Simulated Crime, This Criminal Doesn't Seem to Be Acting-Chapter 70

Old Lady Li let out a heart-wrenching wail, her grief evident as she faced the demise of the only son in the Li family.

“My son!”

“Oh, heavens above!”

“How could you leave me like this! My son!”

Her shrill voice pierced through the air, disbelief driving her to kneel by the bed, unable to accept what her eyes beheld. Despite her life experience, she knew the cold, hard truth—the body before her was stiff, lifeless, and beyond resurrection.

Her piercing cries soon drew a crowd.

The cramped earthen-walled house quickly filled with people.

Unable to bear the loss of her only heir, Old Lady Li quickly turned her blame toward Ye Sangsang.

Her aged, bloodshot eyes glared furiously at Ye Sangsang. “You shameless wretch! You must have killed my son! I’ll take your life!”

Her malevolent gaze seemed to want nothing less than to tear Ye Sangsang apart.

Under such circumstances, even the bravest would tremble, and Ye Sangsang was no exception.

She appeared to snap out of her daze, tears welling up in her eyes. “I… it wasn’t me… He became my husband last night. Why would I harm him!”

“Who else but you, you little bitch!” Old Lady Li pointed at Ye Sangsang, searching for a knife. “I’ll kill you!”

Ye Sangsang hastily retreated toward the bed, trembling. “My hands are still tied! How could I have done it! Besides, he was a grown man; how could I possibly kill him…”

Her voice trembled with fear, but her words were clear and precise.

Old Lady Li choked, her chest heaving with rage, yet she faltered.

She understood thatYe Sangsang couldn’t have killed her son under such conditions, but the weight of the loss was too much to bear.

Ye Sangsang continued, “We even slept together last night… He even helped me get dressed! I only woke up this morning when you opened the door. It truly wasn’t me.”

Due to the scorching heat, the bed was bare, leaving the bloody evidence plain to see.

“Cousin, I think he probably tripped and hit the stone when getting out of bed. It has nothing to do with this bride,” a slightly plump middle-aged woman suggested.

The others hastily intervened, stopping Old Lady Li from reaching for the knife.

Ye Sangsang then cried, as if genuinely heartbroken for the deceased Li Da. “If only I had watched him carefully last night, I wouldn’t have missed his death… We just got married! What are we going to do now?”

“If my three brothers find out that I lost my husband on our wedding day, they’ll kill me,” she wailed, finishing her performance with more sobs.

“Cousin, this girl has three brothers. I think… after they consummated the marriage…” The implication was clear to everyone present.

Old Lady Li still glared atYe Sangsang, but upon hearing this, her expression softened slightly. “You have three brothers?”

“Yes… my mother had two children every three years, quickly giving birth to the four of us,”Ye Sangsang invented shamelessly.

In reality, Ji Qing’s parents were quite open-minded and had only her as their daughter.

【I was so worried earlier, fearing Old Lady Li would grab a knife and attack Sister Sang.】

【Yeah, no matter how skilled you are, a kitchen knife is still terrifying. But it seems Sister Sang had a clever plan instead of resorting to brute force.】

Ye Sangsang’s words calmed many in the room.

Word was then sent to fetch Old Man Li, who had already gone up the mountain to work, to explain the situation and prepare for the funeral.

Everyone began to bustle about, though Old Lady Li remained unreconciled.

Worried that the crowd might giveYe Sangsang a chance to escape, she untied her ropes and chained her up.

When Old Man Li returned, his questions went unanswered, asYe Sangsang had no apparent involvement in the death, leaving him with no recourse.

And for now, they couldn’t do much becauseYe Sangsang might be pregnant.

Thus, the funeral preparations began in full swing.

Old Lady Li believedYe Sangsang’s bad luck had caused her son’s death, setting up a makeshift shrine of stools and planks beside the chainedYe Sangsang’s bed.

Ye Sangsang acted terrified, although such stimulation was mundane to her.

The mourning rituals began, with even a Taoist priest summoned to perform rites.

Li Da’s coffin was the same one Old Man Li had prepared for himself, a case of making do with what was available.

Old Lady Li’s wailing was agonizing, her grief turning her hair white within days.

Ye Sangsang counted over a hundred attendees at the funeral feast, mostly men, with only a handful of women, most bearing bruises or physical disabilities, their expressions blank and lifeless.

The village had many children, indicating that most women were confined indoors.

Ye Sangsang observed this without jumping through time, her livestream viewers equally somber.

Such oppressive scenes were echoes of real, blood-stained histories.

The men, in contrast, enjoyed themselves, laughing and playing cards or sipping wine, their expressions carefree.

The mortuary was open everywhere, the decaying stench of the corpse growing stronger.

Ye Sangsang didn’t need to endure it for long. Skipping three days ahead, the body was dressed and placed in the coffin for burial.

Chained at her neck and wrists,Ye Sangsang could sit on the bed, so she mostly did.

She didn’t attend the burial but watched as fewer and fewer people remained in the courtyard.

Suddenly,Ye Sangsang felt a gaze upon her.

She didn’t look directly, knowing who it was.

Old Man Li.

His gaze was filled with greed and intense desire.

Ye Sangsang understood—he wanted to sleep with her, to have another heir.

Such obsession with continuing the family line was the lifelong pursuit of these men.

To have a child to inherit their earthen homes.

【That look is disgusting, but I can already foresee the outcome.】

【Sigh, women are not even considered human to them!】

【Don’t worry, Sister Sang will handle it.】

Skipping ahead, the day after the funeral.

Old Lady Li looked haggard, her gaze atYe Sangsang full of hatred.

She didn’t thinkYe Sangsang had killed anyone, only that she had a hard life and was cursed.

Early that morning, she stood at the doorway, glaring atYe Sangsang. “You little bitch, if you’re not pregnant, I’ll sell you again!”

She wouldn’t killYe Sangsang, as young women were valuable property in the mountains.

Killing her would be a significant financial loss for the couple.

Ye Sangsang, hearing this, appeared submissive, like a timid sparrow.

Old Lady Li didn’t notice when she left,Old Man Li emerged from the opposite door, his eyes brazenly fixed onYe Sangsang.

Ye Sangsang kept her head down, acting as though she hadn’t noticed.

Skipping through time, night soon fell.

Perhaps fearing hunger might cause unforeseen issues,Ye Sangsang wasn’t left without food.

However, the poor resources in the mountains meant she only had coarse cornmeal mixed with a little rice.

A few green vegetables, devoid of any oil, made for a meal that scratched her throat.

With only two meals a day,Ye Sangsang felt a bit hungry by evening.

As time was gently skipped, she awaited her guest.

No lights were on in the room; the visitor’s entry was quiet.

Old Lady Li hadn’t locked the door, finding it inconvenient each time.

Plus, withYe Sangsang’s limbs and neck chained, she believed escape was impossible, so there was no need to lock the door.

This made it easier forOld Man Li, who came stealthily in the early hours.

Ye Sangsang had been waiting for his arrival, even anticipating it.

She was someone who rarely took the initiative unless provoked. Since he had come, she decided to follow the timeless Zhongzhou Country proverb: “When you are already here, I'll teach you a lesson.”

Just this time, Ye Sangsang wasn’t planning to strangle the person directly.

She needed to think of other ways.

Especially since someone had just died, leaving a body unprocessed would be like admitting her guilt.

But that was fine, as a professional, she had quickly customized a complete process for the target.

Old Man Li moved very slowly. After sliding the door latch aside, he gently pushed the door open and secured it again with the latch. It seemed he was afraid that Old Lady Li would discover his presence, which would lead to a quarrel that could ruin his reputation in the village.

After all, in the eyes of the villagers, Ye Sangsang was already married to his son.

And with his son having died only a few days ago, sneaking into his daughter-in-law’s room so soon would likely leave him too ashamed to even show his face outside his door.

Ye Sangsang lay quietly, her eyes open in the faint moonlight filtering through the window, watching his silhouette approach.

As Old Man Li came closer, his gaze immediately fell on Ye Sangsang's body.

Starting from her feet and moving upwards, he extended his hand as he looked at her face, intending to take action.

But suddenly, he was met with the sight of Ye Sangsang’s gleaming black eyes lit by the moonlight.

The eerie scene made Old Man Li jerk his hand back in fright, stepping back in shock.

Ye Sangsang remained silent, choosing to close her eyes instead.

Old Man Li felt something was off and wondered if what he’d seen had just been his imagination. He opened his eyes again to check.

Seeing that Ye Sangsang was indeed closed-eyed, he let out a long sigh of relief and reached out towards her collar.

But before he could react, Ye Sangsang abruptly opened her eyes and tightly gripped Old Man Li’s arm with her right hand.

Her left hand didn’t stay idle either, as she swiftly grabbed his neck.

Having been lying on the edge of the bed, Ye Sangsang took advantage of his stunned state and pressed him down onto the bed.

Old Man Li’s broken cries for help didn’t even manage to leave his throat before a pillow was forcefully pressed over his face.

With a cold expression and dead eyes, Ye Sangsang held him firmly down.

If it had been Li Da, there might have been a chance to fight back.

But alas, it was the sixty-something-year-old Old Man Li, who could only be passively overpowered before an absolute strength.

Gradually, Old Man Li lost all his strength.

Just as he was about to truly suffocate, Ye Sangsang let go of the hand that controlled him.

【Why! Sister Sang! He’s still alive!】

【Sister Sang, you can’t be soft-hearted now!】

【Everyone, trust Sister Sang! She’s kind to good people, but when has she ever shown kindness to these villains!】

The calls from the livestreaming room quickly drowned out by explanatory comments.

Ye Sangsang, meanwhile, had already resumed her actions. While Old Man Li was still semi-conscious, she reached out and pulled him upright. Before he could open his mouth to scream, she chopped him on the neck with a precise strike, knocking him unconscious.

No big deal, she’d just learned this skill and never had the chance to use it before. Ye Sangsang thought it was a good time to put it into practice.

Li Da couldn’t be left alive, so she had to kill him quickly.

But Old Man Li was different. Ye Sangsang felt that simply killing him wouldn’t do justice to his malice.

Rapidly recalling all the scenes she’d seen in this mountain village, Ye Sangsang soon came up with a plan.

Sometimes, she thought that places without laws and where people wouldn’t bother to report crimes were a paradise for people like her.

Anything she thought of could be done without too much hesitation.

Of course, this was only for the game. She believed that games like this were perfect for unleashing her true nature.

In reality, she would live as her mother had told her, ensuring her life remained perfection.

Thinking about this for a moment, Ye Sangsang turned her gaze toward the stone block.

The key was kept on Old Lady Li, and trying to steal it would only alert her.

After pondering for a bit, she wrapped her hand around three chains and tested her strength.

Approximately 120 jin [about 132 pounds].

For an adult with her athletic ability level of 10, it wasn’t too difficult to handle.

The key issue was Old Man Li, who weighed about 130 jin [around 143 pounds].

It would be challenging.

But soon, Ye Sangsang thought of a solution.

After moving the stone block, she slowly returned to drag Old Man Li away little by little.

One item at a time, she moved back and forth between the two.

After exiting the courtyard, she switched to dragging Old Man Li along.

Before leaving, she quietly closed the door to avoid Old Lady Li discovering his absence if she got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Once she was a bit farther away from the village and the path widened, she started dragging both the stone block and Old Man Li together.

Whenever there was a bump or something hit, causing Old Man Li to wake up, Ye Sangsang would quickly knock him out again or strangle him into unconsciousness.

After half an hour, Ye Sangsang finally stopped.

Standing on a small hill, she gazed at the sharp rocks beneath the moonlight and smiled faintly.

This was a cliff about ten meters high, with dense vegetation on one side and bare rocks on the other.

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Below, the rocks enclosed a small cave with traces of children playing and building fires.

When she had been taken out of the human traffickers' shack, Ye Sangsang had walked through half the village and easily spotted this unique terrain.

It likely belonged to the semi-vegetation, semi-cliff formations found in the southwest of Qian Province, Zhongzhou Country.

The area was close to the village, but due to the dense vegetation, Ye Sangsang had to move slowly with the heavy load.

Once reaching a small platform, Ye Sangsang placed the stone block down.

Despite the bloodstains on it, she sat down without hesitation, propping her chin with her hand as she waited for Old Man Li to awaken.

He had been knocked out three times on the way here, and this time his awakening took a bit longer, about ten minutes.

【Ji Qing has a somewhat cute exterior, with a gentle and polite demeanor, and at nineteen years old, her face still carries a touch of innocence.】

【Nineteen years old, such a young girl. Seeing Sister Sang do this, I remembered that the two are only a year or two apart in age.】

【It’s a bit sad. It’s been over thirty years since that case, and I couldn’t find any information on what happened to Ji Qing.】

As the audience in the live broadcast room watched Ye Sangsang's actions, they began to discuss Ji Qing.

Such a young girl must have been utterly desperate when faced with this situation.

Ye Sangsang wasn’t aware of their discussions. By the time she had rested enough, Old Man Li finally regained consciousness.

She was a little disappointed. If he hadn't woken up, she might have given him a bit more stimulation!/she might have given him a bit more provokation!/ she might have given him more teasing!

“Awake?” Ye Sangsang asked softly.

Old Man Li was obviously still unclear about his situation. It took him a couple of seconds to realize what had happened, and he yelled angrily, “How did you bring me here?! Where are we?!”

“You’re probably more curious about what I plan to do, right?” Ye Sangsang smiled, stepping on his face.

Old Man Li tried to struggle and even attempted to scream, but he quickly realized his efforts were in vain.

Ye Sangsang stood up, stepping away, and fumbled with the chains in her hands.

Realizing what Ye Sangsang intended to do, Old Man Li’s pupils shrank, and he tried to back up against the small platform that could only accommodate two people.

But soon, he touched the edge.

In horror, he turned his head to look back. Under the moonlight, he could see a steep cliff about ten meters high.

His body instantly froze.

Ye Sangsang chuckled lightly, then raised the stone block and slammed it down.

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

A piercing scream filled the surroundings of the cliff.

According to the system time, it was two in the morning, a time when villagers who went to bed at eight or nine would be deep in sleep.

Moreover, this area was more than a hundred meters away from the nearest house.

No one could hear his screams.

After the blow, Old Man Li’s legs bent at unnatural angles. Thanks to the controlled force and angle, only his legs were broken, with no excessive bloodshed.

【This scene is reminiscent of that girl having her leg smashed. My heart aches for her. She’s so pitiful.】

【Sympathize with that girl. Sister Sang, you’re my one and only sister.】

【That’s truly heartbreaking. I can’t bear to watch.】

Ye Sangsang, however, didn’t continue immediately. Instead, she leaned down and said, “Do you know? Your son… was also killed by me. And once you’re dead, your bloodline will be completely cut off. Hahaha.”

Her laughter was sinister and terrifying, looking eerily malevolent under the moonlight.

With his legs broken, Old Man Li tried to drag himself backward, his eyes filled with both hatred and terror.

How could Ye Sangsang let him off? If he dared to awaken her malice, he had to bear the consequences of her wrath.

His other leg was also broken.

The horrifying screams of agony echoed in Ye Sangsang's ears as she grimaced in annoyance, stomping on his hand and slamming it against his arm.

For symmetry, she did the same to the other arm.

Throughout the ordeal, Old Man Li’s feeble resistance was merely a seasoning for Ye Sangsang.

Once it was all done, Old Man Li had already passed out from the pain.

Ye Sangsang stepped on his broken legs, forcing him to wake up again.

Then, she grabbed a small tree and dragged him out of the platform, bit by bit.

*Thud*

After a muffled sound, Ye Sangsang cradled the stone block and slowly made her way down the mountain.

Occasionally, Ye Sangsang would help prop up a small tree that had been bent over and dragged down.

She didn't bother to look back as she retraced her steps. On the way, she picked up a branch with leaves that a child had broken off and leisurely swept away the traces of her dragging.

By the time she returned, the moon had already tilted westward by a considerable amount.

In a few more hours, they would probably notice something was amiss.

Back home, Ye Sangsang locked the door and rested briefly before jumping ahead in time.

Old Lady Li was busy early in the morning, just as she always was. However, this time, she found Ye Sangsang and ordered her to drag a stone roller to start a fire and cook.

Upon seeing Ye Sangsang struggling to move the stone roller, Old Lady Li cursed for about three or four minutes before finally leaving.

She didn't actually expect Ye Sangsang to do the work; she just wanted an excuse to insult her.

Ye Sangsang watched the old woman's oblivious demeanor with curiosity, wondering what she would think when she found out the truth.

Moreover, she was curious about how the villagers would react this time.

By around ten o'clock in the morning, which was breakfast time according to the Li family's routine, Old Man Li should have returned from the fields.

However, by nearly eleven o'clock, he still hadn't come back.

Old Lady Li didn't consider the possibility that something might have happened; she just assumed her husband had left earlier than usual to work.

In the countryside, people often start work as early as five or six in the morning.

By around noon, with no sign of Old Man Li's return, Old Lady Li quickly locked Ye Sangsang's door and hurried off to the fields.

But she didn't find Old Man Li there. She also checked with neighboring households, but no one had seen her husband chatting around.

Panic soon set in, and she began asking the villagers for help in searching for her husband.

Before they could set out, a few children came running into the house, screaming.

"Down by the cave at the cliff... there's someone lying there, not moving, and there's blood!" One of the children, still young and not fully understanding what death meant, merely described someone lying still.

The other children chimed in, their childish voices echoing, "It's... Uncle Grandpa!"

Hearing this, the gathered villagers exchanged puzzled glances.

Old Lady Li, upon hearing the mention of blood and that it was her husband, clutched her chest and nearly fainted.

But the thought that it might not be him yet kept her from collapsing. She steeled herself and led the way with the others.

Ye Sangsang, inside the house, heard everything clearly.

People hurried out of the courtyard, leaving Ye Sangsang sitting idly, swinging her legs.

Half an hour later, before the footsteps reached her, Old Lady Li's wailing cries filled the air.

Old Man Li had fallen from such a height that any impact would likely have been fatal, so Ye Sangsang wasn't surprised by this outcome.

Soon, the chaotic footsteps approached, and the body was carried into the main hall next to Ye Sangsang's room.

The sound of unlocking her door followed, and an old, hunched figure stormed in.

It's all your fault, you jinx! Since you entered our home, bad luck has followed!

She grabbed Ye Sangsang's clothes tightly, shaking her violently, tears and hatred mixing as her unkempt hair made her look like a vengeful ghost.

She cursed and shouted, mixing in a slew of vulgarities.

Ye Sangsang, taller than Old Lady Li even seated on the bed, looked down at her with a timid expression, as if she had no idea what was happening.

This only fueled Old Lady Li's rage, and she raised her hand, intending to strike.

Ye Sangsang lifted her hand just in time to block the blow, pushing Old Lady Li to the ground.

The onlookers were stunned by the scene.

But Ye Sangsang wasn't done. She said, "I'm the unlucky one, marrying into your family only to have my husband die the moment I slept with him. Is this another death in the family? The house was already poor, and it's all because of your constant crying that brought misfortune."

Before Old Lady Li could respond, Ye Sangsang continued, "My mother said that families with weak fortunes shouldn't kill their daughters; doing so brings bad luck and prevents them from having sons. It's all your fault! If you hadn't killed Li Da's previous daughter, how could his father and husband have died? Am I the jinx? You're the real calamity!"

Ye Sangsang's forceful speech left everyone speechless.

"I didn't! You're the jinx!" Old Lady Li quickly retorted, trying to rise.

Ye Sangsang knew she had trapped Old Lady Li in a cycle of self-justification. She continued, "No? Of course not! Li Da died from hitting the stone roller, and that stone roller is tied to the previous woman; that woman was connected to your granddaughter's life. It must be her revenge!"

"Old Man Li's death must also be because of you killing your granddaughter! If you hadn't strangled her, how could they come back to haunt us!"

Ye Sangsang's words made Old Lady Li take a step back.

In the countryside, even decades later, superstition reigns. In 2003, with its closed environment, superstition was even more prevalent.

The surrounding onlookers began to whisper and point, discussing amongst themselves.

Old Lady Li recovered her wits and glared at Ye Sangsang. She suddenly thought of something and blurted out, "No! I'm calling the police! We need the police to investigate how my husband died!"

As soon as these words left her mouth, everyone helping out turned their heads to stare at Old Lady Li.

They stared at her unblinkingly, their expressions hostile.

The scene was eerie and bizarre.

[Laughable. How could she possibly call the police? Doing so would mean the entire village would be implicated.]

[Seems Old Lady Li suspects Ye Sangsang, but her anger has made her forget that the rest of the village is also guilty.]

[Those staring eyes are terrifying. Feels like they might tear Old Lady Li apart next.]

Realizing the implications, Old Lady Li stammered, trying to explain that it would be fine as long as they hid the truth and only investigated her family.

But before she could, Ye Sangsang spoke up. She stared at Old Lady Li with a disapproving look.

"You want to call the police? That won't do. What if the police find something and the whole village gets implicated? I might be carrying Li Da's child, and if they make me abort it, what then? That's Li family's bloodline! We can't let it go!"

Ye Sangsang then suggested, gravely, "It's better to lock her up for a couple of days, let her calm down. We can't risk her sneaking off to report to the police in the meantime."

Ye Sangsang's words brought everyone back to their senses. They looked at her, satisfied with how easily she had been "tamed."

At this moment, an elderly man with graying hair stepped forward.

Others called him Ancestor.

He directly stated, "The Li family's daughter-in-law is too emotional; lock her up for a couple of days. As for the Li family's daughter-in-law, since she might be pregnant, she should stay at home and recover. She must take care of the family from now on."

Ye Sangsang nodded with satisfaction, vowing that she would surely get pregnant and even bear a son.

She noticed that even the expressionless women showed surprise at Ye Sangsang's actions.

Meanwhile, after Ancestor issued his orders, Old Lady Li, unable to curse back, was taken to an empty room and locked up.

The village men then began to discuss, deciding to arrange a quick burial to put an end to Old Lady Li's thoughts of investigation.

Although Ye Sangsang wasn't entirely free, some of the villagers' vigilance had lessened.

For some, if she wasn't pregnant after a while, they would have a chance to take her as their own.

Then they would have a submissive wife without the trouble of courting her.

Old Man Li's coffin used the one Old Lady Li had prepared.

A makeshift funeral was held the first day, and he was hastily buried the next day.

No one cared who was responsible for his death.

The strange circumstances even led some to speculate whether it was a ghost's revenge.

Ye Sangsang wasn't worried at all.

Despite this, Old Lady Li was released the next day, claiming she had come to her senses.

Ye Sangsang could tell from her expression that she was merely planning to take revenge in her own way.

Calling the police was out of the question, so it would likely be a form of personal retaliation.

Death wasn't uncommon in this isolated mountain village.

[This family, it's one misfortune after another.]

[She didn't come to her senses; she just changed her plan.]

[Honestly, I'm using the term 'fierce' for the first time to describe a woman.]

Ye Sangsang pretended not to notice, giving her an infuriated look.

Old Man Li was quickly taken to the mountains, and after several hot days, a torrential rain finally fell.

The entire mountain village was shrouded in mist, and the rain made the burial challenging, requiring great effort to complete.

After returning, everyone ate and then went back to their homes.

Soon, only Ye Sangsang and one other person remained in the house.

She heard the sound of a knife being sharpened.

She was well aware that Old Lady Li, having lost her husband and son, had lost all reason.

There were no weapons in the room that Ye Sangsang could use for defense.

She looked around and her gaze fell on the bed.

She lifted the bedsheet and found beneath it ragged cotton stuffing.

Beneath that, the bed was made of wooden boards, which she tried to move but found were fixed in place.

Ye Sangsang had to give up on that idea and crouched down to look under the bed.

To her surprise, she spotted a small wooden block.

It was only about twenty centimeters long.

Better than nothing.

Ye Sangsang crouched down, picked it up, and held it in her hand.

Soon, the hurried sound of unlocking a door reached her ears.

It seemed the knife had been sharpened, and it was time to dispose of her, the jinx.

The other party acted quickly, pushing the door open.

It was afternoon, and the huge rushing sound of water from outside made the entire room noisy.

The atmosphere suddenly turned dangerous. Ye Sangsang had just stood up, still holding the wooden block she had picked up.

Old ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‍Lady Li wasn't holding a curved knife; she had a kitchen knife. The blade glinted with a cold light as she moved it.

Her eyes were gloomy as she stared at Ye Sangsang, "Ever since you came, I knew something was off. When has anyone ever seen such a quiet bride in this village? They're all ready to die and make a fuss."

"Now I see, you’re not just a jinx, you’re up to something."

Ye Sangsang looked at the knife in the other woman's hand but showed no fear. Instead, she calmly looked at her and asked a question she had been wondering about, "Don't you really think it's wrong to buy a woman?"

She was genuinely curious, not intending to lecture the other person once she got an answer.

"What's wrong with us! Isn't a woman's purpose just to carry on the family line? It's those sickos from outside the mountains who send you to school, making my son have to spend money to buy a wife!" Old Lady Li's face contorted with rage as she spoke disdainfully.

[This tone, she sounds like she's not even a woman.]

[Guess it's the 'superiority' of having a son that makes her think she's a cut above other ordinary women.]

[Women don't have any 'divine duty'! It's really disgusting!]

The live stream's audience was furious at this. Sometimes, they really wanted to cross through the screen and slap her twice, asking her if she even considered herself a woman!

Ye Sangsang gazed at her calmly, "Too bad, you can't pass on your family line or bear children anymore."

"You don't think I'm going to kill you, do you? Don't worry, I'll just chop off your feet and keep you here, right here in this house, to give my Li family a child," Old Lady Li said, approaching Ye Sangsang with a low, hoarse voice.

Her voice was eerie, like a demon from hell.

Ye Sangsang wasn't afraid of people, let alone ghosts.

Still, she was a bit surprised. She had thought the plan was to kill her for revenge, but it turned out there was also the idea of carrying on the family line.

Even Ye Sangsang found it all a bit absurd.

She looked at the person approaching and suddenly started laughing.

Loudly.

Old Lady Li wasn't sure what had sent Ye Sangsang into such a fit and hesitated, pausing her steps to ask, "What are you laughing at?"

"I laugh at your stupidity. How could I sleep with your son when I killed him?" Ye Sangsang said and laughed again.

Old Lady Li's enraged expression froze, looking even more grotesque. "What do you mean! I clearly heard..."

"Oh! When he was banging the bed, he was calling for you to save him! Hahahaha, right after you left, I strangled him to death…" Ye Sangsang's laughter was unrestrained, full of mockery.

Old Lady Li's breathing became ragged, her eyes wide with fury as she glared at Ye Sangsang.

She couldn't hold back anymore and rushed toward Ye Sangsang, her cries of despair and desolation filling the air.

[I gasped in shock, Ye Sangsang really knows how to drive someone insane.]

[Despite her wails, I want to laugh.]

[Such a delightful way to destroy someone psychologically.]

The live stream's comment section exploded with messages, as Ye Sangsang was masterfully skilled at hitting the most painful spots.

When the enraged woman charged forward, Ye Sangsang found her opening, using the wooden block as a weapon while grabbing the other hand and snapping it back painfully.

A scream erupted, swiftly drowned out by the roaring rain.

Then, taking advantage of the momentary weakness, Ye Sangsang swiftly snatched the knife and held it to the other woman's neck.

Old Lady Li clutched her arm, the screams fading into a gurgle as she saw the knife.

"You didn’t know, did you? Yesterday, your husband came into my room. Otherwise, how could I have had the chance to kill him?" Ye Sangsang taunted.

Old Lady Li's eyes widened in terror.

She finally realized what kind of demon her family had brought home with their money.

But by the time she understood, it was already too late.

Now she had become the meat on someone else's chopping block, and Ye Sangsang only needed to apply a bit of force, and she would join her husband and son.

Ye Sangsang, however, had no intention of killing her.

She simply knocked the woman out with a firm strike and found her keys to unlock herself.

Looking at Old Lady Li, she found some rope, tied her up thoroughly, gagged her mouth to prevent any shouting, and secured her to the bed completely.

Then she closed and locked the door before heading to the kitchen.

Her body was starving and needed to replenish energy.

Besides, one needs to be full to cause some trouble, right?

She pondered for a moment before preparing and eating her meal.

With no one visiting due to the heavy rain, Ye Sangsang ate in peace, appreciating the rainy mountain scenery.

While the people here were vile, the scenery wasn't bad.

It was her first time seeing such a sight.

She was in the kitchen.

But soon, she heard an unusual sound.

It came from the room she previously occupied.

She waited for a moment before going out, unlocking the door, and entering the room.

Soon enough, Ye Sangsang noticed the hole poked through the window.

She leaned down to look through the hole, finding a piece of paper used for charms. She picked it up, discarded the small stone wrapped around it, and unfolded it to look at the words.

Seeing the crooked, crudely written words in charcoal, Ye Sangsang felt a hint of intrigue.

Time quickly passed from afternoon to evening.

Perhaps the continuous funerals and coffin carrying had exhausted everyone, causing the entire mountain village to fall into a deeper sleep than usual.

Deep into the night, Ye Sangsang waited until the person mentioned on the note arrived.

The rain had stopped.

The person whispered, "Let's go."

Ye Sangsang thought of the fire she had started outside the stove and nodded.