Chapter 4: Standing Up for the Cub

Yin Li habitually reached under his pillow into the stuffing and felt a sudden change in his expression.

The Laughing Buddha jade was missing!

It was the only thing his mother had left him.

Every night, he would take it out and look at it before falling asleep…

Yin Li’s mind flashed to Jiang Niannian’s busy figure.

He should have known… That woman had bad intentions after all.

Damn it!

He was going to kill her!

Kill them all!!!

In a fit of rage, Yin Li began to pound his fists against the wall, his hands scraping until they bled, yet he seemed to feel no pain, his eyes filled with overwhelming hatred and murderous intent.

Meanwhile, Jiang Niannian was fumbling her way to the maidservants’ quarters. The room was simple but far cleaner and more orderly than Yin Li’s.

She sighed, thinking she would have to help him clean up properly tomorrow.

[Warning! The target’s emotions are fluctuating dangerously!]

Jiang Niannian’s heart tightened.

Just as she was about to take the clean bedding she found back to Yin Li, a sharp and harsh female voice rang out from outside, “Jiang Yan, where are you going with that bedding in the middle of the night?”

It turns out that the original owner of this body was named Jiang Yan, which was conveniently the same surname as hers.

The woman in front of her had pronounced features, heavily made up but not in a way that clashed, instead highlighting her deep-set features, giving her an air of unique charm.

Although she was dressed in a maidservant’s uniform like the others, certain parts of her figure were much more accentuated.

She was pretty, vibrant, and naturally seductive.

Jiang Niannian: Tears of envy flowed from the corners of her mouth.

“Who are you?”

The original owner’s memories were fuzzy in her mind, and the novel hadn’t provided much detail on such a small shrimp like this, so it was natural for her not to know the woman’s name.

The woman looked at Jiang Niannian with a strange expression.

“Jiang Yan, are you pretending to be crazy? I’m Liu Yuemei.”

Jiang Niannian’s heart skipped a beat.

Although the courtyard had seven or eight maidservants, the author had focused specifically on Liu Yuemei.

She wasn’t just a spy sent by the Demon Clan; she also often stole valuable items from Yin Li’s room to sell outside.

What was even more hateful was that she took away his virginity during his hair-binding ceremony, causing him to become twisted and even more gloomy. After regaining his cultivation, he threw her into a group of men for a month before finally dismembering her, keeping her alive with top-grade spiritual medicine, so she couldn’t live or die.

(T/N: In ancient China, the hair-binding ceremony indicates the reaching of adulthood for man.)

[Liu Yuemei saw his resistance, her smile deepening. She grabbed his hair, forcing him to look up as she stuffed a pill into his mouth, then tapped his pressure points, forcing him to swallow it.

“This Charm Pill will make you burn with desire in no time. You should enjoy it,” she sneered, tearing off his clothes and viciously ravaging his skin. “You should be grateful. If it weren’t for your good looks, I would have been much rougher with you by now.”

Yin Li struggled desperately, but his body was too weak, allowing Liu Yuemei to easily overpower him.

With the last of his strength, his voice hoarse, he spat out, “If you dare, I’ll make sure you’re left with no body to bury one day…”

“Still so defiant?” Liu Yuemei kicked him in the stomach, making him spit blood.

She leaned over him, her voice filled with malicious glee, “So what if you were a genius once? Now, you’re nothing but a woman’s plaything!”

Yin Li’s fingernails dug into his flesh, drawing blood. His screams were trapped in his throat, his voice reduced to a ragged whisper, shattered beyond recognition.

Time passed, and the only thing left in Yin Li’s deadened gaze was despair. He was sullied, after all.]

Fortunately, Jiang Niannian had arrived early.

Yin Li was only eight years old now, still a delicate and fragile young boy. She decided she would protect his innocence.

With that thought, Jiang Niannian’s tone grew stern.

“Did you steal something from the Young Master’s room again?”

“What are you talking about? How can that be considered stealing? That useless brat doesn’t need anything anyway.”

“Taking without asking is still stealing. Hand it over, and I’ll return it,” Jiang Nian-nian demanded righteously, extending her hand toward Liu Yuemei.

Liu Yuemei stared at her coldly.

“Jiang Yan, you’d better not stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“What if I do?”

Jiang Niannian wasn’t intimidated, meeting Liu Yuemei’s gaze head-on.

“How much longer are you going to hide your identity as a spy for the Demon Clan?”

Liu Yuemei’s eyes immediately filled with killing intent.

In an instant, she formed demonic energy around her, creating countless small swords that shot towards Jiang Niannian.

The attack was swift and fierce, like a gust of wind and snow in a flash of lightning—she intended to silence Jiang Niannian permanently!

“System!”

[Here, dear. In this moment of crisis, would you like to exchange 200 points for an Extreme Rebound Talisman?]

“Yes, yes, yes!”

In the blink of an eye, an Extreme Rebound Talisman flew out, meeting the sword spell head-on.

Liu Yuemei was struck by the backlash, slamming into the wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood, severely injured.

Her eyes were bloodshot as she glared at Jiang Niannian, her voice dripping with malice, “You just wait!” With that, she turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared, leaving behind an empty, lifeless human skin and a Laughing Buddha jade.

The skin was brimming with spiritual energy, likely the reason her identity had gone unnoticed for so long.

Jiang Niannian found it disgusting, but she still put the skin into her storage pouch—just in case she needed it later.

She had already wasted enough time here.

Yin Li was probably getting impatient.

Without further delay, Jiang Niannian pocketed the Laughing Buddha jade and quickly returned to Yin Li’s room, carrying the bedding.

Outside, the sky was dark, heavy with clouds, and the rain began to fall, cold and unrelenting.

Yin Li sat on the bed with his back to her, seemingly staring out the window, his figure lonely and desolate.

“Young Master, sorry for the wait. I went to my room to get some clean bedding for you. Your bed is dirty, so don’t use it tonight. I’ll wash it tomorrow,” Jiang Niannian said gently, placing the bedding on the bed.

Seeing that Yin Li remained silent, Jiang Niannian leaned over to check on him, but she was taken aback.

Yin Li’s red eyes were devoid of any warmth, like a stagnant pool of dead water, but beneath the surface, a deep-seated bloodlust simmered. His voice was cold as he spoke, “Now that you’ve taken what you wanted, why bother pretending?”

“Young Master, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Yin Li’s gaze was icy, coiling around her like a venomous snake.

Jiang Niannian felt uneasy under his stare and quickly tried to change the subject, “Oh, right, Young Master, Liu Yuemei stole your Laughing Buddha jade, but I got it back for you and kicked her out. We can’t have dishonest people in our home. You… won’t blame me for acting on my own, will you?”

As she spoke, she took the jade from her pocket and handed it to Yin Li.

Yin Li was stunned.

He stared at the Laughing Buddha jade in his hand, his emotions a complex mix of feelings.

He had misunderstood her.

He had always known that the maidservant was stealing things from his room, but he had pretended not to notice.

He knew he was powerless, his spiritual roots destroyed.

He couldn’t even fight a lowly sweeper in the Rimuli sect.

At the same time, he knew that in this vast sect, no one would stand up for him.

But now, this woman had happily sought justice for him.