Chapter 29, page 29: "If you look again, I'll gouge your eyes out!"...
...In short, on such a sweltering afternoon, the awkward, confrontational tension between the two seemed to melt away with the heat.
The Cold War has ended.
But Jiang Ling'er's relentless enthusiasm for martial arts training did not diminish in the slightest; instead, it intensified with the rising summer heat. She spent all her time in the backyard practicing moves with the puppets, including three meals a day, and practicing basic skills by standing on wooden stakes. She used to get up before dawn to practice, but now she started two hours earlier, truly rising earlier than the chickens and circling the yard several times before even the dumbest bird. Although Jiang Ling'er preferred writing to martial arts, she understood the principle that even a slow bird can start early, and that what's done is done, but the future can still be pursued.
Previously, they at least knew to restrain themselves from disturbing others' sleep, but today they went especially far, making a racket outside, and occasionally letting out muffled groans. Finally, with a low hiss of pain—
In fact, Jiang Ling'er was afraid of disturbing Aunt Yang, so she had already lowered her voice to a very low level, so that ordinary people could not hear her. But she could not hide it from the little poisoner. Almost at the same time as she cried out in pain, the little poisoner, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes. The Gu worms that were crawling densely on his ten fingers also withdrew in an instant and crawled back to the bamboo flute he had placed on the table.
In the blink of an eye, the little venomous creature strode to the window, about to leap out, when it suddenly stopped. In a dense, almost impenetrable darkness, Jiang Ling'er was being attacked repeatedly by the puppet. Fortunately, she was dressed thickly, so the splinters didn't pierce her, but they were still quite painful. Actually, she had been practicing her skills by chasing the puppet every day for over half a month. From initially fleeing in a sorry state to later almost never getting splinters stuck in her skin, she could even be considered to be chasing the puppet with ease, without the puppet touching a single piece of her clothing. But now—
The little poisonous creature squinted and stared intently. Just then, a cloud that had been obscuring the moon drifted by, and the silvery moonlight fell on Jiang Ling'er, illuminating her disheveled figure and the conspicuous gray-white cloth covering her eyes.
The little poisonous creature paused, then suddenly chuckled softly. Its slender figure leaned lazily against the windowsill, leisurely watching the disheveled figure fleeing away.
No wonder she's been staring at Aunt Yang all these days; it turns out she's got such thoughts in mind.
Despite her blindness, Granny Yang could walk on flat ground as if nothing were happening, and her actions were no different from those of an ordinary person, all because she used her ears instead of her eyes and her ears to distinguish objects by sound. The more Jiang Ling'er observed, the more amazed she became, and a thought suddenly struck her: if Granny Yang can do it, so can she!
So she found a strip of cloth and tied it over her eyes. As she expected, the puppet, after being modified by the little poison, moved extremely fast. It was already difficult enough to avoid the puppet's attacks on ordinary days, let alone with her eyes covered! She was beaten almost all night long. She had never been so badly beaten in her first encounter with a puppet!
While Jiang Ling'er was screaming in pain, the little poisonous creature leaned against the windowsill, raised an eyebrow, and watched with great interest. After admiring it for a while, it reluctantly closed the window and strolled back to the bed.
He sat cross-legged on the couch again, picked up the bamboo flute on the table with two fingers, and a few Gu worms crawled out of the flute, affectionately clinging to the long fingers of the little poisonous creature and playing with it.
The little poisonous creature stared at the tiny Gu worm in its palm, curled its lips, and let out a cold snort:
"It's rare for even a piece of rotten wood to have found its way; we can't afford to lose."
After speaking, he tightened his hands and placed them on his knees. The little poisonous creature closed its eyes and continued to meditate, while the Gu worm crawled back into the bamboo flute through the gaps between its tightly clenched fingers. The two people inside and outside the room, one still and one active, one practicing external skills and the other cultivating internal skills, stayed like this until dawn.
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The next day.
As dawn broke, daylight appeared.
As is customary, after the rooster crowed for the third time, Jiang Ling'er stopped what she was doing, untied the blindfold, and hid the doll in the woodshed. However, today was different. Even after she had walked dozens of steps away from the woodshed, she hesitated, then turned back and kicked the doll hard, then kicked it again to vent her anger!
She was beaten up by this puppet almost all night, even getting a punch to the corner of her eye. Her whole body was covered in sore flesh that she almost cried out when she drew well water to wipe herself in the morning. Tears welled up in her eyes.
When she finally managed to wipe the sweat off her body and compose herself before returning to the dining table, Little Poison and Aunt Yang had already finished eating. She noticed that on her seat, there were not only prepared bowls and plates, but also a small medicine bottle, from which she could faintly smell a medicinal fragrance.
Jiang Ling'er paused slightly, subconsciously glancing at the little poisoner sitting opposite her—
The little poisonous creature didn't look at her. Instead, it rested its chin on one hand and stared indifferently at the clear blue sky outside the door, covered with fish-scale patterns, and the falling trees and startled cicadas under the clear sky.
Noticing Jiang Ling'er's gaze, he frowned, gave her a cold look, and his eyes were full of disdain:
"Get well soon. If Zhentian keeps yelling and screaming, you won't want to sleep, but others will."
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Jiang Ling'er choked, swallowing back the "thank you" that had rolled between her teeth. She knew that although the little poisoner was skilled in using poison, he was even more skilled in medicine. What he was giving her must be something good, so she didn't hesitate to grab the small medicine bottle and stuff it into her bosom, afraid that the little poisoner would change his mind. The little poisoner seemed to have known she would do this all along, scoffing at her actions without saying anything more.
Jiang Ling'er carefully observed Xiao Du's expression. Seeing that he didn't have any extra expression on his face, she realized that she had been with Xiao Du for a long time and had gradually figured out his personality. For him, no, for herself, the fact that Xiao Du didn't have any expression on his face meant that he was in a good mood today.
It means I can touch the tiger's whiskers today.
Jiang Ling'er took the opportunity to test him, boldly stroking the tiger's whiskers, or rather, the big cat's whiskers would be more accurate:
"It drizzled a little last night, but today the weather is unusually nice, and the sun isn't too strong... Shall we go to the fields?"
It wasn't that Jiang Ling'er had truly fallen in love with crops; it was just that if they didn't go to work in the fields soon, their makeshift family of three would soon be starving again.
As expected, the little poisoner was very agreeable today, nodding primly as if to agree.
--
We arrived at the edge of the fields.
Jiang Ling'er had just bent down to roll up her trouser legs when someone suddenly poked her shoulder. She paused slightly, looked up, and instead of seeing the person, a bamboo hat was placed over her head. She quickly grabbed the hat and took two steps back to steady herself.
A deep, familiar voice reached my ears:
"Don't go to the fields today, go to the side, I'll do it."
Jiang Ling'er paused, wondering if she had misheard. She quickly took off her straw hat, only to see that the little poisonous creature had already rolled up both of its trouser legs and stepped one foot into the mud.
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Jiang Ling'er stared intently at the conspicuous, glaring mud on the little poisonous creature's feet, as if in a dream. She blinked rapidly and murmured:
"Am I... dreaming...?"
As if it had eyes in the back of its head, the little poisonous creature seemed to read her mind. It suddenly turned around, tapped her eye with its finger, glared at her, and said with an unfriendly expression:
"Look at the mess you've made. What I want is to settle down in peace, not to become the subject of gossip and pointing fingers."
Jiang Ling'er: "...?"
"???"
Jiang Ling'er was suddenly and inexplicably accused, completely bewildered. Subconsciously, she followed the little poisoner's finger and touched the corner of her eye, immediately hissing softly and almost crying out in pain.
She finally remembered that she had been beaten almost all night by the puppet, even her face was bruised. She had been startled while washing up this morning, suddenly hearing hushed conversations around her. It was the peasant women strolling along the country lanes, whispering and watching them. Jiang Ling'er listened intently, vaguely hearing two of the women pointing and whispering about the little poisonous creature's back:
"Oh, all that talk about 'shrewish wives' is a lie. Don't be fooled by Yang's pretty face and delicate appearance; he beats his wife every night!"
Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a moment, then her whole body stiffened. She quickly jumped out and stood in front of the peasant woman, waving her hands hurriedly as she said:
"It's not what you think! He...he didn't hit me!"
However, no matter how Jiang Ling'er explained, it was no use. The peasant woman, seeing the injury at the corner of her eye, became even more certain and sighed softly as if she felt the same way.
"Heaven have mercy, such a beautiful girl has been ruined like this... Child, I can hear your cries of pain every night. That Yang family's eldest son acts like a master every day, just eating and doing nothing. And you, a weak woman, are doing all this heavy work. Bah! You look like a dog, but you're a real scoundrel!"
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Jiang Ling'er: "………………"
Jiang Ling'er was speechless for a long time before she could only stammer, "He... cough, cough cough! My husband is a bit lazy, but he's not that bad..."
Unfortunately, no one believed her; they only looked at her with even more pitiful eyes. Jiang Ling'er hesitated for a long time before finally giving up. Turning back, she saw that the little poisonous creature had already penetrated deep into the farmland. Its tall figure was even more upright and slender than the long reeds, just like a newly sprouted seedling in the field, so young and so resilient, yet it was being criticized for no reason...
No wonder.
No wonder they didn't let her get out of bed today, which is unusual for them.
But... Jiang Ling'er thought again, does the little poisoner seem like someone who cares about other people's opinions? Doesn't he always do things based solely on his own likes and dislikes?
Jiang Ling'er thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out, finally concluding that—
No one feels good when someone speaks ill of them behind their back, even a small poisonous creature.
Jiang Ling'er stood there, staring blankly at the little poison creature's slender figure for a long time. The sunlight gathered into a dazzling halo, and she suddenly felt dizzy. She staggered a few steps and fell into the recliner that had been prepared for the little poison creature.
Now it was Jiang Ling'er's turn to sit on a recliner, legs crossed, watching the little poisonous creature bending over the crops.
I have to say, lying here basking in the sunlight and enjoying the cool breeze is actually quite comfortable.
At first, she was a little unaccustomed to it, but soon her eyelids drooped. It was as if a string that had been stretched to its limit was suddenly released. Her whole body was screaming with exhaustion, and a wave of fatigue washed over her. Soon, her head tilted to the side, and she fell asleep.
--
A gentle breeze swept across the fields, where farmers were bent over their crops.
Yang San'er was no exception.
The young man quickly finished his work and began to look around, searching for something.
Sure enough, he soon found the person he wanted to see. Strangely, she wasn't out of bed today, but lying on a bench, seemingly...
"If you look again, I'll gouge your eyes out."
The young man was startled. He saw that the little poisonous creature had appeared beside him at some point, glancing at him with a smile on its thin lips, but the smile did not reach its eyes, which sent chills down his spine.
Without him noticing, the young man appeared beside him without his knowledge, and the boy broke out in a cold sweat in broad daylight.
Yang San'er was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses. He scratched his head awkwardly and forced a smile, saying:
"Big...Big Brother, don't you remember me? I am..."
"Who you are is unimportant." The little poisoner, a good half a head taller than him, coldly glared at him against the light, the sun's rays casting a shadow on the boy's innocent face. The little poisoner's voice was extremely soft, yet every word was clear: "If you dare to speak to me again, whether it's me or my...little lady, I can't guarantee you'll keep your throat. Remember that?"
Yang San'er's pupils immediately contracted, his face turned deathly pale, and he gripped the hoe tightly in his hand.
The next moment, under the expressionless gaze of the little poisoner, he chuckled and slung the hoe over his shoulder, returning to his own field.
The little poisoner stared at the boy's hunched back, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. Behind him, the sun shone brightly, but his handsome face was covered with a layer of icy gloom, as if he were deep in thought.
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The sun is setting.
A cool breeze was blowing. Jiang Ling'er hadn't slept so soundly in a long, long time, so long that she didn't want to wake up. Suddenly, she felt something furry poking her face, then poking her again. She turned her head away impatiently, but the furry thing moved to her nose. Her nose twitched, and she couldn't help but sneeze. She opened her eyes abruptly, fully awake.
In the sky, which was ablaze with the crimson glow of sunset, a foxtail grass fell before her eyes.
"woke up?"
A light, familiar voice came from behind her. She blinked twice and jumped up from the bench!
She first saw a field of already-harvested crops, and for a long time she was stunned, muttering to herself:
"You...did all of this?"
"snort."
Another familiar soft hum brushed past my ear.
The little poisonous creature was standing not far in front of her, a blade of grass dangling from its mouth, staring at her intently. She didn't know how long it had been watching her, but seeing her blank, stupid expression, it scoffed and said nothing, the corner of its lips curving into a smug smile.
To everyone's surprise, Jiang Ling'er blurted out, "It must have been Yang San'er who helped you, right? He's truly a kind-hearted and hardworking boy; I've never seen anyone more capable than him..."
The little poisonous creature paused, then said, "..."
The little poisoner's handsome face immediately darkened. He spat out the foxtail grass from his mouth, stood up, and spoke in a harsh tone:
"Get out of here when you're awake. Even a pig can't sleep as well as you."
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Jiang Ling'er didn't know what she had done to displease this ancestor again. Seeing that the little poisonous creature was walking very fast, she didn't dare to delay and quickly got up to follow.
Today was the latest they had returned home in recent days, fearing that Aunt Yang would worry and come looking for them again. Along the way, Jiang Ling'er had been cursing in her heart countless times for not waking her up earlier. By the time they got home, the moon was already high in the sky, and the once quiet and dark village was now lit up by clusters of torches.
A large group of unfamiliar wandering martial artists shattered the tranquility of the small village.
Jiang Ling'er recognized the clothes worn by this group of people... they were clearly from Sun Moon Fortress!
Ji Yunshu's people!
Why are Ji Yunshu's people here?!
Jiang Ling'er froze, instinctively looking at the little poisoner. The little poisoner's expression remained unchanged, only his eyes darkened. He gripped her wrist and whispered:
"Walk!"
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They dared not stray too close to their home, hiding behind a stack of straw as tall as an adult, gazing towards their door from afar—
They saw the disciples of Yiriyue Fortress take out the puppet they had found in the woodshed and throw it on the ground.
Then, Yang Da Niang was captured by two disciples. Master Gao Yang pointed at the puppet on the ground and asked Yang Da Niang something, his sword pointing at her throat.
That bastard Gao Yang is still around!
Jiang Ling'er's brow twitched instantly. She couldn't hold back any longer and was about to rush out when the little poisonous creature wrapped its arms around her waist from behind. The little poisonous creature gritted its teeth and whispered in her ear:
"What's the rush? Let's take another look!"
Jiang Ling'er quickly stopped moving and struggling, not because she had listened to the little poison master's words, but because she saw a man in a fox fur coat slowly walking out of the crowd, surrounded by people.
Ji Yunshu.
Jiang Ling'er's almond-shaped eyes, filled with shimmering light, flashed, and she froze on the spot, forgetting to struggle.
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Author's Note: There will be one more chapter tonight!
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