Not to mention that the moment he laid eyes on the old man, he felt deeply uneasy. The closer he got, the stronger that unease became. His instincts screamed that this old man was absolutely not a good person.
“What’s going on here? How did this old grandpa fall into the water? Ah Du, why aren’t you helping him up?”
Hearing Yun Shang’s voice, Ah Du finally calmed down a little. He quickly walked over to her side and gently held her hand. Only then did he feel at ease.
Ever since he lost his mother years ago and was brought to this unfamiliar place, he had felt that true security would never exist in his life again.
But after Yun Shang appeared by his side, he realized that those emotions of fear and resentment had faded significantly. Even now, as long as he saw her, he no longer felt anxious or afraid.
Yun Shang squeezed Ah Du’s hand in return and gently patted it, signaling for him not to be afraid.
The old man had finally appeared—this show was only just beginning.
Seeing another beautiful young girl appear, the old man’s eyes lit up again and again.
Both the girl and the boy were strikingly good-looking. They would be perfect subjects for cultivating poison—far better than anything else he could hope for. He immediately put on a pitiful expression.
First, he claimed his leg was broken. Then he said his arm was fractured. The more miserable he sounded, the better.
Judging by their young age, they surely wouldn’t have many schemes. A few words would be enough to fool them.
Yun Shang discreetly shot Ah Du a look, signaling him to pull the old man out of the water. Together they helped him into the wooden cabin, cleared out an empty room, and let him stay there.
After everything was settled, the two returned to their own room.
“Sister, that old man appeared far too strangely. We’ve lived here for so many years, and not once has a stranger come this deep into the mountains. There’s something very odd about him. Keeping him here might not be a good idea. Sister, please don’t be overly kind-hearted.”
Ah Du was no longer the ignorant child he once was. Having stayed by Yun Shang’s side for so long, he had developed his own judgment.
He knew Yun Shang was extremely kind—otherwise, she wouldn’t have saved him back then.
“Ah Du, you’re right. That old man is very dangerous. But trust me—there’s a reason I’m keeping him around.”
Yun Shang was completely confident. That old man was truly wicked. Just looking at his blackened fingernails made it obvious how many evil deeds he had committed.
Seeing this, Ah Du stopped worrying. He trusted Yun Shang.
“Host! That old man has finally appeared. What do you plan to do now?” The system’s eyes sparkled. That old man was indeed vicious—he had once tormented the male lead until life was worse than death.
“Of course, I’ll return it to him a thousandfold,” Yun Shang said, blinking playfully. “But his skills are too good to waste.”
In the original storyline, Ah Du had survived here alone. He really had saved the old man—but the man repaid kindness with betrayal, treating Ah Du like a tool and tormenting him in every possible way.
All the poisons he refined were tested on Ah Du. In the end, he was killed by Ah Du—poisoned to death by the very toxins he himself had perfected. It could be considered poetic justice.
But this time, Yun Shang had no intention of letting him die so easily.
Since being brought to the wooden cabin, the old man’s eyes constantly darted around Yun Shang and Ah Du, often pretending to be pitiful and weak.
Yun Shang rarely stayed in the cabin. She preferred wandering the mountains, picking wildflowers and fruit. Ah Du usually stayed inside, reading and practicing calligraphy—he had always been diligent and eager to learn.
That day, the old man lay in bed again, deliberately groaning and acting as though he were in unbearable pain. Ah Du grew irritated, put down his brush, and walked over.
“What’s wrong with you now? The herbs my sister brought back are very effective. Your injuries should have improved by now. Why are you shouting about pain again?”
Ah Du was now a young adolescent. Standing there, he carried a noticeable sense of pressure. Except when facing Yun Shang, he was cold and distant toward everyone else.
The colder he was, the more excited the old man became. He relished the process of breaking such an unruly subject into submission—it gave him a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
“You little brat, you don’t even know how to speak respectfully. Look at how clever and refined your sister is!”
As he mentioned Yun Shang, a lecherous expression crept onto the old man’s face.
The girl was perfect in every way—except that she seemed a bit too sharp. Whether intentionally or not, she always seemed to disrupt his plans.
“That’s enough! If it weren’t for my sister’s kindness, I would never have saved you, let alone let you stay here this long!”
Ah Du might tolerate insults directed at himself, but the moment Yun Shang was mentioned, his anger flared uncontrollably.
“You brat! I only said a few words and you’re already this angry. Is she really your biological sister? You two don’t even look alike!”
The old man seemed to notice something. These two were definitely not blood-related siblings.
“What’s going on? I was only gone for a short while picking fruit—Grandpa, are you in pain again?”
Yun Shang returned carrying a basket of fruit. Seeing the old man’s malicious gaze, she rolled her eyes inwardly. After resting for a few days, he was finally starting to reveal his true nature.
Ah Du said nothing. He pressed his lips together and took the basket from Yun Shang’s hands. He didn’t want the fruit left here for the old man to eat—it would be a waste.
“They say it takes a hundred days to recover from serious injuries. How could I heal so quickly? Thanks to you siblings taking such good care of me—otherwise, this old man might not have survived.”
The old man grinned nastily, his eyes flashing with a strange light.
In truth, his injuries were nothing. When refining poisons, he was often poisoned himself—it was nothing new.
What he truly felt now was impatience.
Looking at the two of them—so young, so good-looking—they were perfect for cultivating and testing poison. Nothing could be better.
His hands itched with anticipation. He wanted nothing more than to force the poisons he’d refined down their throats and watch them suffer—watch them writhe in agony under his toxins. That would be true pleasure.
That very night, the old man could no longer restrain himself. He quietly slipped into Yun Shang’s room.
Instinctively, he felt it would be easier to deal with the girl than the boy.
The boy clearly cared deeply about her. As long as he controlled the girl, would he really need to worry about controlling the boy?