Zhang Shi’s cheek burned with pain. Covering her face, she staggered backward in fear.
This time, she was truly frightened.
The force of the descending wooden stick had stirred up a fierce gust of wind that stung her face.
She had no doubt that if she had moved even half an inch closer, the wooden stick would have shattered the bones in her hand.
But when she realized that the person standing opposite her was only a skinny young girl, the little courage she had as a neighborhood shrew returned.
Besides, her mother-in-law, Old Madam Lin, was standing beside her to back her up.
Zhang Shi’s eyes darted around before she simply dropped onto the ground. She slapped her thick thighs against the dirt and, at the top of her lungs, launched into the crying and rolling routine she was best at.
“Oh heavens! There’s no justice anymore!”
“My stepdaughter is trying to beat her own mother to death!”
“Heavens above, open your eyes and look! This little bitch thinks she can ignore her elders just because she has a little money!”
As she cried, she secretly signaled to Old Madam Lin with her eyes.
Old Madam Lin immediately understood. She slammed her cane against the ground with loud thump, thump sounds.
“Lin Wan! You unfilial beast! Do you have no respect for the law?”
The old woman’s triangular eyes widened like bronze bells, looking as though she wanted to devour someone alive.
“If you dare lay a finger on your mother today, this old woman will fight you to the death!”
Lin Daqiang also poked his head out from behind and echoed her with false bravado.
“That’s right! Don’t think your little martial arts tricks can scare anyone!”
“I’m telling you, if you dare strike again, we’ll report you to the authorities! We’ll accuse you of being unfilial and disrespecting your elders, and you’ll be thrown into prison!”
The three of them worked together perfectly, believing they had found Lin Wan’s greatest weakness. After all, in the Great Xia Dynasty, filial piety stood above everything else. No matter how justified you were, raising a hand against your elders was an unquestionable crime.
Lin Yulong was also frightened by the scene. His little face turned pale. He ran to Lin Wan’s side, tightly grabbed the corner of her sleeve, and kept shaking his head.
“Big Sister, don’t be impulsive. Let’s leave. They’re not worth dealing with.”
Lin Wan lowered her head and glanced at her nervous younger brother before looking at the three smug troublemakers. Suddenly, she laughed. The laughter was clear and pleasant, yet utterly devoid of warmth. Instead, it sent chills down everyone’s spine.
“Report me to the authorities? Sure.”
She casually thrust the wooden stick into the ground with a dull thud.
“Perfect. My family severance document is still fresh.”
She rolled her wrist, producing a series of cracking sounds from her joints.
“When we get to court, I’d like to ask the county magistrate something.”
“A former daughter-in-law who signed a family severance agreement and was long ago expelled from the family has barged onto the property of someone who has legally established her own household.”
“She causes trouble and attempts to rob me.”
“According to the laws of Great Xia, what crime is that?”
Zhang Shi’s wailing came to an abrupt halt, like a duck whose neck had suddenly been grabbed. That’s right! The family severance document! How had she forgotten about it? As far as the government was concerned, Lin Wan no longer had any relationship with the Lin family. Coming onto someone else’s property to seize things wasn’t disciplining a stepdaughter anymore. It was home invasion and robbery.
Old Madam Lin and Lin Daqiang also realized this, and their expressions instantly turned ugly.
“Y-You’re talking nonsense!”
Zhang Shi stubbornly argued, but her confidence was obviously gone.
“That document… you forced us to sign it! It doesn’t count!”
“Whether it counts or not isn’t for you to decide.”
“The county magistrate will decide.”
Lin Wan could not be bothered wasting another word on her.
An assassin believed in defeating the enemy with a single strike.
If a problem could be solved with force, there was no need to waste time arguing. Just as Zhang Shi was about to start another round of screaming—
Lin Wan suddenly moved. Fast! So fast that she was like an arrow released from a bow. Pushing off the muddy ground with the tip of her foot, she shot forward like a ghost and instantly appeared in front of Zhang Shi.
Zhang Shi only saw a blur before a fierce gust of wind rushed toward her face.
“Y-You…”
She had just opened her mouth to scream.
Lin Wan’s right leg shot up like lightning and kicked precisely into the back of Zhang Shi’s knee. Thud! A muffled sound echoed.
Zhang Shi’s legs gave way. Her enormous body of over two hundred pounds collapsed forward uncontrollably onto her knees.
Her knees slammed hard into the muddy ground filled with sharp gravel, causing tears to burst from her eyes in pain.
Before she could react—
Lin Wan had already moved behind her.
With her left hand, she grabbed Zhang Shi’s greasy hair bun and yanked it backward.
The sharp pain on her scalp forced Zhang Shi to tilt her head back, exposing her terrified, twisted face.
“You little bitch! Let go of me!”
Zhang Shi shrieked like a pig being slaughtered.
Lin Wan picked up the thick wooden stick with her right hand. The cold tip of the stick pressed firmly against Zhang Shi’s thick, short neck.
“Was that family severance agreement written for nothing?”
Lin Wan’s voice drifted down from above her head. It was as cold as the icy wind of midwinter, completely devoid of emotion.
“You think trash like you can just walk onto my property whenever you want?”
She applied a little pressure with her wrist. The tip of the wooden stick dug deeply into the fat around Zhang Shi’s neck, leaving a deep indentation.
Zhang Shi instantly felt like she couldn’t breathe, as though a venomous snake had wrapped itself around her throat.
She had no doubt that if Lin Wan used even a little more force, the stick would pierce straight through her throat. The fear of death instantly overwhelmed her.
“I… I was wrong…”
“Wan… Wan’er… I won’t dare do it again…”
Zhang Shi was so frightened that she nearly wet herself. Her entire body shook violently as she repeatedly begged for mercy. Tears and snot covered her face, leaving her in an utterly pathetic state.
“Please spare me… For your father’s sake… Please let me off this once…”
“My father?”
Lin Wan let out a mocking laugh.
“What kind of worthless thing is he?”
Everything had happened so quickly that it left everyone dazzled.
Old Madam Lin and Lin Daqiang were completely terrified by the murderous aura erupting from Lin Wan.
The two of them stood frozen in place like clay statues.
Neither of them had the courage to step forward and stop the fight.
They watched helplessly as Zhang Shi, who usually ruled the household and bullied everyone without restraint—
was now pinned down like a dead dog, completely unable to fight back.
Was this really the same worthless girl they had always beaten and cursed?
No.
She was clearly a female demon who had crawled out of hell.
“Get lost.”
Looking down at Zhang Shi, who was so frightened she was about to wet herself, a trace of intense disgust flashed across Lin Wan’s eyes. She released Zhang Shi’s hair and shoved her aside as if throwing away a piece of garbage.
Zhang Shi scrambled on all fours toward Old Madam Lin, putting as much distance as possible between herself and Lin Wan.
“And you two.”
Lin Wan turned and pointed the wooden stick toward Old Madam Lin and Lin Daqiang.
“Do you want to find out what it’s like to kneel too?”
Old Madam Lin shuddered violently. She almost lost her grip on her cane. She had lived her entire life and had never seen such a domineering granddaughter.
Lin Daqiang hid directly behind his grandmother, not even daring to show his face.
“Get out!”
“Get off my property right now!”
Lin Wan’s voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable command.
“If any of you dare step foot here again, I’ll break your legs!”
Old Madam Lin and Zhang Shi exchanged glances.
Both saw overwhelming fear in each other’s eyes.
Neither of them doubted that this crazy girl would absolutely do exactly what she said.
“Let’s go! We’re leaving!”
Old Madam Lin was the first to give in.
Leaning on her cane, she turned around and hurried out of the courtyard. She moved faster than a rabbit.
Zhang Shi and Lin Daqiang scrambled after her in a miserable state, looking like two stray dogs that had been driven from their home. The farce ended in an anticlimactic fashion. Watching the three fleeing figures, Lin Wan showed no trace of satisfaction. There was only endless coldness in her eyes. She knew these shameless relatives would never give up so easily. As long as she remained in this village, they would keep swarming toward her like flies drawn to blood. It seemed she needed to find a way to eliminate this problem once and for all.
“Big Sister… are you alright?”
Lin Yulong carefully walked over, tugged at her sleeve, and looked at her with worry-filled eyes.
“I’m fine.”
Lin Wan put away the wooden stick, and the murderous aura surrounding her instantly disappeared. She gently rubbed her younger brother’s head, her voice returning to its usual warmth.
“Yulong, remember this.”
“When dealing with evil people, your fists must be harder than theirs.”
Lin Yulong nodded, only half understanding her words. Just then, an odd, mocking cough came from outside the courtyard wall.
“Ahem… ahem… My, my. Broad daylight, and people are already swinging weapons around. Aren’t you afraid of frightening the children in the village?”
Lin Wan frowned and turned toward the sound. She saw Old Woman Liu, the village’s most notorious gossip, peeking through a gap in the neighboring courtyard wall. She stretched her neck into the yard, looking around curiously. When her constantly darting triangular eyes landed on the cured meat hanging in the courtyard, an undisguised flash of greed crossed them.
“Oh my, isn’t this the eldest girl?”
Old Woman Liu grinned, revealing a mouthful of large yellow teeth, smiling like a cat that had just stolen a fish.
“Why did your grandmother and the others come just now?”
“Were they feeling sorry for you and your little brother, so they brought you something good to eat?”