Chapter 98: Seeing Ghosts!

Lin Baixue didn’t know what was happening. Just moments ago, her eyes had glazed over with excitement. She shook her head, feeling as if she was about to faint. Xia Yue’er hurriedly supported her, “Mother, what’s wrong? Are you too overwhelmed with grief and exhausted?”

Xia Yue’er’s voice was neither loud nor soft, but just enough for those around to hear. She wanted everyone to see Lin Baixue as a devoted daughter-in-law, painting her as a figure worn down by worry and care. Xia Yue’er was always crafting her image.

Lin Baixue shook her head and said, “I’m fine. Today concerns the grand case of the Old Madam Xia’s murder. I must witness the verdict with my own eyes.”

Truly, the bolder Xia Yue’er was, the bolder Lin Baixue would respond.

Everyone could easily see that it was Lin Baixue who had killed her. Even Xia Jiujiang could figure it out with her toes.

First, Xia Yue’er lacked the capability — she was simply too foolish.

Xia Mingxuan wouldn’t ruin his own future; he dared not.

Xia Wentao was unknowingly being used like a dagger.

In the end, the only one who could have forced Aunt Xiu to act in this charade, cooperating with one another, was none other than Lin Baixue herself.

Lin Baixue’s unusual behavior caught Xia Wentao’s attention; he glanced at her a few more times. At this moment, none of them suspected that Lin Baixue’s actions were only the beginning—the poison from the Gu insect that Xia Jiujiang had used was starting to take effect.

Once Lin Baixue regained her composure, Xia Wentao began pressing Pei Xingzhi: “Lord Pei, what are you waiting for? Now that both eyewitness testimony and physical evidence are complete, please deliver the verdict. Or is there still some doubt?”

Not wanting to prolong the matter, Xia Wentao was eager to cut through the chaos swiftly.

Pei Xingzhi cast a glance at Jun Buwen, who stared confidently at Xia Jiujiang. The assured expression, full of belief in Xia Jiujiang, left Pei Xingzhi momentarily stunned. Why was it that the emperor wasn’t anxious, but the eunuchs were? They seemed far too unconcerned.

Before Pei Xingzhi could speak, Xia Jiujiang said, “Prime Minister Xia, why the urgency? Since you are so certain I am the culprit and confident that the evidence is complete, what harm is there in waiting a few minutes?”

Hearing this, Xia Wentao felt a chill run down his spine. Every time, Xia Jiujiang delayed, and before anyone knew it, she would clear her name.

Clenching his fist, Xia Wentao said anxiously, “Why should I let you, a suspect, waste time? You still cannot produce any evidence. Do you think waiting a few minutes will let you conjure proof? Now that the eyewitness testimony and physical evidence are thorough, and the coroner from the Dali Temple, Lord Pei, has confirmed the time of death as early morning two days ago—ironclad facts—what are you hesitating for?”

“Father, you’re really eager to condemn me,” Xia Jiujiang sighed bitterly. “Calling me a suspect like that, you don’t treat me as a daughter of the Xia family at all.”

Xia Wentao, convinced that Xia Jiujiang was the murderer beyond doubt, shouted angrily, “As Prime Minister, I have no daughter who would harm her grandmother. Since you have committed such a heinous act, consider our father-daughter relationship severed, broken beyond repair!”

A cold gleam flickered in Xia Jiujiang’s eyes. “Those are your own words, Prime Minister—severing our father-daughter ties, breaking all bonds.”

At that moment, Lin Baixue’s mind spun wildly, the bright hall suddenly turning eerie and sinister. It felt as if she had blinked and the sky had darkened. A strange sensation spread around her, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably.

Xia Yue’er did not notice that Lin Baixue’s eyes had grown vacant. Illusions appeared before her: she stood in a cold, desolate place, pitch-black all around, sensing countless eyes watching her. Her entire body chilled, restless as if sitting on needles. Suddenly, a white shadow floated past behind her.

Lin Baixue shivered, “Who’s there?”

Who was behind her?

Though she saw nothing when she turned, the white shadow drifted just beyond her sightline. When she looked back again, the space behind her was empty—only she remained in that vast emptiness.

Just as Lin Baixue felt nothing was there, a cold breath brushed her neck. She clearly sensed a chilling presence drawing near.

She spun around swiftly, ready to strike unexpectedly. But the instant she turned, terror seized her, and she screamed out, her legs weakening as she collapsed to her knees. “Old… Old Madam…”

Cold sweat poured down Lin Baixue’s face. The Old Madam Xia, long dead, now appeared with a ghastly pale, bluish complexion. Her eyes bulged like a goldfish’s, terrifying and wrathful, fixed on Lin Baixue.

“Don’t come looking for me! Don’t come looking for me! I didn’t kill you!” Lin Baixue struggled, kicking wildly, covering her face, desperate to put distance between herself and the horrifying apparition before her.

The Old Madam’s voice was cold and cruel as she sneered, “Not you? Every grudge has its debtor. Whoever killed me, I will find them!”

Before Lin Baixue’s eyes appeared a ghastly specter with a blue face and fangs, clad in blood-red garments, surrounded by a faint, eerie blue light.

Her legs gave way, and Lin Baixue sank to the ground. What kind of place was this? Was she dreaming? She pinched herself hard; the sharp pain convinced her this was no dream but reality.

She could hear her own heartbeat pounding wildly. Fear gripped her so tightly she could no longer control it. She cried out, “Yue’er, Xuan’er, where are you? Help me… Where am I?”

All sounds seemed to gather within her chest, blocked and suffocating.

The Old Madam’s chilling voice echoed coldly, “This is the netherworld! I have summoned your soul here.”

With gusts of cold wind swirling, Lin Baixue could hear her heart thumping fiercely.

The ghastly judge on the platform spoke: “As a daughter-in-law who murdered her mother-in-law, attempting to deceive the underworld andI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.