Once the first branch of the family had left, Yang Chuxia sat down and carefully thought about the situation, feeling that she had overlooked something. As her eyes scanned past the slowly inching away Yang Lichun, her realization finally caught up.
She rushed over to Yang Lichun and grabbed her arm, "You got some nerve, trying to run away?"
When Yang Lichun saw that she was caught by Yang Chuxia, she knew she couldnāt escape and snorted, "Iām not stupid, if I donāt try to run, I would just be inviting a beating."
"Hmph..." Yang Chuxia dragged Yang Lichun, chuckling, "So you think youāre clever now?" She pulled Yang Lichun towards the ancestral hall and said to Land Officer Yang, "Grandpa, could you please tell everyone to leave? Thanks for all the help these past two days, weāll find a way to properly thank everyone from the old Yang Family when this is all over."
Land Officer Yang glanced at her, guessing that she had some questions for Yang Lichun, and then told people around, "Alright, thereās no need to stay now. People were arrested so the situation got settled for now. Letās disperse."
Since Land Officer Yang had spoken, no one in the village dared disobey. Soon, only the father and son duo of Land Officer Yang, Yang Dachuan, Ye Ziāan, and Yang Chuxia were left in the ancestral hall.
"Now, spill it. Tell me everything you know!" Yang Chuxia got straight to the point as all the people around her were trustworthy.
"What? I donāt know anything, I really donāt know anything." Yang Lichun shook her head without even thinking.
Yang Chuxia didnāt show any courtesy and immediately slapped her, "So youāre going to talk or not? Donāt think the damage I did to your face makes me the same as Yang Dongzhi. If you donāt tell the truth, Iāll peel off that layer of skin on your face." As she spoke, Yang Chuxia felt behind Yang Lichunās ear, then hmphed, "Itās best to peel it from here. Afterward, I can use your skin to make a human-skin mask. What do you say?"
Yang Lichun was scared by her words, believing she would actually do as she said.
She immediately shook her head vigorously, "I really donāt know anything! A man suddenly came to me early this morning saying that he was going to Yangshu Village to meet Ye Ziping; so, I went with him."
"Do you think Iām stupid? You just followed him without even knowing him?"
Yang Lichun hastily said, "Iāve seen the man before. I also overheard their conversation, talking about a girl and some kind of sacrifice."
Upon hearing the word āsacrifice,ā Yang Chuxiaās eyebrows furrowed. She suddenly thought about the sea sacrifices around Wangquan Town and figured that it couldnāt be a coincidence.
She continued asking, "What sacrifice? Have you witnessed it before? Where did they talk about it?"
"I donāt know about that, really. I just saw that man once at Ye Zipingās place and overheard their conversation."
Yang Chuxia stared into Yang Lichunās eyes and saw that she didnāt seem to know much more. She went on to ask, "Where were you staying?"
"South Street!"
"Were there any girls where you were staying?"
Yang Lichun shook her head repeatedly, "No, no, definitely none. I only found out about Yang Dongzhiās situation and what happened to her after I arrived in the village."
"Iām warning you, you better keep this to yourself, or Iāll reveal your connection to Ye Ziping." With that, Yang Chuxia turned to Uncle Dayong, "Uncle Dayong, I have to trouble you and my father once more to quickly take her to Constable Hong and inform him about the possible sacrifice connection along the way. Iām guessing this situation is tied to those people who worships the sea envoys. As for Yang Lichun, even if she knows nothing, she must be taken to the authorities, or else sheāll never learn her lesson."