442: Xiyue layout

Dawn Moon urgently needed a controllable and sufficiently dark pawn to help her lay out a plan in the Small World below, to suppress the Child of Destiny and plunder Luck.

She searched through all living beings with her Divine Sense and ultimately chose Liu Yan.

Not for any other reason, but because Liu Yan was too perfect—a clean background, outstanding talent, pure character, and he possessed a family and wife who loved him.

Such a person, once fallen into the abyss, would harbor hatred and despair a hundred times more intense than ordinary people, and the power after his corruption would be even more terrifying.

Dawn Moon did not intervene directly, but instead sent a dream to a ruthless merchant: as long as he could cause the ruin of the Liu family, she would grant the merchant Ascension in broad daylight.

After the merchant woke up, he initially thought it was just a dream, but unexpectedly, there was a mark on his palm from the Immortal in last night's dream.

The merchant knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, "The Immortal has manifested! I will definitely not fail this mission!!"

A merchant arrived in Qinghe Town, claiming to be surnamed Zhao and coming from the provincial capital. He was generous with money and quickly became familiar with the Village Head.

Merchant Zhao deliberately opened a grocery store near Liu Yan's father's private school, often using the excuse of asking questions to approach Liu Yan.

Liu Yan had a gentle temperament and did not take precautions, often discussing academics with him.

The provincial examination was about to begin, and Liu Yan needed to prepare travel expenses and funds.

Although the Liu family was not wealthy, they had saved up some money.

After Merchant Zhao found out, he set a trap. He feigned to Liu Yan that he had a friend in the provincial capital who was one of the chief examiners for the provincial examination, and if Liu Yan was willing to pay some "bribes," he could help introduce him and ensure Liu Yan passed the provincial examination.

Although Liu Yan longed to pass, he had always been noble and high-minded, and he flatly refused Merchant Zhao's suggestion: "Brother Zhao, your words are wrong. The imperial examination is a major event for selecting talent for the country; how can one engage in such corruption? If I, Liu Yan, am to pass the provincial examination, it must be by my true talent and learning; I will never take side paths."

Merchant Zhao had long expected Liu Yan to refuse. He smiled and said nothing more, but in his heart, he had already set the subsequent plan.

A few days later, the Liu family's savings suddenly vanished into thin air.

Liu Yan's father and mother were pacing in anxiety, and Liu Yan was also very anxious; without travel expenses, he could not go to the provincial capital to take the provincial examination.

Just at this moment, Merchant Zhao came to the door again, feigning "kindness" to lend Liu Yan a sum of money, but required Liu Yan to write an IOU. The amount on the IOU was far higher than the actual amount lent, and the repayment date was set extremely short.

Although Liu Yan felt it was improper, in order to be able to take the provincial examination, he could only grit his teeth and agree.

He took the money and said solemnly to Merchant Zhao: "Brother Zhao, your great kindness, Liu is deeply grateful. Once I pass the provincial examination, I will definitely repay you double."

Merchant Zhao said with a fake smile: "Brother Liu is too polite. I believe in Brother Liu's talent."

After obtaining the travel expenses, Liu Yan bade farewell to his family and wife and headed to the provincial capital to take the provincial examination.

Merchant Zhao joined forces with the Village Head in the town and began to spread rumors, saying that in order to pass the provincial examination, Liu Yan had resorted to borrowing high-interest loans from him to help bribe the examiners in the provincial capital; he also claimed that Liu Yan's father was collecting "black-hearted money" from students in the private school, and even slandered him for having an affair with a widow in the town.

These rumors spread through Qinghe Town like a plague. The townspeople who originally respected the Liu family began to look at Liu Yan's father and mother with strange eyes, and the students in the private school also withdrew one after another.

Liu Yan's father had been clean his whole life; how could he endure such slander? He went to confront Merchant Zhao and the Village Head, but was bitten back by the two, who claimed he was "embarrassed into anger and wanted to hit people."

The Village Head brought a group of hooligans and beat Liu Yan's father severely.

Liu Yan's father was already advanced in years, and after this incident, he fell ill and could not rise, lying on the bed, coughing up blood every day.

Zhang Qinghe was burning with anxiety, taking care of her sick parents-in-law while rushing around everywhere, wanting to clear the Liu family's name.

But Merchant Zhao and the Village Head had long since bribed the hooligans in the town, who surrounded the Liu family every day cursing; no one was willing to help her at all.

The more terrifying things were yet to come.

Seeing that Liu Yan's father was critically ill and Liu Yan was not at home, Merchant Zhao revealed his ferocious face.

He had long coveted Zhang Qinghe's beauty and, under the guise of collecting debts, repeatedly harassed her at home.

Zhang Qinghe had a fierce personality and would rather die than submit, resisting with all her might every time.

But as a weak woman, how could she be a match for Merchant Zhao and his hooligans?

On a stormy night, Merchant Zhao brought a group of hooligans and kicked open the Liu family's door.

By then, Liu Yan's mother had already passed away due to excessive anxiety and grief, and Liu Yan's father was on the verge of death.

Merchant Zhao ignored Liu Yan's father's pleas and, right in front of him, forcibly defiled Zhang Qinghe.

Liu Yan's father witnessed all of this, and unable to catch his breath, he died on the spot.

Before passing away, he kept his eyes open, muttering "Yan'er... Green Grain..." in his mouth, full of unwillingness and despair.

Zhang Qinghe suffered inhuman torture.

Merchant Zhao humiliated her in every possible way and threatened her, saying that if she dared to resist, he would send people to the provincial capital to drag Liu Yan back, making it impossible for him to take the exam.

Thinking of Liu Yan, Zhang Qinghe could only silently endure all of this, while the hope in her heart was being extinguished bit by bit.

Meanwhile, Liu Yan was in the provincial capital taking the provincial examination.

Relying on his outstanding talent, he wrote freely in the examination hall, confidently believing that he would definitely pass the provincial examination.

But he never imagined that such a tragedy had already occurred at home, far away in Qinghe Town.

After the provincial examination ended, Liu Yan returned to Qinghe Town full of anticipation.

But as soon as he stepped into the town, he felt that something was wrong.

The townspeople saw him and avoided him one after another, their eyes filled with disdain and disgust.

Liu Yan was puzzled and quickened his pace toward home.

When he walked to the front of the Liu family house, what he saw was a miserable scene: the gate was dilapidated, the courtyard walls were covered in insulting words, and the yard was overgrown with weeds, a scene of desolation.

Liu Yan's heart sank, and he shouted loudly, "Father! Mother! Green Grain!", but no one responded.

He rushed into the house and saw his parents' cold corpses; the bodies had already begun to rot, emitting a foul odor.

Liu Yan was struck by lightning, collapsed to the ground, and tears instantly blurred his eyes.

He tremblingly reached out his hand, wanting to touch his parents' bodies, only to find that their bodies were already stiff.

"Father! Mother! What happened to you? What on earth happened?" Liu Yan's voice was hoarse and filled with despair.

He searched everywhere in the house for the figure of Zhang Qinghe, but could not find her.

Just at this moment, he saw a letter left by Zhang Qinghe on the table.

The handwriting on the letter was crooked and stained with blood; it was clearly written by Zhang Qinghe in extreme pain and despair.

In the letter, Zhang Qinghe described in detail how, after Liu Yan left, Merchant Zhao and the Village Head spread rumors, beat Liu Yan's father, caused Liu Yan's mother to die of anger, and how they abducted and humiliated her.

At the end of the letter, Zhang Qinghe wrote: "Brother Yan, I have let you down. I failed to protect our home and failed to take good care of your parents. I truly cannot endure such humiliation; only by dying can I preserve my purity. If you return, you must avenge us and kill those two animals, Merchant Zhao and the Village Head! Green Grain's final words."