Lin Xiazhi dragged Wang Chuntao farther away from Mu Zheng, her voice turning colder.
“If I want to kill them, I will.”
Mu Zheng looked at her calmly.
“The laws of the Great Sheng Dynasty are clear. A murderer pays with their life.”
Seeing that she remained silent, he continued,
“Besides, if they die, how will you explain it to the villagers? If they report this to the authorities, you’re still registered as a servant of the Chen family. There’s no way you’ll escape suspicion. When that happens, the only punishment waiting for you is death.”
“…”
After living in the apocalypse for so long, Lin Xiazhi had long forgotten what human laws and morality even meant.
His words of warning left her momentarily lost in thought.
What he said… actually made sense.
But Wang Chuntao had just tried to poison her and dump her corpse in the wilderness.
“I’ll kill them and throw the bodies into the mountains.”
“The villagers won’t be able to prove I did it.”
Mu Zheng smiled helplessly.
“I’m a witness.”
Lin Xiazhi narrowed her almond-shaped eyes.
“So, you’re threatening me?”
She withdrew Bone Dust from Wang Chuntao’s throat, pushed the woman aside, then lifted her chin and pointed the knife at Mu Zheng.
“In that case…”
“I’ll kill you too.”
Mu Zheng glanced at the unusually shaped blade and frowned slightly.
“You can’t.”
Lin Xiazhi clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Fine.
With this frail little body…
She really couldn’t beat him.
Their eyes met.
The tension between them crackled like invisible sparks.
While the two remained locked in a silent standoff, Chen Feicai seized the opportunity.
Dragging his crippled legs, he quietly inched toward the gate.
Wang Chuntao immediately scrambled to her feet and deliberately blocked Lin Xiazhi’s view, even shooting Mu Zheng a grateful look.
If this young man hadn’t shown up…
Their entire family would already be dead.
He was their savior.
Time seemed to stand still.
After what felt like an eternity, Mu Zheng finally gave in beneath the pressure of Lin Xiazhi’s furious glare.
“As long as you don’t kill anyone…”
“You can torment them however you like.”
“They deserve it.”
Wang Chuntao stared at him in horror.
“…?”
Wasn’t he supposed to be their savior?
“You have a grudge against them?”
Noticing the unmistakable hatred in his eyes, Lin Xiazhi couldn’t help asking.
Mu Zheng lowered his gaze.
“They killed my wife.”
His eyes lingered on her for a brief moment.
Then he lowered his head, hiding the pain and regret that slipped into his expression.
Killed his wife?
Since when had Mu Zheng ever gotten married?
Lin Xiazhi shook her head.
Not her business.
Besides…
Killing the Chen family now really wasn’t the smartest choice.
If the entire village and the authorities became involved, this house would be confiscated or handed over to distant relatives.
She still intended to move her mother and younger brother out of the Lin family.
Finding another place to live would only make things more troublesome.
“Why are you helping me?”
“What do you want?”
Mu Zheng looked back up, his expression once again relaxed.
“Just lending a hand.”
Lin Xiazhi found him utterly baffling.
Just lending a hand?
Did people who expected nothing in return actually exist?
She didn’t believe it.
“You’ve changed.”
“And that’s a good thing.”
Leaving behind that cryptic remark, Mu Zheng gave her one last deep look before vaulting effortlessly over the courtyard wall and disappearing into the night.
“What a strange man.”
Lin Xiazhi muttered to herself, dismissing his words.
She wasn’t the original Lin Xiazhi anyway.
So what if she’d changed?
Her eyes shifted toward the gate.
Chen Feicai was still sneaking toward it.
She walked over, grabbed him one-handed by the collar, opened the courtyard gate, and strode outside.
“Ah!”
His body dangled face-down in midair.
The sudden weightlessness nearly scared his soul out of him.
“What are you doing? Mmph!”
Before he could finish speaking, his own blood-soaked robe was stuffed into his mouth.
The foul smell made him gag uncontrollably.
“Feicai!”
Terrified something would happen to her son, Wang Chuntao hurried after them.
A single sentence drifted back through the darkness.
“If you behave yourself…”
“He’ll suffer a lot less.”
She stopped dead in her tracks.
Under the hazy moonlight, Lin Xiazhi carried Chen Feicai all the way toward the town.
His crippled legs scraped endlessly across the ground.
He had long since gone numb from the pain.
His robe was stained with blood and human waste.
His entire body looked utterly miserable as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
A strong wind blew through the forest, carrying away most of the stench clinging to him.
Lin Xiazhi walked quietly beneath the trees, her thoughts drifting to the plot of the novel.
The original Lin Xiazhi had suffered from beginning to end.
The story was filled with scene after scene of abuse.
She never resisted.
Never fought back.
Strangely enough, every month there were a few days when the Chen family suddenly treated her unusually well.
Then…
At the age of twenty-five…
She was accidentally beaten to death by Chen Feicai’s wife, Zhao Xiuxiu.
When Lin Xiazhi had first read the novel, she’d assumed the heroine would eventually poison the entire Chen family.
Instead…
She died just like that.
Such a humiliating death.
It had infuriated Lin Xiazhi so badly she nearly threw her phone across the room.
As for the male lead, Chen Feicai…
He married Zhao Xiuxiu almost immediately afterward before moving to the capital.
From then on, the story focused entirely on his rise through officialdom.
For four years, Chen Feicai secretly helped a certain prince plot a rebellion.
Four years later…
The prince successfully seized the throne.
Chen Feicai naturally became the Grand Chancellor.
Yet…
Only seven days after the original Lin Xiazhi died…
Chen Feicai was executed along with his entire clan for treason and collaborating with enemy forces.
The entire Chen family received exactly what they deserved.
As for the novel’s final sentence…
The Emperor was found dead by his own hand inside the Golden Throne Hall.
What the hell kind of ending was that?
The Emperor didn’t even get a proper name.
He was basically an unnamed extra.
Who cared whether he lived or died?
Back then, Lin Xiazhi had cursed the author’s ancestors for several days straight.
The writing had been immature.
The plot had been ridiculously melodramatic.
Still…
After seven years in the apocalypse, she’d already read every novel she could get her hands on.
Even trashy web novels like this one were enough to kill time.
Yet somehow…
Fate had thrown her into this absurd story.
She couldn’t decide whether heaven was punishing her…
Or simply punishing her.
Even thinking about it now made her want to kill someone.
Since she was here…
Everything connected to the original Lin Xiazhi would change completely.
As for Chen Feicai…
He was as good as dead.
There was also the state of the Great Sheng Dynasty.
She needed to pay close attention to it.
Especially the coming refugee crisis.
Where exactly should they flee?
In the novel, the original Lin Xiazhi had followed the Chen family to the capital, so she never experienced the refugee exodus herself.
The author had glossed over everything that happened in Maple Leaf Village with only a few sentences.
But things were different now.
Once she escaped the Chen family…
She would have to lead her mother and younger brother, Lin Qingbei, to safety.
The capital was in constant turmoil.
Countless innocent people were executed as suspected spies.
Outsiders couldn’t even get inside.
And even if they did…
They would probably die there anyway.
The Chen family had survived only because Chen Feicai was the novel’s protagonist, protected by ridiculous plot armor and backed by powerful allies.
She had briefly considered using the Chen family to reach the capital.
Then what?
Walk straight into a tiger’s den?
All Chen Feicai had to do was ask the people behind him for help.
She could be killed at any moment.
Even worse…
Her mother and Lin Qingbei would be dragged down with her.
No.
The capital was not an option.
Once daylight came…
She would gather more information before making a decision.
As she continued walking…
She suddenly froze.
Then smacked herself on the forehead.
“Damn…”
“I forgot about him.”
With a thought, she searched her storage space.
Sure enough…
Curled up in his usual corner was her beloved companion.
A black German Shepherd.
Naidou.
He had been her partner throughout the apocalypse.
Her only remaining family.
She had always taken excellent care of him.
His limbs were thick and powerful.
Although he looked lean from a distance, every inch of his body was packed with solid muscle.
His jet-black coat gleamed with health.
His sharp, icy eyes and upright ears warned strangers to stay away.
The thick gold chain around his neck made him look even more imposing.
Just having him standing beside her gave her an overwhelming sense of security.
She wondered…
With this new body…
Would he still recognize her?
There was only one way to find out.
She released him from her storage space.