Reborn As The Wicked Little Sister-in-Law - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Trap Setter Gets Trapped

Xiao Tan ran at full speed but couldn’t catch up to Lü Guiyan. Panting heavily, she reached the main house only to see Lü Guiyan sitting on the cold floor. She reached out and pulled her up with all her might.

“The ground is cold. Why are you sitting there?”

It was then she noticed the tears on Lü Guiyan’s face. She asked worriedly, “Ninth Concubine, what happened to you?”

Lü Guiyan didn’t answer; her eyes were hollow and vacant.

“Ninth Concubine, don’t scare me like this!” Xiao Tan was so anxious her own tears started to fall. Seeing no reaction, she turned to run outside for help.

“I’m fine.”

Hearing the response, Xiao Tan wailed out loud. “You scared the life out of me!”

Lü Guiyan spread her hands and smiled. “I was just joking with you. I wanted to see if you’d cry for me if I died one day.”

Xiao Tan looked at her with disgust and said, word by word, “I certainly would not!”

Remembering Lü Guiyan’s mention of her leg injury at the front gate, Xiao Tan went to the dressing table. She saw two bottles of golden sore ointment: one from Lanxin Courtyard and another unknown one. She recalled Biyu’s instruction to report everything regarding Lü Guiyan.

“Ninth Concubine, where did you get this ointment in the iron box?”

“Oh, the three concubines from Yulan Residence gave it to me. Bring it over; I need to apply it after my bath.”

Xiao Tan picked up the iron box and said, “Their courtyard is poor and they are stingy; this is bound to be cheap medicine. We should use the one from Concubine Lan; it’ll definitely heal faster.”

Lü Guiyan didn’t think the other ointment was bad. she had opened both and smelled them; they were identical. The only difference was the packaging. “Whatever. As long as it’s golden sore ointment, it’s fine.”

To prevent Xiao Tan from dwelling on her strange behavior at the gate, Lü Guiyan limped to the small kitchen to boil water. By the time she finished bathing and applying the medicine, it was late into the night. Between the day’s running and the earlier “curse” flare-up, she was physically and mentally exhausted. She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, and Xiao Tan followed suit shortly after.

At that moment, the door to the main house was pushed open silently. Wei Chengyan, dressed in black night-traveler clothes, crept inside.

She opened the lid of the teapot on the table, carefully took a packet of powder from her robe, and poured it into the tea, shaking the pot gently to mix it.

Perhaps it was the slight rattling of the teapot, or perhaps Xiao Tan wasn’t deeply asleep. Xiao Tan rubbed her eyes and saw the door was open. Thinking she had forgotten to close it, she got up to shut it—but suddenly, her vision went black, and she collapsed, unconscious.

In her dreams, Lü Guiyan was awoken by the barking of the little black dog, Huahua. She squinted and looked around. The room was pitch black. Outside, a gale was howling. Huahua was shivering and curled up by the bed, making whimpering sounds.

Thinking Huahua was just scared of the new environment, Lü Guiyan fumbled to light a candle. The room brightened, and she immediately saw Xiao Tan lying on the floor.

“Xiao Tan! Xiao Tan!” No response.

Lü Guiyan’s hand trembled as she checked for a pulse. Fortunately, Xiao Tan had only fainted. She let out a massive sigh of relief.

Crack! Outside, the wind and rain intensified, followed by a roar of lightning and thunder. Muhe Courtyard was thick with vegetation; the wind made the leaves hiss and the branches groan, creating an ominous atmosphere.

With a bang, the door was blown open by a gust. A blast of icy air rushed in, making the room instantly cold.

Lü Guiyan wrapped her clothes tightly around her and went to the door. She was surprised to see the moon hanging high in the night sky. Moonlight while it’s storming? What strange weather.

As she was grumbling internally, something flashed past the corner of her eye. It was so fast she couldn’t make out what it was. She ignored it at first, but then a second shadow flickered by—this one distinctly human-shaped. Terrified, she let go of the door handle.

She was usually the only one in this courtyard. Why were shadows appearing one after another? Her heart hammered against her ribs. Suddenly, the candle inside blew out, and the moon outside was obscured by clouds. An atmosphere of pure dread took hold.

In the pitch-black night, the cold wind wailed like a ghost. Leaves flew through the air, and on the empty corridor, a human-shaped shadow abruptly appeared. Lü Guiyan stood frozen in place, her mind racing.

Qiyun, there shouldn’t be ghosts in this world, right? Then what were you for the fifty years after you died?

Qiyun’s answer made her panic even more. Suddenly, the wind outside stopped, and the silence became terrifying. Shaking with fear, her teeth chattering and sweat beading on her forehead, she looked around helplessly. Her hands were clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms.

Huahua ran out and began barking at a specific spot on the corridor. Woof! Woof! Woof!

Lü Guiyan remembered horror movies where dogs were always the first to sense something wrong. If Huahua was barking there, could it be…?

Her heart sank. Horrific thoughts swarmed her mind, feeling like a pair of vengeful eyes were watching her. She tried to steady her voice and shouted into the empty corridor, “Who… who are you? Come out… right now!”

No one answered. The fear intensified. She wanted to run back inside, but her legs were like lead.

Just as she was trying to calm down, a patter sound came from nearby. Lü Guiyan snapped her head up, staring intently toward Huahua.

Her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest. She held her breath. Then, a long leg appeared, followed by a full silhouette stepping into the light of the corridor.

“It’s me, Wei Chengyan.”

She was only wearing her thin white inner robes.

Hearing that voice, Lü Guiyan burst into tears of relief and anger. “What are you doing sneaking around my place in the middle of the night playing ghost? Is this your idea of revenge?”

Wei Chengyan looked a bit guilty. “It’s cold out. Get inside.”

Lü Guiyan’s legs had long since turned to jelly. Sensing she couldn’t move, Wei Chengyan picked her up and carried her back into the room, setting her down by the table.

Lü Guiyan sobbed even harder; she had truly thought she was facing a ghost. When it came to the supernatural, she was a total coward.

Annoyed by the crying, Wei Chengyan poured her a cup of tea. “Drink some water to calm your nerves.”

Lü Guiyan took the cup, but thinking of the scare she just had, she snapped, “Give me an explanation!”

Wei Chengyan lowered her head, searching for the right words. She explained that she couldn’t sleep and had decided to walk around the manor. Unexpectedly, the weather turned, and it started pouring. She happened to be near Muhe Courtyard and ducked in to seek shelter. The rain got heavier, the wind picked up, and since she was dressed lightly, she couldn’t walk back, so she just sat under the pavilion. After waiting nearly an hour, she accidentally made a noise, which Huahua heard, subsequently waking Lü Guiyan. She had hesitated to show herself to avoid a misunderstanding.

“I didn’t realize you were such a coward, scared out of your wits by a non-existent ghost,” Wei Chengyan scoffed.

Lü Guiyan, face stained with tears, saw that Wei Chengyan was indeed dressed very thinly and didn’t suspect a thing. Seeing that the other had spoken so much and must be thirsty, she handed the cup of tea to her.

Without a second thought, Wei Chengyan took it and gulped it down. The moment she swallowed, regret hit her like a lightning bolt.

The cup was empty. The teapot was empty.

The one who came to set the trap had been trapped by her own hand.