Chapter 89 Blood and Hatred
Seeing the corpse on the ground not far away, the old woman struggled frantically, crying and calling out Tieji's name. Tears streamed down her wrinkled face and onto the ground, making her look extremely pitiful.
Her grandson! That's her grandson!
Lady Ye picked up the fallen human head and walked over expressionlessly. Blood splattered on her face and body, a shockingly red sight. Paired with the black veil covering her face, she appeared somewhat ghostly, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the night.
The thought of a beautiful but vengeful ghost inexplicably popped into Fan Xiaoxiao's mind. She shuddered; the last time she felt this kind of heart-stopping fear was when she first met Gu Chongtai. The person before her now, however, gave her an even more vivid and direct feeling than Gu Chongtai.
This really is ancient times, no longer the peaceful world of today. This thought was reinforced in her mind once again. Her body trembled slightly as she turned to look at the little mute boy who was standing to the side. He was pale and seemed to be quite frightened by the scene before him.
Lady Ye walked up to them, tossed the severed head in her hand in front of the little mute boy, and casually wiped the blood from her face. The blood clung to her chin, leaving a red mark with her wipe. A nonchalant smile played on her lips: "Now you can take me to see your grandfather."
The face on the ground perfectly preserved his last expression before death. Fan Xiaoxiao felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the terrified expression on that face.
She turned her head away, unable to bear looking at the severed head any longer. The old woman she had been holding onto went completely mad the moment she saw the head. She struggled, spewing vulgar insults, her eyes fixed on Ye Niangzi as if she wanted to tear her apart alive.
The little mute girl stared blankly at the head for a long while, then suddenly laughed. Her laughter sounded ethereal in the night, and it grew louder and louder until she bent over, the laughter fading into her throat. Then she began to mutter to herself as if in a daze.
"Ha...hahahaha...dead, finally dead."
Her reaction further provoked the old woman. She cried and cursed, "You little beast! It was you!!! Give me back my grandson!! We fed you! We gave you water! How dare you treat us like this!!!"
The little mute glared at her fiercely, then suddenly kicked the old woman in the stomach. Caught off guard, the old woman was struck squarely and fell to her knees.
"Shut up! You killed my mother! They killed my father! They killed my great-grandfather! They poisoned my voice, and they did the same to my grandfather!"
After saying this, the little mute seemed to remember something. He turned around and walked to the severed head, his face still somewhat pale, and picked it up with trembling hands.
Then he strode up to the old woman, grabbed her hair, and shoved Tieji's unseeing head in front of the old hag, forcing her to look at her grandson's face.
"Look, this is what happens to your good grandson! Don't worry, I'll let you live a little longer. After all... you have more than one good grandson!"
After hearing this, Fan Xiaoxiao glanced at the burn on the little mute's hand and pursed her lips slightly downwards.
Firelight flickered in the distance, and the bandits seemed to be heading this way. The little mute stared in that direction for a while, then shoved the dazed old woman away. He turned around indifferently and looked at Ye Niang, who was covered in blood.
"Let's go, I'll take you to find Grandpa."
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the little mute led them to a grotto not far behind the Cloud Ladder.
There were no lights inside; it was pitch black. Hearing noises outside, a strong, resonant voice came from within.
Who is it?
“Grandpa, it’s me.” The little mute put down the severed head and called out, “Someone wants to see you. He brought a gift.”
"Xiaoyu, what gift?"
The little mute glanced at Madam Ye, then at the old woman Fan Xiaoxiao was holding, and his voice dropped several degrees in temperature.
"The heads of the old hag and the iron chicken."
"Cough cough cough."
A violent coughing fit erupted from inside the cave, followed by a series of rapid, clattering sounds. The little mute boy was startled and quickly stepped into the darkness. Fan Xiaoxiao glanced uneasily at Madam Ye, her body instinctively moving closer to her.
The latter did not notice Fan Xiaoxiao's movements and stood motionless facing the cave entrance.
Finally, a middle-aged man with graying temples and a gloomy look in his eyes emerged. He had a square face with sharp features, a fairly robust appearance, no beard, and looked somewhat pale. His gait was strange and stiff. The little mute boy followed closely beside him, his small frame struggling to support his elderly grandfather.
Looking down, Fan Xiaoxiao paused slightly when she saw his legs, realizing why his walking posture was somewhat stiff.
The middle-aged man's right foot was a prosthesis! Made of wood! Fan Xiaoxiao couldn't help but take a few more glances. The prosthesis was very finely made and seemed to have been polished.
The middle-aged man didn't notice Fan Xiaoxiao's scrutinizing gaze. The first thing he saw when he came out was a familiar head on the ground. Turning his head, he saw the old woman Fan Xiaoxiao was holding, her head bowed in a daze, seemingly provoked. After circling around, his icy gaze finally settled on Ye Niangzi, who was covered in blood.
"You killed Iron Chicken."
This is a statement of fact. The middle-aged man stared intently at Madam Ye with eyes like a hawk, and then finally glanced at Fan Xiaoxiao, who was holding the old woman's hand.
"You're the one who captured this witch. What do you want?"
Lady Ye stepped forward and walked to the man's side. With a slight smile, she whispered a few words in his ear.
The middle-aged man's face showed surprise. He glanced at the beautiful blind woman in front of him again. He frowned, thought for a moment, and then a calculating glint flashed in his eyes.
"I can agree to your request, but I've broken the Cloud Ladder now, and they'll be here soon. Then, none of us will be able to leave, and how will I be able to help you make things?"
Fan Xiaoxiao frowned. These two, grandfather and grandson, were truly worthy of their name; their words were full of schemes to get Boss Ye to fight his way out.
"I can help you kill the chieftain of Huilong Village, but you'll have to figure out how to get out."
Without much hesitation, Madam Ye accepted the middle-aged man's offer. Compared to what this man had promised her, killing the chieftain of Huilong Village was a trivial matter.
But the middle-aged man shook his head: "No, I don't want you to kill him."
His expression changed, his gaze sweeping over the severed head on the ground, his voice cold and resentful.
"I need to keep a breath."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com