Chapter 681 Who Exactly Is It
At this moment, in the village, He Lingyu and those who were going out had prepared their tools.
The village chief took out a sachet from his embrace. "There are quite a few fierce beasts in the village. Those of us who go out always carry a protective charm. Here's one for you."
He Lingyu was also a villager from the surrounding area, and she had never heard of any protective charms in the village.
She assumed it was because she was not from the village, and therefore, she was unaware of some of its hidden matters.
After thanking him, she took the sachet.
But the moment He Lingyu touched the sachet, she felt a sharp pain on her face. Although it was only for an instant, when she returned, she was stunned to find that many people had gathered around her without her knowing when.
At least eighty to ninety percent of the villagers were present.
He Lingyu found it strange. She had only gone out to collect a few specimens; it didn't warrant so many people to see her off.
What made He Lingyu even more nervous was that their gazes seemed unfriendly.
They were like the man-eating wild beasts in the forest.
As she surveyed the crowd, He Lingyu also spotted Zhu Sanqian.
"Brother Sanqian, do you want to come out with us?"
After all, Zhu Sanqian was an outsider who had entered the village with her. He Lingyu naturally felt he was more reliable.
However, He Lingyu then noticed that Zhu Sanqian's eyes seemed a little fearful.
He Lingyu glanced behind her curiously, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"What is this..."
Before He Lingyu could finish speaking, the village chief interjected, "If I remember correctly, your surname is He, right?"
"Ah? Yes, my name is He Lingyu." He Lingyu frowned. Why would the village chief suddenly ask this question?
Upon hearing the definite answer, the village chief let out a cold laugh. "You're quite bold, daring to return to the village. Do you really think I can't see through your disguise?"
"When your He family lineage left the village, we didn't pursue it. Yet, you were so ruthless, colluding with outsiders to poison us. What a scheme!"
He Lingyu's expression turned surprised, and she said fearfully, "Village Chief, what are you talking about? Poisoning? What are you saying? I don't understand."
"Brother Sanqian! Do you know what's going on?"
Zhu Sanqian merely looked at He Lingyu from afar and said, "Who are you? Was your previous appearance a disguise, or is this your true self?"
He Lingyu, surrounded by the crowd, immediately caught Zhu Sanqian's reminder, or rather, his question.
She then took out her phone to check. The moment she discovered she had completely transformed, He Lingyu shrieked and threw the phone to the ground.
He Lingyu never expected her appearance to change so drastically in such a short period.
Previously, He Lingyu looked more like someone who hadn't shed her youthful innocence. But now, her perfectly sculpted features, though enviable, were not her true self, He Lingyu knew.
Recalling the sudden pain on her face when she received the sachet, He Lingyu instantly understood that it was due to the sachet.
He Lingyu hastily threw the sachet she was holding away.
"Village Chief, what is in this thing! Why, why has my face changed!"
He Lingyu's voice was laced with fear and trepidation.
But faced with such a He Lingyu, the village chief's smile grew even colder. In his eyes, He Lingyu was merely putting on an act.
The villagers who had been surrounding them began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Looking at her, she bears a striking resemblance to her mother from back then!"
"Witch! Didn't Brother He leave back then because he was bewitched by that witch?"
"What Brother He? If it weren't for him, would we have been poisoned?"
...
Facing their venomous words, He Lingyu's body trembled with fear.
"He, give me back my son's life!" Just then, a martial artist suddenly erupted and lunged at He Lingyu. The force he unleashed was enough to shatter He Lingyu's head if it made contact.
This was no longer a mere killing blow but a punch filled with boundless hatred.
Upon witnessing this, Zhu Sanqian immediately rose to intervene. "Slow!"
Although the village chief was by Zhu Sanqian's side, he knew Zhu Sanqian's strength. He couldn't withstand this punch, and even if he intervened, he couldn't save her.
Just as the village chief had surmised, Zhu Sanqian managed to block the attacker but was sent crashing to the ground by the punch.
However, the punch did not injure He Lingyu; it was intercepted by a young man.
Chen Yang, employing the Heavenly Movement Secret Technique, had barely arrived in time.
If Zhu Sanqian hadn't stalled the attacker for two seconds, He Lingyu would likely be dead by now.
After blocking the attacker, Chen Yang pushed him away with one hand.
"Ganging up on a young girl like this, how can you be so shameless!"
He Lingyu was not a martial artist, nor a蠱蟲師 (Gu Master), but a very ordinary person.
In her previous predicament, if He Lingyu had any way to resist, she would have done so.
But even in the final second, He Lingyu had stood there blankly, clearly terrified.
Upon seeing Chen Yang, tears instantly welled up in He Lingyu's eyes. She clutched Chen Yang's arm tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
Chen Yang patted He Lingyu's shoulder and whispered, "It's okay, it's okay."
Zhu Sanqian got up from the ground, wiping the blood from his lips.
Seeing the area Zhu Sanqian was clutching, along with the color of the blood, Chen Yang immediately recognized his injury. Before Zhu Sanqian could speak, Chen Yang said, "Go and sit aside for now. That punch has injured your internal organs. I'll come and tend to your wounds later."
"Okay." Zhu Sanqian endured the pain and limped away from the crowd.
The villagers would not trouble Zhu Sanqian too much, after all, he was someone from Master Zhu Wu's faction.
However, they could not let Chen Yang, who had truly saved He Lingyu, off the hook.
Someone immediately said, "This outsider is truly ungrateful!"
"He's a powerful martial artist; we must be careful."
"With all of us attacking together, I don't believe he can escape with her!"
Although the words were spoken, no one dared to step forward. The person Chen Yang had repelled was one of the top three martial artists in the village.
The village chief stepped forward, and everyone immediately fell silent.
The village chief said coldly, "Chen Yang, I'm mentioning this because you were introduced by Master Zhu Wu. The person you are protecting now has a deep-seated enmity with our village."
"If you insist on protecting her, forget about cooperation; your life will be forfeit here."