Chapter 77.1: Fury

After putting on her rain cape, Dong Yun headed straight to the place where she had found the chicken fungus last time. Indeed, she managed to find a few clusters of chicken fungus and matsutake. It had been raining continuously these past few days, and the villagers weren’t keen on going up the mountain. Before long, she had filled half a basket.

Just as she was about to head back down, a sharp pain suddenly shot up from her left foot. Looking down, she saw a colorful poisonous snake quickly slithering away from the scene.

Dong Yun’s heart tightened, and she cursed inwardly.

Snakes with such bright, vibrant skins were often venomous.

Realizing this, her limbs went weak, but there was no time to dwell on it. With great effort, she sat down, tore at her clothing, and quickly ripped off two strips of cloth. She twisted them into a sturdy rope and tied it tightly around her calf, trying to stop the poison from spreading.

But the poison spread quickly, and her vision began to blur. Her breathing became increasingly rapid.

Her hands trembled uncontrollably, and the same sense of terror from years ago when she was hunted down resurfaced in her mind. Although she had long prepared herself for the possibility of facing death, she never imagined she would end her life in such a way.

To die like this—she couldn’t accept it!

She still hadn’t properly arranged things for Fubao.

And her Fifth Aunt’s fate was still uncertain.

Pear Blossom… that silly girl, still waiting for her, unaware of how much she loved her and how much she missed her.

Could it really be that today would be her end, leaving those things as regrets?

Dong Yun felt a wave of despair!

Just then, footsteps rustled nearby. Dong Yun’s heart skipped a beat with hope, and she immediately called for help. However, as the heavy footsteps drew nearer, her heart tensed again. She was not only poisoned, but she was also alone in the dense forest. If a bad person appeared before her, the consequences would be far worse than dying from the snake venom.

As she anxiously waited, her heart pounding, the man in the forest finally appeared before her.

When she saw him clearly, her heart sank.

It was Liu Youtie from her village.

Liu Youtie seemed surprised to run into Dong Yun here. He paused for a moment, but quickly noticed her pale face and drenched in cold sweat.

“What happened to you?”

Dong Yun, seeing him approach, forced herself to raise a hand to signal him not to come closer. “I’ve been poisoned by a snake. Please go down the mountain and find my grandmother. Have her send someone to save me. I will reward you generously.”

Liu Youtie had originally planned to go down the mountain to seek help, but after walking a few steps, he stopped.

Dong Yun’s heart instantly sank.

“Since you’ve been poisoned, you need to go down the mountain quickly for treatment. If I go down to call for help, it might waste time,” Liu Youtie said, his gaze fixed on her face.

Dong Yun shook her head, biting her tongue to stay conscious. “I know this snake. Its venom isn’t that strong. I should be able to last an hour. If you go down to call for help, it will take at least half an hour. Please, I beg you.”

In the past, she would never have asked this man for help, but now, in such a desperate situation, she had no other choice but to make a temporary compromise.

Liu Youtie, however, insisted, “It’s raining and the roads are slippery. You won’t make it down the mountain in half an hour. Why are you so stubborn? I’ll carry you down and take you directly to the town’s clinic. Isn’t that faster?”

Dong Yun immediately understood the man’s intentions, and a surge of anger, disgust, and a hint of sorrow filled her heart.

In a society where men and women kept their distance, allowing him to carry her down the mountain would mean they would have physical contact.

Once they had physical contact, the only way out would be to marry him, or else she would face a lifetime of gossip and shame. This man would undoubtedly use this as leverage to blackmail her endlessly.

Realizing this, Dong Yun trembled all over.

The rain from the sky showed no sign of stopping. Although it wasn’t heavy, it was relentless. The cold rain seeped through her cape and into her skin and bones, sending chills through her body.

This coldness pierced deep into her heart, mingling with her despair.

Gritting her teeth, she begged again, “If you still have a conscience, please go down the mountain and find someone.”

Her pitiful appearance made Liu Youtie’s heart waver for a moment, but after weighing the pros and cons, he still chose to stand still, staring at her without moving.

He had long been interested in Dong Yun, and this was his only chance to have her. If he missed this opportunity, he would lose all future chances to interact with her.

Dong Yun, seeing his hesitation, weakly closed her eyes.

“Fine, I understand what you mean. I no longer need your help. Please leave quickly!”

Liu Youtie looked at her closed eyes, his anger rising. He gritted his teeth and said, “My Liu family is powerful and wealthy. Don’t tell me I’m not good enough for a widow like you. Why do you always avoid me like I’m some kind of poison? Am I so unworthy? When have I ever forced you? When have I ever made things difficult for you?”

Dong Yun opened her eyes, her gaze sharp. “You’re forcing me right now. You’re making things difficult for me.”

“You—fine, fine! Since you want to die, I won’t stop you,” he said angrily, turning to walk away. However, he didn’t go far and still quietly observed her from a distance.

He was gambling. He believed that no one, especially a weak woman like her, would not be afraid of death. He was waiting for her to submit to death, to submit to him, and he would wait for her compromise.

Dong Yun truly didn’t want to end her life like this, but she didn’t want to succumb to this villain’s threat either. She gritted her teeth, deciding to make one final gamble. She would crawl back down the mountain. If she truly died on the way, then her life would end there.

But the poison was taking its toll. Her mind began to cloud, and one of her legs was no longer usable. She gritted her teeth, bent her knees, and crawled forward, enduring the intense pain. Using her hands in place of her legs, she slowly crawled down the mountain.

After finishing her meal, Pear Blossom stood under the eaves, holding Fubao in her arms, gazing at the fine rain that looked like mist or smoke in front of her. She then glanced at the towering mountains behind the Zeng family’s house, a sense of unease lingering in her heart.

Eventually, she pulled up the system and asked, “Has Sister Dong gone home yet?”

The system replied in its usual cold, mechanical tone, “No.”

“Where is she now?” Pear Blossom asked, irritated, growing increasingly dissatisfied with the system’s responses. It seemed that the system’s response time and the scope of its information were gradually becoming more perfunctory.

And she wasn’t wrong. The system had indeed been intentionally dismissive. The moment Dong Yun encountered the venomous snake, the system had already noticed, but it didn’t immediately inform Pear Blossom like it usually would. Instead, it chose to remain silent.

Only when Pear Blossom asked again did it respond, “She’s picking mushrooms on the mountain.”

It had sensed that Pear Blossom’s recent behavior was deviating from the path it had set for her, moving toward an unknown and dangerous direction—one that was closely tied to Dong Yun. This deviation made the system uneasy, fearing it would impact its ultimate goal with the host. If the goal couldn’t be achieved, it would face the risk of being erased.

Thus, it decided it must take action to correct this deviation.

Now, it saw the perfect opportunity—an opportunity to eliminate Dong Yun and correct the host’s direction.

Of course, the system didn’t have the ability to kill and couldn’t go against the host’s will. So, it chose a more subtle approach: withholding information about Dong Yun, trying to stall Pear Blossom and let Dong Yun perish on her own.

By now, Pear Blossom was already deeply frustrated, her anxiety swelling like a tidal wave. She had an ominous feeling that something had happened to Dong Yun. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to calm down and asked, “What is her condition? How is her body? Is she bleeding? Is she cold? I want to know everything about her condition!”

The system could no longer hide the truth and could only answer honestly, “Her vital signs are very poor… Her body temperature is very low, and she is struggling to breathe…”

Just hearing those words, Pear Blossom felt as though she couldn’t breathe. Her anger and panic were rising, and she commanded, “Locate her immediately!”

With that, she hurried into the house, quickly handed Fubao to her mother, barely explaining anything, then rushed out to the stable, saddled a horse, and rode through the steady rain toward the direction of the Zeng family’s mountain.

However, by the time she reached halfway up the mountain, the horse could go no further. Pear Blossom had no choice but to abandon the horse and walk, following the system’s guidance as she climbed up.

Her heart was racing, and she kept urging the system, “Tell me about her condition! How is she? Is she alone?”

Faced with Pear Blossom’s unprecedented frantic state, the system was momentarily stunned. It could only mechanically follow Pear Blossom’s instructions, truthfully relaying Dong Yun’s current condition.

Meanwhile, Dong Yun’s cheeks and arms were covered in scratches from the thorns on the ground, both of her palms were bleeding profusely, her beautiful hair was scattered, covered in leaves and dirt, and she was in a pitiful state.

Liu Youtie had been following her, constantly trying to tempt her.

“Think about your daughter, Fubao. She’s so cute. Can you bear to leave her behind and die like this?”

He continued to tempt her, “You’re still young and beautiful, with a bright future ahead. Our Liu family is wealthy and influential. I can make you live a life of luxury, with servants to attend to you. Why suffer here?”

“You see, if you keep crawling like this, the poison will take effect before you even reach the halfway point. What’s the point of this?”

“You’re just a woman; you don’t need to work this hard. Let the men bear the burden. I’m not lacking anything. I’m strong, and I have money. I can take care of you. So many women want to marry me, but I don’t want them. Why are you so stubborn?”

Pear Blossom was shaking with fury as she listened to the system relay Liu Youtie’s shameless words. Her veins seemed like they were about to burst, and she could hardly contain the urge to rush over and tear him to pieces.

Liu Youtie, if anything happens to my sister, I’ll make sure you suffer!

Finally, as she reached the top of the slope, the system reminded her, “It’s up ahead.”

Pear Blossom looked up, and the scene before her almost made her faint. The woman she loved was covered in wounds, crawling like an animal, struggling to make her way down the mountain. Liu Youtie, that bastard, was still following her, constantly speaking words of temptation, trying to force the already fragile Dong Yun into submission.

Pear Blossom felt like she was about to burst into flames, her anger rushing from her feet all the way to the top of her head. A nameless fury erupted within her, and she couldn’t suppress it any longer. She pushed herself forward with all her might.

The hundred steps felt like no distance at all under her feet. Liu Youtie barely had time to react before an enraged leopard-like figure slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Then, a rain of fists came down. In a daze, he felt sharp pains throughout his head, neck, and body, and hot liquid streamed from his seven orifices.

Liu Youtie was terrified, whimpering and begging for mercy.

But Pear Blossom seemed to have lost her sanity, completely deaf to his words. She kept pounding him, wanting to break this scoundrel into pieces for leaving her sister to die.

It wasn’t until a faint cry pulled her back from her madness that she remembered the woman she loved was still lying on the ground, life uncertain. She hurriedly released the scoundrel, turning to look at Dong Yun.

The once noble and immaculate woman was now lying in the dirty soil and thorns, her face and hair covered in filth and blood from scratches.

At that moment, Pear Blossom’s heart ached unbearably. She knelt down, carefully gathering her into her arms.

“Sister, let’s go down the mountain…”

Dong Yun, whose last thread of strength had snapped, collapsed weakly against her chest, a relieved smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

When Pear Blossom arrived, it was safe.

…

Pear Blossom quickly carried Dong Yun down to the halfway point of the mountain, mounted the horse, and headed toward the town.