Luo Jian screamed miserably as he was beaten, completely unable to fight back.
Inside the house, Mother Luo shouted anxiously, What are you doing? Ah-jian, Ah-jian, what is wrong? Luo Ah-di, stop it, you thousand-cuts cursed bastard, stop...
Unfortunately, her leg was broken. She struggled for a long time but could not get up. Afraid of breaking it again, she did not dare exert too much force and could only hurl insults helplessly from inside the house.
Zhang Yue was so frightened that she took two steps back. Being cursed as a cheap dog made her face turn pale and dark alternately, and she glared at Luo Ah-di with venomous eyes.
Luo A'man smiled. Taking a step forward, she patted Zhang Yue heavily on the shoulder. Sister Zhang Yue, it is fine. My brother knows his limits; your lover will be alright.
Caught off guard, Zhang Yue did not have time to hide her expression. She quickly stepped back and forced a stiff smile. I...
Before she could finish, her ankle twisted. With a thud, she fell to the ground, smashing her swollen, pig-like face against the dirt. A shrill scream pierced the night sky.
The next day, Jiang Jin got up early to prepare for training. As soon as she entered the dense forest, she noticed a figure who was there even earlier than her.
It was Shuangjiang. She was practicing her saber techniques, executing every slash and stance with utmost earnestness.
Hearing footsteps, she turned around. Seeing Jiang Jin, she quickly stopped her movements. My Lady.
Jiang Jin nodded. You do not have to get up so early. Just train like the other soldiers.
The training regimen she assigned was not easy; just completing it every day was an achievement.
Shuangjiang shook her head. I eat a lot, have great stamina, and am very strong. I do not need to rest that long.
Because she ate so much, she always felt she had to do more work, otherwise she would feel guilty about the food she consumed.
Jiang Jin could not help but smile. Just do what you can. Otherwise, in the long run, it will backfire. Besides, you are already doing very well.
Hearing Jiang Jin praise her, Shuangjiang could not suppress the smile on her face. She nodded emphatically. Yes, I will definitely work harder and do even better.
Jiang Jin was speechless. She had basically wasted her breath.
Just as they finished breakfast, they saw Luo Zhong and a few others carrying large bundles, wading across the river to their side.
After Luo Shan and his wife came over to greet Jiang Jin, Dong Si took them to the logistics team, and both were assigned to the kitchen group.
Their luggage was quickly loaded onto a handcart. Seeing their ragged appearance, Dong Si issued each of them a new set of clothes.
The troops were now fully stocked with both clothes and weight-bearing sandbags for any unexpected needs.
Luo Zhong and the others were deeply moved. Where else could they find such a good master?
They silently resolved to work diligently from now on.
The Luo siblings directly joined the soldiers ranks for training.
However, Luo A'man's situation was special. Jiang Jin just had her run behind the female soldiers, making sure to maintain a safe distance.
Luo Jian and Zhang Yue stood on the opposite bank of the river, hiding behind the weeds, glaring venomously at Luo A'man running behind the troops.
Zhang Yue looked up timidly at Luo Jian, whose face was also beaten into a swollen pig's head. She bit her lip and leaned into his embrace. Cousin Luo, do not be angry. You still have me.
Luo Jian felt a pent-up frustration. He had thought Luo A'man liked him. He never expected her to just leave the moment she said so, without a trace of reluctance.
Only now did he realize he had been flattering himself. She was his fiancee; what right did she have to not like him?
He and Ah-yue had not actually done anything. Ah-yue was delicate and weak; what was wrong with him caring for her a bit more? Breaking off the engagement for such a reason was utterly ridiculous.
Not hearing any comforting words from Luo Jian, Zhang Yue felt a bit uneasy. She tilted her face up. Cousin, how could A'man and the others do this? The house is clearly empty, yet they still demanded 200 copper coins from us.
Luo A'man actually had not wanted to let Luo Jian and the others continue living in the house, but her family was so poor they did not even have a lock.
Since her whole family had left, whether they lived there or not was entirely up to Luo Jian and the others. Therefore, after beating them up last night, Luo A'man had forcefully extorted 200 copper coins from Luo Jian as rent.
Luo Jian looked down at her and found her current face to be incredibly ugly, completely devoid of its former delicate charm.
He pushed Zhang Yue away. Enough, let us go back.
Without caring about Zhang Yue's reaction, he turned and left.
A trace of malice flashed in Zhang Yue's eyes, but she quickly reverted to her delicate and weak demeanor as she chased after him. Cousin Luo, wait for Ah-yue.
Luo A'man was assigned to Shuangjiang's squad, and Jiang Jin asked Shuangjiang to guide her.
At this moment, Shuangjiang was running behind Luo A'man, keeping a distance of over a meter. The Lady had said that this Luo A'man was toxic and she should not get too close.
Thus, she watched helplessly as Luo A'man somehow tripped over her own feet on perfectly flat ground. She was about to fall, but fortunately, her quick reflexes allowed her to steady herself.
Or perhaps she was just used to it, as her recovery looked quite practiced.
Over the next hour, Shuangjiang repeatedly witnessed Luo A'man's various minor accidents.
For example, the tall weeds by the road were harmless to everyone else, but when Luo A'man walked past, a gust of wind blew, and a blade of grass gently brushed her face, instantly leaving a bloody scratch.
Or accidentally stepping into a small pothole, or a sudden gust of dust flying into her eyes...
Shuangjiang was utterly dumbfounded. This person was truly toxic.
At noon the next day, while the troops were setting up camp and building stoves for cooking, Yun Chengxuan came over and announced that he wanted to go hunting in the mountains.
Jiang Jin was speechless. She pointed at the heavily dug-up, potholed mountainous terrain. This mountain is flat, and the trees and grass have all been dug up. How could there be any prey? They were eaten by people long ago.
Yun Chengxuan had his own ideas, though. Auntie, what if some slipped through? Then we would hit the jackpot, would we not? Bunnies are great at digging holes; they must be hiding well, waiting for us to find them.
Jiang Jin secretly rolled her eyes. How stupid would a rabbit have to be to wait around for you to eat it?
Luo Zhong hesitated for a moment, then pointed in a direction and said, My Lady, if you walk two or three miles this way, there is a deep pool. There used to be a lot of fish there, though I do not know if there are any left now.
He used to come here to gather herbs, but after Fengzhou was occupied by the Quzhao people, he did not dare venture this far, only moving around near the village. So, he actually had not been here for a long time.
Yun Chengxuan's eyes lit up. Fish is delicious too! Auntie, let us go catch fish. We can even raise them.
Jiang Jin sighed helplessly. Figuring it would not hurt to get some exercise, she agreed. After asking for clear directions, she set out with Yun Chengxuan.
Perhaps considering the time Jiang Jin and the boy encountered a fierce tiger on the mountain, Zhou Sui offered to tag along. My Lady, let me accompany you. I am not needed for the training here anyway.
Jiang Jin had no objections, so the three of them headed toward the pool.
September was the season when many wild fruits ripened. However, on this mountain, let alone ripe fruits, not even a single green fruit could be seen. The leaves of many trees had been completely stripped bare.
Looking at the scene before them, both Jiang Jin and Zhou Sui fell silent.
This year had seen favorable weather. If it were not for the war and the barbarian invasions, the common people, while perhaps not fully clothed and well-fed, at least would not be displaced, left destitute, or forced to trade their children for food.
Little did they know that the pool they were getting closer and closer to was currently surging with hidden undercurrents and heavy with killing intent.
