Shao Yunan was awakened by cold water. Still reeling from the splitting headache, he hadn’t yet grasped what had happened to him when a large hand grabbed his collar and lifted him up, followed by a heavy slap.

Damn it!

His head, already in a dizzy state, became even more muddled. Shao Yunan struggled to open his eyes, trying to determine whether he was dreaming or if someone really wanted to kill him. But before he could see clearly, the hand holding his collar loosened, and he fell back onto the icy ground. Another dull pain shot through the back of his head, and the smell of blood was unmistakable. It was definitely coming from his own head.

Two salty, fishy-smelling fingers forcefully pried open his mouth and shoved something sticky inside. Shao Yunan tried to turn away to shake it off, but received another slap to his face. His ears were buzzing, and without looking, Shao Yunan kicked with all his might toward the dark figure in front of him. The hand gripping his chin suddenly let go, followed by a cry of pain from the person. Then Shao Yunan heard: “You still have the strength to kick me!”

The thing he swallowed choked his windpipe, and Shao Yunan coughed, intensifying the pain in his head. The words of the other person made his heart race. He struggled to open his eyes wider, and in the blur, he saw a sinister, gaunt face lunging towards him. Instinctively, Shao Yunan rolled to the side to avoid the fist, and he recognized who it was!

“Shao Dahu!”

But with just that movement, Shao Yunan almost screamed out loud, feeling like his brain was about to burst out.

Shao Dahu, who missed Shao Yunan, looked coldly at the person sweating profusely on the ground. Standing up triumphantly like a victor, he walked over to Shao Yunan and kicked him in the stomach, then squatted down and grabbed the person who curled up in pain due to the pain, revealing a wicked smile: “Shao Yunan, I’ve been waiting for you for days, and finally, I’ve got you. You didn’t expect that one day you would fall into my hands, did you?”

Shao Yunan gasped heavily to ease the pain in his body. Shao Dahu grabbed him, and he couldn’t enter the space. Most importantly, if he couldn’t kill Shao Dahu, then entering the space would definitely expose his special ability, and he couldn’t risk it.

Forcefully blinking away the tears in his eyes to regain some clarity, Shao Yunan spoke: “What do you want to do, to deal with me? Don’t forget who I am now, my identity.”

Shao Dahu raised his hand and delivered another slap, grabbing Shao Yunan’s hair fiercely, saying viciously: “Our Shao family has fallen to this point because of you! You ask me how to deal with you?” Shao Dahu let go, and as Shao Yunan fell to the ground again, he violently tore open his clothes, revealing his fair, deep scars.

“If it weren’t for the Wang family buying you with fifty taels of silver, you would have been mine long ago! If I had known earlier, I would have taken advantage of you, let you get pregnant, and now I would be the Marquis!” Shao Dahu tore at Shao Yunan’s clothes as he spoke: “It’s not too late now! When you get pregnant with my child, I will be the Marquis! Can you still kill the father of your child?!”

“You’re dreaming!”

“Ah!”

Kicking Shao Dahu away, Shao Yunan quickly pulled up his pants with trembling hands and clenched the dagger dripping with blood. Not far away, Shao Dahu rolled on the ground, his clothes on the chest quickly stained with blood. The wound from his left shoulder straight down to his right ribs was terrifying.

Shao Dahu couldn’t understand how there was a dagger on Shao Yunan. He had clearly searched this person’s body and found no weapons!

Shao Yunan backed away, pressing against the wall. It was only now that he noticed that this was a cave. His head hurt, his mouth was bloody from the slaps by Shao Dahu, his vision was still blurry, and he had no strength to fight Shao Dahu now. But with Shao Dahu’s current condition, he probably didn’t have the strength to attack him either. Shao Yunan was waiting, waiting for Wang Shijing to find him. He believed that Wang Shijing would definitely find him!

Shao Yunan’s blow could be said to have used all his strength. The sharp dagger from the future directly made Shao Dahu’s wound reach his bones. Not to mention whether Shao Dahu, who was once strong as an ox, could bear such an injury, but now Shao Dahu, who had been evading arrest for more than a month and hiding in the mountains for half a month, was probably unable to survive.

Shao Dahu’s screams echoed in the dark forest. Shao Yunan speculated that they were definitely still within the territory of Loyal and Brave Village, not far from it, and they hadn’t ventured deep into the forest. Because Shao Dahu wouldn’t dare to enter the mountains at night. Not to mention being caught, it was good if he wasn’t eaten by the fierce beasts in the mountains. However, it was unexpectedly smart of Shao Dahu to think of hiding in Loyal and Brave Village.

With Shao Dahu too preoccupied with his injuries, he no longer cared about Shao Yunan. Usually, the first reaction of an ordinary person who was seriously injured was to call for help, and Shao Dahu was no exception. He shouted for help while crawling out of the cave, leaving a trail of blood where he had crawled. Perhaps it was because Shao Yunan had a knife in his hand, he didn’t dare to come over again. And at this moment, driven by the instinct to survive, he had already forgotten that he was a fugitive on the run.

Shao Dahua crawled out of the cave and disappeared into the night, only his gradually weakening cries for help reminding Shao Yunan that he was still nearby. The torches in the cave were quickly extinguished, and there were scattered clay pots, bowls, and a torn bundle, a tattered blanket on the ground. Shao Yunan drank a few sips of the spring water, and his headache eased a lot.

The dagger fell to the ground, and Shao Yunan, hands trembling, put on his pants and clothes. This was the natural reaction of his body after the ordeal, and he didn’t deny that Shao Dahua’s beating had left some aftereffects on him.

“Roar!”

Suddenly, a tiger’s roar rang out, freezing Shao Yunan’s movements. Shao Dahua’s cries were close by, and even Shao Yunan couldn’t help but shiver at the sound.

A tiger’s roar… Shao Yunan sat up straight, not making him wait too long. A tiger, whom he knew very well, appeared at the cave entrance like an angel. Shao Yunan’s tense nerves relaxed as the tiger approached him, and when the tiger reached him, he hugged the tiger’s large head with both arms.

“Tiger, brother.” Shao Yunan didn’t want to admit that he felt a bit like crying.

“Roar, roar!”

The tiger’s roar blew away Shao Yunan’s disheveled hair and almost deaf his eardrums. In the forest, people who had come to find him quickly gathered towards the direction of the cave at the tiger’s signal. Under the flickering torches, the calls for search echoed into the cave, and the tiger lay down. Shao Yunan climbed onto its back, only then noticing the blood stains around the tiger’s mouth.

Within less than an hour of Shao Yunan’s disappearance, Wang Shijing carried him back to the Loyal and Brave Village. When Wang Shijing saw Shao Yunan being carried by the tiger, even Shao Yunan himself shivered at the sight of his eyes. Despite being together with Wang Shijing for so long, even when he was kidnapped last time, Wang Shijing wasn’t this terrifying.

The normally quiet Loyal and Brave Village was now bustling with activity. Every household had their doors open. Some went to the Marquis’s mansion to inquire about news, while others stood at their doorsteps, eagerly waiting for any updates.

Upon seeing Shao Yunan, Wang Shijing immediately took off his own clothes and wrapped Shao Yunan tightly. Because Wang Shijing was the first to see Shao Yunan, others didn’t know Shao Yunan’s condition. At this moment, in the room of the Marquis’s mansion where Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan were, the old lady and Su Chenyi were tearful with concern.

The bleeding from the back of Shao Yunan’s head had stopped, but the hole was still horrifying to look at. His cheeks were bruised, his face swollen, and there were bruises on his neck where Shao Dahu had torn his clothes. The doctor brought by the old lady and Su Chenyi prescribed medicine, including calming herbs. Exhausted both physically and mentally, Shao Yunan fell asleep under the influence of the medicine. Su Chenyi wiped his son’s body with red eyes, while the old lady and the Marquis stood by.

The Zhao family was anxious. If they had insisted on sending Shao Yunan home, this wouldn’t have happened. They only knew that Shao Yunan was injured. Wang Shijing didn’t let anyone else in, so they didn’t know Shao Yunan’s exact condition and anxiously waited outside for news. After waiting for a long time, the steward Fusheng came out and told them that the Marquis had taken medicine and fallen asleep, only suffering some minor external injuries. The Marquis was interrogating prisoners, so they were asked to go home and not wait anymore. The Zhao family returned home anxiously, and Lize also asked the villagers to go home.

In the firewood room of the Marquis’s mansion, Wang Shijing, with a distorted expression, whipped the already severely injured Shao Dahua, who was barely alive. Shao Dahua had become a bloody mess, with his left leg missing below the knee, which had been bitten off by the tiger. Since Shao Yunan hadn’t returned, Wang Shijing went to the Li family to pick him up. After learning that he had already gone back, Wang Shijing immediately returned home and went out with people to search. The tiger usually stayed at the mansion at night. When Shao Yunan went missing, the tiger followed his scent back home and then led Wang Shijing to search. When Shao Dahu crawled out to call for help, the tiger found Shao Dahu ahead of Wang Shijing. Upon seeing Shao Dahu, the tiger grabbed one of his legs and smashed him against a tree. The tiger smelled Shao Yunan’s scent on Shao Dahu’s body. This action of the tiger can be understood as venting its anger.

It’s hard to say whether Shao Dahu was smart or stupid at the time. He thought that Wang Shijing’s success was because of Shao Yunan. By forcibly taking Shao Yunan and making him have a child, then all of Wang Shijing’s would belong to him. Perhaps Shao Dahu was driven mad by a series of changes, or perhaps he was just naturally foolish. He didn’t even understand why his well-planned scheme had turned out like this.

Shao Dahu, who was dragged back by Wang Shijing, was already unable to move. After Wang Shijing finally vented his anger, Shao Dahu had already breathed his last. But even though he was dead, Wang Shijing still couldn’t control his anger. Throughout, the tiger sat aside, showing no reaction to the bloody scene in the room, and its biting of Shao Dahu wasn’t out of interest in human flesh.

“Roar.” The tiger let out a faint growl.

Wang Shijing, his chest heaving violently, threw down the whip in his hand and took deep breaths to calm himself down. At this moment, someone knocked on the door. Without turning his head, Wang Shijing said: “Come in.”

Housekeeper Fusheng pushed the door open from the outside, glanced coldly at the bloodied corpse on the ground, and said: “Master, the Marquis has taken medicine and fallen asleep. I also asked everyone outside to go back.”

Wang Shijing turned around, his face full of killing intent, but not as twisted as before.

“Throw it out and feed the dogs.”

“Yes.”

Wang Shijing left the firewood room, and the tiger stood up and followed. Fusheng called someone to carry Shao Dahu’s body out.

When Wang Shijing returned to the room, his father-in-law Su Chenyi, the Marquis, and the old lady were still there. Seeing him come back, the three elders only asked him to accompany Shao Yunan, without saying much else. Su Chenyi wanted to stay and take care of his son, but he also understood that Wang Shijing was the one who felt the worst. He patted Wang Shijing on the shoulder, then supported his wife and daughter-in-law out of the door.

As soon as the door closed, Wang Shijing rushed to the bed and hugged Shao Yunan, his body tense, filled with self-blame.

…

Shao Yunan was awakened by the pain. Even though his soul had crossed over, this was the first time he had suffered such a great injury. Last time, when Wei Hongzheng beat him, it didn’t hurt as much as this. Lifting his head, he let Wang Shijing apply medicine to him. Shao Yunan poked at the wooden lump in front of him—someone expressionless, mechanical in movement, if not a wooden lump, then what?

The wooden lump didn’t react, but the action of applying the medicine was gentle and careful, completely at odds with his gender and personality. Shao Yunan continued to poke, and finally, the wooden lump responded.

“Wife…” Thick self-blame mixed with unspoken words.

Shao Yunan, still unkindly, rubbed salt into the wound: “I’m in so much pain. That bastard not only hit me with a stick but also slapped me several times. Did they catch that guy?”

Shao Yunan could clearly see Wang Shijing’s face contort for a moment, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. Shao Yunan continued to poke: “Did they catch him? I severely injured him. They wouldn’t let him escape, would they?”

“Caught him.”

Came the muffled reply, Wang Shijing grabbed Shao Yunan’s hand with one hand: “Wife, don’t move. I’ll apply medicine to you. Does it still hurt?”

“It’s much better now,” Shao Yunan gritted his teeth: “fortunately, he didn’t knock out my teeth, or I would have skinned him alive. Where is he now?”

Wang Shijing’s hand noticeably paused.

“Dead?”

“Yeah.”

Shao Yunan hated: “He’s lucky! He dared to rape me. If he hadn’t died, I would have definitely gathered thirty big men to kill him!”

Wang Shijing twisted again, his voice suddenly raised: “Where did he touch you?”

When Shao Yunan was found, his clothes were obviously disheveled, and there were scratches on his body. Wang Shijing didn’t dare to think deeply. Shao Yunan continued to add fuel to the fire: “He tore my clothes and pants. If my head hadn’t hurt so much at the time and I hadn’t had enough strength, I would have stabbed him to death!”

Wang Shijing’s breathing became heavy, he felt that even feeding Shao Dahu to the dogs was letting him off too easily! His carefully tended wife was not only injured by that guy, but he also had such intentions. Death wasn’t enough for him!

Rubbing his stomach, Shao Yunan asked: “Did he say he gave me anything to eat?”

Wang Shijing was stunned: “What did he give you to eat?”

“I don’t know, I was knocked out by him at the time. He forcibly fed me something sticky. Although it didn’t have much taste, the texture was disgusting.”

Wang Shijing felt even more self-blame. He didn’t know and directly beat the person to death.

“Forget it, I’ll drink some water to cleanse myself.”

Taking out a bottle of spiritual spring water directly, Shao Yunan gulped down the entire bottle. He didn’t dare to use spiritual milk. Once it was used, all the injuries on his body would instantly heal. This was clearly telling others that he still had “immortal fruit” in his hands.

“Wife, does it hurt?”

Wang Shijing gently embraced him, not daring to touch the wound on the back of Shao Yunan’s head. Seizing the opportunity, Shao Yunan demanded: “It hurts like hell. That guy touched my chest. Hurry up and cleanse it for me.”

“…Wife, you’re still injured. Wait until you’re better.”

“No, it makes me feel nauseous when I think about it. You have to comfort me.”

Letting go of Shao Yunan’s hand, Wang Shijing, who was extremely frightened, reluctantly allowed his wife to untie his pants.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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