C11 Marriage Substitute 7

"Do you believe in your young mistress, Nurse?" Mu Yunhua raised an eyebrow in question.

"I do." The nurse's faith in the young mistress was unshakable, regardless of her words or actions.

"Since you have such trust in her, follow me and leave everything to me!" Mu Yunhua valued the nurse's blind devotion.

Together, they made their way to the grand entrance of Mu Manor, the nurse appearing as though she had accepted her fate. Along the way, the servants they passed stared in disbelief. The sight of Mu Yunhua stepping out of her quarters and confidently walking through the manor was beyond their comprehension.

How utterly shameless!

"If I were the Second Young Miss, I'd rather die than endure the shame of people pointing fingers at us."

"Tell me about it. I'm mocked on the streets when I go shopping, all because of her!"

"I wonder who her secret lover is."

"Who knows? No one visits her courtyard; hiding someone there would be easy."

"Her lover must be incredibly ugly for her to be involved with him."

The servant girls huddled together, murmuring behind Mu Yunhua's back, just loud enough to ensure their words were heard. They clearly had no respect for her.

The nurse, shaking with anger, held back from scolding the servants immediately. Instead, she comforted Mu Yunhua, "Don't listen to their nonsense; they're just running their mouths!"

Mu Yunhua turned and coolly surveyed the servants who pointed and whispered with scorn and disgust. "Those who die with sin descend to hell for atonement. The first level, the Tongue-Pulling Hell, awaits those who cause discord, slander, and deceive with their slippery tongues," she said, her voice cold and detached.

"In that place, demons will pry open your mouth, grip your tongue with iron tongs, and slowly stretch it... before sending you to the Scissor Hell, snip!" Mu Yunhua made a cutting motion with her fingers, her final word echoing ominously. The once talkative maids and servants were now silent, their faces pale and bodies rigid with fear. Her words, though spoken to all, felt as if they were directed at each one individually with a chilling precision.

"Miss..." The wet nurse shivered, "Miss, that story is rather terrifying."

"Story?" Mu Yunhua shook her head. "This is not simply a story, Nanny. Who knows which of them might find themselves in the tongue-ripping hells after death..."

As a member of the Celestial Master Sect, Mu Yunhua was no stranger to the underworld, having faced beings like Ox-Head and Horse-Face more than once. She was well-acquainted with the dreadful realities that lay within those hellish realms.

Yet when Mu Yunhua's finger lightly brushed past someone, they felt an eerie chill, as though a spectral wind had passed by, leaving their spine tingling with cold despite the absence of any breeze.

"Hmph." Mu Yunhua snorted dismissively, indifferent to whether these people would sleep well that night, and walked on with the wet nurse following closely.

This time, no one behind them dared make a sound.

When Mu Yunhua and the wet nurse reached the gate without incident, they were, as expected, stopped by the guards.

"Where are you going? The mistress has ordered that no one is to leave while the master is away," said Protector A, his blunt words somehow less jarring than Protector B's. "Why bother speaking to her as if she's an imbecile who could understand?"

"Hey, you, the 'imbecile' he's referring to – return to your quarters immediately, and don't let me see you here again, or there will be consequences."