Chapter 18018 She really doesn't know how to act cute.
She really doesn't know how to act cute.
This was the first thought that flashed through the little poison's mind.
When he realized that his first thought wasn't to grind her to dust but rather to think about these inexplicable and nonsensical things, Junrong felt awkward for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure, as if it were all an illusion.
He glanced sideways at Jiang Ling'er, who was pressing down on him, and recounted her numerous misdeeds in a flat, emotionless voice:
"I don't steal people's money, I don't kill innocent people, I can't even lie..." He chuckled, "Quite a few rules, huh? I think it's not that I can't... it's that I'm unwilling, isn't it? Whether it was what happened now or last night, that waiter was clearly a cowardly bum who was all talk and no action. If you had just said you lost money, said something to threaten that waiter, none of this would have happened, but you refused. Even at the risk of me extinguishing your inner fire in my rage, you couldn't utter a single good or bad word. Well, that's true, a gentleman's integrity is fundamental, and it's the code of honor that you heroes should uphold when you roam the martial world."
He coughed twice as he spoke, his handsome face growing paler, making the crimson beauty mark at the corner of his eye all the more striking, almost eerily vivid. It resembled a drop of blood, drawing the eye and drawing attention. His teasing gaze swept over Jiang Ling'er's fair, bare right shoulder. Whether it was because she was a woman or simply because she was a martial artist, her skin was firm and agile, almost dazzling in the sunlight. Especially her small, delicate collarbone, beautifully shaped, made him linger for a moment, unconsciously stroking the bamboo flute in his hand, wondering how it compared to the smooth feel of his prized bamboo flute.
His gaze wasn't lewd or wicked, but rather open and honest, revealing surprise, appreciation, and a variety of other emotions, but none of the lust she desired to see. Just then, a breeze blew through the riverbank reeds, brushing against her bare shoulders. The cool breeze made her shiver, her face paling inch by inch. She heard the little poisoner say:
"Even when you're imprisoned, you still uphold your principles and refuse to tell a lie. You would rather sell your own things than take a single penny from others. You would rather serve me than kill an innocent person... You are truly noble and righteous, even I am moved. If I hadn't seen you being beaten to the ground by that 'Zhao Xiao,' right? He used his family's secret techniques. If I hadn't heard him say that you are greedy and unskilled, indulging in frivolous pursuits and only using lazy and cunning tricks, I would really think you are a person who keeps his word and practices what you preach."
After he finished speaking, his mocking gaze drifted down from her bare shoulders and neck, saying nothing, yet it seemed as if he had said everything.
In an instant, Jiang Ling'er seemed to fall back into that endless, one-sided brutal competition with Zhao Xiao, into that cage made of raindrops.
The knee pressing on her neck, heavy as a thousand pounds, seemed to have never disappeared, growing heavier and heavier until she could hardly breathe. What suffocated her even more was Zhao Xiao's mocking words. She thought she had long forgotten them, but no, every word was etched into her heart along with that torrential rain.
[You're lazy, playful, and spend your days either sightseeing or hanging out with pretty boys. You caused a huge scandal by forcing Ji Yunshu to marry you, making the old镖头 (head镖师, a nickname for a镖师, a镖师) lose face and trampling the reputation of the number one镖师 in the world into the ground. How can someone like you be worthy of being the young master of the number one镖师 in the world?]
Jiang Ling'er's face turned frighteningly pale, and she loosened her grip on the little poisonous creature.
Feeling the person beneath her palm finally pull out the bamboo flute from her waist, she trembled her long eyelashes very slightly and closed her eyes.
She waited for the little poisoner to smash her skull with a single blow, ending her last breath. Instead, what she got was… a flick on the head!
With a deafening sound, not only did she scream, but her forehead instantly turned red and swollen, and even the little poisonous creature felt pain in its two fingers!
She covered her forehead with both hands, her eyes wide open, staring at the person beneath her with a mixture of pain and shock.
The bamboo flute was still neatly tucked into his waistband. The little poisonous creature blew on his two numb fingers and first gave an exaggerated sneer: "You're going to make a scene just because I said something to you?" Then he sneered, "Are you the master or am I the master? Can't I even speak? You want to teach me how to do things? If you're going to be my slave, then do it properly. Put away your old hypocrisy. I have my rules, and my rule is 'no taboos'! Do you understand? If there's a next time, you'll end it all!"
Jiang Ling'er listened, stunned, covering her forehead and nodding blankly like a groundhog: "...Oh."
The little poisonous creature glared at her and snapped, "Hurry up and help me up!"
Jiang Ling'er quickly scrambled off him and helped him lean against a tree stump. She was shocked to find his body as cold as ice. It seemed that the injuries from the backlash of the formation that day, caused by working non-stop all night, had spread throughout his body, leaving his limbs stiff and weak. No wonder she had pushed him down so easily. She quickly said, "How about..."
The little poisonous creature glanced at her half-covered chest and coldly interrupted her: "Give me a break with your two ounces of flesh, auntie. Do you think you can just pick up anyone at the village entrance and have dual cultivation?"
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Jiang Ling'er looked down at herself. Was there something wrong with her?
However, she didn't dare to ask, and only said dryly, "Then what should we do..."
The little poisoner looked terrible; given his condition, he needed to rest and couldn't keep moving around. However, now was precisely the time when he couldn't afford to stop. Many people in the world wanted to kill him, and Di Qing was definitely one of the most troublesome, especially since he had blinded him. He would search high and low to find him. He had originally planned to bribe the locals and disguise himself as a farmer to avoid suspicion, but he didn't have a single penny to his name…
Seeing him with a sour face and remaining silent for a long time, Jiang Ling'er's heart began to pound. However, knowing she had done something wrong, she obediently stayed by his side in silence. Suddenly, the little poisonous creature's ears twitched, and it pointed to a place not far ahead, hidden by reeds:
"There's some noise over there, let's go check it out."
Jiang Ling'er dared not hesitate any longer and immediately turned to leave, but she had only taken one step when he called her back:
"What's the rush? Put your clothes on."
Jiang Ling'er didn't even touch the ground or turn her head. Upon hearing this, she simply waved her hand and casually pulled off the clothes on her right shoulder.
The little poisonous creature still had a small patch of white skin showing. He frowned, a lump forming in his throat, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Finally, he turned his head and gave a soft sneer:
"Whatever you want."
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Beside a clump of dense reeds, a group of children surrounded an old woman, throwing pebbles at her and laughing.
"Blind old woman! Crazy woman! You claim everyone as your own child! It's been like this for so many years, aren't you ashamed?!"
However, the old woman, surrounded by children like a trapped animal, didn't pick up on the mockery in those words at all. She continued to stop everyone she met and ask them in detail:
"Dalang...Dalang, is that you? Ah, I forgot, Dalang isn't a child anymore."
"Have you seen my eldest son? It's been six years, a full six years! My eldest son is eighteen now, a big young man. He has a scar on his face from when he was little. If you see him, please tell him that his mother is waiting for him at home, waiting for him for so long..."
However, the child she grabbed only screamed and kicked and shoved her even more frantically.
"Who is your eldest son? Your eldest son is long dead! Dead! Let go of me! If you don't let go, I'll tell my mother!"
The old woman could only weep, sobbing softly over and over again: "Big Brother... Big Brother isn't dead, you're lying, my Big Brother just went out with the Taoist priest to search for the immortal mountain, he's not dead..."
Jiang Ling'er noticed that her eyes were lifeless and unfocused, as if she were blind.
She initially thought it was Di Qing or the people from the inn who had come looking for her. When she realized it wasn't them, she breathed a sigh of relief and immediately turned to go back to the little poisonous creature. Just as she was about to turn her head, a slender hand, as smooth as mutton fat jade, suddenly landed on her shoulder.
The little poisoner lazily scolded these unruly children: "What are you doing? Don't you know how to respect your elders?"
Then, he called out eagerly to the old woman surrounded by children, "Mother, I'm back!"
Seeing Jiang Ling'er staring at him as if she'd seen a ghost, his delicate brows furrowed slightly. He subtly pulled up her slightly open collar with his hand on her shoulder, then roughly ruffled her hair, pressing her head down towards the old woman, and said in a harsh voice:
"What are you standing there for? Even an ugly woman has to meet her in-laws. Be good, call her 'Mother'."
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Author's Note: On Jiang Ling'er - "From Migrant Worker to Boss Lady".
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