Today,
He had heard the village women's gossip and seen Sister Man turn and leave without a word, even though she had clearly heard them.
He had planned to teach Old Woman Wang a lesson late that night,
Only to catch sight of Sister Man. He knew that with her martial arts, she could not possibly get hurt, but since she was pregnant, he still worried something unexpected might happen.
Early the next morning,
On the training grounds,
Yun Manman was teaching them swordsmanship.
Hearing hurried footsteps behind her, she turned and saw Old Father Yun looking somewhat anxious.
Yun Manman raised an eyebrow. Could Old Woman Wang still spread gossip with her tongue cut out?
Outwardly, however, she spoke calmly.
"Dad, what happened? Why are you in such a rush?"
"Your step... Old Woman Yun passed away this morning. They said she remained unconscious and never woke up. In the end, she didn't pull through. Ah."
A cold gleam flashed through Yun Manman's eyes.
Starved to death by your own husband and son. This is your retribution for hurting the original owner of this body.
Seeing the indecision in Old Father Yun's eyes, Yun Manman knew what he was thinking.
But she would not agree!
"Dad, you haven't practiced your swordsmanship today. What does an outsider have to do with us?"
Old Father Yun pressed his lips together in shame. At his age, he still could not see things as clearly as his child.
"All right. I'll practice for an extra hour today."
Old Woman Yun's death stirred not the slightest ripple in Yun Manman.
She also told everyone in the Yun family not to interfere or ask about it.
As it turned out,
Early the next morning,
Old Man Yun came in plain mourning clothes and knocked on the Yun family's door. Seeing Old Father Yun come to open it, with no sign of that vexing girl,
Old Man Yun wore a sorrowful expression, and his tone was particularly gentle.
"My eldest, no matter what, she was still your mother. You must go and observe mourning for her, or people will gossip. Be good and come with your father now."
At that moment, Yun Manman pulled open the other half of the door and swept a chilly gaze over Old Man Yun.
There was a little more sinister air about the old man.
The moment he saw her appear, the gentleness and sorrow remained on his face, but venom flashed through his eyes.
Yun Manman pulled Old Father Yun to her side and spoke bluntly to Old Man Yun, who looked as though he wanted nothing more than to kill her.
"Old Master Yun, she has nothing to do with my father. A vicious stepmother expected my father to mourn her? She probably wouldn't dare entertain that thought even on the road to the Yellow Springs."
Seeing his cloudy old eyes grow even more venomous, Yun Manman moved to shield Old Father Yun behind her.
"Besides, our two families have already severed ties. Stop clinging to us. Take care on your way out. We won't see you off."
With that, Yun Manman pulled Old Father Yun into the courtyard and shut the gates tightly.
Staring at the closed gates before him, Old Man Yun's gaze turned as poisonous as if it had been steeped in arsenic, growing furious and vicious.
He had thought he could use the old woman's death to make Yun Zhen accept him again.
It seemed that unless he got rid of this money-losing girl, he would never be able to move into this home.
But before he could devise a scheme, on the first night after Old Woman Yun's burial,
The old Yun household became haunted.
Only then did everyone learn,
Old Woman Yun had not died of illness. Old Man Yun had cut off her food and starved her to death on the kang.
That was why Old Woman Yun's wronged spirit refused to disperse and had come to claim Old Man Yun's life.
Driven mad by fear, Old Man Yun mistook his second son, Yun Wang, for a ghost.
When the family heard the commotion and came out,
They happened to see Old Man Yun hacking Yun Wang to death with a kitchen knife.
Yun Wang's wife and children fainted on the spot. Fighting down his terror, Yun Fa tied the crazed Old Man Yun up inside a room.
He called the village chief over to see how the matter should be handled.
As it turned out,
Old Man Yun freed himself from the ropes and hanged himself.
Yun Manman pulled herself from her thoughts. She had personally orchestrated these horrors and watched them die gruesomely, one after another, according to her plan.
"Dad, go if you want to. This is your last chance to fulfill your filial duty. I'm not going."
Watching Old Father Yun's retreating figure, Yun Manman lifted her head toward the sky. I've avenged you.
Yuanwei came forward from behind her with tea, and Yun Manman ordered in a low voice,
"Yuanwei, don't stop taking in little beggars in the various regions. You need to inspect each location often. They need to practice martial arts and learn to read.
"If things go smoothly, I can put my plan into action next year."
"Yes, Sister Man."
In the northwest, snow began drifting down in late October, and the weather gradually grew cold.
Yun Manman's due date was in mid-November.
Since she was carrying twins, Old Father Yun and the others had gone to the county town early to hire a midwife and a doctor.
Yun Manman, however, spent her days as though nothing were happening, relishing everything she ate and sleeping until the sun was high. She had visibly grown plumper.
Everyone praised the two children for being sensible and considerate toward their mother, saying they would surely be very filial in the future.
Meanwhile, in the northwestern military camp,
Mo Beiyuan had grown noticeably thinner. Suppressing the churning urge to vomit in his stomach, he forced down the noodles.
He let out a soft breath, a trace of helplessness in his blue eyes.
"I have a feeling I should stop vomiting soon. I can already eat noodles without throwing up now."
Qing Yi watched him with an indescribable expression.
That look on your face just now clearly meant you still wanted to vomit. How can you even say you aren't throwing up?
Qing Yi looked at the empty bowl on the table.
Still, he was rather unaccustomed to seeing his prince eat without vomiting.
Luo Fan paused in the middle of making a move on the board and looked up at Mo Beiyuan, his tone teasing.
"Beiyuan, other than pregnancy, I honestly can't think of anything else that would cause these symptoms of yours."
Over the past few months, Mo Beiyuan had grown used to being teased. He rose, sat before the board, picked up a white stone, and placed it down.
Suddenly, his face went pale, and beads of sweat instantly formed on his forehead. The white stone in his hand crumbled straight into white powder. Qingyi and Luo Fan were both startled.
Qingyi stepped forward to support Mo Beiyuan, while Luo Fan hurriedly laid his fingers on his wrist to take his pulse.
After a long while,
He withdrew his hand, met Mo Beiyuan's hopeful gaze, and shook his head, still somewhat dejected.
Disappointment flashed in Mo Beiyuan's eyes. Pressing one hand against his abdomen, he irritably waved the two away.
"I'm tired. Both of you, withdraw."
"Your Highness..."
"Beiyuan..."
Mo Beiyuan distinctly felt the pain he had just endured surge back. Anger flashed through his blue eyes as he spoke in a low voice.
"Get out, both of you!"
The two exchanged a glance, suppressed the worry in their eyes, and left the tent, but neither went away. They stood guard at its entrance.
Inside the tent, sweat streamed down Mo Beiyuan's face, and his blue eyes were filled with tightly restrained pain.
These waves of dull pain were too unbearable. He would rather take a blade outright.
In the Yun family's courtyard in Red Star Village,
Yun Manman lay calmly on the bed, watching people bustle in and out, her voice level and composed.
"Don't rush. I'm not in pain. My water has only just broken. Take your time and don't panic."
Looking at Yun Manman's expression, Yuanwei could not tell for a moment whether she truly felt no pain or was simply so formidable that she was enduring it.
Madam Zhou looked at Yun Manman with aching concern.
"Manman, don't hold it in. Cry out if it hurts. Mother is here. You don't need to be afraid. I-I have experience. It won't hurt so much if you cry out."
Instead, Yun Manman comforted the worried Madam Zhou.
"Mother, it really doesn't hurt. I don't feel anything at all. The children must be filial and don't want me to hurt."
Madam Zhou blinked, momentarily at a loss herself.
Did... did it really not hurt?