Shen Ningning cried her heart out, her small body trembling like a butterfly tossed in the wind. She seemed so helpless and fragile in the vast, endless night.

Seeing Wu Zuchang dead, the Black Wolf King and Wolf Three threw their heads back and howled. Their mournful, chilling cries echoed through the mountains.

Before long, the wolves that had given chase returned one after another, dragging the bodies of the assassins with them.

Not a single one of the men in black had escaped; they had all fallen prey to the wolves.

Fortunately, Lang Si had spared one man’s life, though he had mauled him to within an inch of it.

Shen Ningning wiped her tears and took a deep breath. "Good job, Lang Si. Keep him alive. I’m handing him over to my brother. I won’t let Brother Zuchang die for nothing!"

Just then, Deng Fugui came running toward the sound of their voices. "Little Wolf Sister! Hurry back! The Wu family’s house is on fire!"

Shen Ningning was shocked.

She immediately had Wolf Three carry Wu Zuchang’s body on his back while she rode the Black Wolf King, racing back to Xitai Village.

The fire at the Wu family’s house wasn’t large, but thick black smoke billowed from the courtyard.

Many villagers rushed to carry water to douse the flames, but others simply stood by, indifferent.

In the midst of the drought, no family had much water to spare. Even for a fire, many could only watch helplessly as it burned.

The fire was still burning when Shen Ningning arrived.

Panicked, she tried to rush into the house to see what was happening.

But Deng Fugui grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"Don’t go in, Little Wolf Sister! The thick smoke will kill you!"

A few of the stronger young men from the village covered their faces and rushed in. Moments later, they carried out two soot-blackened figures.

As the bodies were laid on the ground, Shen Ningning rushed forward to look.

Wu Cui and Qian Siniang were already dead.

A villager with a rudimentary knowledge of medicine stepped forward to check their pulses, then regretfully shook his head.

"This is too tragic for the Wu family."

"It is. Where could this fire have come from so suddenly?"

"Quick, look at what’s on that wolf’s back! It’s covered in blood... It looks like the Wu family’s foolish son!"

The strong man who had carried the couple out shook his head. "It looked like they woke up and tried to crawl out, but ran out of strength."

Deng Fugui had been the first to spot the fire.

He spoke up. "I saw a suspicious man in black leaving the Wu’s house, so I kept an eye on it. A moment later, I saw smoke."

He had shouted for help as soon as it started, but it was still a step too late.

The pack of wolves came down from the mountain one by one, dragging the bodies of the men in black.

The villagers stumbled back in terror.

"Those must be assassins! Who did the Wu family manage to offend?"

"The whole family of three is dead. It’s a massacre, their entire line wiped out."

The night wind stirred, making Shen Ningning’s blood-stained dress flutter.

’They were coming to silence me,’ she thought. ’But the Wus died by accident, because of me.’

The next day, at the crack of dawn, everyone was astonished to find a soft, steady drizzle falling around Xitai Village.

The villagers praised it as a gift from the Heavenly God, rushing out with basins in a state of euphoria to collect the water.

Meanwhile, in the mountains, Shen Ningning withdrew the small hand that had just summoned a patch of dark clouds.

Not far away, Chen Ye was busy digging three graves for her.

She helped him bury the three members of the Wu family.

She had heard that Wu’s grave was gone, so next to Wu Zuchang’s, she helped build an empty tomb. Inside, she placed the crushed wicker cage.

’I hope their family of four can be reunited in the afterlife,’ she thought, ’and keep each other company.’

The wolves stood in a circle around the little girl, all of them sensing her deep sadness.

The Black Wolf King licked her small hand again and again, trying to comfort her.

Chen Ye walked back over to her. "Miss, are we really not going to report this to the authorities? We’re just burying them like this?"

"There’s no point. They’re dead; they can’t speak for themselves. The only way to find anything out is by interrogating the assassin who’s still alive."

"But I don’t trust anyone else. I’ll wait for my brother to return." Until then, Shen Ningning wouldn’t let anyone near the assassin.

Thankfully, Lang Si hadn’t used his full strength when he bit the man’s throat. Leaving him alive meant the case could still be investigated.

「In Xitai Village.」

Ba Deshun had arranged a carriage to pick up Wang Qiao’er and her son.

Deng Fugui, however, was worried and reluctant to leave.

"Little Wolf Sister went up the mountain and she isn’t back yet. I want to comfort her."

"Her? Need your comfort?" Wang Qiao’er scoffed. "Shen Ningning is nothing but trouble. No wonder Aunt Qin called her a jinx. See? The entire Wu family is dead because of her."

Deng Fugui grew agitated. "She’s not a jinx! I think it rained because the Mountain God took pity on Little Wolf Sister after she went into the mountains!"

"Oh, my foolish son, you’ve really lost your mind. If that Shen Ningning child could actually make it rain, why would someone with that kind of power still be an orphan?" Wang Qiao’er shook her head, calling her son a fool.

She pushed Deng Fugui onto the carriage. "Let’s go. Your father will get anxious if we keep him waiting."

Before they had even arrived, she was already coaching Deng Fugui on what to call his new father.

The carriage rumbled away. Deng Fugui stuck his head out the window, his worried gaze fixed on the mountain.

He prayed silently.

’Please let Little Wolf Sister be happy every day.’

...

The light rain that Shen Ningning had summoned over the mountains behind Xitai Village was once again used by Minister Wei to claim credit for himself.

He even arranged for his allies at court to submit memorials to the Emperor, repeatedly insisting that this blessing of rain was granted only because his youngest daughter had previously visited Xitai Village to distribute congee.

However, two days went by, and the Emperor completely ignored these memorials.

In a fit of irritation, he even berated the ministers who had submitted them. "How dare you draw conclusions from mere rumors? I must see the proof with my own eyes!"

This frightened Minister Wei so badly that he didn’t dare meet the Emperor’s gaze during court the next day.

This was likely because his younger daughter, Wei Yufu, had previously attended several rain-praying ceremonies, all of which had failed. In fact, the sun had only seemed to grow more punishing after each attempt.

Thus, the Emperor was unwilling to believe such claims again unless someone could make it rain heavily right before his eyes.

An advisor at Minister Wei’s side voiced his confusion. "Your Excellency, don’t you find it odd? Why is it that every time it rains, it’s always centered around Wolf Mountain, Xiangyun Village, and Xitai Village? Could it be that a Heavenly God truly favors that area?"

"Impossible," Minister Wei denied flatly.

’If a Heavenly God were truly watching over that land, why hadn’t it rained there for the past several years?’

His expression turned sinister. "Send a few men to watch the area. Find out what’s really going on."

Shen Ningning spent two quiet, secluded days in the mountains.

Grandma Qin knew she was feeling down, so she made a different delicious meal for her every day to cheer her up.

Finely chopped marinated bamboo shoots and pickled greens were stir-fried over a high flame with a mix of fatty and lean ground pork.

Salt and pepper were stirred in for seasoning, and the mixture was used as a filling for leavened dough. The resulting pies were cooked on an iron griddle until golden, emerging as fragrant, savory pastries.

Usually, Shen Ningning could eat two, but when Grandma Qin brought them to her room this time, she found the little girl quietly practicing her calligraphy.

At the delicious aroma, she simply looked up and gave her grandmother a bright, innocent smile.

"Grandma, just put it on the windowsill. I’ll eat it in a little while."

But she had barely touched the shredded chicken and rice noodle soup Grandma Qin had brought her that morning.

Lang Si, on the other hand, was practically drooling. He "casually" walked past the window several times, peeking up to gauge Grandma Qin’s expression.

"Well, since Ningning isn’t going to eat it, you can have it." Grandma Qin smiled with fond indulgence and poured the cooled noodles onto the ground. Lang Si licked the spot clean in moments.

Seeing Shen Ningning so focused on her writing, Grandma Qin sighed. "Ningning, you’ve already done more than enough for the Wu family. Grieving like this will only harm your own health."

The little girl looked up. Her small, porcelain-white face was caressed by the sunlight from the window, and her gaze was clear yet dappled.

She smiled, her voice soft and full of childlike innocence. "I know, Grandma. But this won’t be truly over until my brother gets back."

Just then, Wolf Three, who was outside, shot to his feet, his gaze fixed on the entrance.

A stranger was here.

Shen Ningning guessed it was Chen Ye. Sure enough, when she opened the door, he was standing outside with a solemn expression.

Seeing him, Grandma Qin warmly invited him in for a drink of water.

But Chen Ye shook his head, his tone apologetic.

"Miss, I didn’t want to disturb you, but..." He glanced at Grandma Qin in the courtyard, afraid of worrying her, and lowered his voice. "A group of constables has arrived in the village."