Half an hour later, Leng Ruo Li, with Xing Er, was about to climb over the wall from the backyard.
The back door was suddenly opened, and two sneaky figures emerged from the backyard, carrying a bundle wrapped in a tattered mat.
The two of them, with combined effort, lifted it onto a handcart that had been prepared beforehand at the doorstep.
Seeing this, Xing Er, with a grief-stricken expression, said to Leng Ruo Li,
"Miss, someone else has died in the manor."
"What? You're saying they're carrying a dead body?"
"Yes."
Xing Er nodded and said,
"Let's go take a look."
Leng Ruo Li led Xing Er over.
At this moment, two household servants were diligently tying the corpse with ropes to prevent it from falling off during transport.
The sudden appearance of Leng Ruo Li and Xing Er startled the two servants greatly.
They abandoned the body and fled.
Leng Ruo Li felt speechless. These two were so timid, yet they dared to bury bodies.
She had intended to ask about the cause of death.
Now, with the two servants scared away, Leng Ruo Li could only approach the body herself to examine it.
Her delicate brows furrowed as she took a close look at the corpse on the handcart. The entire body was tightly wrapped in a tattered mat, so no part of it was visible.
Xing Er, who was following closely behind, also waddled over with her swollen belly to take a peek. Then, with sharp eyes, she noticed a worn embroidered shoe pressed beneath the mat.
She pulled out the shoe and looked at it, finding it very familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before.
Suddenly, a figure flashed in Xing Er's mind.
"Miss, this shoe belongs to Ling Er."
"Ling Er? Who is Ling Er?"
"She's the little maid you told me about, the one who took you to the woodshed to save me that day."
"Oh, I remember now."
Afterward, their eyes met, and a bad premonition filled their hearts. The corpse wrapped in the tattered mat might be Ling Er.
To resolve her doubts, Leng Ruo Li pretended to take a sharp surgical knife from her "sleeve" and skillfully cut open the tattered mat of the corpse. She then slowly peeled back the mat with her hands, their hearts pounding with tension.
Finally, they opened the mat.
A pale, pale face, eyes tightly shut, disheveled hair, a dirty and emaciated body covered in wounds, immediately appeared before them.
Looking at the familiar attire on the corpse, Leng Ruo Li's heart was filled with mixed emotions. The timid young girl from that day had become a cold, lifeless body.
Seeing the dried bloodstains, swollen and festering wounds, she could guess that this young girl must have endured inhuman suffering before her death.
At this moment, Xing Er also recognized the identity of the corpse at a glance, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her eyes.
"Miss, it's all my fault for Ling Er. If she hadn't been targeted by those malicious people for saving me, she wouldn't have met such a tragic end."
Xing Er's sorrow deepened as she spoke.
"Sigh—"
Leng Ruo Li also felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She suspected that this matter was definitely related to the Liu mother and daughter.
"Xing Er, does Ling Er have any family left?"
"Your maidservant once heard Ling Er mention that she had a sickly, blind grandmother at home. Six months ago, Ling Er sold herself to our manor as a lowly maid just to earn money for her grandmother's medical treatment. Now that Ling Er is dead, her blind grandmother is left helpless."
As she spoke, Xing Er began to weep sadly again.
Although Leng Ruo Li did not cry, she also felt uncomfortable. A life had been so cruelly taken away. This was sheer disregard for human life.
Leng Ruo Li sighed deeply and performed a thorough examination of Ling Er's body, recording everything to seek justice for her later.
When she touched the body's ankle, her eyes brightened. She discovered a faint pulse at Ling Er's ankle, something that would be difficult for most people to detect without careful examination.
This was a huge surprise!
"Xing Er, stop crying. Quickly help Ling Er back. She's not dead yet; she can still be saved," Leng Ruo Li said urgently.
Upon hearing this, Xing Er immediately stopped crying, thinking she had misheard.
"Miss, really? Ling Er is not dead."
"Yes, quickly help me bring Ling Er back to be treated. If you delay any longer, she will truly be beyond saving."
Xing Er instantly reacted. The two of them helped Ling Er's "corpse" back to Qingfeng Courtyard.
In Qingfeng Courtyard, Leng Ruo Li immediately instructed Xing Er to fetch a bucket of hot water from the kitchen.
Following that, Leng Ruo Li immediately began performing CPR on Ling Er. She unbuttoned Ling Er's collar and loosened her belt, then proceeded with chest compressions, opening the airway, and artificial respiration. Anyone witnessing this would surely be astonished by her actions.
Finally, after her relentless efforts, Ling Er's electrocardiogram displayed a return to normal in her system space after more than ten minutes.
Then, she retrieved various necessary medicines and medical equipment from her space.
Leng Ruo Li took a blood type test strip to determine Ling Er's blood type, which was B. She then took a corresponding blood bag from the blood bank in her system space, placing it aside for Ling Er. After administering a full anesthetic injection to Ling Er and starting the transfusion, she proceeded to clean her wounds, disinfecting them with normal saline, scraping away dead tissue with a surgical knife, squeezing out pus, and then suturing the wounds. Everything was done in a meticulously organized manner.
Soon, Leng Ruo Li nimbly finished treating Ling Er's wounds and put all the used medicines and medical equipment back into her system space.
Looking at the dense network of new and old injuries on Ling Er's body, she felt an overwhelming sadness.
At this moment, Xing Er walked in, carrying a bucket of hot water.
"Miss, the hot water is here."
Leng Ruo Li nodded and instructed, "Xing Er, you help Ling Er wipe off the bloodstains, but try not to touch the wounds."
"Yes, Miss."
Xing Er responded respectfully.
Then, Xing Er pondered for a moment before asking, "Miss, Ling Er, she... can she still be saved?"
"It depends on whether she can make it through the night. If she can survive tonight, she will live," Leng Ruo Li said, her expression stern and her tone deep.
Hearing this, Xing Er's eyes reddened again.
Leng Ruo Li completely understood Xing Er's feelings at that moment.
Just a few days ago, Xing Er had told her that in this manor, besides herself, Ling Er was the one she had the best relationship with.
During the few days she herself had gone missing previously, Xing Er had also been beaten by the Liu mother and daughter and locked in the woodshed.
Xing Er had said that others gloated over her misfortune and kicked her while she was down, but only Ling Er had secretly gone to the woodshed to bring her water and food, helping her endure.
In short, Xing Er's survival last time was partly due to Granny Hua's pills, but most importantly, it was due to Ling Er's help.
"Xing Er, you will take care of Ling Er tonight. I need to go out for a while."
"If Ling Er develops a fever in the middle of the night, give her these few fever-reducing pills I left on the table. Taking them should reduce her fever."
Xing Er nodded hastily, "But Miss, where are you going so late?"
"I'm just going out for a bit and will be back soon."
After speaking, Leng Ruo Li returned to her room, changed into a white long robe, took out the makeup from her past life stored in her space, and transformed herself into a disheveled, pale-faced female ghost with a gaping maw and long fingernails.
Then, she turned and left Qingfeng Courtyard, vanishing into the darkness of the night.
Yuhua Courtyard
Aman, the head maid of Concubine Liu, was helping Concubine Liu slowly undress before walking barefoot to her large bathtub.
Aman then turned and exited the room to serve outside.
Although Concubine Liu was a woman of middle age, her skin was fair, and her face and figure were exceptionally well-maintained, making her still alluring and graceful.
She dipped her jade-like fingers into the water to test the temperature, then slowly submerged herself in the warm water, which was scattered with rose petals. Her dark ink-like hair floated on the surface, forming a bizarre net.
Next, Concubine Liu closed her eyes, enjoying the comfort of being immersed in the warm water. At this moment, a gust of cold wind blew in from outside, causing her to shiver slightly and frown.
However, with Aman guarding outside, she didn't pay much attention.
Leng Ruo Li had successfully incapacitated all the maids and young servants in the courtyard.
Then, she floated effortlessly past the door of Concubine Liu's room and slipped into Concubine Liu's chamber, hiding behind a screen.
She looked at the several sets of Concubine Liu's intimate undergarments hanging behind the screen, and a glint of mischief flashed in her beautiful almond eyes.
She suddenly thought of a wicked idea.
Subsequently, using her mind, she retrieved the advanced itching powder she had developed in her past life but had never used, from her system space. She sprinkled it evenly over Concubine Liu's undergarments, and then walked out from behind the screen.
She watched coldly as the woman, currently bathing in the large wooden tub, lay there. A sly smile curved her red lips.
Suddenly, Concubine Liu sensed that something was amiss in the room. She abruptly opened her eyes, and the terrifying sight of a ghost's face greeted her, scaring her into a scream.
"Ah— Ghost—!"
"Help! Someone, help!"
Heh, even if she screamed until her throat was raw, no one would hear her.
This was because they had all been put to sleep by Leng Ruo Li.
Concubine Liu had no choice but to get out of the bathtub naked. As she stepped onto the slippery floor, she lost her footing and fell face-first.
She quickly sat up.
Seeing Leng Ruo Li's face getting closer and closer, she was so frightened that she retreated backward repeatedly.
"Liu Ruyi, I died so miserably! Pay me my life!" Leng Ruo Li said in a low, eerie voice.
"Sister Wan'er, it wasn't me, it wasn't me who caused your difficult childbirth. I was also forced. Please let me go," Concubine Liu begged fearfully.
"If not you, then who? If you tell me, I'll spare your life."
"No, no, no, I can't say. If I speak, he won't let me go."
"Speak or not."
Leng Ruo Li directly shoved her elaborately painted, terrifying face close to Concubine Liu's eyes. Concubine Liu screamed, "Ah—," and fainted on the spot.
Alas, she was so easily scared. Tonight, she would be spared for now, but in the days to come, she would have much to endure.
Then, she turned and left the room.
However, Leng Ruo Li was unaware that a pair of eyes were secretly watching her every move.