For now, they could only place their trust in Zhang Nu and the others.
If they couldn’t trust Zhang Nu’s group at a time like this, then there was probably no one left they could trust.
“Dear husband, you can rest assured now. I understand what you’ve been saying. I also know which matters take priority. Right now, finding the real YaoGuai is far more important.”
“Ling Xi might also be a YaoGuai, but she might also be exactly as Zhang Nu said—someone who has never done anything that would harm others. Since that’s the case, there’s no need for us to keep fixating on the fact that she’s a YaoGuai.”
Hearing this, Zhang Nu hadn’t expected Madam Fu to be such a reasonable person. If he’d known earlier that Madam Fu was this understanding, he wouldn’t have had Ling Xi and Lin Xiao avoid her.
“Madam Fu, Lord Fu, we have no secrets left from you now. I hope that if you have any clues about this YaoGuai, you won’t keep them from us. We’re so desperate to find it only for the sake of the villagers in town.”
Hearing Zhang Nu’s words, both Madam Fu and Patron Fu nodded. If they learned anything, they would definitely tell him.
Just then, Zhang Nu suddenly recalled that the reason they had sent Ling Xi to approach Madam Fu in the first place had been for this very matter. But had Madam Fu kept something from them?
“Madam Fu, I remember that we asked Ling Xi to seek you out because of this matter. We still don’t know what exactly you told her—could you recount it to us briefly?”
Madam Fu nodded. It wasn’t anything serious, so she told Zhang Nu and the others everything she had discussed with Ling Xi.
After hearing it, Zhang Nu and the others immediately sensed something off about that temple. How could a temple that had been bustling with worshippers just last year suddenly shut down this year?
“If my guess is correct, the problem likely lies with the temple. Do you remember its exact location? We want to take a look at it.”
Madam Fu thought for a moment. The temple’s location wasn’t hard to recall.
“I remember it’s on the mountain at the eastern edge of the village—about halfway up. The plaque is quite large.”
Zhang Nu nodded. If they had the chance, they’d head up there tomorrow to check it out.
“Alright, we understand. We’ll go tomorrow to see the temple for ourselves.”
Madam Fu nodded. Having injured Ling Xi, she felt deeply apologetic and wanted to apologize to her in person—but she had no idea where Ling Xi was now.
“Zhang Nu, where is Ling Xi now? I’m truly sorry for injuring her. I never imagined something like that would happen. I want to see her and express my apology in person.”
Zhang Nu nodded, but he didn’t actually know which inn Lin Xiao had taken Ling Xi to. “Lin Xiao took her away, but we don’t yet know which inn they went to. Once I find out where they are, I’ll be sure to pass along your apology.”
Madam Fu’s eyes dimmed at his words. She had thought she could apologize to Ling Xi directly, but hadn’t expected her to be gone.
“Alright then. When Ling Xi recovers, make sure to notify me. I’ll personally make amends. This is all my fault, and I’ll take responsibility for my mistake.”
Zhang Nu found Madam Fu to still be a reasonable person.
Soon after, Patron Fu and Madam Fu took their leave. Once they were gone, Liu Hai and Zhao Yang both felt that Madam Fu wasn’t at all like they had imagined. She seemed calm, friendly even—as if she didn’t really mind what had happened.
“She actually seems rather kind to me. I don’t think she meant to hurt Ling Xi on purpose,” Zhao Yang said.
Zhang Nu nodded, but people’s hearts were hard to read. Who could say for sure whether she had done it intentionally?
They couldn’t pass judgment just like that. They weren’t Ling Xi, and they didn’t know how Ling Xi truly felt about Madam Fu.
“This matter should be left for Ling Xi to handle herself. We don’t need to interfere.”