"Miss, we meet again." Ming Buchang eagerly approached, "You remember me, right? I'm Ming Buchang. Back when you were taken away, I was really worried. I'm so relieved to see you safe now."
He was too eager, reaching out a hand to rest on Xia Miao's shoulder.
Xia Miao stood up and took two steps back, avoiding his intrusive touch. "Do I know you?"
Ming Buchang withdrew his hand, unfazed. He chuckled, "Fellow travelers in a strange land—even if we're not familiar now, we will be after spending more time together."
Xia Miao despised this kind of utterly ordinary yet overly confident man. Even back in school, the boys who tried to pursue her never acted so sleazy.
Ignoring Ming Buchang, she turned and walked into the inn.
Ming Buchang was about to follow when Gu Moleng and his group arrived a step later.
Whatever had happened during Gu Moleng’s outing with the Wen sisters, Jiang Du was now carrying Wen Yaoyao on his back. Wen Yaoyao’s ankle was red and swollen—clearly sprained—and her teary eyes made her look even more pitiful.
Wen Sisi’s expression was stormy, like a firecracker ready to explode at the slightest spark.
Gu Moleng said, "Sisi, you shouldn’t keep throwing tantrums. If it weren’t for Yaoyao saving you, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt."
Wen Sisi shot back without hesitation, "Did I ask her to help me? Besides, I already said thank you. What more do you want from me?"
Gu Moleng frowned. "Sisi, you need to realize that if Yaoyao hadn’t cushioned your fall, you could’ve been much worse off!"
Wen Sisi was never one to hold back her temper. "I already told you—someone pushed me! That’s why I rolled down the hill. It wasn’t carelessness like you’re making it out to be!"
Wen Yaoyao spoke softly, "Sisi, Brother Gu, please don’t fight. It’s my fault. I didn’t do well enough."
Jiang Du, usually silent, couldn’t help but interject, "Doing good deeds for the ungrateful too often is just another form of stupidity."
Wen Yaoyao pressed her lips together, her soft face clouded with dejection. "I’m sorry. I’m not smart enough."
Jiang Du’s words weren’t so much calling Wen Yaoyao foolish as they were a veiled jab at someone else’s lack of gratitude.
Gu Moleng’s gaze toward Wen Sisi darkened. "Sisi, apologize to Yaoyao."
Wen Sisi kicked Gu Moleng in frustration. "You apologize if you want! I did nothing wrong!"
With that, she turned and ran off.
Wen Yaoyao fretted, "It’s almost dark. It’s not safe for Sisi to be out alone."
Gu Moleng dismissed it. "She’s afraid of the dark. She’ll come back soon."
Ming Buchang, who already disliked Gu Moleng, watched the scene with amusement before sneering, "Aren’t you going after her, Mr. Gu? Wouldn’t want your woman running off with someone else."
Gu Moleng had long noticed Ming Buchang’s interest in the Wen sisters. His expression turned icy as he warned, "Worry about yourself. If I catch you laying a hand on her, you won’t like the consequences."
Ming Buchang, being a creep himself, easily recognized the same in others. He smirked. "And which ‘her’ are we talking about here?"
Gu Moleng didn’t respond.
Ming Buchang clicked his tongue. "Don’t think your little sister act is the only show in town. I’ve set my sights on someone far more perfect—way better than the one on your back."
He was referring to Wen Yaoyao, still being carried by Jiang Du.
Wen Yaoyao, naturally introverted, kept her eyes downcast, offering no reaction.
Ming Buchang sauntered toward the inn, leisurely remarking, "I heard that woman’s surname is Xia, right? I’ve got this travel guide I’ve been dying to share with someone. This town’s a real gem. Outside, I’d never get such a golden chance to get close to such a beautiful young la—"
Before he could finish, a pale hand suddenly clamped over his face. With a sickening thud, Ming Buchang’s body slammed into the wall, his feet dangling midair. The hand gripping his skull was corpse-like—cold, pallid, its fingers barely revealing his bulging, bloodshot eyes, wide with terror.
The attacker was a slender young man with black hair tied into a youthful ponytail. Dressed in a navy blue hoodie, black pants, and white sneakers—basic college-boy attire—he should have exuded vitality. Instead, an eerie, bone-chilling aura radiated from him.
His sudden appearance, coupled with the horrifying ease with which he lifted a grown man by the head, left the others frozen in shock.
Staring into those pitch-black eyes, Ming Buchang felt his scalp crawl. He knew—his life hung by a thread.
Gasping, he managed to choke out, "I… didn’t… break any rules…"
A wet squelch later, Ming Buchang’s body crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll, his neck a jagged, spurting ruin.
Gu Moleng and Jiang Du recoiled several steps, while Wen Yaoyao buried her face against Jiang Du’s back, too terrified to look.
E Gui released his grip, letting the mangled remains plop to the ground. Slouching back into his usual hunched, gloomy posture, he pulled a tissue from his pocket and meticulously wiped his hands, as if performing some sacred ritual.
After a moment, he glanced backward.
Behind a tree, a group of eavesdropping children shuddered and ducked out of sight.
Song Xiaohua: "Scary! That witch’s pretty-boy lackey!"
Zhang Dayu: "We’re doomed! No way we’ll ever get the upper hand with the witch now!"
Yuan Xiaolang: "What do we do? Just give up like this?"
Wang Linlin: "Waaah, ever since she came, we’ve had to copy characters for homework every day. It’s exhausting!"
Li Mumu: "I… I think…"
Ignoring Li Mumu, they all turned to their ringleader, Fang Xiaogui. "Well? What’s the plan?"
Fang Xiaogui frowned, deep in thought, then brightened. "How about we get my uncle to seduce the pretty-boy? If he succeeds, the witch will be my aunt, and she’ll have to go easy on us! Then—ow!"
A hand smacked Fang Xiaogui’s head hard, making him yelp.
Fang Min scowled. "You little brat! Your uncle’s still a pure, untouched bachelor, and you’re sending me to homewreck? That’s a death sentence!"
