Chapter 4: Only the One Who Tied the Bell Can Untie It

Seeing Ye Zifei’s obvious sigh of relief, Ou Xinlai began to wonder whether she had been too lazy, which led to the other’s confusion. No, she wasn’t lazy—it was the little Marquis before her who was simply too dense.

What did it mean to say “she’s still young”? A child’s vision was naturally not as far-reaching as an adult’s, and if she, at such a young age, already found him unworthy, what hope would he have when her judgment matured? Any consideration beyond this was nothing but empty talk.

“What exactly did you just do to them?” Ye Zifei had only been wandering around out of boredom today. By chance, he’d come here to find a moment’s peace, only to witness the three Ou family girls passing by. He had, of course, overheard Ou Xinyu and Ou Xinya’s conversation. Naturally, he had also seen every small trick that Ou Xinlai played on the two of them.

“If you want to know, just stay and watch,” Ou Xinlai replied with a sly grin.

Ye Zifei shuddered. He had no problem staying, but Ou Xinlai’s smile was so sinister, it sent chills down his spine.

“Ow, numb, so numb!” Ou Xinyu, having finally shaken off Ou Xinlai, stamped her foot in distress. “It’s killing me—Father, Mother, help me! My hand’s so numb!” Clutching her left hand, she wailed incessantly.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in Ou Xinya’s room. Her stomach ached so terribly she was rolling on the bed, cold sweat pouring down her face. Ou Xinya bit her lower lip as if the pain twisting inside her would drive her beyond the point of endurance.

“Father, Mother, get a doctor—quick, get a doctor!” she cried, her body trembling uncontrollably. Earlier, in the woods, even though Ou Xinlai—the ugly wretch—had bumped into her, the pain had subsided after a moment. But once home, her stomach began to hurt worse and worse, to the point she wished she could end it all.

Two doctors were summoned to the Ou household at the same time, one for Ou Xinyu and one for Ou Xinya. Both were somewhat renowned in Dragon City, yet neither could make sense of the girls’ strange ailments.

“What on earth is happening?” The family was frantic as they watched Ou Xinyu and Ou Xinya suffering from these sudden maladies. “This won’t do—we should fetch the clan leader and have him take a look!”

“No!” “No!” Ou Xinyu and Ou Xinya cried out in unison. They had only dared to abandon Ou Xinlai because the clan leader was in seclusion. By the time he emerged, they hoped there would be nothing left of Ou Xinlai. If the clan leader was summoned now, he would quickly discover Ou Xinlai’s absence. If she was found before her demise, all their efforts would be for nothing.

“Then what should we do?” The elders’ patience wore thin at the girls’ stubbornness.

“If the two doctors couldn’t help, let’s invite more. Surely one of them will know what to do,” Ou Xinya insisted stubbornly. No matter what, she would never let that ugly wretch Ou Xinlai return to the Ou family.

“Numb!” “Pain!” Ou Xinyu and Ou Xinya’s persistence only earned them a few more hours of suffering. They soon realized, to their shock, that the pain merely tormented them endlessly without actually causing any real harm to their bodies.

Ou Xinyu was so desperate from the numbness she wanted to chop off her own left hand, while Ou Xinya was equally tempted to claw out her own intestines.

“What in the world is going on?” After summoning so many doctors, not one could solve Ou Xinyu and Ou Xinya’s problems. At last, a more insightful elder stepped forward and asked, “Did you two offend someone, or do something wrong?” Surely these two girls, with their lofty airs, must have crossed some mysterious expert to be punished so severely.

Ou Xinyu and Ou Xinya exchanged glances. Today, they had only plotted against Ou Xinlai. Could it be that their current torment was connected to her?

They both shook their heads. Ou Xinlai’s spiritual root hadn’t even awakened; she was just an ordinary person. How could she possibly have the ability to torture them like this?

“What, you refuse to talk?” Seeing their obstinate expression, the elder sneered and washed his hands of them.

In their determination to see Ou Xinlai dead, Ou Xinyu and Ou Xinya endured the agony.

“I can’t take it anymore!” Alas, after half an hour, the pain only grew worse, and at last, they flung themselves against the wall, hoping to knock themselves unconscious.

The others could do nothing to help, fearful that the girls would hurt themselves further, so they simply tied them up. Yet before a cup of tea had passed, the unbearable, soul-wrenching agony woke them again.

“I can’t stand it! I’m going mad!” Ou Xinyu screamed and sobbed. “Fetch the clan leader—fetch the clan leader! I’d rather die than suffer like this!”

Although Ou Xinya said nothing, she agreed with her sister.

The clan leader of the Ou family, Ou Xinlai’s father Ou Chenfeng, was fortunately in a light seclusion; otherwise, such a minor issue would never have drawn him out. When he finally emerged, he examined Ou Xinyu and Ou Xinya, smiling faintly. “Only the one who tied this knot can untie it,” he said, then looked at the two girls with a half-smile.

Both Ou Xinyu and Ou Xinya wavered. The clan leader was, in truth, an exceptionally handsome man, and Ou Xinlai had certainly inherited his looks. Sadly, the birthmark on the left side of her forehead marred her beauty—otherwise, no girl in the Ou family could have compared to her.

“What does he mean?” The others were baffled by Ou Chenfeng’s words. Was it possible the earlier suggestion was true—that the two young ladies had indeed offended someone?

“I want to find Ou Xinlai, I want to find her—” Ou Xinyu wailed uncontrollably, but Ou Xinya quickly covered her sister’s mouth.

Ou Xinya was filled with regret. She shouldn’t have made Ou Xinyu her accomplice—how could she bring up Ou Xinlai in front of the clan leader? No matter how useless Ou Xinlai was, she was still the clan leader’s daughter. If they angered him, would he ever let them off lightly?

“Let go! Either cure me or kill me!” Ou Xinyu cried desperately. “I refuse to become a one-armed freak!”

“You—” Ou Xinya was furious, but the moment she opened her mouth, the pain in her abdomen grew worse. “Clan leader, earlier we were playing with Sister Xinlai by the edge of the woods, but then we both started feeling unwell and came home first. What Xinyu means is that though our injuries are troublesome, it’s already late—perhaps we should check whether Xinlai has returned. If not, the woods are dangerous at night; someone should be sent to find her.”