Night fell, making the surroundings feel even quieter.
Li Zhengguo tilted his head and asked Tian Jing, who was carrying the lantern, "Are you scared?"
"Not scared."
In such a peaceful and quiet night, surely no more zombies would appear, Tian Jing thought to herself, habitually releasing her senses.
Ugh, no zombies, but there were two or three potential troublemakers. She glanced at Li Zhengguo, noticing he seemed oblivious to being followed.
That was understandable; those three people were at least two or three miles away.
"Shall we rest for a bit?" Tian Jing suggested.
Seeing Li Zhengguo stop the wheelbarrow by the roadside, she placed her belongings on and near the cart. "I need to relieve myself, wait for me."
Before Li Zhengguo could reply, Tian Jing, lantern in hand, quickly ran back the way they came.
In the pitch darkness, Li Zhengguo, left behind, dared not move and could only wait in place, watching the faint glow of the receding lantern.
The lantern's light flickered by the roadside, then disappeared. Li Zhengguo grew worried. In this darkness, would Tian Tian be afraid?
As for whether Tian Jing was afraid or not, she had already sped to within two hundred meters of the three men, holding the lantern in one hand and pressing her other hand to the ground.
One of them said to the other two, "I saw a faint light. Did those two come back?"
"Impossible!" another replied. "Let's hurry. You insisted on waiting until dark to act. Good heavens, these two have traveled fifty miles in four hours. And they didn't slow down on that winding road just now. Are they even human?"
"Chase them," a panting voice urged. "Quickly, keep chasing. We can't let them get away. That cartload of goods will be enough for our three families for the New Year."
In the time it took for each person to speak, Tian Jing had already caused the wild grass and tree roots beneath their feet to sprout.
"Ah!"
"Ah ah!"
"Ah ah ah!"
The screams, each sharper than the last, were heard even by Li Zhengguo, two miles away. He suddenly sprang from a sitting to a standing position. If he hadn't reacted quickly, the wheelbarrow beneath him would have overturned.
Steadying the wheelbarrow, he quickly calmed down. Even Tian Tian would be fine. Tian Tian was very capable, wasn't she? Ouyang Lei had even knelt and begged for mercy.
Over there, the three were not kneeling and begging for mercy, but hanging upside down and pleading, "Grand Aunt, we'll never dare again. Please, please let us go."
Upon seeing this Grand Aunt take out Brother Lei's most cherished dagger, the three regretted it so much they wished they could turn back time to before they were born.
Tian Jing twirled the dagger, creating a glinting arc. "What? Do you recognize this dagger?"
"Yes," the skinny man, whom Tian Jing was swinging like a pendulum from a tree branch, managed to lift his arms and bow to her.
"Grand Aunt, we were blind and failed to recognize your greatness. We beg you to be magnanimous."
"But you haven't even experienced my martial prowess yet, only been frightened by a dagger. It's not satisfying enough."
The three hanging upside down were speechless.
This wasn't martial prowess, then what was? Even Brother Lei couldn't have people suspended in the air without them realizing it.
The skinny man quickly regained his composure. "Grand Aunt, we are absolutely in awe of your martial arts. And from now on, in Ling County, if anyone foolish enough dares to provoke you, we will certainly give them a stern warning."
"Brother Lei's dagger, it's surely an offering to you, and to help you deter troublemakers. We guessed this, which is why we surrendered voluntarily, not out of doubt in your abilities."
"Otherwise, with Brother Lei's might, how could he possibly give his most beloved dagger to you? Right?"
Tian Jing found his words somewhat plausible, despite the strong suspicion of flattery.
However, she hadn't intended to do anything serious to these three. A warning would suffice, so that no one would follow her again on future shopping trips.
She desired a peaceful life. Otherwise, after suspending them, she could have simply disappeared, leaving them to fret and worry, which would have been even less trouble for her.
"That makes sense. I'll let you off this time. Go back."
As soon as Tian Jing finished speaking, the dagger in her hand flew out and then returned. She bent down, picked up the lantern, and turned, sprinting at full speed.
The lantern's light flickered rapidly, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.
The three men, sprawled on the ground, felt their hair stand on end. What had they just witnessed? Qinggong?
And the dagger, in just one movement, had severed the three vines holding them. Was this profound internal energy? Su Dan Novel Network
Tian Jing returned to Li Zhengguo's side, her breathing steady. "Let's go."
"Okay." Li Zhengguo picked up the bamboo basket and placed it on her back. He then handed her the enamel mug and the bundle wrapped around the lantern. "Tell me if you're tired."
"Not tired," Tian Jing shook her head. "Let's go home quickly. Mother and Li Min must be waiting anxiously."
"Mmm, home."
...
In Kushan, Li Min had been pacing anxiously since evening.
Li's mother urged her to cook, but she retorted confidently, "Big Sister said I'm always making these kinds of dishes. I'll wait for Big Sister to buy groceries."
Li Min couldn't settle down to cook. She was eager to know what Big Sister would buy, and whether she'd manage to exchange for money.
What had Big Sister traded? Was it valuable? Did she regret it? Her mind was a whirl of thoughts, making cooking out of the question.
"You child," Li's mother sighed helplessly. "Go to the cellar and get a few sweet potatoes. I'll wash them and start the fire to steam them."
Li Min's family cellar was next to the kitchen. If there had been a courtyard, the gate would have been near the cellar entrance.
As Li Min was about to descend into the cellar, she noticed quite a few people loitering in front of her house or Wang's house.
Were they all waiting to see what her elder brother and sister-in-law would buy?
After washing the sweet potatoes and refilling the pot with water, Li Min told her mother, who was tending the fire, that she was going to the village entrance.
Unsurprisingly, there were even more people at the village entrance. Hmph! They were all envious of her family getting a hundred yuan for free, weren't they?
"Li Min, are you going to meet your elder brother and sister-in-law?"
"Li Min, what time did your elder brother and sister-in-law leave, and when will they be back?"
"Li Min, your sister-in-law said she'd buy this and that. Is she really willing to spend?"
"Li Min, can your sister-in-law buy you some ointment?"
"Li Min, ..."
"Li Min, ..."
Upon seeing Li Min, the young wives peppered her with questions.
Li Min nodded to each one and replied uniformly, "I don't know what time they left. When my sister-in-law says something, she always follows through."
Some young wives envied Li Min for having such a good sister-in-law, while others, with darker intentions, laughed at Li Min for being foolish enough to entrust over a hundred yuan to her sister-in-law to spend.
Li Min tilted her chin. Hmph! Her sister-in-law spent even more money on her.
Besides, this hundred-plus yuan was for things that everyone in the family would use, not just for her sister-in-law.
These things, you can't know, the more you know, the more jealous you'll be.
Seeing that there was still no sign of anyone at the village head, Li Min turned and headed back towards the village tail.
After running back and forth like this a few times, it was dark, and there was no one waiting at the village entrance to watch the spectacle anymore. Li Min, holding a torch, came again. She couldn't wait at home.
Torches needed to be soaked in tung oil, but her family had no tung oil. She had only smeared a little lard on some dried grass she had gathered by the roadside and tied it to a branch.
When the grass burned out and the torch extinguished, and her elder brother and sister-in-law still hadn't returned, she grew anxious. Could something have happened?