"Ouch, my belly! It's so precious, how could you kick my belly?"
"Pfft!" Someone farted, and the people below laughed. Then a few more farted.
They're so vulgar, yet they still want to rob Xie Yuancheng. That's a great idea, but their abilities are too weak. They have the imagination, and dreaming is definitely not a problem.
The moon had already risen, and people below, who had been out all night, started leaving in twos and threes. Judging from the sounds, there were probably dozens of them. They couldn't be children from these villages; they were all from outside.
It was completely quiet downstairs. Xie Yuancheng was sleeping very well. My shoulders were a little sore, but I was even more sleepy, and I drifted off to sleep as well.
I heard the sounds of horns and drums again, and when I opened my eyes, I was already inside the tent. I quickly got up; it was already broad daylight outside.
"Madam, you're finally awake." It was Lin Chao. When I saw him, I wanted to ask about Wan'er, but I was worried that it wasn't what I thought.
"Master, where did Yuancheng go?"
"He's interrogating those outsiders, but it's mostly Anshi doing the interrogation. You should rest for a bit. You reacted too quickly yesterday, otherwise the Marquis's mansion would have a bunch of greedy little brats."
"Ugh, how disgusting. I hate them. They're rude and greedy."
"Yes, they are from outside the village. They heard from the children who know magic that Linyang City is very beautiful and has no worries about food and drink, so they came here."
Now that their place of origin has been ascertained, they've been sent back in twos and threes. As for those who stubbornly refuse to speak, they're thrown out of the city; if they dare come within a mile, they'll be dealt with leniently.
"Sigh, I don't feel sorry for people anymore. They may look pitiful on the outside, but they might change their attitude the next second."
"Yes, we were very careful when we went out. At first, Lin Yang was definitely difficult to manage, but it got better later."
Then came another drumbeat, and I saw a kite take flight with a person hanging from it. I looked closer and saw that the person was still struggling; the kite would only be pulled down once the object fell.
"This is the kite torture, used to deal with people who don't tell the truth. After it's put up, it swings around with the wind. Younger people will probably wet their pants. Some people won't open their mouths, so we keep pushing it up."
If the kite falls, then it's up to fate. They're all convicts, so no one will sympathize with them. Actually, they're really something else; if they had just told the truth earlier, they wouldn't be suffering like this.
I was startled and asked him if there were any other strange punishments. Lin Chao smiled and said there were many, some of which I had never even heard of.
"Different people require different punishments, as long as they confess. Torture is used when we already know the other person has committed a crime but has been refusing to tell the truth."
"Alright, I think I'd better not go." The bugle sounded, and some soldiers began to walk.
Lin Chao said they were going to the village to investigate, as there were people in the village who knew magic arts. He had already sent Teacher and Lingwu to check. I heard that Teacher and the others were there, so everything will be alright.
Just as she was about to go to catch up on her sleep, she couldn't help but ask, "Master, do you still remember Wan'er?"
"Yes, I remember. We're married now. She's in poor health, so I'll go and bring her and her daughter to Linyang when the child is older."
"Wan'er's child, is it yours?" I was both surprised and delighted.
"Yes, she is very virtuous. We used to travel around a lot, and we just happened to hit it off and started dating."
"That's wonderful news. When Wan'er arrives, do you want to have a wedding?"
"Why have a wedding?" Lin Chao asked, full of doubt. "We'll just have a wedding ceremony in Beijing. We don't need to worry about so much since we're together."
"That's true." I suddenly felt relieved. I hoped it wasn't Xie Yuancheng who had brought them together.
Even though he played matchmaker, Lin Chao and Wan'er are still a good match. I remember last year, Wan'er really liked Lin Chao, and now that they're together, it's like her wish has come true.
"Ying'er, where did you go?" I heard Xie Yuancheng's voice and rushed back to find him looking around.
"I'm right here. Look how anxious you are." I went over to wipe his sweat, and Xie Yuancheng immediately smiled. I told him he was like a little kid, but he got upset.
“Ying’er~ Don’t wander off. There were a few children who knew magic. Luckily, I had the Wanling Pill that my master gave me. Otherwise, the person who was bitten by the insects probably wouldn’t have survived.”
"I just went to talk to Master Lin Chao and find out what the situation is. How is it going? Have all those people confessed?"
"Of course, but my brother-in-law is still a bit soft-hearted. He almost got caught up in it too. Luckily, I saw it from behind, otherwise my sister would have been crying her eyes out."
"That's good. When are we going back?" I want to see Xizhi and Suling. I wonder how those two little ones are doing.
Yan'er is quite good at taking care of them, but since they are her precious children, she still has to go and see them.
"We'll leave once the teachers return. We need to get rid of the insects and remove the traps they set up; it'll take some time."
"So many troublesome things? They don't look very old, how come they know how to make such harmful things?"
"What do you think? I've heard that in some remote areas, some people are taught by their mothers before they're even born that once they're born and can walk, they'll be taught how to use witchcraft."
"This is outrageous! Their mothers are really something. They can walk, but they can't speak properly, yet they're already helping adults do bad things."
"Yes, so you shouldn't always go out. It's very safe here, and we have everything. If you miss your father-in-law and mother-in-law, we can go to the capital to visit them."
As we were leaving, Uncle Cui specifically told us to keep an eye on the people along the way, and not to hesitate to speak up if we noticed anything amiss. He had told me that Lü Yan had been too soft-hearted and had been framed.
I was startled: "These things are too scary. I'll stay by your side from now on. But it's better to do what you can, even if it means traveling all over the country."
"These are only some places, not all of them. Once Linyang is stable, if Ying'er wants to go out, I will still take you with me."
"No more~" I dragged him back to the tent. I was scared just listening to him, so I quickly went to sleep to catch up on some rest.
We didn't see Lingwu return until the afternoon. He's more cheerful than before, and he dismounted and came over to us as soon as he saw us. I didn't know he was so talkative before; now he just keeps talking.
"Senior brother, it's all done. Now the village is burning cordyceps, patchouli, and Murraya paniculata everywhere. Dad also had them add mugwort."
At first, those people didn't believe it, but when they saw snakes and insects crawling out of their house, they were all terrified, their faces turning ashen. They then went inside, wishing they could burn the house down.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work this time. I'll give you some benefits when we get back, and things will be much easier for you from now on."
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