Chapter 37: A Mind Full of Tricks
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Qinghe Village basked beneath clear skies and gentle sunshine.
As afternoon approached, the little girl had just returned from gathering firewood when two burly men kicked open the courtyard gate.
The tremendous crash made her jump.
When she looked up, she saw two unfamiliar men with savage expressions striding inside.
“This is Xu An’s home, right?”
The moment they entered, they raised their heads and shouted the question at the top of their voices.
“Y-yes... What... what do you want with my husband?”
The little girl glanced at them, then retreated several steps in fear as she asked timidly.
“Hm?”
“What a beautiful little wife!”
The instant they saw Su Yaner, both men’s eyes lit up.
“Your husband owes us money. We’ve come to collect the debt. Since you’re his wife, hurry up and bring out the silver so you can pay it for him.”
“Otherwise, don’t blame the two of us for being unpleasant.”
One of the men spoke. A hideous scar ran across his face, and it shifted grotesquely with the flesh whenever he talked.
Combined with his massive build, it made him look especially vicious.
“My... my husband never told me about this. H-how much silver does he owe you?”
The little girl did not dare look at them. She lowered her head and asked weakly.
She was terrified.
She feared not only the two fierce and troublesome-looking men before her, but also that her husband’s debt might be enormous and impossible to repay.
If that happened, who knew what these men might do to him?
Her husband was the most important person in her life. She did not want him to suffer even the slightest harm.
“Two taels of silver in total, though you’ll have to pay ten now,” said the other burly man standing beside the scar-faced one.
He had slanted brows and was built like a savage bull. His voice rumbled like muffled thunder, making anyone who heard it tremble with fear.
“Y-you just said my husband owed you only two taels!”
When she heard that the debt was merely two taels, Su Yaner felt a little relieved. There were still ten taels of silver in the household, so they could afford to repay two.
But when they demanded ten, the little girl, terrified though she was, still gathered her courage and asked why.
“Two taels was what he was supposed to repay voluntarily and on time. Today at noon was the final deadline, but your husband failed to show up.”
“Since he didn’t repay it, he broke the agreement. And when an agreement is broken, there must naturally be a penalty.”
“Besides, the two of us traveled all this way to collect the debt. Our trouble and expenses along the road have to be counted as well. Altogether, that makes ten taels.”
The scar-faced man spoke with perfect confidence, as though his reasoning were beyond dispute.
“My... my husband never told me any of this, so I didn’t know. But he’ll be coming back soon. Could you two gentlemen wait a little while? Once my husband returns, we’ll find a way to gather the silver and repay you.”
The little girl’s voice trembled.
“Little wife, are you joking with us? We came all this way, and you still expect us to wait?”
“Ten taels. Not a single coin less!”
“Bring it out at once, or don’t blame us for tearing this broken house apart!”
As he spoke, the scar-faced man turned and kicked the already-rickety courtyard gate to pieces.
Wood splinters flew everywhere.
The tremendous crash frightened Su Yaner badly.
“But... but I don’t have any silver. Please, gentlemen, don’t... don’t be angry. My husband really will be back soon. Once he returns, he’ll certainly pay you!”
“Hmph. Little wife, since you refuse to take the easy way, don’t blame the two of us for being ruthless.”
The two men charged straight into the side room and began rummaging through chests and cabinets in search of anything valuable.
The little girl hurried forward to stop them, but her small body could not possibly hold back two grown men.
They shoved her heavily to the ground.
At last, in a corner beneath the bed, the two men found the pouch where Su Yaner had hidden her money.
When they opened it, they discovered ten taels of silver inside—exactly the amount they had demanded.
The little girl rushed forward in tears to snatch it back.
“Gentlemen, you can’t take that silver! Give it back to me! My husband entrusted it to me. I can’t lose it. Please, I’m begging you!”
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“Your husband will certainly repay you when he returns. He’ll never default. Please, give the silver back to me!”
“You little wench! Didn’t you say you had no silver? You dared deceive the two of us? Looks like you’re asking for a beating.”
The scar-faced man and his companion wore vicious expressions.
But when he mentioned giving her a beating, the two men exchanged a glance.
Then both revealed demonic smiles.
Their eyes began roaming over Su Yaner’s body in unspoken agreement.
“Big brother, you’re right—she may be skinny and have hardly any flesh on her, but she’s quite pretty. I wonder what she feels like to play with.”
“Exactly. I’ve never played with a woman this petite before. Now I’m curious myself.”
“Heh heh. There’s a ready-made room and a ready-made bed right here. Why don’t we find out?”
When they finished speaking, the way they looked at Su Yaner changed completely.
Sensing their malice, the little girl’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
She turned and ran.
“Help! Husband, help me!”
“Little wife, there’s no need to call out like that yet. In a moment, we’ll make sure you call to your heart’s content.”
The two burly men leered as they sprang toward her.
Her leg had not yet fully healed. In her panic, it suddenly gave way, and she fell hard to the ground.
“Help me, husband! Husband... where are you?”
The little girl cried out in despair, her face covered in tears.
“You little wench, you’ve got quite a voice. In that case, the two of us will make sure you scream as much as you like!”
The two men grinned wickedly and slowly approached Su Yaner, preparing to commit an outrage.
Just then, an utterly icy voice rang out from the inner hall.
“Stop!”
“Who?”
Both men turned toward the inner hall.
Before they could react, a graceful figure flashed past like a phantom and appeared before them.
A terrifying aura erupted from her body, instantly forcing both men flat against the ground.
They could not move a finger.
“You could have remained human, yet you chose to behave like beasts. Tell me—how would you like to die?”
The one who had intervened was Mu Qingqing.
At that moment, her exquisite face was as cold as snow falling in midwinter. It was as though the temperature around her had dropped by several degrees.
Had the men taken the silver and left, she would not have intervened. After all, revealing her identity merely for the sake of ten taels was hardly worthwhile.
The fewer people who knew who she was, the better.
But these two bastards had not been satisfied with taking the money. They had even intended to commit an outrage against Su Yaner.
They had forced her to reveal herself and intervene.
Now, even the two men, foolish as they were, understood that this woman was far beyond anything they could afford to provoke.
They immediately began begging for mercy.
“Immortal lady, spare us! Immortal lady, spare us! We were only joking with this young lady. We never truly intended to do anything. Please, let us go!”
“Heh. You never intended to do anything? Do you take me for a fool?”
A freezing murderous aura suddenly burst from Mu Qingqing.
At that very moment, however, the injuries within her body showed signs of erupting. A sweet metallic taste rose in her mouth.
The two men knew nothing of her condition and continued pleading without pause.
Their massive bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Mu Qingqing forcibly suppressed her injuries and withdrew her aura.
Her gaze fell upon them.
“Since you have not yet committed any actual offense, I will spare your lives this time.”
“However, though death may be avoided, punishment cannot. Kneel down and apologize to this young lady.”
“You will also help her with her work today. Begin by going into the mountains and bringing back several bundles of firewood.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you, immortal lady, for sparing our lives!”
The two men repeatedly knocked their heads against the ground.
Then they turned toward the little girl, knelt, and began apologizing.
“Miss, the two of us were blinded by greed and offended you. We are truly sorry. Please forgive us.”
As they spoke, they placed the ten taels of silver they had seized earlier on the ground.
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The little girl did not dare answer. She quickly rose to her feet and hid behind Mu Qingqing.
Then she pointed toward a corner of the courtyard.
“The firewood knives are over there.”
Mu Qingqing: “...”
“Yes, yes. Miss, rest assured. We’ll leave at once to chop the firewood.”
The two men started to get up.
“Wait!”
Mu Qingqing suddenly spoke, and the two men froze where they stood, not daring to move even an inch.
“Immortal lady, is there anything else you wish to command?”
Mu Qingqing walked over and casually waved her hand across their faces.
“This is my secret poison, Bone-Corroding Meridian Severance Powder. It has no color or smell. If you dare fail to return, your entire bodies will fester and you will die within three days.”
The two men were utterly terrified.
They hurriedly promised that they would return.
They believed Mu Qingqing without the slightest doubt. A woman with such overwhelming strength would never need to lie to deceive them.
“Get lost!”
Mu Qingqing turned around and waved her hand.
The two men, as though granted a pardon from death, fled in a panic.
Once they were gone, Mu Qingqing immediately let out a muffled groan, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
“Sister Mu, are... are you all right?”
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. If you hadn’t saved me, Sister Mu, you wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
Seeing Mu Qingqing in such a state, Su Yaner hurried forward to support her. Her face was filled with worry and deep guilt.
“It’s nothing. I’ll be fine after adjusting my breathing for a while.”
“You were being bullied, and I owe you and your husband a debt of gratitude. How could I simply stand by and do nothing?”
Mu Qingqing smiled.
“Thank you, Sister Mu. Don’t worry—I’ll take good care of you and make sure your injuries heal as quickly as possible.”
The little girl thought for a moment before speaking earnestly.
“Good. Then I’ll be relying on you, little sister Yaner.”
Mu Qingqing smiled, then asked, “You clearly had silver. Why didn’t you simply give it to them? Surely losing the money would have been better than being hurt. Why did you fight so desperately?”
“That... that silver was entrusted to me by my husband. He gave so much silver to me because he trusts me.”
“If I lost it, wouldn’t that mean betraying his trust? I... I don’t want my husband to be disappointed in me.”
The little girl lowered her head as she spoke.
“Ah... you really are foolish.”
Mu Qingqing shook her head.
Then her gaze fell upon the ten taels of silver lying on the ground.
Remembering how Xu An had told her before leaving that he had no money, she shook her head again.
That man had more schemes than anyone—yet for all that, he was a scholar and still managed to be so dishonest!
Su Yaner picked up the silver, carefully put it away, and then looked at Mu Qingqing.
“Sister Mu, let me help you to your room so you can rest.”
“All right!”
“Sister Mu, you were amazing just now. Was that martial arts?”
“Yes. Do you want to learn?”
“I... I do, but...”
“If you want to learn, I’ll teach you. But you cannot let anyone know, including your husband.”
“If my husband doesn’t ask, I won’t say anything. But if he does ask, I can’t lie to him.”
The little girl thought for a moment before answering.
“That’s acceptable.”
Mu Qingqing glanced at Su Yaner and thought that birds of a feather truly did flock together.
This husband and wife pair both had more schemes than anyone could count!
“Sister Mu, did you really poison those two men?”
“No. I was only fooling those idiots.”
...
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