Only when Yun Manman saw Old Father Yun's expression soften did she speak of her plans.
"Don't wait for me to come back tonight. Once I catch something, I'll take it straight to the county town to sell. I reckon it'll take two or three days."
Seeing that Old Father Yun wanted to speak but hesitated, Yun Manman shook his arm and blinked up at him.
"That's settled, Dad. Tell Mom for me. I'll take A-Wu and A-Ze to the mountain behind the village first."
With that, she pulled the two boys along and ran out. Old Father Yun watched them with affection in his eyes.
"That child is getting more and more mischievous."
Seeing that the mountain was still some distance away, Yun Manman suggested,
"Run along with me. One, two, one, like this!"
The two behind her copied her quite faithfully, and they reached the mountain in less than a quarter of an hour.
Yun Manman stopped and began looking for rocks. When she passed that cave, she did not so much as glance at it.
"A-Ze, A-Ren, come here! Today, your sister will show you what real skill looks like!"
As she spoke, Yun Manman crouched down and turned over the largest rock.
Her two little fanboys stood obediently behind her, craning their necks to look.
Yun Manman: ... (This stupid rock didn't even know to spare her some face.)
"Ahem... this rock is ugly, so scorpions and centipedes don't like living here. This rock is pretty. There must be some underneath."
Yun Manman, after turning over five rocks in a row: o(╥﹏╥)o
This wasn't right! How could there be none at all?
Yun Zewu and Yun Zeren exchanged a glance.
Yun Zewu was just about to step forward to comfort Yun Manman when a small rock caught his foot and nearly tripped him. Yun Manman hurriedly grabbed hold of him.
"Ah! Poisonous bugs! Sis, Sis, Sis! Poisonous bugs! Brother, run! The poisonous bugs are coming out..."
Yun Manman looked toward where Yun Zeren was screaming. Yun Zewu had kicked aside the rock that had tripped him.
Four centipedes were crawling underneath, each roughly eight or nine centimeters long.
Yun Manman's eyes lit up, and she pushed the two boys aside.
"Don't be scared. Watch how I deal with them. These aren't poisonous bugs, they're silver! Watch me!"
Under their shocked and frightened gazes, Yun Manman smiled as she picked up the centipedes with tweezers and put them into the jar one by one.
"These are called centipedes. They're worth more than scorpions, but they're venomous, so you need to use the pincers I made to catch them. Be careful not to get bitten, and there shouldn't be much of a problem."
Although her movements looked so simple, Yun Zeren was still a little scared.
Yun Zewu, however, was clearly braver, his voice carrying traces of nervousness and excitement.
"Sis, I'm not scared of little things like these. These aren't poisonous bugs-they're money trees!"
Yun Manman rubbed Yun Zeren's head and reassured him, "Don't be scared. Just stay behind your sister."
The three figures turned over rocks on the mountain, the atmosphere cheerful.
"Sis, I found silver! Hahaha..."
"Sis, I see silver, but I don't dare pick it up. Hurry and help me! Don't let the silver get away."
Yun Manman: This was pretty fun!
The sun gradually rose, and Yun Manman looked at the jars filled to the brim.
"We've had a good haul today. I'll keep these with me. You two go home and train. I'll have a look around deep in the mountains."
Both boys wanted to say they wanted to go with her, but remembering that they would only be burdens, they resolved at the same time to practice martial arts diligently so they could protect their sister when they entered the mountains in the future.
Yun Manman watched until the two boys had left the mountain, then turned and headed deeper into the mountains herself.
With the Returning Lotus Fruit's help over this period, her physical fitness had reached its best condition.
The Lotus Heart Art was about to break through to the second level, so going into the mountains to kill a few wild beasts would be no problem at all.
Just then, Guagua floated out. "Master, several streams of resentment have just come in."
Yun Manman stopped at those words. "Why would there be resentment now?"
Guagua: "Could it be resentment from the scorpions and centipedes?"
Yun Manman looked at Guagua, somewhat speechless.
"Are you an idiot? How could those things have resentment? It could only be people..."
Thinking of home, Yun Manman's expression changed slightly. "Could something have happened at home?"
Yun Manman ran swiftly toward home.
In the Yun Family's courtyard, Madam Zhou was picking through wild greens, while Old Father Yun was chopping firewood.
"Dad, Mom, something's wrong! Bad people are coming! Bad people are coming!"
Yun Zewu and Yun Zeren ran in with sandbags strapped to their legs, panic covering their thin faces.
Old Father Yun stood and looked at them. "What happened?"
Yun Zeren grabbed Old Father Yun's arm, his eyes full of panic.
"Dad, Grandpa and Grandma are coming with a group of people! What do we do?"
Madam Zhou stood, her face cold and her eyes full of disgust. "We've already severed ties. What are they coming here for now?"
Old Father Yun pulled the two boys behind him. "Don't be afraid. I'll go out and have a look. We've already transferred our household registration. We have nothing to do with them."
Before Old Father Yun could leave the courtyard, people had crowded around its entrance.
At their head was a heavily bearded man, followed by Old Father Yun, Old Madam Yun, and Yun Wang, with four unfamiliar young men behind them.
Seeing Old Father Yun walk out, the man's eyes filled with disdain.
"Where's Yun Manman? Hand her over right now. Her grandparents have already sold her to me for ten taels of silver. Hurry up and give her to me."
Startled, Madam Zhou was about to come out, but the two boys held her back.
"Mom, you can't go out. There are too many of them. Dad won't be able to protect you."
Gripping the axe, Old Father Yun glared furiously and shouted,
"That's your mother's damned bullshit! I severed ties with the old Yun Family long ago. What right do they have to sell my daughter?"
The heavily bearded man sneered. "What does severing ties have to do with me? It's written here in black and white, complete with thumbprints. Don't even think about denying it."
The heavily bearded man looked at Old Father Yun and made a show of cupping his hands.
"You must be Manman's father. I'm Zhang Gouzi from the neighboring village. We'll be one family from now on. Don't go waving an axe around and spoiling the harmony."
Old Father Yun was furious. "Get lost! Who's your family? My daughter has nothing to do with you."
Zhang Gouzi snorted, paying Old Father Yun no heed at all, and bellowed into the courtyard,
"Yun Manman, come out! Be good and come home with me right now! My money isn't so easy to take. You think you can just deny the deal? Not a chance!"
Seeing the unreasonable group poised to charge into the courtyard, Old Father Yun hurriedly raised his axe to stop them.
An icy voice rang out behind them. "Where did this mad dog come from, coming to my home to bite people again?"
Everyone turned toward the voice. When Zhang Gouzi saw the plainly dressed girl approaching, amazement flashed in his eyes. Those ten taels had been money well spent!
"Wife, I'm your hus-"
Before he could finish, Yun Manman kicked him into a tree. The man was about to curse furiously, but when he raised his head, he saw a knife held squarely against his mouth.
"Spout any more nonsense, and I'll cut out your tongue."