Chapter 23 023 "You can trust me, I won't betray you..."
Jiang Ling'er had laughed enough and finally felt scared. She immediately fell silent and retreated, but before the little poisoner could unleash his bad temper, there was a sudden, urgent knocking on the door.
"Aunt Yang, Aunt Yang, what's wrong?"
"Aunt Yang? Aunt Yang!"
Aunt Yang was naturally a blind woman.
Shadows were faintly reflected on the window frame, and the commotion inside finally attracted the attention of the villagers. They were all longtime neighbors, and many of them came with lanterns to inquire.
Jiang Ling'er and the little poisoner exchanged a quick glance, then hurriedly ran to the door, coughed twice, and said:
“Mother Yang, it’s alright. Thank you all for your help, neighbors. Please go back now.”
The villagers outside were all taken aback, then began to chatter even more excitedly:
"Who are you?"
"How did they end up in Aunt Yang's house?"
"Oh my, could it be that my son was right, and Dalang really is back? Is this his...wife?"
"Where is Aunt Yang? Let me see Aunt Yang."
Jiang Ling'er hesitated for a moment, only daring to peek through a crack in the door. She wasn't good at lying, so she stammered even more, "I am... Aunt Yang's daughter-in-law, Dalang is my husband, and my mother..."
She paused, her fingernails scratching a long line across the wooden door. Staring at the suspicious villagers, her hands clenched into fists behind her back, she was already calculating how to escape without hurting anyone.
"Cough cough... I'm fine."
Suddenly, a familiar, aged voice came from behind her. Jiang Ling'er was slightly startled, then turned around and saw that Granny Yang, who had just fainted, had actually woken up. She groped her way to the door, opened it, and said to everyone:
"It was me... I tripped and fell, knocking over some things and startling everyone. This is... this is my wife, her name is..."
“Anu, my name is Anu.” Jiang Ling’er quickly replied. Nowadays, very few girls have given names; most have maiden names, and these are often given by poor families, so no one doubts it.
Everyone thought that Yang's eldest son must have died far from home, but unexpectedly, Yang's mother actually returned. Congratulations poured in, but some people cautiously glanced at Jiang Ling'er. The dim light of the lantern flickered, illuminating her beautiful yet spirited face. Noticing Jiang Ling'er's unintentional glance, one person's hand trembled, almost dropping the lantern. They immediately dared not look any longer, grabbed Yang's mother's sleeve, and whispered in her ear:
“Auntie, you’re blind and your spirits are so low. Didn’t you mistake my second child for my eldest son the other day? Are you sure you’re not mistaken? This girl doesn’t seem like someone raised in an ordinary family…”
Jiang Ling'er, being a martial artist, had very sharp ears; she heard everything. The older woman, who had intended to chatter on, awkwardly shut her mouth under Jiang Ling'er's unwavering gaze.
Aunt Yang just smiled, her face somewhat pale: "You said it yourself, I'm a crazy old woman, penniless, what could I possibly be worth someone trying to fool me about?"
Jiang Ling'er then noticed that the silver needles on Granny Yang's back were gone, and had appeared in Little Poison's hand. She glanced at Little Poison and saw him playing with the inch-long silver needles between his fingers, his handsome face hidden in the darkness, lost in thought.
"My eldest son is finally back! I'm so happy! If it weren't for the late hour, my eldest son and his wife would be greeting all the neighbors..."
"Oh, Aunt Yang, you're too kind. It's good that Dalang is back. There's plenty of time..."
After dismissing the villagers, Granny Yang couldn't hold on any longer and slumped down as if all her strength had been drained. Jiang Ling'er quickly caught her.
"mother!"
"You call her 'mother' quite fluently." The little poisonous creature scoffed and slowly emerged from the darkness. "Don't worry, it's not poisonous, you won't die."
His brow furrowed as he finished speaking, his expression turning grim. "We can't be sure who did those puppets, but this silver needle—" He casually tossed the needle to the ground, seemingly having had his fill of playing with it, his eyes darkening. "A green bamboo snake's mouth, a wasp's stinger. Although the needle isn't poisonous, there's no doubt it's Huo Wu's work. But..."
The little poisoner's unfathomable gaze was fixed on Granny Yang in Jiang Ling'er's arms, his thin lips moving in complete bewilderment:
"Why would an ordinary country woman be involved with the assassin of the Demonic Cult's Sanzang? Or rather... what does Huowu want from her?"
Jiang Ling'er ignored his muttering incessantly. Hearing that Aunt Yang was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief. However, she noticed that Aunt Yang's face had slowly turned pale again, her eyes were lifeless, and the breath she had just mustered had completely dissipated. She was murmuring Dalang's name, and it seemed that she was about to stop breathing again. Jiang Ling'er panicked, "Didn't you say there was no poison?! How come again..."
The little poisonous creature glared at her: "Trying to lure people here again?"
Jiang Ling'er paused, then wisely pursed her lips and shut her mouth, but kept her eyes fixed on the little poisonous creature, blinking rapidly as she spoke with her eyes instead of her lips, making a "noise" that hurt his eyes.
Little Poison: "..."
The little poisoner rubbed his aching temples and glanced at Aunt Yang. The image of her leaping in front of him to shield him from the silver needles flashed through his mind, and his expression immediately darkened. He lowered his voice and glared at her: "Get out of my way!"
This was exactly what Jiang Ling'er wanted. She quickly made way for the little poisoner, who took over from Granny Yang and massaged her from behind. Granny Yang's pale face gradually regained color, probably because she had been too frightened that night. After all, she was quite old.
Seeing that Granny Yang's complexion was gradually improving, and that the little poisoner had no intention of harming her, Jiang Ling'er was completely relieved. She stopped staring at Granny Yang and, without realizing it, began to stare at the little poisoner. She watched until a vein bulged on the little poisoner's forehead again, and when he came to ask for a scolding, she suddenly said:
"You must have had a very hard time in the past, right?" That's why she doesn't trust people, even if they are just unarmed blind women.
The little poisonous creature was startled, glanced at her sideways, and looked cold.
Jiang Ling'er, however, was not intimidated. She sat cross-legged on the ground, resting her chin on her hands, staring straight at him without blinking.
"You can trust me, I will not betray you."
As he finished speaking, the little poisoner's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and his little finger twitched nervously as he scratched his palm. Immediately, his thin lips curled into a cold, mocking laugh, his tone dripping with sarcasm and biting sarcasm:
"Yes, of course you wouldn't betray me. Without me, you're just a broken body on its last legs. Would you dare betray me if you didn't want to live?"
Jiang Ling'er frowned, withdrew her hand, straightened her back, and, also angry, said in a stern voice:
"What you said is true... but that's not what I meant."
Little Poison X sneered: "Then what do you mean?"
Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth and stood up abruptly: "I..."
Just as the two were about to start arguing again, a long, drawn-out sigh came from Aunt Yang:
"You two have such a good relationship."
Jiang Ling'er and Little Poison were both taken aback, exclaiming in unison, "Ah?!"
The little poisonous creature reacted even more strongly than Jiang Ling'er, its eyes suddenly turning sinister:
"What nonsense are you spouting, you madwoman...!"
He swallowed the rest of his words under Jiang Ling'er's wide, fierce gaze, and fell silent. Of course, it wasn't because he was afraid of her, but because this blind woman was useful to them. Now that they knew the blind woman had no intention of harming them, it would be best to continue as planned, pretending to be her only son and living in anonymity so that they could recuperate locally and also avoid the pursuit of the Di Qing.
Fortunately, Aunt Yang had just recovered from her shock and hadn't heard clearly. She affectionately patted the little poisonous creature's hand that was supporting her, and with each pat, the little poisonous creature became more stiff.
"Your mother may be blind, but she is not blind in heart. Seeing how well you all get along... I am relieved."
Aunt Yang was sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. Perhaps it was a protective mechanism formed over the years that made her selectively forget everything that happened tonight, which saved Jiang Ling'er and Little Poison a lot of trouble. Now that she had recovered her spirits, she began to make arrangements.
She refused Jiang Ling'er's offer of help, got up from the ground, and took Jiang Ling'er and the little poisoner's hands in each hand, pulling them inside:
"Look at my memory, it's getting late. I need to get ready and go to sleep. I have to get up early to plant rice seedlings tomorrow."
As she spoke, she pushed the little poisonous creature into one room. Jiang Ling'er waited for her to lead her to another room, but saw that Aunt Yang wouldn't move, and she couldn't be pulled away. Jiang Ling'er was taken aback, but quickly understood. This room was so small; where would there be a third room for her? She very considerately hooked her arm around Aunt Yang's arm. Ever since she called her "Mother" once, things had become much easier.
“It’s okay, Mom. I’ll squeeze into the same room with you, or… or I can just sleep here. I’m not picky.”
Aunt Yang was taken aback, looking confused: "Don't you sleep in the same bed?"
Jiang Ling'er was taken aback: "?"
"???!"
Jiang Ling'er and Aunt Yang exchanged glances, then suddenly looked up at the little poisonous creature—
Half of his face was hidden in the darkness, while the other half was particularly favored by the cold moon. In the clear light of the cold moon, his handsome face was as cold and aloof as the moon and as proud as snow. What remained unchanged were his dark eyes, and the beauty mark at the corner of his eye made his eyes more beautiful and alluring, as deep and unfathomable as an ink pool.
Jiang Ling'er couldn't figure out what he was thinking, but she knew that they had already made a commotion and couldn't make any more noise, especially not to let the blind woman in front of them suspect anything.
She took a deep breath and forced a smile at Aunt Yang:
"Of course I'm up... Mother."
As he spoke, he cautiously glanced at the little poisoner's face, his hands clenched into fists behind his back, and he swallowed hard.
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Author's Note: Finally! Finally back from the hospital!!!
Update restored!!! Everyone, please take care of your health!!!
P.S.: If the guide to defeating the little poison monster had a progress bar, it should be around 60% now, or maybe a little more... hehe.
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