"": 200,
"": "",
"": "The villagers screamed themselves hoarse, every one of them clenching their fists and thrusting them into the air with startlingly synchronized rhythm!
Zhong Zhicheng ignored Zhang Jun's trembling. He nodded at Luo Bin, a look of satisfaction flashing across his face.
For a moment, Luo Bin did not know how to react.
Would a polite smile be inappropriate on an occasion like this?
And so, Luo Bin froze awkwardly.
"Village Chief... Xiaoling was falsely accused... can you let her go?" Gu Ya hurried up beside Zhong Zhicheng, a hint of pleading in her eyes.
Zhong Zhicheng nodded, then stepped onto the platform and walked toward Zhang Yunling, who was tied up at the other end.
In the sunlight, Zhang Yunling's face looked as pale as gold paper. She was already beautiful, and her expression made her seem all the more fragile.
"Xiao Shan, go help your sister Xiaoling down. Let's take her home," Gu Ya called.
Only then did Luo Bin come to his senses. He followed Zhong Zhicheng over to Zhang Yunling.
Zhong Zhicheng untied the ropes around Zhang Yunling. When she stepped away from the wooden stake, her legs gave out, and she stumbled, nearly falling into Luo Bin's arms.
A waft of fragrance reached him, and Luo Bin hurried to steady her.
"Xiaoling... are you all right?" Luo Bin asked quietly.
Last time, she had known him, but he had not known her. This time, he had much more information, so he was sure he would not give himself away. Especially since he had inadvertently appeared before so many people, and the Village Chief had nodded at him in approval. The chances of being exposed were even slimmer now.
"I'm... I'm fine... my legs are weak..." Zhang Yunling lightly bit her lower lip, a flush coloring her cheeks.
It did not look like embarrassment. It looked like fear.
There were steps leading down on the inner side of the platform. Zhong Zhicheng gestured for Luo Bin and Zhang Yunling to go that way.
After Luo Bin helped her down, they found Gu Ya waiting there.
Before they left, Zhong Zhicheng reminded him, "Luo Shan, get back to the Mountain God Temple as soon as you can. You still need to watch the Outsider. If nothing goes wrong tonight, you'll be able to go home."
"Right, I understand, Village Chief," Luo Bin replied.
Then Gu Ya supported Zhang Yunling from the other side, and mother and son led her away from the crowd.
Once they reached the village road, the uproar vanished completely. There was no one on the road, and everything became utterly quiet.
"Aunt Gu, you should go back. Get Uncle Luo and take him over to see Zhang Jun get what he deserves! Don't let him miss it."
Zhang Yunling seemed to have recovered a little and gently pulled her arm free.
"Well..." Gu Ya hesitated.
Yes, Zhang Jun was going to be punished. That settled what had happened last night, and she certainly needed to tell her husband.
Especially since the truth had come out so quickly-and her son Luo Shan had been the one to expose it!
All the more reason for Luo Feng to see and hear it, so he could think hard about whether his behavior these past few days had been right, or whether he had been too hasty.
"I'm fine, Aunt Gu. I won't blame any of you. After all, it was such a serious matter. You and the Village Chief nearly came to harm. Of course he had to get to the bottom of it. See? My name's been cleared now, hasn't it?" Zhang Yunling smiled sweetly, as though everything that had happened, all the darkness, had been swept away.
Gu Ya let out a soft breath.
"Xiao Shan, take Xiaoling home. Don't upset her, or I'll be angry." Gu Ya's tone grew noticeably firmer.
"I understand, Mom," Luo Bin answered with a nod.
Calling her "Mom" was coming more and more naturally to him.
Years spent lying in a hospital bed had made him better at reading people's expressions.
Had the original owner of this body upset Zhang Yunling before?
Why couldn't he see any sign of it in her? She seemed quite friendly toward him, without much wariness.
"After you take Xiaoling home, hurry back and watch the Outsider. I'll bring up the lamp oil," Gu Ya reminded him again.
Only then did she hurry off in another direction.
Luo Bin had intended to let go.
After all, Zhang Yunling had already pulled away from Gu Ya.
But when he eased his grip, Zhang Yunling leaned closer against him instead, looking even more frail.
Luo Bin quickly tightened his hold to keep her steady.
Zhang Yunling glanced at Luo Bin, continuing to lean against him as she walked.
Luo Bin breathed a little easier. He deliberately stayed half a step behind, effectively letting Zhang Yunling lead the way.
"Thank you," Zhang Yunling said softly. "If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have known what to do."
"The Village Chief would have gotten to the truth," Luo Bin answered earnestly.
"Mm." Zhang Yunling nodded.
Then silence fell.
Luo Bin had little else on his mind. He was simply memorizing the route and sorting through the information he had gathered.
Zhang Yunling, however, had something on her mind. She was thinking.
The boy beside her seemed a little strange.
Earlier, he had called her "miss." Had he deliberately been trying to distance himself from her?
Now, when she was about to fall against him, he had actually dodged.
Was this really Luo Shan?
Luo Shan's solemn manner now was utterly different from his old grinning, shameless persistence toward her.
She actually had little affection for Luo Shan. It was only because Gu Ya and Luo Feng treated her so well that she turned a blind eye to his sometimes inappropriate looks, and even to him sneaking into her house.
But she could clearly sense that Luo Shan was different now.
Zhang Yunling stopped.
Her home was right in front of them. It did not sit directly beside the paved road, but behind several villagers' larger courtyards. Her courtyard was smaller than the Luo family's.
"Come in and sit for a while," Zhang Yunling said softly.
"I need to hurry back." Luo Bin discreetly withdrew his hand. Zhang Yunling did not fall again.
"All right." Looking delicate and frail, Zhang Yunling pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard.
But when she turned back, Luo Bin was already nowhere to be seen.
Closing the gate, Zhang Yunling shed her earlier frailty. Even her pace quickened as she entered the main room.
The room was clean and tidy, almost spotless.
A second later, her face grew much paler, and she said fearfully, uneasily, "Something's gone wrong... what do I do?"
But there was no one else in the room.
Who was she talking to?
Then Zhang Yunling carefully took something out from inside her clothes.
It was a crooked rag doll with a misshapen face and badly sewn stitches.
"Are you there?"
Zhang Yunling gently shook the doll twice.
"I didn't do it on purpose... I really didn't know the Village Chief would react so quickly. It doesn't make sense..."
"What should I do now? Is there no chance left?"
A sheen of tears gathered in Zhang Yunling's eyes.
The doll's head drooped. It showed no reaction at all.
It was nothing more than a perfectly ordinary rag doll.
Suddenly, Zhang Yunling straightened the doll and stared directly at its ugly, stitched face.
She smiled, the corners of her mouth curling up grotesquely, her eyes stretched wide, every blood vessel sharply visible.
Luo Bin returned to the little wooden hut.
The morning's commotion had long since left his stomach empty.
When he took out the bundle containing the flatbreads, Luo Bin discovered that someone had rummaged through it.
And the water flask was gone too?
He was looking toward the Mountain God Temple's main
entrance when his expression suddenly changed dramatically.
He shot to his feet, colliding with the table so hard that it nearly overturned. It rattled twice with a clatter and shifted completely out of place!
The whole morning had been a mess. His anger at Zhang Jun after learning what had happened at home, Gu Ya's instructions afterward, and Zhang Yunling pressing against him in a way that had felt slightly off had kept his mind racing. Especially on the way back, Luo Bin had kept wondering what on earth that parade through the village meant.
But only now did he realize something far more serious!
He had known all along that last night's events would happen!
No, someone had told him they would happen!
Gu Ya had said it long before.
"The window wasn't closed!"
Before you continue