The shadowy youth, holding a dripping bloody knife, faced Yan Lingzhen.
"You’re finally awake."
Yan Lingzhen raised her hands, trembling as she backed away, "What the... now that I’m awake, let’s not get excited, okay? No need to get excited."
Such a big pig-slaughtering knife, it’s really scary when held in one’s hand.
The youth also realized how inappropriate it looked and quickly put the pig-slaughtering knife down.
"You have been unconscious for two days, I thought you were going to die. Today the sun ca out and you finally woke up; it seems like a good day to go to the Gambling House and place a bet."
Yan Lingzhen: "..." What is all this nonsense?
However, the youth ignored Yan Lingzhen, carrying a chicken and hurrying towards the earthen bed, "Killed a chicken to make you a nutritious soup."
"Is this chicken from your house?" A house poor enough to have several holes in its roof can still raise such a big flock of chickens and ducks?
The youth’s expression was calm as he placed the chicken into the boiling water.
"No."
Yan Lingzhen: "...You’re quite frank."
"It’s from Old Lady Wang next door, but I didn’t steal or rob, I exchanged sothing for it."
"What thing?" Yan Lingzhen had a bad feeling.
The youth skimd the blood foam from the pot, seriously saying, "You had a Jade Pendant on you, it seed worth a chicken."
"Jade Pendant?" That’s the symbol of the Yan Family.
"That Jade Pendant is worth all the chickens in your village!" Yan Lingzhen, infuriated, threw her walking stick at the youth, "Go get it back, or I’ll poison you to death!"
Upon hearing how valuable it was, the youth was startled, "The Jade Pendant has so cracks, it’s still that valuable? Don’t worry, I’ll go get it back from Old Lady Wang right away."
"What are you waiting for, hurry up!" Otherwise, today she would surely unleash a massacre with her Red Buddha’s Hand!
Just as the youth was about to leave, Yan Lingzhen thought of sothing more important, "What about the clothes you exchanged for ?"
The youth, dark-skinned and blushing slightly, "Of course not, it was Old Lady Wang."
"Did you see the flower inside my clothes?"
"What flower?" The youth shook his head confusedly.
Yan Lingzhen took a deep breath, "Co here and help , let’s go to that Old Lady Wang’s house together."
Along the way, Yan Lingzhen stopped to pick so herbs, rubbed them and applied the juice on her palm, turning her fair hands a blackish green.
The youth looked at her disdainfully several tis.
"What’s your na?"
"Liao Zhi." The youth reluctantly replied.
"Alright, Charcoal." Yan Lingzhen said seriously.
"My na is Liao Zhi!"
"Charcoal."
"I told you my na is Charcoal!" the youth said urgently.
"I know you are called Charcoal." Yan Lingzhen touched her ear, the weather was extrely hot, and with her half-la leg, walking was very arduous, so she quickly broke into a thin layer of sweat on her back.
In these deep mountains and forests,
who knew how long it would take for the Hidden Guards to find her.
"Whatever you say." At this point, Charcoal too was drained of the energy to argue from the heat, "But you have to tell your na, right?"
"I’m the sixth in the family, so you can call Xiaoliu. That Jade Pendant was personally crafted by my late father for us sisters, so it’s extrely aningful," said Yan Lingzhen earnestly.
Upon hearing this, Charcoal felt extrely guilty.
"I’m sorry."
"No problem, you didn’t know. Let’s just go get it back," Yan Lingzhen was about to remove her hair accessory from her head when she realized there was nothing left, completely bare.
This Old Lady Wang really plucked clean, she left nothing behind!
She rubbed her palms angrily.
She’d have her couppance soon!
Charcoal helped Yan Lingzhen to Old Lady Wang’s yard, where from a distance they could see smoke rising from her house, indicating she was cooking.
"Grandma Wang! It’s Black Charcoal."
Black Charcoal stood outside the courtyard gate, shouting loudly.
There were so movents inside the house.
But no one ca out.
Yan Lingzhen snorted coldly, "Keep shouting."
Feeling guilty, Black Charcoal kept calling out for Grandma Wang one shout after another.
Only, Grandma Wang didn’t co out; what ca out instead was Grandma Wang’s daughter.
Yan Lingzhen instantly recognized that the woman was wearing her clothes and also her jewelry on her head.
Black Charcoal obviously saw it too, and he instinctively looked at Yan Lingzhen’s expression. Seeing that she remained expressionless, his heart grew even more uneasy.
"Wang Suying, what are you doing wearing soone else’s clothes?!" Black Charcoal spoke irritably.
Wang Suying, swaying her hips, walked to the courtyard entrance: "What do you an her clothes? Once they’re on , they’re my clothes."
She stretched out her hand to twirl a strand of hair by her ear and rolled her eyes at Black Charcoal: "Besides, don’t you think I look better in them than she does?!"
No matter how daintily Wang Suying grew up in the Wang Family, she still couldn’t compare to Yan Lingzhen, who had been well-cared for in the Capital City for several years.
Just by looking at the hands, Yan Lingzhen’s were much whiter and tenderer.
At this mont, even if Yan Lingzhen was dressed very plainly, wearing dull gray clothes and standing silently there, she was a sight one couldn’t look away from.
At the age of thirteen, she already exhibited a beauty that could topple empires.
"Taking without asking is stealing," said Yan Lingzhen word by word. She scrutinized Wang Suying: "The clothes you’re wearing, the jewelry on your head, all together they’re worth at least a hundred taels." She turned to the side and asked, "Black Charcoal, do you have governnt officials here?"
"Yes, yes, we do," Black Charcoal imdiately replied, scared to death.
These items looked extrely plain, yet they were worth a hundred taels. Just who exactly was Yan Lingzhen?
"Go to the authorities," Yan Lingzhen spoke indifferently.
Black Charcoal looked at her with so concern: "Are you okay with that?"
"If you run fast enough, it will be," Yan Lingzhen said, royally taking a seat on a large rock at the entrance. She stared directly at the frustrated Wang Suying with an air of ’what can you do to ?’
Only when Black Charcoal had left far enough.
Did Grandma Wang erge from the inner room.
Yan Lingzhen assessed the withered old woman, seeing the rcantile cunning in her eyes, signaling she was extrely difficult to deal with.
"Are you Grandma Wang?" Yan Lingzhen locked eyes with the old woman.
Grandma Wang’s hands were still wet, so she fished up her sleeves, "What are you here for?"
The clothes she had swapped for were naturally recognized at a glance.
"You took my things, what do you think I’m here for?"
"The audacity of a little child, talking to an elder like that?" Grandma Wang had always been respected in the village and had never seen soone as impolite as Yan Lingzhen before.
"I suggest you return my things quickly, otherwise you’re going to suffer when the officials arrive," Yan Lingzhen thought of the Golden Red Feather, her tone growing even harsher.
Grandma Wang sneered: "Your things? What things do you have?! You little tramp."
"Mom, she went to the authorities!" Wang Suying quickly interjected.
Grandma Wang was initially panicked, but then laughed: "Do you think this is outside? Once you’re in Stone Village, you have to follow Stone Village’s rules. So what if you went to the authorities?"
"It seems going to the authorities is useless for you," Yan Lingzhen rubbed her palms together and sighed softly.
She had wanted to resolve this civilly.
But they were forcing her to be uncivilized.
Even though her vials and pots had been washed away by the river water, she was the Red Buddha’s Hand, making poisons was as easy as flipping her hand.
"Out of my house now!" Wang Suying stepped forward and tried to push Yan Lingzhen out, only to be seized by the wrist in a counter grip.
"Where’s the flower that was on ?" Yan Lingzhen looked at Grandma Wang and asked.
"Flower? What flower?" Grandma Wang’s eyes flickered, and then she stared venomously at Yan Lingzhen: "Talking nonsense at such a young age."
"If you don’t admit it, I’ll take your daughter’s life," Yan Lingzhen tightened her grip on Wang Suying’s wrist. Simultaneously, a cluster of red bumps spread out from her hand, quickly extending to Wang Suying’s neck.
"Mother!" Wang Suying cried out in fear, forcefully shoving Yan Lingzhen to the ground and quickly ran to Grandma Wang.
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