Chapter 7 News from Beicheng
"They're here!"
Shi Yuan had her back to them. After Huan Ni finished speaking, she stood up, turned around, and walked straight out of the state-run restaurant after exchanging a glance with Wu Xinghe and the others.
She glanced at Huan Ni, who hovered in the air for a moment before stopping near Wu Xinghe and the other woman.
"Order whatever you want." After saying that, the man took out a few bills and handed them to Wu Xinghe. "The supply and marketing cooperative has some new clothes. If you like them, go and buy them."
"Alright, I have something to do, I'm leaving!"
"Guangyao, have dinner with me before you leave," Wu Xinghe said softly and seductively.
"Next time," Sun Guangyao said, getting up and leaving.
Wu Xinghe looked unhappy, but her expression quickly relaxed when she saw the money in her hand.
Upon hearing footsteps, Shi Yuan subtly smiled and stepped into a small alley.
Huan Ni told her that at the end of the alley was a small, dense peach grove. The peach trees had strong trunks and lush foliage, making it easy to hide sounds and figures.
Shi Yuan slipped into the peach grove, and Sun Guangyao followed, his expression growing increasingly grave.
When Wu Xinghe told him that she wished to regain her senses, he didn't quite believe it, but now he had no choice but to believe it.
It seems I need to send a message to the north city. With that thought, he stopped in his tracks.
"Why did you stop chasing?" Shi Yuan emerged from behind the peach tree, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Want to chat for a bit?" She spoke as if she were talking to an acquaintance, though her eyes were icy cold.
Sun Guangyao should be grateful that he met Shi Yuan, who had lived here for many days; otherwise, this peach grove would have been his burial place.
"You've misunderstood. I just happen to be walking this path too." Sun Guangyao forced a smile. Even though the person opposite him was a girl a decade younger than him, he still sensed danger.
He involuntarily took a step back, his body reacting to the urge to flee before his mind could process it.
"Just passing by?" Shi Yuan shook her head. "No, I led you here."
"If you leave without saying anything, wouldn't I lose face?"
Shi Yuan spoke with a smile on his face, but Sun Kuan Yew did not feel any friendliness at all.
After a lifetime of struggle, he realized he was actually frightened by a little girl, and he was completely taken aback.
His eyes darted around, and a smile appeared on his face: "Little girl, don't take it too seriously, or you'll only hurt yourself."
Shi Yuan humbly asked, "How is it that there are no benefits? Can you demonstrate?"
Sun Guangyao scoffed lightly, clenched his fist tightly, and his joints made a "crackling" sound.
This is a threat.
Shi Yuan's smile remained unchanged, and with lightning speed, she kicked Sun Guangyao in the heart.
Sun Guangyao was no sham either; he dodged to the side and slapped Shi Yuan across the face.
Shi Yuan squinted, a gesture that seemed more like a taunt or an insult. Was this person too confident?
While blocking with his hand, Shi Yuan used the momentum to jump with his knees slightly bent, heading straight for Sun Kuan Yew's temple.
At this moment, Sun Guangyao's arm was still firmly held by Shi Yuan, and it was impossible for him to dodge. He could only choose to avoid vital points.
So he used his face to catch Shi Yuan's knee.
Sun Guangyao's vision went black, he staggered a few steps and fell backward to the ground, feeling as if his mind was blank and his soul had left his body.
After a long while, his mind cleared up a bit, only to find himself tied to a tree by vines. He struggled, but the vines didn't budge and even seemed to be tightening.
Agile movements, excellent reflexes, and unique methods of binding people—these are skills that someone who has only been awake for a few days could not possess.
"Who taught you that?" Who is in Qinglin Bay? Those people who were sent down from different places?
Or perhaps, someone from the Shi family? Or maybe someone from the Wu family?
Sun Guangyao's face changed several times. Seeing that Shi Yuan remained silent, he smiled enigmatically and said, "Seriously speaking, I'm your uncle too." He looked down at himself, who was bound hand and foot, and said, "This is extremely rude of you."
Shi Yuan curled her lips sarcastically: "Speaking of which?"
"Where should we begin? Why don't you explain first?"
"Let me go." Sun Guangyao tilted his head back. "Shi Yuan, making things difficult for me won't do you any good."
"Not going to talk?"
"It's okay." Shi Yuan picked up a twig, weighed it in her hand, and started polishing it on the ground.
What do you want to do?
Shi Yuan smiled and sharpened the tip of the branch to a point: "Let's see how tough your mouth is."
As it turns out, Sun Guangyao was tough all over, especially his mouth.
“I am a distant relative of the Xie family. They asked me to collect information about you and Shi Ling.”
According to Sun Guangyao's confession, he received a remittance from Beicheng more than a year ago, and after that he began to pay attention to Shi Ling and her daughter.
He was just a country woman with a daughter who had intellectual disabilities, and after paying attention to her for a while, he lost patience.
So he seduced Wu Xinghe, got her to pay attention to Shi Ling and her daughter, and then took a small portion of the remittance from Beicheng to give Wu Xinghe a break.
Because the messages sent to Beicheng were all pretty much the same, the remittances from there went from once a month to not being sent at all for several months.
He didn't want to cut off this source of income, so when he learned that Shi Yuan had regained his senses, he became more cautious and wanted to verify it himself before sending the message to Beicheng.
Unexpectedly, Shi Yuan turned out to be a tough nut to crack.
He couldn't help but suspect that Shi Yuan had actually recovered a long time ago, otherwise how could she be so ruthless and mature in her actions?
Sun Guangyao told everything he knew, because he had no choice; the sharp branch was digging into his flesh and it hurt too much!
On the way back to Qinglin Bay, Huan Ni transformed into a seven-colored bird and perched on Shi Yuan's shoulder: "Aren't you afraid that Sun Guangyao will be sent to Beicheng just like that?"
“He wouldn’t dare,” Shi Yuan said. “At least not for the time being.”
"This kind of person is greedy, lustful, bullies the weak and fears the strong. The fact that he can still use money to get rid of Wu Xinghe shows that he is not short of money for the time being."
"If you don't lack money, you'll cherish your life."
Huan Ni nodded: "You're right."
"Hey, you switch between fish, butterfly, and bird all the time, what were you originally?"
“I am a mirage beast,” Huan Ni replied matter-of-factly.
“…Oh!” That answer was correct, but it just happened to touch on Shi Yuan’s blind spot.
"You want to know what my true form looks like, right?" His tone was smug, like a child hiding a precious treasure.
Shi Yuan nudged the bird's round belly and said with a smile, "You look very good now, very beautiful."
Huan Ni was satisfied and rolled around on Shi Yuan's shoulder: "When there's a chance in the future, I'll let you see my true form."
"Yes, I look forward to that day," Shi Yuan replied with a smile.
Huan Ni was unhappy again. She felt that Shi Yuan's tone was indifferent and insincere, so she spread her wings and went home before Shi Yuan.
"You're back! Perfect timing. Wash your hands and have dinner." Shi Ling said with a smile as she brought out the food.
Shi Yuan washed her hands as instructed and sat down next to Shi Ling.
The two did not adhere to the rule of not speaking while eating or sleeping. When Shi Ling asked her if the town was fun, Shi Yuan took the opportunity to tell her about her encounter with Sun Guangyao.
"The Xie family, Xie Minyin." Shi Ling put down her chopsticks, her voice carrying a chilling undertone as she spoke the name.
"An enemy?" Shi Yuan picked up some meat with her chopsticks and put it in Shi Ling's bowl.
Shi Ling's expression softened, she picked up her chopsticks again, and snorted coldly: "She doesn't deserve it!"
Shi Yuan didn't speak again. She had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before Shi Ling would tell her everything about the past. She wasn't in a hurry.
After returning to her room and locking the door, Shi Yuan asked Huan Ni to bring out some yellow talisman paper and cinnabar, as she wanted to draw talismans.
As Huan Ni took things out, she remarked, "It's been a long time since I've seen a talisman."
"Then I'll draw a few for you." After saying that, Shi Yuan picked up the brush the old man had given her, dipped it in cinnabar, and focused her mind to draw the most powerful explosive talisman on the yellow talisman paper.
At her peak, she could control her metal-based superpowers without any medium, drawing talismans to form arrays that could wipe out a city's zombies upon detonation!
Back in the day, she was a powerful figure in the apocalypse!
Shi Yuan sighed, crumpled up the ruined yellow talisman paper, and threw it away.
Huan Ni looked at the yellow paper ball at her feet and stammered, "This is how beginners draw talismans, don't worry."
Shi Yuan: ...That's very comforting, stop comforting me for now.
As night fell, the yellow paper balls at Shi Yuan's feet multiplied, and the cinnabar dwindled. Even with Shi Yuan's temperament, he couldn't help but feel a little irritated.
If all else fails, let's risk going up the mountain!
She should have realized it sooner: Shi Ling came from Beicheng, and even if she rewrote the beginning of the story, they would still have some connection with Beicheng.
Sun Guangyao didn't know why the Xie family gave him money to keep an eye on Shi Ling and her, but Shi Yuan could guess.
What else could a woman be interested in about another woman and her child?
Of course, she's afraid Shi Ling will return to Beicheng and compete with her for resources!
Huan Ni weakly raised her golden bird claw: "Is it possible that it's because of... a man?"
"Huh?" Shi Yuan was shocked. "A man?" What was that?
"Think about it, Shi Ling brought you to this godforsaken mountain village. If it was a battle for resources, Shi Ling was obviously not the victor back then. The key point is that Shi Ling has no intention of returning to Beicheng."
"The only reason Xie Minyin only started paying attention to you and your daughter after several years is that the man she was fighting with Shi Ling has started to think about Shi Ling again, and she feels threatened!"
Makes perfect sense!
Shi Yuan hesitated and frowned: "Is that possible? Shi Ling doesn't seem like the type to compete with someone for a man."
"Believe me!" Huan Ni confidently raised her paw. "I've seen more lovesick men and women than you've eaten rice!"
"Ouch!" Huan Ni jumped up and down on the spot. "That man isn't your biological father, is he?!"
Shi Yuan's face darkened: "Did Shi Ling disturb a den of scumbags?"
Huan Ni comforted her, "What if it's Xie Minyin who's the bad guy, and your real father was just being deceived?"
"He's just an idiot." Shi Yuan casually remarked, crumpling up the unfinished yellow talisman paper and tossing it on the ground. "He's either a scumbag or an idiot. There's nothing to argue about."
Huan Ni was speechless. If that's the case, then there's really nothing to argue about.
With a slight thought, Shi Yuan dipped her brush in cinnabar again and began to write a soul-summoning talisman instead of an explosive talisman.
Sensing the mysterious atmosphere, Huan Ni dared not make any more noise to disturb Shi Yuan.
The moon was high in the sky, its silvery light spilling down upon the earth. The moment the moonlight shone down, the talisman flashed with golden light.
Success!
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