21. Informing
He has a thousand and one ways to make him die a horrible death.
The Huang family's meal today was exceptionally lavish. Honghua ran back from outside and smelled the aroma of tofu as soon as she stepped through the courtyard gate.
Her eyes lit up. You see, tofu was a rare treat; she only ate it a handful of times a year.
So she stopped running outside and obediently stayed in the kitchen to help her mother, diligently handing out this and that. The kitchen wasn't big to begin with, and with a little girl who was about half a person's height in the way, Aunt Huang thought she was getting in the way. She fed her a chopstickful of tofu and then served her a small dish to take to the Ying family next door.
Chewing on the smooth, fragrant tofu, she even felt energized to write large characters. She easily knocked on her neighbor's door and discovered that Dr. Ying's house was filled with a pleasant aroma.
It smells so good.
Seeing her drooling with desire, Ying Jianhua turned to the side and pointed to the various bowls and plates on the table, saying, "Take whatever you like and eat it."
The bowls and plates were all different, clearly from various households. Honghua shook her head; her mother had said she shouldn't covet other people's food. So she only looked at them, and left as soon as the tofu was placed down, afraid that if she stayed any longer she would succumb to temptation.
"Mom! What day is it today? Doctor Ying's family has prepared so much delicious food!"
Aunt Huang: "Just eat your food, why are you talking so much?"
Honghua pouted; even if her mother didn't tell her, she had her own ways of finding out. After finishing her meal, she wiped her mouth, jumped off the stool, and ran off in a flash.
The method she referred to was the intelligence network formed by the heroes of Wuling Village. Don't underestimate these teenagers; they might know just as much as adults!
"My mom said that the damned prince is dead, and we should celebrate!" "My grandpa said the same thing! He even lit two sticks of incense to offer to the old deity!" "My parents went to pay respects at the ancestral graves!" "My grandma burned a basin of paper money!"
Honghua, the head of the intelligence organization, remained silent, attempting to extract key information from the few words spoken.
Prince Chengduan was indeed despicable, seizing people's land and charging exorbitant rents. But the farmers were forced to accept these things; even a new prince or magistrate would face the same fate. So what exactly did Prince Chengduan do to warrant such spontaneous celebration of his death?
The group looked at each other, none of them knowing the answer to the question.
"Hmph, a bunch of idiots."
Old Ding, dressed in tattered clothes, staggered towards them drunk. Honghua frowned and covered her nose in disgust as he approached.
This old man is dirt poor, where would he get the money to buy wine?
She made no attempt to hide her disgust. Old Man Ding's cloudy eyes slowly rolled around before he burst out cursing, "You worthless little brat, your parents will sell you off sooner or later!"
Honghua acted without uttering a word, picking up a stone and smashing it towards his head. Old Man Ding blocked it with his hand, missing his head, but still wincing in pain. Enraged, he grabbed a wooden stick beside him, his expression grim: "You little bitch, I'll beat you to death today!"
The other children panicked and scattered like birds and beasts. Only Honghua remained calm and composed, taking off running as nimbly as a monkey in the mountains.
She was young and often ran around in the fields, so how could the old man Ding, who was half-buried in the ground, catch up with her? Before long, he was panting heavily from being outmaneuvered.
She quickly climbed the tree, made a face at the impotent and furious old man Ding below, and felt a sense of relief.
Old Ding kicked several times, but not only did he fail to knock the red flower down, he also injured his own leg. Panting heavily, he glared at her fiercely, spewing vulgarities: "You wait! When I get my reward, the first thing I'll do is skin you alive!"
He could only vent his anger verbally; Honghua didn't take his insults to heart. But one thing Old Man Ding said caught her attention.
Waiting for him to receive a reward? What reward could that old man possibly receive?
On a whim, she quietly slipped down the tree and followed.
He was told he would receive a reward, but instead of going to the city, Old Man Ding went to the remote back mountain.
Bears and tigers roamed the mountains behind the village, and her mother had repeatedly warned her never to go near them. Not to mention, the children of Wuling Village had heard the story of Tiger's Pool since childhood, and even someone as brave as Honghua had never set foot there.
Old Man Ding had difficulty walking and rarely came to the back mountain. The more unusual his behavior, the more curious Honghua became.
Just as she finally convinced herself to go up the mountain, a hand descended from the sky and strangled her by the back of the neck.
"Uh... Dr. Ying, what are you doing here?"
Ying Jianhua glanced at her indifferently and casually tossed her back to the corner: "That's what I should be asking you. Have you finished writing those ten characters you owed from yesterday?"
"No..." The Red Flower Heroine's arrogance instantly diminished when the topic of writing large characters came up.
"Then why aren't you writing it?"
"Oh...but!" She tried to struggle a bit, but when she met Ying Jianhua's cold gaze, she immediately cowered, "I'll go, I'll go."
Ying Jianhua stood there for a while, and after confirming that she had left and would not return, she walked into the deep mountains.
He was intimately familiar with the back mountain, as if it were his second home. But then an uninvited guest tried to break into his home, turning his hard-won peaceful life upside down.
He can't stand it, and he won't stand it.
Old Ding had always looked down on the rumors circulating in the back mountains, constantly referring to them as "a bunch of cowards." In his eyes, the miasma, the haunting wolves, and all that nonsense were just made-up lies.
But when he actually set foot on this land and saw the bottomless dense forest and the ever-changing miasma, he had to admit that this place was indeed eerie.
A gentle breeze blew, and the branches swayed wildly, their shadows twisting and changing, as if countless hideous ghosts were lurking and lurking in the forest, eyeing every intruder with predatory intent.
He cursed under his breath, thinking that Ying Jianhua was up to no good by arranging to meet him here, and he had to fleece him!
Thinking about what he was going to do next, he couldn't help but grin, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth, and chuckle.
"why are you laughing?"
A chilling male voice exploded almost right next to his ear. Old Ding let out a muffled groan, his straw sandals slipping on the wet moss. As he staggered and turned, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end—
Suddenly, Ying Jianhua appeared within three steps of him, her figure appearing and disappearing in the mist like a ghost. Only her calm, deep eyes shone, gazing at him intently.
"Are you a ghost?! You walk without making a sound!" He clutched his neck and took a half step back, cursing incessantly. But anyone could tell how weak his voice was; in short, he was afraid.
Scared? If you were really scared, you should have tumbled down the mountain instead of yelling at him and trying to extort money from him before selling him off.
Ying Jianhua coldly replied, "If I were a ghost, how could you have survived until now?"
Upon hearing this, Old Man Ding immediately exploded, completely forgetting his earlier fear: "I knew it was you who did this! If it weren't for your meddling back then, I would have taken the money and gone to the city to live a life of luxury! That girl was instigated by you! Pay up!"
After saying that, he shouted and pounced, but before he could get close, Ying Jianhua grabbed his only hand and threw him aside.
His daughter committed suicide due to unbearable humiliation, but he stubbornly believes that he was instigated by others and to this day only thinks about losing money.
"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have held back and only put in half a packet of poison. Keeping your worthless life is the most regrettable thing I've ever done in my life." He said expressionlessly, watching Old Man Ding struggle in pain on the ground.
He casually recounted the truth of what happened back then, his tone nonchalant, as if he had merely crushed a repulsive ant. Old Man Ding's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at him, cursing, "You bastard! You're finished! You're completely finished! I'm going to report you to the authorities! I'll have you torn to pieces and tortured to death!"
His eyes! His hands! This kid poisoned them all!
"Heh." Ying Jianhua let out a mocking laugh, her eyebrows and eyes filled with undisguised disgust. "Go ahead."
His nonchalant attitude completely ignited Old Man Ding's anger. He began to hurl insults at Old Man Ding: "You heartless beast, you bastard without parents! Just you wait, the government officials are already on their way! Once we've skinned you alive, let's see if you'll still be so arrogant!"
Ying Jianhua raised an eyebrow, squatted down, and looked down at him: "You reported me to the authorities? Just because I poisoned one of your eyes and one of your hands?"
"You think I don't know what kind of mess you've made? You weren't even in the village ten days ago. You're the one who killed the prince!"
That's all you know? I thought you'd gotten some leverage over us.
As the tension eased, he suddenly smiled.
To outsiders, Dr. Ying's smile was extremely beautiful, like the first clear day after rain, or a gentle spring breeze, even her usually cool and aloof eyes were softened by a soft glow.
But to Old Man Ding at this moment, it was tantamount to the King of Hell opening the gates.
He finally realized, belatedly, that going to the back mountain alone was a reckless decision, because this was Ying Jianhua's territory, and he had a thousand and one ways to make him die without a burial place.
"No, no, you can't do this to me! I've already reported it to the authorities! The officials won't let you get away with this, you can't kill me! No—"
However, he didn't have the chance to finish his last words.
With a splash, the murky water burst open and then subsided, leaving only a few tattered pieces of clothing swirling on the surface before being slowly dragged by the undercurrent to the bottom of the unfathomable pool.
As dusk fell, Ying Jianhua slowly turned around, the hem of her clothes brushing against the wild grass on the bank, rustling softly.
Darkness gradually swallowed the mountain, along with some unspeakable secrets.
————
Baiyu City, an unnamed inn.
Du Zhijin put down the two swords and called the waiter to bring her some good dishes.
The waiter said "Okay," and because she was generous, he gave her an extra small plate of peanuts.
Several burly men at the next table were drinking and chatting, but they were missing a plate of peanuts. Noticing their eager gazes, Du Zhijin generously offered half a plate to them.
"Young hero, you are so generous!"
Upon hearing this, she waved her hand, not taking it to heart.
She had been away from Wuling Village for more than ten days. Logically, given her speed, she should have already left Yizhou for another prefecture. However, she was worried about Wuling Village, so she stayed in the surrounding area for a few more days, trying her best to eliminate any threatening demons.
Despite her hurried pace, it was ten days later when she arrived at the next city. As was her custom, she first chose an inn to stay at and inquire about the situation.
Spending so many days in the wilderness, it's inevitable that I've missed some news. However, Yizhou is remote, and there hasn't been anything new happening there for years—
"Have you heard? Prince Chengduan of Jinxi City next door is dead!"
"Cough, cough!"
She suddenly spat out a mouthful of water, and the group of burly men all turned to look at her. One of them, a kind soul, even handed her a handkerchief.
She thanked the kind person, and without caring about the mess, hurriedly asked, "Who died in Jinxi City?"
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