"Either continue to collude with the village chief's family, and you will all itch for three hours daily with no antidote, or drive the village chief from his position and deal with this family, and I will give you the antidote."
She roughly let go of Luo Yang: "I'll give you one day to choose. Miss it, and it's gone."
Luo Yang fell hard onto the ground. Ignoring the pain, she itched so much that she kept rubbing herself on the ground: "It's so itchy... Sister-in-law, we're all from the same village. You can't do this!"
Tao Lengshuang couldn't be bothered to pay attention to her anymore. She went straight back to her own house and slammed the door shut with a 'bang'.
The villagers, itching uncontrollably, looked at the village chief's family with extreme displeasure.
"It's all your fault! It was your family who insisted on driving Tao Lengshuang out of the village, causing us to become like this. You must help us get the antidote."
"Luo Yang, that shameless slut! She's still a young girl, yet she's already spreading her legs for men."
"Village Chief, if this matter isn't resolved today, we won't let it go."
The villagers surrounded the village chief's family, menacingly demanding that they find a way to get the antidote, or else they would depose the village chief.
Luo Yang and her mother, Mother Luo, huddled behind the village chief, scratching themselves incessantly. They harbored deep hatred for Tao Lengshuang.
Having been the village chief for many years, the village chief had always done as he pleased and had never encountered such a situation.
Seeing this, he trembled and retreated, but his face flushed with anger: "How dare you! Believe it or not, I'll deal with you?"
It was all that bitch Tao Lengshuang's fault.
The villagers, suffering from unbearable itchiness, felt their anger surge. They had no sense of reason and rushed forward to beat the village chief's family.
What was more, the villagers were scratching themselves while they beat people, a posture that was incredibly bizarre and comical.
But for Grandpa Tao and the others, it was like a scene from hell. Tao Lengshuang was too terrifying.
...
Hearing the commotion outside, a sharp glint flashed in Tao Lengshuang's cold eyes. She had always believed in "I don't offend others unless they offend me." Who told these people she was easy to bully?
"Mother."
Little Feng trotted up to her, looking at her with starry eyes and giving her a thumbs-up: "Mother, you're amazing! Mother, you're the best! Mother, you're top-notch! You deserve a big thumbs-up."
Tao Lengshuang smiled warmly, then squatted down to look at him: "Our Little Feng also deserves a thumbs-up. You listened to Mother obediently."
Little Feng chuckled and gave himself a thumbs-up: "Little Feng got a thumbs-up too!"
"Mother, Little Feng wants to learn medicine. Can he?"
If he learned medicine, he could become very, very powerful, and then he would be able to protect Mother.
Tao Lengshuang was naturally eager for Little Feng to learn medicine, but she put on a stern face: "Little Feng, learning medicine is not something that can be achieved overnight. It requires enduring a lot of hardship, and you might even face a lot of criticism."
"Furthermore, learning medicine is not for harming others, but for treating illnesses and saving lives. Do you understand?"
Little Feng's smile faded, and he nodded extremely seriously: "Little Feng understands."
"Little Feng promises to study medicine diligently and not give up halfway. He also promises not to use medicine to harm others. But, Mother, what if someone tries to harm me?"
Tao Lengshuang said gently, "You must remember one thing: I don't offend others unless they offend me."
"Don't harm others proactively. If someone harms you, you must fight back. You cannot let others harm you. Do you understand?"
Little Feng repeatedly stated that he understood and also repeatedly promised that he would never proactively use medicine to harm others.
Tao Lengshuang understood this child to some extent. After spending a few days with him, she knew that Little Feng was a well-behaved, sensible, and intelligent child.
"Starting tomorrow, Mother will teach you medicine."
"Hooray!" Little Feng cheered and hopped around with a bright smile.
Tao Lengshuang was infected by his smile, her mood becoming joyful and relaxed. She thought that no difficulty could defeat her.
However, a difficulty immediately appeared.
Three masked figures in black clothes suddenly appeared from nowhere, wielding sharp swords and heading straight for Tao Lengshuang.
The cold swords, under the sunlight, reflected dazzling cold light.
Tao Lengshuang was startled and immediately shielded Little Feng in her arms. She raised her hand and threw a handful of poison, pressing Little Feng's head into her embrace.
"Don't look!" She retreated repeatedly with the child, completely bewildered as to where these assassins had come from.
Could it be the same group who had failed in their attempt to assassinate her last time?
Tao Lengshuang couldn't be sure, but she remained vigilant, her eyes fiercely fixed on the three masked figures.
The three masked figures suspected it was poison and retreated at the fastest speed possible, but they still inhaled some.
In an instant, the poison took effect.
The three masked figures grunted, their eyes wide open, filled with bloodshot veins. Their bodies twitched uncontrollably, as if they were having an epileptic fit.
The three reached out their hands towards Tao Lengshuang, wanting to ask for the antidote, but with a 'thump', they fell to the ground.
They were lifeless.
Tao Lengshuang dared not approach rashly. She picked up a few pebbles and threw them at the masked figures.
Seeing that the masked figures showed no reaction, she told Little Feng to stay put while she, holding a broom, cautiously walked over.
When she reached a certain distance, she poked the three masked figures with the broom and waited for a while.
Only when she was sure that these three were truly dead did she feel relieved.
After thinking about it, she painstakingly dragged the three corpses into an empty room, planning to drag them out for disposal later that night.
Afterward, she cleaned up the bloodstains on the ground and asked Little Feng to keep this secret and not mention it to anyone.
She just didn't know who wanted to kill her, and whether it was related to the people who had tried to assassinate her before.
"Mother, don't be afraid. Little Feng will protect you."
Although Little Feng's legs were trembling and his face was pale, he still hugged Tao Lengshuang nervously, comforting her and saying he would protect her.
Tao Lengshuang's heart warmed at his words. She hugged him a little tighter: "With Little Feng's comfort, Mother is no longer afraid."
"Our Little Feng is the bravest man in the world."
Little Feng nestled in his mother's arms, thinking that he had to train harder in martial arts and medicine so that he could properly protect Mother.
"Mo family, Mo family, are you there?"
At this moment, Shen Ershen's anxious voice could be heard.
Tao Lengshuang opened the door and saw Shen Ershen and her husband standing at the doorway with sticks, constantly looking around.
"Shen Ershen, Shen Ershu, please come in."
She welcomed the couple in and closed the door: "Why have you come?"
Shen Ershen sighed, "We heard that the village chief brought people to trouble you, so we hurried over."
"My daughter-in-law is timid and stopped us for a long time. Otherwise, we would have been here sooner."
She also understood Liu Shi's thoughts. If they offended the village chief, their family would have a difficult time in the village.
But the Mo family were the saviors of Zhuzi's life. She couldn't be an ungrateful person.
Tao Lengshuang understood and bore no resentment or extra thoughts. She expressed her gratitude: "To hear Shen Ershen say that, I am already very grateful that you could come."
Shen Ershen looked a bit apologetic but didn't dwell on the topic: "By the way, when I first arrived, I saw your second sister hiding nearby, peeking. I wonder if she was up to no good."