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Su Zhi looked at Sun Shi, realizing she had overestimated the woman’s intelligence. Sun Shi was cunning, but her calculations were shallow. She schemed against others without considering the consequences, assuming no one would retaliate against her.
Sun Shi understood that her words offended the fourth branch. However, she believed that Su Zhi wouldn’t dare to confront her. As Shen Zi’an’s third sister-in-law, unless she committed a grave offense, like harming Shen Zi’an’s children, the fourth branch wouldn’t sever ties with her. Sun Shi wasn’t afraid of offending the fourth branch over such a trivial matter. If Su Zhi insisted on confronting her, others would accuse Su Zhi of being petty, and she would eventually be marginalized.
“Fourth Sister-in-law, is what I said true?”
Sun Shi looked at Su Zhi as if her statement couldn’t be more accurate, determined not to let Su Zhi off easily if she dared to drive her out.
Su Zhi looked at Sun Shi, reminding herself not to get angry. She remained calm and composed, observing Sun Shi’s change from boldness to timidity, before shifting her gaze to Qian Guang and Liang Fu.
Qian Guang and Liang Fu were both surprised to hear Sun Shi’s words. As villagers, they had heard of the Sacred Beast, and Sun Shi pointing to the small white animal made them realize it was indeed a wolf. They had initially thought it was just a white dog, perhaps resembling a wolf. Now, Sun Shi’s revelation left them astonished.
“Fourth Sister-in-law, this isn’t a dog, it’s a wolf.”
Qian Guang observed the small white animal for a while, confirming it was indeed a wolf. As for the black one beside it, he also suspected it was a wolf. However, he decided to ask Su Zhi for confirmation, whether it was a wolf or a dog.
Su Zhi heard Qian Guang’s question and didn’t conceal the truth. She replied, “Yes, Little White is a wolf, as well as Little Black.”
The Sacred Beast family in Riverside Village was never a secret. However, Su Zhi had requested Li Zheng to advise the villagers not to spread rumors about the Sacred Beast. Li Zheng had made it clear, and the villagers were wary of the Sacred Beast, so there hadn’t been any trouble caused by outsiders seeking to view it. This indicated that the villagers of Riverside Village hadn’t spread rumors indiscriminately. However, Su Zhi knew that one day outsiders would learn about the Sacred Beast’s existence. She wasn’t worried about its safety; no one dared to harm the Sacred Beast. At most, some might be curious and visit their home. They would deal with that when the time came.
Now that Qian Guang and Liang Fu knew about it, Su Zhi remained calm. She figured that their knowledge of the Sacred Beast’s presence would only pique their curiosity about her home, but they wouldn’t have any ill intentions. After all, the Sacred Beast’s reputation spoke for itself.
Qian Guang and Liang Fu couldn’t take their eyes off Little White upon hearing Su Zhi’s admission. They marveled at the fact that it was indeed the Sacred Beast. Although it was smaller, its pure white fur resembled snow, making it a truly majestic Sacred Beast.
Liang Fu looked at Xiaobai, the Sacred Beast, in amazement. Her tone was filled with envy as she said, “Sister Zhao, so this really is the Sacred Beast. You’re truly fortunate.”
Growing up, Liang Fu had heard stories about the Sacred Beast and knew that it was a rare white wolf. She realized that encountering such a creature was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Sacred Beasts, regardless of their color, were known to be ferocious creatures that people avoided. Yet, today, she had the chance to see one, and it was such an adorable Sacred Beast.
Qian Guang also felt that Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi were blessed to have such a Sacred Beast.
“Su Zhi, did the Sacred Beast really bring you a thousand-year-old ginseng?” Qian Guang asked with genuine interest. He wasn’t driven by greed for the thousand-year-old ginseng but rather found the idea of a Sacred Beast delivering it intriguing. If it were true, then the Sacred Beast would indeed be extraordinary, far exceeding his expectations of a lucky white wolf.
“That’s right, the Sacred Beast really did bring you the thousand-year-old ginseng, Sister Zhao,” Liang Fu confirmed, excitedly sharing the news.
Liang Fu also inquired, expressing her fascination as she had seen many valuable medicinal herbs but had never come across a thousand-year-old ginseng before. She found the idea quite miraculous.
Su Zhi nodded and said, “Yes, it’s true. Our family owes a lot to that ginseng. It’s a well-known fact in Riverside Village. However, I was hesitant to disclose the Sacred Beast’s existence to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Sacred Beasts don’t like being observed by outsiders, so we kept it quiet within the village. That’s why only a few people know about it.”
Qian Guang and Liang Fu nodded in understanding.
Meanwhile, Sun Shi grew increasingly anxious as they continued discussing these matters.
“See, the Sacred Beast is real. The entire family is living here in this garden. They gave the ginseng as soon as they met them, and now they’ve moved in. There must be more than just one ginseng. Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister are truly blessed. People with such good fortune are surely capable of curing Miss Liang’s illness,” Sun Shi interjected, trying to emphasize Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an’s good fortune.
“If good fortune alone makes one a divine healer, then there would be countless divine healers in this world,” Su Zhi remarked dryly.
Su Zhi coldly retorted to Sun Shi, realizing that Sun Shi seemed to believe that by uttering those words, Qian Guang and Liang Fu would genuinely think she could cure Liang Fu’s illness. Su Zhi knew that unless Qian Guang and Liang Fu were out of their minds, they wouldn’t place their hopes on such vague notions of luck.
Qian Guang and Liang Fu were certainly not irrational. In fact, they had already discerned Sun Shi’s intentions. They understood that Sun Shi, this third sister-in-law, was simply trying to cause trouble for Su Zhi. If they were to go along with her, it would indeed create trouble for Su Zhi, potentially straining their relationship with her.
Liang Fu added, “Exactly. If good fortune alone could make someone a divine healer, then there would be divine healers everywhere. Third Sister-in-law, thank you for your concern, but my illness cannot be cured by medicine. Even if Sister Zhao could prescribe some miraculous remedy, it would be of no use. Please don’t make things difficult for her.”
Sun Shi was dumbfounded upon hearing this. She realized that Liang Fu didn’t appreciate her intentions and even accused her of causing trouble for Su Zhi. She wondered whom she was actually causing trouble for by doing all this.
Liang Fu replied firmly, “I know my illness cannot be cured by medicine, so you don’t need to worry about me. I really don’t need you to look out for me. Besides, your relationship with sister Zhao is much closer than mine. It’s better for you to get along with her. As for whether you’re causing trouble for her, you may deny it, but I see it differently. I naturally trust Sister Zhao to know whether she can cure my illness or not.”
Sun Shi was dumbfounded once again. She couldn’t believe that Liang Fu was siding so strongly with Su Zhi. Despite noticing Liang Fu’s previous interest in Shen Zi’an, she had heard about her being saved by Shen Zi’an before, and naturally assumed that she, like the characters in dramas, had fallen in love with Shen Zi’an because of his kindness. Shen Zi’an was undeniably handsome, so Sun Shi was convinced of this.
Because of this, Sun Shi always felt that Liang Fu would make things difficult for Su Zhi because Su Zhi is Shen Zi’an’s wife and her rival.
However, to Sun Shi’s surprise, Miss Liang did not take advantage of this opportunity to side with Su Zhi.
Sun Shi wondered if she had misjudged the situation or if Miss Liang was more scheming than she appeared. Regardless, Sun Shi felt like she had lost out today. Not only did she fail to please Miss Liang, but she also offended Su Zhi. She realized that she might not earn her wages this time, and she dreaded facing her in-laws’ scolding when she returned.
Qian Guang also held a strong dislike for Sun Shi. He couldn’t understand why Sun Shi and Su Zhi were so different despite being both from the Shen family. Additionally, he now felt that Su Zhi was not suited to be a farmer’s wife; she seemed capable and resourceful enough to manage a household as a lady of the house. She should be cherished and protected in the main household, not manipulated by such a foolish woman.
“Third Sister-in-law, why don’t you head back now? You’ve been here for half an hour.”
Wang Shi approached from afar, her face stern as she scolded Sun Shi. Then, she glanced at Su Zhi, Qian Guang, and Liang Fu, understanding that Sun Shi was trying to ingratiate herself upon seeing esteemed guests.
After exchanging greetings with Su Zhi, Qian Guang, and Liang Fu, Wang Shi turned to Sun Shi. Despite being a rural woman, she displayed much better manners than Sun Shi.
“Big Sister, please take Third Sister-in-law and ask her to leave,” Su Zhi said to Wang Shi.
Wang Shi nodded and pulled Sun Shi along, forcing her to leave. Sun Shi hesitated, but she had no choice but to go along with Wang Shi’s strong pull.
Liang Fu smiled and said, “Sister Zhao, I’m fine now. Let’s continue exploring the garden. Oh, and could Little White come along? I really like it. And the little black wolf too, it’s quite endearing.”
Su Zhi noticed Liang Fu’s quick recovery and felt relieved. It seemed like her worries had disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Xiaori, Xinger, and Yueyue stayed close to Su Zhi, sharing stories of their adventures in the garden. Even though they were just small things, they narrated them in an entertaining manner, making Qian Guang and Liang Fu laugh. It was hard to believe that these three children, who had been abducted before, were now so well-behaved.
Having heard from Sun Shi that the Sacred Beast was a family, Qian Guang thought about the possibility of a larger wolf accompanying Little White. He decided to ask Su Zhi about it.
Su Zhi explained that the white wolf had gone into the mountains with its partner.
Qian Guang and Liang Fu were surprised to hear that the white wolf’s partner was a black dog. They wondered how a Sacred Beast could choose a dog as its companion, especially a black one. However, when they saw the white wolf and the black dog together, they realized that it wasn’t so strange after all.
Note: Apologies for the delay in updates, everyone. We’ve been swamped with work tasks lately. Additionally, there won’t be any updates next week as we’ll be on a trip. However, I assure you that I’ll make it up to you soon by posting more chapters for you to enjoy.