Yu genuinely wasn't upset, gave Su Nianxin a few reminders before taking Qin Yu upstairs.

As Qi Huairou warmly led Qin Yu up, Su Nianxin pinched her palm fiercely.

For no reason, a chill ran down her back, her hand tingling where she had stirred the water, and an uneasy feeling crept over her.

Qin Yu, having barely slept last night, felt utterly drowsy as soon as she saw the bed. After expressing her wish to rest, Qi Huairou immediately left her in peace, even lighting an aromatherapy candle before departing.

—

Downstairs.

Su Jin, Qi Huairou, and Su Nianxin sat together in a row.

Su Nianxin stared at her toes, nervously clutching the hem of her dress, looking especially cautious.

"Mom, Dad, I always knew I was a stand-in for my sister. Now that she's back, you won't abandon me, will you?"