The sky grew increasingly dark, with oppressive black clouds bearing down upon the mortal world like an overwhelming tide. The fierce wind twisted the rain into thick ropes as thick as fingers, lashing viciously at this filthy human realm.
Seeing how heavy the rain was, Big Beard woke everyone early in the morning and ordered them to rest for the day.
The courier station had long fallen into disrepair, and rainwater poured through holes in the roof, landing precisely where Xie Mubai lay.
Shen Wan saw this and turned to Xie Murong: "Move inward a bit. This side is all wet and impossible to sleep on."
Xie Murong slept at the head of the kang. She disliked crowding with others and had taken up space for about two people.
"But I have no room left here," she said with a sullen face, displeased. "Why don't you just switch places with Fifth Brother?"
She was a noble lady from a prestigious family. Having to share a kang with them was already humiliating enough, and now this ugly woman actually wanted her to squeeze in even more!
Besides, who told this ugly woman to scheme so hard to marry into the family? Suffering a bit now was exactly what she deserved.
Hearing this, Shen Wan immediately felt her anger flare up.
She had originally intended to endure a little longer, but given their attitude, it was absolutely necessary to divide the family now!
She didn't lose her temper but instead moved Xie Mubai to her own spot and gave him some water laced with "special ingredients."
Seeing that the ugly woman didn't resist, the Xie family members were in high spirits.
They gathered together, chatting and laughing, and even ate an extra pancake.
They seemed to have forgotten that Zhen Guo Gong's body was not yet cold, forgotten that they were still on their journey of exile.
"Xie Mubai, what's wrong with you?"
Shen Wan mustered her emotions and let out a panicked scream.
The Xie family members turned around in alarm and saw Xie Mubai pale and unconscious, with bright red blood trickling down his legs like a small stream.
"What are you all standing around for? Go fetch a Lang Zhong quickly!" Shen Wan shouted anxiously at Zhou Yiniang and the others.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yiniang immediately shook her head like a rattle-drum: "How would I have any money? You know perfectly well that all the money I had was taken by that Jin Po!"
Zhao Shi and the others also shook their heads dismissively.
As for Xie Murong, she was even less reliable.
"Third Sister-in-law, I know you have money!" Shen Wan grabbed her sleeve and urged anxiously, "Go quickly and ask the official to find a Lang Zhong. Any later, and I fear Xie Mubai might be in mortal danger!"
"If we spend all our money on him, what will we do then?" Sun Shi pushed her away angrily and said, "Besides, we're not even one family anymore. Why should I pay?"
From childhood till now, she had never gained any advantage over this ugly woman.
Now that the ugly woman was in trouble, she was happier than anyone about it. How could she possibly lift a finger to help?
Shen Wan wasn't surprised by this response.
She glanced subconsciously at Xie Mubai and retorted, "How are we not one family? Aren't you a daughter-in-law of the Xie family?"
"Don't forget, we haven't divided the family yet! Your money is the Xie family's money!"
"That sickly husband of yours is a bottomless pit now. Do you want him to drag all of us down with him?" Sun Shi curled her red lips and retorted, "So what if we haven't divided the family? Then let's divide it right now!"
Ever since Xie Mubai's legs were broken, she had wanted to rid herself of this troublesome burden.
Now that the opportunity had presented itself, how could she possibly let it slip away?
Seeing Sun Shi's cold-blooded demeanor, Shen Wan couldn't suppress her rising fury: "Sun, do you have any conscience left?"
"The Duke's body isn't even cold yet, and you're already rushing to divide the family property?"
"All these years, haven't you been living off the Duchess's wealth? Now you refuse to contribute even a little money?"
She wasn't lying.
Although Zhen Guo Gong Fu appeared illustrious, it was actually an empty shell.
The Duke had been incorruptible, and coupled with the damned emperor withholding military pay, he had no choice but to cover the shortfall from his own pocket.
Fortunately, the Duchess had brought a generous dowry when she married, otherwise the entire household of over a hundred people would have starved long ago.
Sun Shi placed her hands on her hips and shouted back: "You're the one without conscience!"
"We're already pitiful enough, yet you insist on dragging us down with that crippled corpse!"
Shen Wan was truly enraged.
She felt her blood boiling throughout her body, two raging flames clearly igniting in her eyes as she gritted her teeth and cursed: "Who are you calling a crippled corpse?"
"Whoever has broken legs, that's who!" Sun Shi said with contempt.
Shen Wan rushed forward in one swift movement and viciously slapped her across the face.
Sun Shi was stunned by the sudden blow, feeling only the burning pain on her right cheek.
"You… you dare hit me?" she asked, covering her face in shock.
Shen Wan pointed at her nose and unleashed a torrent of abuse: "So what if I hit you?"
"Listen carefully – if you ever insult Xie Mubai again, I'll beat you to death!"
Sun Shi was furious and humiliated.
Her eyes blazing with anger, she lunged madly at Shen Wan.
Unfortunately, she was no match for Shen Wan. Even with Zhou Yiniang and others desperately trying to intervene, she still ended up beaten black and blue.
"We must divide the family! We must!" Sun Shi sat on the ground with disheveled hair, screaming hysterically. "If we don't, I'll dash my brains out right here!"
Hearing this, Zhou Yiniang quickly soothed her in a gentle voice: "Good child, don't be angry!"
"We'll divide, we definitely will!"
Sun Shi was currently Zhou Yiniang's favorite, after all – they still needed to rely on her to fill their stomachs for now.
She quickly had Zhao Shi borrow writing materials and formally signed the family division agreement with Shen Wan.
Lying on the cold kang, Xie Mubai clearly heard everything. He felt his heart wrapped in ice, plummeting straight into an endless abyss.
All these years, he believed he had treated Zhou Yiniang and his widowed sisters-in-law quite well.
Whatever they wanted, he would satisfy them without hesitation.
He never imagined they could be so heartless as to refuse to save someone in desperate straits!
Enough, enough. Let them divide then.
This way, the Xie family would no longer owe them anything.
Actually, there wasn't much to divide anyway – Sun Shi would never hand over the money from selling the pearls.
Of course, Shen Wan didn't want that money tainted with filth either.
After signing the division agreement, Zhou Yiniang and the others didn't want to stay here either. They bribed the officials and moved to another room that didn't leak.
After the medicine wore off, Xie Mubai slowly opened his eyes, his dark pupils showing no trace of sorrow.
"Now we're the same," he said, curling his lips in self-mockery. "Both unwanted."
The calmer he appeared, the more Shen Wan's heart ached.
"Who says?" she forced a smile. "We still have to support each other on this journey."
"Don't forget, you promised to protect me for a lifetime."
Xie Mubai gave a bitter smile, a faint trace of amusement appearing on his exquisitely handsome face: "Now that I can hardly protect myself, do you think I'm still capable of protecting you?"
"As long as you have the heart to protect, you naturally can." Shen Wan reached for his trousers, preparing to clean the wound. "As for those irrelevant people, just don't take them to heart."
"As for the blood that was just shed, it was merely red medicine from her Space."
Xie Mubai was an extremely proud man, yet now he repeatedly had his trousers removed by this ugly woman, which made him extremely uncomfortable: "Let me do it myself."
"What are you afraid of? It's not the first time I've taken them off!" Shen Wan swiftly removed his trousers and earnestly cleaned his wound. "You don't need to overthink it. Right now, I am a Lang Zhong. In the eyes of a Lang Zhong, there are only patients, no distinction between men and women!"
Though she said this, Xie Mubai's face still flushed a deep crimson.
He couldn't understand why this ugly woman showed not a hint of shyness upon seeing a man's body.
Could it be, as the rumors said, that her private life was so promiscuous she was no longer chaste?