Careful Inspection

Xia Fengshe showed not the slightest concern for Ou Yanling's safety and left without hesitation.

Jiang Yan frowned. "Could it be that these two..."

Had he really gotten it all wrong?

Then,

He took a length of straw rope from Meng Neng and tied the woman up tight.

"Forget it. What if that man was trying to trick us? Besides, that woman's technique, which seems like a mental Secret Technique, is pretty sinister."

"We'll take her back first. Once we're sure they're no threat, we'll let her go."

Seeing Xia Fengshe abandon her and leave, helplessness showed in Ou Yanling's eyes.

She hadn't fully mastered her bewitching Secret Technique yet. She could only influence other people's thoughts a little, and even then, only temporarily.

If she mastered it completely, she would be able to control people's minds.

Now, she could only hope that once these people saw she posed no danger, they would let her go.

Her gaze shifted back from Jiang Yan. His sword was fast, and his reactions were even more cautious.

Most importantly, he could actually keep his mind clear despite her bewitching Secret Technique.

He was a man of firm resolve.

"Meng Neng, come here." After tying Ou Yanling up, Jiang Yan handed one end of the rope to Meng Neng. "Keep an eye on her and take her back."

"Oh, oh." Meng Neng nodded and took the rope from Jiang Yan. "Jiang Yan, this young lady might be a martial artist. How about..." He held up another coil of straw rope. "We tie her up one more time?"

Ou Yanling: ...

"You make... a good point."

And so, Ou Yanling's entire upper body was bound in dozens of layers, turning her into a giant zongzi.

Ren Yuan came closer and glanced at the bound woman. His mouth twitched, but he said nothing.

"Chief, did that man leave?" Jiang Yan asked.

He meant Xia Fengshe. His instincts told him that man was dangerous.

Ren Yuan nodded. "Yes, he left."

They returned to Yuyang Village without incident. Jiang Yan led the giant zongzi, Ou Yanling, to his place with the rope in one hand.

Back in the village, everyone was at a loss over what to do with Ou Yanling. After all, the woman had no ill will toward them; the misunderstanding had happened because Jiang Yan was too cautious and observant.

Under ordinary circumstances, Jiang Yan should have apologized and let her leave.

But the woman's companion seemed hostile toward the Dahe Gang. She had explained the reason for that hostility clearly, and Jiang Yan and the others had learned that the man traveling with her had been set up by Ning Gongdao and used as a scapegoat.

No wonder he was hostile. He was still poisoned, and the poison hadn't been cured.

Once they sorted things out, the story was simple: Ou Yanling had hired Xia Fengshe to escort her to Guihua City to visit relatives, and along the way, they had run into the trouble at Qingshan Village.

The woman was just a fellow traveler.

Everything made sense, but they couldn't completely trust her, so they decided to detain her for a few days.

If she and Xia Fengshe had only been putting on an act, keeping her here would also make Xia Fengshe hesitate to act for fear of harming her.

Back at his courtyard, Jiang Yan pushed the door.

He hadn't expected it to be ajar. With a gentle push, it swung open.

A commotion came from inside.

Cluck-cluck, oink-oink...

At the sound, Jiang Yan's face darkened. He was a dignified peak Martial Apprentice, yet he still had to raise pigs.

Inside the courtyard, Ren Shurong held a winnowing basket filled with millet. She scattered a handful toward two big roosters, and they scrambled to peck up the food.

She tossed out another handful and smiled. "You two, don't fight. There's plenty of rice here, enough for both of you."

"Foolish woman. What family feeds its chickens rice every day?"

What a spendthrift.

Jiang Yan pushed harder, putting more force into opening the door.

Creak!

The shrill sound of an axle grinding caught their attention.

Ren Shurong heard it and turned around, her skirt flaring in a circle like a blooming lotus.

"Jiang Yan, you're back?"

"Mm." Jiang Yan looked at Ren Shurong holding half a basket of millet, and at the little piglets in the pen, whose bellies had visibly grown. A slight smile tugged at his lips. "Thank you for this time."

"It was nothing." Ren Shurong waved it off generously. She didn't care about such little things. She had fed most of Jiang Yan's stored grain to the three adorable little animals until they were full, and that gave her a sense of accomplishment.

She put the basket in Jiang Yan's hands and hurriedly asked, "My big brother came back too, right? He wasn't in any danger, was he?" The safety of her family was what mattered to her.

"The chief is fine."

"Mm! That's good."

Only after hearing that nothing had happened to Ren Yuan did she finally relax.

Only then did she notice Ou Yanling, whom Jiang Yan had brought in. She covered her mouth and teased, "Jiang Yan, looks like you've come back with quite a haul this time. You even brought home a wife."

Clearly, her curiosity was burning.

Hearing Ren Shurong's words, Ou Yanling lifted her head slightly. Seeing a young woman beside Jiang Yan, she looked toward Ren Shurong, something stirring deep in her eyes...

Smack!

Jiang Yan tapped Ou Yanling on the head, leaned toward her, and whispered, "Don't cause trouble, or else... I'll hit you."

Then he looked at Ren Shurong. "Don't get the wrong idea."

"There's something I need your help with." He pointed at Ou Yanling. "Help her change her clothes."

His meaning was clear: he wanted to strip Ou Yanling of every hidden trick she had.

"Come, I'll tell you what to do..."

A quarter of an hour later, Ren Shurong's face was flushed with embarrassment and anger. "Jiang... you jerk, was it really necessary to check her so thoroughly?"

She felt flustered and annoyed. How did Jiang Yan know so much about this sort of thing?

And why did this thorough check cover so many things in such detail?

Even though she was a woman.

"Of course." Jiang Yan's expression was solemn. "I don't particularly care about her cultivation, but I'm still worried she might have other means of dealing with us."

"So it's best to be cautious."

Cautious?

Ren Shurong was completely speechless. Was this what he called cautious? This was being way too careful.

Thinking of those inspection methods that might get censored, she muttered, "Damn Jiang Yan, how does he know... know all that?"

Half an hour later, Ren Shurong came out of the room carrying a rectangular wooden case.

"Here. Take it."

Ren Shurong's face was a little pale. She never would have guessed that the young woman had actually hidden a few little things in some important places.

So these were the trump cards Jiang Yan had meant.

And she certainly had quite a few.

"All right, I'm going back to find my big brother." She said goodbye to Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan took the case and thanked her. "Sorry for the trouble, Miss Ren. I'll give you something in return tomorrow or the day after."

He made his promise.

"No need. You've already given me something." Ren Shurong raised an arm and pointed at the big pear tree in the courtyard.

The few pears that had been scattered across its branches were now completely gone.

In other words, she had eaten every fruit on the tree in just one morning.

"Goodbye!" Ren Shurong hurried away.

Creak!

The door opened, and a woman dressed like a village girl came out.

Her steps were crooked, and she looked completely listless.

Seeing her like this,

Jiang Yan had only one thought.

Just how much Mind-numbing Powder had Ren Shurong made this woman eat?

Please give me your recommendation tickets. Thank you, everyone.