Chapter 00106: The Sister in law is Well Mannered and Cultured
# The Sister-in-law is Well-Mannered and Cultured
Chapter 106
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 106: The Sister-in-law is Well-Mannered and Cultured
"Because the village chief wants to seek justice from you."
"Me?" The fat man could hardly believe his ears.
"Seek justice from me?" Has that old man grown tired of living?
"Yes, aren't you Madam Zhu's husband?" He Lingchuan smiled.
"The village chief told you to come back and then go find him."
The fat man absolutely refused to leave the house at this moment, but he wasn't stupid either.
He immediately sensed something was off and glanced sideways at Madam Zhu.
"You tell me, what's going on?"
Actually, this approach already violated Lu Han's instructions.
The latter's original words were: let the villagers have as little contact and conversation with the soldiers as possible, to avoid giving anything away.
But now, he felt that if he said one more word to He Lingchuan, things might spiral out of control.
The fat man turned his back to He Lingchuan and gave Madam Zhu a warning look.
Madam Zhu's face remained expressionless.
"The Lake God is a spirit turtle, said to be at least three hundred years old. Xianling Village holds a small sacrifice every three months and a grand sacrifice every year. The spirit turtle only allows villagers to enter the lake to fish once a week, and they must not use fine-meshed nets. But it ensures the safety of humans in the water and a bountiful catch. By the way, the spirit turtle is also skilled in divination. In the past, villagers who went to the Water Spirit Temple to draw lots found it very effective."
"In the past?" He Lingchuan became interested and temporarily changed the subject.
"What about later?"
"Too many villagers came to draw lots and ask for guidance, some even traveling from a hundred miles away, disturbing the Water Spirit's quiet cultivation," Madam Zhu replied.
"The Water Spirit expressed its dissatisfaction to the village chief in a dream, so the village chief hung up the lot-drawing bucket and forbade further requests. Even if some villagers secretly went to ask or threw offerings into the lake, it no longer worked. Gradually, everyone gave up."
So this was an old turtle demon with a side business?
"What happened to the spirit tablet today?"
"I passed by the Water Spirit Temple this morning and found that the Water Spirit's tablet was broken. The village chief thought I did it."
He Lingchuan was even more puzzled.
"Why did the village chief think it was you?"
"..."
Madam Zhu was silent for a while before saying, "Only I passed by this morning."
The fat man was furious.
"So it's you, woman, causing me trouble!"
The other companions were assigned villagers as docile as sheep, but he was unlucky enough to get a troublemaker.
He Lingchuan asked him, "Aren't you going to go explain yourself to the village chief?"
The fat man had already made up his mind.
"The village chief is old and has probably gone to bed by now. I'll go argue with him tomorrow morning."
Madam Zhu suddenly asked, "Could the Water Spirit's tablet have broken by itself?"
He Lingchuan thought for a long time before saying, "If it broke by itself, it means something has happened to the Water Spirit—either it's severely injured or it has perished."
He suddenly asked his guard, "What do you think?"
The guard shook his head.
"I don't know either."
The fat man's face fell as he pointed at the two guards and asked, "Wait, are they staying here too?" If they had to act tonight, the difficulty had just increased.
"Personal guards, you know what that means, right?" He Lingchuan was just saying this when two servants came in from outside, carrying bundles on their backs.
They entered and bowed to him.
"Young Master, we're here to make the bed."
Although He Lingchuan didn't care, when Madam Ying was packing up the household in Blackwater City, she had ordered the bedding for both her sons to be brought along.
The outside furnishings were dirty, and it was better to use their own for peace of mind.
He Lingchuan led them into the inner room, acting like the master of the house.
Seeing these people bustling in and out of the room, the fat man felt as if he were the outsider and couldn't help but sneer.
This corrupt official's family was still so particular even in this remote mountain village.
Who knows how much they had extorted from the people in their usual lives.
As the servants were making the bed, He Lingchuan asked, "Where is Second Brother staying?"
Fortunately, the servant knew he was referring to He Yue.
"Second Young Master is staying in the second house to the south, right next to the lake."
Second Brother was far from him and their parents, and this arrangement was hard to call accidental.
"Why so far away? Move him next to me! We have things to talk about tonight."
He pointed to the farmhouse across the way.
"This house looks good, and it's spacious."
Such a brazen guest, only he could pull it off.
The He family was very polite, except for the eldest young master.
The servants were used to it and would report the order to the steward, Old Mo, who would figure it out.
He Lingchuan asked again, "Are my family members still in the house?"
"Lord Junshou and Madam are both here. Second Young Master has gone out."
He Lingchuan frowned.
"Where did he go?"
The guard in the hall said to the fat man, "Your family's conditions are humble, and the young master is willing to help out. But he can't sleep well when he changes places. Seeing that your sister-in-law is well-mannered and cultured, I wonder if she could keep him company for a chat?" With that, he placed a ten-tael silver ingot on the table.
The fat man stared at the silver ingot, momentarily at a loss for words.
Had the little dog really taken a fancy to Madam Zhu?
But he knew that these two absolutely could not be left alone together, so he slammed the table, expressing just the right amount of anger.
"What are you talking about! Take your silver and get out!"
"Why so angry?" He Lingchuan stood at the door of the inner room with his arms crossed.
"Earning ten taels of silver for a few words—can you find such a good deal anywhere else?"
The two servants behind him were very professional.
They left Madam Zhu's house and closed the door behind them.
"I won't allow anyone to stay here anymore!" The fat man walked towards the inner room, intending to throw out He Lingchuan's bedding.
One of the guards in the hall quickly stepped in front of him.
"Don't move!"
The fat man had had enough.
He pushed the guard away with a slap.
Even if he was slow, he knew He Lingchuan had become suspicious.
Otherwise, why would someone be so evasive?
What did it matter if they tore off the pretense? This little dog was coveting someone else's wife—shouldn't he be beaten? He was in the right, and even if the corrupt official He wanted to show favoritism, he would have to consider where they were.
Just then, the fat man suddenly caught a whiff of an incredibly foul stench!
The pungent smell was so strong that even if his own sweaty feet had been sealed in airtight boots for ten days and then brought under his nose, it wouldn't have been a tenth as bad.
The fat man was overwhelmed.
He bent over and vomited violently.
At this moment, all his bravado, posture, and wariness were thrown to the wind.
His body's instincts were the most honest.
The other guard rushed forward and struck the fat man's neck with the hilt of his sword.
Normally, this should have knocked him out.
But the fat man's skin was thick and his flesh was tough.
He wasn't knocked out, though he was still in severe physical discomfort.
He knew to charge at He Lingchuan, his fat hands spread wide, aiming to strangle his throat.
If he could just grab the boy and use him as a human shield, the guards would surely hesitate.
As he charged, a faint black light even emanated from the ring on his ring finger.
This ring, called the Black Thorn Ring, was made from the long tusk of a black thorn boar.
It enhanced the wearer's strength, injured opponents, and also applied a rotting poison to the wound.
If not treated promptly, the flesh and bones would quickly necrotize.
But he was still out of breath, and his movements were half a beat slow.
Madam Zhu had already grabbed a wooden cup from the table and splashed the freshly poured hot water onto his face.
(End of Chapter)