Facing this eccentric woman, Han Yuling, Li Sheng felt both helpless and somewhat regretful. She had not come to assist him, but rather to collect a reward—and what is more, she was playing both sides, taking from the plaintiff and the defendant alike. A whirl of mixed emotions washed over Li Sheng, along with a tinge of regret that he could not manage to keep such a talented person by his side. Even so, he was well aware that Han Yuling had just defused a crisis for him. Yet, there was not a single coin left to spare in his pockets. Despite this, Li Sheng still considered himself lucky, for Han Yuling had done him a tremendous favor by beating back a large group of men in black and pulling him out of danger. He would definitely have to find a way to thank her properly in the future.
On the way back, Han Yuling glanced down at Liu Ye'er cradled in her arms, a complex surge of emotions welling up within her. This usually docile girl had behaved quite out of character today; there had to be some secret hidden beneath her surface.
"Ye'er, why do you want to stay by my side?" Han Yuling finally broke the silence, her gaze fixed squarely on Liu Ye'er as she asked softly.
Liu Ye'er bit her lower lip, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. She knew her behavior was indeed abnormal, yet this was a momentous secret—she could not possibly speak of it. Her resolve instantly hardened; she could not reveal the truth and had no choice but to play dumb.
"I just want to follow you, Mother. Is there something wrong with that?" A trace of grievance laced Liu Ye'er's voice as she lowered her head, not daring to meet Han Yuling's eyes. Even so, this could not entirely conceal the secret in her heart.
Along a desolate ancient path, a carriage ambled forward. Inside, Liu Ye'er recounted Han Yuling's story in vivid detail to Liu Cunxiu and Liu Shande. The topic made Liu Cunxiu's eyes widen in astonishment; in her mind, Han Yuling was always soft-spoken and outwardly frail, a far cry from the formidable image Liu Ye'er was painting.
"Is... is this true?" Liu Cunxiu asked doubtfully.
Liu Ye'er let out a snort and replied with absolute conviction, "Little Aunt, why would I lie to you? It is 100 percent true."
Suddenly, the carriage came to a halt. Liu Cunxiu peered outside and spotted a woman sitting ahead, as elegant as a chrysanthemum yet exuding an air of quiet authority. Han Yuling gave a faint smile and nodded toward Liu Cunxiu.
"Sister, you really know how to fight. You're even more impressive than my third brother," Liu Cunxiu praised sincerely.
Han Yuling smiled faintly. "Just a few parlor tricks."
A wave of excitement churned inside Liu Cunxiu. She knew that faced with a pack of men in black, even her third brother would have no confidence of coming out on top. And yet this woman before her claimed to be her third brother's fiancée—she was very likely to become her third sister-in-law. If she truly became her third sister-in-law, she would have a powerful backer.
The carriage rolled on, and Liu Cunxiu could not resist continuing to talk with Liu Shande about Han Yuling's heroic deeds. Their eyes shone with admiration and anticipation.
Liu Cunxiu stepped forward and sat down beside Han Yuling. The carriage swayed slightly, unsettling them both. With a hint of worry and doubt, Liu Cunxiu finally voiced the question on her mind: "Sister, what you said earlier about being my third brother's fiancée—is that true?"
Han Yuling glanced at her, a flicker of displeasure crossing her eyes as she asked coldly, "You don't believe it?"
Liu Cunxiu grew nervous at once, hastily saying, "I believe it, I definitely believe it."
A smile touched the corner of Han Yuling's mouth as she added, "Whether this actually happens depends on what my third brother and your parents have to say."
Liu Cunxiu fell into deep thought.
"My third brother should be willing, I suppose," she muttered to herself.
Han Yuling sighed. "Your third brother listens to your parents anyway, and your mother intends to marry me off to your fourth brother instead."
The carriage jolted again, causing both of them to sway slightly. Han Yuling steadied herself, her gaze fixed firmly ahead. Liu Cunxiu lowered her head, a storm of mixed emotions churning in her chest.
A sense of desolation crept over Liu Cunxiu. At home, her parents always wore pleasant expressions for her eldest and second brothers, giving them the best food and finer things first, while reserving cold words and even frequent beatings and scoldings for her third brother and herself. Even when her third brother worked himself to the bone making money and took on every household chore, he could never buy himself a kind look from them. If Han Yuling wanted to marry her third brother, her parents would certainly stand in the way and meddle. Although marrying the fourth brother sounded like a decent option, Ye'er and Shande would still be left without anyone to look after them.
Han Yuling gave Liu Cunxiu's shoulder a gentle pat, as if trying to impart a measure of strength to the troubled girl. She asked, "Do you know why I brought you all out with me?"
Liu Cunxiu looked up at her, her eyes filled with confusion. "To find Third Brother, I suppose."
Han Yuling shook her head slightly, her gaze brimming with resolve and determination, as though she were about to reveal a monumental secret to Liu Cunxiu.
"Things aren't as simple as they look on the surface. I'm going to marry someone outside first—once the rice is cooked into porridge, they won't be able to do a thing about it." A note of defiance edged Han Yuling's tone; she seemed to be declaring war on an unknown future.
Panic gripped Liu Cunxiu's heart. "Won't Mom and Dad be furious if we do that? And Third Brother probably wouldn't dare." Her voice trembled with doubt and fear.
Han Yuling grasped Liu Cunxiu's hand tightly, her fingers interlocking as if to transmit strength. "You have to fight for your own happiness. If you're always worrying about everyone else, you'll only end up scarred all over. You can't afford to be too kind-hearted in this world." Han Yuling's words swept through Liu Cunxiu's heart like a fresh breeze, stirring ripples across her soul. Liu Cunxiu understood that Han Yuling had the ability to handle these matters, yet her heart still felt thoroughly unsettled.
As night fell, the carriage slowly rolled into an inn tucked away in the remote wilderness. A man and a woman came out to greet them. Liu Ye'er climbed out of the carriage, bone-tired, and as she looked at the dilapidated sign, an ominous premonition stirred within her. The light inside the inn was dim, as though concealing some unspeakable secret.
"Mother, something feels wrong about this place," Liu Ye'er whispered to Han Yuling, her hand gripping Han Yuling's tightly. Sensing her tension, Liu Cunxiu felt a growing sense of insecurity take root in her own chest. She looked around—the inn was completely deserted, save for the four of them.
"I know. This inn gives off a very uncomfortable vibe," Han Yuling said. "Still, we don't have any other choice. We'll bed down here for the night."
Liu Ye'er nodded helplessly; she knew Han Yuling was right. They needed a safe place to rest in this unfamiliar place.
"I'll protect you." Han Yuling patted Liu Ye'er's shoulder lightly, a resolute gleam flashing in her eyes. Liu Ye'er looked at her, and the unease in her heart eased slightly. In this black-market inn out in the wilderness, they could only rely on each other.
Liu Ye'er activated her Fluoroscopy Technique, her eyes burning like torches as she scanned her surroundings. Suddenly, she uncovered a shocking problem. Hidden right beneath her feet was a secret tunnel, packed with mutilated corpses and littered with gold and silver treasures. Liu Ye'er's heart hammered against her ribs; she knew this discovery would change her life. She needed to uncover the truth behind this tunnel as soon as possible, along with the origin of all that gold and silver.
Liu Ye'er received a system notification informing her that gold and silver treasures were available to be collected, and that these riches could be used to expand the system's storage space. She asked the system whether she should expand the space and inquired about the specific conversion rates. The system informed her that one kilogram of gold could expand the space by one cubic meter, thirty kilograms of silver could expand it by one cubic meter, while jade would be calculated based on its quality.
Liu Ye'er continued to ask the system at what range it could detect gold. The system replied that it could detect gold within twenty meters and collect it within ten meters. Liu Ye'er decided to use the gold and jade to expand the space, while storing the silver to exchange for various supplies.
The four of them entered their room. The innkeeper enthusiastically brought out water and food—steaming hot steamed buns and a large slab of meat. Liu Shande had been starving for a while and was raring to dig in.
Suddenly, however, a sense of unease washed over Liu Ye'er. The images of those corpses flashed through her mind, reminding her of the terrifying legends of Sun Sanniang and her human-meat buns. "Shande, don't eat that," Liu Ye'er blurted out, her voice laced with determination.
Liu Shande looked at her in confusion, his appetite blinding him to her worries. Without explaining, Liu Ye'er turned to Han Yuling, her voice faint but firm: "Mother, take a look at this meat—is something wrong with it?"
Han Yuling, too, had sensed that something was amiss. She took the meat, inspected it closely, and gave it a sniff. Her face suddenly drained of color, and her tone was so certain it left everyone in the room dumbstruck. "This is human meat," she stated definitively.
The atmosphere in the room instantly grew tense, horror plastered across the faces of Liu Shande and Liu Cunxiu. They never could have imagined that they had almost just eaten human flesh.
When Liu Ye'er had left the escort agency, she had taken the precaution of asking for water and food, eating the provisions she brought herself and leaving the inn's offerings strictly alone.
As night fell, unknown dangers lurked in the outside world. Knowing Han Yuling's capabilities, Liu Ye'er felt a deep sense of security welling up inside her and thus felt no anxiety. Liu Shande was as innocent and carefree as a child, sleeping like a log. Han Yuling catnapped leaning against the wall; though she looked calm, she had actually taken in every single movement around her. Liu Cunxiu, meanwhile, was plagued with worry, tossing and turning unable to sleep as anxiety surged like tumultuous waves in her chest.
Deep into the night, the inn was dead silent. A door creaked open softly, and two figures darted inside. By the dim candlelight, one of them struck a flame while the other brandished a knife. Liu Cunxiu was dozing restlessly in bed and sat bolt upright the moment she heard the noise.
The knife-wielding figure lunged forward to slash. But Han Yuling was a step faster, flicking a stone that struck the attacker squarely on the wrist. With a cry of agony, the knife dropped to the floor. Tension filled the air inside the inn.
Hearing the commotion, Liu Ye'er sprang from the bed and watched the scene unfold with bated breath. Han Yuling closed in on the man with the knife, her eyes blazing with determination. Clutching his injured wrist in agony, the attacker's face twisted with terror and incomprehension. The other man, sensing trouble, tried to run, but Han Yuling dropped him to the floor as well.
Han Yuling coldly interrogated the man, noting that this was hardly his first offense. Panicked, the man begged Han Yuling to spare him. Han Yuling challenged him: how did he plan to settle the accounts for the human lives he had taken? The man stammered that it was his first time and pleaded with Han Yuling to give him a break.
"You can serve human meat as food, and you dare claim this is your first time?" Han Yuling demanded.
Kowtowing like a jackhammer, the man sobbed, "I beg you, please leave me a way out."
Sensing that their group was in no position to render a verdict, Liu Cunxiu spoke up: "We should just report them to the authorities. We can't handle this ourselves."
Liu Ye'er countered, "We can't involve the officials. They'll just turn it around on us, and then we won't be able to clear our names." Her tone was heavy with worry and helplessness. Han Yuling, too, knew that going to the authorities would bring endless complications and would only waste time even after the truth came to light. With decisive efficiency, she disposed of the two men, gathered up the rice, flour, and oil from the inn, and by morning, the group quietly left the place behind.