Chapter 35 035 The two were locked in a silent contest.

The moment the words left her lips, the little poisonous creature's long eyelashes trembled like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.

Jiang Ling'er's short sentence was like a pebble thrown into water. The little poisonous creature's already dark eyes, beneath her thick, long eyelashes, suddenly deepened, becoming as deep and unfathomable as an ink pool.

After a brief period of turmoil, everything returned to calm, with only the chirping of cicadas outside the window drifting into the room on the night breeze.

Neither of them spoke, they just looked at each other in silence.

The little poisonous creature is like a nocturnal animal lurking beneath the calm surface of water... or perhaps it is the Ink Pool itself, a bottomless abyss.

Jiang Ling'er's gaze was undisguised, even provocative and aggressive, as she stared directly at him.

Staring at the inky abyss.

The two were locked in a silent contest.

Although Jiang Ling'er didn't want to think about He Yong anymore, He Yong had taught her kung fu since she was a child. He Yong was not only her fifth uncle, but also her master who had taught her for more than 20 years. She naturally remembered He Yong's often-quoted saying, "Our ancestors had the intention to take away others' talents."

She wasn't the type to endure, so she naturally had to take the initiative.

For example, right now.

She took a step closer, making the already narrow distance even more confined, almost impossible to get near. The little venomous creature, its eyes fixed on her, narrowed its eyes, making no move, its thin lips pressed into a line.

In the still-hot early autumn night, something seemed ready to ignite at any moment.

Jiang Ling'er opened her lips, and the little poisonous creature's gaze, fixed on her eyes, naturally fell upon them. As Jiang Ling'er was about to speak, its already dark eyes grew even more intense, and under the cover of darkness, its entire body tense like a taut string…

"ah!"

Suddenly, a terrified scream shattered the tense standoff. Jiang Ling'er and Little Poison both paused, looking in the direction of the sound, only to see that Aunt Yang had somehow left the room. The commotion outside had finally alerted her, and neither of them had noticed.

Perhaps tripped by the unconscious Yang San'er, Yang Da Niang fell to the ground, landing in the pool of blood flowing from the boy. Her hands frantically reached out and grabbed Yang San'er's unconscious face, which was covered in blood. Perhaps she was too frightened, for she stood there, frozen, holding the boy's face in her hands.

Jiang Ling'er thought to herself, "This is bad!" and finally let go of the little poisonous creature before turning around and walking quickly toward Granny Yang.

Behind her, the little poisoner's tense shoulders collapsed like a mountain suddenly crumbling. He breathed a sigh of relief, but for some reason, his face became even more sour. He stared intently at Jiang Ling'er's retreating figure as she strode towards Aunt Yang, scoffed, and followed her.

As Jiang Ling'er strolled towards Granny Yang, she inwardly berated herself for forgetting Granny Yang's existence. What old woman could withstand such constant frights? The shock from the group from Sun Moon Fort hadn't even subsided yet; what if she really got seriously injured?! She should have known better... no, it's all Little Poison's fault!

If he had told Aunt Yang earlier, would she have suffered so much fright?

As expected, after her initial shock, Aunt Yang trembled as she stroked the boy's face, then suddenly burst into an extremely mournful cry, startling even Jiang Ling'er, who was prepared.

"My dear brother... my dear brother!"

Her words were filled with tears of blood, and her cries of anguish were unprecedented. She must have mistaken the boy for a little poisoner, for "Big Brother".

Jiang Ling'er rushed to Aunt Yang's side in increasing anxiety, but was suddenly grabbed by the arm by the person next to her and held in place.

She glared at the little poisoner and said irritably:

"What are you doing?"

The little poisonous creature glanced at her coolly:

"Have you forgotten what that kid said?"

Jiang Ling'er paused upon hearing this, as if struck on the head by a bell, finally remembering the words Yang San'er had left before he lost consciousness—

[Where's my mother?! What have you done to her? Murder her to silence her?! Hahahaha, you're all finished! Who told you to impersonate me! The Demonic Cult is coming soon! Huo Wu is coming soon, none of you will escape...]

How could she forget something so important!

"You mean..."

Jiang Ling'er murmured and shifted her gaze to Aunt Yang and the unconscious boy.

Jiang Ling'er had met the boy a few times, all in the fields. Now she realized it was the boy who had intentionally approached her; he always wore a large straw hat. She only remembered a dark, youthful face, but not the details. Now, seeing Aunt Yang's aged hands gently stroking the boy's face, repeatedly rubbing his forehead and under his eyes, the bloodstains were wiped away, revealing his original features—

A black mole under his eye, and a distinct scar on his forehead...

Have you seen my eldest son? It's been six years, a full six years! My eldest son is eighteen now, a big young man. He has a scar on his face from when he was little. If you see him, please tell him that his mother is waiting for him at home, waiting for him for so long...

Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a moment, her almond-shaped eyes widening:

"He's 'Yang Dalang'?!"

The little poisoner gave a vague snort, released Jiang Ling'er's restraints, and slowly walked to Aunt Yang's side, or rather, towards the unconscious boy.

“If he were Yang Dalang, many things would be clear. For example, who has been secretly helping Yang Da Niang all these years, and who has been kindly weeding this old house day after day for years.”

Jiang Ling'er was puzzled: "Since he is Yang Dalang, and since he knows that Yang Da Niang has been waiting for him for so many years, why did he hide her..." She paused, then her almond-shaped eyes suddenly lit up, "Because of the puppet! He knew there would be an ambush, so he dared not and could not acknowledge Yang Da Niang!"

But before he could even finish speaking, he froze, scratching his head, completely bewildered, and muttered to himself:

"But how could a mere teenager like him have offended the Demonic Cult? Would Huo Wu, one of the Demonic Cult's eight top assassins, really go to such lengths to trap a brat who can't even fight a little kid? Is it really worth it?"

The little poisoner did not answer her question. Instead, he pressed Yang Da Niang's pressure point to put her to sleep, and Yang Da Niang fell onto the boy.

Jiang Ling'er saw this and quickly ran over to help Yang Da Niang up. She then half-embraced Yang Da Niang and leaned her against herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a small black stain exposed behind the boy's disheveled clothes.

No, upon closer inspection, it seems to be a... tattoo?

It doesn't seem that small.

Our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents; they should not be harmed. Even the most severe punishments didn't involve such a large tattoo. Driven by sheer curiosity, she turned the boy over, parted his clothes, and what she saw was—

What appeared to be a vast expanse of densely packed scripture, resembling ants. Upon closer inspection, these tiny characters seemed like living, wriggling insects, yet upon even closer inspection, they were perfectly straight scripture. The scripture traveled along the young man's lean back, stopping abruptly three inches below his ribs as if abruptly cut off at the waist, exuding an eerie atmosphere.

It's a bit creepy.

Jiang Ling'er remained silent for a long time before finally murmuring:

"What... is this?"

The little poisoner's dark eyes stared intently at the large tattoo, its gaze suddenly deepening, but a smile curled at the corner of its lips:

"It seems this is the answer."

Without warning, he stomped hard on the boy's hand!

The unconscious boy suddenly opened his eyes due to excruciating pain!

The little poisonous creature stared down at him, slowly grinding the sole of his shoe against his five fingers, its deep voice both soft and cold:

"Tell me, why is Huo Wu targeting you? What's that tattoo on your back?"

The ten fingers are connected to the heart, and Yang San'er's dark face was instantly covered in cold sweat, but he bit his lip so hard that it bled, refusing to utter a single word. Only when his gaze fell on the sleeping Yang Da Niang to the side did his eyes light up.

The little poisonous creature glanced at Jiang Ling'er, and in that instant, Jiang Ling'er understood. She grabbed Yang Da Niang's neck and stared at Yang San'er with a dark face, saying:

"Will you tell me or not?"

Little Poison: "..."

The little poisoner subtly curled the corners of his mouth, but quickly pursed it into a thin line when Jiang Ling'er glanced at him.

Sure enough, the next second they heard Yang San'er's panicked voice:

"I'll talk... I'll talk! It's the 'Longevity Manual,' it's all because of the 'Longevity Manual'! Release my mother!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ling'er and Little Poison fell silent in unison.

The difference was that the little poisonous creature's already dark eyes were even more unfathomable, while Jiang Ling'er's almond-shaped eyes seemed to be burning with two flames, the flames rising high and shining brightly, her silver teeth clenched.

It's that damn "Longevity Manual" again!!!

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The author's note: ① Our ancestors harbored ambitions to seize others' possessions. (Zuo Qiuming, *Zuo Zhuan*, Duke Xuan, Year 12)

First of all, happy start of the school year everyone! Thank you all for your understanding and support during this time!!! Thank you so much!!!

Starting today, I'm getting back to work and will be updating every night at 6 PM sharp! Let's all cheer each other on!

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Thank you to the little angels who watered the plants with nutrient solution: Sunflower and Bluebird Lau (1 bottle each);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!