Chapter 243: Starting at Three Years in Prison (Tenth Update)

However, Ye Wenxin couldn’t remember when this might have happened.

Just then, she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

Looking over, she saw that the other disciples had also changed into ordinary clothes, each one walking tall.

Among them was a rather handsome senior brother, but unfortunately, everyone was too focused on Madam Yu to pay him any attention.

Madam Yu’s gaze was always on her daughter, Qiao Ni. Occasionally, she would glance at Ye Wenxin, then look back at her daughter with a vigilant expression, as if afraid Ye Wenxin would take Qiao Ni away.

Huang Hanyan and Sha Nian-nian also began to notice Madam Yu’s strange attitude towards Ye Wenxin. Ye Wenxin could only smile wryly and block their curious questions with a simple “It’s a long story”.

Seeing Ye Wenxin dressed up like this, Qiao Ni liked her even more. She wanted Ye Wenxin to hold her and lift her high. She even wanted to kiss her, but was forcibly pulled away by Madam Yu. (TL: This kid is dangerous)

Time flew by; they traveled for three days on the road.

Madam Yu’s resentment grew deeper. Occasionally, Ye Wenxin would see the doll in Qiao Ni’s hand and recall the terror of that day when Madam Yu furiously stabbed the doll.

Ye Wenxin began to consciously avoid interacting with Qiao Ni, but Qiao Ni always followed her, leading Madam Yu to ultimately force Ye Wenxin to sit with her.

Seeing her mother keeping her away from Ye Wenxin, Qiao Ni wailed, “Mother, you’re so mean, hogging Sister all to yourself!”

“It’s really not like that, Ni Ni. Listen, Miss Wenxin is not a respectable person; she doesn’t have honest intentions toward you.”

But no matter what Madam Yu said or did, Qiao Ni just wouldn’t listen. This was the so-called stubbornness of a little brat, yet not a dislikable little brat.

Ye Wenxin had become somewhat numb to it.

Huang Hanyan no longer avoided interacting with Ye Wenxin. When they rested in the carriage, she would always sit with Ye Wenxin.

Sometimes, when tired or sleepy, she would even lean on Ye Wenxin to rest, seeking that long-lost sense of security.

“Senior Sister Hanyan, you trust me too much. Look at Madam Yu; she practically wants to strangle me.” Ye Wenxin laughed bitterly.

Recently, she had strangely noticed Madam Yu’s increasing attention on her. Every time Madam Yu saw her with someone, the red aura around her would become thicker.

But she didn’t understand how Madam Yu perceived her, for the woman to be so repulsed by her.

On the fifth day, Ye Wenxin couldn’t stand it anymore, so she bribed Qiao Ni to ask Madam Yu why she hated her so much.

Qiao Ni happily completed the task, then pulled Ye Wenxin directly into the carriage where Madam Yu was sitting, giving the two a private space to talk.

Madam Yu wore a faint smile, but her eyes were not smiling at all. “Ni Ni tells me you think I hate you?”

“Ahem, well…” Ye Wenxin felt even more awkward, unsure of how to explain the misunderstanding. But seeing that Madam Yu had directly asked, she decided to nod.

“Yes, I think you hate me.”

“Do you know why?” Madam Yu’s voice carried a hint of coldness.

“Uh, because I’m close to Ni Ni?” Ye Wenxin braced herself and gave a standard answer.

“That’s half correct. If I see you getting close to Ni Ni again, I will stop at nothing to kill you!” Madam Yu gestured for her to leave. (TL: Damn)

The entire process took less than a minute, leaving Ye Wenxin in a state of confusion once again. As she stepped out, she saw the anxiously waiting Qiao Ni.

Seeing Ye Wenxin come out, Qiao Ni hurriedly asked, “So, what happened?”

“What do you mean, ‘what happened’?” Ye Wenxin was even more puzzled.

“Sigh, I clearly asked my mother to ask you,” Qiao Ni said, now becoming anxious herself. She ran towards the carriage, and Ye Wenxin heard the words that made her doubt her life choices.

“Mother, I told you to ask if Sister Wenxin would be willing to marry into our family. Why didn’t you ask?” (TL: Ahaha, poor Wenxin)

“I already said Miss Wenxin is not a respectable person. She is not acceptable.”

Finally, Ye Wenxin found the source of the murderous intent. She could almost see the words ‘starting at three years in prison’¹ flashing before her eyes.

She had assumed that the peach blossom luck should be ineffective with children, but she hadn’t expected that while it was indeed ineffective with Madam Yu, this time it had perversely attracted a twelve-year-old girl to her.

Ye Wenxin shuddered, then recalled Madam Yu’s hatred. In the end, she took the initiative to keep her distance from Qiao Ni, afraid of being misunderstood.

Three more days passed like this, and they were about to reach Green Isle Manor. Sha Nian-nian found an excuse to leave the group, intending to meet up with Huang Hanyan on the outskirts.

Ye Wenxin continued living a life that felt like years were passing by each day. Her attempts to avoid Qiao Ni didn’t dampen the little girl’s enthusiasm.

Being the little brat that she was, Qiao Ni was not deterred by Ye Wenxin’s evasive attitude, and persisted fearlessly.

Fortunately, Qiao Ni hadn’t been tainted by the peach blossom aura, and the dark aura around her was becoming increasingly faint.

Conversely, Madam Yu’s dark aura grew more intense, with the intertwining red and black auras appearing particularly menacing.

They were now in the wilderness, far from any doctors, making it very inconvenient. Ye Wenxin could only hope that Madam Yu would hold out until they reached Green Isle Manor before falling ill.

However, the heavens did not heed Ye Wenxin’s prayers.

Two days away from reaching Green Isle Manor, Madam Yu could no longer endure the hardships of travel and the daily mental strain caused by Ye Wenxin’s presence, and she ultimately fell ill.

Qiao Ni, scared half to death, pulled on Ye Wenxin and cried a lot.

The others didn’t have medical skills either. They watched as Madam Yu teetered on the brink of death, and could only rely on Elder Wu to personally fly on his sword to Green Isle Manor to get someone to treat Madam Yu.

Qiao Ni sobbed, “My mother won’t die, will she?”

“It’s going to be alright, Ni Ni, be good…” The others didn’t know how to comfort her, nor did they know the answer.

Ye Wenxin watched in silence. In fact, she could still save Madam Yu, but if she intervened again, it would be more embarrassing than the last time.

Ye Wenxin had to strip Madam Yu naked, hang her up, then use silver needles to pierce various acupoints to draw out the Yin energy. This was the only way to expel the harmful Yin energy from her body.

If she did this, however, Madam Yu’s hatred towards her would definitely intensify, as the scene would be too extravagant.

Even more frighteningly, Ye Wenxin couldn’t sedate Madam Yu during the process, which prompted her decision to let Madam Yu die, and avoid creating another Long Qingyue.

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Footnotes:

1. – The phrase “starting at three years in prison” (三年起步) is a colloquial expression in Chinese internet culture, often used humorously or hyperbolically to refer to the serious consequences of certain actions. It’s not a specific legal term, but rather a way to emphasize that an action is highly inappropriate or illegal, potentially leading to severe punishment. ↩︎