Chapter 96: Ninety-six, they are so ugly. Chapter 96: Ninety-six, they are so ugly. Liu Qingshan approached Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen, and upon seeing Xiang following behind them, he felt a bit puzzled. “Who is she?” Although the woman was exceptionally beautiful, she emanated a chilling aura that made him quite uncomfortable.
“She’s here to protect me. Her name is Xiang,” Song Yan Ning introduced. She had originally wanted to say Xiang was her friend, but that would just lead to more questions from Liu Qingshan. Most importantly, though Xiang was once a villager, she was now over two hundred years old, and no one from the village recognized her anymore. A stranger suddenly appearing would certainly attract attention, and of course, she didn’t want anyone to know Xiang’s identity.
“Oh!” Liu Qingshan nodded in understanding. Surely the Song Family was concerned, which is why they sent someone to protect Song Yan Ning. No wonder this woman had that kind of aura; it seemed she was an expert.
Zhang Dahai, accompanied by a few villagers, walked towards them. Spotting Song Yan Ning and the others, Zhang Dahai turned and smiled gratefully at the villagers, “We’ve found them. Thank you for your trouble! Everyone can go back to their business.”
The villagers nodded with a smile, bid farewell to Zhang Dahai, and headed towards the village. They held Zhang Dahai in high regard, as he was one of the only two wizards in their village.
As Zhang Dahai approached Song Yan Ning and the group, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes when he saw Xiang following behind Song Yan Ning. Being a wizard, he could instantly sense the chilling aura emanating from Xiang.
“Who is she?” Zhang Dahai scrutinized Xiang. He felt she was not human.
“She’s sent by the Song Family to protect Xiao Ning. Let’s talk more when we get back,” Liu Qingshan said, placing a hand on Zhang Dahai’s shoulder. Now that the children were found, he felt a burden lifted off his chest.
Zhang Dahai looked at Xiang skeptically. “Are you really sent by the Song Family?”
Struggling to suppress the urge to devour Zhang Dahai and Liu Qingshan’s souls, Xiang turned her head away and swallowed the saliva that threatened to spill out. Except for Song Yan Ning, everyone else was just food in her eyes. But the master had ordered that without her command, she could not eat, and she dared not defy the master’s orders.
“Look, you’ve frightened the poor girl,” Liu Qingshan laughed heartily, hooking his arm around Zhang Dahai’s neck as they walked towards his separate residence.
Song Yan Ning frowned as she watched Zhang Dahai’s retreating figure. She had forgotten that Zhang Dahai was a wizard, and he might have already discovered Xiang’s identity.
Back at the residence, everyone gathered and sat down in the main hall.
“It’s already late today. I’ll take you for a stroll in the mountains early tomorrow,” Liu Qingshan said to Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen. He didn’t mention going to Jiyin Land, betting that once the kids witnessed the horrors of the mountains, they would surely not want to go.
“We’re returning to Beijing tomorrow,” Qin Yushen revealed the decision he and Song Yan Ning had made. Now that they had found the Golden Cicada Herb, their mission was complete. They had gathered many Spirit Grasses, and the trip was certainly not in vain.
“Not going anymore? Weren’t you looking for the Golden Cicada Herb?” Liu Qingshan looked at Qin Yushen in surprise. Just yesterday, they were so eager to go to Jiyin Land; how could they change their minds overnight? Children really are mercurial, acting on their whims.
“Um,” Qin Yushen nodded.
“It’s for the best; that place is indeed too dangerous,” Liu Qingshan stated. He had never wanted to take the risk, especially after hearing from Dahai about Jiyin Land, making him even less inclined to go.
“Where did you go today?” Zhang Dahai suddenly asked, his gaze fixed on Xiang standing behind Song Yan Ning. She closely resembled the Luohua Cave Girl he had encountered in Jiyin Land. If it weren’t for his knowledge of some spells, he might no longer be alive. But if she really was the Luohua Cave Girl, that would mean Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen had already visited Jiyin Land today.
But he couldn’t understand how it would be possible for two kids to have come back from Jiyin Land in such a short time, even if they were quick on their feet. And even if the person with them really was the Luohua Cave Girl, why would she listen to a child? Maybe he was wrong, and this woman was not the Luohua Cave Girl after all.
“We just played at the village entrance for a while before we met Xiang and returned,” Song Yan Ning said with a smile.
“Did you know her from before?” Zhang Dahai pointed at Xiang. If the Song Family was sending Xiang to protect Song Yan Ning, why didn’t they send her yesterday instead of waiting until the next day?
“Of course,” Song Yan Ning nodded affirmatively.
Zhang Dahai gazed at Song Yan Ning for a long time. Seeing her consistent, gentle smile, she didn’t seem to be lying. Maybe the ways of the large families were just that peculiar.
Zhang Xiaoling and Yang Xin’er left the hospital. After one night, their faces grew worse; red and swollen, and with even more pimples than yesterday. Now, even acquaintances probably wouldn’t recognize them. They had completed all the prescribed checks, but still, there was no problem found, no reason for their condition.
“Mom, look how ugly they are!” a childish voice said from in front of them.
Zhang Xiaoling and Yang Xin’er looked up to see a six- or seven-year-old child pointing at them.
The child’s mother gently pulled her daughter’s hand away and smiled apologetically at the two, “I’m sorry! The child doesn’t understand.” Even though her daughter was telling the truth, it wasn’t nice to say such things to someone’s face.
“Mom, I’m not wrong. They’re just ugly, uglier than Lili from our school,” the girl retorted, dissatisfied. She hadn’t said anything incorrect, so why should her mother apologize?
“Sorry! Sorry!” the girl’s mother apologized awkwardly, dragging her daughter away.
“Mom, I didn’t say anything wrong, why did you apologize?”
“Even if they are ugly, you mustn’t say so in front of them. It’s impolite. Do you understand?”
“Oh, can I say it quietly then?”
“That’s fine.”
Their voices faded into the distance, and Zhang Xiaoling and Yang Xin’er’s faces looked so mortified they seemed like they could drip water. Whenever they had gone out before, people always complimented them on their elegance, beauty, and good skin. But today, they were called monsters by a little girl. How could they bear it?
“Mom, you go home first. I’m going to ask Dad for Song Yan Ning’s phone number,” Yang Xin’er said before quickly walking towards the hospital entrance.
Along the way, she felt everyone’s strange glances, and Yang Xin’er truly wished she could hide in a hole. She had never been so embarrassed. In the past, people looked at her with envy. But now, it was all because of Song Yan Ning; she would make sure to make her pay once she returned.