The rain became heavier, and the two of them were now the most miserable-looking wet rats. But Shen An stood straight in the rain, exuding a strong sense of killing intent.
“The matter has come to this point, there seems to be nothing more to say,” Shen An sniffed and suddenly let out a long sigh, looking meaningfully at Wei Jinyu.
Wei Jinyu understood the meaning in her eyes, and his toes pointed on the ground as he leapt up into the air, his hands turning into claws as he directly attacked the county magistrate.
The county magistrate never expected Shen An to have such audacity. By the time he reacted, the sharp claws were only half a foot away from him, and he felt his throat tighten, firmly grasped.
“Help, help, someone is attempting to assassinate me!” he shouted in panic.
The steward’s legs went weak and he called out in frenzy for help.
“How about we make a bet?” Shen An’s lips curled up with a bloodthirsty smile, like a Rakshasa emerging from hell. “Let’s see if your soldiers arrive first, or if Jinyu’s hands are faster?”
Wei Jinyu’s hand slightly tightened, and the county magistrate’s face changed drastically as he hurriedly said, “Shen An, do you know what crime it is to assassinate a court-appointed official?”
“What crime is it to me?” Shen An sneered, “But the life of a young girl is not worth much. The life of the official is worth much more than the life of the young girl. This deal is a good one for me.”
“You crazy woman, let go of the official!” The butler was fearful, but had to muster up the courage to stop Shen An.
“As long as the official cooperates, I will guarantee that the official will not be harmed. Although my Shen family has no power or status, we are just ordinary merchants, but I, Shen An, cannot treat such a mortal enemy as nothing!”
“You are threatening me.”
He knew that if Shen An had the guts, she could really kill him without hesitation.
She had that kind of courage.
“If that’s what the magistrate says, then so be it. Apart from this, I have no other choice,” Shen An replied calmly.
The county magistrate suddenly stopped talking as he looked at her. He had never seen such a strong-willed woman.
“You can leave now and pack up your things from the Shen residence. As for the truth, I believe you will find out in due time,” the county magistrate finally said.
Shen An didn’t understand what he meant by that, but the magistrate refused to say anything more after these words.
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
Shen An deeply bowed and said, “JinYu, let’s go home.”
Wei Jinyu looked at her and then back at the magistrate, and obediently let go of his hand and walked to her side.
As they turned around, Shen An looked over her shoulder and said, “Your Honor, I entrust my parents’ funeral arrangements to you.”
“Bring them in…”
Before the steward finished speaking, the county magistrate raised his hand to stop him. He watched as the figures of Shen An and Wei Jinyu disappeared gradually into the rain, and even sighed, “Let them go.”
Along the way, Shen An kept her arms wrapped around herself and remained silent, her slender figure looking particularly pitiful.
Wei Jinyu sneezed a few times.
Only then did Shen An remember and quickly took off her coat for Wei Jinyu, “Put it on, don’t catch a cold again.”
Wei Jinyu shook her head repeatedly and said, “No Jiejie (1), you wear it.”
“I’m not cold, you wear it,” Shen An’s lips were a little blue from the cold, and she looked listless.
“I’m not cold either. If you give it to me, I’ll throw it away!” Wei Jinyu said stubbornly.
Shen An’s heart warmed a little and she smiled, “You’re really silly.”
“They all say I’m silly, but I’m not. I can take care of you,” Wei Jinyu said confidently.
“I have hands and feet, and I don’t need anyone to take care of me. Even if our home is gone, as long as I’m here, I Shen An, can make it rise again!” Shen An said determinedly.
Shen An’s eyes shone with an indescribable light, as if she had an invisible infectious power.
“Good, then Jinyu will accompany Jiejie to rise again.”
Shen Family was in a mess at this time. The once grand Shen Mansion had lost all its vitality. Everything inside was scattered on the ground, and all valuable items had been looted.
Was this a raid by soldiers?
This was f***ing like the Japanese invading the village!
Shen An picked up a set of clothes belonging to Shen Yu and handed it to Wei Jinyu.
“Go find a place to change your clothes.”
Wei Jinyu nodded and went out with the clothes.
Shen An returned to her room, and went under the bed to retrieve a pair of embroidered shoes that were hidden deep inside, patted the dust off them. Thankfully, no one had touched them.
She lifted the insole and took out some broken silver, feeling relieved.
Fortunately, she was clever and had hidden her private money that she could use now.
She carefully packed the silver and changed into clean clothes. After drying her hair, Wei Jinyu pushed the door open, dressed in Shen Yu’s clothes. Their figures were somewhat similar, but Shen Yu was a little more plump. Wei Jinyu looked a bit loose in his clothes, but not too bad.
“It fits quite well.” Shen An nodded in satisfaction and began to pack her own clothes. She also found several sets of Shen Yu’s clothes for Wei Jinyu and bundled them together into a small package.
“I’ll carry it.”
Wei Jinyu eagerly took the backpack from her hands, looking very pleased.
“Oh, it’s indeed a pair of adulterers. Even at this time, you still don’t forget to be lovey-dovey. It seems that you, Shen An, are really a despicable person,” a voice suddenly came, mixed with thick sarcasm and insults. Shen An turned his head and saw Kang Yu walking towards them arrogantly.
Kang Yu had his arm around Fan Lingzhen’s waist and was waving a folding fan in his right hand. He probably worried that Wei Jinyu would fight with him again, so he brought three burly bodyguards with him.
Fan Lingzhen was sticking tightly to Kang Yu’s body like a snake, frowning delicately and saying, “Yu Ge (2), how could you say such things about Shen Jie? After all, you used to have feelings for each other.”
“Don’t worry, Fan Jie. From now on, I have nothing to do with this despicable person. In my heart, there has always been only you,” Kang Yu said.
“I say, you.” Shen An couldn’t stand it anymore and stood up to confront him, “If you want to disgust people, can you please leave? Don’t dirty the air in my house.”
“Hahaha…” Kang Yu laughed wildly, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, “Shen An, do you think this is still Shen family’s house? Tomorrow, I will send people to remove the signboard here and put up the signboard of my Kang Mansion. From now on, this place will belong to my Kang family.”
“What did you say?!” Shen An’s face darkened, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
“If you didn’t hear clearly, this young master can repeat it for you.”
Shen An stared at him with unblinking eyes, and her gaze gradually became cold. Suddenly, she understood the county magistrate’s words and smiled politely, “So, my Shen family has fallen to such a point, and the mastermind behind it is you, father and son.”
“Haven’t you figured it out? You’re not that stupid,” Kang Yu laughed heartily, not avoiding it at all. “That’s right, if it weren’t for the Shen family’s huge fortune, do you think I would bother to give you a second glance with your personality? Shen An, to tell you the truth, I have been extremely disgusted with you in the past two years, and if it weren’t for my sister Fan being with me, do you really think I could have put up with it until now?”
“Also, Lian Man is a spy my father planted in your Shen family. If your mother hadn’t been so useless and only given birth to you, a worthless person, how could there be a chance to plant a spy? Of course, the matter of you and that idiot cuddling together was also our and Lian Man’s conspiracy to frame you. Unfortunately, a pawn is just a pawn. Once it loses its value, it should be abandoned.”
“What a clever scheme. So, you’ve been plotting against my Shen family’s wealth since two years ago. Kang Yu, oh Kang Yu, you’ve really gone to great lengths to play this game. Now that my Shen family is ruined and my family is dead, I want your life!” Shen An yelled and flipped her palm, sending a dagger flying straight towards Kang Yu.
“Help!”
Kang Yu yelled and pushed Fan Lingzhen forward.
“Splurt…”
A gush of blood spurted out, and Fan Lingzhen looked at the man hiding behind her in disbelief before her body lost control and fell down.
“Fan Jie!”
Kang Yu knelt down and held onto Fan Lingzhen’s body, anxiously pleading, “Fan Jie, you can’t die, you can’t leave me!”
Fan Lingzhen stared at him in shock and despair, touching her own stomach. She coughed up a mouthful of black blood, her head tilted to the side, and she died.
“You’re really a coward, shouting for Fan Jie but when danger comes, you push her forward as a shield. Kang Yu, you really have some nerve.” Shen An mocked, full of disdain.
“Jiejie, there’s blood.” Wei Jinyu suddenly spoke, looking towards the direction of Fan Lingzhen.
Shen An turned his head and saw a large pool of black blood oozing out from under Fan Lingzhen, staining the entire ground red.
“This… this…”
Kang Yu was so scared that he sat on the ground, looking at the bloodstains on his hands with panic in his eyes.
“She had a miscarriage.” Shen An frowned. He didn’t know in advance that Fan Lingzhen was already pregnant. It seems that the fetus had not yet formed and it was probably only about a month old.
“Fan Jie! Fan Jie!” Kang Yu was thunderstruck and shouted as he held onto Fan Lingzhen, “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant! This is our child! It’s all your fault, why didn’t you tell me! Fan Jie, you can’t die, you can’t die!”
“Useless coward!” Shen An sneered at him. It was disgusting that at this point, he was still pushing the blame onto others.
Suddenly, Kang Yu turned his head and pointed at Shen An fiercely, saying, “It’s all because of you! You, the murderer, killed Fan Lingzhen! You killed my child! I will never forgive you!”
“Hah! Kang scumbag is indeed living up to his name, he’s a scumbag through and through. You’re the first person I’ve ever met with such a rotten personality. Today, my Shen family will seek revenge for our family’s extermination. You’re all going to pay!”
“How dare you!” Kang Yu’s legs went weak, and he tried to muster up his courage, saying, “My father has already bribed even the prefectural governor. If you dare lay a finger on me, my father won’t let you go!”
“Very well, let him try!”
Kang Yu turned to the three burly men behind him and shouted, “What are you waiting for? Capture her!”
Just as Wei Jinyu was about to make a move, Shen An grabbed his arm.
“This is my Shen family’s affair, I will handle it myself!”
Shen An swiftly swung her blade and beheaded one of the burly men, blood spewing out and splattering on the faces of the other two, instantly shocking them.
The two men looked at each other, feeling afraid.
Kang Yu roared, “Did I bring you two here just to stand there? Go and kill this bitch! If you succeed, I’ll double your reward!”
The two men were greatly encouraged and charged towards Shen An.
Shen An wiped the blood splattered on her face and smiled strangely. She quickly dodged and struck both men in the neck with her elbow, causing them to pass out on the ground.
Footnote:
1. Jiejie : a Chinese term that refers to an older sister or a female friend who is older than oneself. It can be used as a term of endearment or respect.
2. Ge : a Chinese word that means “older brother.” When added after someone’s name or nickname, it can be used to address them in a friendly or familiar way.