Xi Erniu was shocked by Xi Qingyue’s words. When had his niece become so vicious? She used to be so well-behaved and obedient. And wasn’t she supposed to be weak from hunger? Why was she so strong now?
“Day-a, he’s your cousin. You can’t sell him. I’ll talk, I’ll talk,” he said, afraid that if he delayed, Xi Qingyue would harm his son.
Xi Qingyue let out a cold laugh. “My little sister could be sold, so why not your son? On what grounds? Speak—where was she sold? If anything happens to her, none of you will get away. You’d better answer honestly.”
Xi Erniu, his weakness seized, had no choice but to compromise. He quickly pulled out five taels of silver from his clothes and named the buyer.
“Your sister was sold to the wealthy Wang family in town. The Wangs have plenty of money—they won’t mistreat her. Master Wang has a five-year-old son, so maybe she’ll even become his child bride.”
Only after getting the exact answer did Xi Qingyue release Xi You. She took the silver and knocked Xi Erniu unconscious with a single punch.
Just then, nearby villagers arrived at the courtyard gate and witnessed the scene.
Xi Qingyue wasted no words. Gripping the silver, she dashed out of the yard, determined to rescue her sister first.
A three-year-old child sold into servitude in someone else’s home—she had to bring her back as soon as possible. Any delay could spell disaster.
Some villagers called after her, others shouted for a doctor, but she ignored them all.
She ran all the way out of the village. A few curious villagers glanced at her but thought nothing of it.
She used the wind-body-lightening technique to move swiftly. Although her wind-elemental ability was still at the beginner level and could only last a short while, the town wasn’t far. She arrived quickly.
She asked around for the location of the Wang family estate and then dashed straight there.
Along the way, she debated whether to reason with them first or resort to fists. That little runt of a sister was probably crying in some corner by now.
When she reached the Wang family’s gate, she heard shouting inside, along with the yelling of servants.
“Bang, bang, bang!” The moment her knock sounded, a servant opened the door.
“Little beggar, find somewhere cool to stay. We don’t welcome you here.”
The man glanced at her tattered clothes and tried to shut the door, but Xi Qingyue blocked it.
“I’m looking for someone,” she said, slipping through the gap before he could close it.
The servant frowned, ready to curse her out, but just then, cries came from deeper inside: “Stop her! Don’t let her run!”
At the sound, Xi Qingyue looked over. A small, three-year-old figure was running toward the gate, chased by a group of people. Several servants brandished sticks.
Fury flared in Xi Qingyue’s eyes. In a flash, she darted forward and snatched a stick from the leading servant.
With a few swift strikes, she knocked down the frontrunners. The other servants froze, staring at her in shock. It was bizarre for a seven- or eight-year-old child to display such strength.
When Xi Weilan saw her, her face lit up with excitement. She threw herself into her sister’s arms. “Elder Sister!”
Xi Qingyue looked at the grimy little girl in her arms and frowned. “Did someone hit you?”
“Elder Sister, that little fatty was awful! He said I was a mud-foot, that mud-foots should eat dirt. He had his people hold me down and tried to force me to eat dirt. I couldn’t hold back, so I beat him up.”
Xi Qingyue gently stroked her head and spoke softly. “Don’t worry, Elder Sister will take you home soon.”
“Hmph, you think you can leave after hitting someone from the Wang family? Not only will your sister stay, but you won’t be going anywhere either!”
A stout man with a fleshy, mean face stormed over, panting from the chase.
He pointed at Xi Weilan and started yelling. “You little brat! You dared hit my son? I’ll make you pay!”
Xi Qingyue glared at him, her gaze sharp as a knife. “Brat? Who are you calling a brat?”
“You dare insult me?” The fat man’s jowls trembled with rage. He waved his hand, ordering the crowd to seize them.
“Catch both of them! Whoever does will be heavily rewarded!”
At the promise of a reward, the crowd’s fear faded. They surrounded Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan.
Xi Qingyue had no intention of fighting them. This wasn’t the apocalypse—murdering people in broad daylight wouldn’t end well.
More importantly, she wasn’t ready to take on the entire world. She wanted a peaceful life. Killing could wait for another time.
Instead of acting, she swept the group with an icy glare. “Master Wang, private sales of children under ten are illegal. This qualifies as trafficking. If this goes to court, you could face hanging. Are you sure you want to make this bigger?”
Master Wang burst into laughter, mocking her ignorance.
Trade in children was common everywhere, especially among the poor. Officials usually turned a blind eye, tacitly permitting it. But the law forbade it, and indentures were never filed with the government. Everyone knew the unspoken rules.
If the matter reached the magistrate’s ears, that official would seize the chance to extort money. Master Wang would be skinned alive.
At that thought, a flicker of malice crossed his eyes. “Bigger? That’s only if you can walk out that door.”
Xi Qingyue flashed a sinister smile. That’s what she’d figured. In this era, selling children carried harsh penalties, yet no one reported it, and everyone accepted it. Authorities corrupt and complicit—those who tried to resist probably never lived to speak their piece.
Master Wang gave the order: “Seize them.”
But faster than his command was Xi Qingyue’s movement. As he spoke, she scooped up Xi Weilan with her left arm, moved like a gust of wind, and produced a dagger in her right hand.
In the next instant, Master Wang slammed to the ground, Xi Qingyue’s foot on his chest, the dagger pressed to his throat.
“I wanted to reason with you, but you just wouldn’t listen, right?” She pressed the blade down, drawing blood from his neck.
Xi Weilan’s eyes sparkled. She wasn’t afraid—instead, she looked up at her sister with pure admiration. Her elder sister was way stronger than she was. She only dared hit people, but this…
“You... you can’t kill me. If you commit murder, you’ll die too, and your sister will just be sold again.” Master Wang was genuinely terrified now. An eight-year-old’s mind wasn’t always rational—he didn’t want to gamble on it.
The surrounding servants were stunned by the scene, none daring to move at the sight of fresh blood.
“Bring me my sister’s deed of sale,” Xi Qingyue said coldly. A flicker of murder crossed her eyes, then disappeared.
Master Wang dared not refuse. He barked at the dazed steward, “What are you standing there for? Get the deed! Hurry!”
The steward ran off at once, fetching the deed and spreading it open for Xi Qingyue to verify.
She confirmed it was genuine and pocketed it. Even if it hadn’t been filed with the authorities, she was taking it.
“Wealthy Wang, I’m a reasonable person. This whole mess was caused by Xi Erniu acting on his own. Here’s five silver taels back to you, and we’ll call it square. But remember this—my sister is not Xi Erniu’s daughter. No one touches her without my permission. If you so much as think of scheming again, you can kiss your head goodbye.”
With that, she tossed five silver taels onto Wealthy Wang’s chest.
On the surface, Wealthy Wang nodded, but a flicker of malice crossed his eyes.
Xi Qingyue shot him a meaningful look and broke into a bright smile.
Courtesy before force—she was a reasonable person. She had returned the silver and retrieved the indenture contract, all by the book. If he came looking for trouble again, she wouldn't hold back.
“Alright, can you take the dagger away now?” Wealthy Wang forced a smile.
Xi Qingyue withdrew the dagger. Cradling Xi Weilan in her arms, she calmly walked out, and Wealthy Wang gave no order to stop her.
The servants, lacking his instruction, stood frozen in place, not daring to move.
As soon as she was gone, Wealthy Wang was helped to his feet.
His forehead and body were drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked—mostly from sheer terror.
His son had been beaten by a three-year-old, and he himself had been held at knifepoint by an eight-year-old. It was humiliating just to speak of.
But he could tell that the girl had truly meant to kill him. That look in her eyes was terrifying, as if human life meant nothing to her.
He wasn't about to gamble with his own life, but he was decidedly not letting this go.
Clutching his bleeding neck, a ruthless glint surfaced in his eyes. “Steward, go find Lai Zi. Tell him I have a job for him. If he gets it done, I’ll pay him ten silver taels.”
