“Old man, do not worry. I will keep a close eye on Xiao Ya. Yesterday, your sister in law even brought over a few eggs. She said there has been no movement at all from the Zhao family. Zhao Youde even went to work as usual.” Speaking of this, Mother Lin was filled with anger.
Listening to the conversation coming from the main hall, Lin Siya lay in bed and finally took the time to carefully observe the room.
There was a wooden chest for clothes, a writing desk, and the bed she was lying on, or rather, a kang. There was also a stool. Paper had been pasted over the doors and windows. After looking around, the place was undeniably simple.
How exactly had she come here?
Could it be that the bottom of that bottomless abyss led to this place?
It did not quite feel right. Forget it. Forget it. She would just lie here and rest.
She was Lin Siya now, not Ouyang Siya.
It seemed that for the time being, she would have to play the role of a refined young lady from a respectable household.
That night, after everyone had fallen asleep, Lin Siya finally opened the door and stepped outside. The pitch black night posed no obstacle to her at all.
She scanned her surroundings. As expected, it was a crude and impoverished place.
As for spiritual energy, she did not sense any. Perhaps it was because of this body that she could not perceive it?
It looked like she would have to temper this body slowly. She needed to move quickly, yet if her changes were too drastic, they would draw suspicion. Slowly then, step by step.
With her Nascent Soul level cultivation and decades of experience, she would surely live well even here.
As this thought settled, her state of mind shifted. Just moments ago, she had still been at the early Qi Refining stage. In the next instant, she reached the peak of Qi Refining.
Lin Siya froze.
She had not sensed any spiritual energy. How had her cultivation still advanced?
The realization left her shocked and bewildered.
With these doubts swirling in her mind, Lin Siya returned to her room. Even in the darkness, she did not stumble. With Qi Refining level perception, night was as clear as day.
Back in her room, she entered her cave abode space, eating spirit fruits and drinking spirit wine.
“Xiao Hu, there is clearly no spiritual energy here. Why is my cultivation still improving?” Lin Siya murmured to herself as she stroked the egg the size of a basket. The egg gave no response, nor any explanation.
This unsolved mystery troubled her until deep into the night. Unable to find any answer, she finally noticed the sour stench on her body and used a small cleansing spell to wash away the impurities.
Leaving the cave abode space, she lay on the bed and read a book. Of course, it was not one from her cave abode, but a book that belonged to the original Lin Siya.
Although she had inherited some of this body’s memories, she had never studied its knowledge. She would need to learn it gradually and integrate it with those memories. Only then would she avoid exposing any flaws.
Moreover, the characters here were simplified. They were completely different from the script she had once known.
Without realizing it, dawn arrived. Only then did Lin Siya close her eyes to rest.
Zhao Tianlei had just gotten off the train. Carrying his belongings, he hurried out of the station and rushed home, finally returning to Zhaojia Village before nightfall.
Seeing the main gate locked, he vaulted over the wall with ease.
Just as he was about to call out, he heard voices.
“Mom, what is going on with Lin Siya? Is she really dead? I am scared.”
These past few days, Zhao Meiyun had been living in constant fear. She was afraid Lin Siya had truly died, afraid Lin Siya would come for her, afraid she would really have to pay with her life.
Zhao Tianlei instinctively stopped in his tracks.
The telegram he had received read only one line. Something had happened to Siya.
What exactly had happened? He had no idea.
Although he had spent only a few days with Lin Siya, he had always felt she was gentle.
She was not the kind of woman who would betray him.
One of his platoon leaders, who was rarely home, had been cheated on by his wife.
“Xiao Yun, Lin Siya is lucky. She will definitely survive,” Mother Zhao said.
“But Mom, Lin Siya drank poison. The Lin family will not let me off. Dad even said I should pay with my life. I do not want to. I really do not want to pay with my life. I did nothing wrong. She is already married and still did not know how to avoid suspicion. She even talked to another man.”
“There has been no news from the Lin family. That must mean Lin Siya is still alive. When the time comes, we can say she felt guilty.”
“That must be it. We hit the mark. She must have put a green hat on my brother.”
At these words, Zhao Tianlei narrowed his eyes dangerously.
He kicked the door open with force, shattering the stillness of the night.
Mother Zhao and Zhao Meiyun, who were lying in bed, jolted upright in shock.
Father Zhao also came out of his room.
“Who is it?” Zhao Meiyun asked, terrified. She thought Lin Jianshe had come to kill them. She hid behind Mother Zhao, demanding to know who it was. By the moonlight outside, she could only make out the figure of a tall man.
Mother Zhao also trembled, fearing it was someone from the Lin family.
“Zhao Youde, Zhao Youde,” Mother Zhao shouted loudly.
Father Zhao looked toward the doorway under the moonlight and cried out in surprise, “Shitou.”
At that name, Mother Zhao and Zhao Meiyun both widened their eyes, staring at Zhao Tianlei in disbelief.
“What exactly happened?” His voice, cold and heavy, fell like a stone.
Zhao Meiyun clutched Mother Zhao’s arm, too afraid to look at her brother. If he learned the truth, he would definitely beat her. She was scared, truly scared.
Among the family, she feared no one except her brother.
“Shitou, you are back. You have not eaten yet, have you?” Father Zhao asked guiltily, glancing at Mother Zhao with a reprimanding look. “Hurry and make food for Tianlei.”
“I am not hungry. I only want to know what happened. Who will explain it to me?” Zhao Tianlei asked coldly.
A wife he had just married had been driven to drink poison by them. Her life or death was unknown.
These were his own family members, yet they had done something that broke his heart.
“Shitou, eat first. We will talk after,” Father Zhao sighed heavily. He did not know how to explain this matter to his son.
“Zhao Meiyun, you speak,” Zhao Tianlei said, his gaze fixed on the sister hiding behind Mother Zhao.
At that moment, Zhao Meiyun wished she could dig a hole in the ground and disappear forever.
She did not dare look at her brother. The murderous aura around him made her legs tremble.
“Shitou, Xiao Yun is your sister,” Mother Zhao said, seeing her son interrogate her daughter so harshly. She could feel Zhao Meiyun shaking. Her resentment toward Lin Siya deepened. If not for Lin Siya, this outsider, her son would never treat his sister like this, nor treat them this way.
Everything was Lin Siya’s fault.
“If she were not my sister, I would have dealt with her long ago,” Zhao Tianlei said in a chilling tone.
Father Zhao let out a long sigh and finally spoke. “Shitou, it was Xiao Ya who was too stubborn. Your mother and sister said a few words to her, and she could not think it through.”
(T/N: Shitou (石头), meaning “stone,” is a commonly used nickname. In context, it often implies a person who is dependable, straightforward in nature, or firm and unwavering.)