Miao Xiaocui was not that foolish. She observed for a few days before deciding to act. Shu An was different from Shu Bei; Shu Bei was flamboyant, enjoying the company of young males and disliking playing with crybaby females.
But Shu An was different. Shu An was a quiet little beauty, fulfilling Shu Yue’s wish by being exceptionally well-behaved after birth. It was evident from a young age that she would be a considerate and loving child.
She often played childish games with other young females, not with her elder siblings, which gave Miao Xiaocui the opportunity to strike.
Shu An was completely unaware of the danger because she was already asleep. The snow crystal fruit was genuine, but its exterior was coated with a plant sap that induced sleep.
Thanks to Shu Xin, everyone had gotten to know many medicinal herbs over the years, including a few with special effects. Today, they proved useful.
Miao Xiaocui was very cautious. She first used other young females as a cover, so Shu An blending in wouldn't seem out of place. Once they were out of sight of any adults, she shook off the other children and hurried away with Shu An in her arms.
The deeply sleeping Shu An was placed into a beast hide bag and naturally carried home by Miao Xiaocui.
Someone on the road even asked what was in the bag. Miao Xiaocui smiled and replied, "It's fruit I got for the children. There were quite a few left over."
She held the bag close to her. The tribesmen didn't look closely. Why couldn't they smell Shu An? That was because Miao Xiaocui had applied a scent-eliminating herb. She had planned this moment for several days, and her mates had prepared the necessary items beforehand.
No one knew that she was carrying a child in the bag.
Yin Chuan, who had been entrusted by Shu An’s brother to look after Miao Xiaocui, was loitering near her house. He found it strange that she wasn't at home and wondered where she had gone.
Male eyesight was much better than female eyesight. From a distance, he saw Miao Xiaocui returning with a bag. Yin Chuan immediately hid.
He knew that Sister Cui disliked him, even detested him, so he couldn't let her see him.
He hid in Miao Xiaocui's blind spot and watched her enter her house. He hadn't paid attention to the bag before. Transforming into his beast form, he perched on the wall, close enough to hear the sounds inside the house.
Just as he was about to close his eyes, he saw Miao Xiaocui come out again, carrying the bag in one hand and a shovel in the other, digging a hole next to the latrine in the yard.
Yin Chuan watched her actions, puzzled. Was she burying something?
What was she burying? Yin Chuan curiously examined the beast hide bag. It was bulging and motionless, as if it contained a small prey.
Miao Xiaocui's face was expressionless as she dug. Kidnapping a child here was difficult. She didn't have wings and couldn't fly. Even if she got the child, she couldn't get out. She couldn't hide it from everyone.
She couldn't even hide it from her mates, so she planned to send them all away and bury the child at her own home. She had no other choice.
Shu An had been missing for half a day, and people had started looking for her. If she were buried elsewhere, she might still be found by a beastman with a keen sense of smell before she was even dead. Even with the scent-eliminating herbs, she couldn't guarantee that not a single trace of Shu An's scent would remain.
There were no secrets here. Everyone had a nose that was better than their eyes. Unless one killed someone and fled immediately, they would be discovered.
Her home was her only option. There were two reasons for burying the child next to the latrine: first, the smell of the latrine could mask the scent of Shu An's body; second… a fleeting trace of hatred crossed Miao Xiaocui's eyes. She wanted Shu Yue's child to be buried in such a foul place, to have her precious daughter lie with excrement forever!
Why not throw her directly into the cesspool? Because the cesspools in Warrior City were not simple dug pits. Beneath the stepping stones was a large manure tank, convenient for removal and fertilization.
Beastmen ate a lot and excreted a lot. Their family was exceptionally large, so the manure tank had to be emptied every three days. If Shu An were thrown in there, wouldn't it reveal that she was the one who harmed her? How could she continue to live in Warrior City then?
Therefore, considering all factors, burying her in the ground was the most secure method.
Miao Xiaocui didn't dig too deep; a meter was sufficient. She didn't untie the bag, just threw it into the pit, filled it with soil, and covered it. She even flattened the surface and stomped on it to compact it before leaving with satisfaction.
Having avenged herself, Miao Xiaocui happily lay down in bed to sleep. She hadn't slept much the previous night and had woken up early today, so she was already tired. With her great revenge achieved, her spirit relaxed, and she fell asleep very quickly.
And while she was asleep, Yin Chuan secretly dug at the soil in the yard with his claws. He felt something was wrong, and he was also curious. What exactly had she buried!
He dug faster than Miao Xiaocui. In tens of seconds, he unearthed the bag. The beast hide bag under his paw pads felt soft, and what was inside was also soft. Yin Chuan immediately sensed something was amiss. He quickly transformed into human form and untied the bag, revealing Shu An, who showed no signs of life.
Yin Chuan's mouth gaped in disbelief, his hands trembled, and his heart panicked. How could Sister Cui dare to do such a thing!
With no time to fill the hole back, Yin Chuan frantically scooped up Shu An and flew towards Shu Yue's house. The sleeping Miao Xiaocui was completely unaware!
"Sister Shu Yue! Sister Shu Yue, quickly!" Yin Chuan burst into Shu Yue's living room, holding Shu An.
Shu Yue was startled. "You..."
Her eyes first fell on the panicked Yin Chuan, then on her younger daughter in his arms, her heart sinking. "What's wrong with Shu An!"
Yin Chuan anxiously placed the child on the sofa and said urgently, "Sister Shu Yue, quickly check if Shu An is okay. Sister Cui just buried her alive!"
"What!" Hearing the word "buried alive," Shu Yue felt her blood freeze. Her head felt light, her ears roared, and she almost fell onto her youngest daughter, checking her body.
There was no breath at all. Shu Yue instantly collapsed onto the ground, her hands and feet cold.
Yin Chuan explained, "Sister Shu Yue, Shu An was buried, but I dug her out after a while. Do you think she can still be saved?!"
Hearing this, Shu Yue suddenly snapped back to reality. She slapped herself to stay awake, but her hands still trembled violently. She fiercely pinched Shu An's philtrum and performed artificial respiration.
After repeating this for several minutes, Shu An's previously motionless body suddenly moved a finger. Yin Chuan had been watching closely. Seeing the finger move, he immediately cried out in surprise, "She moved, Shu An moved!"
Shu Yue's lips trembled, but she didn't stop performing artificial respiration until Shu An fully revived.
"An An! An An! Wake up!" Shu Yue trembled as she shook her daughter.
Shu An felt extremely uncomfortable and burst into tears, "Waaah..."
But Shu Yue smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks. She pulled her daughter into a tight embrace, filled with lingering fear. "You scared me to death!"
Shu An, still unaware that she had brushed with death, cried along with her mother. After the mother and daughter cried for a while, Shu Yue finally found the time to ask Yin Chuan.
"Yin Chuan, repeat what you said when you came in." Her tone was calm, but her expression was as cold as a deep, frozen well.