The bastard man had arrived. In the original owner's memories, seeing him always stirred up intense emotions, a deep sense of inferiority, and nervous fumbling, but Lin Wei felt none of that.
She simply took a bite of her chicken leg and pretended the man didn't exist.
According to the original owner's memories, whenever the bastard came, it was always to take away spiritual herbs. But this was nowhere near the time for any spirit herbs or fruits to ripen. Since he was here, Lin Wei certainly didn't believe he had suddenly found a conscience and come to care for the aging wife he refused to acknowledge.
Lin Wei ate in silence. After glancing at her twice, Lu Yan frowned.
When Lin Wei still made no move after a moment, Lu Yan spoke in a deep voice, "In seven days, I want the Purple Orchid Fruit to be ripe."
Lin Wei almost laughed.
That Purple Orchid Fruit only bore fruit once every three years. The fruit from last harvest had just matured when he came and picked it clean, and it would be another two years before the next ripening. How shameless could he possibly be!
Lin Wei put down her chopsticks, looked directly at Lu Yan, and said, "Immortal Lu, do you think I can pull that off? Just look at how old I am. Can't you tell I'm dying?"
Lu Yan frowned. The old Lin Wei had never spoken to him like this before.
No matter what demands he made, she always agreed, forever acting sensitive, insecure, and walking on eggshells.
"Yunhai needs it. He was injured and requires the Purple Orchid Fruit."
Frowning, Lu Yan coldly stated the reason.
Lin Wei was simply speechless. Her face turned cold as she sneered, "Not even the Heavenly Emperor himself is getting it. Now clear out and stop interrupting my meal."
She stared straight at Lu Yan, making no attempt to hide her sarcasm.
What was this? Did he really think dragging out the child would make her compromise?
Lu Yan was strikingly handsome, easily a match for any modern celebrity she had seen on Earth, but right now he just made her want to vomit. He was utterly disgusting—taking and consuming everything while smashing the pot over her head!
"Have you got a death wish?"
Provoked by Lin Wei's attitude, Lu Yan flashed a murderous look in his eyes.
Lin Wei's sarcasm only grew deeper. She stuck her neck right out and said, "Go on, then. Kill me!"
While they never acknowledged the original owner's status, they had never truly harmed her either; they were simply waiting for her to wither away and die of old age.
She didn't take this as an act of mercy. In this Cultivation World, there was only one reason someone didn't kill another person: they couldn't.
Because the price of killing her was too high, they had to wait for her to pass away naturally.
Since he didn't dare kill her, why should she put up with the bastard's bullying?
A look of astonishment crossed Lu Yan's face, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Had this old woman gone crazy? To provoke him like this today!
The space between his eyebrows furrowed into deep lines. "What madness has gotten into you? Do you think I wouldn't dare kill you?"
How dare this old woman speak to him like this! No matter how tranquil his Dao heart was, he couldn't avoid being provoked into a genuine intent to kill.
Feeling the sharp, chilling aura of death, Lin Wei smiled and lunged straight at Lu Yan. "You bastard, do you want to kill me? Then do it, kill me! Let the Heavenly Dao itself witness how you murdered your legal wife, how you murdered the mother of your child, and how you broke the Dao oath you swore when our souls were bound!"
Lu Yan had never expected Lin Wei to be bold enough to touch him. Caught off guard, he found himself embraced for a split second.
He instantly shoved her away, utterly revolted.
The mere thought of those aged hands wrapping around his waist, the wrinkled face pressing against his chest, made his stomach turn.
He condensed an ice crystal in his palm, transforming it into countless ice needles that shot straight toward Lin Wei's face.
Lin Wei didn't move—not because she wasn't frightened, but because she was frozen in place.
As a mere Qi Condensation cultivator, she stood zero chance against a Nascent Soul stage expert. For Lu Yan to kill her would be as simple as crushing an ant.
Yet the ice needles melted into water right before her eyes, splashing all over her.
By the time Lin Wei snapped out of it, Lu Yan was already gone.
Lin Wei certainly didn't think someone who had just tried to kill her would be kind enough to let her off.
She had provoked him, and he wouldn't let it go that easily. Lin Wei guessed he would strike at her food supply.
She immediately rushed to the yard, grabbed a chicken, slaughtered it, drained the blood, and hurried to pack the meat into her storage room. The tiny five-meter space was packed to the brim.
Hardly had she finished when a group of people stepped into her yard and, without a word, stripped away everything edible in sight.
They were trying to starve her to death.
In Lu Yan's eyes, the original owner no longer had any value; her continued existence was an insult, so she had to die.
What Lu Yan didn't know was that the original owner was already dead.
Without a food source in this unfamiliar place, death was only a matter of time for someone with an aged, failing body.
It seemed it was time to leave this place.
She had no intention of burning herself out with exhaustion the way the original owner had. But as long as she stayed here, the bastard would view her as a thorn in his side. Rather than waiting for him to eventually kill her regardless of the consequences, she might as well leave right now before he changed his mind.
Lin Wei watched the emptied courtyard with utter calm.
Su Qiao was panicked, terrified, and deeply uneasy. Standing outside, she watched the scene timidly, unable to understand why things had turned out this way.
Seeing her, Lin Wei managed a gentle smile and beckoned. "Little Qiao, come here."
Su Qiao hurried to Lin Wei's side, her voice heavy with heartache. "Granny, your clothes are wet."
She didn't know what had happened, but she felt entirely helpless.
Because there was nothing she could do.
With a faint smile, Lin Wei said, "It's nothing. Granny's body is tough, a little water won't hurt. I have a few things to tell you, and you must remember them, alright?"
She didn't want Su Qiao to end up trapped as a cauldron, but she truly lacked the spare strength to rescue the girl from this damned fate right now.
Once she left this time, she had no idea when they might meet again.
Lin Wei figured that if the girl could take even a single piece of advice to heart, it would be worth it.
Su Qiao nodded obediently. "Tell me, Granny, I'll remember."
"Little Qiao, in the future, don't pour all your energy into tending the spirit herbs. Only spend half your time on them, and use the other half to properly cultivate yourself. If anyone blames you, just tell them you aren't getting enough to eat and have no strength left to work."
Lin Wei spoke very bluntly. Su Qiao was simply far too thin.
When people didn't get enough to eat, their minds grew sluggish.
Combined with the intentional brainwashing of those with malicious motives, a person would completely lose themselves.
Su Qiao was still young; given enough time, she could completely turn things around.
It was just that she didn't have that time anymore.
"Granny, are you leaving? I don't want you to go. Can you please stay?"
Tears filled Su Qiao's eyes as she suddenly threw her arms around Lin Wei, sobbing softly.
Lin Wei patted the girl's frail back, saying nothing more.
When the people moving her things had finally cleared out, Lin Wei patted Su Qiao's shoulder. "Go on back now. Granny needs to sleep."
Those people hadn't even left behind a single piece of firewood; she wouldn't be cooking any meals tonight.
Su Qiao kept looking back every few steps, as if she had a mountain of things to say, but seeing Lin Wei's aged back, she swallowed the words back down.
Lin Wei returned to her room. Fortunately, her old, worn clothes had been left behind. She changed into a fresh outfit, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to meditate, driving the spiritual qi through her blocked meridians over and over again.
When night had fallen completely, Lin Wei stood up, picked up a modest bundle, and without caring whether she smelled or not, walked right out of the Spirit Herb Garden.