「Morning.」
Lee Encai was still sleeping in when she was suddenly awakened by Pei Huixian.
"What is it—"
"Get up, quickly. An old woman is outside with a young man, and they're specifically asking to see you."
"Who? Do I have to see them just because they ask?"
"The thing is, they brought a marriage contract, and it has your grandfather's signature on it from before he passed away."
"What?!"
In the reception hall, Li Weihai had a strange feeling. He had examined the marriage contract, and the signature truly looked like his father's. But the old man had never ntioned this matter, not even on his deathbed. Judging by their clothes, they looked as if they had co from the countryside. In terms of status, they were hardly a match for the Li Family.
However, they also claid to possess extraordinary skills and superior martial arts, saying they could help the Li Family dominate Jiangbei and even beco a nationally renowned clan. The young man, nad Yan Luoyang, even gave a demonstration on the spot. He crushed a porcelain teacup into powder and left a deep handprint on the coffee table.
This display made Li Weihai's heart race. If Yan Luoyang's skills were on par with Lin Tang's, then accepting this son-in-law wouldn't be a loss.
When Lee Encai ca out, she glanced at Yan Luoyang and noted that he was decent-looking. Though not as handso as Lin Tang, he wasn't ugly either. But…
Why do I feel like sothing is off?
Lee Encai frowned, noticing he stood there with a stiff smile, like a puppet. Then she looked at the old woman. Although she had a kind face and a gentle deanor, her skin was abnormally pale and covered in wrinkles, and her eyes were cloudy. Most disturbingly, her withered fingers had long, sharp nails that were a faint, sickly blackish-green, and it didn't look like polish.
She could be in a horror movie without any makeup…
When she saw the handprint on the coffee table, her expression grew even stranger.
Isn't this just like Big Brother Lin?
Yan Luoyang was dressed like he'd just co from the countryside. So was Lin Tang. They had shown up with a marriage contract to propose marriage. So had Lin Tang. Yan Luoyang knew martial arts. So did Lin Tang…
Is this kind of arranged marriage popular these days?
Lee Encai's cheek twitched. As a modern woman, she instinctively rejected the idea of a marriage arranged at birth.
However, her father's concerns were not without reason. The Shen Family had beco a laughingstock. Every mber of the upper class who attended Wei Shanhe's banquet was secretly mocking them, thinking they were blind fools for letting an excellent son-in-law like Lin Tang slip through their fingers. Now, the Li Family faced a similar situation. If they handled it poorly, they feared their family's na would also be disgraced.
In the end, Li Weihai resorted to stalling tactics. He suggested letting the young people get to know each other first. If they were compatible, they could get engaged. He secretly planned to find an agency to verify the signature on the contract and investigate Yan Luoyang's background.
Grandma Qian was quite displeased by this but agreed nonetheless.
"A'Yang, go take your future wife for a walk. Make sure you make a good impression."
"Yes, Grandma!" Yan Luoyang replied, walking over to Lee Encai and giving her a stiff smile.
Lee Encai was extrely reluctant, but she had no choice. She had to act as his guide and take him out.
Just then, an entirely unexpected scene unfolded.
Yan Luoyang suddenly began to cough violently. His face turned crimson as he coughed so hard that he collapsed to his knees, bent over on the floor. Grandma Qian's expression changed instantly. She hurriedly pulled out a small black bottle, intending to feed him sothing.
"HURK—"
When Yan Luoyang opened his mouth, he sprayed out a swarm of dark-red insects. They looked like cockroaches but had the mouthparts of cicadas, and their front legs resembled a mantis's scythes, covered in dense serrations.
Panicked, Yan Luoyang quickly tried to stuff the insects back into his mouth. The horrifying part was that the insects were still alive. They struggled and crawled frantically before being swallowed whole, their movents visible as they squird down his throat.
"RETCH!!!"
Lee Encai imdiately began to vomit uncontrollably. Li Weihai and Pei Huixian were frozen in shock.
"What… what… what…"
"What in God's na was that?!"
By the ti Lin Tang arrived at the Li Family's estate, everyone had already fallen unconscious.
"Hm?" Lin Tang's nose twitched. He detected a strange, foul stench tinged with the sll of rot. He imdiately determined that they had been afflicted by a curse. It was a very sophisticated curse, one that could normally pass for a simple illness. Had the curse not been cast so hastily on a whim, even soone with Lin Tang's current cultivation might have been deceived.
There will always be soone stronger, a mountain beyond every mountain. This world is full of people whose power is no less than mine, and there are even masters who could crush with a flick of their wrist… I cannot afford to be careless.
Lin Tang mused to himself and began treating Li Weihai.
Fortunately, whoever cursed the Li Family is probably no stronger than I am.
BOOM!
His True Qi surged, covering Li Weihai's heart with practiced ease. Before long, he stirred and woke up.
"Ugh, what happened to ?" he mumbled, initially dazed. But as he recalled the earlier events, his face filled with a mixture of terror and rage. "Master Lin, please, you must save my wife and child, and everyone else…" Li Weihai pleaded desperately, promising a handso reward.
Lin Tang was direct. He said he no longer needed money and asked for a Centennial Elixir instead.
"Yes, yes, of course! No problem!" Li Weihai agreed readily. The lives of his family were more important than anything.
And so, he watched as Lin Tang operated on two fronts, simultaneously placing his hands on the chests of Lee Encai and Pei Huixian.
"Ugh—" Li Weihai's expression was strange, but he could only tell himself that this was a normal part of the treatnt.
With a soft moan, both Lee Encai and Pei Huixian awoke. Feeling the strange pressure on their chests, Lee Encai instinctively scread, "Pervert… Oh, it's Big Brother Lin. Never mind, then."
Pei Huixian's expression was slightly embarrassed, but she quickly composed herself. She straightened her clothes and thanked Lin Tang, her deanor as graceful as ever.
Lee Encai, on the other hand, was much more "animated," excitedly recounting the day's events in great detail. When she got to the part where Yan Luoyang had vomited insects, she gagged dramatically.
"Oh? And then what happened?" Lin Tang asked, his interest piqued as he continued to heal the others.
"Then I swore I would die before marrying him! Even if the contract is real, I refuse! It was too disgusting!" Lee Encai continued, explaining that things had turned sour after that. Grandma Qian had asked if the Li Family was truly determined to break the agreent. Li Weihai, feeling for his daughter, had nodded resolutely.
"Fine, fine, fine," the old woman had sneered. "If you have the guts to break our contract, then don't you regret it! Just you wait!"
She hadn't let Yan Luoyang use his martial arts to punish them, however. She had simply taken him and left. Not long after they were gone, Li Weihai and the others had collapsed one by one. It didn't take a genius to figure out the old woman must have done sothing.
"Master Lin, do you know what they did to us?"
"Why did we all feel such a sharp pain in our chests?"
Once everyone in the Li Family household had been revived, they gathered around Lin Tang, their faces pale with lingering fear. Li Weihai personally brought him the Centennial Elixir from their private stock. When he heard they had been cursed, he said anxiously, "Master Lin, could you please stay with us for the next few days? With you here, they won't be able to harm us even if they co back!"
"Big Brother Lin, I'm so scared! Please stay…" Lee Encai and Pei Huixian pleaded, each grabbing one of Lin Tang's arms and refusing to let go.
「Villa Number One.」
Shen Youling was in a bind. She didn't have a key, so she couldn't leave. Huang Jifen hadn't returned, likely because she was afraid of disturbing the "couple." It wasn't until noon that she finally ca back to the villa, holding Wu Xinyu's hand.
"Hello, Mrs. Boss!"
"You're calling Mrs. Boss?" Shen Youling asked, taken aback.
So she's the housekeeper, not Lin Tang's mother.
"And who is this little girl?"
"She's my granddaughter, Xinyu. Co on, Xinyu, say hello to Mrs. Boss."
"Hello, Fairy Sister!"
Seeing Wu Xinyu's adorable, smiling face, Shen Youling broke into a genuine smile and patted the little girl on the head. She was quite surprised. In most wealthy households, it was unacceptable for the staff to bring their family to live with them. The Shen Family had a housekeeper, but she was never allowed to bring relatives into the house to avoid overstepping boundaries.
Lin Tang is kinder than I imagined… she thought.
She was about to leave when Huang Jifen warmly invited her to stay for lunch. She was already starving, so she accepted with a bashful nod.
"Auntie, please don't call Mrs. Boss. Lin Tang and I are already divorced."
"What?" Huang Jifen gasped in surprise.
"Why, Fairy Sister? Brother Lin is like a deity! You two are a perfect match!" Wu Xinyu exclaid, her eyes wide.
"Well… our personalities didn't quite match, so…" Shen Youling said, feeling a bit awkward. She quickly changed the subject. "How old are you, Xinyu? Where are your parents?"
"I'm five! My mommy and daddy went to heaven to have a good ti!" Wu Xinyu grinned, revealing a mouth full of missing teeth.
"..."
Shen Youling did her best to hide her pity, feeling that such an expression would only be like rubbing salt in the wound. "You're five? Why have you lost so many teeth?" she asked, turning to Huang Jifen. "Have you taken her to a doctor to check for any nutritional deficiencies?"
Huang Jifen let out a long sigh. Clasping her hands as if in prayer, she expressed her sincere gratitude to Lin Tang for taking them in before answering bitterly, "Soone pulled Xinyu's teeth out with pliers."
"What?!" Shen Youling was instantly filled with righteous indignation. "To do sothing so vicious to a small child… are they even human? They're beasts!"
Wu Xinyu's innocent, smiling face twisted into a mask of hatred, and she seed to age several years in an instant. She clenched her small fists and said venomously, "When I grow up, I'll get my revenge!"
Shen Youling patted her head again, about to offer so words of comfort.
"I'm going to pull out all of Shang Yuenong's teeth! Every last one!" Wu Xinyu added.
"!!!!"
Shen Youling felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. She froze, completely motionless. She finally understood why Lin Tang had specifically targeted Shang Yuenong. Why Shang Yuenong had been so terrified of him. And why Lin Tang had been so disappointed in her.
I was wrong. I was so terribly wrong! I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry… I'm such garbage…
By the ti Huang Jifen ca out with the lunch dishes, Shen Youling was gone.
"Huh? Where did Mrs. Boss go? Did she just leave? Sweetie, did you say sothing to upset her?"
"No…" Wu Xinyu said with an innocent look. "She just suddenly started crying, said 'I'm sorry,' and then ran off."
Huang Jifen took her granddaughter's hand and walked out to the bridge in front of the villa. There was no sign of Shen Youling. Only an auxiliary key card was left, stuck in the gate's reader.
Huang Jifen silently removed the key, a look of understanding dawning on her face.
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