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The man's expression finally softened a bit upon hearing Xia Muxin's words. He watched as she stoked the fire and tossed the snake carcass into the pot, adding a few large pieces of Limestone. Soon, he stood there with a relaxed demeanor, ready to engage.
Shen Muhan shook his head and instructed Ming Yi and the others, "Take him away!"
After receiving the order, Ming Yi called over a brother to help escort the man in black away.
Shen Muhan gazed deeply at Xia Muxin. He understood that she didn't want to raise suspicion or panic among the villagers, so they needed to take the man into the depths of the forest. However, why would Black Snake Cave want to kill her? They couldn't simply be hired with money...
"You all go check inside the house."
After a pause, he directed the others again.
Before long, everyone emerged from the house, having found nothing unusual. Only then did Shen Muhan allow them to carry Aunt Xia inside and ensure she was well taken care of.
Xia Muxin followed them into the house and stayed by Aunt Xia's side for a while. After confirming that Aunt Xia was indeed fine, she slowly stepped outside again. She then went to the Kiln, which had returned to normal as well. No one questioned the origin of the snake, and everyone appeared calm, which eased Xia Muxin's mind considerably.
"Uncle, is Black Snake Cave a gang, a cult, or an Otherworldly Race?"
After returning and preparing the snake soup, Xia Muxin filled a bamboo tube with it and asked Shen Muhan seriously.
"Consider it an Otherworldly Race," he replied.
The people of Black Snake Cave generally do not step onto land; they reside on a distant and remote island that is almost isolated from the world. He had only heard about it during his travels and later confirmed its existence. It was indeed an island called Black Snake Island, known for its abundant snakes, particularly venomous ones. As for those who raised the snakes, their origins were unclear since they had always remained on the island, making it unlikely anyone would venture there to investigate.
Upon hearing this, Xia Muxin found it strange. She stared at the snake soup for a long time before murmuring softly:
"Well, this is strange!"
Soon after, the two followed the signal left by Ming Yi into the deep forest. The man in black was tightly bound to a tree trunk, with marks of beating on his body, indicating that Ming Yi had tortured him.
Xia Muxin walked over and stared at the man for a long time before coldly saying, "I just want to know one thing: what was the purpose of trying to kill me?"
"To take people's money and help others avoid disaster. What purpose could there be?"
The man was not lightly injured; his clothes were stained with blood. Faced with Xia Muxin's calm demeanor, he was somewhat surprised, but his attitude remained stiff, as if he were indifferent to her actions. This made Xia Muxin applaud inwardly.
With a harmless smile playing on her lips, Xia Muxin scanned the surroundings. Suddenly her eyes lit up as she walked away and returned with several unknown herbs in hand. She crushed the herbs with a stone and then placed them into a bamboo tube, directly handing it to Ming Yi while coldly instructing, "Feed him!"
Ming Yi took the bamboo tube, glanced inside, and without hesitation began pouring its contents into the man's mouth.
The man did not struggle; he allowed Ming Yi to pour it down his throat and opened his mouth to swallow the snake broth.
They had grown up around these poisonous snakes; a mere snake broth would not take his life.
However, his confidence lasted less than a moment before he curled up in agony, his face contorted in pain.
"This... this... isn't... snake broth..."
Sweat beads dripped from his forehead as his face twisted in agony, trembling and struggling uncontrollably.
Xia Muxin's smile faded as she said calmly:
"You've already had two chances, and you chose to give them up. When I get serious, I can be ruthless. You should really experience the pain that eats away at your bones. Don't worry, soon enough, even your bones will dissolve, leaving not a single hair behind."
Ming Yi's eyebrows twitched slightly, her gaze drifting as if she were quite surprised by Xia Muxin's words.
Only Shen Muhan understood that she was just trying to scare the person. The few plants earlier were indeed poisonous, but they wouldn't leave a body unrecognizable. However, combined with the snake soup, it could make him wish for death, potentially severing his tendons and veins. Moreover, lime had been added inside before, and Xia Muxin had thrown in another handful of lime afterward; this could indeed lead to a painful demise.
In any case, after experiencing such torment, he would become a true cripple—one that even the Great Immortal couldn't save.
"You..."
The man's eyes were bloodshot as he widened them in disbelief. Suddenly, with a pop, his eyeballs burst, and his entire face became a bloody mess. Shen Muhan stepped forward decisively, pulling Xia Muxin away and blocking her view with his hand to shield her from the gruesome scene. He then exchanged a glance with Ming Yi before turning to Xia Muxin and saying:
"Ming Yi is here; let's go back."
Xia Muxin nodded slightly and allowed Shen Muhan to guide her away.
Her nature was such that she would not provoke others unless provoked herself; if someone wronged her, she would repay them tenfold. This person was different from those of the Wang family or the You family; after all, a death in their village would negatively impact her family. No matter how arrogant they were, she was confident she could win against them. But this type of person was different; if she didn't eliminate the root cause, it might be her who lost a loved one next time.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. Today marked the completion of Xia Muxin's second kiln. With the experience from last time, everything went very smoothly this time around. Whenever the weather was about to change, there was always the lacquer paper from last time.
"Thank you all for your hard work!"
The kiln had already been fired up yesterday. Now, as the sun set, it was completed with eight steel wires secured in place. As everyone finished their work and came down from the kiln, Xia Muxin expressed her gratitude and bowed deeply to everyone.
Everyone was used to Xia Muxin's politeness, but this bow still caused some panic among them as they insisted it was too much.
"Everyone go collect your wages!"
Summer Forest was unaware of the snake attack at home, and Aunt Xia showed no unusual signs after waking up. When Xia Muxin asked about it at that time, Aunt Xia merely mentioned seeing a ghostly figure that scared her into fainting. However, Aunt Xia had seemed somewhat unsettled these days. Xia Muxin observed carefully but couldn't pinpoint what was wrong and decided not to press further on the matter.
The family continued to live harmoniously as before, and the Wang family no longer caused any trouble. However, everywhere one went, there were whispers about Xia Muxin, with harsh words and damaging rumors circulating. Yet, Xia Muxin remained indifferent, not at all concerned about what was said.
It was rumored that the Zhou family had arranged a marriage with the Feng family, but the details were shrouded in mystery. The Zhou and Feng families hinted that the wedding would take place this year.
Some things are inevitable, and the anxiety in her mother's heart would eventually surface.
"Er Dan Ge, I'll leave the construction of the house to you. Just follow my requirements," Xia Muxin said with a smile as she called over Er Dan and a few others who were collecting their wages.
Er Dan scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward. Finally, he couldn't help but say, "Muxin, do you really want to build it that high? Five stories?"
Indeed, Xia Muxin had drawn up plans for a modern-style Chinese building covering at least six hundred square meters and rising five stories high. When everyone first saw the blueprints, they were left speechless until Xia Muxin explained everything in detail, easing their astonishment.
"Yes, Er Dan Ge, we need to hurry. My brother is waiting to get married," she replied.
"......"
*
Before long, it was time to start construction. Er Dan had experience in building houses and gathered over twenty people to the site designated by Xia Muxin to begin laying the foundation.
Meanwhile, Xia Muxin set up two large kilns and a portion of the workers was busy making cement while she guided them on how to use it.
As the bricks were laid down, everyone was amazed by their sturdiness and appearance. The combination of bricks and cement was seamless. The village chief set off firecrackers to celebrate the Xia family's new house, drawing old and young alike to watch the excitement. People pointed at the bricks and cement, discussing them with enthusiasm and longing.
After organizing everything, Xia Muxin headed to Town; it was time to sell some jars of wine-pickled fish she had prepared.
"Old man said if you don't go back soon, he's going to issue a warrant for your arrest!"
In the study on the third floor of Fushou Tower, Shen Muhan sat across from Su Yan-Chu, who wore a helpless expression and spoke with frustration.
Tian Yuxin had come looking for him again recently, and this time she brought Second Sister along, pressing him for Shen Muhan's whereabouts. This left him in quite a predicament, and now, facing Shen Muhan, he felt completely aggrieved.
"They're both here?"
Shen Muhan ignored the pitiful look in his eyes and continued to savor his tea, speaking in a low voice.
It seemed that everything was as he had anticipated, without a hint of surprise.
"Since you know all this, how can you be so ungrateful, leaving me here to be interrogated? You have no idea how insufferable Tian Yuxin can be. Otherwise, I would have gone to stay at Muxin's house for a while, alright?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Muhan shot him a cold glance. A chilling smile crossed his lips as he spoke in a deep voice:
"Tell the old man that I will voluntarily request the emperor to revoke all my positions and then become a son-in-law."
- End of Chapter -
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