Chapter 38, 038 "You're not going to run away, are you?"

The next day.

When Jiang Ling'er woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

Although it was on a simple wooden bed, it was the most comfortable sleep Jiang Ling'er had ever had in her life. The feeling of being scorched by that ball of ghostly fire was so wonderful, so wonderful that it was almost addictive... She slept without a single dream.

She instinctively reached out to her side, only to find nothing.

She opened her eyes immediately, and the memories of last night gradually resurfaced, but the person who should have been by her side in those memories was nowhere to be seen.

Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a moment, then suddenly jumped up from the bed!

"Awake?" A nonchalant voice came from the desk by the window. The little poisonous creature glanced at her. "If you're awake, come and get to work."

He walked out as quickly as the wind and disappeared in no time.

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

Jiang Ling'er paused, about to throw off the covers and get out of bed, when she suddenly remembered something and stopped. She hurriedly reached for her clothes under the bed, but the undershirt that should have been on the floor was still on her body, clearly indicating that someone had...

She paused for a moment, then let out a soft "Ah," her face flushing slightly as she awkwardly tugged at the hem of her clothes. The man even thoughtfully folded her outer garment neatly and placed it on the bedside table; however, even a thin outer garment was folded so meticulously that it was obvious whose handiwork it was.

It could only be him.

Jiang Ling'er stared at the thin outer garment for a while before getting off the bed and putting on her shoes and socks. After slowly exhaling, the faint blush that had risen on her face due to unease faded considerably. She raised her eyes to look at the now empty doorway, narrowed her eyes, and the last trace of redness at the corner of her eyes disappeared, revealing a certain kind of contest in her gaze.

Instead of grabbing her outer robe from the bedside table, she skipped over her own long robe and went straight for the clothes inside the little poison package—the most beautiful one of them. Men's clothes are a size too big for her, so she tightened her waist with a belt and tied her long hair up, making her look like a neat young man from afar.

Jiang Ling'er looked in the mirror and was quite satisfied before leaving the house.

--

When she got outside, she found that the room had been emptied of its furnishings. She paused for a moment, then suddenly her ears twitched and she dodged to the side. At the same time, a basin of water fell from above and poured down on her. Luckily, she dodged in time, but she still couldn't help but get her trouser legs wet.

Yang San'er actually poked his head out from the roof: "Sorry, sorry! Did you get wet?"

"What...what are you doing on the roof?" Jiang Ling'er then noticed that the roof tiles had all been replaced with straw. She looked around and added, "And what about Aunt Yang? Where is Aunt Yang?"

"Before dawn, I took my mother to the house of the employer where I work as a farmhand, and she's already settled in. As for..." Yang San'er shook the wooden bucket in his hand, "I followed my elder brother's instructions, removed all the tiles, laid out a pile of straw, and carried several basins of water back and forth to place on the top of the beam. I was busy all night."

It also has a hint of boasting.

Jiang Ling'er was stunned: "No...who is your older brother?"

Yang San'er was even more surprised: "Don't you recognize your own husband, sister-in-law!"

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

Yang San'er quickly climbed down from the roof. Yang San'er... no, he should be called Yang Dalang. With the heart of a young man, he had been separated from his family and wandered since childhood, making him far more worldly and sophisticated than his peers. Ever since he learned that the two little poisoners had no intention of killing him but instead wanted to help eliminate the Demonic Sect's Huo Wu, his attitude towards the little poisoners changed completely. He immediately started to acknowledge them as his brother, and even shamelessly called Jiang Ling'er "sister-in-law."

Yang Dalang fawned over Jiang Ling'er, calling out to her with gusto, even fawning over her, while Jiang Ling'er felt as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a fly.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, sister-in-law, who is better at kung fu, you or my brother?"

It's not over yet.

Although Yang Dalang was cunning, he wasn't annoying; in fact, he was more likable than the little poisoner.

This was the first time in Jiang Ling'er's life that someone had called her "sister-in-law." Even in the six years she had been married to Ji Yunshu, no one had ever called her that, mainly because she didn't dare to. So it felt inexplicably strange. She had originally wanted to tell him to change his address, but when she saw the little poisoner carrying a basket into the house, she changed her mind before the words even reached her tongue: "Of course, it's your good older brother who's amazing."

At the last pause, he added, "But one day I will beat him, I definitely will."

She spoke the second half of her sentence while staring at the little poisoner. From the moment he stepped into the room, every word they said had reached his ears. This included Yang Dalang calling Jiang Ling'er "sister-in-law," and naturally, Jiang Ling'er's last almost provocative remark. He was familiar with it, and without comment, he gave a slight sneer, about to say something, when his gaze fell on Jiang Ling'er's obviously ill-fitting, tight... clothes that were clearly his.

Jiang Ling'er, who had been keeping a close eye on the little poisoner, naturally noticed that his gaze lingered on her clothes. She couldn't help but tense up, her hands clenching into fists hidden in her sleeves.

However, the little poisonous creature only glanced at it briefly before quickly looking away, glancing at Yang Dalang beside Jiang Ling'er, and said expressionlessly:

"Have you done everything I asked you to do?"

Yang Dalang's dark little head shook like a rattle drum, almost as if his tail was wagging: "It's all done, all done! I carried water all night long following your instructions, Big Brother! The beams are all covered with straw, and Mother is settled... We're just waiting for your next instructions, Big Brother!"

Seeing that the little poisoner didn't react to her wearing his clothes without permission, Jiang Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief and became even more certain of something. She stepped forward and approached the little poisoner. The little poisoner finally turned his gaze to Jiang Ling'er, his already dark eyes appearing even more unfathomable.

Jiang Ling'er pursed her dry lips. She wanted to say something, but considering Yang Dalang's embarrassing behavior, she had to change the subject:

"……where have you been?"

"I sprinkled some medicine outside." The little poisonous creature said as it unloaded its basket and tossed two pills to Jiang Ling'er and Yang Dalang respectively, saying succinctly, "Eat them."

Yang Dalang held the small pill in his hand, looking hesitant: "B-Big Brother..."

Jiang Ling'er didn't even think about it and just threw it into her mouth and ate it. Surprisingly, it tasted quite good with its herbal aroma.

After finishing her meal, she wiped her mouth, tilted her head back, and blinked, staring intently at the little poisoner. Her beautiful, spirited almond-shaped eyes seemed to speak volumes, filled with unwavering trust. Under this gaze, the little poisoner's long eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly's wings. She instinctively turned her head away, then turned back, her dark eyes still fixed on Jiang Ling'er, gleaming with an eerie light, like two shimmering pools of ink.

"Big...Big Brother." Yang Dalang's voice came as if he had lost his father. Seeing that Jiang Ling'er swallowed the pill without hesitation, he had no choice but to close his eyes and swallow it too, no matter how unwilling he was. As soon as the pill went down his throat, he began to feel scared, and his voice trembled. "Brother, this pill...will it kill you?"

Seeing that the little poisoner didn't answer, but only stared intently at Jiang Ling'er, completely ignoring what he was saying, as if confirming the possibility he least wanted to accept, the little poisoner suddenly came to his senses when Yang Dalang's dirty hands were almost grabbing his clothes. He brushed his sleeve aside and launched into a barrage of sarcastic and scathing reprimands. Only at this moment did he act like a young man of similar age to Yang Dalang.

"Don't worry, even an ant wouldn't be poisoned to death! This is the antidote for snake venom, we can't delay any longer. Huo Wu will arrive in no more than half an hour. I'll stay in the house and wait for her. You two go up to the roof later and follow my instructions to coordinate an attack from the inside..."

Jiang Ling'er tilted her head back and listened intently to the little poisonous creature. The more she listened, the brighter her almond-shaped eyes became, until they were almost terrifying.

Little Poison: "..."

On one hand, the little poisoner felt a strange sense of satisfaction from being stared at like that; on the other hand, he couldn't pretend not to notice, so he asked her in a low voice:

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Ling'er paused for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled and said, "It's nothing."

Little Poison: "..."

The little poisonous creature squinted at her for a long time, then suddenly took out its bamboo flute and tapped her on the head!

Jiang Ling'er: "!!!"

Jiang Ling'er was caught off guard and hit squarely. She gasped softly, covered her head with her hands, and glared at him.

Why did you hit me?!

"Give."

Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a moment: "...What?"

The bamboo flute was twirled around in the tiger's mouth of the little poisonous creature before being handed to Jiang Ling'er.

Jiang Ling'er stared at the jade-green bamboo flute in front of her. This bamboo flute was a precious treasure to the little poisoner, and she would not easily show it to anyone, let alone give it to others. Moreover, this bamboo flute might just be an ordinary little bamboo flute in the eyes of others, but in her eyes, it was a burning, ghostly fire that she longed to touch but dared not touch.

Jiang Ling'er was speechless for a long while, somewhat incredulous:

"You're going to give this to me...?"

The little venomous creature nodded primly, its voice low and cold, carrying the unique, sandy naiveté of youth: "I want you to take it to the rooftop, and when Fire Dance arrives, play the bamboo flute. A swarm of snakes will then rush in to fight Fire Dance."

"I see, no wonder they made us take the antidote for snake venom..." Jiang Ling'er nodded repeatedly, then suddenly said, "Then why didn't you blow it yourself?"

Jiang Ling'er suddenly remembered something and punched her fist: "Ah, I remember now! You're afraid of snakes!"

Recalling the humiliation of being frightened by the green snake before, the little venomous creature's face darkened instantly, and it snorted coldly, "Do you still want it?"

He arrogantly tossed the bamboo flute around, pretending to give it to Yang Dalang, who was already standing there like a sycophant ready to receive a royal decree. Jiang Ling'er shoved Yang Dalang aside without any politeness, and Yang Dalang cried out as he was pushed far away. Jiang Ling'er then moved closer to the little poisoner and grabbed the other end of the bamboo flute:

"Yes, yes, I want it!"

However, she hadn't completely taken the bamboo flute. The small flute was held in mid-air by one person, who grabbed both ends with one hand. Jiang Ling'er paused, suspecting that the little poisoner had changed her mind, but then she saw the little poisoner use one end of the flute as leverage, and in the next instant, Jiang Ling'er was forcibly pulled in front of the little poisoner!

The little poisonous creature lowered its head slightly, its gaze level with hers, and squinted at her. It lowered its voice and spoke to her in a tone only the two of them could hear:

"You're not going to run away, are you?"

The little poisoner had casually tapped her left and right shoulders twice with this bamboo flute, causing the dying flames on her shoulders to rise slightly, allowing her to move independently for at least half an hour without relying on the little poisoner's ghostly fire. If she could obtain this bamboo flute, wouldn't she be able to completely break free from the little poisoner's control...?

However, the next second he heard Jiang Ling'er say to him decisively:

"You never intended to abandon Aunt Yang and run away, did you? If you wanted to escape, you couldn't have made such a meticulous plan beforehand. Since you never thought of running away from the beginning, why would I run away?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the little poisonous creature's thin eyelids trembled violently, like a pebble falling into an ink pool. The ink pool was disturbed and crushed, and then shimmered with light, as if all the stars in the sky had fallen into its dark pupils.

He gave a slightly flustered, attempt to cover it up, and released his grip.

The bamboo flute fell into Jiang Ling'er's hands, which she caught in a flurry and hugged tightly to her chest.

The little poisonous creature turned its head, revealing a slightly unnatural yet strikingly beautiful profile, and waved its hand impatiently to dismiss Jiang Ling'er and Yang Dalang:

"Alright, proceed according to plan, go." He added at the end, "Be careful."

It's unclear who he was speaking to, or whether he was speaking to both of them.

Yang Dalang readily agreed, and Jiang Ling'er thought for a moment before whispering:

"The same to you."

The little poisonous creature turned its head away, fiddling with something. Whether it heard or not, Jiang Ling'er glanced at it again, tucked the bamboo flute into her waistband, grabbed Yang Dalang by the collar as he tried to climb up the roof beam, and leaped onto the roof beam in a few small steps.

Once the menacing gaze behind him disappeared, the little poisoner finally breathed a sigh of relief, her tense shoulders slumping almost imperceptibly. She then gave a self-deprecating laugh, sat down on the wooden chair, poured herself a cup of tea, and waited for someone's arrival.

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The sun was setting in the west.

The girl suddenly stopped, and the thirty girls lined up behind her also stopped at the same time.

We stopped in front of a simple, unassuming farmhouse.

The little girl bent down and stiffly reached out to gently pat the shoulder of the old woman sitting in the wooden wheelchair.

With the girl's gentle pats, the old woman mumbled something and finally slowly opened her eyes:

"We've arrived."

The girl… or rather the puppet, did not answer; her wooden eyes stared blankly at her.

The old woman coughed lightly: "Cough cough... Let's go, let's ask for a bowl of water."

The girl pushed the wheelchair closer to the farmhouse as instructed, only to find it unusually quiet with the doors wide open, but no one in sight.

The old woman, without even lifting her eyelids once, let the little girl push her inside, looking drowsy, followed by thirty puppets in one after another...

The small farmhouse could not accommodate so many people. Jiang Ling'er, who was hiding on the beam, saw that most of them had gone in. After estimating that it was almost time, she exchanged a glance with Yang Dalang, who was next to her, and together they tightened the thick rope they were holding!

Dozens of wooden buckets filled with water, connected by thick ropes, were overturned at the same time, and without warning, a torrent of water poured down!

The originally agile puppets all collapsed on the ground after being soaked in water, instantly turning into a pile of wet, useless wood!

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Author's note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!