Immediately, Grandmother Sun was about to wipe the chicken blood off Zhao Sanshi’s face with her sleeve.
“Don’t wipe it off—that’s the Bixie Talisman that saved him,” Zhao Taohua warned.
Mrs. Wang felt the chill inside the room gradually receding…
She quickly grabbed Grandmother Sun’s arm. “Mother, let’s wait a little longer and see!”
What if it really could save Sanshi’s life?
Zhao Sanshi slept in a daze, dreaming that an Egui was strangling him by the throat. Just as he was about to breathe his last, a red Bixie Rune suddenly appeared on his forehead, blasting the Egui away. It instantly disintegrated into a wisp of black smoke.
Only then did Zhao Sanshi survive, and he woke from the dream. Opening his eyes, he saw Mrs. Wang kneeling before him, sobbing uncontrollably.
“A Yun, who bullied you? I’ll settle the score with them!”
Though Zhao Sanshi’s complexion was poor, his voice boomed like a bell!
Grandmother Sun covered her mouth with both hands in disbelief.
Her youngest son had actually been revived by Zhao Taohua?
Just from a pattern she’d scribbled with chicken blood?
“Uncle Xiangping, please take a look at my son—is he really better?” Grandmother Sun hurriedly said.
Zhao Xiangping didn’t move. “This old man is a quack doctor. I can’t treat him.”
Grandmother Sun’s face stiffened, and she forced an awkward smile, immediately apologizing to Zhao Xiangping: “Uncle Xiangping, I spoke too hastily just now. Please don’t hold it against a simple woman like me.”
Zhao Xiangping snorted. Matters of life and death were no joke—he walked over to Zhao Sanshi.
However, Zhao Xiangping also found it incredible. He had clearly diagnosed the man as near death, so how did he now look like nothing was wrong with him?
The Village Chief and the other villagers’ eyes bulged like copper bells. What was going on?
Everyone stared at Zhao Xiangping, waiting for him to speak.
Zhao Xiangping felt his pulse and muttered, “This is impossible…”
Grandmother Sun asked worriedly, “Uncle Xiangping, what’s wrong with my son?”
“Sanshi’s body is fine—just a bit fatigued. He needs rest.”
“Should we get some medicine?” Grandmother Sun pressed.
“No need to waste the money.”
The moment Zhao Xiangping finished speaking, everyone present was utterly stunned!
“Heavens—the man Grandpa Xiangping had just diagnosed and prepared for his funeral is fine after Taohua performed her ritual?”
“Is Taohua a reincarnated Daluo Immortal or something?”
In an instant, the way everyone looked at Zhao Taohua changed. They had thought she was trying to swindle Grandmother Sun’s money, but it turned out she truly had real skill!
The Village Chief felt the same. He asked, “Taohua, did your uncle suddenly fall ill because he ran into an Egui?”
In the past, the Village Chief wouldn’t have believed in such things as Egui, but he had just witnessed Zhao Sanshi being revived by Taohua’s Daofa.
How could he not believe now?
Zhao Taohua nodded and continued, “The reason the Egui latched onto Uncle is because there’s Yinguo between it and him. That’s why it clung to him relentlessly and nearly killed him.”
Hearing this, Grandmother Sun flew into a rage: “Stop your nonsense! My son has never harmed anyone—how could there be Yinguo between him and that thing?”
Zhao Taohua wasn’t intimidated. She pointed at the inner garment Zhao Sanshi was wearing. “I’m not lying. Uncle is still wearing the clothes the Egui wore in life!”
At her words, everyone’s expressions shifted.
Mrs. Wang rubbed her hands in terror, her pupils suddenly dilating. “These clothes were given to me by my mother-in-law a few days ago. How could they be… be… a dead person’s?”
Mrs. Wang was so frightened she stuttered.
Everyone turned to look at Zhao Sanshi’s inner garment. No wonder he could wear a hemp inner shirt—it turned out to be from a dead man.
Zhao Sanshi’s heart tightened, and a chill ran down his spine. “A dead man’s? Mother, how could the clothes you gave me have been worn by a dead person?”
Grandmother Sun hadn’t expected this either. “I didn’t know! I found such a fine garment by the roadside, and I didn’t even give it to your elder brother—I saved it for you!
The clothes are brand new—how could they have been worn by a dead person? Don’t listen to this dead girl’s nonsense! A foot of hemp cloth costs ten coppers!”
Mrs. Wang wouldn’t gamble with her husband’s life. She grabbed Zhao Sanshi’s inner garment and yanked hard.
With a “ripping” sound, the cloth at the collar tore apart.
Unexpectedly, something fell out from the collar!
Everyone looked closely—it was a lock of hair, tied neatly with a white rope.
At the sight, everyone felt their hair stand on end, as if a chill wind had suddenly blown through the room.
Mrs. Wang immediately stripped off Zhao Sanshi’s inner garment. There was no way he could wear those clothes again!
“Tsk, so Sun Zhaodi’s greed for a bargain nearly killed her own son!”
With the truth revealed, some villagers murmured among themselves.
“Sun Zhaodi has always doted on her youngest son. Well, look what happened—he nearly lost his life because of her!”
“Grandmother Sun wanted to sell Taohua to Landlord Li as a concubine, but not only did she lose ten taels, she nearly lost a son too. This is karma!”
Zhao Taohua listened to the villagers’ discussions and looked up at the Yin Qi on Grandmother Sun’s face. The Yin Qi was spreading continuously—her retribution would come before long.
Grandmother Sun gritted her silver teeth in fury.
“Let’s go!”
She said in a huff. Today she had lost thirty taels inside and out, and her youngest son had nearly lost his life!
Mrs. Wang harbored resentment toward Grandmother Sun, but she didn’t dare speak up like the others. She supported Zhao Sanshi and followed behind, walking out of the second son’s courtyard.
Seeing that Grandmother Sun and her group had left, everyone else dispersed as well, leaving only one kind-hearted woman and Shen Ming in the dilapidated Zhao family courtyard.
Shen Ming took a rabbit from his bamboo basket and handed it to Zhao Taohua, then left.
Aunt Zheng from next door handed her bowl of corn porridge to Zhao Taohua: “Taohua, you poor child, eat quickly!”
“Thank you, Aunt Zheng.”
A bowl of sweet corn porridge went down, and only then did Zhao Taohua feel like she was coming back to life.
Aunt Zheng watched Shen Ming’s retreating figure and said, “Taohua, Auntie wants to warn you—Shen Ming was born with Gusha, he’s a jinx. Stay away from him, don’t get too close to him no matter what.
The moment he was born, his mother died in childbirth, and then his father was gone too.
Later, even his second uncle and his grandfather met the same fate, until his grandmother had a fortune teller calculate his fate and finally understood.
Unfortunately, the old lady realized it too late, and in the end, she couldn’t escape it either—she was gone too!
That rabbit he just gave you—you should take it to town and sell it, exchange it for some money to buy food.”
The moment she saw Shen Ming, Zhao Taohua could tell at a glance that he was wrapped in overwhelming Xiongsha. That fortune teller hadn’t been wrong.
However, that fortune teller’s Daoxing wasn’t deep enough—he hadn’t seen that Shen Ming also carried a full body of Gongde Jinguang.
More importantly, when their skin touched, he could actually replenish her Ling Qi?
A hint of cunning smile flashed in Zhao Taohua’s eyes. She wouldn’t miss out on such a fine mobile charging pack.
Whatever Sha Qi, whatever bad luck or death from being near him—all of that was nothing in front of her, a dignified Xuanxue Zunshi!
“Thank you for the warning, Aunt Zheng…” Zhao Taohua pretended to be obedient.
“Taohua!”
“My Taohua!!”
Before Zhao Taohua could finish her words, a woman ran into the courtyard gate. Her cheeks were terribly gaunt, and she pulled Zhao Taohua into her arms.
She was Zhao Taohua’s mother, Mrs. Qian.
Because the family had no land, Mrs. Qian and Zhao Ershu could only go to town to earn money—wherever there was work and someone needed help, that’s where they went.
Today, Mrs. Qian’s employer had just settled her wages, so she rushed back to see her daughter. She hadn’t expected to hear at the village entrance that something had happened at home.
Zhao Taohua’s cheeks were still swollen, and the sight broke Mrs. Qian’s heart.
“Taohua, which son of a bitch hit you? Tell your mother, and I’ll go fight them right now! How dare they hit my daughter while I, Qian Hongyan, am not at home?
If they have the guts, let them touch my daughter in front of me and see what happens!”
Mrs. Qian planted her hands on her hips and roared.