《Abandoned Peasant Girl Has Her Own Space》 Chapter 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Argh¡­! Um¡­ Husband, you must protect our child¡­ and bring it safely into this world! Argh¡­!¡± In the dilapidated house, a pregnant woman was struggling on the verge of death. She gritted her teeth, using the last of her strength. She grabbed the bed frame, the veins on her hand popping from the effort. Under these circumstances, a tiny crying baby was born. There were no other adults in the room where the baby was delivered, only a five-year-old girl next to the bed, looking lost. Madam Tian Chen opened her eyes and looked at her daughter who was by the bed. ¡°Juxiang, good girl, don¡¯t be afraid. Have a look, see if it¡¯s a younger brother or sister!¡± Juxiang inched over slowly and took a peek, then exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Mother, it¡¯s a little sister. She¡¯s not scary at all. Instead, she¡¯s very cute, beautiful, and rosy!¡± Madam Chen was partly disappointed and partly resigned to fate. Ultimately, she had not managed to give her husband a descendant to carry on his name. She had let down Tian Tiejun, who had two months ago gone into the mountains catching pheasants to nourish her body and fallen off a cliff to his death. If there was a next lifetime, she would hope to be his wife again, and make up for what she had owed him in this lifetime. Madam Chen¡¯s voice was weak as she instructed her elder daughter, ¡°Juxiang, grab the pair of scissors on the table. There¡¯s a clean rag beside it. Use the rag to wipe the scissors clean.¡± Following her mother¡¯s instructions, Juxiang picked up the piece of rag and cleaned the scissors with it. ¡°Mother, the scissors are now clean!¡± ¡°Hold on to the fine thread on the table. Then use the pair of scissors to sever the umbilical cord on your sister¡¯s belly!¡± Juxiang was shocked. ¡°Mother, how can I cut my little sister¡¯s belly!¡± ¡°Juxiang, sever the cord on your sister¡¯s navel and tie it down with the fine thread. Go on! It¡¯s okay, it was like this too, when you were born!¡± Having spoken this much, Madam Chen was left exhausted. Juxiang did as her mother instructed. Then, she gently lifted her sister and took her to her mother. Madam Chen looked at the baby in Juxiang¡¯s arms and finally forced a smile. The baby, fair and unblemished, turned her rosy face towards Madam Chen and laughed. This made Madam Chen cry as she said, ¡°Child, it¡¯s just your bad luck to have chosen me as your mother. You¡¯re destined to suffer.¡± ¡°Mother, what¡¯s Little Sister¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Although she¡¯s destined to suffer, she ought to be free and unfettered. Let¡¯s name LIttle Sister Wunian (which means carefree). Juxiang, Little Sister will depend on you to raise her. You have to take good care of her, understand?¡± Indeed, the children of poor families are plied with responsibilities early on in life. Juxiang seemed to know what was coming. She held her sister tightly and said to her mother, ¡°Mother, I will take good care of Little Sister!¡± Madam Chen¡¯s tears were stained with red as she looked at Juxiang holding Wunian in her arms. She roared at the skies overhead, ¡°The heavens are unfair. How are these two girls going to survive!¡± With that, Madam Chen took her last breath and passed on. Juxiang wrapped her sister in a rag and carried her to the main residence. She knelt at the door and cried, ¡°Please Grandpa, please Grandma, help me find a doctor to treat my mother! Please! I beg of you, take a look at my mother!¡± Tian Zhuangzhu, who was seated at the head of the table eating, looked up and asked Madam Wang, who was seated next to him, ¡°Old Lady, is that the daughter of the third son out there?¡± Madam Wang was displeased at being interrupted in the middle of her meal. She replied unhappily, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go take a look¡± The second son, Tian Tieshan, remarked, ¡°Mother, I was passing by their house just then and heard Third Sister-in-law shouting. Is she about to give birth?¡± Madam Ma tugged at Tian Tieshan¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°Hey, what are you up to? Are you just being a busybody, or are you feeling sorry for Third Sister-in-law?¡± ¡°Aiya! How can that be? I¡¯m only asking!¡± The old man, Tian Zhuangzhu, glanced at Madam Wang and placed his bowl and chopsticks back on the table. ¡°Old Lady, go take a look. She is part of our family after all.¡± ¡°Fine! They¡¯re all troublesome.¡± Madam Wang placed her bowl and chopsticks back on the table. She walked over to the door, and saw Juxiang holding a baby in her arms. She approached Juxiang and lifted the girl up by the collar of her clothes. ¡°Your mother has given birth?¡± ¡°Yes, Grandma. My mother has given birth.¡± ¡°Is it a boy or a girl?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little sister.¡± ¡°Your mother is such a loser, giving us yet another liability.¡± ¡°Grandma, take a look at my mother! Please!¡± ¡°What is there to see? It¡¯s good that she died in there! Jinx, such ill luck.¡± Madam Wang made her way to the dilapidated house, cursing and swearing. Not long after, the woman ran out in shock, and into the dining hall in the main room. Tian Zhuangzhu saw that she was out of breath and asked what was wrong. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Old Man, that jinx is dead! That scared the living daylights out of me!¡± The eldest son, Tian Tieniu, raised his head in surprise. ¡°Dead? How did that happen? Third Brother died, and now Third Sister-in-law is also dead. How are the two children going to survive?¡± Madam Tian Liu pinched the Tian Tieniu on his thigh and whispered in his ear, ¡°Mind your own business!¡± Tian Zhuangzhu placed his bowl and chopsticks down and got onto his feet, saying to his two daughters-in-law, ¡°Madam Liu, Madam Ma, no matter what, you¡¯ve been sisters-in-law with Madam Chen for many years. Find some decent garments and bring them over to take a look. If she¡¯s really gone, help her change into the clean garments and tidy her up. Eldest Son and Second Son, find some help to carry her body out for a burial!¡± By this time, Madam Wang had come back to her senses and calmed down. She said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to look for help! The two of you, go roll Madam Chen¡¯s body in a straw mat and put her in a cart. Then take her to the mountains and bury her there. That settles it. There¡¯s no need to spend money to get help. Besides, we¡¯d have to provide boarding and end up paying through our noses.¡± Madam Liu and Madam Ma as well, were unwilling to do those things for the third son¡¯s family, so they ignored Tian Zhuangzhu¡¯s words. Tian Zhuangzhu sighed and said, ¡°Old Lady, I know that you don¡¯t like our third son, but no matter what, you were the one who gave birth to him after carrying him for ten months! You weren¡¯t even sad when he died, and now that his wife is gone, can¡¯t you just¡­! Sigh!¡± Tian Tieniu chipped in, ¡°That¡¯s right, Mother! Third Brother¡¯s family had never done well to begin with. Now that Third Sister-in-law is gone too, can¡¯t you let her go with dignity?¡± Madam Wang narrowed her triangular eyes and said hatefully, ¡°No way. I remember not long after Third Son was born, a Daoist priest turned up at our doorstep. He said that Third Son was here to take back what was owed him, and from then on misfortune will befall the family, there will be endless illnesses and disasters. He wanted to charge me ten teals of silver for his talismans to resolve the bad luck but I didn¡¯t have the money, so he left. Therefore, it¡¯s best for all these debt collectors in this family die!¡± Juxiang stood at the door carrying her little sister, not daring to speak. Tian Zhuangzhu and Tian Tieniu had no say in this family. Usually, their wives were in-charge. Madam Wang stubbornly stuck to her beliefs, and they could not change her mind. Tian Tieniu and Tian Tieshan could only obey Madam Wang, and made their way to their third brother¡¯s home. Seeing that her two uncles were heading for the dilapidated house, Juxiang followed them with her little sister in her arms. She heard her second uncle tell her eldest uncle, ¡°Brother, you go ahead and enter the house. I¡¯m not going. The sight of it will scare me.¡± The eldest son, Tian Tieniu, was a simple and honest person. Compared to his second brother, he had a better relationship with his third brother. Hence for the sake of his third brother, Tian Tieniu walked forward and pulled Madam Chen over. Then, he rolled Madam Chen in a straw mat and tied it up with a rope. Then he stood at the doorway and shouted, ¡°Second Brother, push the cart to the doorway.¡± This, Tian Tieshan was willing to do. He stepped through the doorway and brought the cart over. Tian Tieniu lifted Madam Chen¡¯s body and placed it on the cart. Just as the two of them were about to leave the courtyard, they saw Juxiang following behind with her sister in her arms. Tieniu stopped and said to Juxiang, ¡°Juxiang, don¡¯t come with us. The mountain path is long. Just kneel at the doorway and send your mother off. We will give your mother a decent burial.¡± Doing as her uncle instructed, Juxiang knelt at the doorway with Wunian in her arms. As she was carrying her sister, she could only half-bend down to send her mother off. ¡°Mother, I will take good care of myself and Little Sister. Rest in peace!¡± The two brothers pushed the cart to the foot of the mountains till they could proceed no further, then Tian Tieniu let go of the handcart. Tian Tieshan suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s not dig a hole. It¡¯s exhausting. We¡¯ll just leave her body here and the wild beasts will come to devour her. No one will know, it¡¯ll save us the trouble.¡± ¡°How can that do? After all, Sister-in-law gave Third Brother two daughters. No matter what, she contributed! We can¡¯t leave her without a proper resting place! If you¡¯re unwilling, I¡¯ll do the digging.¡± ¡°Alright, alright! I was only saying, I was only saying!¡± With that, Tian Tieshan and Tieniu took up their shovels and started digging the grave together. An hour later, the pit was deep enough. The two of them carried Madam Chen¡¯s body and lowered it into the pit, then they filled it with soil. Both men were illiterate. They found a length of timber, used a shovel to splice it open and inserted it into the grave. They did not write on it as they were illiterate, and thought that no one would come to burn joss paper for her anyway. Once they were done, Tian Tieshan hurried Tian Tieniu to return home. After Madam Chen¡¯s body was transported out of the courtyard, Juxiang continued to kneel there with her sister in her arms. She didn¡¯t cry, for she was afraid that Grandma would throw the two of them out if she did. Madam Wang stood at the door and scolded, ¡°You wretched girl, why are you still kneeling there? Are you tired of living? I¡¯m telling you, if you want to keep your sister alive, you¡¯d better be doing some useful work. If you don¡¯t work, I won¡¯t feed you! Hmph.¡± After all, Madam Wang came from a rather powerful family. She had married into a worse-off family, and had to suffer along with them. Therefore, Tian Zhuangzhu was not in a position to do much about the woman. Juxiang didn¡¯t know what to do with the baby in her arms. Madam Wang continued, ¡°Put the small one back in the house, then come over to wash the dishes.¡± Juxiang got onto her feet and carried Wunian back into their house. Although the house was dilapidated, it was her home nevertheless. She looked at the hard bed which her mother was lying on just then. Now that the bed was empty, featuring only a bare board. So that the two of them would not starve to death, Juxiang placed her sister on the bed board and turned around to find a piece of her mother¡¯s tattered clothes. She covered her sister with it. Fortunately, it was July and the weather wasn¡¯t cold. After that, Juxiang quickly ran to the dining hall in the main residence. Madam Wang pointed at the leftovers on the table and said, ¡°Wash the bowls and chopsticks. You sister can eat the leftovers! Don¡¯t waste them.¡± Eldest Aunt then hustled 10-year-old Eldest Cousin, Tian Weixin, and eight-year-old Second Cousin, Tian Weihong, to the west residence. The two boys did nothing but eat and play every day, and were spoiled rotten by their mother. She was the only one who gave the family two sons all at once. In Madam Wang¡¯s eyes, as long as one could bear sons, one was good enough. Second Aunt, Madam Ma, too, turned around and headed back to their north residence, with her son, Weichun, and daughter Yuehong in tow. In her arms, she was carrying her daughter, Yue Lan, who had just turned one year old. Juxiang climbed onto the table and placed the remaining rice and vegetables into two bowls separately. Then, she slowly moved the other bowls to the kitchen and filled a basin with water. The process was very difficult, but Juxiang did it. After washing the dishes, she took the food and returned to her dilapidated house. At this point, Tian Wunian was lying there quietly, waiting for her big sister to return. Juxiang smiled when she saw her little sister. ¡°Little Sister is so well-behaved. I¡¯m home. Are you hungry? I¡¯ll feed you.¡± Juxiang took the bowl and crawled onto the bed. She picked up some rice with her chopsticks and fed it into Wunian¡¯s mouth. Wunian pushed with her little tongue and spat out all the rice. Juxiang panicked. ¡°Little Sister, why aren¡¯t you eating? Aren¡¯t you hungry? You can¡¯t not eat! You¡¯re so tiny, you won¡¯t be able to grow bigger if you don¡¯t eat.¡± At this point, Tian Tieniu and Tian Tieshan returned with the cart. Juxiang hurriedly ran out and asked, ¡°Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, my sister isn¡¯t eating. Will you take a look and see what¡¯s wrong with her? Please!¡± Second Uncle Tian Tieshan said disdainfully, ¡°Shoo! Shoo! Don¡¯t bother me. I¡¯m hot and tired.¡± Eldest Uncle put the cart away and came back saying, ¡°Newborn babies can¡¯t eat rice. Find something to grind the rice into a thin rice paste. The thinner the better. It¡¯s best if it¡¯s like soup.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°I understand. Thank you, Eldest Uncle!¡± When Madam Wang saw that her two sons had returned, she stood at the door and scolded them, ¡°Hurry up and come back in already. I think it¡¯s because of this little one that her parents died. Why would she need to eat? Just starve her to death. Juxiang, let me tell you, you¡¯re not allowed to let that jinx come to the main house, understand?! Otherwise, I¡¯ll throw her out.¡± When the two aunties, who were standing at the doorways of their own homes, heard what Madam Wang said, they turned around and quickly retreated back into their residences to educate their children. The five-year-old Juxiang was like a little adult. She felt extremely upset when she heard her grandmother¡¯s words, but she had no choice but to agree. As long as she and her little sister were able to survive, she could only nod and comply. Seeing that the girl seemed to have understood, the old lady then grumpily turned around to go home. After her grandmother had gone back into the house, Juxiang went in as well. She really couldn¡¯t find a way to grind the rice into a paste. Just as she was about to cry from anxiety, she saw a small stone mortar in the corner of the main room. It was used by her grandmother in the past, to mash garlic. Because there was a hole on the side, it kept cutting her hand, so she got Tian Zhuangzhu to make her a new one and tossed the old one aside. Juxiang tip-toed over, picked up the stone mortar and pestle, and ran back. When she got home, she scooped some water and washed it clean. Then, she poured half of the rice into it and slowly pounded it until it turned into a thin paste. However, it was too dry. She poured half a bowl of water into it and continued pounding. Immediately, it turned into a thin paste again. The girl raised her hands and looked at them. There were abrasions and they were bleeding. Enduring the pain, Juxiang poured the other half of the rice into the vegetable bowl, emptying out a bowl for the rice paste. She was trembling as she approached Wunian with the bowl. She smiled nevertheless, and said, ¡°Little Sister, are you hungry? It was my mistake earlier on. I didn¡¯t know you couldn¡¯t eat rice. Now, I¡¯m feeding you rice paste. Why don¡¯t you try some. Come, ah!¡± Wunian opened her mouth and sucked on the rice paste on the chopsticks. It was very fragrant. Juxiang smiled happily. ¡°Little Sister, you¡¯re such a good girl. I can¡¯t keep up with you. You can only grow up quickly if you eat more, right?¡± Juxiang talked to herself as a way of teasing Wunian. After a long time trying to feed the baby, she finally finished the half bowl of rice paste. By the time Wunian was done eating, Juxiang¡¯s food had turned cold. However, the weather was hot, so it didn¡¯t matter if the food turned cold. Juxiang polished it off. At night, after the people in the main residence finished dinner, Juxiang went to wash the dishes. Then, she brought back the leftovers to eat. Just like that, the very difficult first day came and went. The next morning, Juxiang saw that her little sister had dirtied the rag. Because the baby was too small to wear anyone¡¯s clothes, she was kept wrapped in rags. Juxiang thought about what her mother would have done if she were around. Then, she muttered to herself, ¡°If Mother was still around, she¡¯d take these to the river to wash them. I can¡¯t wash them at the river. But there¡¯s a small ditch by the side of the house. I don¡¯t have to go out of the courtyard.¡± With that, Juxiang found a small wooden basin and placed the rag inside. She found another clean piece of cloth to wrap her little sister in. She said to her little sister, ¡°Little Sister, be good. I¡¯m taking your soiled clothes to wash. Don¡¯t cry when you¡¯re alone at home!¡± After saying that, she even smiled at Wunian. Her smile was extremely adorable. As if responding to Juxiang, Wunian made a whimpering sound! Juxiang was overjoyed. ¡°Little Sister, be good! I¡¯m off then!¡± Juxiang carried a basin of clothes to the ditch. The water in the ditch came from the mountains. At the time when Tian Zhuangzhu was building the house, he discovered that water kept emerging from a corner of the courtyard. The courtyard was wet all year round. Later on, Tian Zhuangzhu and his three sons dug a ditch to draw the water out. This also made it convenient for the women at home to do their washing. Juxiang carried the basin of clothes and washed them in the ditch. The two aunties pretended that they didn¡¯t see anything. No one was willing to help her with the washing. They didn¡¯t allow the children to provoke Juxiang or play with her. They ignored her and treated her as invisible. In this manner, the days went by. Washing clothes, washing dishes, bringing home leftovers, feeding her little sister, putting the baby to bed. In the blink of an eye, five years had gone by. The little Wunian had learned to perform many tasks. In the past five years, apart from taking care of Wunian like she was the child¡¯s own mother, Juxiang also had to do house chores in the main residence before she could bring back leftovers to eat. And when they had clothes that could no longer be worn, they would pass them on to the two sisters. In all that time, Wunian had not gone to the main residence even once, nor did she step out of the main entrance of the courtyard. This was because Tian Zhuangzhu and his two sons cared about their reputation. If others knew that the third son and his wife had died, and their child was growing up eating leftovers like this, wearing discarded clothes, doing housework like a servant girl, and beaten and scolded like a prisoner, people would despise them. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Juxiang, where the hell are you? Hurry up and cut the hogweed. Can¡¯t you see that the pigs are screaming in hunger?¡± ¡°Grandma, Elder Sister has gone to wash clothes. She¡¯s not back yet.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me grandma. I¡¯ve told you before, you¡¯re my jinx. You¡¯re not my child, and you¡¯re not allowed to take my surname. Remember this!¡± ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± At this point, her elder sister returned with a basket of clothes. Before she could put them down, Madam Wang shouted, ¡°Juxiang, why did you take so long to wash the clothes? Are you slacking off outside?!¡± ¡°Grandma, I didn¡¯t. I came back right after I did the washing.¡± ¡°Hurry up and cut the hogweed. The pigs are already hungry.¡± ¡°But I haven¡¯t had breakfast, and neither has Little Sister.¡± ¡°Forget about eating. You won¡¯t starve to death missing a meal. It¡¯s time for your younger sister, this jinx, to start working. Otherwise, she can forget about eating.¡± ¡°Grandma, Little Sister is still young. She¡¯s not able to do anything.¡± ¡°What can¡¯t she do? I¡¯ll have that little b*tch do the dishes today. Now, take her to cut the hogweed. Oh, maybe you do that after hanging out the laundry.¡± After giving the instructions, Madam Wang sashayed away. Feeling helpless, Juxiang took her younger sister with her to hang out the laundry. After hanging the individual garments out, they had to be smoothed out. Otherwise, the clothes would be wrinkled from drying and Madam Wang would give them a nasty scolding. After hanging out the clothes, Juxiang took Wunian¡¯s hand and walked out of the courtyard with a big vegetable basket. This was the first time Wunian had walked out of the house. In fact, she secretly liked it. ¡°Ah! Juxiang is going to work again! That is why people say reincarnation is a skill. Look at me. I eat and drink well every day. My parents never allowed me to do any chores. Look at you. You live a life worse than a dog¡¯s. If I were you, I¡¯d rather die.¡± ¡°Tian Xing, move aside. Yes, I¡¯m not as lucky as you, okay?!¡± ¡°Of course, how can you be as lucky as me! Who is this person? Could it be your jinx little sister? Let me give you some advice! Throw her out, or she¡¯ll jinx you to death sooner or later.¡± ¡°Tian Xing, you can curse me, but you¡¯re not to scold my sister. Otherwise, I¡¯ll fight it out with you.¡± ¡°Fine, you¡¯re such a scary thug. Get lost then!¡± Juxiang took her sister¡¯s hand and walked past Tian Xing. Wunian lowered her head and held her sister¡¯s hand as she followed behind. She thought to herself, Am I really a jinx? Why does everyone dislike me and scold me? What did I do wrong? Juxiang comforted Wunian as she led the younger girl away. ¡°Little Sister, you¡¯re very good. Don¡¯t listen to their nonsense.¡± ¡°Sister, didn¡¯t I jinx Father and Mother to death?¡± ¡°No, Father and Mother love us very much. We must grow up well so that we won¡¯t give Father and Mother cause to worry.¡± ¡°Alright Sister, I¡¯ll do as you say. We must grow up well.¡± The two of them smiled and held hands as they continued walking. Meanwhile, in the main residence, Madam Ma, who was from the second son¡¯s family, sat beside her second daughter, Yuehong, watching the girl embroider. Madam Ma¡¯s expression was filled with joy. Her third daughter, Yuelan, was already six years old. Like her sister, Yuelan was also embroidering something with a needle and thread. At this point in life, Madam Ma was content. She couldn¡¯t read, but her son was capable. He was now a scholar, a true academic. She herself was from a poor farming family. Not to mention learning needlework, she did not even have enough to fill her stomach sometimes. She was able to marry into the Tian family only because she had used some methods. Initially, the Old Tian family had taken a fancy to her elder sister, who was honest and dutiful, but she was also clumsy with her words. Madam Ma said a few sweet words to coax the matchmaker, and in the end, she tried her best to matchmake Tie Shan and Madam Ma, emphasizing how compatible they were. To the Old Tian family, they could marry either. So they simply agreed. It¡¯s said that one should be in-charge of one¡¯s own life. She saw how her sister was now married to a poor family and her husband often beat and scolded her. Speaking of which, Madam Ma was like a winner in life now. Her second daughter was good at embroidery and was praised by everyone! Madam Ma said proudly to Madam Wang, ¡°Mother! Come quickly and take a look at the handkerchief Yuehong has embroidered.¡± Madam Wang walked over with a smile. She looked at the embroidery work that Yuehong was holding and said in agreement, ¡°Your decision back then was right. Yuehong is highly skilled in needlework and will be highly thought of wherever she goes. It would be even better if she could marry a high-ranking official in the future. I look forward to enjoying all the blessings that Yuehong will bring.¡± Madam Tian Liu, who was sitting by the side, was rather unhappy. Back then, she had given the old Tian family two chubby little sons. Her in-laws were most fond of her, and her husband would do whatever she said. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Madam Liu felt uncomfortable when she saw this scene. She put away the wicker sewing basket she was using to mend her shoes, and said to Madam Wang, ¡°Mother, Weixin is coming back from the county town today, let¡¯s prepare some good dishes tonight. Our Weixin¡­ Even our county magistrate has met him.¡± One could only guess whom she was directing this comment to, she even emphasized the last sentence. When Madam Wang heard this, she replied, ¡°We know, we know!¡± Madam Ma laughed to herself. Hehe, it¡¯s true he had met the county magistrate. He and a group of scoundrels were eating, drinking, and fooling around. They teased a girl on the street and were caught red-handed by a passing constable. After they were released, they came back claiming that they saw the girl being bullied by others and acted bravely to rescue her, they were invited by the county magistrate to receive an award. Hmph, pfft, shameless. Only Madam Wang and Madam Liu believe it. They think that this eldest son, Weixin, is a genius. In my opinion, he¡¯s just a worm. He wants us, second brother¡¯s family, to contribute some betrothal money. No way. At this point, Tian Zhuangzhu and his two sons returned from the fields with hoes on their shoulders. Madam Wang walked over and said to Tian Zhuangzhu, ¡°You¡¯re home. You must be tired after being out all day! That little brat Juxiang is taking so long to cut some hogweed. She must be slacking off outside again.¡± As long as it came to work, Madam Wang would think of Juxiang. Nowadays Madam Wang did not lift a finger and knew only to delegate tasks to Juxiang. Juxiang was now handling all household matters alone. Before dawn in the morning, Juxiang had to get up and go to the river to wash the clothes of the entire family. On returning home, she had to hang out the laundry. Then, she had to cut hogweed,feed the pigs, and make lunch. However, Juxiang did not need to cook. Madam Wang was worried that the girl would use too much oil and salt, and was also afraid that she¡¯d secretly eat while preparing food. Hence the woman mostly did the cooking, or otherwise, her two daughters-in-law would do it. At this point, Juxiang returned carrying a basket of grass. Needless to say, she brought the grass to the side of the small ditch and washed them in the stream flowing down from the mountains. Then, she brought the grass to the pigpen, chopped them on the chopping board with a kitchen knife and fed the pigs. As soon as she was done, Madam Wang called out from the doorway of the main residence again, ¡°Juxiang, why are you dawdling, can¡¯t you work faster?! Hurry up, your grandfather and uncles are hungry. Go cook the rice first before washing the vegetables. Hurry up! Are you asking for a beating?¡± Juxiang turned around and said to Wunian, ¡°Sister, go home first. I¡¯ll bring you food later.¡± ¡°Uh huh! Big Sister, I understand.¡± Juxiang saw to it that Wunian had returned to their little dilapidated house before running off to the kitchen in the main residence to continue her chores. Madam Ma, who was watching Juxiang enter the kitchen, pretended to be calm and continued to watch Yuehong embroider. In fact, she was scheming how to sell Juxiang, and get half of the money for herself. Seeing that the men at home were resting in front of the main hall and Madam Wang was passing this way heading back to her room, Madam Ma said hypocritically, ¡°Mother, Weixin is already 15 years old. Logically speaking, he should be getting married. I wonder how much betrothal money you¡¯ll be contributing as his grandmother?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any money. This bit of income every year is in plain sight. Can¡¯t you see it?!¡± ¡°Mother! I know of a way you can contribute and look good without costing you a single cent. You might even be able to earn some money.¡± ¡°What method? Don¡¯t keep us in suspense. Tell us quickly!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s a ruffian in my maternal family¡¯s village. He¡¯s in his thirties and hasn¡¯t gotten a wife yet. The last time I visited my maternal family, he asked me if there were any suitable girls. He¡¯s willing to pay five taels of silver as betrothal money. Mother, what do you think?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. If I marry Juxiang off, who will do the housework for me?¡± ¡°Mother! Aiya! Hasn¡¯t that d*mned child, Wunian, grown up too?¡± ¡°Okay, let me think about it. We¡¯ll discuss it after dinner!¡± Madam Ma smiled and said, ¡°Sigh! Whatever you wish.¡± At this point, a young man alighted from the ox cart at the entrance of the courtyard. This young man was a little fat! He was none other than Weixin, son of the eldest son. When Madam Liu heard the commotion, she quickly went out to welcome him. ¡°Son! You must be tired! Come in and rest. The food isn¡¯t ready yet. We¡¯ll go over when it¡¯s ready!¡± ¡°Mother, I¡¯m exhausted. Riding on that ox cart makes me feel like my body is falling apart. Many of my close friends in school are already using horse carriages. It¡¯s too embarrassing when I¡¯m with them.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, okay. Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± ¡°Mother, we¡¯re already inside the house. Are you agreeing to buy a horse carriage?¡± ¡°Son! How would I have the money to buy a horse carriage for you! Aren¡¯t you already 15? It¡¯s time for you to marry a girl. I don¡¯t even have the betrothal money!¡± ¡°Mother! What are you people at home doing all day? You can¡¯t even afford this bit of money. Let¡¯s make a deal! I¡¯m not going to marry a girl from the village. I want to marry a girl from the county town.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 6 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Ah! How much money does a girl from the county town expect for a betrothal gift?! Your father and your grandfather are the only ones in the family who work in the fields. We didn¡¯t have much harvest this year!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I insist on marrying a city girl. Oh, right! Isn¡¯t Juxiang already 10 years old?¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t even think about it. She¡¯s even poorer.¡± ¡°No, Mother, do you think we¡¯ll have money if we sold her to a rich family to be a servant girl? I heard from a well-to-do classmate of mine that they paid more than ten taels of silver to buy a servant girl! Won¡¯t I have the money to get married then? We might even have spare money to buy me a horse carriage!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I wonder if your grandmother and the others will agree?¡± ¡°They will. You can suggest it after dinner. And I¡¯ll chip in after that.¡± ¡°Alright! I understand.¡± After a while, Madam Wang could be heard chiding someone in the main residence kitchen. ¡°Juxiang, the fire¡¯s way too strong. Is that just because you don¡¯t have to spend the effort chopping firewood?!¡± A moment later. ¡°Juxiang, are you brainless?! Why are you just sitting there and not adding firewood to the fire? The pot isn¡¯t even hot anymore. How are you going to stir-fry the vegetables?¡± When the meal was finally ready, the family ate in the dining hall. Juxiang sat in the kitchen and waited. After they finished eating, Juxiang went in to collect the bowls and chopsticks and poured the leftovers into another bowl. She was already very used to washing the dishes. After washing up, Juxiang carried the food to her dilapidated house. When she saw her sister sitting at the door, she smiled and said, ¡°Little Sister, come and eat!¡± Meanwhile, in the main residence, everyone seemed to have a tacit understanding. After eating, they sat around the dining table until Juxiang left with the food. Only then did Madam Wang say, ¡°Old man! I heard from Second Daughter-in-law that there is a man in her maternal hometown who¡¯s looking for a wife. They are able to give five taels of silver as betrothal money! Our Juxiang is already so old. It¡¯s time for her to get married, lest others say that we don¡¯t care about her future. What do you think?¡± Tian Zhuangzhu tapped his pipe and said, ¡°You can make the decision on this matter. All girls have to get married when they grow up.¡± ¡°Aye! Alright then.¡± Weixin couldn¡¯t couldn¡¯t suppress himself anymore and shot Madam Liu a look. Madam Liu caught her son¡¯s signal and said, ¡°Mother, Juxiang is still young! She¡¯s only ten years old this year, too young to get married. If the villagers found out about it, they¡¯ll scold us to death!¡± Madam Ma couldn¡¯t stay calm anymore. Madam Liu was ruining her plans. ¡°Sister-in-law, that¡¯s not true. Third Brother and his wife are no longer around. What¡¯s wrong with Mother thinking about their children¡¯s marriage early?¡± Madam Liu replied, ¡°Sister-in-law! Let me finish. I¡¯m not saying that Mother is wrong. What I mean is that Juxiang is still young. Only the men from your family, my father, and I are working] the fields. The annual harvest is only this much. Juxiang is already ten years old. She can go to a rich family to help earn some money. Won¡¯t this reduce the burden on the family? Mother, what do you think?¡± Weixin quickly added, ¡°Grandma, my classmate is very rich. His family pays more than ten taels of silver to buy a servant girl! Our Juxiang is good-looking, so they will definitely be willing to pay morefor her a lot of money. Grandma, what do you think?¡± The moment she heard the sum of more than ten taels of silver, Madam Wang¡¯s eyes widened. She immediately decided without a second thought, ¡°Yes, Juxiang is indeed a little young to get married at the moment. In this case, Weixin, go and ask your classmate when he might be coming to pay and take her away. We can send her over as an alternative!¡± ¡°Alright, Grandma, the next time I come back, I¡¯ll take Juxiang there and bring the money back for you.¡± Seeing that her plan had been ruined by the eldest son¡¯s family, Madam Ma said angrily to the children, ¡°Everyone, time to go. Those who should study, study; likewise for those who need to embroider.¡± Madam Ma carried Yuelan and urged the two elders to leave. Tie Shan, who was watching from behind, was puzzled. Why was she so angry? Mainly, Madam Ma had not discussed it with Tian Tieshan in advance, so Tian Tieshan could not help. The Juxiang sisters, who were eating in their dilapidated house, knew nothing about what had transpired. They had no idea that their lives were used by this family to satisfy their own greed and desires. How sad their parents would be if they were still around and knew about this. Neither did Wunian know that like her sister, the day would come for her to take on housework, and when she grew a little older, she would also be sold, like her sister. After dinner, Wunian said like an angelic little girl, ¡°Big Sister take a rest, Wunian will wash the dishes.¡± Juxiang was terribly moved when she heard this. ¡°Good Little Sister, I¡¯m not tired. I¡¯ll wash up. You¡¯re still young. I¡¯ll teach you how to do the dishes when you¡¯re a little older.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 7 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios She had no idea that there wouldn¡¯t be an opportunity. There would be no opportunity to take her sister along to work or teach her how to work and survive. Half a month later, Weixin returned from the county. At the same time, it was also the sisters¡¯ last day together. That day half a month later, Weixin walked into the house happily. Madam Wang and Madam Liu immediately came over and asked, ¡°How is it? Did you ask? How much is it?¡± Weixin said proudly, ¡°My classmate went home to ask. For a girl 8 to 12 years old, 12 taels. Between 13 and 16 years old, 14 taels. I spent a long time trying to convince him how beautiful and diligent my sister is. My classmate only added 1 tael. Now, it¡¯s 13 taels.¡± Madam Wang said excitedly, ¡°Selling her to someone else as a servant girl is eight taels more than marrying her off. Hahaha, Weixin, well done!¡± Weixin patted his chest and said, ¡°Of course. Who else would be more capable? By the way, Grandma, you have to use this money for my marriage!¡± Madam Wang smiled and narrowed her eyes. ¡°I know! It more than covers your marriage. Hahaha.¡± They didn¡¯t feel sorry for Juxiang and her sister at all. They even felt proud that they were really good people. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they fed the girls leftovers, the girls would have starved to death long ago. What was the big deal about doing some housework? As a granddaughter, it was filial duty to let her grandmother enjoy life. Why didn¡¯t she say that the children of the eldest and second sons were also her grandchildren who had to do chores? Of course, she had the two sons watching over her! Moreover, both their wives¡¯ first-borns were sons. All of them felt that they were decent people. If it had been other people, the two girls would not have grown up at all. Their family was benevolent and had brought the girls up till they were this old, but it was now time for them to contribute to this family. On this afternoon after lunch, Juxiang brought food to her little sister. Madam Wang came over and called out, ¡°Juxiang, come here.¡± ¡°Yes, Grandma? I haven¡¯t eaten yet!¡± ¡°Who cares about eating? Just come when I tell you to. Don¡¯t dawdle. Hurry up.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m coming.¡± When Juxiang arrived at the hall of the main residence, she saw that everyone in the family was sitting there. Madam Wang pulled Juxiang to the center and said, ¡°Juxiang, you¡¯ve grown up. It¡¯s time for you to earn money for the family. The income we earn from relying on your grandfather and two uncles working in the fields is too little. Our daily finances are tight. Your eldest brother is about to get married and doesn¡¯t even have money.¡± Juxiang was dumbfounded. What could she do about this? She wouldn¡¯t be able to earn any money for her brother¡¯s marriage either! Up till this point, the poor girl had no idea that they were going to sell her for money. Madam Wang said guiltlessly, ¡°I¡¯ve decided to sell you in exchange for money to get your brother a wife.¡± Juxiang¡¯s mind felt as though it had exploded. ¡°No, don¡¯t sell me. My sister is still young. She can¡¯t do without me.¡± Juxiang knelt in front of the people and kowtowed to them. Tian Zhuangzhu took his tobacco pipe and went to stand under the eaves of the kitchen door. Then he sat there smoking. Just as Tieniu was about to speak, Madam Liu stopped him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t even dare interfere! If you ruin our son¡¯s business, I won¡¯t let you off!¡± Since he had no say, Tieniu walked out as well. Madam Wang pointed at Juxiang and scolded, ¡°Wretched girl, listen carefully. You have to go today whether you like it or not. If you do so obediently. I¡¯ll treat your sister better and won¡¯t let her starve to death. Also, when she turns eight, I¡¯ll sell her as a servant girl to that rich family that you¡¯re being sold to. Maybe if you do a good job there, you¡¯d still get to look after your sister in the future!¡± After being frightened by Madam Wang, Juxiang did not dare to retaliate further. She was afraid that her sister would starve to death once she left. She kowtowed desperately to Madam Wang and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go. Please don¡¯t starve my sister to death. She¡¯s still young. Please take care of her!¡± Madam Wang said impatiently, ¡°Alright, you just have to be obedient and go with Big Brother Weixin. Do whatever your Big Brother tells you to, understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand! I wish to explain this to Little Sister, is that okay? Please.¡± ¡°Alright, go. When Big Brother leaves later, follow him. Don¡¯t play tricks on me, or I¡¯ll break your legs.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± With that, Juxiang got up and went back to their dilapidated house. She had to cherish every remaining moment she had with her little sister and explain things to her. Juxiang ran home and saw that her little sister had not eaten. The girl was waiting for her elder sister to come back to eat with her. Juxiang¡¯s tears fell like rain as she approached her little sister. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 8 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Little Sister, listen carefully to what I¡¯m saying now.¡± Wunian looked at her sister in confusion and said, ¡°Big Sister, what do you want to tell me?¡± ¡°Little Sister, I¡¯ve been sold by Grandma to a rich family to be a servant girl. We won¡¯t be able to see each other in the future. After I leave, Little Sister, you have to go on with life. Do chores for Grandma in exchange for food. Whatever you don¡¯t know how to do, take it slow. Try not to make any mistakes. If you make any mistakes, you¡¯ll be beaten. Little Sister, do you understand?!¡± Wunian nodded. ¡°Little Sister, I¡¯ve taught you how to wash dishes. Do you know how to do that now? If you don¡¯t, take it slow. Don¡¯t break the bowl, or Grandma will beat you to death. If you wash it slowly, you¡¯ll be scolded! But as long as you don¡¯t get beaten up, it¡¯s fine. I took you to cut hogweed today. Do you know how to do that now? If you don¡¯t, recall how I did it, understand? Don¡¯t talk back to them. You have to grow up well. We made a deal.¡± Seeing that Juxiang was crying so hard, Wunian started crying uncontrollably as well. She didn¡¯t know why her sister was telling her all this, but Wunian remembered everything her elder sister said. Juxiang hugged her sister and the girls cried together. At this point, the village ox cart could be heard at the entrance of the courtyard. Madam Wang came to the entrance of the dilapidated house and shouted, ¡°Juxiang, come out. It¡¯s time to go.¡± Juxiang hugged Wunian even tighter. Wunian cried and asked, ¡°Big Sister, where are you going?¡± ¡°Little Sister, I¡¯m leaving. I might never see you again. You have to take good care of yourself.¡± Immediately, Wunian panicked. She didn¡¯t really understand what her sister had said earlier. But now that she heard her elder sister was leaving and they may not see each other again, she understood. Madam Wang walked in and pulled the sisters apart. Little Wunian could not withstand Madam Wang¡¯s yanking and fell to the ground. Madam Wang did not care and dragged Juxiang out of the door with one hand. Wunian, who was on the ground, quickly got up and ran after them. As she cried, she shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t take my big sister away. Don¡¯t take my big sister away. I want my big sister! Boohoo!¡± Juxiang looked at her little sister who was giving chase and cried. ¡°Little Sister, you have to grow up well!¡± The neighbors next door and some villagers who were passing by gathered around to see what was going on. An elder asked, ¡°I say, Zhuangzhu¡¯s family, what are you doing? Juxiang has always been obedient and sensible. If she¡¯s done anything wrong, tell her. Don¡¯t hit her. The child is still young. Look at how frightened both of them are.¡± Madam Wang dragged Juxiang out without a care. At this point, Weixin and Madam Liu also arrived. Weixin walked over and opened the courtyard door. He said to the people outside, ¡°It¡¯s like this. My classmate¡¯s grandmother is recruiting a servant girl. Juxiang is just the right age. She wishes to go, so that she can at least earn some monthly wage and spend it with Wunian. Now that it¡¯s time to go, the sisters can¡¯t bear to part.¡± Madam Wang whispered into Juxiang¡¯s ear, ¡°I¡¯m warning you, be obedient. Otherwise, I won¡¯t give your sister any food and starve her to death! Do you believe I¡¯ll do just that?¡± When Juxiang heard this, she quietened down and stopped crying. She turned around and looked at her sister again. Then, she got onto the ox cart on her own. Weixin also got onto the ox cart. After sitting down, the old man driving the ox swung the whip in his hand with great ease. As it landed on the ox¡¯s butt, the beast started walking. Madam Wang restrained Wunian, who wanted to run after the cart. She yanked the girl in and threw her into the dilapidated house before shutting the door. Seeing that the drama was over, the onlookers left one after another. Madam Wang and Madam Liu also went back to their residence. It was quiet. Wunian could not hear anything outside and began to knock on the door in panic. Madam Wang had bolted the door with a stick from the outside. Not to mention a child, even an adult would not be able to open it from inside. Just like that, Wunian knocked on the door and cried loudly. When she was tired, she fell to the ground and drifted into sleep. No one asked about her until night fell. After dinner, Madam Wang habitually called out, ¡°Juxiang, that brat is slacking off again.¡± Madam Liu looked at Madam Wang and said, ¡°Mother, didn¡¯t that girl leave with Weixin?!¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right! Then who¡¯s going to wash the dishes?¡± Madam Ma said in a fit of pique, ¡°Whoever wishes to do the dishes can go ahead. It¡¯s just not going to be me.¡± With that, she took the children back to her own courtyard. Madam Wang and Madam Liu looked at each other. Madam Wang said, ¡°You can¡¯t ask an old woman like me to do chores, right?¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 9 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Mother, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m lazy. Juxiang has been doing all the housework for the past few years and we¡¯re used to it. Now you want me to pick up these chores, I¡¯m not used to it! Why don¡¯t we get Wunian to do it? Isn¡¯t she already five years old?¡± Madam Wang pointed at Madam Liu and said, ¡°With your lazy personality, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that you worked to give us two grandsons, I¡¯d surely get my son to divorce you. If you want to get the girl to do it, go ahead. I can¡¯t be bothered.¡± With that, Madam Wang turned around and left. Madam Liu looked at the bowls and chopsticks and then at her own hands. Still, she was unwilling to dirty them. When Madam Liu arrived at the door of the dilapidated house, she saw the wooden stick that had been put in place to bolt the door. She went forward to remove it and pushed open the door. It was pitch-black inside. Wunian, who was sitting behind the door, hugged her knees and buried her head in them. She looked like an injured bird, lonely and pitiful. However, Madam Liu couldn¡¯t see this. After adapting to the darkness, Madam Liu looked around and realized that Wunian was sitting behind the door like a wooden figure, motionless. She walked forward and kicked the girl. Wunian raised her tiny head questioningly. Madam Liu scolded, ¡°Sigh! You little b*tch, what kind of attitude is this? Your older sister is already gone. Don¡¯t think that we¡¯ll bring you food. If you want to eat, you have to earn it yourself. Do housework and do whatever you¡¯re told. Then you can be like before and have leftovers to eat. Otherwise, even if you starve to death, no one will care about you. Do you understand?¡± Wunian got up, not that she was doing what Madam Liu demanded, rather, she was complying with what her elder sister had told her. Her sister said that she had to get on with life, and do chores in exchange for food. So she would do the chores. In this world, other than her elder sister, no one else could be relied on. She could only rely on herself. At a young age, Wunian suddenly understood this principle. ¡°Auntie, I understand.¡± ¡°Understand what?¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll have to do chores to get food! Otherwise I¡¯ll starve to death.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s go! Go wash the dishes first. Then you may bring home the leftovers!¡± Madam Liu got up and went out. Wunian also got up, but her lower body was completely numb from sitting for too long. As soon as she stood up, she fell again. Madam Liu looked back and said in disdain, ¡°What¡¯s the use? You can¡¯t walk without falling. Hurry up and follow me.¡± Wunian¡¯s legs had eased up by the time she arrived at the dining hall of the main residence. She often watched her sister do chores. In the past, when her grandmother did not allow her to enter the main residence, she had never seen her sister clear the dishes, but Juxiang had taught her how to do it. Wunian poured the unfinished food into another bowl and stacked the plates together. There were also chopsticks in the rice bowl. She moved them to the kitchen like ants moving house. Then, she filled a basin with water to wash the plates and bowls one by one. After that, she wiped the table. It took a long time to do all of this. After everything was done, Wunian returned to her dilapidated house with her bowl of food. When she walked into the house, she spoke as though she was talking to her sister, but also seemed to be talking to herself. ¡°I know how to do chores. I can support myself. Big Sister, what about you? Where are you now? Have you eaten? Did anyone bully you? I¡¯ll be obedient. I¡¯ll grow up well.¡± Wunian placed the rice on the table. She was now as tall as the table. She climbed onto the stool. In the dark room, she pretended that her sister was sitting opposite her. She ate a mouthful of rice and spoke to her sister. She ate another mouthful of rice and spoke to her sister again. It was as if her sister had not left! The unfinished lunch was still there. Her sister had brought it over to eat with her. Looking at that bowl, Wunian¡¯s tears fell on their own. It was already dark, and now, her eyes were filled with tears, making it even harder to see. Wiping her tears with her tattered sleeve, Wunian consoled herself. ¡°I didn¡¯t cry. My tears came out on their own. I¡¯m going to sleep. When I fall asleep, my tears won¡¯t flow anymore.¡± Wunian got down from the stool. She got used to this darkness again. She climbed onto the bed skillfully and closed her eyes. ¡°Why are my tears still coming out when I¡¯ve already closed my eyes? I¡¯ll cry for a while longer then. After crying for a while, I won¡¯t cry anymore! Boohoo, Big Sister, I miss you so much! Big Sister, Boohoo! Come back! Come back, I miss you! Boohoo¡­¡± As she cried, her voice gradually softened. She was tired from crying. But even in her dreams, she was sobbing. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 10 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The next morning, Madam Wang did not let Wunian go to the river to wash clothes because she didn¡¯t want others saying that their family was abusing a five-year-old child. However, she planned it well. She dragged Wunian out of bed early in the morning and threw a vegetable basket to her. With her hands on her hips, she said, ¡°B*tch, don¡¯t blame me for being heartless. If you want to stay in this family, you have to do chores. Your useless parents died early and I never got to enjoy any blessings from them. Don¡¯t expect me to serve you, little ancestor. Since you¡¯re only young, I¡¯ll assign the tasks of washing the dishes and cutting hogweed to you. If you can¡¯t do these two things well, don¡¯t blame me for being nasty.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand!¡± Wunian picked up the basket and left the house. Her sister had taken her to the fields and taught her which grasses could be eaten by the pigs. Because of her young age and small stature, she was not able to carry a fully-filled basket the whole way. She had no choice but to make a trip back first, and pour out the hogweed under the roof outside the pigpen. The grasses were not nearly enough to fill the bellies of two big fat pigs. Without any delay, Wunian carried the basket out again. Madam Wang stood by the kitchen window and said, ¡°At least you¡¯re smart. If you were stupid then we couldn¡¯t sell you for a good price even when you turn eight years old.¡± After going back and forth for four to five times all morning, the girl finally cut enough hogweed for the pigs. Just as she sat down to rest, Madam Wang roared, ¡°Wretched girl, hurry up and wash the dishes!¡± Wunian had to run to wash the dishes. After dinner, Yuehong and Yuelan, who had returned to the north wing with Madam Ma, looked outside and remarked, ¡°Big Sister, it¡¯s a good thing that our parents are still alive. Otherwise, we¡¯d be living that sort of life, right?¡± Yuehong stroked Yuelan¡¯s head and said, ¡°That won¡¯t happen. We still have Big Brother. We won¡¯t have to live like that when we have Big Brother around.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason. Our lives are different from theirs. They were born to suffer! Don¡¯t ask anymore. And there¡¯s no need to pity her.¡± ¡°Alright! I understand!¡± Meanwhile, after Wunian washed the dishes and ate her dinner, she went to cut the hogweed for the evening feed. The days passed like this, with Wunian living the life that her elder sister once lived. In the blink of an eye, three years quietly came and went. Wunian passed her days like a spinning top, unable to stop. Weixin married a girl from the county town, as he hoped for. Her surname was Wang and her father was a scholar. Madam Wang was overjoyed. Firstly, it was because the girl¡¯s surname was also Wang. Madam Wang said, ¡°Maybe their ancestors are from the same family!¡± Secondly, it was because her father was a scholar, an academic. Didn¡¯t they say that being learned was the best, everything else was inferior? Thirdly, it was because the Young Madam Wang had a glib tongue. She knew how to say pleasing things that made the two elders and her in-laws happy. There were so many good things about her, how could anyone not like her? Wunian knew that the marriage was made possible only by the money that her big sister had been sold for. Young Madam Wang knew that as well. It was precisely because she knew that such a girl could be sold for so much money that Young Madam Wang developed designs on Wunian. She didn¡¯t consider Wunian to be family. Superficially, she looked pure and kind, and had a smile for everyone. In reality, her heart was like a poisonous scorpion. Her scholar father had taught her to put whatever she learned to good use. In whatever she did, she should need to achieve her goals, and at the same time earn the praises of others. Young Madam Wang both learned and performed well. How could eight-year-old Wunian even be a match for Young Madam Wang, how could she be as scheming as her? Now, other than washing dishes, collecting hogweed, Wunian also had to chop hogweed, feed pigs, wash clothes, and sweep the floor. If Young Madam Wang wished to sell Wunian and pocket all the money, she had to think of a reason to ask for it openly. Tian Weixin was so besotted with his new wife that he pampered her more than anything. He went along with whatever she said. In addition, Young Madam Wang was six months pregnant, so no one in Old Tian¡¯s family dared to provoke the precious young lady. She planned to take advantage of her pregnancy to find a good reason. Therefore, one particular afternoon, after Old Tian¡¯s family finished eating and Wunian was going to wash the dishes, Young Madam Wang walked into the dining hall and approached Wunian with her hand on her belly. She pretended to be concerned and said, ¡°Little Sister, why don¡¯t you eat first? You can wash the dishes after you¡¯ve filled your stomach!¡± Wunian turned around and looked at her. Before she could speak, Young Madam Wang deliberately fell to the ground and shouted, ¡°Husband! Come quickly, Father, Mother. Aiyo! Aiyo! Grandpa and Grandma, come quickly!¡± Her shouting brought the entire family running over. Just before this, they were chatting at the front of the hall, which was only separated by a timber facade. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 11 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Weixin hurriedly ran over, looking very anxious. Madam Wang and Madam Liu were also extremely anxious as they asked, ¡°How did you end up falling over? Is the child alright?¡± When Young Madam Wang saw that everyone had arrived, she looked at Wunian with an upset expression and said, ¡°Little Sister, I was kind enough to ask you to have your lunch first. Even if you don¡¯t appreciate it, you didn¡¯t have to push me over?! How did I offend you?¡± This was great. Everyone turned to look at Wunian. Madam Wang even went forward and slapped her, sending her flying. One could imagine how much strength Madam Wang had used. The thin and innocent Wunian was beaten to the ground. She felt as though there were flying insects buzzing in her head. Young Madam Wang became anxious. Not because she was feeling sorry for Wunian. Rather she was worried that Madam Wang would scar Wunian¡¯s face and she would not be able to sell the girl for a good price. She hurriedly said, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t hit Little Sister. I don¡¯t think she did it on purpose. If you¡¯re angry, just starve her for a few meals!¡± Yuelan and Yuehong happened to see what had happened. They were already a little displeased when they heard their cousin-in-law maligning Wunian. Now that their cousin-in-law said this, they felt that she was really vicious. If Wunian didn¡¯t have any food and had to continue doing so many chores, how could her body take it! However, they didn¡¯t dare to speak up, and Madam Ma wouldn¡¯t let them interfere either. Therefore, seeing the chaos, Madam Ma brought the children back to the north wing. On the other hand, Madam Liu walked forward and kicked Wunian¡¯s thigh. She roared, ¡°You b*tch. If anything happens to my grandson, I won¡¯t let you off. How can a few meals be enough? I¡¯ll starve you for at least three days.¡± Wunian lay on the ground without a chance to refute. She kept crying and repeatedly said, ¡°It¡¯s not me, it¡¯s not me.¡± Tian Weixin carried Young Madam Wang in his arms, and Madam Wang and Madam Liu followed them back to Weixin¡¯s residence. Tian Zhuangzhu sat at the door and knocked on the threshold with his pipe. ¡°Why are you still lying there! Hurry up and wash the dishes. When the dishes are done, go and collect the hogweed. As for your punishment, we¡¯ll go with what your eldest aunt decided, you¡¯re not allowed to eat for three days.¡± Wunian wiped her tears and got up. She washed the dishes and took a large vegetable basket to the field to collect hogweed. ¡°Three batches of pigs in the pigpen have come and gone. When will I be free?¡± Wunian thought. She had not eaten breakfast since she woke up early in the morning to do the chores. Now, she did not even have lunch. The summer weather was hot, and Wunian carried a large vegetable basket as she walked along the ridge. She was lightheaded and her footsteps were unsteady. Many villagers who were in the fields early in the day asked when they saw her, ¡°Wunian, what¡¯s wrong? Did you get a heat stroke?¡± Wunian tried to be strong and told them that she was fine, and pushed herself to collect a basket of hogweed. On her return journey, Wunian finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and rolled into the ditch with the basket of hogweed that weighed more than her. It was by coincidence that the village chief, Tian Zheng, was passing by with a hoe and happened to spot Wunian rolling into the ditch. Tian Zheng shouted, ¡°Young lass Wunian, young lass Wunian, what¡¯s wrong?¡± He lifted Wunian, but she was unconscious. A few villagers who were working nearby ran over. Someone suggested sending her home! She might be suffering from heatstroke, for it was a hot day, even adults could not withstand such heat, let alone a child. Village Chief Tian Zheng felt that this was likely, so he carried Wunian back to the village. When the group arrived at Tian Zhuangzhu¡¯s house with Wunian, they saw the women of the household sitting under a big tree outside the kitchen and chatting happily! Village Chief Tian Zheng was not impressed and said solemnly, ¡°Zhuang Zhu¡¯s family, what kind of family are you? You adults are resting at home in the shade and letting a child go out to work under the sun. As elders, don¡¯t you feel guilty?!¡± Madam Wang stood up and said, ¡°Yo! The village chief is here! What¡¯s wrong with our young lass?¡± Madam Liu also said hypocritically, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the girl? Come, give her to me!¡± The village chief said as he handed Wunian over to Madam Liu, ¡°She was found unconscious in the ditch. If I hadn¡¯t passed by there, no one would have known even if she died!¡± Madam Liu cursed silently, ¡°You damned b*tch, do you think that just because you fainted in front of the village chief, you can have the village chief backing you up? Hmph, I always mean what I say.¡± She put on a concerned expression and exclaimed, ¡°Aiyo! What¡¯s wrong? Wunian, Wunian.¡± She turned around and said to the village chief, ¡°I¡¯ll carry Wunian into the house to rest.¡± Madam Wang was also a cunning old fox. She said to the village chief and the villagers, ¡°Aiya! This child is filial. When her sister left, she told the girl to be filial to us. The girl was told to rest at home for a while, but she wouldn¡¯t listen.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 12 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios When everyone heard this, they felt that there was no big issue. They reminded her a little and returned to their own business. As Madam Wang was shutting the courtyard door, Madam Liu walked out of the dilapidated house. Madam Wang asked Madam Liu how the girl was doing. Madam Liu replied, ¡°I think it¡¯s most likely an act. She fainted after missing just one meal?¡± Madam Wang glanced in the direction of the house and rolled her eyes. ¡°Since she¡¯s pretending, let her pretend as much as she wants! Let¡¯s go then, she can skip dinner as well.¡± Young Madam Wang, who was under the shade of the tree, did not even get up as she watched what went on. Madam Ma¡¯s family turned a blind eye as well. Ever since that girl Juxiang was sold, Madam Ma had fallen out of favor. At night, after dinner, in order to continue starving Wunian, Madam Liu took the initiative to wash the dishes and gave the leftovers to the pigs. She even scolded, ¡°You want to pretend to be unconscious, do it to your heart¡¯s content. I¡¯d sooner give the leftovers to the pig than let you eat them.¡± If anyone had been there, they would have seen Madam Liu¡¯s twisted face as she mouthed the vicious curses. ¡°Harbor ill intentions and harm my grandson, will you? I¡¯ll starve you to death, you slut.¡± In the meantime, Wunian, who was lying in the pitch-black dilapidated house, was running a high fever. First, she was dehydrated, then her lips became dry and cracked. Then, rashes appeared on her feet. They quickly spread to her legs, waist, chest, and arms. By they time dawn broke, they had covered her entire face. As it was summer and Wunian¡¯s clothes were all torn and tattered, parts of her hands and legs were exposed. When Madam Wang woke up in the morning and saw that the dirty clothes were still in the basin, she put her hands on her hips and scolded, ¡°Wunian, you lazy thing. Why aren¡¯t you getting up to wash the clothes? Are you looking for a beating?¡± Madam Liu happened to be walking out of the west wing at this point and was shouting, ¡°Weihong, get up! Have your breakfast and go to school. If you continue to dawdle, you¡¯ll be late again!¡± She turned around and remarked to Madam Wang, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? That wretched girl hasn¡¯t woken up yet! She¡¯s grown bold and learned to stay in bed! Mother, don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯ll go and get her.¡± As she spoke, she walked towards the dilapidated house. The door wasn¡¯t shut but Madam Liu didn¡¯t think too much of it. She walked in and called out a few times, however there was no response. Then, she walked towards the bed. At this point the sun was up and it was bright. Although it wasn¡¯t as bright in the room as outside, one could see clearly. Madam Liu¡¯s gaze fell on Wunian, who was lying on the bed, The woman was so shocked that she stood there in a daze. What did she see? Then she reacted and ran for the door. Madam Liu ran straight to the main residence. When Madam Wang saw her, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s so early in the morning and you look as though you¡¯ve seen a ghost!¡± Madam Liu stammered, ¡°It¡¯s scarier than seeing a ghost. You guys go and take a look! That slut has red rashes all over her body. It¡¯s so scary!¡± As she spoke, Madam Liu was trembling all over. At this point, the rest of the family had woken up and come over. They asked what had happened to cause such a din so early in the morning. ¡°Don¡¯t ask, just go to the girl¡¯s room and you¡¯ll see.¡± The group arrived at Wunian¡¯s dilapidated house in a grandiose manner. They were all shocked when they saw Wunian lying on the bed. Tian Tieshan obviously cherished his life the most and ran out of the house immediately. Weixin snapped to his senses and quickly helped Young Madam Wang leave as well. The others did not dare to stay any longer and soon all of them left the house. When they were back at the main residence, Tian Tieshan said rather rudely, ¡°Sister-in-law, aren¡¯t you a bit inhuman. You know that that girl has an infectious disease, but you got all of us to go and take a look. Are you trying to kill the entire family?¡± ¡°Second Brother, you have to speak with your conscience. Am I that kind of person? When I saw the girl, I was just unsure, so I asked you all to take a look. Then according to what you¡¯ve said, is she really¡­?¡± ¡°How can that be fake?¡± Tian Zhuangzhu picked up his pipe again and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we get a physician to take a look! Let¡¯s see if it is!¡± Madam Wang disagreed and said, ¡°What doctor? You think calling in a physician is free! You think having to medicate is free? We¡¯re not getting a physician.¡± Tian Tieniu asked, ¡°Then what should we do? We can¡¯t let her die in that room, right?¡± Tian Tieshan added, ¡°Let¡¯s throw the girl out before she dies. Otherwise, it will dirty the courtyard. If the disease breaks out, our entire family will die.¡± Madam Wang decided. ¡°Throw her out then.¡± What a cruel family that took a human life lightly. Although Young Madam Wang was also vicious, she only wanted to sell that girl and make some money. If they got a physician to take a look, it might not cost much. But if they threw the girl out, surely the girl would die! If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 13 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Although Young Madam Wang thought this way, she didn¡¯t say anything. Even the girl¡¯s own family members have decided this, so as an outsider who had married into the family, what more could she say. Young Wunian¡¯s life and death were in their hands. She lay helplessly on her wooden bed. In her consciousness, her elder sister appeared. The older girl said gently, ¡°Little Sister, come, come and eat. Little Sister, walk slower and be careful not to fall. Little Sister, our parents love us very much. I¡¯ve taught you not to be anxious and take your time with the chores. Don¡¯t hurt yourself. Little Sister, we have to go on with life. Little Sister, we have to grow up well!¡± With her sister all around her, Wunian felt very blissful. Even though two people had wrapped her up with something, Wunian wore a hint of a smile on her face. Tian Tieshan and Tian Weixin became more terrified when they saw Wunian smiling even though she was about to die. After wrapping her up quickly, they put her in a sack and carried her over their shoulders. They then left, with Tian Weixin following behind. When they reached the village entrance, they ran into a few villagers who were going to work in the fields. The villagers asked the two of them in a friendly manner, why they were here so early in the morning. Tian Weixin reacted quickly and replied with a smile, ¡°Good morning, Uncle! This is a half-grown piglet at home. It¡¯s half-dead with rashes all over its body. We¡¯re afraid it might have an infectious disease, so we¡¯re taking it to the mountains to find a place to bury it.¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s the right thing to do. You have to bury it deeper so that there won¡¯t be any major problems.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand!¡± The uncle and nephew arrived at the foot of the mountain. Tian Tieshan stopped and said, ¡°Just throw it here! It¡¯s far enough.¡± Tian Weixin looked around and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go further in! It¡¯ll be a bad thing if someone sees it!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go further then.¡± At this point, a huge vulture flew over from somewhere and circled above them. Tian Weixin stopped and said to Tian Tieshan, ¡°Second Uncle, if we take her out of the sack and throw her on the ground, won¡¯t the bird take her away and eat her? Then no one will discover her.¡± Tian Tieshan also looked up at the bird in the sky and agreed without thinking. After taking Wunian out of the bag hurriedly, the two of them quickly hid behind a big tree and squatted there. Soon, the huge vulture locked onto its target and swooped down from the sky. Its sharp claws grabbed Wunian and then it flew away. The two people behind the tree did not feel guilty or guilty at all. They were even pleased with themselves for having gotten rid of a problem. This was Wunian¡¯s family. Their hearts were like poisonous scorpions. They only had eyes for benefits and had no regard for kinship. Now, Wunian, who was caught under the bird¡¯s claws, woke up from the wind. She looked around and was extremely frightened. Then she looked up and exclaimed, ¡°What a big bird! Did they feed me to this big bird? Hehe, that¡¯s good too. I don¡¯t have to work anymore. I don¡¯t have to be beaten and scolded anymore! I¡¯m free!¡± Wunian seemed to have found release and suddenly felt relaxed, even though she was about to be eaten by the big bird. She also wished to savor this sense of relief. Wunian tried to raise her hands and spread them out. She felt as though she was flying freely through the air. She had never felt so comfortable before. It was unknown how long the huge bird had flown with her. From Wunian¡¯s point of view, she could see layers of clouds and undulating mountains. As the darkness descended, the vulture continued to fly through the air, what was beneath was no longer visible. Young Wunian, who was already indifferent to life and death, had the thought to make an estimation. It had already been about 16 hours since morning. Where were they heading now? The vulture let out a cry, then released Wunian from its sharp claws. She hurtled towards the ground like a rock falling from the clouds. Wunian closed her eyes. At this point, her mind was clear as she thought to herself, ¡°Big Sister, I would like to be your little sister in my next life. I¡¯m going home to our parents now. Take care of yourself now that you¡¯ll be alone in this world.¡± In the pitch-black night, Wunian fell into the water. It was so painful! Was she going to die? After choking on a few mouthfuls of water, Wunian¡¯s bones began to hurt. It was as if her frame had been shattered and put back together again bone by bone. Then there were the energy channels. It was as if something had opened them up and stretched them out. It was so painful that she could not breathe. ¡°It turns out death is so painful? Father, Mother, were you also in so much pain?¡± Wunian spread her arms and legs and allowed herself to float on the water. ¡°Let it hurt then! The more it hurts, the faster I¡¯ll die!¡± Until the next day, Wunian floating on the water. It was unknown if it was an illusion, but after the unbearable pain passed, it eased up and slowly lessened. Wunian seemed to have heard the chirping of birds. When she opened her eyes, she was shocked by her surroundings. Such a high mountain! Could it be that she had reached the heavens? Clouds surrounded the mountainside. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 14 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wunian was still lying on the surface of the water. She turned her head and looked around. The shore was not far from her. ¡°Since I didn¡¯t die, I¡¯ll go onto the shore first!¡± Wunian slowly moved her hands so that she glided towards the shore. Sigh! She grabbed a strand of reed and with just a little strength, climbed onto the shore easily. Looking up from the ground, the spectacular scene in front of her could not be described with words. It was not just one mountain! There were five similar towering mountains reaching into the sky. In the middle of the five mountains was a wide lake of azure blue. It was breathtaking! The body of water that Wunian had fallen into yesterday was about the size of 17 to 18 wells combined. There were five such pools scattered around the lake. The five towering mountains surrounded the azure lake in the middle. Wunian gasped in amazement! After calming down, Wunian was surprised to discover that there were no wounds at all on her body. Even her previous illness had completely disappeared. On the contrary, her body felt refreshed and comfortable. Thinking back, she did not drown in the water earlier on. Instead, she could breathe! Why was that? Although Wunian was young, she was not stupid. Was it because of the water of the pool? ¡°I could actually breathe in the water. How strange! There¡¯s no one here. What do I do now that I¡¯m alone? I¡¯m so hungry now! I didn¡¯t eat a morsel the entire day yesterday!¡± Wunian muttered to herself as she walked towards the lake. Now, there were no more crazy and poisonous demons like all the people in Madam Wang¡¯s family. Wunian had hopes of going on with life again. She came to the lake and squatted down to look at the clear water. Suddenly, she realized that a fish was swimming around near the shore. Wunian happily reached out for it with her hands. Just as she was about to do so, the fish swam forward a little more. Wunian stood up and looked around to see that there was no one around. Then, she took off her tattered clothes and walked into the water naked. She thought to herself, ¡°I must catch you. I have to stay alive!¡± At the same time that the fish swam forward, Wunian walked towards it. As the water covered the top of her head, she realized that she could really breathe in the water. Wunian didn¡¯t know how to swim, but she was able to continue walking down the slope and sink. She lost track of how long she had been sinking and how far she was from the shore. Wunian thought that it was fine if she couldn¡¯t catch the fish after all, but now a faint light ahead of her caught her attention. She moved towards it to have a look! The nearer to it she went, the brighter it became, until it was blinding! ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful! What is this? Is it edible? Is it a fruit?¡± Wunian did not notice that the light emitted by the bead was surging towards her body. After a while, the bead became smaller and smaller until it disappeared. Strange. Why did this fruit-like thing disappear?! Then, a very beautiful fairy appeared before her. The fairy was sitting cross-legged, with her hands placed on either side of her knees. Wunian asked, ¡°Sister, who are you?¡± The fairy opened her beautiful eyes and replied, ¡°I¡¯m your master.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my master? What¡¯s a master?¡± ¡°A master imparts supernatural power to you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the use of supernatural power?¡± ¡°Once you have supernatural power, no one can hurt you. No one can bully you anymore!¡± ¡°With supernatural power, can I protect my elder sister?¡± ¡°Yes! Not only can you protect your elder sister, you can protect anyone you want to.¡± ¡°Well then! Master, what should I do now?¡± ¡°Kneel down and kowtow three times to acknowledge me as your master.¡± Wunian knelt down as her master had instructed and kowtowed three times. ¡°Wunian greets Master!¡± ¡°Alright! Disciple, now sit cross-legged and I will transmit my Space of Consciousness to you. You can take anything you want to know from the Space of Consciousness. ¡°This Space is rooted in the depths of your soul. Even if your body dies, the Space will follow your soul. Even if your soul dissipates, the Space will gather your soul. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I understand, Master.¡± ¡°Next, I¡¯ll teach you the Qi Drawing Technique. After you draw Qi into your body, you will be able to access the Space of Consciousness that I have given to you.¡± ¡°Yes! Master.¡± Wunian closed her eyes and placed her hands on either side of her knees, like her master. Following the guidance of spiritual energy, a mysterious object entered the divine sense and slowly fused with the consciousness. It was as if it existed in the depths of the soul. Only by combining with it would one be made perfect. Then, a Qi Attracting Technique entered her consciousness. Wunian took a deep breath and quickly felt an unprecedented sense of pleasure! Was this the Qi Attracting Technique entering her body? If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 15 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios In her sea of consciousness, Wunian saw the surrounding environment. The difference was that every mountain had its introduction, and so did the five surrounding pools. Wunian was about to enter the mountain to take a look when her master¡¯s voice sounded from behind. ¡°Disciple, there¡¯s no hurry! Master has something to tell you.¡± Wunian came out of her sea of consciousness and turned around to kneel in front of her master. ¡°Master, I¡¯m ready to receive your teachings!¡± ¡°Disciple, listen carefully! Master is the ancient Nuwa. What you see is only a trace of Master¡¯s remnant soul. I have no regrets in passing these to you. The subsequent cultivation will depend on your own willpower. There is a mountain in the Space, and there are all the books in the three thousand worlds. Whatever you want, you will be able to find here. No matter how good one¡¯s cultivation of supernatural power is, it has to be matched with worldly experience. Only by going through tribulations can one better consolidate one¡¯s cultivation. Don¡¯t be ostentatious. Remember, you have to cultivate your body and mind first. Don¡¯t mention my name in front of others. Do you hear me clearly?¡± ¡°Yes, I will obey Master¡¯s teachings.¡± ¡°Alright! Master¡¯s wish has been fulfilled and I will be gone. Disciple, take care of yourself.¡± Wunian knelt there and watched her master¡¯s figure dissipate. She kowtowed again and said, ¡°Thank you for the rebirth and teachings, Master!¡± Then, Wunian sat cross-legged where her master had sat earlier. When she saw the red dress on her now, she suddenly remembered that she was naked when she went into the water. When did she become dressed? ¡°It must be Master. Master saw that I was pitiful, so she gave me such a beautiful dress!¡± Wunian raised her head and said loudly, ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Then, she closed her eyes and meditated, feeling very much at ease. Wunian entered the Space of Consciousness and arrived at the small space of knowledge. At this point, a venerable immortal that seemed like an elderly academic appeared before her. He bowed and Wunian quickly stopped him. ¡°I¡¯m a junior and cannot accept this bow! May I ask why you are here, Venerable Immortal?¡± The elderly Venerable Immortal said, ¡°This is the Knowledge Mountain. I¡¯m a mountain god condensed from the spiritual energy in the mountain. Now that the ancient fairy has passed this entire Space to you, you are the owner of this Space. I am a part of the Space, so it¡¯s only right for me to acknowledge you as my master.¡± ¡°But! I¡¯m still a child. Dare I accept a senior like you bowing to me!¡± ¡°Master, don¡¯t be anxious. I have an idea.¡± With a sway of his body, the elderly being transformed into a child about the same age as Wunian. He was now at eye-level with Wunian. This made her feel much more comfortable! ¡°How do you do! I¡¯m Wunian!¡± ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Guang Zhi, the mountain god of this place.¡± ¡°Guang Zhi! That¡¯s a good name! Guang Zhi, I¡¯ve just drawn Qi into my body. Master said that I can find an advancement technique here!¡± Now that Guang Zhi had transformed his image into that of a child, even his personality became child-like. ¡°That¡¯s right! Master, as long as you sit in the center of the lake and meditate, the advancement technique will enter your body with the lake water. The water you absorb in your body is your supernatural power. Your master also cultivated here.¡± ¡°Guang Zhi, thank you. I¡¯ll cultivate in peace now.¡± Wunian calmed her mind and entered a meditative state. At first, there was very little water that entered her body. Later on, when Wunian entered a state of selflessness, the water gushed madly into her body, and Wunian¡¯s body was like a dried-up sea that absorbed it madly. Wunian¡¯s supernatural powers went from drawing Qi into her body to Foundation Establishment, to Core Formation, and then to Golden Core. The water continued surging madly into her supernatural power, and her power was also rising rapidly. From Nascent Soul to Soul Formation to Mahayana, mid-stage Mahayana, late-stage Mahayana, peak Mahayana, and perfected Mahayana. At this point, Wunian had an endless lifespan. She had an immortal body and pure divine power. She was only waiting to enter the world to train and consolidate her divine power. The next time she advanced would be to transcend tribulation. Wunian calmed herself down and increased her immortal power. The lake calmed down as well. She adjusted her breathing and opened her eyes. In her sea of consciousness, Guang Zhi said, ¡°Congratulations, Master. You¡¯ve cultivated to perfection. Master is extremely powerful!¡± She smiled and asked in her sea of consciousness, ¡°Guang Zhi, how long have I been cultivating?¡± ¡°Master, it¡¯s been three years,¡± ¡°Three years,¡± Wunian muttered to herself, ¡°So many things can happen in three years! I¡¯m very much anticipating!¡± ¡°Guang Zhi, Master said that cultivation alone is not adequate and that I have to go through the experience in the secular world. However, before going through the experience, I wish to go to the other four mountains to take a look.¡± ¡®Yes, Master.¡¯ Wunian came to the storage space mountain. The mountain god was a fat old man. Wunian asked him to transform himself into a child of her age, like what Guang Zhi had done. The mountain god did as he was told. At once, a young fatty stood in front of Wunian and introduced the use of the space. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 16 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°This mountain is a small storage space. There are food, functional items, clothes and accommodation of three thousand worlds, you¡¯ll find it all here. I hope Master will visit often.¡± ¡°You sound like a waiter. How should I address you?¡± The little fatty cupped his hands and said, ¡°I¡¯m called Chu Cun (which means storage).¡± ¡°Oh! So your name is Chu Cun! No wonder you¡¯re a little fatty!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not fat! I¡¯m voluptuous!¡± ¡°Fine, fine, fine! You¡¯re voluptuous! I¡¯ll go to the mountain next door to take a look.¡± ¡°Yes, let me see Master off!¡± Wunian came to the third towering mountain. The sign on the mountain said that it was a small space for living creatures. Wunian walked into the mountain. An old granny came forward and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Master!¡± Wunian helped straighten the old lady up and requested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you also transform yourself into a child of my age!¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The old lady spun herself around and she became a little girl. She was really beautiful! Wunian asked, ¡°What is this space of yours?¡± ¡°Master, my small space is a space for storing living creatures. All the creatures of the air, sea, and land of three thousand worlds can be found here. Any time Master is in a bad mood, you can come to my space and raise a few spirit pets to play with!¡± ¡°Alright, I understand. I¡¯ll go next door and take a look.¡± The sign here says that it¡¯s a small natural world. The others are all small spaces, but this is a small world. What is the difference? Wunian walked in and saw a handsome man. He wore a crown and a silvery white jade robe. Fortunately I¡¯m just a child. Otherwise, I¡¯d have been bewitched by his jade-like appearance. This person stepped forward without bowing and asked, ¡°Why did you come to my place last?¡± How strange! Why did the style of speaking suddenly change? Wunian didn¡¯t answer him, but ordered, ¡°Why don¡¯t you transform yourself into a child my age, just like the others!¡± Seeing that I didn¡¯t respond, the mountain god obediently followed my instructions and took on the appearance of a 12-year-old boy. Of course, the young master was also handsome. ¡°What¡¯s your name? What mountain is this?¡± ¡°Master, this is the natural world. There are flowers, trees, grass, timber, mountains, water, rivers, and seas. All living things can be found here and it is also a space where spiritual energy breeds, and spiritual qi grows. The spirit of gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, rain, thunder and lightning, may also be found here. Master, do you want to see them?¡± ¡°Then what kind of spirit do I cultivate?¡± ¡°Master, I¡¯m all yours. So naturally, the nine spirits are all yours too!¡± ¡°How do I use it when I need it?¡± ¡°As long as Master needs something and recites it silently in your consciousness, I¡¯ll give it to you. ¡°There¡¯s abundant spiritual energy here, the spiritual sources have mostly been cultivated. We¡¯re just short of the spiritual sources from the Earth Spirit. However, it won¡¯t be too long more!¡± ¡°Mm, no wonder you¡¯re so arrogant! They all bow to me when they see me, but you don¡¯t. You even complain that I¡¯m late? You must be really capable!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. Please forgive me, Master!¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Master, I am Zi Ran (which means Nature).¡± ¡°Zi Ran, it¡¯s quite practical and a rather nice name.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go take a look at the mountain next to yours.¡± ¡°Sending Master off!¡± On this towering mountain, there was a sign that said ¡°Immortal Pill Magical Weapons Mountain¡±. This time, there was no mountain god, only a message left behind by her master. ¡°This is my residence. The immortal pills and magical weapons are refined by me as well. Disciple may use them. However, Disciple should also learn how to refine pills and smith magical weapons. I¡¯ll pass this mountain to you now.¡± After reading her master¡¯s words, she walked in. The interior was huge. There was a bed, and the bed was covered with a beautiful velvet blanket, it looked very comfortable. In addition, there was a circular cultivation platform. When she looked up, Wunian noticed a total of five levels. With light steps, she flew to the second level where the pills were refined and stored. The third level was where magical weapons were forged and stored. The fourth level was filled with all kinds of raw materials for creating magical weapons and all sorts of crystals. On the fifth level, there were many rooms filled with all kinds of dried spirit medicines. There was also a door that led directly to the outside of the cave. If one opened the door, they would be halfway up the mountainside. There were many spirit herbs that were more than ten thousand years old outside. Some were more than tens of thousands, and even hundred thousand years old, and had been cultivated into medicinal spirits. She shut the door and returned to the cave. All she cared about now was to lie on the bed and have a sleep before leaving the mountain tomorrow morning, to accumulate experience. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 17 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The next morning, Wunian woke up in the bed that her master used to sleep in. She had an incomparably peaceful night and did not wake until day broke. Wunian stretched and yawned again. She waved her hand and felt refreshed. Cultivation was so great. She didn¡¯t have to wash her face or brush her teeth! She looked down at her garment, it was a light blue dress. She was also wearing blue embroidered shoes. They were all exquisite and pretty. In the past three years, she had grown much taller and become very beautiful. She was now 11 years old. At 11 years old, she was no longer that pitiful child that everyone could push around. Big Sister, how are you? I¡¯m coming to look for you now. And now, I can protect you! Wait for me! Wunian thought to herself that she would ensure these ¡°relatives¡± who had hurt her and her sister received double the punishment. Wunian chose a set of plain clothes and shoes from the objects storage space. Then a flash enveloped her body and she found herself in the place where she first arrived. The five towering mountains from before were gone. The lake at the center of the mountains and the pools surrounding the lake were also gone. Now, all she could see was a vast, boundless and desolate grassland. Wunian wasn¡¯t surprised because all these existed in her Space of Consciousness. The same vulture circled down from the sky and swooped down beside Wunian. It started speaking in human language. ¡°I¡¯ll see you off, Master,¡± ¡°It¡¯s you! Why do you call me Master too? I didn¡¯t take you in as a disciple!¡± ¡°Master, I was born in the Five Mountains, grew up in the Five Mountains and gained sentience in the Five Mountains. My cultivation was also in the Five Mountains. Now that Master has taken over the Five Mountains, I¡¯m naturally a part of the Five Mountains. Please accept me, Master.¡± ¡°Alright, I was just saying. I have to thank you for bringing me here. Naturally, I won¡¯t let you be homeless.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go now, to rescue my sister!¡± ¡°Yes! Master, sit tight on my back!¡± Wunian sat on the vulture¡¯s back and looked down! The calmness in her heart now made all the difference. Now, she was confident and fearless. Wunian tapped her finger lightly and a drop of blood appeared on her finger. She tapped it on her forehead and chanted the Bloodline Guidance Technique. Immediately, she found herself in a county city less than 50 miles away from Liuxia Village. In the courtyard of a grand mansion around the corner, Wunian saw her sister being beaten up. It had been six years since she last saw her. Wunian¡¯s tears fell like rain, blurring her vision. She wiped her tears and instructed the vulture to charge towards the mansion. The next moment, Wunian was circling above the residence on the vulture. Many people in the residence saw this and felt that something big was about to happen. The circling vulture swooped down. The servants in the residence were so frightened that they ran around. When Wunian landed, she placed the vulture into the natural space. Then, with a flash, she was behind her sister. A fat woman in her thirties was whipping her sister with a wooden whip. I¡¯ll teach you to steal buns from the kitchen, I¡¯ll teach you to steal buns from the kitchen! She said between each lash that fell on Wunian¡¯s sister. Wunian suddenly appeared before the fat woman, startling her. ¡°Who are you? Who said you are allowed in here?¡± Wunian waved her hand gently and the fat woman fell back more than ten meters. ¡°How dare you hit my elder sister? I think you¡¯re tired of living!¡± As Wunian raised her hand again, the fat woman hurriedly turned over and knelt down. She kept saying, ¡°Heroine, spare me, spare me! I won¡¯t dare to do it again! Boohoo.¡± Juxiang turned around and saw Wunian¡¯s beautiful little face. Tears welled up in her eyes as Wunian helped her up. Juxiang looked at the watery-eyed beauty before her and asked in confusion, ¡°Thank you for saving me, Miss. It¡¯s just that I did indeed steal a bun from the kitchen because I was hungry.¡± Juxiang was knocked to the ground earlier on, hence she didn¡¯t see how the fat woman was sent flying. So she didn¡¯t panic like the fat woman did. That¡¯s right! When they separated, Wunian was only five years old. It had been six years since they last met. Coupled with the three years that Wunian had spent in cultivation, she had grown taller and more beautiful. It was not surprising that Juxiang did not recognize her. ¡°Big Sister, it¡¯s me! I¡¯m Little Sister, your good little sister! Wunian!¡± Still, the girl ended up with tears flowing like spring water out of her eyes. The elder sister was stunned and could not believe it. She smiled slightly and said, ¡°Thank you, Miss! My younger sister leads a hard life. It¡¯s likely that she¡¯s still suffering in Liuxia Village!¡± When Juxiang mentioned her younger sister, she started crying uncontrollably. ¡°Big Sister, believe me. I¡¯m Wunian. We¡¯ll talk about the rest later. I¡¯ll take you away today.¡± Upon hearing the commotion, how could no one have checked? When a servant saw that Wunian had easily thrown the fat woman more than ten meters away, he hurriedly ran to tell the family butler. When the butler heard this, he said angrily, ¡°With me around, how dare someone come and cause trouble!¡± He didn¡¯t sound like a butler. Instead, he sounded like a thug. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 18 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios As a result, the butler led a group of servants, each of whom held a wooden stick, and fiercely marched towards the courtyard. Hence this dilapidated servant¡¯s courtyard turned out rather lively today. Juxiang was terrified and dropped to her knees before the butler. ¡°Butler, please spare my life. I haven¡¯t eaten for two days. Today, I stole a bun in the kitchen. When Fat Aunty got angry, this lady happened to pass by. She definitely didn¡¯t intend to cause trouble.¡± After kowtowing, Juxiang stood up and pulled Wunian behind her.¡± Even though her sister did not recognize her at this point, she subconsciously protected her. Indeed, her elder sister was her only family in this world. Wunian thought that to avoid trouble in the future, she¡¯d better not use force! She said in her sea of consciousness, ¡°Wood Spirit, let the head of this family bring my sister¡¯s indenture and volunteer to release her!¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± An innocent, child-like innocent voice sounded in her mind. Then, it flew out at lightning speed. Of course, this was only visible to Wunian. Not long afterwards, another group of people rushed over. The servants parted and made way for them. A big-faced, rotund middle-aged man in his forties ran over and shouted, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The butler hurriedly explained, ¡°Old Master, this unruly commoner and this lowly servant colluded to plot against Fat Aunty. Look.¡± The butler pointed at Fat Aunty, who was kneeling beside him. ¡°How dare you! Who are you calling a lowly servant! I had invited this lady to our residence so that she may take the servant girl away. Also, take this indenture and go to the government to cancel your slave status. Go quickly! I¡¯ll wait here.¡± The butler was dumbfounded, but he didn¡¯t dare to disobey. Juxiang stood in front of Wunian and lowered her head, not daring to look at the old master of the Chen family. Under her sleeve, her hands were trembling. Wunian¡¯s hand gently held her sister¡¯s hand. Juxiang was stunned. She recognized this feeling. It was the same feeling of her little sister holding her hand when they were young! Juxiang suddenly turned around, her eyes filled with tears. Wunian whispered, ¡°Big Sister, we¡¯ll talk when we get out of here!¡± Juxiang turned around and gently squeezed her sister¡¯s hand in response. After ten minutes, the butler ran back in a hurry and handed the indenture contract and the cancellation document to Wunian. Wunian took the two documents and got Guang Zhi to assess if they were real. Guang Zhi nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, they¡¯re real.¡± Wunian then stuffed them into her sleeve and placed them into her own small space. Old Master Chen said to Wunian with a grin, ¡°Do you¡­ have any other instructions now?¡± Wunian turned to look at her sister and asked, ¡°Big Sister, has anyone else here bullied you in the past?¡± Juxiang shook her head and said, ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go!¡± As servants, which of them didn¡¯t want their master¡¯s family to value them? Juxiang could understand all this. Wunian said to Old Master Chen, ¡°I hope that your son will destroy Tian Weixin! I have expectations of you!¡± After saying this, Wunian held her elder sister¡¯s hand and left pompously through the main door. Old Master Chen came back to his senses and shouted at the servants, ¡°Why are you all standing here? Don¡¯t you have your own work to do? If anyone speaks about what happened today, I have his tongue removed. Disperse!¡± The servants bowed their heads, muttering that they wouldn¡¯t dare, and then left. Old Master Chen was left contemplating. Who was it who said that his son was to destroy Tian Weixin? He couldn¡¯t think who said it, but it was something he had to do. In the meantime, Juxiang held Wunian¡¯s hand as they walked two streets down and came to an alley. She asked, ¡°Are you really my younger sister, Wunian?¡± With tears in her eyes, Wunian nodded desperately. There was no need to prove anything. Wunian¡¯s features were still recognizable. Only, she couldn¡¯t believe it earlier on, so she didn¡¯t recognize her immediately. After six years, the two sisters finally found themselves in each other¡¯s arms again. Both of them could not stop crying. ¡°Big Sister, I won¡¯t let you suffer anymore,¡± ¡°Little Sister, how have you been these past few years? Tell Big Sister.¡± ¡°Uh huh. Big Sister, we¡¯ll return to Liuxia Village and look for that family. We must let them feel our pain ten times over.¡± Juxiang was stunned. ¡°Are we still going back to Liuxia Village? What if¡­¡± ¡°No, Big Sister, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve suffered so much, they deserve a taste of their own medicine! Don¡¯t worry, from now on, I¡¯ll protect Big Sister!¡± ¡°Uh huh, from now on I¡¯ll be by Little Sister¡¯s side, no matter what you do!¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 19 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Uh huh. Come, let¡¯s go have something to eat first.¡± ¡°Little Sister, where did you get the money from? You must not do anything you shouldn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll sit down later and I¡¯ll tell you about it slowly.¡± Wunian took her sister¡¯s hand and led her to a restaurant. Juxiang whispered in Wunian¡¯s ear, ¡°Little Sister, this place is very expensive. We¡­¡± ¡°Big Sister, don¡¯t you worry. I have money. Let¡¯s go!¡± Wunian held her sister¡¯s hand and entered the restaurant. ¡°Waiter, find us a quiet private room.¡± Juxiang¡¯s eyes widened. Was this her sister? The waiter looked at the two girls. Their garments added up to less than one tael of silver and they were asking for a private room? ¡°Ladies, what do you want me to say? You wish to enter a private room wearing this! Are you crazy¡­¡± Wunian took out ten taels of silver and slammed it on the table. ¡°Open your arrogant eyes and look carefully. Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. My two great aunts, no, my two ancestors, this way please, this way please. I will definitely arrange the best private room for you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it¡± Juxiang felt that this must be an illusion. My sister used to be so cute, sensible, and timid¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Wunian pulled Juxiang along as they followed the waiter and entered a private room. The waiter filled Juxiang¡¯s and Wunian¡¯s cups with tea and asked them for their order. Wunian asked Juxiang to place the order but the elder girl gestured and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know how to place an order, I¡¯ve never even been here.¡± Wunian said to the waiter, ¡°Serve us some of your signature dishes!¡± The waiter replied happily, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make the arrangements. I guarantee that the two of you will be satisfied with the food. There¡¯s an attendant outside the private room. If you need anything, just yell and someone will come in to serve you!¡± ¡°Alright, I understand! You may go!¡± The waiter grinned and went left, thinking to himself that he¡¯d help them spend all ten taels of silver here. Wunian didn¡¯t bother to guess what the waiter was thinking. She watched as her sister¡¯s tears fell. ¡°I know Little Sister must have been living a hard life all these years. Hurry up and tell Big Sister about it, ah!¡± Wunian had no choice but to tell her. Of course, there were some things that she was not at liberty to speak about. ¡°Big Sister, after you were sold, the Tian family started to ask me to take on the chores, threatening to starve me to death if I didn¡¯t do it. That year, other than washing the dishes, I also had to cut hogweed.¡± ¡°What? Cut hogweed? You¡¯re only five years old! There were three big pigs. How were you able to handle it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Every day, I wake up at dawn and spend all morning cutting hogweed even before I had anything to eat. And even then, it was only enough for feeding one meal to the three pigs. At noon, after washing the dishes I¡¯d eat a little leftovers. Then, I had to cut hogweed again all afternoon. That would feed the three pigs for another meal at night. I could only eat after washing the dishes at night. Sometimes, I¡¯d go hungry. When I was six and a half years old, Tian Weixin married Young Madam Wang using the silver that they got from selling you. She was heartbroken that Madam Wang was too tired from feeding the pigs. She convinced them that children had energy and wouldn¡¯t get tired, so she assigned the tasks of chopping hogweed and feeding the pigs to me as well. When I was seven years old, Young Madam Wang said that the water was too cold for her to be washing clothes. Weixin told Madam Wang that since I was already washing my own clothes, I might as well wash everyone¡¯s clothes. So before dawn, I had to wash the clothes of the entire family. This was how things were till I turned eight years old. Young Madam Wang accused me of pushing her to the ground because I was envious of her good life. Everyone became worried about the child in her womb and punished me by starving me for three days. Because I was starving and it was also in the middle of a very hot summer, I fainted. I have no idea who sent me home but in my half-consciousness I heard Madam Liu claiming that I was pretending to be sick, so they continued to starve me. I ran a fever that night and developed a rash. The family was worried that I might be infectious and threw me out. Fortunately, Master found me and saved my life. Last month, Master passed on and left me all her belongings. So now I don¡¯t lack any money. In fact I have lots of money!¡± Wunian said all these things casually, but Juxiang could empathize with her. Juxiang cried until she couldn¡¯t speak. When Wunian finished speaking, she hugged the girl and said, ¡°My poor little sister, you¡¯ve suffered so much. I¡¯ve been a useless elder sister and couldn¡¯t protect you.¡± Wunian patted her elder sister¡¯s back and comforted her. ¡°Big Sister, we¡¯ve survived all these hardships. Fortunately, we¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Fortunately, we¡¯re still alive. I¡¯ll take good care of you from now on.¡± ¡°Uh huh! From now on, we won¡¯t be bullied again. We make those who bully us look up to us. But they¡¯d never be good enough for us.¡± When Juxiang heard Wunian¡¯s inspiring words, she nodded and was filled with hope for the future. At this point, someone knocked on the door. It was the waiter serving up food. After wiping her sister¡¯s tears, Wunian called out, ¡°Come in!¡± Damn. The waiter served up more than ten dishes at once. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 20 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The waiter was too much. Wunian looked at him and said, ¡°Are you retarded? How can two ladies finish all this food? Fine then, tell me, is ten taels of silver enough?¡± The waiter said slyly, ¡°No more, no less, exactly ten taels.¡± ¡°Leave then, you unscrupulous merchant!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The dishes had all been served. Juxiang had never seen so much delicious food. ¡°Little Sister, we may actually be able to finish all the food!¡± ¡°No, Big Sister, eating too much at once is not good for your health. Go ahead and dig in! If you can¡¯t finish it, I have a treasure bag which my master gave to me. We can take away the remaining food to eat tonight. That way we don¡¯t waste it!¡± ¡°Really? Okay then.¡± Having said that, the two sisters started eating. As expected, how could people who usually did not have enough to eat, suddenly eat a lot at once! Juxiang was full after eating a few mouthfuls of meat. Looking at the spread of dishes on the table only made her feel quite helpless! Wunian had stopped eating grains when she started her cultivation. However, in order to make her sister happy today, she ate them as well. She then took out a small bag the size of a purse. Juxiang said in surprise, ¡°Can such a small bag hold so much?¡± Wunian said confidently, ¡°Big Sister, watch carefully.¡± Wunian opened the mouth of the bag and said to the table, ¡°Collect.¡± Something magical happened immediately. All the dishes flew into the small bag. Juxiang was so surprised that her mouth fell wide open. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. ¡°Is this a bag used by immortals? It¡¯s amazing!¡± Wunian put away the bag. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll tell you all about it outside!¡± When the waiter saw the two young ladies coming downstairs so soon, he quickly went up to them. ¡°Are the both of you done eating?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done eating! These ten taels are for the food. And this one tael¡­¡± The waiter thought that it was a tip. But unexpectedly¡­ ¡°This one tael is for the plates.¡± The waiter was stunned. Did they eat the plates too? No matter, one tael of silver was more than enough to cover those plates, so the shopkeeper did not object either. After leaving the restaurant, Juxiang asked, ¡°Where are we going now?¡± ¡°Back to Tianxia Village.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s evening. There are no more ox carts.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Sister. Come with me.¡± The two of them left the county town. There were very few people around. Wunian waved her tiny hand gently and a huge bird appeared. Juxiang was shocked into speechlessness again. Wunian turned around and said to Juxiang, ¡°Big Sister, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Ah! I¡¯m afraid!¡± ¡°Come, give me your hand.¡± Wunian held Juxiang¡¯s hand and gave her a gentle tug. Juxiang slid onto the vulture¡¯s back. Wunian also jumped on. The vulture let out a cry and took off into the air. Juxiang asked, ¡°Little Sister, what kind of master do you have? Is she immortal?¡± Wunian replied, ¡°Yes, my master is an immortal, and I learned immortal arts. Before my master died, she left her assets to me. Big Sister, I won¡¯t hide it from you like how I hide it from everyone else, because you¡¯re my only family. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised if I should use immortal techniques in your presence! Also, don¡¯t be afraid in front of others. Now that you have a little sister who knows immortal techniques, you should be afraid of nobody! You have to be confident. You have a very capable little sister so we should fear nobody. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand! I have a sister who knows immortal techniques. I¡¯m capable!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, my big sister is capable!¡± ¡°Here! Big Sister, tie this piece of jade around your neck. This string is a magic weapon. When you encounter danger, it will automatically sense the danger and release a protective layer to ensure that you don¡¯t get injured. Other than protecting you from harm, this jade will still reflect harm so that it is reflected back twice as strong.¡± Juxiang complied and tied it around her neck. The red string tightened on its own. ¡°Big Sister, this piece of jade cannot be removed unless you take the initiative to remove it. Remember not to be threatened by anyone to take it off. Not even when someone threatens me. No one will hurt me. I¡¯m very capable, can you keep this in mind?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll remember that. As long as I protect myself, you won¡¯t be threatened. My little sister is very powerful.¡± Wunian slapped her thigh. ¡°That¡¯s right! My big sister is smart. You must always remember what I¡¯ve said today.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll remember! You sound more like my elder sister!¡± The two of them laughed heartily. ¡°Oh, right! Also, this storage bag is for you.¡± ¡°This would be the bag containing all the food?¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 21 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Yes, give me your hand,¡± Wunian pricked Juxiang¡¯s finger, drawing a drop of blood. She dropped it into the storage bag. The storage bag quickly absorbed the blood and recognized its owner. Wunian handed the storage bag to Juxiang and told her, ¡°Now, tell the storage bag silently that you wish to take a look inside.¡± Juxiang followed Wunian¡¯s instructions and silently directed her thought to the storage bag, ¡°I want to take a look at what¡¯s inside!¡± In Juxiang¡¯s sea of consciousness, the storage bag became as big as a two-in-one yard and held several rooms. There was a room that was used for storing and preserving food. The food from lunch had been placed inside. There were meat and vegetables here. There was so much food that they would never be able to finish them in their lifetime. Another of the rooms was for storing grains. Other than rice and noodles, there was also oil, salt, and dry goods. There was a great abundance. The next room contained clothes, fabric, cotton wool, and so on. Lastly, there was a treasure vault. Inside, there was gold, silver, pearls, treasures, banknotes, and silver pieces. There were two courtyards and two empty pieces of land. It looked like they could be used to plant things. Juxiang¡¯s consciousness said, ¡°Leave.¡± She returned to reality. She held the storage bag out to Wunian and said, ¡°There¡¯s too much in here. I don¡¯t want it. Keep it for yourself!¡± ¡°Big Sister, my master gave this to you. I used to tell her that I missed you. Hence in order to enable me to focus on cultivation, she collected all these things. She said that if I did well in my learning, she¡¯d give this to you so that you won¡¯t suffer anymore!¡± ¡°Little Sister! Your master is so good!¡± This time, Wunian was the one who felt embarrassed. She lied too easily, and it moved her sister to tears! ¡°My master is really good, so you have to take good care of this gift. You have to take care of our family, I have to rely on you for that. With this small bag, you¡¯ll be able to take good care of me. Am I right?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, but there¡¯s one thing you¡¯ve said that¡¯s not right. How is this bag small? It¡¯s obviously huge inside! What do you mean by ¡®small bag¡¯! It doesn¡¯t sound good. How about changing its name and calling it a treasure bag?¡± ¡°Sure! It¡¯s now yours. You can name it whatever you want.¡± ¡°What if I lose it?¡± Juxiang was extremely excited having obtained this treasure. Now, she started to worry about gains and losses. Wunian smiled and said, ¡°It has already acknowledged you as its master. Even if you throw it away, it will return to your side. Other than a purse, you can also turn it into bracelets, pendants, clothes, and so on.¡± Juxiang said in surprise, ¡°Really? Let me try.¡± She used her consciousness to tell the storage bag to turn into a bangle. The storage bag quickly transformed into an extremely beautiful jade bangle. As Juxiang was studying the bangle with great affection, the vulture landed steadily on the ground. Wunian put the vulture back into the natural space. At this point, the sun was setting. Wunian held her elder sister¡¯s hand and walked towards Old Tian¡¯s residence. Juxiang psyched herself up. ¡°Who should I fear? My little sister knows immortal arts. My little sister is the most capable. I have to be confident. No one can compare to me.¡± When she reached the main entrance, Juxiang looked at her sister with heartache. Little Sister must have painful memories of this place. Wunian, on the other hand, felt quite the opposite. Without this family¡¯s ruthlessness, the current Wunian wouldn¡¯t exist. She led Juxiang into the courtyard. Yuelan was the first to notice them. Yuelan was 12 years old this year. Ever since Wunian was thrown out, no one was willing to do the household chores. Madam Wang felt that as an old woman, she had no reason to serve them. Madam Liu took advantage of the fact that Young Madam Wang had given birth to the eldest grandson and said firmly, ¡°I¡¯m used to being served by Juxiang and Wunian. I can¡¯t handle such tough work.¡± She refused to do any housework. Madam Ma was no pushover either. She rolled her eyes. ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re different from everyone else. Don¡¯t even have any designs on my child. My child is very delicate!¡± They argued every day. Tian Zhuangzhu and Tian Tieniu were so bothered by the quarrels that they felt as though their heads would explode. Slamming their hands on the dining table, they decided, ¡°Let¡¯s split the family up. Each will handle their own chores.¡± Madam Liu and Madam Ma were dumbfounded! If they were together, they could share the work out, but if they split, they would have to do all the chores themselves! Early the next day, Tian Zhuangzhu went to settle the matter. The elders got the village chief to write the separation document and split the land. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 22 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Madam Liu unhappily said, ¡°This split is unfair. My son and daughter-in-law should also get a share.¡± The governor said, ¡°If your son and daughter-in-law want a share, the share should come from yours. It shouldn¡¯t come from his grandparents.¡± Madam Liu kicked up a big fuss and acted shamelessly. Tian Zhuangzhu slammed the table again. ¡°If we are going to split, then just do it. Otherwise let¡¯s forget it altogether. Whoever obstructs the separation will do the chores.¡± Madam Liu immediately got up, ¡°Of course we¡¯ll split. Why wouldn¡¯t we? You¡¯re not going to have the chance to order me around like a slave! Let¡¯s split!¡± Hence they split up and each family managed on their own. As a result, Yuehong and Yuelan, who had always been pampered and lived the life of little misses, now had to work. Yuehong was getting married at the end of the year, so she stayed in her room to embroider her dowry. Therefore, only Yuelan and Madam Ma did the housework in their residence. At this point, Yuelan saw the two girls entering the house. She didn¡¯t recognize them for a moment and said, ¡°Who are you?¡± Wunian smiled innocently and called out, ¡°Big Sister Yuelan, I¡¯m Wunian.¡± ¡°Wunian! No, how can you be Wunian! Father, Mother, Grandpa, Grandma, come out and take a look! This girl claims herself to be Wunian!¡± Yuelan retreated in fear. Madam Ma came running, asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s wrong, Yuelan?¡± Yuelan pointed at Wunian and Juxiang. Madam Ma was also shocked when she saw them. Back then, Tian Tieshan and Weixin were the ones who removed Wunian from the residence. Everyone filed out when they heard the noise. Tian Tieshan and Tian Weixin saw Wunian and said, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. We clearly saw you being taken away by an eagle. It¡¯s impossible that you survived.¡± Juxiang was infuriated. ¡°Why? Does Second Uncle rather my little sister to have been eaten?¡± Weixin pointed at Juxiang and said, ¡°You, you¡¯re Juxiang? How did you manage to come back? You escaped, right?! You¡¯re a dead slave, you escaped slave.¡± Madam Wang pointed at the two sisters and said, ¡°You two b*tches have the cheek to come back! Why didn¡¯t you die out there? The heavens seem to treat you well!¡± Wunian held Juxiang¡¯s hand and said as they walked in, ¡°That¡¯s right! The heavens treat us very well indeed. How would I be able to see you guys again otherwise! Since we¡¯re back, hurry up and prepare a room for us to stay!¡± Madam Wang, Madam Liu, Madam Ma, and the others could not believe their ears. Madam Wang pointed at Wunian and scolded, ¡°You b*tch, you¡¯ve grown so bold as to dare order me to arrange accommodation for you!¡± Young Madam Wang went up to Madam Wang and said, ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s good that they¡¯re back. Look, all of us have been exhausted in the past few years. Xiaobao also needs someone to serve him. Grandma, don¡¯t you think so?!¡± Only then did Madam Wang realize that indeed, it was good that they were back. It would mean two more servants at home. Madam Liu and Madam Ma also responded, gushing, ¡°Juxiang will stay with us, family of the second son.¡± Madam Liu objected anxiously, ¡°How can we do that? Juxiang is the older child and Wunian, the younger. It¡¯s only reasonable for the elder child to stay with the family of the eldest son and the younger to stay with the family of the second son.¡± ¡°Alright, whatever! As long as there are people doing the chores.¡± Madam Ma felt that she was being very magnanimous. Wunian said nonchalantly, ¡°Why are you allocating us? Can none of you hear what I say?¡± Wunian looked at Tian Zhuangzhu and said with a smile, ¡°Old Master, do you hear me?¡± In Tian Zhuangzhu¡¯s ears, this voice was like a tsunami that made him tremble in fear. The others did not feel anything. Madam Wang pointed at Wunian and was about to hit her for daring to speak to her elders like this. Tian Zhuangzhu hurriedly walked forward and slapped Madam Wang. This slap stunned everyone except Wunian and Juxiang. Didn¡¯t you hear her? Go prepare their accommodation! ¡°Old man, are you crazy? Give them¡­¡± ¡°Are you looking for another slap?¡± Madam Wang reluctantly got Madam Liu and Madam Ma to get ready a room. Wunian then added nonchalantly, ¡°I wish to stay in the main residence.¡± Madam Wang was about to scold her again when Tian Zhuangzhu immediately covered her mouth. Wunian continued, ¡°The biggest room!¡± Wasn¡¯t that Madam Wang¡¯s and Tian Zhuangzhu¡¯s room? Madam Liu found it strange that Tian Zhuangzhu had suddenly given in to that girl so much! She was about to speak when Wunian then looked at Madam Liu and Madam Ma and said, ¡°Why, do Madam Liu and Madam Ma have objections?¡± Ah! That voice sounded the same in Madam Li¡¯s and Madam Ma¡¯s ears, as it did in Tian Zhuangzhu¡¯s. They were extremely frightened, as if they were standing at the threshold of a calamity and their souls were leaving their bodies. Madam Liu and Madam Ma obediently went to move Tian Zhuangzhu and Madam Wang¡¯s things out. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 23 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Then they laid Yuehong¡¯s dowry blanket and other bedding on the bed. They even laid out new face towels. Yuehong stood by watching and stomped her feet anxiously. In the courtyard, Wunian instructed Tian Zhuangzhu, ¡°Old Master, shut the courtyard door. Let¡¯s go in!¡± Tian Zhuangzhu did not dare to disobey. Afraid that the sound would come again, he quickly shut the courtyard door and followed behind Wunian. When they entered the main residence, Wunian saw that Madam Liu and Madam Ma had already moved the two elders¡¯ belongings to the storeroom within the house. They had also laid out a new blanket on the bed. The room was neatly decorated. Wunian glanced around. It seemed acceptable. Madam Wang could not take it anymore. ¡°You b*tch, how dare you move me into the storeroom? I¡¯ll beat you up¡­¡± ¡°Why? Does Madam Wang want to hit me again?¡± Now, what Madam Wang heard was different from what Tian Zhuangzhu and the others heard. When Madam Wang heard Wunian¡¯s voice, it was as if it was a whip scourging Madam Wang¡¯s soul. Every word was like a lashing and it made Madam Wang¡¯s body and soul tremble. She was like a little beast that had been beaten up and no longer dared to make a sound. Seeing that they were all behaving well, Wunian nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s a happy occasion that we sisters are back today. If anyone asks tomorrow, tell them that I¡¯ve come back to acknowledge my family after surviving a calamity. My sister has been redeemed from her buyer¡¯s family and is no longer a slave. She¡¯s now free.¡± Wunian stopped talking and looked at Madam Wang. ¡°Get me a cup of tea.¡± Madam Wang quickly did as she was told. Wunian looked at everyone present and asked, ¡°Where are Weichun and Weihong?¡± Tian Zhuangzhu replied, ¡°They¡¯re studying in the county city.¡± After Madam Wang poured the tea she went to stand next to Tian Zhuangzhu. Wunian picked up the teacup and played with it without drinking it. However, she said indifferently, ¡°If someone spouts nonsense to outsiders and says something that they shouldn¡¯t, I¡¯ll make them suffer a hundred times more than now!¡± Other than Juxiang, everyone present was sharing the same experience as Madam Wang whenever Wunian spoke. Her every word was like a whip that scourged their souls and the whipping made them tremble. All of them knelt on the ground and begged for mercy. Still playing with her blanket, Wunian said nonchalantly, ¡°Get up then! Whether or not I spare you will depend on your performance! ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Madam Liu and Madam Ma, go and prepare some food! If you should be harboring any thoughts that you shouldn¡¯t have, I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯ll live wishing you were dead.¡± Everyone present assured her that they wouldn¡¯t dare to. ¡°Disperse!¡± They all went back to their own residences. Madam Liu and Madam Ma entered the kitchen. Madam Wang was afraid that Wunian would see her, so she followed them to the kitchen. When Madam Ma saw that Madam Wang had also come to the kitchen, she went forward and said, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m so scared!¡± Madam Liu chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right! I was also scared to death!¡± Madam Wang said in her usual uncouth manner, ¡°That b*tch Wunian, she¡¯s grown so bold¡­¡± Before she could continue, Madam Wang¡¯s soul was whipped. She fell to her knees facing the direction of Wunian, and kowtowed in terror, saying, ¡°I was wrong. Please forgive me this time! I was wrong.¡± As she kowtowed and apologized again and again, Madam Wang slowly calmed down. Then she got onto her feet without saying another word to the two of them and walked straight to the stove to start the fire. Madam Liu and Madam Ma also realized the reality of the situation. Even if Wunian was not around, they could not scold her. The two of them stopped talking, lowered their heads and went about their chores. Juxiang gave her sister a thumbs up. ¡°My little sister is amazing.¡± Wunian laughed. ¡°Big Sister, you have to learn too. I want them to be respectful to me and also to you. There¡¯s no need to say too much to them, just give the order.¡± Juxiang nodded. ¡°Okay, I got it!¡± Soon, a spread of dishes was served up. It looked mediocre, but to Juxiang, it was considerably good. Wunian said to them, ¡°You all may leave now! I don¡¯t like others watching me eat!¡± Hence, everyone left. Wunian looked at the spread of dishes and said to Juxiang, ¡°Big Sister, don¡¯t we still have leftovers from lunch? Serve up two dishes.¡± ¡°How do I serve them?¡± ¡°Go in with your consciousness and serve whatever you wish!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Then, Juxiang did as Wunian said. Suddenly, two dishes appeared on the table. Wunian praised, ¡°Not bad. Big Sister is very powerful.¡± ¡°Little Sister is a good teacher!¡± The two of them chatted and laughed as they ate. After eating for a long time, Wunian placed her bowl and chopsticks down and got onto her feet. She said to Juxiang, ¡°Sister, once you¡¯re done eating, just get them to clean up the dining table. Have them bring the rest to the kitchen to eat. They¡¯re not to waste it.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 24 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Juxiang wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and said, ¡°I¡¯m done eating too. I¡¯ll go get someone now.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go back to the room.¡± Juxiang slowly walked to the kitchen and saw Madam Wang, Madam Liu, Madam Ma, and Tian Zhuangzhu sitting under the eaves at the kitchen door. Juxiang said, ¡°Grandma, Auntie, go clean up the table! You can eat the leftovers.¡± With that, she turned around and left without waiting for them to reply. Madam Wang complained again, ¡°You remember that I¡¯m your grandmother and you dare to order me around. I think you¡¯re itching for a beating¡­¡± Before she could utter even more unpleasant words, one could hear Madam Wang kneeling on the ground and kowtowing in Wunian and Juxiang¡¯s direction. ¡°I was wrong. I realize my mistake. Give me another chance!¡± Madam Wang¡¯s face was pale with fear. Madam Liu and Madam Ma now knew that even Juxiang could not be scolded. It was only when there was blood on her forehead that Madam Wang slowly relaxed. She sat on the ground clutching her chest as she panted heavily. Madam Liu and Madam Ma quickly went to the dining hall to clean up the dishes. Wunian sat on the bed and meditated. When she heard Juxiang enter, she opened her eyes and said, ¡°Get them to bring in water for you later on to wash up.¡± ¡°Little Sister, is this a good thing to be doing? After all, they¡¯re elders.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing good or bad about it. Compared to how they had abused us for more than ten years, this is nothing. I didn¡¯t take their lives, nor did I physically abuse them. I¡¯m just getting them to do housework!¡± ¡°Little Sister, I understand! We¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Before dawn the next day, the souls of Madam Wang, Madam Liu, Madam Ma, and Young Madam Wang were devastated by Wunian¡¯s divine whip, causing the four women to wake up in fright. Using a voice transmission technique, Wunian beckoned them to the main residence. Wunian sat in the high position in front of the hall and watched them filing in. She said, ¡°Let me tell you now. There is an addition of 10 pigs in the pigpen. Including the original three, there are now 13 pigs in the pigpen. You are to serve them three meals a day! When you wash the garments belonging to my elder sister and I, you are to scrub them with your hands. You are not to put them on rocks to beat them or pull at them. You are to serve fine rice and grains for our three meals every day. The vegetables have to be the freshest and most tender. The meat and vegetables have to be nutritionally balanced. The ground I walk on has to be spotless. I don¡¯t like people who talk too much, no matter who they are. Listen carefully. I won¡¯t repeat myself. If you don¡¯t do your chores or don¡¯t do them well, the consequences will get worse each time. The punishment will fall on everyone, no one can escape. Also, I like quietness. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Understood, understood,¡± the four of them replied in unison. ¡°You may go, if you¡¯ve understood. You may organize things among yourselves. I care only about the outcomes.¡± Wunian spoke slowly and calmly as if she was a pushover. The sky was still dark by the time the four of them walked out of the house. Young Madam Wang said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ve never done any housework. I will have to rely on Aunty, Grandma and Mother for the performance of these tasks.¡± Madam Wang protested, ¡°How can an old woman like me do anything? I have to rely on all of you!¡± Seeing this scene, Madam Ma knew that everyone was trying to pass the buck! ¡°If you all don¡¯t want to do it, I won¡¯t either. We can all suffer together.¡± Madam Liu chipped in, ¡°Then let¡¯s all not do any of the chores!¡± Not long after, the northeastern skies were turning bright. It was almost dawn, and the four of them had not dared to go to sleep, but neither were any of them willing to do the chores. In the chicken shed, the rooster began to crow like a death warrant. Eventually, unable to take the fear in her soul last night, Madam Wang became the first to cave. At such a critical moment, Madam Wang did not indulge Young Madam Wang and walked out with the younger woman in tow. Madam Liu and Madam Ma each carried two baskets of vegetables to the field. Juxiang woke up and saw that Wunian was still asleep. She quietly got dressed and got out of bed. The moment she opened the door, she saw Yuelan standing at the door, carrying a basin of warm water. ¡°What is this for?¡± ¡°Wunian said that we sisters have to serve you.¡± Juxiang didn¡¯t stand on ceremony with her and said calmly, ¡°Alright, bring the water in!¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 25 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios As Wunian woke up lazily, Tian Zhuangzhu was already sitting under the roof of the main house, smoking. When he saw Wunian, he stood up and said to her, ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and have a chat.¡± Wunian nodded indifferently and asked Yuelan to bring a chair over. She sat down, then said, ¡°Go ahead then!¡± ¡°Yesterday, I felt like I was standing in front of a tsunami. My soul shook in fear, feeling like it was being whipped. Did you do this?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Are you still my granddaughter, Tian Wunian?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°I knew it. How can my granddaughter be so domineering? Totally disregarding the concept of seniority. Even towards your grandparents¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your granddaughter, but I¡¯m the daughter of Tian Tiejun and Madam Chen.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re my granddaughter.¡± ¡°No, after my father died, you didn¡¯t care if my mother lived or died. You bullied and enslaved us sisters. You even sold my sister and threw me out. Is there even one thing you¡¯ve done that has made you worthy of being my grandparents.¡± ¡°But the blood of my Tian family still flows in your body. This is a fact that cannot be changed.¡± ¡°What a joke! I was heartlessly thrown out by you guys. My master saved me. At that time, my meridians had been washed out, my bones and blood had been changed. On the other hand, what were you doing, Tian Zhuangzhu, when my mother was on the verge of death giving birth to a descendant of the Old Tian¡¯s family? Huh! Answer me!¡± Tian Zhuangzhu was speechless. He lowered his head and muttered, ¡°That¡­ That was just her being a failure, right? She couldn¡¯t produce a son. Besides, how difficult is it to bear a son? Why couldn¡¯t she do it?!¡± The more he spoke, the more he felt that he was being very reasonable. At this moment, Juxiang was standing behind Wunian with tears in her eyes. She held Wunian¡¯s shoulders with both hands and replied on behalf of Wunian, ¡°Ever since Father died, Grandmother thought that Mother was easy to bully. She placed all the household chores on the shoulders of a heavily pregnant woman. Could you see it, Grandfather? On the day Mother went into labor, Grandmother punished Mother by not allowing her to eat for a day. She even had to do housework. Grandfather, could you see it? Grandmother and the two aunts even wanted Second Uncle¡¯s eldest son to bully and enslave us when we were barely a few years old. Grandfather, could you see it? Eldest Cousin sold me out. Grandfather, could you see it? Did you see them joining forces to throw my sister out? Don¡¯t tell me that they¡¯re only women, even worse, don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re only kids. Even if you have the audacity to say it, I find it embarrassing to listen to.¡± It was unexpected that Juxiang could be this strong. Wunian backed her sister up. Tian Zhuangzhu was too embarrassed to speak again. Wunian spread her hands and said, ¡°Also, you¡¯ve always been the one saying that I¡¯m not a member of your Tian family, I¡¯m not allowed to take on the surname Tian. Have you forgotten? If you have nothing else to say, go and do your chores! Make sure you tend to the fields well.¡± Tian Zhuangzhu persisted and said, ¡°How far do you want to go before you¡¯re willing to release us?¡± ¡°Why? You can¡¯t take it anymore? It¡¯s only the first day! Compared to the more than ten years of enslavement we sisters suffered, all of you are still far from it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m an old man, and I¡¯m begging you now to please let us go¡± Wunian flicked the non-existent dust on her clothes and said indifferently, ¡°Every cause has an effect. The suffering you bear now is a consequence of the actions you sowed before. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not impossible to buy yourself out. You may use silver to compensate for the oppression, enslavement, and debt to my parents. It depends on whether your price is satisfactory to me.¡± ¡°With¡­ with silver?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If you don¡¯t have money, then work hard and repay it with your annual earnings for at least ten years. Consider it carefully!¡± Before she could finish speaking, Madam Wang and the other three women returned with a large basket of grass each. ¡°Is my breakfast ready?¡± Yuehong said with a trembling voice, ¡°It¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°Okay! Sister, let¡¯s go eat! Oh! By the way, get Tian Weixin to hunt some wild animals. I would like some for lunch!¡± With that, Wunian turned around and walked away, leaving Tian Zhuangzhu out in the cold. Now that he thought about it, they had indeed gone overboard with bullying the third son¡¯s family. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 26 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Madam Wang put down the basket of grass and went up to Tian Zhuangzhu to ask him what he had said to Wunian. Tian Zhuangzhu looked past Madam Wang at his two sons and eldest grandson standing in the courtyard. Then he stood up and walked up to them, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s talk at Weixin¡¯s house.¡± As Weixin¡¯s residence was far from the main residence, Tian Zhuangzhu felt that it was safer there. The group of people filed into the house and sat down. Tian Zhuangzhu repeated his conversation with Wunian and Juxiang word for word. After they heard this, they dropped to the ground. Weixin said, ¡°If I had to live this sort of life for ten years, I might as well just die.¡± Young Madam Wang asked, ¡°How much would it cost to buy ourselves out all at once?¡± Madam Wang, Madam Liu, and Madam Ma also hurriedly nodded, indicating that they wanted to buy themselves out. Tian Zhuangzhu did some calculations. Every year, they would earn 19 taels of silver from the farmland and pigs. Now, with ten pigs, that would be 750 taels of silver in 15 years. In addition to the compensation for their mother, it would be a total of 1,000 taels of silver. Tian Zhuangzhu felt that this was enough to buy out their past. Wunian¡¯s little wood spirit came to report and told her everything they had said. Wunian nodded and said to the wood spirit, ¡°Alright, I understand. Continue to keep an eye on them.¡± The wood spirit slipped away again. Wunian patted the non-existent dust on her sleeve and said to Juxiang, ¡°Sister, let¡¯s go out for a walk.¡± Yuelan, who was in Weixin¡¯s room, saw Wunian and Juxiang walking out of the courtyard door from the window and said in surprise, ¡°They¡¯re leaving, they¡¯re leaving!¡± Tian Tieshan asked her to be quiet. ¡°They¡¯re just going out for a walk. They are not going to leave so easily.¡± Madam Ma said anxiously, ¡°What should we do then?¡± Madam Wang said, ¡°What else can we do? We¡¯ll pool our money! We haven¡¯t spent much of what our family has saved all these years. Our family has a total of 280 taels of silver. Do as you deem fit!¡± Madam Liu quickly said, ¡°We don¡¯t have money. Our Weihong hasn¡¯t married yet!¡± Madam Ma also said, ¡°That¡¯s right, my Weichun doesn¡¯t have a wife either. We don¡¯t have money.¡± Tian Zhuangzhu slapped his thigh and said, ¡°Since we don¡¯t have money, let¡¯s take our time and suffer then. In any case, our old bones won¡¯t last for more than a few years.¡± As he spoke, he stood up to leave. Tian Tieshan and Weixin grabbed Tian Zhuangzhu and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go. Let¡¯s gather money. Women are short-sighted.¡± Then, Tian Zhuangzhu sat back down. Tieshan roared, ¡°Madam Ma, bring all the money we have at home. We have to get rid of those two first!¡± Madam Ma was most unwilling as she got up and went beck to her house. She returned with 50 taels. Tieshan went home and found 20 taels. A total of 70 taels were handed over to Tian Zhuangzhu. Weixin asked Young Madam Wang to contribute 60 taels. Tian Tieniu looked at Madam Liu and said, ¡°What are you waiting for? Go get them all. Our family has 90 taels. Don¡¯t hide it from me.¡± Madam Liu was so furious that smoke was almost coming out of her eyes. Did one have to be so overly honest? This way, they gathered a total of 500 taels. Tian Zhuangzhu then said that each of the women would have to go back to their parents¡¯ house to borrow 100 taels of silver. Tieshan said, ¡°We¡¯re still short of 200 taels! That¡¯s right! Doesn¡¯t Weixin have a very rich classmate? If we were to borrow from him we¡¯ll have just enough.¡± Actually, things were not as simple as they thought. On this end, Wunian and Juxiang came to the house of the village chief Tian Zheng. Tian Zheng, coincidentally, was just walking out. Wunian went forward and called out, ¡°Uncle Village Chief.¡± ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Uncle Village Chief, we are Tian Tiejun¡¯s daughters.¡± ¡°Oh! You¡¯re Juxiang. You¡¯re Wunian?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Wunian.¡± Juxiang also greeted him. ¡°Alright, alright. Come into the house.¡± Tian Zheng led Wunian and Juxiang into the house and sat down at the stone table under the big tree in the courtyard. He then asked his daughter-in-law to serve tea. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 27 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Tian Zheng asked, ¡°It¡¯s great that the both of you are able to return. That year, after Wunian fainted in the ditch and I sent her home, I didn¡¯t get to see her again. Where did you go?¡± Wunian bowed to Tian Zheng as a formal gesture of gratitude. ¡°Thank you for saving me back then, Uncle.¡± Juxiang also bowed deeply. Tian Zheng quickly helped the two of them up. Wunian explained, ¡°Actually, I fainted from hunger as I had had no food for a day. When Uncle sent me home, Madam Liu claimed that I was pretending and continued to starve me that night. In the middle of the night, I ran a fever and rashes broke out all over my body. They were afraid that I¡¯d infect them and since no one would see them so early in the morning, they packed me up in a sack and threw me out. Fortunately, my master saved me. Otherwise, I would have died.¡± ¡°Who is your master? You really have to thank her.¡± ¡°My master is a cultivator. She¡¯s a very good person. Today, we came to look for you because we wish to have a household registration certificate. In the future, I¡¯ll be traveling all over the world with my master. A household registration certificate will make it more convenient for us.¡± ¡°I see! But you¡¯re all in Tian Zhuangzhu¡¯s household. If you want to separate and have your own household registration, you need Tian Zhuangzhu himself and I to go into the county office. How about this¡­ I have no issues with it and can go to the county office any time. You will have to get Tian Zhuangzhu to agree before coming to look for me.¡± ¡°Thank you, Uncle Village Chief. We¡¯ll go home now and get him to look for you tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°Sure! Off you go!!¡± After leaving the village chief¡¯s house, Juxiang asked Wunian, ¡°Little Sister, why do we need the household registration document?¡± ¡°Big Sister, we¡¯re only coming back to Tianxia Village to teach that family a lesson. We won¡¯t stay here forever. We¡¯re going to the capital and we¡¯ll have to find a good husband for you, so we might have to use the document on the way there. We also have to use it to settle you down in the capital.¡± Juxiang blushed. ¡°Aiya! What are you talking about? Are we really going to the capital?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As they walked and chatted, they were soon back at Old Tian¡¯s house. They happened to run into Weixin and Madam Ma who were going out. The mother-and-son pair were confident that in no time, they¡¯d be able to get rid of these two jinxes. Hence they walked past Wunian and Juxiang with their heads held high and chests puffed out, not even looking at the two girls. Feeling indifferent, Wunian walked to the main residence and said to Tian Zhuangzhu, ¡°Old Master Tian, go to the village chief¡¯s house tomorrow and go to the county office with him.¡± Tian Zhuangzhu asked, ¡°Why are we going to the county office? I have many chores to do at the farm tomorrow!¡± ¡°Old Master Tian, do you doubt what I said?¡± At this point, the man felt a huge hand coming down from the sky, squashing his soul, so much so that it felt like it was about to shatter. Tian Zhuangzhu felt as though his soul would leave his body and die in the next moment. His eyes widened in fear as he struggled to beg for mercy. Wunian gestured with her small hand gently, and Tian Zhuangzhu finally relaxed, taking deep breaths. Wunian said indifferently, ¡°Is there anything else you wish to say to me?¡± Tian Zhuangzhu hurriedly waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go tomorrow morning. No matter what I¡¯m required to do, I won¡¯t object. I¡¯ll comply with the village chief¡¯s arrangements.¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s good that you know.¡± Meanwhile, Madam Wang and Young Madam Wang, who were standing by the side and watching the entire process, were shocked and at a loss. Wunian turned to look at the two of them as if a thought had struck her! She tapped her own head lightly. ¡°Oh! By the way, I forgot. Young Madam Wang, didn¡¯t you ask me to serve your son yesterday?¡± Young Madam Wang hurriedly waved her hand, but it was already too late. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want that? I have to thank you for wrongfully accusing me three years ago. I was thrown out because of it. Tell me, should I thank you?!¡± At this point, Young Madam Wang¡¯s punishment was even worse than Tian Zhuangzhu¡¯s. From then on, Young Madam Wang felt as though her soul had been shackled. As soon as Wunian spoke, no matter to whom, Young Madam Wang¡¯s legs would give way as if they had been broken, and she would drop to her knees. Whenever she saw Wunian, she would be like a little ghost who had seen the King of Hell, and end up shaking in fear. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 28 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wunian held Juxiang¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Big Sister, let¡¯s go back into the house! I¡¯m tired and wish to rest.¡± Tian Zhuangzhu, Madam Wang, and the other two looked at Wunian¡¯s back view as if they were looking at a demon. They were fearful yet filled with hatred. They thought to themselves that they had to gather enough money as soon as possible to chase these two jinxes away. Of course, whether the two sisters would leave was not up to them. It also depended on Wunian¡¯s mood. Young Madam Wang said to the old couple in a trembling voice, ¡°I¡­ I wish to¡­ go back to my parents¡¯ house. I¡¯ll never¡­ never¡­ never come back.¡± Before she could finish speaking, Wunian¡¯s voice sounded in Young Madam Wang¡¯s mind. ¡°No! You have to do your own chores! If you play any tricks, your fate will be worse than death! Behave yourself!¡± Young Madam Wang hurriedly knelt on the ground and kowtowed. ¡°I realize my mistake. I won¡¯t do it again! I won¡¯t do it again!¡± After that, Young Madam Wang sat on the ground, feeling like she had nothing else to live for. Tian Zhuangzhu and Madam Wang helped Young Madam Wang to her feet and led her back to her room to rest. Tian Zhuangzhu went to Tian Tieshan¡¯s house again and saw his son standing by the window motionless and in a daze. The elder Tian went up to his son and said, ¡°Wunian said that she wishes to eat wild game for lunch. She wants you to go to the mountains to see if there are any rabbits or pheasants.¡± Tian Tieshan replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go now.¡± As he was stepping through the door, he turned around and said to Tian Zhuangzhu, ¡°Father, I don¡¯t know how to do it! I¡¯ve never gone up the mountain to hunt! Sob sob, what should I do! Sob sob¡­¡± ¡°Enough! Stop crying. Take your weapon and go to the village to look for Da Zhuang. He often goes into the mountains to hunt. Or see if he has any ready wild game at his house. You can also buy it from him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ll bring some money.¡± He took the money and left. After Madam Wang and Young Madam Wang rested for a while, Wunian asked Yuelan to pass a message. ¡°Sister-in-law, Grandma, Wunian wants you to collect hogweed. This grass is not enough for the pigs to eat. You can¡¯t slack off. You will be punished if you slack off.¡± Yuelan added, ¡°Wunian said this.¡± With that, she left. It was almost noon when Da Zhuang carried Tian Tieshan into the house. Madam Wang and Young Madam Wang just happened to be returning home at the same time, with two large baskets of hogweed each. As they slid the baskets off their backs, they saw Da Zhuang carrying Tian Tieshan in and shouting, ¡°Is anyone there? Tieshan is injured!¡± Madam Wang went forward to ask what was going on and saw that one of Tieshan¡¯s legs was covered in blood. Da Zhuang placed Tian Tieshan on a chair in his room and said, ¡°Tieshan and I went hunting in the mountains today and accidentally stepped into a hunting trap. You should quickly find a doctor to take a look! I¡¯m going home.¡± Madam Wang said, ¡°Hey! Thank you for sending Tieshan back.¡± ¡°Not a problem!¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± Madam Wang paced around the room anxiously. Tian Zhuangzhu and Tian Tieniu had just returned from the fields at this point. Madam Wang went forward and said, ¡°You guys have come back at the right time. Second Brother¡¯s leg is injured. Tieniu, quickly go get a doctor!¡± Tieniu put down his hoe aside and said, ¡°Aye! I¡¯ll go now.¡± Tian Tieniu turned around and left. Tian Tieshan slumped back on the chair and wailed, ¡°I¡¯m going to die. I¡¯m finished. I don¡¯t want to die! Father! Mother! Save me!¡± Madam Liu and Madam Ma had also returned now. When they saw Tian Tieshan¡¯s leg, they were rather horrified. After a while, Tieniu brought in a physician. The physician cleaned Tian Tieshan¡¯s wound and shook his head after looking at it. ¡°Sigh! You¡¯ll just have to manage the wound! This leg is crippled and the tendon in the leg has snapped. There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± Having said this, the physician did not take any consultation fees and left. Madam Ma was dumbfounded and sat on the ground. Her husband had become a cripple. Tieshan cried even harder. Yuehong and Yuelan were so frightened that they started to cry too. Tian Zhuangzhu shouted, ¡°Alright, stop crying. It¡¯s just a crippled leg. You¡¯re not dead. Why are you crying?¡± Everyone fell silent. Tian Zhuangzhu said to his two daughters-in-law, ¡°How much money did you borrow?¡± Madam Liu replied, ¡°I borrowed 20 taels from my maternal family.¡± Madam Ma said, ¡°I managed to borrow 30 taels.¡± ¡°Fifty taels in total is far from enough! Let¡¯s see how much Weixin can manage to borrow now.¡± After lunch, Weixin returned home happily from the county city, the family saw his happy expression and knew that something good must have happened. Before they could ask Weixin, he said, ¡°Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, I¡¯m definitely the hero of the family! Guess how much I¡¯ve managed to borrow?¡± Tian Zhuangzhu was impatient. Who had the mood to play guessing games with him? ¡°Hurry up and tell me how much you¡¯ve borrowed!¡± ¡°Five hundred taels of silver!¡± Everyone in the family said excitedly, ¡°So much!¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 29 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Tian Zhuangzhu muttered to himself, ¡°Great, we can get them to go away now. We¡¯re going to be saved.¡± Madam Liu praised, ¡°My son is really amazing. Did you borrow this from your classmate with the surname Cheng?¡± ¡°Yes! But Brother Cheng said that we have to pay interest. Here, this is the IOU! And a banknote.¡± Tian Zhuangzhu picked up the IOU and looked at it. However, he was illiterate and asked Weixin to read it to him. Weixin read that the interest on the 500 taels of silver was one copper coin on the first day, two copper coins on the second day, four copper coins on the third day, and will accumulate as such till Weixin fully paid up. If they couldn¡¯t pay, Tian Weixin would use the ancestral home as a collateral. Madam Wang said tirelessly, ¡°Yo, it¡¯s just a few copper coins. Is there even a need to use our house as collateral? Seriously.¡± Madam Liu also said, ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s not necessary!¡± From the beginning to the end, Tian Tieniu did not participate in their conversation. He did not participate in anything except the work in the fields. He would neither help nor harm the two sisters. Therefore, when the entire family was punished, he only felt a little uncomfortable. Tian Zhuangzhu gathered all the silver, which was exactly 1,000 taels. With the silver, the family came to the main residence. Wunian and Juxiang were sitting at the front of the hall, chatting and laughing. Tian Zhuangzhu boldly took the silver and walked forward to place it in front of Wunian. ¡°This is 1,000 taels of silver. It¡¯s enough to make up for the oppression the two of you were under for 10 years, as well as what we owe your mother.¡± ¡°You so badly wish us to go?¡± ¡°Yes! In the past, we owed you. Now, we¡¯re afraid of you. I hope you can take the money and leave quickly!¡± ¡°Alright! Do what I¡¯ve asked you to do tomorrow. Once you¡¯re done, we¡¯ll leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get it done tomorrow!¡± The entire family heaved a sigh of relief when they heard this. Even Tian Tieshan felt that his leg no longer hurt. The next morning, Tian Zhuangzhu went to the village chief¡¯s house. When the village chief saw Tian Zhuangzhu, he said, ¡°I¡¯m coming now. Just in time! By the time we get into the county office, they¡¯d have started work.¡± Walking out of the county office, Tian Zhuangzhu felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. From now on, these two people were no longer part of the family! When Wunian received these two household registration documents, she also felt relieved. She stuffed the household registration document into her sleeve and placed it in her space. Then she said in an indifferent tone, ¡°Alright, I know you don¡¯t want to see us, but still, I hope that you can live your lives with thoughts of kindness towards others. If you do too many bad things, even the netherworld won¡¯t accept you! Alright, that¡¯s all I have to say. Big Sister, let¡¯s go!¡± Wunian took Juxiang¡¯s hand and they walked to the courtyard. With a light wave of her hand, a huge bird appeared. When Weixin saw this, he shouted, ¡°It¡¯s that bird. The bird that took her away back then.¡± Wunian supported Juxiang and they hopped onto the vulture¡¯s back. The bird stood up and flapped its wings a few times before taking off and soaring into the air. Only then did the Tian family members on the ground realize that Wunian might have become an immortal. Was there an immortal in their family? Why did they only react now? Yes! Immortals would do kind deeds. Even though they had abused the third son¡¯s entire family back then, the girls only came back to scare them. None of them were really hurt by her. Only, they didn¡¯t expect that two months later, the 500 taels of silver they borrowed became 1,000 taels of silver. In the end, they didn¡¯t even have a house. Weixin was also beaten up badly. Wunian and Juxiang, who were sitting on the vulture¡¯s back, admired the scenery along the way. When they were tired, they asked the vulture to stop and they found an inn to rest. ¡°Little Sister, I have a lot of money in my treasure bag. Why do I need the one thousand taels they borrowed? This one thousand taels is a huge amount to them!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Sister. I know you can¡¯t bear it. I left a thousand taels of silver with the village chief and asked him to hand it to Eldest Uncle when Tian Zhuangzhu¡¯s family meets with its toughest time. I¡¯ve done this solely on the account that he buried our mother back then. Actually, many times, he had wanted to help us but he was suppressed too much by Madam Liu. I told the village chief that this money was only for Tian Tieniu. It¡¯s entirely up to him whether he wishes to raise this family or not. If this money were to be handed over to Madam Liu or Madam Wang, it will simply vanish.¡± ¡°Mmm, Little Sister, you¡¯ve considered this very meticulously. Also, are we going to ride this bird all the way to the capital?¡± ¡°No, let¡¯s travel by horse carriage after this! Such a big vulture is too eye-catching. A carriage is normal. Also, we can¡¯t wear these low-quality garments. Others will think that we stole the carriage.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 30 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The vulture landed in an open space in the bamboo forest outside the county city. The sisters entered the county city and found an inn. They registered with the innkeeper and paid some silver. The waiter showed them to room number three on the second floor. After the waiter left, Wunian asked Juxiang to take out a dress and change into it. Within a few moments, Wunian was dressed in a fuchsia dress with a platinum veil over it. She wore a pair of fuchsia embroidered shoes and her hair was combed into a pair of buns that sat on either side of her head, a typical young maiden style. She looked spirited and adorable. Juxiang couldn¡¯t stop praising her. ¡°Big Sister, stop talking about me! Aren¡¯t you also beautiful and compelling? We¡¯re setting off tomorrow, who knows how many youths will fall for you along the way!¡± ¡°Good Little Sister! Don¡¯t make fun of your elder sister.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll stop teasing you. Big Sister, we¡¯re about to leave our past behind and start a new life.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m where I am today only because of you.¡± ¡°I rely on Big Sister as well, we are dependent on each other. Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll go downstairs to eat!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± When they arrived at the first floor, there was indeed a 100 per cent change in attitude. The waiter went forward and asked when the two ladies had entered the shop and if the innkeeper had registered them. Wunian replied playfully, ¡°The waiter is scheming! We¡¯ve just registered for room number three on the second floor. We¡¯ve only changed our clothes and the waiter doesn¡¯t recognize us?¡± The waiter apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. My eyesight is poor. What would you like to eat?¡± ¡°Forget it! My sister and I are beautiful! It¡¯s not your fault. Um! Give us two of your shop¡¯s best dishes! Oh right, remember to feed our two white horses well. We¡¯re setting off tomorrow morning!¡± The waiter tried to recall if the two girls had horses, but he couldn¡¯t remember. In Juxiang¡¯s eyes, the Wunian now was mischievous and adorable, a completely different person from before. Juxiang felt both sad and happy when she saw how cute her sister was. Little Sister should have been this carefree, innocent, adorable, and unrestrained from the onset. The hard times in the past suppressed all these traits. But things were good now that she even had the chance to see this side of Wunian. She chose a suitable unoccupied table and sat down. Wunian looked around. After all, she was just an eleven-year-old child. It was her right to be herself. The waiter served up the dishes quickly. Juxiang added more food for Wunian so that the girl could eat more. Wunian laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll gain weight if I eat too much!¡± ¡°It¡¯s adorable to be fat! Hurry up and eat!¡± ¡°Okay! Big Sister, you have to eat too!¡± At this point, a handsome young man at the next table stole a few glances at the sisters. Juxiang did not notice this though. After the sisters finished their meal, they returned to their rooms to rest. There was nothing much to see in the small county city, so they might as well take a nap. The next day, Wunian woke up in a daze, feeling as though she was still half-asleep. Juxiang helped to get her clothes packed and prepared to wash up before going downstairs. ¡°Little Sister, we have to go downstairs for breakfast and be on our way.¡± ¡°Sister, let¡¯s find a coachman to help us drive the carriage! That way, I can continue sleeping in the carriage.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ask the waiter later.¡± After breakfast, the waiter found a coachman for them. The coachman asked for six taels of silver, saying that it would cost money to return as well. Wunian said right away, ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t shortchange you. How about ten taels? Don¡¯t fret at all.¡± The waiter held his forehead and said, ¡°I can tell at a glance that you¡¯re a wealthy young lady who has never suffered. How can you raise the price yourself? Sigh! Miss, are you drunk from eating porridge for breakfast? They want six taels, but you¡¯re giving them ten taels?¡± ¡°Sigh! Brother Waiter, I¡¯m clear-headed! His family is facing difficulties, the entire family depends on him to support them. So what if I like hardworking people? Labor is honorable. I¡¯m happy to give them a few more taels.¡± At this point, those who were eating and passing by all stopped to applaud Wunian. ¡°Uncle, here are ten taels of silver. Take it home to your wife! She can buy rice and grain for the family!¡± The eight-foot-tall man was so moved that he did not know what to say. Just as he was about to bow to thank her, Wunian hurriedly said, ¡°Aiya! Hurry up and go. We¡¯ll wait for you here.¡± The burly man said gratefully, ¡°I¡¯ll go right away and will be back quickly.¡± With that, he ran out. Wunian indulged in some self-admiration! The waiter, as though seeking death, asked mercilessly, ¡°Hey! Just as a matter of curiosity. How did you know about his family¡¯s situation?¡± The customer at the neighboring table said as well, ¡°That¡¯s right! She¡¯s just a little girl. She checked-in to the inn yesterday evening and has not left the inn since. How does she know all these details?¡± Aiya! This was awkward. ¡°This¡­ I¡¯m a fortune-teller. I¡¯m really good at arithmetic!¡± Wunian glared at the waiter and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t ask anymore. I¡¯m very embarrassed now. If you force me again, I¡¯ll bite!¡± The waiter barely managed to smile. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m sorry! My mouth shot off fast and I couldn¡¯t control it! But how did you know?¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 31 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The silly waiter had more questions to ask, so Wunian stood on the stool and said loudly into his ear, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before. I¡¯m a fortune teller. I can tell the future. If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll predict yours. Brother Waiter, you¡¯re going to slip and fall on your face later!¡± ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m such a big¡­ Ouch! Who did that! Who tripped me.¡± ¡°Who tripped you? You tripped yourself over the leg of the stool.¡± Everyone laughed heartily. At this point, the burly man returned, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve sorted out everything. We can leave at any time.¡± ¡°Little Sister, let¡¯s set off!¡± The waiter led the horse carriage to the entrance of the inn. When the burly man saw the two white horses, he exclaimed, ¡°These are two good horses!¡± To this, the natural space chided him. It was useless to look good on the outside, but these horses were intelligent enough to listen to human language and speak human language. However, they refrained from speaking since they didn¡¯t want to scare people to death. Wunian and Juxiang got into the carriage and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯ll leave these two horses in your good hands along the way. Please treat them well! By the way, how do we address you?¡± ¡°Oh! My surname is Lin.¡± ¡°Uncle Lin, let¡¯s go then!¡± ¡°Alright! Sit tight, ladies. Giddy-up.¡± The carriage started moving slowly! Wunian and Juxiang found it quite novel to sit inside because they had never sat in a carriage before. The carriage swayed as it rolled out of the county city, and then Uncle Lin sped up. Along the way, they admired the scenery, feeling comfortable and at ease. They decided that if they didn¡¯t come across an inn for the night, they¡¯d start a fire in the wilderness and camp out. On the third day after leaving the city, they encountered a group of refugees, old and young. There were more than 30 of them in total, and they were dressed in tattered clothes. Seeing that a carriage was about to pass by, they all went forward to stop it. ¡°Kind person, give us something to eat! Our children are about to starve to death. Boohoo.¡± Uncle Lin stopped the carriage. ¡°Ladies in the carriage, there are some people stopping the carriage. What to do now?¡± Wunian and Juxiang got down from the carriage and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A man in his forties had enough strength to answer Wunian, ¡°Miss, we¡¯re all refugees. It¡¯s unfortunate that it hasn¡¯t rained in the village for a long time. We¡¯ve run out of food at home in the village. We came out to see if we can find a way to survive.¡± Juxiang helped a few of the elders up and said, ¡°Get up, all of you! We¡¯ll definitely help if we can. Little Sister, what do you think?¡± ¡°Big Sister, you decide!¡± ¡°Alright! I understand.¡± Juxiang then said to the refugees, ¡°Everyone, get up! Don¡¯t block the road. Let¡¯s find a bigger space and we can cook. I have food. Don¡¯t worry, everyone will have enough to eat!¡± In order to thank the girls, the refugees kowtowed to them again, an old man asked loudly, ¡°Benefactor, can you tell us your name so that we can at least know whom we may direct our gratitude to?¡± Juxiang was touched and replied, ¡°We are only doing what we ought to do. Our names don¡¯t really matter.¡± ¡°It is important. Very important. Please tell us.¡± ¡°Alright then! My name is Juxiang. This is my younger sister, Wunian.¡± ¡°Thank you for telling us your name, benefactor!¡± In order not to let the others into her secret, Juxiang chose to bring the rice and noodles, a chunk of pork, and some vegetables out from the carriage. Wunian kept watch outside. She and Juxiang had agreed that Wunian would get Uncle Lin and the 40-year-old refugee to help unload the food. When everyone saw that there was so much food, they wanted to kneel down again. Wunian helped them gather dry firewood, set up a stove, and cook porridge. A woman who looked to be in her thirties said gratefully to Wunian, ¡°Young Maiden, I thank you for giving us this food. I really don¡¯t know how to thank you for helping us. But I wish to beg you to accept my two daughters. I have four children. The youngest is a boy who is still drinking milk. The fourth child is three years old, and one of them has starved to death. Now that the eldest and second are about to die, her father and I really have no choice! I don¡¯t want my children to starve to death one by one. Please help me.¡± Wunian looked at the woman¡¯s frail body and sighed. ¡°Get up quickly! Didn¡¯t I just give you food? They shouldn¡¯t have to starve to death now.¡± ¡°Young Maiden, you have no idea. There are many refugees on the road. This food might be robbed from us in the next moment! Please accept my two children!¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 32 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°How about this? That¡¯s my elder sister there. Go and ask her! If she takes them in, then your two daughters will be her servants! My elder sister is kind. If she takes them in, she will treat them well.¡± The woman thanked Wunian and walked towards Juxiang. As expected, Juxiang was kind-hearted. Knowing that Wunian had no objections, she agreed. Juxiang walked to Wunian¡¯s side and said, ¡°Little Sister, forget it. Leave them to it! Let¡¯s go to the carriage.¡± ¡°Yes! Alright! How did it go, Big Sister? Have you decided to accept that woman¡¯s two daughters?¡± ¡°Little Sister, do you think it¡¯s right for me to do this?¡± ¡°Yes, we have the means now. We have to make our own decisions in our lives and do as we wish.¡± Wunian looked up and happened to see that the woman was carrying a child while two followed behind her. The older child was even holding the hand of a child who looked about three years old. He came up to Mother Juxiang and said, ¡°Hurry up and kowtow to our benefactor, the two of you.¡± The two older ones took a step forward and knelt in front of Juxiang and Wunian. Juxiang went forward to help them up. ¡°How old are you? What¡¯s your name? Who¡¯s your sister? Are you willing to follow us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Big Sister Da Ya. I¡¯m 13 years old this year. I¡¯m willing to follow you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Younger Sister, Er Ya. I¡¯m 11 years old this year. I¡¯m willing to follow you too.¡± The two of them kowtowed to Juxiang in unison. ¡°Miss, please will you give my mother some more food so that our younger siblings won¡¯t starve to death.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your father? Even if I gave you food, what if you can¡¯t hold on to it and get beaten up again?¡± Juxiang was worried about what could potentially happen. ¡°Our father broke his leg and can¡¯t walk now.¡± ¡°Then if you leave with me, what will happen to the two young ones and the crippled one? How can your mother fend for everyone alone?¡± Da Ya kowtowed to Juxiang two more times and cried, ¡°Benefactor, we¡¯re going to starve to death if we stayed together. If we follow Miss, it would be as though Miss is buying us by giving Father and Mother some money and food. Perhaps they will be able to survive!¡± Da Ya cried pitifully while Er Ya kept kowtowing. At this moment, the refugees¡¯ porridge was ready. All the men, women, old, and young wanted to go forward to snatch it. Wunian walked forward and shouted, ¡°Stop! How can you do this?¡± Everyone stopped and thought that their benefactor was going to go back on her word and take back the food. They all quietened down and did not dare to move. ¡°How can you do this? Let¡¯s not talk about snatching food for yourselves with no thought for whether others will get any. What if you knock the pot over and burn someone? Go and form a line. The children should be at the front because the children are the future. The elderly should be next because the old have worked hard their entire lives. We can¡¯t let them starve to death in the end. Then come the young ones. Don¡¯t always fear that you¡¯re at a disadvantage. It¡¯s fine to give way to each other.¡± The old and young were all saying words of gratitude. The young men and women also felt the same. They voluntarily lined up at the back so that everyone could have a bowl of porridge. Wunian walked to the side of the auntie and uncle in charge of the ladle and said to them, ¡°Today, they¡¯ve been hungry for too long and can¡¯t eat hard and meat. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, their stomachs will adapt and we can make some steamed buns! And those meat dishes! You¡¯re in charge of the ladle. Everyone has to be equal and strive for fairness. Okay?¡± The two dishers nodded and bowed, thanking their benefactors for their generosity. After saying that, Wunian turned around and returned to Juxiang¡¯s side. When Juxiang saw Wunian coming over, she said to her, ¡°Little Sister, I¡¯ve decided to buy them with ten taels of silver and give them another twenty catties of food. What do you think, Little Sister?¡± ¡°Sure! Big Sister may decide!¡± The family standing before her kowtowed excitedly. Juxiang took out ten taels of silver and gave it to the woman. Then, she took out two indentures from her sleeve and said, ¡°This is a proper transaction after all. I¡¯m giving you out of my kindness, but selling your daughter to us is a transaction. As parents, sign your name and put your thumb print on this. The sisters may do the same.¡± The woman was a little uncomfortable, but she complied with Wunian¡¯s instructions. When it was Da Ya¡¯s and Er Ya¡¯s turns, Wunian said, ¡°Think about it carefully. This is an indenture. Once you¡¯ve signed your name and put your hand prints on it, you will be servants and no longer have freedom.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 33 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Da Ya and Er Ya were both 10 years old. How could they not understand these things? However, they had no choice but to do this, for the sake of the family members whom they cared so much about. Da Ya nodded resolutely and pressed her thumb print without hesitation. Seeing that her sister was so determined, Er Ya nodded as well and said, ¡°I¡¯m also willing.¡± Then, she pressed her hand print. Below the hand prints were their names. Wunian handed the two indentures to Juxiang and gestured for her to put them in her storage bag. Juxiang understood. She stuffed it into her sleeve and put it in her storage space. Juxiang helped Da Ya and Er Ya up and said, ¡°You guys will follow us from now on!¡± Juxiang handed the ten taels of silver to Da Ya¡¯s mother. ¡°Here¡¯s the money, keep it away safely.¡± Da Ya¡¯s mother stuffed the money into her clothes and kept it close to her. ¡°This is ten kilograms of rice and ten kilograms of noodles. If someone asks, just say you got this from selling your children. Others will be too embarrassed to rob you of it!¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± Juxiang waved her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t thank me anymore. Say goodbye to your two daughters now. We¡¯re leaving.¡± Only then did the woman feel the sorrow of parting with her two daughters. With tears in her eyes, she hugged her two daughters and carefully reminded them, ¡°You must serve them well. Be obedient to them. From now on, they will be your masters. You have to be diligent and prioritize your masters. Do you understand?¡± Da Ya and Er Ya shook their heads in unison. They didn¡¯t understand. The more anxious they were, the more they couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°It¡¯s just that these two benefactors are your gods. You have to be obedient to them whatever they say. Be diligent and hardworking. Do you understand now?¡± Da Ya and Er Ya nodded. ¡°Actually, we understood. We just want to hear Mother¡¯s voice while we can. Our two siblings are still young, and Father can¡¯t work. Mother will have an even tougher life in the future!¡± Da Ya¡¯s mother¡¯s shoulders shook as she cried. ¡°Alright, I know that you¡¯re good and filial children. You have to take care of each other, understand? I¡¯ve let you down, but I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± Seeing that they were crying so sadly, Wunian walked forward and handed a pill to Da Ya¡¯s mother. ¡°Here! Don¡¯t be sad. Give this pill to Da Ya¡¯s father! This is a pill that will grow bones. He might recover after eating it! This is very expensive. Don¡¯t lose it.¡± Aiya! From where did she learn to speak so arrogantly? Da Ya¡¯s mother took the pill and said, ¡°Thank you, benefactor. If my husband¡¯s injured leg does recover, I will set up an incense table for you and worship you every day.¡± Juxiang helped Da Ya¡¯s mother up. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re leaving. Little Sister, let¡¯s go!¡± Da Ya went to help Juxiang into the carriage, and Er Ya also wanted to help Wunian up. Wunian waved her hand and said that there was no need, and she jumped onto the carriage herself. Da Ya and Er Ya sat outside the curtain of the carriage. Uncle Lin waved the horsewhip and gently whipped the horse¡¯s butt before it started trotting. The two girls turned their heads to look at their families as they moved further and further away. On the second day after Da Ya and Er Ya¡¯s father took the pill, he was able to walk again. On the third day, he fully recovered. Hence this episode came to a conclusion. However, everything they did was witnessed by one person. It was the handsome Shao Shanjin, who had sat at the table next to them in the inn previously. ¡°Whose daughter is this? The elder sister is so beautiful and kind, and the younger sister is lively and straightforward.¡± Beside him, Deputy General Luo Cheng said half-jokingly, ¡°General, your ill intentions are obvious!¡± Shanjin got the horse to follow behind the Juxiang sisters¡¯ carriage. He glared at the deputy general and demanded, ¡°Which eye of yours witnessed that I¡¯m up to no good? I¡¯m just expressing my admiration for the kind-hearted girls.¡± ¡°Aiya! General, say no more. Look at you. You said that the elder sister is beautiful and kind. Oh! When it comes to the younger sister, she¡¯s lively and straightforward. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell at once that our bachelor general has fallen for her! Hahaha.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 34 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°I think you¡¯re itching for a beating!¡± ¡°Yo, yo, yo, someone¡¯s anxious. I wonder who was so eager to set off from the inn, but when he heard that they¡¯re heading to the capital, he immediately changed his mind and said to slow down. I wonder if that someone is worried about the young lady¡¯s safety, and is now following behind to protect her!¡± ¡°Alright already! That¡¯s enough. You seem to have forgotten I¡¯m your general? You¡¯re really getting more and more unruly.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my bad. Calm down, General. But I must tell the old lady about this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m just a junior soldier in your presence. I wouldn¡¯t dare disrespect your grandmother or my ancestor. If she asks, I have to speak the truth! I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± ¡°Rascal, you win. I¡¯m warning you, if you have to say something, make sure it¡¯s something positive, understand?¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The two of them chatted and laughed as they followed behind the sisters¡¯ carriage. However, Wunian noticed all of this. In the inn, she had noticed someone gazing at Juxiang from time to time. At that time, Wunian had used her supernatural power to check the young man¡¯s background. This person was the descendant of loyal subjects. His grandfather, Zhong Bohou, had once been a hero on the battlefields. In another war, he had been shot in the knee by an arrow from the enemy. The tendons in his feet had been broken, and from then on, he had been transferred to work behind the scenes. His father was a general and defender of the nation. He watched over a region defending against the enemies. His grandmother was an open-minded person, unlike other elderly women. Her husband, son, and grandson were invincible. She had simple conditions for a granddaughter-in-law. As long as her grandson and the girl liked each other, it was fine. However, this brat only cared about war. The man¡¯s mother was also a descendant of a general. She had never liked hanging around other women, admiring flowers or looking at the moon, or enjoying the colors of autumn. If she got along with someone, she¡¯d shake hands and drink some wine with them. Otherwise, have a fight. She believed that anything could be resolved with a good fight. As for the person trailing them, he was in his twenties and never been in love. However, for some reason, her sister, Juxiang, had caught his eye. In fact, Wunian felt that it was quite good for her sister to marry into such a family. The young man had three older sisters who were getting married. Now, there was only him and a concubine¡¯s son at home. If her sister married him, she would be the eldest granddaughter-in-law. Therefore, she tacitly approved this man who was trailing them. The next afternoon, they passed by a col. Suddenly, dozens of burly men with cloth covering their faces rushed out from the mountain. Uncle Lin was shocked as dozens of people surrounded their carriage. Da Ya and Er Ya cried and said, ¡°Miss, we¡¯ve been surrounded by bad people! Sob sob sob¡­¡± Uncle Lin also asked, ¡°Miss, what should we do now?¡± Before Wunian could speak, Juxiang covered her mouth and said quietly, ¡°Little Sister, don¡¯t speak or go out there. I¡¯m here!¡± As she spoke, Juxiang came out of the carriage. ¡°Who are you? Why are you getting in our way?¡± A big burly man came forward and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? We¡¯re bandits and we¡¯re here to rob, but now it¡¯s not just that. There are still many brothers in our village who don¡¯t have wives! We¡¯ll take the few of you too.¡± ¡°What a joke. You think you can rob as you wish! Have you sought my permission?¡± The person who spoke was none other than Shan Jin and Luo Cheng, who had followed him all the way here. When the mountain bandits saw that there were only the two of them, they couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°You guys are really suicidal. If you want to save the beauty, you¡¯ll have to keep yourself alive to do it. It¡¯s just the two of you! What a joke, right?¡± Wunian, who was sitting in the car, complained silently, ¡°Are they going to stand around and chat all day! When does the fighting start?!¡± In the end, it was the mountain bandits who made the first move. ¡°Attack! Don¡¯t waste your breath on him. As long as there¡¯s a woman, we¡¯ll take her!¡± With a light tap on their horses, Shan Jin and Luo Cheng flew towards the carriage. Shan Jin stood beside Juxiang and protected them after Luo Cheng killed a few bandits. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 35 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios They quickly caught the Bandit Leader and placed their swords on his neck. Those mountain bandits immediately cowered. ¡°Let our leader go.¡± Another mountain bandit slapped him hard on the head. ¡°Are you stupid? If you say that, won¡¯t they know that they¡¯ve captured our boss?¡± The Bandit Leader felt like dying. How could there be such a bunch of stupid subordinates! Sigh! What a sin! He then ordered, ¡°Alright! All of you get out of the way!¡± The mountain bandits opened up a path. Luo Cheng got the young general and the carriage to lead the way. Shan Jin did not stand on ceremony with him either, and left in peace. Luo Cheng¡¯s sword was still on the Bandit Leader¡¯s neck. He asked, ¡°Do you know who the man was who just left?¡± The Bandit Leader cooperated obediently, given the sword was still sitting next to his neck! ¡°Who was he?¡± Luo Cheng was satisfied. ¡°He¡¯s our Shan Jin, young General Shan.¡± The Bandit Leader was taken aback. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Then you are¡­ Deputy General Luo Cheng?¡± ¡°Ha! You know me?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve heard of your name for a long time, but have never seen you. General Luo, you can put your sword away.¡± As Luo Cheng retracted his sword, the Bandit Leader got down on one knee. He cupped his fists and said, ¡°I¡¯m Qiao Han. I¡¯m 28 years old this year. I¡¯ve been a beggar since I was a child. My ambition is to join the army and make contributions. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have any connections. There are 50 brothers on the mountain, and they¡¯re all beggar brothers who grew up together. It¡¯s our good luck to have met young General Shan Jin and Deputy General Luo today. I hope Deputy General Luo can take me and my 50 brothers under your banner. We also want to go to the battlefield to kill enemies and make contributions.¡± ¡°Alright! I like such straightforward people. Bring your 50 brothers to the military base about ten miles away from the capital and report to them that I¡¯m the one who had recruited all of you. However, I have to warn you first. In the military camp, those who are afraid of death and those who run away during battles will be punished by military law. Those who have fear should not go in the first place!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll explain it to my brothers.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯m leaving. I hope to see you in the military camp. I¡¯m leaving!¡± ¡°Sending Deputy General Luo off!¡± By the time Luo Cheng caught up to Shan Jin, they were already ten miles away. From afar, he saw Shan Jin chatting with Juxiang. Luo Cheng thought to himself, this girl had really caught the young general¡¯s eye. As Luo Cheng approached them, Shan Jin said to him, ¡°Miss Juxiang and her sister are also going to the capital. Since we¡¯re going the same way, we¡¯ll have companions along the way.¡± Luo Cheng thought to himself, ¡°How shameless. You¡¯ve clearly been chasing after her.¡± On the other hand, Wunian thought to herself, ¡°What an act, making it sound like it¡¯s real.¡± Therefore, the group went on their journey happily. Before the sky turned dark, they entered a small town and found an inn to stay in. For dinner, Shan Jin, Luo Cheng, Juxiang, and Wunian sat at the same table, while the others sat at another table. After the waiter had served the dishes and left, Shan Jin looked at Juxiang and asked, ¡°Miss, are you sisters going to the capital to seek refuge with your relatives? Or are you from the capital?¡± Juxiang said awkwardly, ¡°We¡¯re neither seeking relatives nor are we from the capital. We¡¯re going to the capital to settle down.¡± Luo Cheng thought that it must be a joke for two girls to settle down in the capital! Wunian focused on eating her favorite food and ignored their conversation. She was still a child. What could she say! Seeing that Wunian was eating silently, Luo Cheng tried to start a conversation in order to build a good relationship. ¡°Little Sister, how old are you?¡± Wunian did not answer. ¡°Little Sister, what sort of gifts do you like?¡± Wunian did not answer. ¡°Little Sister, you¡­¡± Wunian placed her chopsticks down. Shan Jin and Juxiang looked towards her. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 36 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wunian looked at Shan Jin and smiled. ¡°Big Brother Shan, can I call you that?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Big Brother Shan, I¡¯m very happy to have met you! We¡¯re orphans and lost our parents when we were young. I was raised by my big sister. She¡¯s a good person, kind, and values relationships. Of course, she¡¯s already at the age of marriage. Women value reputation. If Big Brother Shan likes my sister and can become my brother-in-law, I¡¯d be very happy. However, if Big Brother Shan thinks that my sister is not bad and may be taken in as a concubine, then please stay away from her and don¡¯t harass her. Big Brother Shan, please think about it tonight. If you can persuade your family to accept my sister as your wife, then we¡¯ll rush to the capital tomorrow. If you can¡¯t, I¡¯ll ask the two of you to go ahead and leave, as we probably will not be traveling on the same path henceforth. Can Big Brother Shan understand my intentions?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll think about what you¡¯ve said to me and give you an answer tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°Then Big Sister and I will retire upstairs for the night now.¡± Shan Jin had no choice but to take Wunian¡¯s words seriously. This was the first time he had taken a fancy to a girl, but if his family objected, he would retreat. There was no doubt that the young lady was right. It would be better to leave as soon as possible. That night, Shan Jin tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He was most unwilling to give up just like that. Luo Cheng, who was sleeping on the ground, told Shan Jin about the decree of the bandits. Even that did not get Shan Jin interested. Luo Cheng could do whatever he wanted. No matter how hard it was to march and fight, I had completed many difficult missions. But am I to be defeated by such a question now? If my family doesn¡¯t agree, then on one hand it¡¯s my future happiness is at stake, and on the other hand, it¡¯s my filial piety as a child. Juxiang asked Wunian, ¡°Little Sister, how could you say that to that young general? Besides, how am I worthy of him?¡± ¡°Big Sister, don¡¯t belittle yourself. You two are very compatible. Actually, he comes from a good family background and he¡¯s a kind person. I said those words so that he can decide what he wants and stand firm. And even if his family were to object, at least he had fought for you and for that reason he will cherish you.¡± ¡°Sister! You¡¯re just a child. Where did you learn all this? I think if Mother was around, she might not even know as much as you do. You¡¯re a smart girl. I¡¯m very grateful for everything you¡¯ve done for me. Let¡¯s not force fate. Besides, you haven¡¯t grown up yet! Big Sister has to protect you till you¡¯re grown up!¡± ¡°Big Sister, I¡¯m a cultivator. I can¡¯t live an ordinary life with you. When you get married, I¡¯ll leave and travel the four seas. Of course, I¡¯ll come back to see you!¡± Tears welled up in Juxiang¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t know if she should be happy or worried. Her little sister was so amazing that it made her heart ache. ¡°Little Sister, I¡¯ll go with what you say. You will only do what is best for me!¡± Wunian smiled. Her smile was bright and radiant. The next day, Wunian woke up late, like always. When she woke up, she was in a daze, still half-asleep. Juxiang was tidying up her little sister¡¯s clothes, Da Ya and Er Ya brought over some water for her to wash her face, as well as breakfast. Juxiang asked Da Ya and Er Ya with concern, ¡°Did the clothes I gave you last night fit? Have you had breakfast with Uncle Lin?¡± Da Ya replied, ¡°I¡¯ve eaten. Uncle Lin has already prepared the carriage. Er Ya¡¯s and my clothes also fit very well. We like them very much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good then. Little Sister, let¡¯s eat quickly. Uncle Lin is waiting outside.¡± It seemed that her sister had thought through last night¡¯s matter. Whatever was hers would be hers. If it wasn¡¯t hers, she couldn¡¯t force it. After they had finished breakfast and were getting ready to leave, Da Ya opened the door. The moment she did so, they saw Shan Jin standing outside with Luo Cheng next to him. Wunian smiled. ¡°Looks like Brother Shan Jin might be going the same way!¡± ¡°Yes! I will resolutely continue on the same path.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good then. I¡¯m very happy to have you as my brother-in-law.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 37 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After traveling for two consecutive days, on the third day, they encountered a rainstorm on a remote mountain road. The torrential rain quickly slowed down the wheels of the carriage, and they were neither able to move forward nor retreat. Shan Jin and Luo Cheng¡¯s clothes were already drenched, and so was the luggage they had tied to the backs of their horses. The horses were extremely irritable amidst the thunder and lightning. Wunian lifted the curtain of the carriage and shouted to the outside, ¡°Unseat the horses and let them go! Uncle Lin, release the horses too and get into the carriage.¡± Uncle Lin did as Wunian said and untied the reins. The horses ran up the mountain on their own. Wunian let Da Ya and Er Ya into the carriage. Suddenly, Shan Jin, Luo Cheng, and Uncle Lin, who were standing outside, saw four wooden pillars extending out from the four corners of the carriage. The four walls of the carriage were also extending out. Wunian shouted out again, ¡°Come in, all of you! It¡¯s really big inside. You won¡¯t be able to get in later.¡± At this point, Uncle Lin entered the carriage and didn¡¯t come out again. Shan Jin and Luo Cheng looked at each other and also unbuckled their saddles. They boarded the carriage with a leap and entered. Inside the carriage was another world. There were four small rooms, but they kept extending out. Once the four large wooden pillars touched the ground, they continued to extend upwards. The rain outside became even more ferocious. It was as if there was a hole in the sky and water was pouring down. Now, the four large wooden pillars had already risen to ten meters. In just four hours, the water level had risen to five meters. The rain was still falling, but it was not a threat to Wunian and the others. The four small rooms had already extended to the size of normal rooms. Wunian looked at the surprised expressions of these people, including Juxiang, and said, ¡°Yes! Don¡¯t be too surprised. This craft carriage was built by my master because she was heartbroken that I had to suffer under the sun and rain outside. That¡¯s why she spent a fortune to get a friend of hers to build it. This carriage has more functions than this. Quickly dry yourselves and change your clothes. There are four rooms, one for me and my sister, one for Da Ya and Er Ya. You two and Uncle Lin may take the other two! By the way, Big Sister, their clothes are all wet. See if there¡¯s anything suitable for them to wear?¡± Luo Cheng chose to share a room with Shan Jin, leaving the remaining room to Uncle Lin. They then went to their respective rooms. Juxiang searched the storage space and found three sets of men¡¯s clothes. They were all quite similar. Wunian asked Da Ya and Er Ya to help send them over to the men. After changing their clothes, Shan Jin and Luo Cheng came over to Wunian and Juxiang, and they looked at the heavy rain outside the window. Luo Cheng stood behind Shan Jin and said, ¡°You guys are too amazing. The transformation of a carriage into a house is really an eye-opener for me.¡± Wunian glanced at Luo Cheng and replied, ¡°There are many magical things in this world, but you haven¡¯t seen them before.¡± Wunian looked at the rising water level outside and frowned. ¡°This heavy rain is strange. Usually, there¡¯s a process when it rains and the water rises, but such heavy rain seems to be targeting us.¡± Juxiang asked nervously, ¡°Little Sister, are you able to figure out what this is?¡± Wunian looked at Da Ya, Er Ya, and Uncle Lin and instructed, ¡°Da Ya, Er Ya, and Uncle Lin, go to the kitchen and prepare dinner. Everything you need will be in the kitchen.¡± ¡°Aye! We¡¯ll go now.¡± The three of them went to the kitchen at the furthest end and got busy. Wunian turned around and said to Juxiang and Luo Cheng, ¡°Big Sister, Big Brother Luo, come and sit down! Since Big Brother Shanjin is going to be my brother-in-law, you¡¯re not an outsider.¡± Hence, Juxiang and Luo Cheng also sat down. There were four sides of the table, and each of them sat on one side. Luo Cheng was curious about what Wunian wanted to say. Wunian continued the topic from before. The rain was strange, as if someone was controlling it. ¡°How is this possible! Who has such remarkable ability to control the rain? This is too bizarre.¡± However, Shan Jin did not say anything. He was thinking that the Juxiang sisters were orphans who had no one to rely on since they were young and had no enemies. Those two girls were even refugees. He had seen it with his own eyes. Uncle Lin¡¯s family was poor, and he had old and young mouths to feed. They were all ordinary people and did not have any enemies. Then¡­ he was the only one left. Who could it be? Wunian took out a magic weapon from her space and placed it on the table. She said to Shan Jin, ¡°Big Brother Shan Jin must have guessed most of it. The only possibility is your enemy. Let¡¯s take a look at Big Brother Luo first.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 38 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°What do I have to do?¡± ¡°Big Brother Luo, just put a strand of your hair on it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that simple? Not to mention one, I¡¯ll be fine even if ten strands are needed. Here, I¡¯ve placed it here!¡± When Luo Cheng placed his hair on it, Wunian chanted an incantation silently and pointed at the Dharma Mirror. However, there were no changes to the Dharma Mirror. Wunian said to Shan Jin, ¡°It seems that there¡¯s no mistake. It¡¯s Big Brother Shan Jin¡¯s enemy. Big Brother Shan Jin, pull out a strand of your hair too!¡± Shan Jin did as Wunian said. He pulled out a strand of hair and placed it on the Dharma Mirror. Wunian once again chanted an incantation and pointed at the Dharma Mirror. A layer of white fog appeared in the Dharma Mirror. Then, the white fog dispersed and a white-haired Daoist appeared on the Dharma Mirror. There was an incense table in front of the Daoist. On the incense table was Shan Jin¡¯s date of birth and eight characters. The Daoist priest was casting a spell for it to rain while a woman in gorgeous clothes was watching from the side. The servant girl behind her said to the woman, ¡°Aunt Fang, Young Master probably won¡¯t have a chance of survival this time!¡± ¡°Hmph! If he doesn¡¯t die, my son won¡¯t be able to stand out. That b*tch¡¯s child is lucky enough to escape every time. It¡¯s better to be safe!¡± When Shan Jin saw this scene, his heart turned completely cold. He did not expect his aunt, who usually cared for him, to be the person who most wanted him dead. Even if the enemy attacked, they would fight face to face on the battlefield. Indeed, women were the most vicious. ¡°Wait till I get back and tell my grandparents about this!¡± Wunian threw a wet blanket on him. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. Let¡¯s not talk about whether you¡¯ll be able to go back. Even if you were able to, who would believe that you¡¯d be drowned by rain? ¡°Since you¡¯re my brother-in-law, I¡¯ll have to deal with this. Leave it to me.¡± Wunian gave them a mysterious and cunning look. ¡°I¡¯m a person who takes revenge on the spot. Look at what¡¯s going to happen to them. How dare they harm my brother-in-law? They¡¯re really courting death!¡± Wunian waved a Mahayana spell outside the window towards the source of the spell. In the mirror, the Daoist priest¡¯s whisk snapped and broke, and the incense table shattered. The old Daoist priest spat out blood and his cultivation base was abolished. The sweet-sounding voice of a female immortal could be heard saying, ¡°You¡¯ve obtained the fate of immortality, yet you¡¯re not dedicated to goodness. Now the deity will revoke all your magical power on behalf of the Heavens. Do you have any objections?¡± The old Daoist priest knelt on the ground and pressed his palms together, raising them towards the heavens. ¡°I realize my mistake! I have no objections.¡± The woman and servant girl beside him also knelt on the ground, trembling and not daring to make a sound. When Wunian revoked his Dharmic powers, she saw everyone staring at her in a daze. ¡°Stop daydreaming. I told you! You¡¯re my brother-in-law. If you marry my sister, I¡¯ll be your backer!¡± Shan Jin smiled. ¡°I¡¯m so lucky to have met a fairy. Please accept my bow.¡± As he spoke, Shan Jin cupped his fists and bowed deeply to Wunian. Wunian gestured for Juxiang to help Shan Jin up. Juxiang went forward to help Shan Jin up and said, ¡°Young General, there¡¯s no need to stand on ceremony. My Little Sister is kind-hearted and also a person who likes to see justice done. You will get to know her in the future! Actually, she still has the temperament of a child.¡± ¡°My Big Sister is right. I won¡¯t use immortal techniques to deal with ordinary people, but if anyone tries to harm my sister and I, I will punish them. Since I¡¯ve already shown you my identity, I hope you can keep your mouths shut and not reveal it to outsiders. Is that agreeable?¡± Shan Jin cupped his fists and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Immortal.¡± Luo Cheng, who was standing next to him, remained dumbfounded. Shan Jin pushed Luo Cheng¡¯s shoulder, and only then did the latter react. He dropped to his knees and knelt on the floor. ¡°Since our paths have crossed, please accept a kowtow from me.¡± ¡°Get up quickly! I¡¯m still only a cultivator, just that I¡¯m at a different level.¡± Luo Cheng stood up and said to Shan Jin, ¡°Young General, you¡¯re too amazing. You actually have an immortal as a sister-in-law, I want such a powerful sister-in-law too.¡± ¡°I wonder if Fairy has another sister?¡± The three of them were speechless. Did he not listen to a single word that Wunian said just then? What nonsense was he talking about! ¡°I don¡¯t have any other sisters. I only have one that your young general has taken a fancy to. That¡¯s all. Do you remember what I just said?¡± ¡°I do, that I should keep my mouth sealed? Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t tell outsiders.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 39 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°It¡¯s good that you know! Please get up.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Luo Cheng quickly stood up and returned to his seat. He smiled foolishly and said, ¡°Fairy.¡± ¡°Wunian, my name is Wunian. I haven¡¯t ascended yet!¡± ¡°Yes, Little Wunian. Since you¡¯re so powerful, are you able to tell me when I might be able to get a wife!¡± ¡°Let me see! Your marriage will happen after my nephew is born!¡± Juxiang, who was standing at the side, turned red with embarrassment. Shan Jin was overjoyed. ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Yes, as long as your original intention remains unchanged.¡± At this point, Da Ya came over and said, ¡°Miss, dinner is ready!¡± Juxiang stood up and said as she took Wunian¡¯s hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go and eat, Little Sister! It just so happens that the rain outside has stopped. We can continue our journey tomorrow.¡± ¡°What about our horses? I wonder if they¡¯re still alive!¡± Shan Jin patted Luo Cheng¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°It will be fine. Our horses are very intelligent.¡± The next morning, everyone woke up in their own rooms. Da Ya and Er Ya had already prepared warm water and placed it in Wunian and Juxiang¡¯s room. Knowing that Wunian liked to laze in bed, she tiptoed around. Juxiang went outside and saw that although the flood water had subsided, it was still very deep and they wouldn¡¯t be able to leave. They became anxious. Luo Cheng asked Juxiang, ¡°Miss Juxiang, is Wunian not up yet?¡± ¡°Yes! She likes to stay in bed. She¡¯s a lazy little thing who has trouble getting out of bed in the morning.¡± Shan Jin smiled and said, ¡°As expected, she¡¯s still a child. She needs someone to take care of her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! What¡¯s going to happen in the future!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯d still be able to be by her side in the future. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be at ease if she¡¯s alone!¡± Juxiang blushed and didn¡¯t reply. It was late in the morning when Wunian got up lazily. Juxiang tidied up her sister¡¯s clothes. ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast first!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Wunian stretched her back. ¡°Ah! How comfortable. Have all of you eaten?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already eaten! The flood water is still deep outside, so we can¡¯t leave!¡± Juxiang said worriedly. As Wunian ate breakfast, she cast a spell and the water outside instantly disappeared. ¡°There are places where people are dying from a drought and yet people use rainwater to harm others.¡± Luo Cheng asked in a low voice, ¡°Did you send this water to the drought areas?¡± ¡°Uh huh!¡± She answered nonchalantly! Speechless, Luo Cheng gave her a thumbs up. After Wunian finished her breakfast, Da Ya and Er Ya tidied up the kitchen and various rooms. The group went outside, to where Uncle Lin would sit while driving the carriage. The carriage began to slowly descend and shrink. After a quarter of an hour, the carriage was back to its original size. Because the ground was still wet, Wunian, Juxiang, and Er Ya stayed in the carriage and did not get out. Only Shan Jin and Luo Cheng got down to check. The clatter of horses¡¯ hooves came from afar. Luo Cheng thought it was their horses and said, ¡°As expected, our horses are highly intelligent.¡± Soon, the four appeared. Although, it was a slap in the face that the reins of their horses were each held in the mouths of the two white horses. In other words, their horses were led back by other horses! What were they supposed to say? Should Luo Cheng thank the two white horses? When the horses came up to them, the two white horses let go of the reins and went over to Uncle Lin. Uncle Lin praised them, ¡°Good horse! Precious horse!¡± He then put the reins on the horses, while Shan Jin and Luo Cheng also put on their saddles and luggage. They set off once again. Ten days later, the group arrived at the city gate of the capital. Shan Jin asked, ¡°Will the two ladies return to the residence with me?¡± Juxiang replied, ¡°No, we¡¯ll find an inn to stay in for now, and then buy a mansion.¡± ¡°Then, let Luo Cheng buy the mansion!¡± Luo Cheng cupped his hand over his fist and said, ¡°General, I¡¯ll definitely settle this matter. I wonder what level of residence you want.¡± Wunian stuck her head out and replied, ¡°It has to be big, stylish, and of good quality! Buy it according to this level! Don¡¯t worry, we have silver.¡± As she spoke, Wunian took out a dozen banknotes. They were all genuine banknotes, and she handed them to Luo Cheng. Luo Cheng said in surprise, ¡°So much money. There¡¯s more than enough to buy ten mansions!¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 40 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Luo Cheng drew a few banknotes from the stack. The values of these notes were also terrifyingly high! ¡°Miss, while I¡¯m at it, I might as well also buy all the servants who will serve in the residence, including the cook, the sweeper, the gardener, and handyman!¡± Juxiang was stunned. ¡°Do we need so many people for a residence?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Shan Jin looked at Juxiang and replied with a smile. Wunian said to Luo Cheng, ¡°You may decide. We don¡¯t lack money.¡± The few of them entered the city. Shan Jin found a good inn and waited for the sisters to settle down. Shan Jin then returned to his residence. His grandfather, grandmother, mother, and the other elders were all anxious. They had long heard from someone that the young general had entered the city, but for a long time, he did not turn up at the residence. They asked the servants to check, but the servants reported that the young general had sent two women to the inn. As soon as Shan Jin entered the mansion, he was led to the reception pavilion by the butler who was watching at the door. As soon as he entered the reception pavilion, Shan Jin first bowed to his grandparents before bowing to his mother. His mother went forward to help Shan Jin up and said, ¡°My son has worked hard. How¡¯s your father? Is he alright?¡± ¡°Mother, Father is fine! Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just that I have something else to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Shan Jin looked at the rest of the people in the hall and said, ¡°The rest of you may leave!¡± At this point, Aunt Fang walked forward and reached for Shan Jin¡¯s hand. She said, ¡°Jin¡¯er, it¡¯s been hard on you. I¡¯ll make you a bowl of nourishing soup.¡± Without waiting for Shan Jin to say anything, she turned around and left. This person was too scheming. She pretended that nothing had happened and continued to act like a weak and understanding concubine who was a real pushover. In the past, Shan Jin had indeed thought that she was a kind woman, but now, he did not think so. Under an exterior that made her look as though she was easy to get close to, she was vicious. Shan Jin did not care about this vicious woman. He had to marry Juxiang first. There were many outstanding young men in the capital, and being such a good woman and good sister-in-law, he couldn¡¯t risk losing her to someone else. He helped his mother to a seat and said, ¡°Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, I wish to tell you something. There is a girl whom I like. Please help me.¡± The old lady smiled and said, ¡°Oh! My grandson is finally enlightened! It¡¯s a girl, is it?¡± ¡°Grandmother! What are you talking about! If not a girl, am I supposed to marry a man?¡± ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s good! Which family is she from? What¡¯s her family like?¡± ¡°She¡¯s from a remote village and has been an orphan since she was young. She only has one younger sister and no other relatives. Her sister is also smart and adorable.¡± The hot-tempered mother said, ¡°You brat, you can¡¯t possibly marry the two sisters!¡± ¡°No, no, no. I wouldn¡¯t dare do that. Her little sister is very capable. I¡¯m not worthy of her. No one is worthy of her. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking for help so that I can marry the elder girl. That would mean I have a powerful sister-in-law too. But I really like Juxiang. She¡¯s gentle and caring.¡± The old woman quickly stopped him from continuing before he fainted from being intoxicated. However, his grandfather became interested in this younger sister and asked, ¡°Tell me then, how capable is this younger sister?¡± ¡°Grandfather, please forgive me. I promised her not to reveal her identity to anyone. I can¡¯t be a person who goes back on my word.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even tell Grandfather?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, but she said that she¡¯d like me to be her future brother-in-law! And she¡¯d be my backer.¡± Shan Zhong laughed heartily at his grandson¡¯s words. ¡°Hahahaha! You¡¯re a general, yet you feel smug about having a young girl be your backer. Aren¡¯t you ashamed! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Grandfather, stop laughing. She¡¯s really amazing. This time round, your grandson would have died if it weren¡¯t for this future sister-in-law. All of you would not have had the chance to see me now!¡± The moment he heard that it was a matter of life and death, the old man instantly became serious. ¡°Yes! I know what to do. Take your mother to see that girl tomorrow!¡± ¡°Mother, Grandmother, you have to act quickly. There are so many outstanding young men in the capital. What if someone steals my love? I¡¯m not exaggerating. Although good girls are aplenty, there¡¯s only one of her. Once she¡¯s gone, she¡¯s gone!¡± ¡°Is it that serious?¡± ¡°Mother, it¡¯s that serious¡± ¡°Alright, we got it! I¡¯ll go and see the lady tomorrow and decide what to do next.¡± Behind the screen, a fierce look flashed across Aunt Fang¡¯s eyes. ¡°Whatever it is that you want, I won¡¯t let you have it. I¡¯ll make the woman of your dreams my son¡¯s concubine. My son is no match for you in terms of career, so what?! I¡¯ll make you feel the pain of not getting what you desire.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible.