Chapter Eleven: Facing the Court

At this moment, both children had calmed down entirely, their expressions and demeanor returning to normal, and Li Zisheng finally felt at ease. Now, the matter at hand was dealing with Old Lady Wang, the so-called village shaman.

“Village Chief, Uncle Jiang, Aunt Zhang, the children are out of danger now. All they need is a good night’s sleep and they’ll be fine. But Old Lady Wang nearly cost your grandchildren their lives. How should we handle this?” Li Zisheng folded his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky, a pose that might have seemed comical under other circumstances. But after what had happened, it only made the chief and the others regard him with a certain deep, unspoken respect.

“That old witch is truly despicable. I’ll make sure she learns her lesson today,” the village chief declared fiercely.

The Jiang and Zhang families, however, dared not say much. The shadow of Old Lady Wang’s influence still lingered—they didn’t want to provoke her and bring misfortune upon their households.

But Old Master Zhang was not one to be intimidated. He stepped forward, grabbed Old Lady Wang’s wrist, and tied her up with a rope to prevent her from escaping. After all, his own grandson’s life had nearly been lost by her hand. He didn’t hold back, and Old Lady Wang grimaced in pain, her contorted expression rather ridiculous.

Li Zisheng watched coldly from the sidelines—she had brought this upon herself and deserved no less.

“Old Lady Wang, do you realize your crimes? You’ve long been a scourge to this village, spreading lies and misleading people, and today you nearly took Zhang’s grandson’s life. But considering you’re an elder of the village, I won’t be unreasonable. From now on, you will pay for all the medical expenses for Zhang’s grandson and Jiang’s little girl. Do you have any objections?” The village chief’s face was stern and resolute.

Old Lady Wang’s face had turned the color of a bruised plum. She felt miserable, and when she glanced at Li Zisheng watching coldly from the side, her heart grew even heavier. Reluctantly, she nodded.

“So it’s true that Old Lady Wang had quite a stash saved up over the years. Gold leaf, amber, ginseng—these are precious medicinal ingredients. We can buy plenty and still have some left over; such treasures are beyond what our families could ever afford,” thought Li Zisheng, a faint smile playing on his lips, pleased to have found such a lucrative target.

“Aunt Zhang, Uncle Jiang, accompany Old Lady Wang to her house and bring back some silver. Buy ten sets of medicine—no more, no less. Isn’t that right, Old Lady Wang?” Li Zisheng looked at her with an innocent expression.

Seeing Li Zisheng’s smile, Old Lady Wang shivered and hurriedly agreed, though her heart bled with pain. Ten sets! Ten! This was enough to ruin her.

“Village Chief, we’ll go home now. Xiaosheng, let’s go.” Grandmother quickly pulled Li Zisheng away from the scene, eager to leave trouble behind.

When they returned home, the entire Li family was seated in the main hall. One by one, they took their places. Grandfather looked at Li Zisheng with a face full of anger and worry.

Seeing this, Li Zisheng knew exactly what was coming—a family tribunal. After all, his actions today had been nothing short of shocking. If he were an adult, it might be excusable, but he was only seven. To have caused such a commotion was bound to raise concerns and suspicions.

“Xiaosheng, go wash up and get some rest,” Grandmother quickly said, pulling him behind her in an attempt to get him out of the line of fire. She knew her husband well—when he lost his temper, he was as unyielding as a stone.

“Nonsense! Xiaosheng, tell me exactly what happened. Why were you involved with Old Lady Wang? Don’t you know how dangerous she is?” Grandfather’s words sounded harsh, but Li Zisheng could hear the concern beneath them.

“Grandfather, Old Lady Wang deserved what she got. I simply couldn’t stand by and let her continue—so I taught her a lesson, nothing more.”

“Well, let’s set that aside for now. Tell me this: how did you learn to heal people? And what about that giant blue dragon?”

The moment of reckoning was inevitable. On the way home, Li Zisheng had already thought through what he would say. He knew he couldn’t keep everything hidden, but there was no need to either. Every elder present cared for him deeply; they were all his closest family.

“Grandfather, do you know why I go to the back mountain every morning, rain or shine?”

All the elders knew that Li Zisheng had formed a habit years ago: he never slept in, and every morning, regardless of the weather, he would head to the mountain. At first, Grandmother and Wang followed him out of concern, but eventually, they grew used to it and stopped worrying. Early rising was a good thing, after all, and they never imagined that this routine hid something more.

“Oh? Then tell me, grandson, what is the reason?” Grandfather’s eyes flashed with anger—he certainly didn’t believe that simply climbing the mountain could have taught Li Zisheng such skills.

“Xiaosheng, go wash up and rest. You’ve been through enough for one day,” Grandmother quickly interjected, signaling to Wang and the younger son to take Li Zisheng away before he said anything to worsen Grandfather’s mood.

“Sit down. I’ll get to the bottom of this. If you’re tired, you can leave,” Grandfather replied with irritation, glancing at Grandmother.

“Fine, fine, ask away. But if you dare lay a hand on my grandson, you’ll answer to me,” Grandmother retorted.

“Enough,” Grandfather said impatiently.

The uncles remained silent, and the daughters-in-law didn’t dare speak. In this patriarchal society, where clan traditions weighed heavily, no one wanted to upset the two elders.

“Grandfather, the back mountain is beautiful in all seasons, and our village lies by the Yellow River—a truly magnificent place. Two years ago, when I was on the mountain, I met an old man with a white beard, ethereal as an immortal. He told me to come to the peak every morning for a month, and if I persisted, I would see him again.”

When Li Zisheng finished, everyone was astonished. No one expected that he had experienced such a fateful encounter.

This explanation also clarified why, during that first month, only Li Zisheng ever saw the old man, even though Grandmother and Wang sometimes accompanied him. It all made sense now.

“I was intrigued, so I persisted for a month and, sure enough, saw the old man again. He said I had a tenacious mind, so he began teaching me things. At first, it was just stories from all over the world, and I enjoyed listening. So, every day, I went without fail.”