Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 359: Turnabout

When Liu Ji finished his cup of tea, the atmosphere around him suddenly changed.

He snapped his head up and met a pair of cold, wolf-like eyes.

The shopkeeper had already been "asked" to leave, and Lin Erbao shouted, "Get lost!"

The shopkeeper, who had been reluctant to leave, ran off quickly, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Liu Ji drew in a sharp breath; this speed wasn’t much slower than his own.

Wait!

This figure standing behind the thugs, dressed in golden thread silk and wearing a square hat, was this the target Jin Chan Chu? 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

To confirm the identity, Liu Ji tested by asking, "Are you Jin Chan Chu, one of the three evils of Kaiyang County?"

Seeing him surrounded by thugs yet still calmly asking who he was, Jin Chan Chu frowned, clearly displeased!

"You actually aren’t afraid of me?"

Jin Chan Chu glared at Liu Ji, a good man looking like a sissy, "I guess we don’t need to chop him up today, not worth it. Just tie him up and send him to Beauty Pan, might even earn me a buck!"

Realizing the identity was confirmed, Liu Ji didn’t want to stay a second longer. Just as he was about to stand up, two iron palms pressed down on his shoulders and threatened, "Liu Ji, where do you think you’re going?"

Liu Ji thought to himself, I’ve got a guardian, damn you: "Who cares where I’m going!"

He shrugged his shoulders heavily, "Don’t touch your daddy with those dirty hands!"

The thugs were dumbfounded. He still dared to be so arrogant? Really asking for a beating!

The two thugs raised their fists, ready to punch Liu Ji’s handsome face. Sensing their intent, Liu Ji couldn’t hold on and quickly shouted, "Miss, you promised I wouldn’t get hit!"

Shouted a bit too late, the two big fists grazed past his cheeks, and Liu Ji immediately felt a burning sting on his face.

But before he could react, a familiar figure appeared like a specter, flashed a white-toothed smile at him, grabbed his collar, and swiftly rescued him from the grip of the two thugs.

Before Liu Ji could find his footing, Qin Yao’s hand quickly patted the burning spot on his face, offering comfort, with a gentle smile: "Step back."

Liu Ji touched his own face in surprise, suddenly feeling like flowers blossomed before him, bursting with fragrance, he dizzily nodded, then expertly ran thirty meters away from the tea shed to avoid getting splashed with blood later.

Finding the best spot to watch the show, Liu Ji didn’t forget to clench his fist at the dashing silhouette in the hat, excitedly whispering: "Miss, go for it!"

Once Liu Ji was gone, there was nothing left in the tea shed to restrain Qin Yao. With a swing of her iron fist, the four thugs in front didn’t even have time to scream. Like smashed watermelons, a mouthful of blood uncontrollably spurted out, and they collapsed with a heavy thud, their bodies stiff as boards.

Not dead, but they’d never get up again.

Jin Chan Chu’s eyes widened in surprise, unable to believe this hat-wearing figure before him, who had already felled four strong men at his feet.

He had never seen Qin Yao, but now he was certain this was the vicious village woman Wang Mawu talked about—Qin Yao.

Qin Yao never wasted words, called out, "Jin Chan Chu!"

Seeing the man gleaming in gold on the opposite side blink in panic, identity confirmed, the dagger slipped from her sleeve into her palm, lifted and swung!

The knife moved as fast as a fleeting light, the six remaining thugs suddenly realized something, looked down sharply, and saw blood dripping from their fingertips. Their bodies, slow to realize, were hit by a surge of excruciating pain, and the six wailed like puppets with strings cut, collapsing heavily to the ground, their whole bodies violently convulsing, tendons in hands and feet all severed.

"Wh-what... what kind of monster are you!"

Jin Chan Chu’s voice was a high-pitched squeal, but he tried to maintain a calm facade, shaking off the splashing blood from his subordinate, sticky and burning, causing his heart to tremble. He attempted to step back and then flee.

Only now did he realize that his usual caution had turned into overconfidence today, falling into such a lowly trap.

Thinking it through, a weak scholar like Liu Ji, without some assurance, how would he dare confront one of the three evils who made Kaiyang County’s citizens tremble with fear?

Qin Yao had no intention of exchanging words with such a fool, slowly approached him like a cat playing with a mouse, leaving just enough space to give him hope of escape, yet relentlessly closing in, tightening the string wound around Jin Chan Chu, watching him break.

Until an unintended collision sound broke out, giving Jin Chan Chu a brief moment of respite in this torturous distance.

When Qin Yao raised her eyes to locate the origin of the sound, Jin Chan Chu bolted, not daring to look back, sprinting straight for the carriage, cursing as he ran: "Lin Erbao, where the hell did you go!"

Hearing the familiar name, Qin Yao raised an eyebrow in surprise, finally spotting Lin Erbao hiding in the woods behind the tea shed, eyes wide with shock, making a noise by accident.

Seeing her, he shuddered all over and turned to flee.

Qin Yao merely chuckled softly, unhesitantly drew a bow and arrow from her back, aimed at Lin Erbao’s back; sorry, he recognized her, so he must die.

The presence of death so intense, Lin Erbao seemed to sense it, suddenly fell forward mid-run, dropping down and shouting hoarsely, "You still owe me a favor! Don’t kill me!"

After calling out, to his surprise, he found he could actually speak a whole sentence, Lin Erbao froze, daring not to move an inch, nor to look back.

Footsteps passed by him, the sharp arrow embedded in Jin Chan Chu’s thick leg, causing him cold sweat from the pain, yet he endured to climb towards the carriage.

"Wrong, Mistress, I was wrong, I didn’t recognize the mighty mountain, forgive me, let me go, as long as you spare me, I’ll give you a share of the pawnshop..." Seeing her expression unchanged, he quickly raised it to two shares, "No, five shares! You become the second shopkeeper of the pawnshop, deal?"

Qin Yao’s hat shook side to side, then she threw out a burlap bag, covering Jin Chan Chu.

Jin Chan Chu felt darkness engulf him, an overwhelming, peculiar odor surrounding him, and soon, in terror, he lost consciousness, collapsing like slush under the carriage wheels.

Qin Yao grabbed the large sack, dragged it into the tea shed, and threw it on the square table, its thin legs barely withstanding the weight, shaking a few times before stabilizing.

Qin Yao looked around, picked up the Bone-breaking Stick that Jin Chan Chu had dropped.

Indeed, fools are foolish. With such a good weapon, yet he hadn’t used it against her; even a single swing would have had her looking up to him as a formidable opponent.

Outside the tea shed, Liu Ji watched Qin Yao raise the Bone-breaking Stick and strike it down on the burlap bag, causing the already fragile table to collapse instantly, the burlap bag landing heavily on the ground, creating a shallow pit.

A muffled groan sounded from inside the bag, soon after which the burlap bag visibly turned scarlet.

Liu Ji meekly asked, "What are you going to do to him?"

"Aren’t you going home?" The person in the tea shed suddenly looked up, eyes as cold as ice, scaring Liu Ji into a shiver, daring not to ask more.

"I’m leaving right now!" Knowing she found him a nuisance, Liu Ji immediately jumped on his ox-cart, cracked his whip, leaving without a trace of hesitation.

Thanks to Jin Chan Chu, no one unimportant would appear on this path for a while.

Qin Yao raised an eyebrow in satisfaction, discarded the Bone-breaking Stick, drew the dagger, and opened the burlap bag, fighting fire with fire.

If he loved breaking people’s limbs, then let him taste it as well!

"Miss Qin..."

Lin Erbao nervously crept into the tea shed, "Could—could you spare my boss’s life?"

Qin Yao asked in surprise, "Did he save your life?"

Lin Erbao: "..."