Seeing the sincerity, Li Xiaoxiao naturally approved and said repeatedly, "Alright, I have faith in you. Get up and train hard. You will gain everything you didn't have before."
As the queen of the apocalypse, Li Xiaoxiao admires Bai Yi the most for her ruthless and efficient work style. With someone like her by her side, she is sure to be a powerful general in the future.
Bai Yi looked up, tears streaming down her face. No one understood the coldness of the world better than her. At this moment, Li Xiaoxiao in front of her was like a goddess descended from heaven, so perfect, the only salvation in her life.
Bai Yi unconsciously kowtowed three times on the ground. For a desperate criminal like her, it was good enough that she wasn't reported to the authorities. During that conversation, when Li Xiaoxiao learned that she had killed someone, her first reaction was to kill the person in front of her. If she were suspected, the authorities would eventually find some clues.
For example, the fire that burned her house was unusual. Although the person was drugged and burned beyond recognition, after several months of investigation, it was found that the neighbor was not home on the day the fire occurred. Bai Han was sent to a neighbor who lived further away, and she personally returned to set the fire on fire.
That day, she wanted to kill Li Xiaoxiao as well. When they looked at each other, the murderous aura emanating from Li Xiaoxiao terrified her, and in the end, she didn't make a move. She was instinctively trembling with fear.
"Master, don't you despise me?" She hadn't had a chance to ask that day, but no matter what, this was still a great act of treason.
Li Xiaoxiao pulled her up, a smile spreading across her face. "Disgust? Where does that come from? On the contrary, I admire you. A person's freedom and destiny are earned through their own efforts."
After receiving affirmation, Bai Yi looked deeply at Li Xiaoxiao, and certain obsessions took root in her heart.
Li Xiaoxiao took Bai Yi to the mountains. Recently, the snow had just melted, and fresh wild vegetables were growing on the mountain.
In particular, she discovered that there was a super delicious houttuynia cordata on this mountain, and the chili seeds that she had soaked in spiritual water in her space could finally be planted these past few days. Once they were planted and grew, the chili sauce she made would bring in a considerable income.
Li Xiaoxiao led Bai Han, with Bai Yi following behind, as the three of them picked houttuynia cordata. The sun gradually set on the mountainside, and Li Xiaoxiao had gathered quite a few wild game, wild mushrooms, and some herbs.
"Bai Yi, let me tell you, life is like a wisp of smoke rising from a chimney. Being around the kitchen every day is what makes life interesting. That's what it feels like to be alive."
Bai Yi listened attentively, occasionally responding. Li Xiaoxiao led the two of them back to cook. Today's dish was chicken and mushroom soup, and cold wild fern salad with houttuynia cordata.
The three of them were busy in the kitchen, and Bai Yi couldn't help but smile. It felt just like when her mother was home.
Thinking of her mother, Bai Yi couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She wondered when she would have enough money to redeem her mother. Last time, her father had spent four taels of silver to sell her mother. She wondered if she would need to pay more.
As the sun set and night fell, dark clouds loomed in the distance, and Qi Yu had not yet returned home. Li Xiaoxiao felt a sense of emptiness during her breaks from cooking.
Just as Qi Yu was about to get onto the oxcart, Cai Shi was waiting for him there, still wearing the same tattered robes as before.
"I have something to tell you, Qi Yu. If you don't want to hear it, I'll tell your fellow disciples tomorrow, and then you can forget about getting your hands on that high-ranking official position."
The air was unusually damp and cold, the wind was so strong it was hard to open one's eyes, and there were few people around. Qi Yu clenched and unclenched his hands inside his long sleeves, but finally gave in and said, "Okay."
In a secluded mountain forest, Cai finally revealed her true colors. "You bastard, give me two taels of silver. You embarrassed me quite a bit last time." Qi Yu looked at her coldly. "I don't have two taels of silver. You're just a live-in son-in-law."
Cai approached and was about to slap Qi Yu, but Qi Yu dodged it. Cai staggered and fell to the ground. She was so angry that she shook her head, and bits of flesh flew from her mouth. Especially after falling to the ground, she got a mouthful of mud. She got up unsteadily, raised her head, and her eyes became even more fierce.
"Qi Yu, since you don't have anything to steal, you'd better steal it for me. Don't forget, you're just a slave of the Qi family. You should bring me the money you earn. If you don't, I'll tell Li Xiaoxiao about your impotence. I want to see which woman in this world is willing to live a life of widowhood. It's all thanks to the kicks I gave you when you were a kid that you became more obedient. Otherwise, would you have dared to rebel with your worthless life?"
The woods were eerie. Qi Yu's hands, hidden beneath his long sleeves, were bulging with veins. Finally, he said, "Last time you made a scene with my wife, you confiscated my money. I only have twenty coins for my daily meals."
Madam Cai was so angry that her teeth chattered. In the end, she could only say, "You have two taels of silver to give me by tomorrow, or I will definitely expose this whole thing and ruin your reputation. You are nothing but the offspring of a lowly slut. Do you even deserve happiness?"
After calming down for a long time, Qi Yu took out his only twenty coins from his money bag. Before he could say anything, Cai Shi snatched them away and spat at him. Qi Yu took a few steps back to avoid being sprayed.
Cai was unwilling to leave, and as she walked, she hummed a little tune smugly, "Wenzhu must be starving. I'll go back and buy Wenzhu something good to eat."
Qi Yu watched her departing figure, his pupils deepening, his cold gaze lingering for a long time. Finally, he loosened his clenched fist in his long sleeves and slammed his fist into a tree that was barely taller than a person. The tree snapped in two with a cracking sound, and the rain began to fall sparsely.
The man ignored the scratches on his hands from the branches, and only came to his senses after a while. He slowly left the gloomy forest. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a torrential downpour began, and Qi Yu walked along the muddy road, his clothes soaked through.
An hour later, he finally arrived at his doorstep. Even from a distance of a dozen steps, the man's desolation and sorrow were accentuated by the rain. Li Xiaoxiao sat at the door waiting, and when she saw Qi Yu, who was soaked to the bone and looked forlorn, she blinked. "Husband, why did it take you so long? I've been waiting for you at home for a long time."
Qi Yu looked at Li Xiaoxiao, whose smile was as beautiful as a peach blossom, and the stove fire still burning behind her, and his spirits immediately returned. "My wife, I'm cold."
"Come in and warm yourself by the fire if you're cold." Li Xiaoxiao came out and pulled Qi Yu, who was standing in the rain, inside. As she pulled him in, the warmth of her delicate hands was transferred to the man's hands.
Qi Yu was surprised that he had obediently followed the woman, and in that instant, all his pain vanished.
There was only a tiny figure in front of me.
Upon entering the room, Li Xiaoxiao took out some tattered clothes and used them to dry the rainwater off the man. "Husband, why are you so sad? There are still some hot dishes waiting for you on the table."
"By the way, I brought a brother and sister with me. This is Bai Yi, and this four-year-old child is Bai Han. Their father is dead, and their mother was sold into a brothel by her biological father before he died. Now I have taken them in as my disciples."
Li Xiaoxiao introduced the two people to Qi Yu with a smile. The man didn't change after hearing it and only gave a stiff reply, "Hmm".
“From now on, my husband won’t have to do the laundry anymore. Bai Yi and I will take care of it. No one will bring this up again,” Li Xiaoxiao added.
Qi Yu's eyes flickered, and finally, she said softly, "Okay."
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