Chapter 253: Divine Kick
Shang Wan moved the mountain bandit’s corpse to the edge of the table, arranging it in a posture of lying prone on the table, head down, buried between his arms as if sleeping. She conveniently blew out the oil lamp on the table.
There were three lamps in the kitchen total; blowing out one wouldn’t make much difference.
The meat soup in the pot was bubbling away; Shang Wan tasted a bit with chopsticks and distastefully curled her lip—this meat soup stewing skill was far inferior to Xiao Huan’s.
She took out the poison bottle and poured half a bottle into the pot without batting an eye.
The original meat soup aroma immediately turned somewhat strange; Shang Wan rummaged out spices from the kitchen—angelica, cinnamon, star anise…—and generously added them until the spice scent covered the poison’s smell.
“Done.” Shang Wan grabbed the pot ladle and stirred the meat soup in the pot, hoping the mountain bandits would like this midnight snack.
Being able to eat meat in one’s last meal of life could be considered fulfilling.
She was truly a good person!
Shang Wan cleared her throat.
Moments later, a thick voice came from the kitchen: “The meat soup is ready; take it to the brothers.”
Two mountain bandits entered in response and saw the mountain bandit cook lying prone on the table sleeping, his snoring shaking the heavens.
“Lazy bum!” one of the mountain bandits laughed and cursed.
The other mountain bandit smelled the spices and couldn’t help swallowing saliva, thinking to himself that today they were generous with the seasonings.
He picked up the porcelain bowl, eager to taste the meat soup.
The other mountain bandit pulled him back. “First deliver it to the night watch brothers; if we’re late and the Head Boss finds out, we’ll get a whipping.”
The mountain bandit realized it was getting late, so he had no choice but to set down the bowl and carry the large tray of meat soup over.
All the meat soup was ladled into bowls on the stove, not a drop left in the pot.
The mountain bandit called three more brothers to help carry; none of the four paid attention to the mountain bandit cook lying prone on the table sleeping, who had stopped snoring.
Tonight’s meat soup smelled delicious; with one less person to share, they could eat more.
Meanwhile, Shang Wan had followed the mountain bandit delivering meat soup to the Head Boss.
The Head Boss had absolute authority in the mountain stronghold and naturally lived in fine quarters.
Shang Wan hid in the shadows under the eaves, listening to the conversation in the room while waiting for the people inside to drink the meat soup.
Actually, she could subdue the entire mountain stronghold with her fists, but since there was no need to leave survivors when dealing with mountain bandits, why not use the method that saved effort?
“Clang!”
A bowl smashing sound suddenly came from the room, followed by the mountain bandit who had just delivered the meat soup scrambling out, shouting loudly as he ran: “The meat soup is poisoned, don’t… urk!”
His neck was pierced by a flying stone, the last word forever unable to be uttered.
The mountain bandit collapsed to the ground with eyes wide open, blood gushing from the hole in his neck, soaking the ground.
Shang Wan sidestepped the sabre slashing down at her and met the eyes of the wielder filled with rage, her lips curving into a cold arc.
She had underestimated this bandit leader.
Indeed, for a woman to lead a mountain stronghold of several hundred by her own ability and be revered by the mountain bandits, how could she be a simple person?
“Who are you?” The bandit leader withdrew her sabre and swung it horizontally at the crimson-clad woman.
“Fight if you’re fighting, chat if you’re chatting.” Shang Wan’s figure was nimble as she kicked the flat of the blade. “Who fights and chats at the same time like you?”
The immense force numbed the bandit leader’s wrist, splitting open her tiger’s mouth.
Her mind reeled in shock and in her negligence, she failed to hold onto the sabre.
The hundred-jin heavy sabre flew sideways, piercing the chest of a mountain bandit drawing a bow on the distant watchtower, and man and sabre together tumbled off the watchtower.
Zhou Gua seized the chance to counterattack, picking up the curved saber beside him and throwing it, taking down a mountain bandit.
Only one mountain bandit remained on the watchtower.
But he didn’t last long either; an arrow came flying from somewhere, its silver tip piercing through his chest, sending him pitching forward off the watchtower.
“Hit!” An excited little baby girl’s voice rang out abruptly; Lu Chengjing’s arm holding the bow stiffened as he looked down at the little baby girl by his feet.
Hadn’t they agreed to obediently cover her eyes and not look?
What was with those huge finger gaps?
Yuan Yuan giggled, quickly diverting her daddy’s attention, pointing her small hand forward: “Mommy, there!”
After a brief moment of shock, the bandit leader and Shang Wan clashed with fists, martial arts, and internal energy.
Shang Wan had no internal energy at all, but that didn’t stop her from using the bandit leader as a punching bag.
Daring to claw at her own little fox—beat you to death!
The bandit leader was dealt a heavy blow; this young woman had delicate skin and tender flesh, clearly a pampered miss raised in a boudoir, with arms and legs so slender they could snap in the wind—how could she be better at fighting than her?
But the fact was, even with slender arms and legs, Shang Wan beat her until she was rolling on the ground searching for her teeth.
The bandit leader began to doubt her life.
With one leg broken and several ribs fractured, wracked with pain all over, she doubted her life.
“You… are… who?”
She painfully spat out three words; the bandit leader stared wide-eyed at Shang Wan, as if she would die with eyes open if she didn’t get an answer.
“I’m his owner.” Shang Wan pointed to Tan Zhang not far away, who was slapping a mountain bandit with a brick, his head covered in blood.
She pointed again to Lu Chengjing striding over holding the little baby girl, one-chopping mountain bandits without batting an eye. “He’s my husband.”
The bandit leader: “…”
What was that saying about reaping what one sows?
Why had she provoked this fiend?!
“So, how do you want to die?” Shang Wan looked down at the bandit leader slumped on the ground again, as if her last bit of strength was spent.
“I… I want…” The bandit leader struggled to form words; as Shang Wan leaned closer, she suddenly erupted, her eyes like poisoned daggers, snarling, “I want you to die!!”
A dagger gleaming blue slid from her sleeve, thrusting forcefully toward Shang Wan’s belly.
“Mommy!!”
Yuan Yuan cried out in alarm; no one saw how she moved, but before the dagger could touch Shang Wan’s clothes, the bandit leader was kicked flying by a small flying foot.
“Hmph, don’t bully Mommy!”
The little baby girl grabbed her skirt hem and made a face at the bandit leader, who could no longer get up and lay like a broken doll.
Then… the little baby girl’s legs gave out and she toppled forward.
Shang Wan timely reached out and scooped her into her arms.
The little baby girl who had just kicked out that divine foot now had a pale little face, furrowed little brows, and gave her mommy a pitiful smile.
“What happened?” Lu Chengjing slit the throat of a mountain bandit on the ground, ignoring the blood creeping up his skirt hem, and hurried over anxiously. “Is she hurt?”
Everyone looked at the immobile bandit leader nearby, unsure if dead or alive, then at the little baby girl who was just pale but could still make faces, thinking, do you have a conscience asking that?
Clearly Lu Chengjing had no conscience at all; he even wanted to go give the bandit leader an extra stab.
Hadn’t he seen his daughter tired to paleness?
“Wait, alive is more valuable.” Using her skirt hem for cover, Shang Wan fed Yuan Yuan two drops of spiritual spring water.
Hearing Shang Wan, Lu Chengjing halted his murderous steps; seeing his wife and child fine, he turned to help elsewhere.
