In a secluded corner of Xiapo Village, Agui and Second Brother tremblingly cowered in the corner with fear, looking at the masked black-clothed man in front of them and the dagger that refracted a cold glint in his other hand.
"G-Great warrior, spare our life. We have told you everything we know, we have absolutely nothing to hide! No other strangers have been here in the last two years except that mother and son!"
"They're living in a cabin at the foot of Luofu Mountain! Once you go, you'll find it! Warrior, please have mercy!"
They hugged each other and kept begging for mercy, even too scared to look him in the eye.
That unwavering look in his eyes made them chilled from the bottom of their hearts.
The black-clothed man's eyes flashed. He coldly looked at the two, and turned to leave.
Behind him, there was no more noise from the corner, only scarlet blood slowly spreading out and soaking the ground.
The smell of blood thickened and filled the space.
The moon hung high up in the mid-autumn sky.
The villagers gathered at the Liu's courtyard dispersed. Qian Baihao and his son rose to take their leave.
As it was on their way, they also gave a ride to Wanrong and her son.
When he left, Qian Wanjin didn't forget to take a big basket of vegetables with him.
Since he had eaten a round of the Liu family's own vegetables, he had never forgotten it.
"Eh, Lucky Nannan, how about we talk business again? Your green vegetables are good. If you can grow them on a large scale, I'll charge twice the market price."
"No." Liu Yusheng didn't even bother to refuse and followed Axiu as he walked to the carriage.
"Why? Do you think you're already too rich to earn more money?" Qian Wanjin followed suit, quite puzzled.
If it were him, he would have been eager to collect all means he could to make money.
"We have enough. Our family isn't competing to be the richest, so why earn so much?" A winery's income was enough to feed and clothe the family. There was no need to make the family work harder just to make more money.
That wasn't her intention.
Ignoring Qian Wanjin who was still racking his brain trying to persuade her, Liu Yusheng tugged on Axiu's sleeve before he got into the car, "Brother Axiu, I'll look for you at the cabin tomorrow morning, hmm."
Axiu grasped the baby's small hand in his and put on a happy face. "Okay, I'll pick you up."
"Then you have to be up earlier. If you're up late, I won't wait for you. I'll come over myself."
"Hmm." Axiu tightened his hold on the soft little hand in his palm and let go before stepping into the carriage.
Seeing that the carriage was about to set off, for some unknown reason, Liu Yusheng felt panicked in her heart. She caught up in a few steps, and pinned her little figure under the window of the carriage and refused to leave. "Brother Axiu, you must come pick me up in the morning, ah. How about – why don't you and aunt stay back today? Just stay at my house, okay?"
The Liu family heard and laughed openly. "Nannan, why are you becoming more and more attached to your Axiu? Alright, better stop making a fuss. If your brother Axiu won't get up early tomorrow morning, we can also send you to the cabin."
Qian Wanjin, on the other hand, nestled in the carriage and secretly pursed his lips, looking upset at Axiu.
No matter how, he and Lucky Nannan also have a strong relationship. Why couldn't he see her being clingy to him?
It was clearly discrimination. Wasn't he just a bit more blessed than Axiu, snort!
Axiu lifted the carriage curtain, and stared at the baby beside it who refused to walk away, and couldn't help but smile. His eyes softened. "Shengsheng, behave. Tomorrow, I will come to pick you up very early. You'll see me when you open your eyes, okay?"
Liu Yusheng herself was blushing a little. She wasn't her usual self. It might be because the day coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival �� a day that signified reunion, so she was reluctant to let Axiu and his mother go back to that deserted cottage, or probably something else. She couldn't even pinpoint why.
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
"See you tomorrow."
The carriage drifted away, quickly blending distantly into the darkness.
Looking in the direction where she could no longer see a shadow, Liu Yusheng's small lips pursed. She forced down her agitation and followed her family back to the house.
The mid-autumn moon was full and the moonlight was bright.
A guiding storm lantern was lit in front of the carriage and dim dusk light drifted through the curtain, washing out the darkness of the carriage a little, and outlining faint shadows.
"Madam's medical skills are excellent. In future, my son will be traveling to and from Xinghua Village. If possible, I'd like to take the liberty of asking Madam to take care of him for some time. Right now, although we have already hired many famous doctors to detoxify and condition him, I'm still not assured." Staring at the woman sitting quietly across the seats, Qian Baihao spoke in a probing manner.
"If I can help, I'll certainly spare no effort. I'm just afraid I can't take the credit of being skilled in medicine. I'm not going to lie. In fact, I'm only roughly familiar with some medical theories. When Nannan happened to detect the strange poison in Young Boss' body, it was their own destiny. I dare not take the credit."
In the dimness, Wanrong tensed.
It wasn't until a small hand was placed on her arm and she felt the child's reassurance that she slowly relaxed again.
"So it's like that. From now on, I'll trouble Madam to take care of him in the future." Qian Baihao sensed her resistance and didn't dwell on the matter of healing.
Upon hearing that, Wanrong was secretly relieved and nodded in agreement.
After a few exchanges, the carriage arrived at the intersection at the foot of Luofu Mountain.
They got off the carriage and bade goodbye.
The carriage once again set off in the moonlight, the da-dad sound of hoofbeats echoing in the night sky.
"Father, the house has already hired a number of famous doctors. Why get involved with a peasant woman? Even if she really is a divine healer, she's still a nobody. Is she still more powerful than the ones you hired? Besides, the poison in my body is almost cured."
Qian Wanjin was puzzled by his father's repeated behavior.
What kind of family was their Qian family? The second richest in Nanling Kingdom. Why did he have to lower his status so much to befriend a country bumpkin?
Except, of course, for Lucky Nannan.
Besides, they already have a profitable relationship with the Liu family, which made it a different story.
Qian Baihao leaned against the carriage and closed his eyes. "These two are by no means ordinary country folks. You really couldn't see the magnanimity in them? I've always taught you that to be a successful businessman, you must develop good vision. Study hard."
His son was shrewd, but he was still far from reaching that height.
Having implicitly been struck again, Qian Wanjin turned his head and bared his teeth, snorting under his breath.
Couldn't he see that the one called Axiu was extraordinary?
So what?
A fallen phoenix wasn't as good as a chicken.
No matter how outstanding he used to be, wasn't he living in poverty in Xinghua Village now, worrying about rice and oil?
Seeing his face as cold and gloomy as the sky, if someone were to let him deal with that guy, he wouldn't do it!
The path was quiet at night. Occasionally, the evening breeze blew, making rustling sounds in the mountain woods, revealing a kind of ghostly secrecy.
The mother and son walked down the path home, their figures stretched by the moonlight.
"Mother, you're worried." Looking ahead, Axiu suddenly said.
Wanrong was startled, then softly sighed. "It would be fine if we were just dealing with the villagers, but now… things are getting out of hand. Xiu'er, I'm indeed worried, just in case that Master Qian will guess our identity."