Chapter 20 020 "What are you laughing at? It's hideous."
As soon as she stepped inside, she felt as if she had stepped into a ball of cotton. Jiang Ling'er, who was prepared, was only slightly stunned before reacting quickly and kicked the soft thing out of her feet!
There was a soft "bang," and something hit the windowpane and slid down.
Behind Jiang Ling'er and the little poisoner, the blind woman, though unaware of what was happening, possessed exceptionally sharp ears honed from years of living in darkness, and immediately wondered:
"What's wrong? What happened?"
In the darkness, Jiang Ling'er and Little Poison exchanged a silent glance. At Little Poison's haughty gesture of raising his chin, Jiang Ling'er held her breath, clenched her fists, and walked towards the window while keeping a watchful eye on her dim surroundings.
Night had fallen, and the starlight was faint.
The silvery moonlight streamed through the window frame, illuminating a corner of the world.
A green snake lay on the ground, lifeless.
She paused, bent down to pick it up, held it to the window, and examined it for a while in the moonlight:
"……snake?"
What is that?
It's a snake.
Before she could even speak after picking up the snake, a familiar, stern voice suddenly rang out behind her:
"Don't come any closer."
Jiang Ling'er paused, about to say something while holding the small snake, when the person behind her quickly added:
"Step back."
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
In the darkness, Jiang Ling'er blinked rapidly, and obediently took a step back while holding the little snake in one hand.
"Retreat again."
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
She took another step, her waist pressed against the window behind her, with nowhere left to retreat. Jiang Ling'er stood by the window, holding the small snake in one hand, the moonlight bathing her completely.
She looked at the person hidden in the darkness, then shook the slender blue snake in her hand: "It's alright, it's completely dead." As she spoke, as if afraid no one would believe her, she quickly walked forward, still clutching the snake, "Feel it if you don't believe me..."
He had only taken half a step when the voice suddenly became sharp:
"You dare?!"
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness, the little venomous creature refusing to go any further than the last step. The silver moonlight stingily cast its pale, ashen glow, illuminating his ghastly face. His expression was extremely foul and repulsive, staring intently at Jiang Ling'er, especially at the dead snake in her hand, which seemed to be the most disgusting thing in the world.
Jiang Ling'er stood rooted to the spot, then belatedly realized, "You're afraid of snakes?"
After saying that, she was even more puzzled, blinking her eyes rapidly: "You call it Little... Master, you call it 'Little Poisonous Creature,' so what are you afraid of? It might not even be as poisonous as you."
Jiang Ling'er could tell that the snake in her hand was just an ordinary bamboo viper, non-venomous and unlikely to kill anyone.
Right now, it's dead and limp, and...it actually looks kind of cute.
Unfortunately, the little poisoner didn't see it; the way he looked at her was as if he wanted to tear her to pieces.
Jiang Ling'er couldn't tell for a moment whether he wanted to cut her or the snake in her hand, or both.
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Behind her came a series of clanging and clattering sounds. It was because the blind woman, upon hearing the little poisoner's angry shouts, had become so anxious and flustered that she tripped over the room's furnishings, which she knew by heart.
"Don't be afraid, Dalang, Mother remembers... Mother remembers we have a tinderbox at home..."
Relying on her memory, she managed to find the tinderbox and even a candle. Since she was blind, she struck the tinderbox several times, burning several blisters on her hands before finally lighting it. Soon, the candle was lit, illuminating the room.
The moment the lights came on, Jiang Ling'er tossed the bamboo leaf green in her hand out the window, dusted her hands off, and then looked at the little poisonous creature. After thinking for a moment, she grinned and gave it a flattering smile.
It means, "Master, look, I've lost it."
The little poisoner's expression remained sinister, his gaze still filled with a desire to tear her to pieces. He gave a cold, malicious smirk and said:
"What are you laughing at? It's hideous."
It means it's too late.
She's finished.
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Jiang Ling'er pursed her lips, swallowed hard, and stiffly turned her head away under the chilling gaze of the little poisonous creature. She looked around and abruptly changed the subject:
“…Master…no, look, this place is a bit old, some moss and dampness attracted the snake…” Seeing the little venomous creature frown, Jiang Ling’er quickly stopped talking and mumbled, “Besides that thing, there’s no other sign of life. Mother…you’ve taken good care of the house.”
Jiang Ling'er glanced at the blind woman behind the little poisoner. The blisters on her hands, burned by the tinderbox, were a shocking sight, but she ignored the pain, standing there anxiously and uneasyly as if she had done something wrong, like a child waiting to be scolded.
That's great, she's not the villain the little poisoner described.
The idea that it's a poison is wrong.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief.
Besides feeling relieved, there was also a subtle sense of triumph.
It wasn't just because they didn't have to kill the old woman themselves, but also because it proved that although there are many bad people in this world, not everyone is bad, as the little poisoner claimed. There's always a glimmer of kindness, and they encountered it.
The little poisoner had no choice but to believe it.
Having endured so much humiliation at the hands of that little poisoner for so long, she finally felt a surge of satisfaction, a hundred times more exhilarating than beating up dozens of people at the inn last night! Jiang Ling'er was overjoyed, but dared not show it in the slightest. She glanced at the little poisoner's pale and sinister face, still desperate to please him—after all, she still needed to make a living under his thumb—and carefully considered her words before speaking:
"Young Master, shall I... help you get some rest? Thinking too much is bad for your health. Hmm... I don't know if you're still growing, my lord. What if you don't grow taller because of all this worrying? It's best to get a good night's sleep. A good night's sleep will clear your mind..."
Jiang Ling'er considered herself extremely considerate. Not to mention her true husband Ji Yunshu, she had never cared for or worried about even the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) like this! This little devil was too shameless. His already handsome face looked even more like he wanted to devour her. She choked, silently swallowing the rest of her sentence, "...and his temper is a little better, don't you think?" She stood there, frozen, bewildered, wondering what she had said to displease him.
Unfortunately, even someone as dim-witted as her could see that the little poisoner was unhappy and about to kill someone.
But the blind woman couldn't see it.
Hearing his daughter-in-law say this, he quickly added, "Yes, brother, whatever it is, let's talk about it after we get some sleep."
Jiang Ling'er didn't have time to stop her. She reached out and grabbed the little poisonous creature based on her intuition!
Jiang Ling'er's eyes widened as she watched the blind woman grab the little poisoner's sleeve and pull him inside: "Big brother, come with me quickly! I still have your room from when you were little. I haven't touched it at all. Come and see..." As she spoke, she saw that the person in front of her was like a rock, and she couldn't budge him no matter how she pulled. The blind woman was stunned and stared blankly at the person in front of her, "...Big brother?"
The little poisonous creature looked down at the old woman's aged face and her unfocused eyes. Her pale face made her eyes appear even deeper and more unfathomable.
"Whether you're genuinely stupid or genuinely blind, a test will reveal the truth."
As soon as he finished speaking, he made a move with lightning speed, before Jiang Ling'er could react at all. His two fingers formed an eagle claw shape and stabbed straight at the pair of unfocused, bewildered, and unreserved eyes facing him!
Jiang Ling'er cried out, "Stop!"
Just as those two fingers were about to pierce the blind woman's pupils, the distance narrowed dramatically, and a hand grabbed the small head that had lunged at him from behind, a thin smirk playing on his lips:
"Got you?"
With a twist of his hand, a head rolled to the ground.
There was no blood, only sawdust scattered all over the ground.
Jiang Ling'er was startled, and as if sensing something, she suddenly looked up—
The roof beams, unlit by candlelight, were covered with countless moss-covered, half-person-high wooden puppets. A chilling, rattling sound of gears filled the air, and instantly, countless pupil-less eyes stared at them!
The next second he pounced forward!
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Author's note: Still writing, will update more tomorrow!
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