Chapter 106 Escaping the Valley Only to Fall into the Tiger's Den

Ma Liuzi's mouth was gagged, and he made "woo-woo" sounds as he struggled to get up, but the rope binding him was so tight that he could only twist his body in vain.

As evening fell, Lin Cheng and Fang Dayu used the excuse of checking on Ma Liuzi's ankle injury to call him into the house.

At first, Ma Liuzi pretended to complain about foot pain, but Fang Da tricked him and he gave himself away.

The two men then gagged him with a strip of cloth and tied him to the foot of the bed.

At this moment, seeing the sharp gazes cast by Lin Cheng and the other two, Ma Liuzi lost all his last bit of hope. His struggles gradually subsided, and he avoided eye contact.

Lin Cheng walked over, ripped the gag out of his mouth, and said in an icy voice, "Ma Liuzi, even now, are you still going to pretend? The snakes in the cave during the day, and these white-browed vipers tonight, were they all brought here by you? Who told you to do this?"

Ma Liuzi swallowed hard, his throat bobbing, still trying to argue: "Cheng-ge'er, I... I didn't! How could I get a snake to harm you? We're all from the Lin family, how could I..."

Although he said that, he didn't dare to look Lin Cheng in the eye, feeling very guilty.

"Nothing?" Fang Dayu stepped forward, slammed the sickle in his hand into the ground, the blade embedded in the soil. His fierce appearance made Ma Liuzi shrink back in fright.

Fang Dayu stared at him, his tone carrying a chilling insight: "Let me guess, during the day, when there were so many people in the cave, the snake only targeted Cheng-ge'er. You must have tampered with it, right? Did someone tell you that this snake would only attack those you had marked beforehand and would never hurt anyone else?"

Ma Liuzi was caught off guard; his gaze darted around, and he was speechless.

Seeing this, Fang Dayu continued, "But have you considered that snakes are living creatures? How can they be completely obedient? How could that person be so sure the snake wouldn't go berserk? If the snake were to lose control, anyone present could be bitten, including yourself!"

He paused, his gaze growing colder. "Besides tonight, she told you to put the snake around the Lin family's house. There's more than just Cheng-ge living there; there's also A-Zhu, A-Fu, and even other members of the Lin family."

Seeing that he still wouldn't speak, Fang Dayu continued with exasperation, "She knew there were many people in the room, yet she still dared to release so many poisonous snakes. It's not just about making Cheng-ge suffer a little; she wants to kill everyone! Even you, who are helping her, are probably just a pawn she can discard at any time. If a snake really bites you, do you think she'll care whether you live or die?"

His words finally brought Ma Liuzi back to his senses, which had been clouded by greed and lust.

He recalled that when Kang gave him the powder, he only said that the snake would only bite the person who had applied the medicine, but he never mentioned the risk of the snake going out of control.

The Kang family doesn't want to be friends with him at all; they're just using him as a tool, and after they're done with him, they might even make him take the blame!

Ma Liuzi's face turned deathly pale, and he twisted uncontrollably in anger.

Ah Fu couldn't help but speak up: "Brother Liu, Cheng-ge'er has treated you very well! When you were desperate, it was the shopkeeper and Cheng-ge'er who took you in, gave you food, and gave you work. How can you turn around and harm Cheng-ge'er? How can you face the shopkeeper and the Lin family?"

These words completely shattered Ma Liuzi's mental defenses. He lowered his head, and after a long while, he raised his head, his eyes filled with dejection and lingering fear: "It was...it was Kang Shi, she made me do it!"

"The Kang family?" Lin Cheng frowned, just as Da Yu had guessed. "Why would she ask you to harm me? How did you two collude?"

Ma Liuzi spoke haltingly: "A few days ago, Madam Kang told me that her husband, Ye Dong, was locked in a cave because of you and the shopkeeper. She said that as long as you suffer a little and the shopkeeper is distracted, she will have a chance to rescue Ye Dong. She also said that if I help her, she will find a way to give me more meat, and even, she might even let me be with her."

As he finished speaking, Ma Liuzi's voice grew softer and softer, and a look of shame and lingering fear appeared on his face.

He was blinded by greed at the time, coveting Kang's goodwill on the one hand, and believing her lies on the other, which is why he agreed.

"She gave me a packet of powder that could attract snakes, and told me to put a black snake in the cave first, pretend to be bitten by the snake, and lure Cheng-ge into the cave."

Ma Liuzi's voice was earnest, "She told me that these snakes weren't very venomous, at most they would cause pain for a few days, but wouldn't kill anyone! They would only make Ren suffer a little. She secretly released these snakes tonight, I... I didn't know!"

Lin Cheng's face darkened after hearing this.

Fang Dayu also frowned, his tone grave: "Kang is so vicious, keeping her around will only bring trouble sooner or later. We need to tell the village head about this as soon as possible, we can't let her continue to harm people."

Lin Cheng nodded, then turned to Afu and said, "Afu, keep an eye on Ma Liuzi and don't let him get away. Da Yu and I will go find the village head now and explain things to him."

The two men wrapped up the snake carcass and the powder they had found in Ma Liuzi's bundle, and hurriedly walked out of the house, completely unaware that a dusty figure was perched on a tree not far from the courtyard.

Kang initially held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that even if Ma Liuzi was arrested, he might not betray her.

It seems that this guy has definitely covered everything up completely.

She knew she was finished.

The village head valued the stability of the valley most. Ma Liuzi had implicated her, and Lin Cheng had the snake corpse and powder as evidence. Once caught, they would not have a good ending.

The village head will definitely throw her into the cave as well, leaving her and Ye Dong to fend for themselves.

Kang Shi, perched on the tree, watched the two enter the village head's house, and the last bit of hesitation in her heart vanished.

We have to run, run now!

She carefully slid down from the tree, and almost fell to the ground when she landed because her legs were weak.

She steadied herself by holding onto the tree trunk, and under the cover of night, she ran quickly toward the mouth of the valley.

Standing on the edge of the valley, Kang looked back at his own house not far away, his heart was in turmoil, and tears kept flowing.

She couldn't bear to leave her child, but she didn't want to die even more.

If she stays here, she'll just be thrown into a cave. Then, let alone taking care of the child, she might not even survive until tomorrow.

But if they run away, even if the road ahead is unknown, at least there is still a glimmer of hope.

As for what the two children would eat and drink after she ran away, Madam Kang was not worried at all.

There are plenty of kind-hearted people in Linjia Village. The villagers won't let them starve to death. Everyone has to raise her and Ye Dong's child!

Thinking of this, the reluctance on her face gradually faded, replaced by an almost distorted smile of satisfaction.

She took one last look at her house, then turned around without hesitation and quickened her pace to run out of the valley.

Meanwhile, inside the village head's room, Lin Cheng and Fang Dayu were relaying the snake corpse, the powder, and Ma Liuzi's words to the village head.

Upon hearing this, the village head slammed his fist on the table in anger: "That Kang woman! She's incredibly audacious! We haven't even taught her a lesson for Ye Dong stealing grain, and now she dares to release snakes to harm people! She must be arrested; she can't be allowed to stay in the valley any longer!"

The village head immediately ordered several strong young villagers to follow Lin Cheng and Fang Dayu to arrest Kang Shi.

But when they arrived at the Kang family's house, only two sleeping children remained inside; the Kang family member was nowhere to be found.

“The person ran away.” Fang Dayu examined the footprints not far away and said with a serious expression, “Judging from the direction of the footprints, they ran out of the valley, so they must have just left not long ago.”

Lin Cheng frowned, looking at the sleeping child in the room, feeling a mix of emotions. They had been careless; they hadn't expected that in the midst of the chaos outside, a woman like Kang Shi would dare to run away.

The village head sighed and nodded: "Pass down the word that more people should be assigned to guard the entrance to the valley from now on. We must not let dangerous people like the Kang family enter again! As for these two children, let Lin Yongyuan's family take care of them for now. Their children are about the same age, so they can keep each other company."

The villagers quickly carried the sleeping little stone and Yaya to Lin Yongyuan's house.

At this moment, in the pitch-black forest, Kang was still running forward desperately.

Just as she was running until she was almost exhausted, she suddenly saw a faint firelight flickering in the woods not far away.

The firelight flickered, standing out starkly in the boundless darkness.

Kang felt like she had grasped at a straw. She even forgot to think about why there was a fire in the middle of nowhere, only that it was a place where she could rest and give her a glimmer of hope.

She stumbled and ran toward the firelight.

In the dead of winter, when all the leaves had fallen and many branches were bare, these branches tore her clothes, leaving bloody marks, but she didn't care at all.

Even just finding someone, even just to borrow some food or a place to hide for the night, is better than aimlessly fleeing in the darkness.

The firelight drew closer, and one could vaguely hear voices and the sound of burning firewood.

Kang was overjoyed and quickened her pace to rush over, but as soon as she ran out of the woods and saw the scene beside the fire, the smile on her face disappeared.

Several bonfires were lit in the open space, and a dozen men with tattered armor and fierce faces sat around them, holding wine jugs and telling crude jokes. Several animal skeletons and broken weapons were scattered on the ground.

They're bandits!

In turbulent times, not everyone is willing to join the army. Those who are unwilling will find an opportunity to desert or become bandits who commit all kinds of evil deeds.

Kang was terrified and turned to hide in the woods, but it was too late.

A bandit sitting by the campfire spotted her. He immediately stood up, pointed his knife at her, and shouted, "Who's there? Come out!"

The other bandits also instantly became alert, grabbing their weapons and surrounding Kang's direction.

Kang was so frightened that he forgot to escape and could only watch helplessly as the fierce-looking bandits approached.

"Oh, a woman!" The bandit leader sized up Kang Shi, his eyes full of ill intent. "What are you doing here in this desolate wilderness? Are you lost, or are you looking for a man?"