Hou Mingzhu, with an air of dominance, pulled off her gloves finger by finger and stood up, looking at Ye Tiancheng with amusement.
“You were sleeping quite soundly just now. When your subordinate and friend was captured by my men, he let out a few pig-like screams, yet you didn’t even wake up. Perhaps you should continue sleeping, so you don’t feel like I’m disturbing your sweet dreams.”
“Hou Mingzhu, I’m not in the mood for jokes. Release Xiao Pang immediately!”
“Alright, then let’s talk terms. Who is the woman living in your house?”
Hou Mingzhu’s question was like a bolt from the blue. As soon as she finished speaking, a clap of thunder echoed through the sky.
The lightning illuminated Hou Mingzhu’s eyes, making them sparkle and appear incredibly resolute. Crucially, her gaze conveyed a murderous intent.
Ye Tiancheng was momentarily stunned. The key question was how Hou Mingzhu knew there was a woman in his house.
“What woman? I don’t know. You have no right to meddle in my affairs.”
Hou Mingzhu grabbed Ye Tiancheng’s chin, her demeanor bordering on playful teasing.
“Don’t treat me like an idiot. There are still traces of women’s toiletries in your house, and when I had my men inspect the floor just now, they found several strands of long hair. You’re not going to tell me that hair belongs to you or that fatty, are you?”
Hou Mingzhu was truly cunning. If this were the Republican era, she would have been a perfect female spy, and her appearance today was quite fitting for one.
Ye Tiancheng stubbornly turned his head, freeing his chin from Hou Mingzhu’s grip.
“It has nothing to do with you. You, as a young lady of status, should have plenty of important matters to attend to. There’s no need to deliberately pick a fight with me.”
Hou Mingzhu grabbed Ye Tiancheng’s chin again, this time with more force. Her fingernails were long, and her grip caused his jaw to ache.
“I am your fiancée, don’t forget. You’re thinking of cuckolding me? Are you tired of living?”
Ye Tiancheng inwardly scoffed. What kind of logic was this? He had been sent to work on this land for three years, and was he expected to live like an ascetic? For a man to maintain his chastity for a woman, even as a son-in-law, was something Ye Tiancheng found unacceptable.
“Why should I?”
“Very well, it seems you’re quite stubborn. Ye Tiancheng, do you really think I won’t find out who this person is just because you don’t tell me? If I find out who this woman is, do you know what her fate will be?”
“What do you want?”
Ye Tiancheng was starting to get angry. While he couldn’t afford to offend Hou Mingzhu at the moment, it didn’t mean he had no temper.
“Although you are my fiancé and we are destined to spend our lives together, Ye Tiancheng, I’ve discovered you know nothing about me, let alone my methods. Now, I’ll let you understand.”
With that, Hou Mingzhu released Ye Tiancheng. Using Xiao Pang as a threat, she ordered Ye Tiancheng to follow her out. After walking for a short while in the rain, they arrived at a hillside.
On the hillside lay a burlap sack, which seemed to contain something, but it remained motionless.
Suddenly, this scene overlapped with the scene from Ye Tiancheng’s dream, causing him a splitting headache.
He was the one who had thrown the person down before. Now, with a broader worldview, Ye Tiancheng had developed some compassion, which was why he had let the insidious and cunning Hou Damao go.
He hadn’t expected fate to be so peculiar. Ye Tiancheng had spared him, but that fellow had still courted his own demise, ultimately meeting the same end. Hou Damao had somehow ended up in a burlap sack again.
“Is Hou Damao in the sack?”
Ye Tiancheng showed no shock, only a hint of helplessness. For a scumbag like Hou Damao, his death was insignificant; keeping him alive would be a waste of air.
Ye Tiancheng’s composure somewhat dampened Hou Mingzhu’s sense of accomplishment.
“You guessed correctly. The person seems to have no breath left. Aren’t you afraid?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? I really don’t understand your thought process, woman.”
“Fine, it seems I’m still too kind. I was afraid of scaring you, so I put him in the sack.”
After speaking, Hou Mingzhu instructed her subordinates to open the sack. This time, Hou Mingzhu intended to play a bigger game, determined to make Ye Tiancheng truly understand what a venomous woman was.
When Hou Mingzhu’s subordinates opened the sack, Hou Damao was inside, barely recognizable.
Hou Mingzhu stared at Ye Tiancheng, trying to capture any unusual expression on his face. After all, Hou Mingzhu desperately wanted to see what Ye Tiancheng looked like when he was flustered.
“Why are you showing such eye-searing things so early in the morning? I still have to eat later.”
The scene was completely different from what Hou Mingzhu had imagined. Ye Tiancheng remained as calm as ever, even a little impatient, wanting to end it all quickly, finding it all rather uninteresting.
“Alright, throw him down.”
Ye Tiancheng was too unresponsive, so Hou Mingzhu lost interest in playing with him further. She had her men re-sack Hou Damao and then kicked him down the hillside.
“Ye Tiancheng, you’re just a farmer. How can you have such strong psychological resilience? Or is it true, as the rumors say, that you’ve been possessed by an immortal, causing you to change so drastically?”
The mention of immortal possession slightly angered Ye Tiancheng. The Nuwa Stone had been dormant for some time. Unless he needed it for planting pears, it wouldn’t come out to help. If Ye Tiancheng tried to find the Nuwa Stone for even a casual chat, it wouldn’t pay him any attention.
“I don’t know. No comment.”
Looking at the handsome and cold man before her, Hou Mingzhu felt her heart being constantly stirred. She desperately wanted to conquer him but couldn’t find the right method.
“Ye Tiancheng, isn’t this some kind of strategy of yours? Trying to get my attention, so you’ve suddenly become so mature and steady? You know I like strong men, and I detest unstable men who scream at the slightest inconvenience.”
“You like whatever kind of man you want. Anyway, I don’t like you for now.”
“You!”
Hou Mingzhu was furious, even starting to regret her actions. Why had she rushed over here only to upset Ye Tiancheng? It was truly a case of suffering the consequences of her own actions.
“I can’t be bothered with you anymore. I’m going to find out who your woman is. If I can’t deal with you, surely I can deal with that vixen?”
With that, the huffing Hou Mingzhu turned to leave. Perhaps due to the rain, the ground was slippery. Hou Mingzhu took a large step, lost her balance, and her feet slipped. Her body tilted backward, her center of gravity shifting rapidly.
“Ah!”
As Hou Mingzhu was about to fall, down such a steep slope, even if she miraculously survived, she would surely be crippled.
At the critical moment, Ye Tiancheng unleashed his true qi and, with superhuman speed, rushed over, catching Hou Mingzhu in his arms. He then spun around and landed steadily.
Having narrowly escaped death, Hou Mingzhu stared at Ye Tiancheng. Now, Ye Tiancheng’s identity was not just that of a fiancé, but also her savior.
Never having been so close to death, even the experienced young lady, Hou Mingzhu, was terrified. Her face was pale, and her lips were completely devoid of color.
“To your house.”
With just three words, Hou Mingzhu collapsed into Ye Tiancheng’s arms. Ye Tiancheng regretted saving her, fearing she might become clingy.
However, in such a critical moment, he would have saved anyone, not just Hou Mingzhu. Now that Hou Mingzhu had fainted, Ye Tiancheng had no choice but to take her home.
“You are not welcome in my house. You all wait outside.”
Hou Mingzhu had already fainted, and her subordinates had witnessed Ye Tiancheng’s heroic rescue. None of them dared to disobey him now. After all, they all knew Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu were engaged. Their bickering might just be playful banter, and they didn’t want to overstep their bounds and face the consequences. Hou Mingzhu’s subordinates stood guard outside, unmoving even in the rain, while Ye Tiancheng carried Hou Mingzhu and laid her on the kang.
“Wuwuwu…”
Seeing that Hou Mingzhu seemed fine, Ye Tiancheng finally felt a little relieved. If the young lady of the Hou family were to suffer any harm while in his care, Hou Mingzhu’s father might raze the entire Dahe Village to the ground.
“Save me… wuwuwu…”
Ye Tiancheng had been too focused earlier. Only now did he notice that someone was still tied up on the ground. He quickly went over and freed Xiao Pang.
“Brother Ye, you’re too focused on women and neglect your friends. I thought you’d abandoned me just now.”
“Everything that just happened was quite thrilling. Don’t complain. It’s normal for me to be distracted. Hou Mingzhu is truly a crazy woman, kicking Hou Damao down the mountain like that.”
“It seems his chances of survival are slim. Then why did Miss Hou faint?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps retribution came too quickly. Just now, I saw Hou Mingzhu slip and almost fall down that same slope. Fortunately, I managed to save her in time.”
Upon hearing that Ye Tiancheng had saved her, Xiao Pang found it somewhat incomprehensible.
“Brother Ye, you should stop provoking Hou Mingzhu. This woman is too troublesome. I fear you’ll eventually fall into her hands.”
Ye Tiancheng was also helpless. But since he had already saved her, he could only face the situation as it unfolded, taking it one step at a time.
“Once she wakes up, I’ll immediately have her leave.”
“I’ve never seen such a barbaric woman. She actually had her subordinates tie me up. Although I’m not one to hold grudges, I’ll remember this offense!”
Seeing Xiao Pang muttering with dissatisfaction, Ye Tiancheng could only try to comfort him.
“Alright, you’ve been wronged this time. I’ll give you a big red envelope later.”
“Brother Ye, you don’t need to. I know you’re going through difficulties right now. Once we overcome these challenges, I’ll enjoy the good times with you.”
Ye Tiancheng was reminded once again that he was in a rather desperate situation. He glanced at the unconscious Hou Mingzhu. Thinking that this pampered young lady claimed she could solve all his problems, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in his heart.
“It’s fine, it won’t make a difference if you don’t. Besides, heaven wouldn’t treat me this unfairly. Now, isn’t this the woman who can solve my problems sent right to me?”
Xiao Pang didn’t quite understand what Ye Tiancheng meant.
“Brother Ye, I can’t waste any more time. I’ll go cook for you. I’ll be in the kitchen. Call me if you need anything.”
After saying this, Xiao Pang went to cook. Ye Tiancheng stayed by Hou Mingzhu’s side, watching her, who looked like she was merely sleeping with her eyes closed. A thought suddenly crossed Ye Tiancheng’s mind.
Hou Mingzhu was indeed beautiful, but her demeanor was too overbearing. Only when she was unconscious did she appear somewhat docile and cute; otherwise, she was like a tigress.