Chapter 434: with translation of chapter title

What kind of evil obstacle have I given birth to?

Heartless, unfeeling thing!

Look at others?

Father and brothers suffer, yet they still know to come after us; the whole family shares blessings and hardships together.

She's fine, following her ruthless grandmother to set up another household, escaping disaster and enjoying blessings; now she's become a princess consort, casting us aside completely.

Even if they only sent some silver over?

We aren't reduced to living worse than pigs and dogs.

Qu Shi resented while wiping her tears.

Li Kechuan, hearing these complaints each time, would uncontrollably flare up: 'Mother, can't you stop saying that?'

She, Li Qingluo, now wishes to have nothing to do with us.

Mother, what are you still hoping for?

Think about what we've done; do you still want her to forget past grievances and become a great filial daughter again?

When speaking of this, Qu Shi's face turned pale.

How could she forget that she was arrested and imprisoned as a death-row inmate, all plotted by Luo'er?

Thinking of this, Qu Shi's heart would clutch with fierce pain.

Although she has done many wrong things, none of it wasn't for the three of them?

It's just that Luo'er had ill fate, swapped at birth by that vicious woman of the Liu family.

Afterwards, all those events; if Luo'er could have grown up by my side, none would have happened.

Qu Shi's heart holds deep guilt toward Li Qingluo, yet whenever she thinks of her ruthlessness and indifference, she cannot help but resent her.

Whenever she thinks of these, Qu Shi cannot help but pull a long face.

And the constables, seeing her dare to put on a face, would lash a whip at her.

You vicious woman, dare to put on a face before us?

They say you not only killed your own birth mother, but also harmed many concubine children; you, such a vicious woman, actually still alive and escaped from Jinling—do you believe we'll beat you to death?

Qu Shi truly is the most miserable one.

Each time beaten until she screamed in pain, she would roll on the ground.

Li Kechuan, unable to watch, would throw himself to the ground, then crawl onto her to shield her, and only then would the whip stop.

Mother, since we are still alive now, we cannot remain as we were before.

If you don't change, even your son cannot protect you.

Li Kechuan had long understood this thoroughly in his heart.

Since the ruined temple incident, he realized he could never contend with his own blood sister.

Although she hadn't grown up beside him since childhood, her scheming and strategy are deeper than anyone's in this household.

Since her return, hasn't she been guarding against them everywhere?

And they, because they favored Zhu, never truly thought of accepting her, understanding her.

Thus, on the road of mutual hatred and misunderstanding, they drift further and further apart...

He lost.

Having lost completely, he dare not provoke her again.

He fears that his very life will truly be utterly ruined in her hands again.

Even if his heart remains unwilling, he accepts it—this is his own retribution!

From now on, staying away from Jinling would be good.

But whenever he thinks of this, Li Kechuan feels intense hatred for Liu Qinzhu and the Liu family.

If it weren't for Liu Qinzhu deliberately seducing him, he wouldn't have fallen into the trap of being obsessed with her, unable to extricate himself.

The Liu family lot are even worse—nothing good at all!

If they hadn't deliberately swapped the girls back then, and later spouted lies claiming they hadn't mistreated Luo'er, Luo'er certainly wouldn't hate them to this extent!

Luo'er should have been their cherished treasure...

Yet they, as if possessed, time and again for Liu Qinzhu, push Luo'er farther and farther away.

Li Kechuan regrets day after day, and also hates Liu Qinzhu day after day.

So he seizes every opportunity to humiliate Liu Qinzhu.

Even if he has something in his hand, he will throw it all at her.

Liu Qinzhu perhaps is afraid of being beaten.

She also dares not retaliate, each time silently enduring, covering her head and only able to flee quickly.

She wants to avoid that mother and son pair, the farther the better.

So, seeing Li Kechuan get beaten again this moment, her heart sank heavily.

Knowing that today she likely will again be sought out by him to vent his troubles...

Sure enough, while eating, Li Kechuan dumped a bowl of scalding plain congee straight onto Liu Qinzhu.

Liu Qinzhu let out a startled cry: 'Ah——'

The constables merely glanced sideways, then did not intervene.

Li Kechuan then intensified, grabbing Liu Qinzhu's throat in one grip.

Liu Qinzhu wanted to escape.

Qu Shi then reached out, clutching her tightly, and pushed her toward Li Kechuan's face.

Liu Qinzhu, if Luo'er suffers any misfortune, you go accompany her in death!

Liu Qiongzhu struggled, saying: "Why……what……"?

Qu Shi cried, saying: "You took Luo'er's life, you took her fortune."

"If Luo'er had been able to grow up at home back then, we wouldn't be like this now."

"It's too late to say anything now."

"If Luo'er really died, what's the point of you still being alive?"

"You might as well go die!"

Liu Qiongzhu almost really was strangled to death.

Still, that constable, fearing to attract the masked people again, kicked them all three away with one foot, only then saving Liu Qiongzhu's life.

Liu Qiongzhu lay on the ground, first laughing, then her voice filled with endless sorrow.

"Isn't the suffering I've endured enough?"

"Was it all my fault that I was swapped back then?"

"Clearly, back then I was just an infant."

"I know my sins are deep; I shouldn't have coveted things I shouldn't have, nor should I have encroached on your love."

"But the person who owes a greater debt to Li Qingluo has never been me!"

"It's you!"

"If we must be buried together, why not you——"

Qu Shi lunged at Liu Qiongzhu and gave her another brutal beating.

"What did you say?"

"Who let you have the surname Liu!"

"Who let you still be alive!!"

"If you hadn't bewitched me, how could I have not loved my own biological daughter and loved you, this impostor!"

"It's clearly you, it's all you!"

Qu Shi, furious from shame and anger, gave Liu Qiongzhu a beating from head to toe.

Liu Qiongzhu wanted to fight back, but she was pinned underneath and had no strength to do so.

Through the gap, she saw Qu Shi's ugly and ferocious face.

That loving mother, the gentle mistress of the Jiangjun Fu, has now completely become a shrew.

Seeing this, Liu Qiongzhu's heart had already been torn into millions of pieces.

These days, she has been humiliated and beaten by them mother and son in any way, yet she never thought of fighting back.

It is because deep down she still cherishes a trace of old affection for them.

It is that no matter how dark, helpless, and desperate the road, whenever she thinks of the past sixteen years, she feels a supporting strength in her heart.

No matter what, they loved her for sixteen years.

And that was also the happiest sixteen years of her life……

But now, the ones who have torn her apart completely are also them.

Until her mouth was split open, filling with blood, Liu Qiongzhu angrily shoved Qu Shi away.

Only when the corner of her mouth was split open and her mouth was full of blood did Liu Qiongzhu angrily shove Qu Shi away.

She can no longer call out "Mother" and "Older Brother."

Deep down, toward them she feels only resentment.

Everything, indeed, is fake.

Everything is fake……

Night fell.

Qu Shi and Li Kechuan took the best spots and had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Liu Qiongzhu sat with her arms hugged beside the cow dung, staring blankly as tears streamed down.

She raised her hand and wiped again and again.

Suddenly, she let out a soft laugh.

"I never expected that, in my most desperate moment, the only person who ever helped me was her, Li Qingluo."

"The person who should hate me the most ended up saving me."

"And those who constantly claimed to love me……"

"Now they all personally torment me."

"Ha……haha……"

"Liu Qiongzhu……no, Liu Caoer……"

"In the next life, I'd rather not be human."

"Being human is really exhausting……"

"Coming into this world, this trip has never been worth it."

She raised her hand and lit the tinder she had long concealed.

As Li Kechuan groggily woke up, still unable to see what she held in her hand, Liu Qiongzhu……no, Liu Caoer raised her hand and threw the tinder onto the straw stack behind them.

As Li Kechuan slowly came to, before he could see clearly what she was holding in her hand, Liu Qiongzhu…… no, Liu Caoer raised her hand and threw the match into the haystack behind the mother and son.

However, he struggled with his hands and feet, but still couldn't flip out of the cowshed.

Liu Caoer quickly crawled over and clapped a hand over his mouth.

Then she exerted all her strength to press down on his body.

Then, exerting all their strength, they pressed down on his body.

Qu Shi also woke up quickly.

Seeing the licorice burning beside her, Qu Shi let out a startled cry.

"Ah—"

Liu Qiongzhu then flung herself onto her again.

"Let's die together."

"Ha ha..."

"Mother, elder brother, you don't love me the most, do you?"

"If we're going to die, then let's die together!"

"We'll go down to hell together, go bury ourselves with Li Qingluo!"

Qu Shi had already been burned by the fire; she cried out in pain, "wah-wah": "What are you doing?"

"Are you crazy—?"

"You lunatic, get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

However, Liu Caoer, who has been doing hard labor every day for the past few months, now has more than enough strength to completely suppress Qu Shi—it goes without saying.

Even if Li Kechuan, acting like a madman, lunged at her, pulling and tugging, even kicking her repeatedly and biting her face almost to shreds, she still didn't let go.

If Qu Shi were to gain freedom, even in death she would drag Li Kechuan out with her.

So, Qu Shi cannot run!

Li Kechuan, even less so can he run.

The flames quickly completely engulfed the entire cowshed.

Liu Caoer laughed wildly in the fire: "Our family is together again."

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Mother, elder brother, let's go underground together to apologize to those people."

"Ha ha, hahaha..."

"Li Qingluo! I, Liu Caoer, owe you a debt I can never repay in this lifetime!"

"Could you wait until I die… then it will all be over—"

"And there's also Hongling and the others…"

"Back then I burned so many people to death; now let me also endure this purgatorial pain—on the road to hell, let them come claim my life again—"

"Ah—"

The piercing shriek split the night sky, waking the entire village.

At the same time, in Exalted Prefecture hundreds of li away, a pair of eyes suddenly opened.

Li Qingluo had slept for seven full days and nights, then suddenly woke up, finding herself at a loss, not knowing where she was.

Until someone outside set off a string of fireworks.

Lighting up the pitch-black night outside the window, she then sat up as if waking from a dream.

Li Qingluo supported her somewhat heavy head and gave it a shake.

Memories gradually surfaced in her mind, recalling what happened after she caught up with Zong Zheng Wuheng that day...