"Little girl, little girl?" Fang Ming and the other two entered the room. Xiao Nian was still unconscious. A glance at her clothes revealed that the thugs had not done anything indecent to her.
Xiao Nian heard someone calling her incessantly and hazily opened her eyes. The cold, pale face was the first thing she saw, startling her so much that she almost screamed.
"Young... young master." Seeing Fang Ming, Xiao Nian felt wronged and wanted to cry. Why was heaven treating her this way?
"Alright, alright, stop crying," Fang Ming comforted her, walking over and untying the ropes around her.
"Wuwuwu..." Tears flowed uncontrollably from Xiao Nian. She was, after all, just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl. This series of blows had left her mentally exhausted.
"Shut up!" Nian Nian said fiercely. Xiao Nian was so startled that she abruptly choked, staring at Nian Nian for a long time, afraid to make a sound. Her tears were also forced to stop.
"Nian Nian, don't be so fierce," Fang Ming said with a hint of reproach.
"Okay." Nian Nian was a little unhappy. Fang Ming shook his head helplessly. Why did Nian Nian have such strong animosity towards Xiao Nian?
After rescuing Xiao Nian, the four of them left Erli Lane and soon returned to the inn. The innkeeper who was settling accounts was surprised to see Fang Ming and the other three return safely, not expecting them to actually rescue the person.
"Xiao Nian, you should go back and rest. We won't be going out today," Fang Ming said to Xiao Nian when they reached her door.
Xiao Nian glanced fearfully at Nian Nian and Qing Mian, nodded slightly, and said, "Yes, young master."
After Xiao Nian returned to her room, Fang Ming and the other two also went back to his room.
Xiao Nian's room.
"Half a month..." Xiao Nian slumped despairingly by the bedside. How could a weak woman like her possibly kill Fang Ming? Moreover, Fang Ming and that monster called Qing Mian never separated. She had no chance at all!
She was unwilling to die just like this!
"I must find a way to kill those two monsters, otherwise, I'll never have a chance to get close to young master Fang." Xiao Nian continuously pondered countermeasures. Suddenly, she remembered Fang Ming's actions these past two days.
"Young master seems to be investigating the Liu family. Strange, why would an outsider like him keep investigating the Liu family?" Xiao Nian felt that this direction might be her breakthrough to survival.
She certainly didn't have the ability to deal with Nian Nian and Qing Mian, but that didn't mean the biggest local power, the Liu family, couldn't!
Thinking of this, Xiao Nian's heart stirred. She quickly got up, found a fire starter in the room, burned the talisman given to her by Liu Banxian to ash, and then drank it with water.
The moment the talisman water entered her abdomen, Xiao Nian felt that the entire world had become different. Wisps of colorful, faint airflow constantly drifted in the air. Xiao Nian tried to reach out and grab them, but she couldn't touch them.
However, she had already confirmed that the talisman water was indeed effective.
Xiao Nian walked out of the room, took a deep breath, and slowly approached Fang Ming's door.
"Knock, knock, knock." Fang Ming heard the knocking on his door. He sensed it was Xiao Nian's aura and thought she needed something, so he walked to the door and opened it.
"What is it?" As soon as Fang Ming opened the door, Xiao Nian's hair stood on end. The Fang Ming in her eyes had completely changed. He was no longer the elegant young master, but a terrifying monster with a snake's tail and human body, emanating a thick, light blue airflow!
"Young... young master..." Xiao Nian was so scared that she couldn't even speak properly. She hadn't expected Fang Ming to be a monster too!
"What's wrong with you?" Fang Ming looked at her with some confusion.
Xiao Nian dug her fingernails into her palm, using the pain to suppress the fear in her heart. Only then could she barely look at Fang Ming and speak.
But just as she was about to speak, Nian Nian walked out of the room.
"Ugh!" Seeing Nian Nian, Xiao Nian's pupils contracted violently. A deep fear instantly engulfed her entire body, and a wave of nausea surged into her throat.
"Xiao Nian, are you alright?" Fang Ming exclaimed in surprise. Why was this person suddenly vomiting?
"No... no, I'm not feeling well, I'll go back first." Xiao Nian waved her hand with difficulty, lowering her head, not daring to look at Nian Nian again. She staggered away from Fang Ming's door and returned to her own room in a sorry state.
"Strange." Fang Ming looked at Xiao Nian's door, puzzled, not understanding what was wrong with her.
Meanwhile, Xiao Nian collapsed on the floor, still in shock. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. What on earth was that Nian Nian!
If Fang Ming's aura was just a small stream, then Nian Nian's aura was an ocean. Xiao Nian had seen Nian Nian's second form. Although she was still human, the racial difference made it clear at a glance that Nian Nian was not human!
Just one look, and her heart's fear surged uncontrollably, as if she had encountered her natural enemy!
"The three of them... are not human at all!" Fear flickered in Xiao Nian's eyes, and a wave of regret washed over her. Why had she set her sights on Fang Ming? Now she had pushed herself into a desperate situation.
Half an hour later, Xiao Nian cautiously walked out of her room. Although Fang Ming sensed her departure, he didn't think much of it.
An hour later, Xiao Nian arrived alone at the Liu family's main gate. Two housekeepers blocked her again. They had a slight impression of her.
"Why are you here again? Scram, scram, scram!" The housekeepers waved her away disdainfully.
"I have important information to tell the Liu family," Xiao Nian said in a low voice.
"Information? What information?" The housekeepers chuckled. What kind of information could this woman have that the Liu family would value?
"It concerns the survival of the Liu family! I want to speak to the Liu family patriarch personally," Xiao Nian said sternly.
"Tell us what it is first. I don't believe there's anything in this region that can threaten the Liu family." The housekeepers thought Xiao Nian was bluffing and clearly didn't believe her words.
"You..." Xiao Nian was enraged. "What will it take for you to believe me? If you don't report to your master immediately, those monsters might attack today!"
The housekeepers picked their nostrils and rubbed their fingertips together, dismissively saying, "Without this, it's hard for me to do business."
Xiao Nian almost choked. She patted herself down. She had no money left. All her money had been given to Liu Banxian, so how could she bribe these housekeepers?
Suddenly, Xiao Nian remembered something.
"Go and inform your master that I know there's a 'fierce evil' in your ancestral home." Xiao Nian didn't understand what "fierce evil" was, but since Fang Ming had investigated it from the Liu family, it must be related to them. Xiao Nian decided to try anything.
"Fierce evil?" The housekeepers looked confused. What was that?
"Just go and report it. If your master isn't interested in this 'fierce evil,' then consider it a wasted trip, and I won't save your Liu family either." Xiao Nian tried to scare them with a serious tone.
The two housekeepers were startled and somewhat suspicious by Xiao Nian's agitated tone. They exchanged glances and decided to report it after all. It was better to be safe than sorry.
"You wait here," one housekeeper warned, then ran into the gate to report to their master.
A moment later, a richly dressed old man followed the housekeeper and came before Xiao Nian.
"Are you the one who said my Liu family is facing a life-or-death crisis?" The old man's eyes were sharp as he stared intently at Xiao Nian.
Having experienced Nian Nian's baptism, Xiao Nian was no longer as afraid of the old man's gaze.
"Who are you?" Xiao Nian asked.
"I am the Liu family's steward. I must first verify the authenticity of your information before reporting it to the patriarch," the old man said sternly, exuding an imposing aura.
Xiao Nian hesitated for a moment, considering whether to tell this steward what had happened.
"I can tell you, but..." Xiao Nian glanced at the housekeepers.
The steward understood and said, "Come with me."
With that, he led the way into the Liu family's ancestral home. Xiao Nian quickly followed.
As Xiao Nian stepped into the Liu family's ancestral home with the steward, her hair stood on end. She looked at the scene inside the Liu family's ancestral home with terror.
Dense airflow permeated the entire Liu family's ancestral home. Although its quality was not as high as Nian Nian's, the airflow covered a large area of the ancestral home!
Having already seen what this airflow represented, Xiao Nian instantly understood why Fang Ming and the others were so fixated on the Liu family's ancestral home, even risking injury to investigate.
This place was clearly a monster's nest!
Seeing her strange expression, the steward stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Nian suppressed the panic in her heart. "No, nothing. I just feel a bit unwell."
Soon, the steward brought her to a pavilion. After seeing the true face of the Liu family, Xiao Nian hesitated again. She didn't know whether to tell them Fang Ming and the others' identities. These monsters were all of the same kind.
"What exactly is going on? Speak," the steward urged.
Xiao Nian struggled internally for a moment. If she didn't speak, she, a weak woman, would surely die within half a month. If she spoke, there might be a glimmer of hope.
"A few days ago, I followed..."
Xiao Nian told the steward everything she had seen and heard over the past few days. The steward became more and more astonished as he listened. It sounded like a fairy tale. How could there be monsters in such a peaceful era?
"You weren't tricked by that charlatan, were you?" the steward suspected.
"I don't know, but those three are definitely not human. I can feel the difference between myself and them, especially that one called Nian Nian. She is not human at all!" Xiao Nian said with conviction.
The steward pondered for a moment. What the woman in front of him was saying was beyond his knowledge. He needed to report it to the patriarch for him to decide.
"Please wait a moment. I will report to the patriarch immediately."
Unlike the housekeepers, the steward knew the gravity of the situation. He asked Nian Nian to wait where she was and hurried towards the patriarch's residence.
A little over half an hour later, the steward respectfully followed behind a burly middle-aged man. The two of them strode forward.
"Is it you who said that monsters want to attack my Liu family?" the middle-aged man asked coldly.
Xiao Nian took a deep breath. "Yes, I said it."
"Can you tell me the detailed situation?" the middle-aged man inquired.
"No problem."
Xiao Nian recounted her experiences of the past few days to the middle-aged man again. After listening, the middle-aged man pondered for a moment.
"I wonder if this young lady could return to their side to gather intelligence? If she can figure out their purpose, that would be best. My Liu family will not treat you poorly in terms of reward," the middle-aged man asked.
"No problem!" Xiao Nian immediately agreed. Her goal was to connect with the Liu family and find an opportunity to kill Fang Ming!
"Steward, give this young lady some money," the middle-aged man waved his hand.
The steward stepped forward and handed Xiao Nian a stack of silver notes. Xiao Nian accepted them unceremoniously and glanced at them. Nearly ten thousand taels of silver!
As expected of the Liu family, they were generous.
After Xiao Nian left, the middle-aged man thoughtfully looked in the direction she had gone.
"I didn't expect outsiders' fierce evils to break in again. Has the world developed a loophole?"