“Smack!”
Du Qiang lashed Su Qingyu without hesitation. “Daring to carry hidden weapons? Hand them over now, or I’ll beat you to death!”
Shen Qingyan immediately glanced triumphantly at Su Yanxi and raised an eyebrow.
Witnessing this scene, Su Qingyu felt more hurt and regretful than angry. How could he have been so blind before, failing to see that Shen Qingyan, this ungrateful wretch, wasn’t actually their biological sister?
Su Yanxi, however, paid no mind, silently cursing Shen Qingyan as an idiot in her heart. Who would bother primping themselves to look glamorous during exile? Was she afraid her pile of shit wasn’t smelly enough to attract flies?
Though furious, Su Qingyu knew he was at a disadvantage. He obediently shook out several gleaming throwing darts from his sleeve.
Su Yanxi was surprised to find that besides small stones, Su Qingyu had actually concealed hidden weapons.
“Well! You really are harboring evil intentions. Just wait until I—” Du Qiang collected the darts and raised his whip again.
“Du Qiang, that’s enough. Come back and drink now!” But before the whip could fall, Liu Bantou called him back.
Du Qiang glared hatefully at Su Qingyu. “Stay out of trouble, or I’ll finish you off!”
Su Yanxi frowned slightly. It seemed Du Qiang held an unusually strong grudge against them.
“Second Brother, are you alright?” Su Qinghuai’s reddened eyes were filled with guilt as he looked at the whip marks on Su Qingyu. He shouldn’t have provoked that ungrateful Shen Qingyan with those words, nor brought such misfortune upon his second brother.
Meanwhile, Chen Lan was tending to Shen Pengxing’s wounds. When the Shen family was exiled, they had already lost everything. With no relatives in the capital and business associates who only recognized Su Yanxi, not a single person came to see them off after Su Yanxi left their household. Thus, the Shen family began their journey empty-handed.
Without any medicine to treat Shen Pengxing’s injuries, Chen Lan could only wet a handkerchief to clean the blood from his forehead. Then, she tore a piece of cloth from Shen Qingyan’s clothing to bandage his broken finger.
By the time Shen Qingyan realized what was happening, Chen Lan had already ripped her garment. Shen Qingyan had always looked down on her two sisters-in-law, and now that Chen Lan dared to tear her clothes, she flew into a rage.
“What are you doing? How dare you tear my clothes!” Shen Qingyan raised her hand to slap Chen Lan.
Chen Lan, being a hunter’s daughter, knew some martial arts. She caught Shen Qingyan’s wrist firmly. “If it weren’t for you, the jinx, angering the Su family, how would Pengxing have gotten hurt? Isn’t it only right to use a piece of your clothing to bandage him? You caused this mess, and now you dare raise your hand against your sister-in-law? And you call yourself a young lady raised in a Marquis Family? What nonsense—you have no manners at all!”
Shen Qingyan’s face turned pale with rage. “You… you country bumpkin! You—”
“Hah, me? A country bumpkin? What makes you think you’re so noble? Let me tell you, our Shen grandfather’s generation was still carrying night soil!”
Having been raised in the Marquis Family, Shen Qingyan was no match for Chen Lan in a war of words. “You… you… you…” she stammered, unable to form a proper retort.
Chen Lan pressed her advantage relentlessly, “What do you mean ‘you’? I think the Su family was right—you’re nothing but a jinx. Any family you go to ends up exiled!”
“Our Shen family was doing just fine before, with the shops thriving more each day. It’s all your fault, you cursed creature!”
“You’re the one who caused Penghang’s injury earlier too! Wherever you are, trouble follows!”
After Chen Lan’s tirade, the Shen family members began eyeing Shen Qingyan with increased scrutiny.
Back when she lived in the Marquis Family, Shen Qingyan had been pampered and spoiled, with everyone doting on her. Whenever she was unhappy, a few tears would always get her what she wanted. So now, in this situation, crying was the only solution she could think of.
Her eyes reddened, and tears began to fall.
But before she could even speak, Shen Hongxing sharply rebuked her, “Stop that crying! You’ll cry away all our good fortune!”
He then glanced over at Su Yanxi, who was resting with her eyes closed on the other side of the dilapidated temple, and muttered under his breath with regret, “Why did we have to trade for such a jinx…”
Shen Qingyan immediately stifled her tears.
Pursing her lips, she shot a resentful glare at Su Yanxi.
It was all because of this wretched woman.
In her previous life, she had stolen her fate.
Now that she had finally reclaimed her destiny in this life, this woman had ruined the Shen family and made them all misunderstand her.
Although the Shen family’s possessions had been emptied and the investigating officers had uncovered the stolen official silver, there was no evidence linking it to Su Yanxi.
But Shen Qingyan knew it was her.
Because only Su Yanxi had the ability to empty the Shen family’s belongings overnight without anyone noticing.
When she was a ghost, she had seen it—Su Yanxi could make things vanish into thin air and then retrieve them elsewhere, just as mysteriously.
But the Jingzhao Prefect hadn’t believed her, dismissing her claims as superstitious nonsense.
A shadow of malice darkened Shen Qingyan’s eyes.
Being exiled with the Shen family might not be so bad after all.
She would watch Su Yanxi closely, uncover her secrets, and then…
Kill her!
Take her treasures for herself!
Though Su Yanxi’s eyes were closed, she could feel Shen Qingyan’s gaze fixed on her.
But she paid it no mind.
Having confronted Shen Qingyan twice now, she had realized that Shen Qingyan wasn’t particularly clever.
Dealing with someone like her required little effort.
She only needed to wait for Shen Qingyan to make a mistake, then stir things up slightly and let the Shen family deal with her.
Just then, Su Yi suddenly squeezed in beside her.
In a hushed voice, he warned, “Auntie, Shen Qingyan has been staring at you. She must be plotting something wicked! You should be careful.”
Su Yanxi opened her eyes, a warm smile in them as she looked at Su Yi. “Thank you for warning me.”
Su Yi resembled Su Qinghe greatly. Though only six years old, he had been educated early, possessed a natural talent for learning, and already carried himself like a young gentleman.
He had never approached Su Yanxi before.
She could tell that, like his two younger sisters, he was somewhat wary of anyone in the role of his aunt.
So his warning came as a surprise.
Su Yi flushed slightly under Su Yanxi’s smile, his little face turning pink. In a soft, nervous voice, he murmured, “No need to thank me. You’re our auntie, so you’re family. Family should help each other.”
Warmth blossomed once more in Su Yanxi’s heart.
Even a six-year-old child from the Su Family possessed such awareness.
This time, she couldn’t help but glance at Shen Qingyan.
She truly couldn’t understand why Shen Qingyan, after being reborn, insisted on switching their identities back.
Even if she hadn’t schemed to have the Shen family exiled, given the cold and selfish nature of every member of the Shen family, did Shen Qingyan really think she could gain any advantage by being with them?
In the dead of night, the bailiff nearby, drunk, was already snoring thunderously in his sleep.
The people from the Shen family had also fallen asleep, scattered and disheveled.
In the darkness, Su Yanxi’s sharp eyes suddenly snapped open.
The time had come!