Facing each other
"You've had too much corn liquor, and you're just talking nonsense. I've heard from my second grandfather, who cooks in Hedong Village, that Hedong Village invited so many bandits because the village chief's daughter is going to hold a martial arts competition to find a husband. It's said that the winner of the competition will get married immediately."
The people around him scoffed and said, "Come on, wasn't your second grandfather kicked out of the village a few years ago because he used the firewood stick improperly and used too much brute force, and the firewood stick pierced the bottom of the pot? That guy, the whole pot of stewed wild boar fell into the ashes. It is said that it was a live wild boar caught by the village chief's daughter for the village chief. If your second grandfather's granddaughter hadn't been using it as a living medicine furnace for the village chief, would your second grandfather still be alive and well? I'm afraid this news is fake."
"Although my second grandfather is no longer in the village, you also know that my second grandfather's granddaughter works in Hedong Village. She told my second grandfather, and my second grandfather told me..."
As they were arguing, Ah Li leaned over to Cha Suxun and whispered, "Isn't the leader of Hedong Village in his prime? There's a rumor out there that he can kill a wild boar with a hammer, so how can that be false? No wonder he's so anxious to hold a martial arts competition to win a bride. Isn't this a Hongmen Banquet?"
"The one who beat the wild boar to death wasn't the leader of Hedong Village, but his daughter who pretends to be weak and unable to take care of herself. Father and I have discussed this martial arts competition and there must be other reasons behind it. This is not a good place to talk. It seems we can't be among the group that visited quickly. Let's stay here tonight and see how things go."
"But in the city..."
"The city is not necessarily more dangerous than the village."
From the moment they entered the shop and sat down, everyone at the corner tables stole glances at them. Cha Suxun smiled and refilled her tea, changing the subject: "This Dishui Town may seem a bit strange, but the scenery is still beautiful. My wife, you've finally gotten to go out. Why don't I take you out for a little while before we go on business?"
He deliberately raised his voice, speaking for those who were interested. Ah Li and he had a tacit understanding, so naturally, he understood. So, with a hint of disappointment in his tone, he said understandingly, "It would be nice to see these new things, but we're guests. Wouldn't it be bad if we went too late, husband?"
"We are not the main guests. I already have you, and I only want you as my wife in this life, so let's just go to the wedding banquet. We won't get involved in anything else."
"Aren't you afraid that others will say that you are being controlled to death by your wife?"
"You've always controlled me like a tyrant. Everyone knows that I love my wife dearly. The master won't be surprised. As long as the important people have arrived, I can just write a letter to let them know."
During the meal, the two of them acted very affectionate and loving, serving each other food and whispering to each other. Outsiders would have said they were a loving couple. In fact, their sweet whispers were just about discussing the situation based on what was said around them.
Many guests from Hedong Village headed straight for the village, and since the rumors of haunted places in Dishui Town were more outlandish than reality, most of the inns were empty. This made it easy for them to get a room at the largest inn, the Yunzhao Inn. In calmer times, the Yunzhao Inn would have required a reservation at least three days in advance, or they would have had to pay a large sum to buy it from a trafficker.
This Tianzi No. 1 room was on the top floor, and Yunzhao Inn was the tallest building in the area. Standing in front of the window of Tianzi No. 1 room, one could overlook most of the town. It was the best viewpoint for both oneself and the enemy.
They spent the entire afternoon strolling and shopping. Ah Li felt a little uneasy as she watched her wallet rapidly shrink. Ah Xun's actions were like a "little fat sheep" in the eyes of a "thief." Ah Li calculated the day's expenses and felt bad for a while, but Ah Xun said that the money would be well spent.
That night, Ah Xun pulled out a bundle of red string and a bag of delicate little bells from the package she'd bought that afternoon. The red thread was incredibly fine, meant for embroidery. When she bought it, Ah Xun said she loved embroidery and had bought the best. She also said the little bells were for embellishing doll clothes and tiger-head shoes. The shopkeeper was overjoyed.
He used his fingernails to split the red embroidery thread into six thinner threads, interspersed them with bells, and tied them around the bed, centering on the area around it. He was busy for a while.
"What are you doing?" Ali asked in confusion.
"We're one of the top three richest men in town, living in this conspicuous No. 1 room. Believe it or not, someone is watching to see if we've put out the candles. I've tied a silk thread everywhere you can enter this room. It's impossible to detect without careful observation. As soon as someone enters this room, we'll know quickly, so we can be on guard."
"But your bell is so small. If a thief breaks in while we sleep, they won't be able to wake us up. How about I put some poison on this rope?"
Ah Li excitedly pulled out a bunch of small bottles and jars from various places on her body and placed them on the table for him to see. She said, "I brought a lot. I put a different poison in each place, so I know where it came from. And I also brought some special ones that can wake us up better than your bell."
"What kind of poison?"
"You'll find out tonight," Ah Li said mysteriously. "Let's go to bed as soon as we're done, or we'll keep those thieves waiting too long. Who knows, we might even find the ghost of someone committing suicide by hanging."
Lying on the couch, Ah Li asked curiously, "Ah Xun, how can a human being be used as a medicine furnace? What kind of medicine requires a human being as a medicine furnace?"
"My lady, have you ever heard of Pin Gan?"
"No. There aren't many books on medicine on the mountain. Please tell me more."
"Some places enjoy soaking Pin Gan. They insert three large dates into a woman's vagina, clamp them out every day, and then eat them when they're full, believing they're sweet. They generally believe that regularly consuming Pin Gan can prolong life, strengthen the body, and even rejuvenate. Whether these legendary effects are true is probably only known by those who consume them. The leader of Hedong Village was ambitious, but he had no son to inherit his legacy, and he didn't want to pass the throne to his daughter. A few years ago, he was possessed by an evil spirit in the mountains and bumped into something, which caused his health to fail. Because he was unconscious at the time, his daughter invited several doctors, Taoist priests, and fortune-tellers to see him, so the story wasn't a secret. After he was rescued, he began to consume Pin Gan, and six months later, he announced that his health was even better than before. That's why you hear stories about him killing a wild boar with his bare hands."
"How can you eat this? Besides, will others really believe it?" Ali felt a little bit unbelievable and also felt disgusted, but she also felt that it was not easy for women to survive in the world, and they were even more humble and pitiful.
Their originally beautiful looks and youth became chronic poisons that destroyed them.
"Why not? Didn't you also believe he killed a wild boar with his bare hands? Observe more at weddings. Many village chiefs bring young women with them. They're just following rumors. The price of women suitable for cunning is still very high in the hands of human traffickers. It's more profitable than selling to brothels. Well, sleep well. I'll be with you tonight."
Ah Li agreed, but she couldn't really sleep peacefully. She clutched the corner of his underwear tightly, afraid that she would fall asleep after being overwhelmed by sleepiness, leaving him alone to fight.
Although she was weak, she was not like Siluo, who could only rely on Qiao Mu for her life. She was skilled in poison and could also help.
By the middle of the night, Ah Li was so sleepy she could barely control herself, and the warmth of Cha Suxun's embrace only made her sleepier. Just as she was about to drift off, she heard the creaking of a window being quietly and slowly opened. Realizing someone was entering their room, Ah Li dozed off and became even more alert.
Cha Suxun reached under the pillow and gripped the dagger tightly, ready to stand up and fight back at any time.
However, before he could make a move, the thief suddenly burst into laughter and could not control himself. Realizing that something was wrong, he quickly turned around and tried to escape the way he came. But before one foot stepped on the window sill, he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Acha, light the candles and arrest the man! Remember to be careful of the place I told you to go."
Cha Suxun smiled and nodded, feeling proud of his wife's ability. Lighting a handheld candle, Cha Suxun approached the thief, who was laughing madly and in a strange posture, and poured a bottle of extremely smelly white water into his mouth, which finally stopped him from laughing.
Yuanli quickly added, "In addition to the poison I just cured you of, you've also been infected by my poisonous insect. If you don't want your internal organs eaten clean, shut up and listen to me."
"Who on earth are you!"
"You have no right to ask me questions. Who are you? Who sent you? What do you want from us?"
The thief turned his head away stubbornly and challenged him nonchalantly, "Little girl..."
As soon as he said that, Cha Suxun slapped him hard, making him feel dizzy.
"Show some respect to my wife."
"You! If I can't get out of this room safely, you and your pretty boy will never leave town alive!"
Ah Li imitated Ah Xun's strength and slapped him hard again, "Who are you calling a pretty boy? Show some respect to my husband. If you keep talking dirty, I'll poison your body to death!"
"Do you know who my father is? You..." Thinking of the sudden slap in the face from the couple just now, the vicious woman swallowed the words back at the tip of her tongue.
"It looks like he's a petty thief. No need to ask. Just kill him and throw the body in the closet." A'li stood up and said casually.
"My father is the famous leader of Duotian Village, Cui Zhentian!"
He spoke very quickly, afraid that his words would be slower than the other person's knife movement. Ah Li squatted back in front of him, smiling and said, "Why didn't you say that earlier? How can I believe that you are from Duotian Village? If you say so, then it means it."
"I have the token of Duotian Village on me! My father is in Hedong Village. You can send anyone to find my father. He will definitely come to rescue me when he sees the token. I am my father's youngest son. The emperor loves the eldest son and the people love the youngest son. My father loves me the most. He will give you a hundred taels if you ask for it."
Ah Li laughed when he heard this, "You want me to blackmail the bandits for the kidnapping money?"
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