Shen Qinghuan carefully placed the thousand-year He Shou Wu seeds into a jade box, then put several newly harvested century-old lingzhi mushrooms from the space into a cabinet in the storage room.
Her fingertips brushed over the smooth grain of the pear-wood table and chairs, warmth filling her eyes.
This small dwelling was the first true home she had in this foreign world, the foundation that allowed her and the child in her womb to survive.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulence in her heart. With a thought, her figure faded from the space like a wisp of smoke.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the decaying beam of the thatched cottage’s roof. A damp, moldy smell mixed with the earthy stench outside rushed toward her face—completely different from the fresh medicinal fragrance in the space.
Shen Qinghuan instinctively touched her lower abdomen. It was warm and soft, the most precious place in her life.
She had just tried to sit up when two hushed voices full of malice suddenly drifted into her ears.
The speakers were more than ten zhang away. In the past, with her depleted vitality after pregnancy, she would never have heard them clearly.
But after absorbing the spiritual energy of the century-old lingzhi in the space and being nourished by the spirit spring water, her body was no longer what it used to be. Every word, venomous as if dipped in poison, pierced her ears like icy needles.
“Brother Hongwei, will this really work?
That Shen Qinghuan looks soft and weak, but yesterday when I saw her eyes, they were frighteningly cold. She doesn’t seem easy to control.”
The speaker was Zhao Er, a servant of the Zhao family. His voice carried hesitant fear, and he kicked pebbles on the ground with a crunching sound.
The one called Brother Hongwei was Wang Hongwei, the only son of Wang Pozi.
He spat a mouthful of phlegm, a sinister glint surging in his eyes. He slapped the back of Zhao Er’s head hard and lowered his voice, filled with viciousness.
“What are you afraid of?
She’s just a little slut with no backing, and she’s pregnant—she can’t stir up any trouble!
My mother still hasn’t been found. Today I’m going to settle this debt with interest!”
Zhao Er shrank his neck and glanced toward the thatched cottage, lowering his voice even more.
“But she’s pregnant. What if… what if we hit too hard and kill her? Madam told us to watch her, but if someone dies, it’ll be hard to explain to the authorities.”
“Explain?” Wang Hongwei sneered lewdly as if hearing a great joke. The malice in his laughter made Shen Qinghuan’s entire body turn cold. “Madam said this little slut deserved to die in the first place!
Back then her mother used her looks to seduce Lord, causing my cousin to miss out on becoming Princess Consort. Now that she’s fallen into our hands, this is her retribution!
So what if she dies?
We’ll drag her to the back mountain and feed her to the wolves. No one will ever know!
Who would bother over a discarded pawn?”
He rubbed his hands together, a depraved light flashing in his eyes. Licking his cracked lips, he spoke with nauseating obscenity.
“Besides, pregnant women are more fun to play with. Heh heh… Later I’ll put this drug into her coarse rice porridge. After she drinks it, she’ll go limp and let us do whatever we want!
Once I’ve had my fill, I’ll send her on her way too—let her die knowing why!”
“Th-that drug is really safe? It won’t be discovered?” Zhao Er still sounded uneasy. After all, this involved taking a life.
“Relax! I got this soft-bone powder from the black market. Colorless, odorless. Half an hour after drinking it, even a celestial immortal would collapse and be unable to move!”
Wang Hongwei patted the cloth pouch at his waist, his smile growing more ferocious. “After it’s done, Madam promised each of us ten taels of silver. Enough for you to enjoy yourself at Zuichun Brothel for several days!”
“Ten taels of silver!”
Zhao Er’s eyes lit up instantly. His fear was completely swallowed by greed. Rubbing his hands, he nodded repeatedly. “Good! Good! I’ll listen to you, Brother Hongwei! I’ll keep watch and won’t let anyone get close!”
“That’s more like it.” Wang Hongwei patted his shoulder smugly. “Later you bring the porridge over. I’ll slip in the drug. Move quickly and don’t mess it up.”
Every word of their conversation entered Shen Qinghuan’s ears without omission.
Her fingers clenched tightly, nails digging into her palms until blood seeped out, yet she felt nothing.
A towering rage mixed with bone-chilling cold surged from her feet to the top of her head, making her entire body tremble.
Wang Pozi!
Wang Hongwei!
And that vicious Madam hiding behind them!
If this could be endured, what could not?
A ruthless glint flashed across Shen Qinghuan’s eyes. She was now a revenant crawling back from hell—anyone who dared touch her child would pay with their life.
She slowly loosened her grip, blood pooling along the lines of her palm in glaring red.
Listening to the footsteps outside drawing closer, she curled her lips into a cold smile.
The spirit spring water had not only nourished her body but also sharpened her senses. Even through the broken door of the thatched cottage, every movement of the two outside was vividly clear in her mind.
Shen Qinghuan silently moved behind the door, her back pressed against the cold earthen wall. Her right hand slipped into her clothes, fingertips touching a silver needle she had brought from the space.
This was one she had often used in her previous life as a Divine Doctor, coated with a specially prepared anesthetic. Once it drew blood, it could stiffen a person’s entire body in moments, leaving them unable to move.
Creak—
The dilapidated wooden door opened a crack. Zhao Er held a bowl of sour-smelling coarse rice porridge and peered inside.
“Little slut? Come out and drink your porridge!”
Shen Qinghuan concealed the killing intent in her eyes, deliberately slowing her steps. Supporting herself against the wall, she walked out as if weak and exhausted.
Her face was pale, her lips cracked, and her slightly swollen abdomen showed faintly beneath the rough, worn dress—she looked exactly like a pitiful woman at the mercy of others.
Wang Hongwei stood behind Zhao Er, clutching a small packet of white powder. When he saw her, the lust in his eyes deepened. Feigning concern, he said,
“Miss Shen, you’ve suffered these past few days. I specifically asked the kitchen to save this porridge for you. Drink it while it’s hot.”
As he spoke, he reached for the bowl from Zhao Er, intending to add the drug.
Shen Qinghuan sneered inwardly, but her face showed timid gratitude.
“Thank you, Brother Wang… It’s just that my body is heavy, and I can’t stand steadily. Could you please bring the porridge to me?”
Seeing this, Wang Hongwei became even more certain she was already trapped prey. He shot Zhao Er a smug look, took the bowl, and turned slightly, preparing to sprinkle in the powder.
At the very moment his fingers touched the pouch—
Shen Qinghuan moved!
Her body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, astonishingly fast—there was not the slightest trace of weakness left!
Wang Hongwei only felt a blur before a cold hand clamped down on his wrist with crushing force. Pain made him bare his teeth, and the bowl fell with a clang, splashing hot sour porridge all over his trousers.
“Y-you… what are you doing?!”
Shocked and furious, Wang Hongwei tried to pull free, but his wrist felt as if locked in iron, utterly immovable.
Zhao Er was also startled and rushed forward to help—
But Shen Qinghuan lifted her leg and kicked him hard in the abdomen.
Pfft!