The four grandchildren from the eldest branch, the oldest being twelve and the youngest six, took advantage of their numerical superiority and mercilessly rained punches upon the children of the second branch.
Although the third branch had no grandchildren, their six-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter also charged forward. Only Jiang Xiaohua, the granddaughter of the eldest branch, was kind-hearted. Shouting "Stop fighting!" she tried to intervene but couldn't hold them back.
The four children of the second branch were outnumbered and younger, quickly being pinned to the ground.
Fists and feet fell like rain, forcing them to curl into balls, clutching their heads and crying in pain.
Zhao Shi watched helplessly as her grandchildren were beaten, stamping her feet in anxiety, but she herself was restrained and couldn't break free.
When Liu Shi saw her children wailing from the beating, blood rushed to her head, and she no longer cared about maintaining the dignity of an elder.
She rushed into the fray in three quick steps, grabbed the eldest grandson of the first branch, and slapped him hard across the face.
"How dare you! You little beasts dare to bully my children!"
The wives of the other two branches, who had initially stood by watching with amusement, turned pale when they saw their own children being hit.
"You wretched Liu Shi! How dare you lay a finger on my son? I'll tear your mouth apart!"
"Spit! Shameless slut, bullying children just because you're older, huh?"
"You vile woman who gives birth to sons without assholes! How dare you interfere in children's fights? Today, I'll make sure to beat your face to a pulp!"
Several women screamed as they charged forward, some pulling hair, others pinching arms—the scene descended into complete chaos.
Meanwhile, the men of the Jiang family stood by with their arms crossed, watching coldly from the sidelines.
After all, their women and children outnumbered the others and wouldn't suffer any losses. They were content to enjoy the spectacle, avoiding the stigma of bullying women and children.
Jiang Liuli leaned against the doorway, idly twirling a strand of hair around her finger, a mocking chill flickering in her eyes.
"Tsk, such a vicious family…" She glanced up at the sky, a cold smile curling her lips. "Would it be too much to ask for them to be struck by lightning?"
Jiang Liuli sneered and suddenly raised her hand, sweeping it through the air…
But the courtyard remained in chaos, with shouts and curses echoing loudly.
Frowning in disbelief, she waved her hand again…
Yet the night sky remained clear, the full moon hanging high without a single cloud in sight.
"Dammit! Where's my lightning ability?!"
Jiang Liuli stared in astonishment at her empty palms—not a trace of lightning, not even a single spark.
She looked up again, expecting to see rolling dark clouds and dancing bolts of lightning, with the Jiang family's villains being fried to a crisp and begging for mercy—but nothing of the sort appeared!
Her heart sank heavily as a terrifying thought surfaced:
Had her lightning ability… disappeared?!
"Hey! Did Jiang Dani get water in her brain after the sacrifice? She's just watching her second branch relatives get beaten up without helping, waving her arms around like a lunatic. What's that supposed to mean?"
A villager watching from the sidelines asked in confusion, staring at Jiang Liuli.
"I think she hit her head when she fell down the waterfall and went stupid. She probably thinks she really became the River God's bride and can use magic, and now she's casting spells!" another villager speculated seriously.
"Speaking of which, now that the He Bo bride has returned, what should we do? We're not really going to capture her and burn her to death, are we? That would be too cruel!"
"Why are you worrying about this? I expect Liu Lizheng and Zhang Witch will receive the news soon and come over. We just need to follow their instructions. Right now, there's a good show to watch, so let's enjoy it!"
"…"
Jiang Liuli's disappointment lasted only a moment. Having fought mutant beasts in the apocalypse for over a decade, even without her lightning Ability, her rich combat experience meant dealing with these country bumpkins wouldn't require much effort.
Jiang Liuli picked up a hoe leaning against the wall but reconsidered after a moment's thought.
Killing was illegal in this era…
She swapped it for a wooden stick as thick as her arm, grabbed it, and charged into the chaotic brawl.
Jiang Qianshi was pulling Zhao Shi's hair while tearing at her, and Jiang Xiaoni had been ordered by Zhao Shi to help the children and Wang Shi.
Seizing the opportunity while Jiang Qianshi had her back turned, Jiang Liuli swung the wooden stick hard at the back of her neck.
"Ah!" Jiang Qianshi let out a sharp cry, her head ringing and vision blurring.
She staggered forward two steps before collapsing heavily with a "thud," completely knocked out.
The entire courtyard fell silent instantly. Everyone stopped moving, staring dumbfounded at Jiang Qianshi lying on the ground and Jiang Liuli standing behind her, wooden stick in hand.
"Heavens! How brutal! Is this still the same Jiang Dani who used to hide from people?"
"Did Jiang Qianshi just get beaten to death with one strike?"
"Serves her right if she's dead! Jiang Qianshi's no good. The other day when my family lost a chicken, hers was stewing chicken that very night. When I confronted her, she claimed it was their chicken."
"But they only have three chickens total—I saw them all clearly, still there!"
"And she still refused to admit it…"
"Last time when Jiang Tongbao's son lost a fight with my boy, Jiang Qianshi brought her daughter-in-law to my house, crying and making a scene. It made my father-in-law so angry he fell ill, and they just walked away without a care."
"But it was her grandson who started it—he just couldn't beat our kid…"
"Right! She deserves it! Last time…"
Among the onlookers, seeing Jiang Qianshi struck down provoked not sympathy but gleeful voices recounting her past misdeeds.
Jiang Laotou, who had been silently smoking his long pipe nearby, suddenly slammed it to the ground, sparks flying from the bowl.
Trembling, he pointed at Jiang Liuli.
"Jiang Dani, you wretched creature! How dare you strike your grandmother?!"
Jiang Liuli casually twirled the wooden stick, still stained with Jiang Qianshi's blood.
She tilted her head toward Jiang Laotou, a mocking smile curling her lips.
"Grandfather, perhaps your high status makes you forgetful. You accepted ten taels of silver to marry me off to the River God as his bride! Strictly speaking, I'm no longer a member of the Jiang family!"
"The one I struck wasn't my grandmother, but a vicious old woman who bullied my mother!"
"You… you…" Jiang Laotou trembled with rage, turning to shout at the stunned first and third branches of the family. "What are you all standing around for? Tie up this unfilial beast! When your Uncle Liu Lizheng arrives, we'll hand her over to him!"
Jiang Laotou knew that if Jiang Liuli were captured, she would die even more horribly.
He didn't want to waste more words on this rebellious granddaughter…