Chapter 376

"Zhang Guilian, stop talking nonsense, tell me quickly, where did your husband and your son run off to!"

Zhang Guihua had no patience to listen to Zhang Guilian's self‑pity; even if what she said were true, she could only say she deserved it, and replied impatiently:

"If my elder brother were to meet any mishap, even if I risk my own life, I will have you buried with me!"

"Guihua, I really don't know…"

Zhang Guilian's face turned mournful, her words unfinished, when Li Ping broke free from Zhang Chengze's embrace, leapt forward, turned to run, but was still 'accidentally' tripped by Zhang Chengze, fell to the ground, and hurriedly said:

Li Ping—No, eldest sister-in-law, I really don't know where that beast Du Guan ran off to!

If you don't want to speak, then I'll do you a favor!

Li Ping snarled, almost using all her strength, grabbed Gui Lian's neck and squeezed hard.

"Elder brother, elder brother, elder brother, I've found Du Guan and his son!"

At that moment, a shout rang out; Zhang Chengyong ran over from afar, saw his mother choking Gui Lian, whose eyes were about to bulge, and, startled, said:

"Mother, what are you doing? Zhang Gui— second aunt, what did she do to you? If you keep squeezing, second aunt will lose her life!"

Watching his mother nearly choke Gui Lian to death, Zhang Chengyong was both shocked and secretly relieved; recalling over the years Zhang Guilian's family's arrogant attitude toward him, he remembered that the day before yesterday he went to Zhang Guilian's house to tell her that his father had died, and the words she said then.

He already had a murderous heart!

Seeing Gui Lian's pitiful state now, he could not possibly feel sympathy; he wished that such inhuman beast die early and be reborn soon.

However.

He was curious: last night Gui Lian deliberately flattered them in front of them; even if his mother disliked Gui Lian and wouldn't even look at a monk's face, she still had to give his father face, making it unlikely she'd be on equal terms with Gui Lian, nor would she agree to share a bed with her.

Even if Gui Lian begged desperately, offering one reason after another.

How?

Early this morning, it almost turned into a murder!

"What did you say?"

Li Ping released her grip on Gui Lian's neck, got up from the ground, and before she could finish speaking, heard Gui Lian, lying on the floor, jump ahead to ask:

"Chengyong, where did you find them?"

Logically, she should resent the beastly father‑son pair Du Guan, who did something wrong and left her here to take the blame.

They completely disregarded her life or death.

Yet for some reason, upon learning that Zhang Chengyong had found the beastly pair, she felt deep unwillingness.

As if she didn't want Zhang Chengyong to locate that father‑son pair!

It's not that she clearly knows that once their deeds are caught, even if Zhang Deben were willing to spare them, the Zhang family wouldn't, and even if the Zhang family did, the Zhang Family Members of Zhang Family Village wouldn't.

No one knows how many Zhang Family Members hope that Zhang Deben becomes the Mountain God of Shizi Ling and leads them to a better life.

If one of Du Guan's beastly father‑son pair became the Mountain God of Shizi Ling, would they still expect that pair to look after them?

Not exploiting them would be good enough!

Regarding Du Guan's beastly father‑son pair trying to snatch Zhang Deben's Shizi Ling Mountain God position and wanting to be the Mountain God themselves, the Zhang Family Members must be seething with anger.

If they caught Du Guan and his son, using the death penalty to kill the pair would be possible.

She is unwilling because she is disappointed; once the Du family father and son are found, they will likely be captured. Thus, the Du father and son will find it almost impossible to vie for the Shizi Ling Mountain God role, and she cannot rely on her own family producing a Mountain God to swagger arrogantly; she can only watch helplessly as Li Ping, that scoundrel, flaunts her power.

"They, they are fighting in the back yard!"

Zhang Chengyong blurted out instinctively, but seeing Gui Lian's disheveled state, recalling that when he first arrived he had personally seen his mother riding on Gui Lian, both hands squeezing Gui Lian's neck so hard it almost popped out her eyeballs, he whispered:

"Elder brother, what just happened? Shouldn't second aunt have deliberately tried to please my mother? How did a conflict with my mother arise, and she almost got choked to death by my mother?"

Zhang Chengze seemed not to have heard Zhang Chengyong's words behind him; even though Zhang Chengyong's next sentence was very quiet, anyone nearby with normal hearing could hear it, and he exclaimed in shock:

"Chengyong, what did you say? Did Du Guan and his son start fighting at our back door?"

He had never seen the Du family father and son in the main hall, nor found them in the rooms arranged for them; even the carriage tied at the door was missing. Moreover, his mother told him that yesterday Yu Die had given them the Mountain God Token, which he had placed into a coffin, and now that token has also vanished.

No need to think; it must have been stolen by the Du father and son.

According to his conjecture, after the Du father and son stole his father's Mountain God Token, they would immediately dispatch the carriage to leave his house, perhaps already having fled to an unknown place.

Never imagined…

The Du father and son actually fought at his back door!

This was something he never could have imagined; he guessed that the Du father and son might fight possibly because both had a small scheme regarding the Mountain God Token, but even if they intended to seize the token, they should have fled to a safe place before battling for it.

You have arrived at this novel

Fighting at his back door to snatch the Mountain God Token?

He could not understand what the Du father and son were thinking.

Zhang Chengyong asked in confusion, "Elder brother, what's so unusual about the father and son fighting?"

Their family's relationship with the Du family was distant; he hadn't much contact with Du family members, but regarding the Du father and son's character, whatever mischief they did might surprise him, yet not make him disbelieve.

Just now.

He found the Du father and son at the back door, watching them brawl, felt surprised yet not the slightest bit shocked.

Who would allow such a thing? It was the Du father and son who could do it.

Zhang Chengze, with a grim face and unfriendly tone, said, "Do you know that the father and son pried open our father's coffin and stole the Mountain God Token we had placed inside!"

"How dare they?"

Zhang Chengyong's face and eyes were filled with barely concealed rage as he shouted, "I'll skin them! I want to ask them where my father wronged them; how dare they commit such beastly acts!"

It was only then that he finally understood that, given Gui Lian's attitude toward his mother yesterday, she could not possibly offend his mother again today; his mother is not mentally ill and would not choke Gui Lian to death without cause.

The reason turned out to be this!

If he knew about the Du father and son's despicable deeds, he would have curiously watched their dragon‑versus‑tiger fight and then rushed over to inform his elder brother.

At that time, he should have grabbed a staff and beaten those two despicable creatures to death.

(End of chapter)