Madam Fu naturally refused to believe Zhang Nu’s words.
Her protective talisman had been with her for years, safeguarding her without fail—how could it suddenly lose its power? She had never misplaced it, and only recently had it even injured Ling Xi.
“Don’t spout nonsense. I know you’re not a YaoGuai, so of course the talisman didn’t throw you back. This talisman has been with me for over a decade, protecting my life all the while—what right do you have to say it’s lost its power now?”
Zhang Nu could tell just how much Madam Fu valued the talisman, how deeply she cared for it.
“Madam Fu, I truly have no reason to lie to you. You’ve seen for yourself—we’re all human, and we’ve never harbored ill intentions toward you. Everything we’ve done has been to ensure your safety.”
Madam Fu eyed him with a doubtful look. The sudden revelation that Ling Xi was a YaoGuai had completely shattered her trust in Zhang Nu’s group. If they could associate so closely with a YaoGuai, then surely their intentions were suspect.
“Enough. Don’t dress things up with such lofty words. If you truly wanted to protect us, you wouldn’t have brought Ling Xi here. You know my father was killed by a YaoGuai, yet you still let her approach me. What exactly are you after?”
Zhang Nu lowered his head in shame. Sometimes, he truly forgot that Ling Xi was a YaoGuai—she seemed so innocent and lively, never violent, always living in peace.
“Madam Fu, I admit this was my fault, my oversight. I really did forget what she is. You’ve seen for yourself how she’s treated you; nothing she’s done would make you think she’s a YaoGuai. Is one’s birth really so important? Was she born choosing to be a YaoGuai? If she had the choice, she’d want to be just like us—a normal human.”
Patron Fu, hearing this, found Zhang Nu’s words reasonable. Since Ling Xi had never harmed anyone, there was no need to press the matter further.
“My dear, let’s be forgiving where we can. Ling Xi hasn’t done anything murderous or destructive. If we keep making things difficult for her now, it may become impossible for us to remain here.”
Madam Fu shot Zhang Nu and the others with a resentful glare. It was clear she still hadn’t forgiven them, and seeing this left Zhang Nu’s group feeling helpless. They had already been at a loss over the investigation into Madam Fu’s father’s death. Now, fate had seen fit to throw another problem in their path.
“Madam Fu, please be assured—we will keep a close watch over Ling Xi. She won’t harm anyone, you have my word.”
Even so, Madam Fu couldn’t bring herself to look at Zhang Nu.
At that moment, Patron Fu suddenly laid all the cards on the table.
“Since Ling Xi is also a YaoGuai, how is your investigation into the other YaoGuais going? Didn’t you say there’s a YaoGuai in this town?”
What shocked him was that Madam Fu didn’t look surprised in the least—as though she had already known about it. Yet he had deliberately kept this from her.
“My dear, aren’t you surprised? You were shocked to learn Ling Xi is a YaoGuai and wanted to kill her, yet now you seem so calm about this?”
Madam Fu hesitated, unsure how to explain. Then, recalling her father’s death, she realized she could use it to tell her husband the truth.
“Husband, I won’t lie to you. Everything I’m about to say is true. My father was murdered by a YaoGuai when I was young—that’s why I’ve always hated them so deeply. From that moment, I’ve known there were YaoGuais in our town. I just never told you, for fear you wouldn’t believe me.”
Patron Fu gazed at her with pity in his eyes. He had never imagined his wife had such a history.
“My dear, don’t worry. Now that Zhang Nu and his people are here, they will get to the bottom of this, and they won’t let anyone else fall victim to YaoGuai’s threat again.”