Chapter 22 022 "So...you do have a heart of compassion after all..."
Jiang Ling'er spat several times as she poked her head out from a pile of sawdust, staring intently at the army of slithering insects for a long time. If it were Yuan Zao, she would have been terrified by this sight, but she was naturally bold and not afraid of snakes, so she was not afraid of these small insects either.
She just found it strange.
For those exquisite and bizarre puppets, and for these tiny insects that are so small that they could be crushed with a single finger, yet could instantly reduce the puppets to ashes.
She felt she had seen it all since childhood, traveling the martial world with a caravan, experiencing all sorts of trials and tribulations, both exciting and not so exciting. Yet, after only a few days with Little Poison, she had encountered everything from corpse-driving to Di Qing, one of the assassins of the Demonic Sect's Sanzang, and now to the puppets and insects—all things she had never seen or even heard of before! Every day brought different surprises and joys, every day she opened her eyes to a brand new and fresh day, as if her previous life had been as bland as plain water. What she was seeing now was the true martial world.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the true world of martial arts and intrigue.
She took a deep breath to suppress the vague, inexplicable surge of excitement in her heart. She stared intently at the insects, and eventually, her curiosity overcame the painful bites from the daemons. She even reached out to grab one of the insects.
Before she could even touch the insect, someone grabbed her hand in an act of malice.
"Are you out of your mind?"
The little poisonous creature grabbed one of her wrists, frowned, and glared at her with a sour expression.
She was startled and looked up at the boy who had appeared before her without her noticing. He often had a sour face, so Jiang Ling'er hadn't paid much attention to it. What puzzled her was that he was supposed to be severely injured and barely able to walk, yet he moved quite quickly, even more nimbly than she had. Jiang Ling'er blinked, about to speak, when the little devil suddenly grinned and laughed again.
Her radiant smile instantly brightened the desolate little house once more.
His other hand suddenly reached for her hair, and he laughed out loud: "You look like a hamster..." He paused abruptly, his fingertips that were stroking her hair froze on the spot, and he suddenly and extremely roughly brushed the wood chips off her hair. His handsome face twisted for a moment, and he looked extremely disgusted. "You're filthy."
Jiang Ling'er paused, then choked up: "..."
“……………”
She took a deep breath, suppressing her raging anger, and gave the little poisoner a forced smile:
“It’s wrong of me, your wife, to have soiled your hands, my lord. Please don’t hold it against me.”
After a slight pause, and with a cold snort following the little poisonous creature's raised eyebrows, it suddenly... shook its head wildly like a rattle-drum!
Didn't he say she was like a hamster? So she really did imitate a hamster, shaking off wood shavings. The wood shavings fluttered like snowflakes, and the little poisonous creature beside her was inevitably caught in the crossfire. Of course, Jiang Ling'er did it on purpose.
She did it on purpose; she can't swallow this insult!
She hasn't realized it yet. If it were her before, she definitely wouldn't have dared to do this, but after experiencing two days and one night, she's not as afraid of the little poisonous creature as she was when she first encountered it.
"……you!"
Sure enough, sawdust covered him in it, enraging the little poisonous creature. It grabbed her trembling wrists with both hands to stop her. At the same time, Jiang Ling'er obediently stopped moving, not because she was actually subdued by the little poisonous creature, but because she remembered another unpleasant matter.
Is it... no longer necessary for her to call the little poisoner "Master"?
There's no need for her and her little poisoner to pretend to be husband and wife anymore.
She thought of it, and the little poisonous creature naturally thought of it too.
Rarely, he disregarded the grudge over the splintering sawdust and instead, grabbing her wrists, he shoved her forward, placing her in front of the blind woman, and coldly stared at her.
"Don't forget our agreement, let's do it."
Jiang Ling'er paused, looking at the blind woman. She saw the woman slumped to the ground, pale-faced, trembling uncontrollably, still gripped by panic. Blind, her hands could only grasp at empty air, her mouth repeatedly calling out, "Big Brother, Big Brother, where are you? And where is your wife, Big Brother?" Overwhelmed by immense fear, she seemed to have fallen back into the illusions of the past, becoming mad and insane, crying and laughing at the same time, "Big Brother, it's all my fault. All that talk about seeking immortality and medicine was just a charade. I shouldn't have let that scoundrel of a father take you away. It's all my fault, my fault! Big Brother, where are you? I've waited so long for you, so long..."
Jiang Ling'er turned her head away; she couldn't bear to see this. Whenever she saw a blind woman, she was reminded of her father, of Old Chief Jiang's gray hair and kind eyes—she couldn't stand it.
But she wasn't the only one who couldn't stand it; Little Poison also couldn't.
She turned her head and inadvertently caught the little poisoner staring at the blind woman's melancholy face. Jiang Ling'er was stunned. It wasn't disdain or disgust, but a deeper emotion that she couldn't understand, an emotion that couldn't be described in a few words.
Anyway... he doesn't look like him at all.
He rarely, if ever, hesitated. He acted as he described, capricious and without restraint. The reason he didn't kill her several times was because he was seriously injured; she was useful to him, and he was fairly adept at using her. But the blind woman was different.
She wanted to kill them.
Otherwise, how can you explain all these puppets in the room? And how come there are only three people in this small house, and they always manage to avoid her so precisely?
Unless she is the owner of these puppets.
How can we tolerate this?
Let alone the little poisoner, even Jiang Ling'er couldn't stand it.
It's a miracle that the blind woman is still alive.
The question is, why did the little poisoner let her live until now? She clearly saw the little poisoner intend to kill the blind woman, but she didn't know why he stopped halfway through.
Why is that?
Perhaps her gaze was too undisguised and too intense, because the person being stared at so intently glared at her with a dark expression: "What are you looking at?"
Jiang Ling'er has always had a quirk that's hard to tell whether it's a flaw or a strength: she's usually playful and only practices her martial arts sporadically, seemingly having a hard time concentrating. But in reality, whether she's practicing martial arts or playing, she's wholeheartedly dedicated, provided she's willing.
She can concentrate fully on doing anything if she wants to.
But if someone forces her, she refuses. In this respect, she's somewhat similar to Little Poison's willful nature. Therefore, she's often been scolded by the old镖头 (bodyguard/chief escort) with her ear twisted: "If you were just a little more attentive, I wouldn't have to worry about anything..."
What's there to worry about?
The old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) may have said it or he may not have; she couldn't remember because her mind wasn't on that topic at the moment.
On small poisonous creatures.
She stared at the little poisonous creature and blurted out exactly what it was thinking, as if it were talking in a dream:
"So... you do have a compassionate heart after all?"
The little poisonous creature paused, then its already sinister handsome face visibly darkened further:
"What did you say?"
“…That’s true.” Jiang Ling’er seemed not to hear him. She hadn’t really paid attention, her mind completely absorbed in her own thoughts, muttering to herself, “She keeps calling you that. Whether you’re really ‘Da Lang’ or not, all she cares about right now is you. Even I can’t help but think of my father when I see you. You weren’t born from a stone, so it’s possible that you’re also thinking of your own father or mother, and therefore feeling a little pity…”
Little Poison: "..."
The little poisonous creature fell into an eerie silence, then she said, "Although your name is 'Little Poisonous,' you're not entirely poisonous. You're afraid of snakes and soft-hearted; I don't know if it's because your skills aren't up to par or..."
Upon hearing the words "not up to par," the little poisoner's temple veins throbbed, his face darkening as he stared at Jiang Ling'er, taking a step closer, his patience finally wearing thin.
"Hey, don't just spout off and assume things..."
"Ah, I understand!" Jiang Ling'er interrupted him by slamming her right fist into her left palm. Her bright eyes fixed on the little poisoner, she moved closer to him step by step. "Shy? Embarrassed?"
The little poisoner was forced to take two steps back, his brow furrowing deeply. He wondered if he had misheard; even his voice sounded different.
"……What?"
Who's shy?
Who's embarrassed?
who? ? ?
Jiang Ling'er mischievously nudged him with her elbow, tilting her head and smiling:
"Don't be shy. I know you felt sorry for her, you didn't want to kill her, but you couldn't bring yourself to do it, so you had to use me, the so-called upright person you call hypocritical, to spare her life, right?"
"Right? Right?" Jiang Ling'er said excitedly, taking two more steps closer, looking up at the little poisoner with bright, sparkling eyes. The little poisoner, however, only looked at her coolly, his slender body leaning lazily against the wall, arms wrapped around himself, raising an eyebrow and glancing at her, his thin lips barely moving.
"Are you done talking?"
Jiang Ling'er paused slightly, as if she had been doused with half a bucket of water and finally sobered up. She stared blankly at the little poison creature, meeting its cool gaze, and after a long while, she spoke:
"...That's all."
Sure enough, a familiar sneer rang out: "After listening to your rambling nonsense for so long, there is one thing you did say right."
Jiang Ling'er pursed her lips: "...What?"
“I’m using you as a mouthpiece, but not to save that old woman.” The little poisoner stared intently at Jiang Ling’er, watching her face gradually turn pale. He rubbed his high nose bridge with two fingers for a while, then let go. He stared at Jiang Ling’er’s dark eyes, which were unfathomable, and laughed out loud. “Auntie, you seem to have misunderstood something.”
Jiang Ling'er was taken aback, seeing the little poisonous creature turn around and approach her step by step, her voice indifferent:
"Why did I keep you by my side? And why did I make you kill that old woman? Because I wanted to see a spoiled brat like you grovel before me, begging for mercy! I wanted self-proclaimed righteous people like you to personally break this bullshit rule of not killing innocent people!"
Jiang Ling'er, her lower back pressed against the window frame, had nowhere to escape. The last sentence came as the little poisoner punched her in the cheek with a "bang," blocking out all the candlelight in the room. He used his body as a prisoner, staring at the person he had completely embraced and cast into his shadow, uttering each word with utmost seriousness:
"I want to break the backs of people like you, to see you slowly lose hope and struggle in pain... It feels so good, you know?"
Jiang Ling'er shuddered, her face turning deathly pale. After a long while, she closed her eyes, her voice hoarse:
"...The whole thing is suspicious. If it really was done by this old woman, you've tried it yourself. She is indeed blind and has no martial arts skills whatsoever. How could she have done all this? How could an ordinary peasant woman make such exquisite puppets?"
"Heh, still struggling." The little poisoner snorted, withdrew his hand, and crossed his arms to look at her. It seemed that he had expected her to say this. Without thinking, he answered very quickly, "This puppet looks exquisite, but it is actually just a pile of rotten wood. The Thousand Machines Sect, which is famous for its mechanical arts in Guanzhong, could probably make such a piece of rotten wood. However, speaking of mechanical arts, besides the Thousand Machines Sect, there is another person who must be mentioned."
As he finished speaking, the little poisoner's gaze fell on the blind woman who was crawling on the ground. He smirked and uttered a few words that were both familiar and unfamiliar, "Fire Dance, one of the assassins of the Demonic Sect, ranked fifth among the puppeteers."
Jiang Ling'er was taken aback: "Fire... Dance?" Another member of the Demonic Sect?
"It is said that Huo Wu is not good at martial arts, is cunning and treacherous, and is a woman who cannot even kill a chicken. Her only skill is her exquisite mechanical arts, which are unparalleled in the world. After hearing this, do you still think she is innocent?" Suddenly, before Jiang Ling'er could react, the little poisonous creature laughed out loud. "What is 'innocent'? What is 'not innocent'? It's just wishful thinking on the part of you so-called righteous people. Those of our kind are considered 'innocent,' while those of other races are considered 'not innocent.' Tch, what are you pretending to be so big shots for?"
Jiang Ling'er's face turned pale and then red. She wanted to refute something but was too tongue-tied to speak. She could only stare at the blind woman who was lying on the ground, looking confused and distressed. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white and her nails dug into her flesh.
The little poisonous creature silently took in everything and lazily urged, "Hurry up, if you can't do it, I'll eliminate you all, okay?"
Seeing Jiang Ling'er's lips pressed white, her fists clenched so tightly the veins on the back of her hands stood out, yet she remained unmoved, the little poisoner's beautiful face darkened completely. She scratched her hair in frustration and sneered:
"This is really strange. It's one thing that you can't bring yourself to kill ordinary people, but you can't even kill members of the Demonic Sect? Have you forgotten that your father's death was also related to the Demonic Sect?"
Seeing Jiang Ling'er suddenly raise her eyes, the little poisonous creature shuddered for a moment, then turned its back to the blind woman and stopped looking at her.
"Useless trash, I'll deal with this old bastard first before I deal with you."
However, it was only a moment after the little poison creature turned around. Although the little poison creature couldn't see it because it had its back turned, Jiang Ling'er saw it clearly. She saw that the doll head that she had killed with a palm strike suddenly opened its eyes, opened its mouth, and shot silver needles in the direction of the little poison creature!
Jiang Ling'er unleashed a thunderous attack, and at the same time, the blind woman's ears twitched, and she suddenly stood up and pounced on the little poisonous creature in front of it!
Everything happened in the blink of an eye!
Jiang Ling'er's palm strike was fierce, knocking away two silver needles. The last silver needle struck the blind woman's back! The blind woman let out a muffled groan of pain and fell down. She was caught by the person behind her and fainted in the arms of the little poisoner.
The little poisoner's handsome face, which was like a frozen river, finally cracked, revealing an expression of disbelief, astonishment, and confusion. The puppet that spat out silver needles was also silently smashed by the bamboo flute he threw with his backhand.
For a moment, all was quiet, except for the blind woman who had fainted in the arms of the little poisoner and was groaning silently, which showed that the silver needle was poisoned.
Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a long time, then suddenly clapped her hands in delight:
"See what I said!"
The little poisoner stared at the blind woman sleeping in his arms; tear stains still remained on her aged face.
Jiang Ling'er exhaled a breath of frustration, then laughed three times, her laughter full of sarcasm: "Hahaha! Look, look! I told you she was innocent, but you wouldn't believe me and kept bringing up fire dance and water dance with me. I'm even being harmed for you..."
The little poisoner's face was tense, and a vein bulged on his forehead:
"Shut up!"
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Author's Note: I'm so sorry I can't update on time lately because I've been taking care of patients at the hospital! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 05:49:31 and 23:06:07 on May 29, 2023!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmines: 55605063 (3 landmines);
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution: Zuoan (68 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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