The once-a-decade apprentice selection ceremony in the celestial realm was in full swing. But ever since the elders of the three great sects paid a personal visit to the Lin family to see Lin Qingwan, the news of a dual-spiritual-root prodigy in Lotus Village spread like wildfire. Within half a day, it had reached nearby towns and villages, as if it had sprouted wings.

Lotus Village was abuzz with excitement. People from other villages even went out of their way to pass by the Lin family home, hoping to bask in some of this genius’s spiritual aura.

Early that morning, Lin Qingxu was setting bowls and chopsticks on the dining table. For the past two days, an overwhelming number of curious onlookers had come to their door. Unable to bear the disturbance, the three Lin women had shut their gates tightly, moving every movable piece of furniture into their inner rooms.

Still, it wasn’t enough to keep the chaos at bay…

“Mom, Sis, you won’t believe this! Some low-life is digging under our walls!” Lin Qingwan burst in, her hands still sticky with vegetable scraps from feeding the chickens, her fists clenched in fury.

“Just take a look at the corner of the courtyard! There’s this huge hole now—it almost knocked down the fence we just fixed the other day! It’s lucky we didn’t lose A-Mao and the others. If we had, I swear I’d have gone straight to the authorities!” She flailed her arms in angry emphasis, letting out a huff of indignation.

Hearing her mention their prized rooster, the bright red-feathered A-Mao, Lin Qingxu chuckled. “Oh, stop worrying about A-Mao. If someone really dared sneak into our yard, it’s hard to say who’d end up worse off!”

After all, A-Mao wasn’t just any rooster—it was a combat-ready champion among poultry!

Lin Qingwan, momentarily derailed by her sister’s comment, imagined the scene and couldn’t help letting out a mischievous laugh.

“Alright, Qingwan, go wash your hands and eat first,” said Fang Xiu, interjecting at just the right moment. “Leave the matter with the courtyard corner for now.”

It was no mystery who was behind the “digging-under-the-wall” incident.

The villagers were superstitious. Those flocking to their home would sneakily break off a branch, pick up a chicken feather, or dig up some soil, taking these back as “lucky charms” to worship or carry with them. But what could the Lin sisters do about it?

Beating the offenders up? Too excessive. Reporting them to the authorities? The best they’d get was a few comforting words from the officials—utterly useless. Still, digging under their walls? Now that crossed the line.

After breakfast, Fang Xiu headed off to a neighbor’s house to teach their daughter some new embroidery patterns, leaving Lin Qingxu and Lin Qingwan to deal with the aftermath.

Armed with oversized shovels, the two sisters got to work filling the hole.

“If I find out which scoundrel snuck into our yard, stole our soil, and ruined our wall, I’ll smash their skulls with this shovel!” Lin Qingwan growled, her voice fierce as she heaved a spadeful of dirt into the hole, the long-handled shovel towering over her petite frame.

Outside the gate, a middle-aged woman with a curious smile had been peeking in, watching Lin Qingwan with some amusement but the moment she saw Qingwan’s aggressive display, her grin froze.

Quietly, the woman removed her hand from the wooden fence, wiped the nervous sweat off her back, and slipped away without making a sound.

Qingwan’s fiery gaze swept across the retreating woman and then lingered on the few other loiterers pretending to “casually pass by” outside the yard.

Within a minute, the crowd had dispersed.

“Ha! See, Sis? Nothing works better than fighting fire with fire!” Qingwan declared smugly as she gave her shovel a triumphant swing, accidentally startling a few hens into flight.

Lin Qingxu silently leveled out the remaining dirt with the back of her spade, glancing at her sister but saying nothing.

She turned her head and spotted a certain strutting red-feathered figure stealthily creeping toward them. Tightening her grip on her oversized shovel, she was just about to warn Lin Qingwan when her sister’s hearty laughter broke the moment.

“Haha! What’s up, A-Mao? Are you here to inspect the grounds?” Lin Qingwan called out, waving enthusiastically at the vigilant two-legged “supervisor.” Her flushed cheeks glowed with enthusiasm. “Come, come! Look! My sister and I have patched up the pit so solidly—you’ve got to check it out!”

But the next moment…

“AH! You filthy A-Mao! Sneaking up on me with a sneak attack?!” Lin Qingwan screamed as the rooster lunged. Grabbing her shovel, she charged at the offending bird. “Let me flatten your chicken brain, you little monster!”

Chaos erupted once more in the courtyard. Feathers flew, hens scattered, and the yard descended into complete disarray.

Lin Qingxu, silently watching the epic clash of woman versus rooster, twitched the corners of her mouth. “……”

Now that’s what you call fighting fire with fire, isn’t it?

The effects of Lin Qingwan’s fierce declaration from earlier had been surprisingly effective. By late morning, the number of nosy visitors peeking and wandering around their gate had dwindled significantly, and even their fence and yard had suffered far less interference.

Noticing the change, Lin Qingwan was overjoyed.

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