Chapter 15: Jinzha suffered, but everyone else enjoyed it.
Really?
Pingyu looked at the dejected Jinzha with his head hanging low, not quite believing it.
Jinzha vented his anger, and once the soundproofing spell was lifted, he composed himself. "Oh well..." the young man consoled himself. "I'm just a slave trader; I've already become a mother, so what's one more time?"
Looking up, I saw my younger brother smiling at me.
The boy acted as if he wasn't the one who had upset his older brother. Nezha said, "Big brother, are you ready? Time waits for no one."
"Your heart is even blacker than a demon's!" Jinzha was so angry at Nezha's continued urging that he wanted to pinch Nezha's face. Before the two brothers could start fighting, Pingyu quickly stepped in between them. She used her head to block the face Nezha was making, and then turned to Jinzha, saying, "Since it's decided this way, then I'll have to trouble you, young master, to go through this trouble again!"
The young man hesitated, but seeing the girl's serious expression, he could only nod and say, "It's alright, the important thing is to focus on the bigger picture."
And so, the three of them left their spot silently. Soon, a commotion arose ahead, attracting the attention of many of the local refugees.
Pushing through the crowd, one could see a man with a pointed snout, monkey-like face, a body as thin as a bamboo pole, and a large belly, wielding a bamboo whip and lashing it at a pair of children. He had an unpleasant appearance, and when he made a fierce expression, his eyes bulged out, making him look more like a ghost than a demon.
"Since you two are already refugees, you'll either be eaten or die of disease and starvation in the end. You might as well sell yourselves to me, and I'll find you good families. I guarantee you'll become rich and powerful and rise to the top!"
This is Jinzha.
He imitated villains so vividly that Pingyu, protected in Nezha's arms, always felt that this was a liberation of his true nature.
Jinzha's bamboo whip slammed down close to Nezha, but was ultimately flung to the ground beside him. His technique was skillful; at first glance, it seemed to kick up dust, but it didn't actually injure anyone. Nezha's eyes darted around, and he shouted, "Father, I never imagined you'd become a slave trader! My sister and I only came to you to ask for a bowl of water, how could you sell us? You're utterly heartless!"
Jinzha: ?
He was knocked unconscious by Nezha's cry of "Dad".
No, weren't we just discussing how human traffickers kidnapped a child, and how the siblings narrowly escaped death to find someone to rescue their mother? We didn't mention before that there was also the part where he acted as both father and mother!
Pingyu saw the smile on the boy's lips and thought to himself, "This guy is full of bad intentions and is cunning."
He turned a perfectly good script into a family drama, which was really tough on Jinzha... but fun for everyone else!
A glint flashed in the girl's eyes, and she easily squeezed out tears, crying out, "Waaah... Mother... Father, Mother is really starving to death! We had no other choice but to ask you for some millet and a bowl of water. You haven't returned home for three months, and my brother and I finally found you at the gambling den, but not only did you refuse to give us a drop of water, you also want to sell us! If you sell us, what will Mother do..."
The thunder is loud, but the rain is light.
She felt a weight on her head and realized that Nezha was taking the opportunity to touch her head.
The magic only coats a person's appearance; the tactile sensation remains unchanged. The girl uses flower petals and ointments daily for grooming, making it feel like the soft fur of a small animal. Because they were acting, Pingyu couldn't lash out at Nezha. She could only pinch the hard, iron-like flesh on Nezha's waist, whispering a complaint: "Third Young Master, stop touching me! I'm not growing taller!"
Pingyu was weak, so even if he pinched hard, it was just a tickle to Nezha. Hearing this, the boy touched him even more enthusiastically.
The tiny girl, held tightly in her emaciated brother's arms, cried out like a nightingale lamenting blood, a sight that deeply moved everyone present. Though most of the onlookers were refugees, they too were touched by the man's cruelty and the twins' unwavering filial piety.
A murmur of discussion arose, attracting the attention of the guards at the gate, who began to eavesdrop.
Bystander: He's not human.
Jinzha: If this continues, I'll have to kill myself first.
The more helpless he felt, the more he could only stand tall and pretend to be a formidable villain. The man gripped the whip, the blade striking the ground and kicking up dust, each crack louder than the last. Ping Yu listened, but sensed in the man a desperate, reckless abandon from an honest man. While the onlookers pointed and whispered among themselves, only one pair of eyes peered thoughtfully through the gaps between the people, observing the three of them.
As if sensing something, Nezha and Jinzha turned around without making a sound.
"What's so good about your half-dead mother? She's wasting my rice and water. If you cry again, I'll interrupt you..."
"Wait!"
The three of them secretly thought to themselves: What if they overacted and attracted the help of righteous people from the common folk?
His square face was so distinctive that Ping Yu would never mistake him for someone else.
The man had barely finished speaking when Pingyu felt a burning sensation in her chest. She gasped in pain, drawing Nezha's attention. The boy asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Pingyu touched his chest and replied to Nezha, "Tong'er and the others are acting strangely."
Because he needed Tong'er and Xiao Bei to identify him, Nezha stored them in his magical storage item before setting off. It was a handkerchief. He placed it on Ping Yu to add yin energy to lure the great demon he would have to deal with in the future. At this moment, the two infant spirits reacted strangely, and Nezha raised his eyebrows and released a layer of the spell on the handkerchief. Soon, a voice filled with resentment and hatred, at a volume that only the two of them could hear, floated out softly and eerily: "It's him."
Pingyu and Nezha exchanged a glance, both seeing the same message in each other's eyes: Were we blind to what was happening under our noses?
How could the peddler selling yellow-mouthed wine cups be the father of these two infant spirits!
Taking advantage of the two men's surprise, the peddler strode out. He stood in front of Pingyu and Nezha, who were disguised as refugees, ignoring everyone's gaze. The slave trader gripped his bamboo whip, showing some restraint towards men who looked like himself, but his expression remained unpleasant as he asked in a harsh voice, "I advise you not to meddle in other people's business!"
If he was truly a righteous person, Jinzha could only apologize and send him away. But then he felt a sharp pain in his ankle; Nezha was using a pebble to signal. The young man glanced over and saw the two children nodding almost imperceptibly.
Can I let him take it?
Jinzha frowned, wondering what was so special about this suddenly appearing man.
The peddler, unfazed by Jinzha's fierce appearance, pulled out a cloth bag from his robes and said amiably, "Brother, these two children only wanted to ask you for a drink of water. Why are you so angry? I happen to have no children of my own, and these two are truly adorable. Why don't you sell your children to me?"
Upon hearing him say he had "no children," Tong'er and Xiao Bei's resentment nearly burst forth. Pingyu had never seen such a beastly person before; with her companion shielding her face, she could confidently show her disgust. As for Nezha, the word "father" had never been a good one in his heart. The boy sneered, then pulled Pingyu's head even closer to his chest.
Jinzha, playing the slave trader, glanced at the peddler with suspicion.
Before the other person could open the money bag and count out the coins, he snatched it away and claimed the entire bag for himself. He casually weighed the money bag in his palm, confirming that it was not light, and then took two steps back.
The slave trader spat on the ground and said to the peddler, "These two little ones can fetch a good price. If I didn't urgently need gambling money, I wouldn't have sold them to you so easily. You got a good deal! If you get sick or die in the future, don't come looking for me."
"No, no," the peddler said with a good-natured smile. "The money and goods are exchanged, I know the rules. Whatever goes wrong in the future, I'll take responsibility myself and won't bother you, brother!" He said this, but in his heart he thought: Anyway, I'll be dead in two days at most, I won't live to see any trouble.
Upon seeing the slave trader, he cursed at the brother and sister behind him, "You're lucky to be alive!"
After cursing, he clutched his money bag and turned to leave.
He walked quickly, but the peddler couldn't detect anything amiss, knowing that the man was going to gamble with the money.
Pingyu knew that Jinzha was rushing off to another event!
The peddler dismissed the slave trader and bent down to the two children. The man's square face was quite amiable; if Nezha and Pingyu hadn't known about his shady dealings, they might have genuinely thought he was a kind-hearted man who only loved to take advantage of others.
The peddler spoke softly to the two of them, "Don't be afraid, everything is alright now. I heard you say you went to find him to save your mother, is that right?"
"yes."
Pingyu wiped away her few remaining tears, sobbing as she replied, "Uncle, will you save our mother? When my brother and I came out to look for her, she was already barely breathing. If she doesn't get food, she definitely won't make it through the night!" As she spoke, her lips trembled as if she were about to cry again. The peddler was going to offer a human sacrifice; he couldn't let their mother die. He quickly said, "I still have some money on me; enough to buy some rice and flour. Quick, take me there! You three can stay at my house then."
"Uncle, will you save our mother?" Pingyu cried with joy, covering her face as if deeply moved. Nezha continued, gratefully saying, "We'll take you there right away!"
Two children and one adult, each with their own thoughts.
The conversation reached Jinzha's ears, and he went from walking briskly to running wildly.
After the father's role is played, the mother's role still needs to be played...
Jinzha thought wearily:
If we don't run faster, we'll miss our chance!
A note from the author:
Everyone, human or ghost, is showing off, but Jinzha is running a marathon!
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In a corner where no one paid attention, I picked up a character card of Pingyu and Nezha.
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