A crowd had gathered at the village entrance.
The commotion from the fighter jet crash had drawn the attention of Laowo Village. The village chief had taken several young men up the mountain to investigate, while the elderly, women, and children stayed at the entrance, curiously discussing what had happened.
In an instant, the noise died down.
Everyone stared, their expressions shifting in different ways, at the figure walking back from outside the village.
Someone couldn’t hold back and said, “It’s that calamity star again—and she’s carrying a man. That explosion earlier… don’t tell me she caused it.”
Another chimed in quietly, “That man looks unfamiliar. He’s covered in blood and half-dressed. Something about this feels wrong.”
“No way. Outsiders aren’t allowed in the village. Don’t you remember? Last time a few strangers came, the Zhang family got scammed out of everything.”
“Then stop that calamity star already. Don’t let her bring people into the village again.”
“…Uh, you go. If she remembers you, you’ll be the one in trouble!”
“…”
Xie Jinwen glanced at them briefly and continued walking.
The man on her back was tall and heavy, pressing down on her with noticeable weight. She could clearly feel his hot breath brushing against her neck—slightly itchy, making her want to drop him.
It was still not too late to drop him. They had already reached the village. Now that the villagers knew he was a soldier, they probably wouldn’t reject him anymore—instead, they might rush to take care of him, hoping to gain some reward later.
She adjusted her posture slightly, but the movement caused the man’s eyelashes to tremble faintly.
Xie Jinwen paused and tilted her head to glance at him.
His brows were tightly furrowed. Even unconscious, he carried the sharp, resolute aura of a soldier.
His life line was dangerous but extremely resilient—like tempered steel. He was not someone fated to die young; rather, he had the destiny of great fortune.
“Stop right there!”
A man walked out from the crowd, limping with a cane. It was Li Lao’er from next door.
Before his karmic backlash had manifested, Xie Jinwen had once kindly warned him. At the time, after her grandmother passed away, he had helped arrange the funeral out of sympathy.
But he did not believe her. He insisted on going up the mountain to chop wood, and when his punishment came true, he broke his leg. Since then, he had resented her and cursed her daily, blaming her for his injury.
Truly foolish beyond reason.
Li Lao’er looked at her with deep disgust. “Xie girl, there was an unexplained explosion at Dayan Mountain. The village chief hasn’t returned yet. You’re not allowed to bring strangers into the village—you’ll bring disaster to everyone!”
With someone taking the lead, others grew bolder.
“Exactly. You’re bringing an unknown man into the village without saying a word. Do you want to kill us all?”
Xie Jinwen did not stop walking. Her voice remained calm and steady. “He is an Air Force pilot. His fighter jet crashed and he is critically injured. If we save him, it will only bring benefit to the village.”
“Bullshit!” Aunt Wang jumped out, hands on her hips, spitting as she shouted, “Air Force? Rescue? Stop talking nonsense! Our Laowo Village is surrounded by mountains. It takes a whole day just to reach town. You don’t even know what the outside world looks like—what do you know about Air Force or fighter jets?”
Her words were vulgar, but not entirely wrong. Xie Jinwen had indeed never left this mountain-enclosed village.
Things like Air Force pilots and fighter jets were concepts almost no one in this isolated place could explain clearly.
Aunt Wang narrowed her eyes at her. “Besides, stop pretending to be kind. Nothing good happens whenever you show up. You said my house would catch fire—and it really burned. You said Uncle Li would break his leg—and he really did. Now you bring back an injured man—you’re clearly trying to bring disaster to our village!”
Li Lao’er looked at his broken leg, anger flaring. “Exactly! That’s the truth! This man absolutely cannot enter the village. Drive him out!”
Xie Jinwen’s gaze remained cold. She couldn’t be bothered to argue. She continued walking toward the village’s edge with the man on her back.
“You still dare to walk?” Li Lao’er shouted. His temper flared despite his disability. He led several people to block her path. “Put him down. Otherwise, we’ll tie you up too!”
Xie Jinwen raised her eyes slightly and glanced at the grey, decaying aura above his head—that was the sign of impending legal trouble caused by stubborn ignorance.
She spoke lightly. “If you stop me, you will encounter disaster today.”
Li Lao’er trembled in rage and lifted his cane. “You still dare curse me? You cursed me into breaking my leg, and now you’re cursing me again! I’ll beat you to death!”
At that moment, the man on Xie Jinwen’s back let out a low, muffled groan—soft, but carrying an inexplicable authority.
Li Lao’er’s hand froze mid-air, unable to strike down.
The man shifted slightly, adjusting his head against Xie Jinwen’s shoulder, brows furrowing as he struggled to open his eyes.
Xie Jinwen could clearly sense he was waking up. She was already preparing to throw him off.
Since the villagers loved interfering so much, she would let them handle this “great figure.”
However, the moment he opened his eyes, he wrapped his arms around her.
Xie Jinwen: ?
She could not see his expression from behind, but Li Lao’er and the others opposite saw it clearly—and all of them felt a chill run down their spines.
A cold, sharp gaze, bright as stars, filled with impatience and indifference. An invisible pressure radiated from him, as if the person they were blocking was not some ordinary stranger—but someone they absolutely could not afford to offend.
“I am an Air Force pilot. My name is Ling Xiao. You may contact the nearest military office and report my presence here. I am currently critically injured. If you delay my treatment, you will bear the consequences.”
His voice was calm and cold, but it carried a weight that made people uneasy. Combined with his authoritative appearance, no one dared to stop him anymore.
Ling Xiao withdrew his gaze and slumped back against Xie Jinwen’s neck, his breath brushing her collarbone again—itchy, irritating.
“Miss, let’s go.”
Then he fell back asleep.
Xie Jinwen: I want to throw him away.
And she did.
She lifted him and flung him to the ground with a dull thud.
Everyone retreated several steps in shock, staring at her like she had seen a ghost. “Xie girl, what are you doing now?”
She rolled her sore shoulders expressionlessly. “Didn’t you say I couldn’t bring him in? Fine. I don’t want him anymore. You deal with him.”
Then she turned and walked away.
“Stop right there!”
Li Lao’er shouted again, louder than before. “You can’t leave him here! Take him away!”
Xie Jinwen stopped and looked at him with faint amusement. “Weren’t you the ones who said he couldn’t enter? Now he can’t leave either. What—are you the village tyrant now that the chief isn’t here?”
Li Lao’er’s face turned green and white with anger. “Shut up!”
Xie Jinwen said calmly, “You all heard what he said earlier. He’s a pilot named Ling Xiao. He’s a precious person. Take good care of him. You’ll benefit from it.”