Chapter 11: The Yuan Brothers' Revenge

Tonight's meal is the best Chen Wuji has eaten since he transmigrated into this fool's body.

The axolotl is protected; there really is a reason.

The flesh is tender and fresh, with its own fragrance.

The household's bland seasonings unintentionally contributed to this delicious dish.

Huo Sanniang's bright, sparkling peach‑blossom eyes lit up as she ate, and with almost every bite she shouted something like "Delicious! What kind of fish is this, how can it be so tasty?"

Chen Wuji just shook his head; he couldn't make up a name on the spot, so he pretended not to know.

Anyway, it couldn't be said to be axolotl.

After the meal, Huo Sanniang boiled water in the kitchen, while Chen Wuji peeled the skins of two deer, cut the meat into uneven pieces, wrapped them all in banana leaves, and stuffed them into a basket, preparing to sell them in the town tomorrow.

As for the weasel, he didn't bother with it.

If someone wants it tomorrow, handling it then won't be too late.

Then, while there was still some light outside, he took a hind leg of a deer, cut some rib strips, and went to Chen Bushi's house.

Chen Bushi lives a bit off the main path; to reach his house one must cross the whole village, all the way to South Mountain Foot.

Tao Yuanming's beans are planted at South Mountain Foot, and he lives there too, with not a single neighbor around.

Passing by Yuan Laoer's house, Chen Wuji saw candles lit in the courtyard, recalled yesterday's events, and a surge of wicked fire suddenly flared in his heart.

Lao Bangzi is still thinking about his woman and wants to use that as a way to deal with him.

He doesn't know whether he can attract evil, but Chen Wuji wants to make that youngster attract a bit of evil.

To let him see what "yellow mud sealing the seven orifices" is.

He carefully placed the deer meat he was carrying on the nearby grass, then Chen Wuji crept toward Yuan Laoer's house; in the dim light he found a soft patch of ground and poured a splash of mud.

Then he mixed it into a clod of mud, held it in his hand, and tossed it up the slope behind Yuan Laoer's house.

He had no water on him, so this was the only disgusting thing he could do.

In Yuan Laoer's courtyard stood a small square table, with two people sitting opposite, drinking.

The light was too dim for Chen Wuji to see clearly.

But the figures looked like Yuan Laoer and his Village Chief elder brother.

Their conversation drifted faintly on the breeze.

"The black, sturdy, hot‑tempered woman you want isn't here; I chose the most beautiful one for that kid," the thin man said.

As soon as he spoke, Chen Wuji immediately identified his role.

He was the Village Chief.

Yuan Laoer, hearing this, grew impatient: "Brother, you're clueless—how could you still pick the most beautiful one for him? Pick one for me; we're planning to kill that kid, why are you still being cheap to him!"

The Village Chief said blandly, "That woman killed three members of her husband's family, slashing each of the three for over two hundred cuts; if you want her, it's still in time now."

"So ruthless!" Yuan Laoer exclaimed in shock. "I can't handle that, but it does suit that kid; he's robust, should be able to bear over two hundred cuts by himself."

"You thought it through, brother, but how did this woman, after killing three people, end up sent to the Matchmaker? Shouldn't she have been beheaded!"

"You fool," the Village Chief scolded.

"Earlier this year, on the Empress Dowager's birthday, the Emperor granted a general amnesty, sparing death‑row prisoners. At the start of the year, when the Crown Prince ascended, another amnesty was issued, and she was even spared the disaster of imprisonment."

"I see, I had completely forgotten," Yuan Laoer said, dawning realization.

The Village Chief snorted lightly, "You fool, what else is in your head besides women?"

Facing his elder brother's scolding, Yuan Laoer only smiled, offering no retort.

Chen Wuji listened to their conversation, and the flames in his heart surged wildly upward.

He must have been referring to the kid they mentioned—that must be him.

They're using a covert scheme, preparing to send him a female death prisoner as a bride, apparently also planning to use her hand to kill him.

Sheesh, to deal with him these two brothers have certainly done a lot of scheming.

They gut and scrape, and even employ such roundabout schemes.

Yuan Laoer has always had a lingering desire for Huo Sanniang; could they be planning to use the same covert method to get Huo Sanniang into their hands?

No, tomorrow they must promptly settle the marriage matter with Huo Sanniang, lest long nights bring many dreams.

At that moment, voices from the courtyard rose again.

The Village Chief said, "Tomorrow the county's patrol will collectively escort a new bride to Xishan Village; go check Chen the Fool's house, and try to persuade the patrol to take the Chen‑Huo family away a bit earlier."

"They're not eager to come down again; they don't want to run around. Once Chen the Fool's bride arrives, his sister‑in‑law should, by right, be married. If you toss a few copper coins, barring any mishap, you should be able to share the bridal chamber with the Chen‑Huo family tomorrow night."

Yuan Laoer, hearing this, shouted with excitement, "First thing tomorrow morning I'll lurk at Chen the Fool's house. Damn, tomorrow's bridal chamber I'll set up right outside his house, so that fool can really hear a voice."

"You fool, if you want to die you can do it that way; he's a fool, what wouldn't he dare do? If you can kill him behind his back, why must you provoke him? I think you yourself are a fool!" the Village Chief scolded.

"Also, tomorrow early morning go out of the village to meet the patrol, don't go to Chen the Fool's house. If you go there, how will you pay the patrol? In front of the villagers, do you think they'll gladly accept your few scattered copper coins?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm confused, just a moment of confusion," Yuan Laoer kept agreeing.

Chen Wuji's expression was as dark and still as water.

The brothers' plan was pretty much what he had guessed.

They exploited the Court's laws, hurried to find him a wife, then forced Huo Sanniang to marry elsewhere.

After facilitating these two matters, they would manipulate the situation further to achieve their own goal.

This method could be called brilliant.

Using the Court's statutes as a framework, then bribing the Matchmaker, each link was tightly in place.

Only, they seemed to have overlooked.

She, too, could be married to the younger uncle.

Chen Wuji sneered, flung the yellow mud in his hand outward.

Lao Zamao, let you try the usual tricks of evil.

Ghost Hitting Wall and sealing the seven orifices with yellow mud are widely known in Xishan Village, with countless people describing them in vivid detail.

It is also a childhood nightmare for countless children in Xishan Village.

Smack!

Yellow mud flew into Yuan Laoer's courtyard and hit the dinner table precisely.

The trajectory was a bit off, it didn't smear on Yuan Laoer's face, but instead knocked over the oil lamp.

"Who?!"

A shout rang out.

Chen Wuji ignored it, flinging clods of mud one after another.

As the night deepened, he could only vaguely see two silhouettes, unable to tell clearly where they had struck.

But from the sound, it seemed they had been hit.

The small clods of mud were quickly used up.

Chen Wuji scooped up lumps of earth and stones from nearby and threw them.

Surprisingly, the two brothers didn't come out to look, but instead hid inside the room.

Chen Wuji seized the opportunity, throwing whatever he could grab at Yuan Laoer's window.