Jin Qiu rushed towards the bandit like a little leopard and bit his hand. The bandit threw him four or five meters away and smashed him onto the hard ground.
Jin Qiu hit the ground with her head, knocking her unconscious. Her face was crumpled and pale in the firelight. The bandit saw her clearly and laughed heartily, saying, "She's a good woman. I'll take her home and make her my wife." He then walked towards her.
Jin Qiu gritted his teeth, dug his hands into the ground, and grabbed a handful of ashes, clutching them tightly. Jin Bao broke free from his mother, stood in front of her, and glared at the bandit. Village Chief Jin's eyes were bloodshot, and he struggled to hold the bandit's legs to prevent him from getting any closer, angrily cursing, "You beasts, she's still a child!"
These bandits weren't looking for Ye Nuan; they were out to take over Dahuang Village. Village Chief Jin now deeply regretted letting Ye Nuan go. If she had stayed, she might have been able to hold onto Jin Qiu and the others.
The bandit scoffed, "Kid?" He kicked Village Chief Jin fiercely. Village Chief Jin was kicked so hard that he spit out blood, but he refused to let go. After kicking him more than ten times, the bandit became angry and raised his knife to chop him. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Stop!"
The sound is not loud, but it is very penetrating.
Everyone looked towards the owner of the voice, and saw a beautiful woman walking slowly towards them in the light of the fire. Beneath her beautiful face were a pair of cold eyes, and she looked at the horse bandit with a knife in anger.
Jin Qiu, who was lying on the ground, was the first to react. He got up and ran towards Ye Nuan, shouting excitedly as he ran: "Sister Nuan, I knew you would come to save us."
The other villagers were overjoyed to see her approaching. They all knelt before her and cried, "Goddess, save us, save us!"
"Goddess, kill these horse bandits!"
goddess?
Which one is it?
These bandits had never seen Ye Nuan before. Hearing the villagers call her a goddess and captivated by her beauty, they fell silent for a moment, eyeing her suspiciously. The bandit who had earlier kicked the village chief asked with interest, "Who are you?" The thought of such a striking beauty hiding in such a shabby village was truly worth the trip.
Ye Nuan sneered, "You are not here to arrest anyone, I am Ye Nuan." Because of the spiritual spring, her skin was delicate and shiny. Even with a sneer, her face was stunning enough. The horse bandit was not angry but laughed instead.
He put down the knife in his hand, walked towards Ye Nuan, and laughed: "It's Miss Ye! The one Qi Wuze is dating, isn't she said to be ugly? How come she is so beautiful?"
"Look at this face, this figure, not bad, not bad! Now that you're here, come over here, don't force me to do anything!"
Ye Nuan squeezed her palm, waiting for him to approach. Just as he was about to reach out, a knife flew out of nowhere. The cracks on the blade glowed coldly in the firelight, and the ruby on the handle pricked the bandit's eyes, causing him to squint slightly. He bent down and stepped back, but despite his speed, a section of his finger was still cut off.
The horse bandit screamed and looked at the person who came, holding his bleeding hand.
Qi Wuze stood in front of Ye Nuan with a stern face, his eyes three times sharper than the blade just now, and shouted: "Dare to touch my people, you will die!"
He stood straight, standing in front of Ye Nuan like a solid mountain, impervious to wind and rain. Ye Nuan was startled and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here? Aren't you not allowed to enter Dahuang Village?"
The moment they saw him, the bandits recognized him and immediately took several steps back in fear, shouting in panic, "Qi...Qi Wuze!"
"Don't you from Luomu City refuse to set foot in Dahuang Village?"
"Don't you people in Luomu City hate these criminals? Why are you still meddling in other people's business?"
Qi Wuze smiled frivolously and answered casually: "Didn't you say you were here to arrest my lover? Now that she has shown up, how can I not come and save her like a hero?" His words were both coquettish and deserved a beating.
The bandits gnashed their teeth in hatred, but soon calmed down. Qi Wuze had no Qi Family Army with him, he was alone, and there were so many villagers in the way. If they attacked together, they might be able to hack him to death on the spot.
The bandit whose finger Qi Wuze had chopped off earlier shouted, "Don't be afraid, everyone. He's alone. Kill him and avenge the boss!"
Being afraid or not is one thing, but whoever rushes up first will definitely die first. The bandits looked at each other and no one was willing to go up first.
Qi Wuze sneered while holding his knife.
The bandit whose finger he had chopped off was infuriated. He bandaged it casually and picked up Village Chief Jin from the ground. He said in a stern voice, "You're so powerful, right? I'll kill all these villagers first. Remember, these villagers died because of you."
Qi Wuze looked at Village Chief Jin in his hand, his brows furrowed tightly, his eyes almost condensing into knives. He said coldly, "Stop accusing them. They didn't die because of anyone. You will bear the consequences of your own actions. And, the man in your hand deserved to die!"
Village Chief Jin lowered his head since Qi Wuze came in, and his body trembled violently when he heard his words.
The bandit, unwilling to engage in further discussion, raised his hand to smear Village Chief Jin's neck. Qi Wuze watched with a cold gaze. Jin Qiu tugged hard at Ye Nuan's sleeve. Ye Nuan squatted down, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it accurately at the bandit, hitting him squarely in the wrist. The bandit dropped his knife and glared at Ye Nuan.
"you!"
Ye Nuan stood up and, under everyone's gaze, took out a glowing seed. The seed took root in the palm of her right hand and sprouted, instantly growing into a glowing fluorescent algae. The branches of the fluorescent algae absorbed the spiritual spring water and instantly expanded, then extended outward.
Amidst the dazzling light, a young woman stood gracefully, her expression cold and solemn. Time and again, she urged the glowing vines in her palms, a beauty too beautiful to be real. The bandits, still unaware of the situation, stared at the scene in amazement. Even Qi Wuze, who was standing beside her, had his pupils slightly widened.
This is absolutely beyond human ability!
"You!" He asked, but couldn't ask anything.
Until the tender and glowing branches touched the nearest horse bandit, the horse bandit screamed, his body was gradually entangled, his muscles melted at a speed visible to the naked eye, and soon the bones inside were exposed.
That scene was so horrifying!
The villagers all looked at Ye Nuan in horror, but Ye Nuan remained unmoved and increased the supply of spiritual spring water. The fluorescent algae surged again, entangling all the nearby horse bandits. The remaining bandits retreated in fear, leaping onto their horses and attempting to flee.
However, as they turned around, they saw pairs of wolf eyes glowing green. Hundreds of wolves surrounded them wherever the firelight reached. The horses began to neigh uncomfortably, and in the chaos, the riders were thrown off their horses.
Seeing the fluorescent algae getting closer and closer, the bandits knelt down and kowtowed to Ye Nuan, begging for mercy: "Goddess, please spare us, please spare us, we are blind and don't recognize you!"
"We won't dare to do that again!"
"Goddess, spare my life!"
They finally knew how Boss Wei died!
This woman is too terrifying, absolutely beyond human reach. She is so beautiful that she must be a god or a demon. It is better for mortals like them not to provoke her.
Spare my life! Why didn't these bandits think of sparing other people's lives when they were burning, killing and looting?
Ye Nuan had a tough attitude and kept urging the seeds in her hand to germinate. The light of the fluorescent algae was so bright that people couldn't open their eyes. The water in the spiritual spring was constantly consumed, but she didn't care. She was determined to catch these horse bandits in one fell swoop.
Seeing that they had no chance of survival, the bandits began to resist with all their might, but plankton could not shake a tree. All the bandits were entangled and wrapped by the fluorescent algae, corroding them bit by bit. In the end, they could not even make a sound and all turned into a pile of bones.
Even though Qi Wuze had seen fluorescent algae swallowing people before, he was still shocked by this scene. He had felt that she had many special qualities before, but now he truly understood how different she was.
Qi Wuze looked at Ye Nuan, who was immersed in fluorescent light, and suddenly felt that she was very far away from him. This realization made him very annoyed.
After dispatching all the bandits, Ye Nuan withdrew. Without the spiritual spring water and soil to support it, the seeds quickly withered in her hands. The seeds that had blossomed fell to the ground, and when the sun came out, they would die. The seeds in Ye Nuan's hand had fallen into her bag earlier, and she had only discovered them when she returned.
The villagers, who had been crying and shouting, wept with joy, kowtowed to Ye Nuan and expressed their gratitude, but no one dared to approach her easily. If they had been respectful before, now they were also afraid.
Who wouldn't be afraid of something that could turn people into bones in an instant?
The fire outside the village was still burning. Ye Nuan continued to collect the spiritual spring water for a while. Seeing everyone's expressions of gratitude and fear, she coughed lightly and said, "Those who are not injured, get up. Everyone, quickly get some water to put out the fire and clean up the village."
Jin Qiu whispered, "But there's no water in the village!"
Ye Nuan walked to the well and reached down. Just like last time, she used the spiritual spring water to draw up the groundwater. Soon the well was full. She turned around and said, "Now there's water. Those who are not injured, go get a bucket!"
The series of operations were so magical that the villagers who had seen it were not that surprised. Qi Wuze, who saw it for the first time, was stunned and stood ten meters away from her, holding the knife, his eyes full of horror!
After a long while, he managed to utter: "You...are not a human?"
Ye Nuan suddenly smiled, walked towards him, stood two steps away from him, and deliberately said: "Yes, thousand-year-old tree spirit, are you afraid?" She really wanted to see what expression this arrogant and narcissistic City Lord Qi would have.
Qi Wuze was dazzled by her smile and stiffly said, "Can you show me?"
Ye Nuan laughed heartily, her waist shaking and her black satin hair swaying slightly with her movements.
He looked depressed: "What are you laughing at?"
Ye Nuan suppressed her laughter: "You really believe it!" This person speaks frivolously and wantonly, but unexpectedly he is quite honest sometimes.
Qi Wuze curled his lips, sheathed his knife, and asked, "Did Wei Qian die like this too?"
"Yeah." Ye Nuan nodded, then said a little embarrassedly: "He was looking for death. He scolded you, so I stimulated the fluorescent algae."
Qi Wuze's face turned pale. Ye Nuan was so powerful that she didn't need his help in the wilderness, the Creation Pavilion, or the Red Rock Canyon. So what was her purpose in pretending to be weak and getting close to him?
He remembered that Ye Nuan had something to say to him before coming.
Could it be that this woman fell in love with him at first sight and deliberately showed weakness to him so that he could come to her rescue? The thought of this possibility made him less angry. As long as she had no ulterior motives and was not detrimental to Luo Mucheng, it was fine.
Qi Wuze ignored her and walked straight to Village Chief Jin. Village Chief Jin had already been helped up by Jin Bao and Jin Qiu. His forehead and hands were covered in blood, and he was still coughing up blood, which showed how serious his injuries were. Village Chief Jin saw Qi Wuze's pupils shrink, and his whole body began to tremble. He coughed and cried.
With trembling hands, he said, "Qi, City Lord Qi, back then, it was all my fault. Please, please let my family go. If you want to kill someone, just kill me." He stretched out his dirty hands to grab the hem of Qi Wuze's robe, but was kicked to the ground by Qi Wuze.
Jin Bao and Jin Qiu screamed at the same time. Jin Qiu wanted to hit Qi Wuze, but was stopped by Village Chief Jin. "Ah Qiu, don't! Dad has wronged City Lord Qi. He deserves to be beaten to death!"
Qi Wuze looked at him with disgust and sneered, "Stop pretending to be pitiful. Killing you will dirty my hands." He kicked down again and broke Village Chief Jin's other leg. "You'll have to be a cripple and repent for your whole life." He used all his strength, almost shattering the leg. There was no possibility of reconnecting it. He could only spend the rest of his life in bed.
Mrs. Tao knew the truth but didn't dare to stop them. Just as Jin Qiu was about to speak, she covered her mouth tightly. Qi Wuze felt really annoyed watching the family crying and snorting. He turned around and walked away, but stopped halfway and said to Ye Nuan, "I'll wait for you in the back hills."
Ye Nuan nodded, and then he strode away.
Jin Qiu pushed her mother away and said angrily, "Mom, why didn't you let me beat him? He broke Dad's leg!"
The always aggressive Tao was now wiping tears from her red eyes, crying, "Aqiu, it's good enough that he didn't kill us. He's so powerful, how could you beat him?"
Mrs. Tao's words were ambiguous, but in the eyes of Jinqiu and Jinbao, it was Qi Wuze's fault. He had broken his father's leg for no reason, and she must avenge him. Ye Nuan was a little displeased when she heard this and said to Mrs. Tao, "Why don't you talk to Jinqiu and the others about how you two treated Madam Qi?"
Mrs. Tao was stunned. She had not expected her to say that. She panicked and turned to look at her husband lying on the ground. Village Chief Jin's eyes were evasive. Although he knew he had done something wrong, he could not bring himself to say it in front of his children.
Jin Qiu said anxiously, "Sister An Nuan, what are you talking about? Please save my father! He is vomiting blood and dying!"
Ye Nuan ignored Jin Qiu and instead looked at Village Chief Jin. She said calmly and coldly, "Village Chief Jin, are you really not going to tell me? Or do you want Jin Qiu and Jin Bao to hate Qi Wuze and seek revenge on him?"
"Don't let your momentary confusion harm them both!"
Village Chief Jin was in a daze. He looked at Jin Qiu, then sighed helplessly, coughed twice, and said, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"
"Back then, my wife, son, and I were exiled to the wilderness along with a large group of criminals. On the way, we encountered a pack of wolves and were rescued by the then-city lord's wife, now the mother of the current City Lord Qi. She was kind-hearted and gave us water and food, and even offered us a ride in her carriage. Halfway through the journey, I got up in the middle of the night and was caught by horse bandits."
"They told me to poison the caravan, or they would kill my wife and children. I was forced to do it. The city lord's wife ran away with the young master in her arms, but after being caught, she bit her tongue and committed suicide, unable to bear the humiliation. The young master was lost in the chaos. Later, the horse bandits disguised themselves as a caravan and asked us to follow them into Luomu City, waiting for an opportunity to set the city on fire. I knew that if we were discovered, there would be no return, so I refused to obey. The two leaders, Wei and Chu, promised that if I did it, they would send my wife and children and me safely to Dahuang Village, and would not disturb Dahuang Village as long as I was there."
"And from now on, I won't kill anyone from the Jin family if I see them."
"The fire was huge. When I was escaping the city, I happened to run into Master Qi, who had just heard the news of the city lord's wife's death. He was chasing the bandits and refugees like crazy, hacking them to pieces. Luckily, I ran fast."
"Later, I heard that the old City Lord Qi went mad because of his wife's death, and the young master disappeared. A few years later, he was found in the wolf's den by the eldest son Qi, now Qi Wuze."
He looked at Jin Qiu and Jin Bao and said dejectedly, "It's Dad's fault. He turned against his father and deserved death. He killed the City Lord's wife and the caravan, and burned many of the people of Luomu City to death."
Jin Qiu was speechless with shock. In her impression, her father was just a little greedy. How could he be so evil... and kill so many people? If someone killed her mother, she would kill them, she would!
His father killed City Lord Qi's mother, killed so many people, drove Old City Lord Qi crazy, and caused Young Master Qi to wander around for so long. If it weren't for her father... she would definitely think he deserved to die!
Jin Qiu couldn't say a word.
Ye Nuan had guessed part of the truth, but she hadn't expected it to be like this. No wonder the people of Luomu City hated the people of Dahuang Village so much, no wonder Qi Wuze refused to enter Dahuang Village, and no wonder he didn't look friendly when he first saw her.
He has already done his best by not leading troops to wipe out Dahuang Village, and now he comes to save me.
The villagers who had put out the fire came back one after another and ran to Ye Nuan to ask for credit: "Goddess, the fire is out. What should we do next?"
Ye Nuan didn't want to deal with this mess, so she said, "You guys decide what to do next. I'm leaving now."
The villagers were still unaware, "Leave? Where to? Aren't the goddesses back?"
Ye Nuan said, "I came here specifically to rescue Jinqiu, Jinbao, Brother Feng, and his mother. You are just here by the way. The bandits will not come again, and I will not interfere in your affairs. As for what happened today, just pretend you don't know anything. Even if someone asks you in the future, don't tell them, otherwise..."
Her tone was cold and stern, and anyone could hear the threat in it. Usually, she was soft-hearted and easy to get along with, but now everyone realized that this was not the case. She was too lazy to bother with people like them about what happened before.
"You're on your own."
The villagers dropped the things in their hands and knelt down to beg Ye Nuan not to leave.
Ye Nuan was unmoved. Since she had already gone out, she would proceed according to her plan. No one could change or stop her ideas.
Just as she was about to take a step, Village Chief Jin suddenly called out to her and pleaded, "Goddess, I have something to tell you."
Ye Nuan looked back at him, seeing how he was dying, and finally walked over to him and squatted down. Village Chief Jin paused, then lowered his voice and said, "I picked up Qiu. If, if City Lord Qi wants revenge in the future, please tell him and take care of her."
Ye Nuan and Jin Bao, who were very close to Village Chief Jin, were both stunned. They didn't expect that he would say this.
Ye Nuan stood up and walked towards the back mountain amid the pleading and reluctant gazes of everyone. The villagers wanted to chase her but didn't dare, so they could only stand there and watch her go.
Burnt yellow smoke drifted in the air, and the late autumn wind blew it everywhere. Ye Nuan wrapped her sleeves tightly and thought to herself: It seems I need to sew new clothes.
The road to the back mountain was silent. Under the moonlight, Qi Wuze stood alone by the pond, a falcon flapping its wings on his arm. Ye Nuan approached, stood shoulder to shoulder with him, looked at the rippling water, and asked softly, "Why didn't you kill him?"
After a long silence, Qi Wuze said, "I thought about it before, and even considered leveling Dahuang Village. But almost all the people who did evil back then are dead, and the people in Dahuang Village are all newcomers. They haven't done anything wrong to Luo Mucheng."
"I've always been clear about right and wrong, and I wouldn't kill innocent people. I only met that man once back then, and I didn't know he was still alive. He looked like he wouldn't last long, so why dirty my hands!"
His face was calm, but there was a lingering melancholy about him, even colder than the late autumn mist.
Even after going through such bad things, he still managed to grow up to be such a positive person! Ye Nuan, who had always thought that she didn't understand Qi Wuze well enough, suddenly felt that he was actually very easy to see through.
Perhaps in his eyes, black is black and white is white. He can curse people at will, and he can kill bandits with bravery and invincibility, but he will not implicate the innocent and will not kill the weak.
What a good person!
Ye Nuan's eyes rolled around, then she stretched out her right hand and spread it out in front of him.
Qi Wuze was puzzled: "What are you doing?"
Then, a piece of red bean cake appeared out of thin air in her palm. Qi Wuze's eyes widened, his attention diverted. Ye Nuan chuckled, stuffed the red bean cake into his hand, and said in a coaxing tone, "Don't you like to eat this? Here you go."
Qi Wuze pinched the red bean pastry, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, but his tone was flat: "I didn't say that."
Knowing that this man's arrogant temper had flared up again, she ignored him, and instead there was another orange in her palm. "This, you haven't seen it before, it's an orange, very sweet." She peeled the orange peel as she spoke, and the juice splashed from the peel, and the fruity fragrance spread in the night. She peeled the orange, put the peel into the cloth bag she carried with her, and then naturally peeled a small piece and stuffed it into his mouth.
The soft fingertips brushed across his lips. Qi Wuze's mouth was filled with food. He was slightly stunned and his face turned red. Fortunately, it was not clear at night.
"Eat it, it's very sweet." When people are in a bad mood, eating something sweet will make them feel better.
Ye Nuan also ate a slice, the sweet orange juice bursting on the tip of her tongue. She tilted her head to look at Qi Wuze, her smile as bright as the moon in the mountains at that moment, "How is it? Is it very sweet and juicy?"
Her eyes were bright and expectant. Qi Wuze tightened his hands slightly at his side and slowly chewed twice under her gaze. The sweet orange juice filled his mouth and slid down his throat. The sweetness slowly seeped into his heart, and his heart was pounding.
After eating the orange in his mouth, he couldn't help but look at Ye Nuan's fingertips. The transparent orange flesh pinched by her fingertips looked even more pink and smooth. He really wanted to take a bite.
But at this moment, Ye Nuan smiled at him: "Is it sweet?"
Qi Wuze swallowed again and suddenly reached out to hold her hand holding the orange. His fingertips were hot. Ye Nuan was startled for a moment, then smiled again. She followed his hand and maliciously stuffed the whole orange into his mouth.
After stuffing it in, he ran towards the back mountain with a smile, "Let's go!"
Qi Wuze, holding a mouth full of sweet oranges, felt dizzy. This woman must not be a tree spirit, but a flower spirit, or a fox spirit!
He followed Ye Nuan with a somewhat depressed look on his face. The evening breeze blew gently, and the mountain moon lengthened their shadows. After walking side by side for a while, he suddenly asked, "What did you want to tell me by Crescent Moon Lake?"
He began to get nervous and started moving his hands and feet unconsciously.
Ye Nuan stopped, turned to face him, and said sincerely with her eyelashes curved: "I want to cooperate with you."
Qi Wuze was a little stunned.
cooperate?
Ye Nuan continued, "City Lord Qi has just seen my abilities. I can provide Luomu City with all the fruits and vegetables, daily rice, grains, and oil it needs. I can even help you find minerals and go with you to look for salt. My request is simple: I need your protection. If I need it, can you send a group of workers to help me?"
"This will only benefit Luomu City. In fact, many years from now, the wasteland will become an oasis, and Luomu City will become increasingly prosperous and powerful, even richer than the Jiangnan region within the Great Wall."
Qi Wuze didn't look moved at all, instead his expression became increasingly gloomy.
Ye Nuan looked at him expectantly after she finished speaking, "City Lord Qi, what do you think?"
This was different from what he had expected. Qi Wuze felt a little irritated, as if the orange he had just eaten had made him feel a little sour. A momentary gloom crossed his eyes, and he smoothed his lips, half-heartedly mumbling, "Is this what you wanted to tell me?"
Ye Nuan nodded and asked cautiously, "Is City Lord Qi dissatisfied with anything? If not, we can discuss it again."
Qi Wuze's breath caught in his chest, his brow furrowed. "No? You?..." His eyes flickered across Ye Nuan's face before meeting her sincere, unadulterated gaze. He couldn't describe the feeling within him: anger, loss, bitterness, discomfort, and a touch of shame. Finally, in a fit of anger, he quickly stepped past Ye Nuan and walked forward, the grass and trees around him crackling under his feet.
Ye Nuan was a little confused: Is he angry?
Why?
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