Jiang Xiaoxiao had to go to the county town today.
Dean Gu said that the examiners from Yanjing City wanted to see her.
After breakfast, Jiang Xiaoxiao and Xie Xun locked the courtyard and went out one after the other.
Xie Xun's place was far from the other villagers, but to get out of the village, they still had to pass through the center of the village.
Especially, they had to pass by the gate of the Village Head's house.
Right now, a large group of people were anxiously watching the Taoist priest perform an exorcism in the courtyard.
Mrs. Wang's eyes were sharp, and when she saw Jiang Xiaoxiao and Xie Xun, she immediately spat and shrieked, "This is really inauspicious! Just as the exorcism is about to succeed, these two people suddenly appeared at this critical moment. Isn't it obvious that they are trying to ruin it?"
Village Head Yang heard the commotion and came out to look. Sure enough, it was Xie Xun and Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Village Head Yang's face was a bit gloomy.
Although the truth about saving Dean Gu was clear, he felt a bit guilty towards Xie Xun. But now that it involved his own son, he could no longer remain indifferent.
Er Shun had always been a bit mischievous, but he had never heard him say anything as shocking as a child eating candles.
But ever since Er Shun went to find Xie Xun, he couldn't sit still a single day without going to the east end of the village, and now he had even reached the level of encountering ghosts.
"Oh, you've caused such a big mess, and you still have the face to come?" Mrs. Wang crossed her arms, looking at Xie Xun with a mocking and sarcastic tone.
Xie Xun ignored her and took a few steps forward.
Feeling ignored, Mrs. Wang was immediately inflamed with anger and rushed up to block Xie Xun. "Er Shun has been haunted by ghosts because of you two. Aren't you going to give an explanation?"
"That's right!" the other villagers echoed, "Er Shun was such a good child before. He must have been influenced by this inauspicious star!"
"What's there to ask about? Anyone who can kill their own wet nurse is bound to bring misfortune to those around them. Tsk tsk tsk, and there's even a girl daring to go to him willingly. Aren't you afraid of being killed?"
Xie Xun bent down, picked up a stone, and weighed it in his palm.
His handsome face had an eerie calmness, his pupils like ink, deep and dark, and inexplicably chilling, making people feel a shiver down their spine.
"Bang—"
Before the man could react, Xie Xun gently raised his wrist and threw the stone, hitting the man squarely in the mouth.
The man who was hit fell to the ground with a thud, covering his bloody mouth and glaring at Xie Xun. "Xie Xun, how dare you hit me?"
Xie Xun threw the stone, then took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands.
"You insulted my fiancée, so I shut your mouth. It's very fair."
His tone was light and calm, but it gave people the impression that "he's not someone to be trifled with."
The man suppressed the panic in his heart and placed all his hopes on Village Head Yang, pleading, "Village Head, Xie Xun hit me in front of so many people. You have to stand up for me!"
Village Head Yang was greatly shocked.
In his impression, Xie Xun, although not well-liked by the villagers, had always been well-behaved. Hitting someone was something he had never seen Xie Xun do before.
"Xie Xun, couldn't you have just talked it out instead of using your hands?" Village Head Yang said sternly.
Xie Xun simply ignored him and walked past the man on the ground.
Jiang Xiaoxiao followed him.
"Village Head!" The man was both angry and in pain, his eyes brimming with tears. "After all this, are you still not going to drive him out of the village?"
"This bastard without a mother is too arrogant!" Mrs. Wang stood with her hands on her hips and shouted loudly, "Village Head, I propose that Xie Xun be driven out of the village!"
The phrase "bastard without a mother" angered Jiang Xiaoxiao.
She turned back and slapped Mrs. Wang twice on the face.
Mrs. Wang didn't expect Jiang Xiaoxiao to be able to hear her from that far away.
Jiang Xiaoxiao used a lot of force, and Mrs. Wang spat out blood, her ears ringing, and it took her a while to come to her senses. She then glared furiously at Jiang Xiaoxiao. "You bitch, how dare you hit me!"
Jiang Xiaoxiao said, "Because I can't find a reason not to hit you."
She was originally simple-minded, and when she spoke, she looked even more innocent.
Mrs. Wang was nearly sent into a frenzy.
Xie Xun had just hit one person, and now Jiang Xiaoxiao had hit another!
Village Head Yang's blood pressure rose, and he pointed at Jiang Xiaoxiao, "You..."
The commotion outside had affected the Taoist priest who was "performing the ritual" in the courtyard.
The Taoist priest came out with a dark face.
When he saw Jiang Xiaoxiao, his legs suddenly went weak, and he felt dizzy.
Jiang Xiaoxiao saw him too.
"Oh, Sun Dazhu, are you out here again trying to cheat and deceive?"
This Taoist priest was the same one who had sat at the entrance of the town, ready to trick Xie Xun, but was punched in the teeth by Jiang Xiaoxiao.
He could never have imagined that he would see Jiang Xiaoxiao in this rundown village.
"I, I..." Sun Dazhu's lips were trembling.
Thinking about the injury he had suffered from that punch, he knelt down on his knees.
"Master, Master, I was wrong. Please let me off the hook. I have elderly parents and a young child to support. I need to make a living!"
Jiang Xiaoxiao looked at him. "The year you failed the imperial examination, your mother had already passed away, and your wife remarried with your son. Where are the elderly parents and young child you need to support?"
Sun Dazhu froze.
Village Head Yang and the other villagers were also dumbfounded.
What was going on?
"Master!" Sun Dazhu's forehead touched the ground as he kowtowed to Jiang Xiaoxiao.
"I haven't done anything outrageous. I just wanted to earn a few silver coins to live on. I... as long as you let me off this time, I will definitely turn over a new leaf and go back home to farm the land, never to deceive people again. I swear!"
Village Head Yang looked at the crouching and cowering Sun Dazhu, his temples throbbing. "Master, what is the meaning of all this?"
Mrs. Wang spat out a mouthful of blood and said hatefully, "It must be this witch who has bewitched the Master!"
Sun Dazhu heard Mrs. Wang's insults and his face turned ugly. "You fool, shut your mouth!"
If that fool kept cursing, the Master might end up putting all the blame on him again.
Mrs. Wang was still resentful. "Master, could it be that this witch has bewitched and blinded you?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao didn't say anything, just calmly looking at Sun Dazhu.
Sun Dazhu had experienced Jiang Xiaoxiao's fists before, and the calmer she was, the less she would hold back when she started to fight.
His body trembled a bit, and Sun Dazhu said, "I'm not a Master, I'm just a failed scholar who has taken on the role of a Taoist priest to make a living."
"This young lady is the true expert, the one who cracked the big case for the Nie Family in Kaihe County, the renowned expert."
"What?!" Mrs. Wang was completely dumbfounded.
The Nie Family was the richest family in Kaihe County, and their case was known throughout the surrounding ten-plus villages.
At the time, there were many people in the village discussing this "expert."
Because it was said to be a very young girl, and for someone so young to have such cultivation, she was undoubtedly a true expert.
But who would have thought that the expert was actually the young girl by Xie Xun's side in this Shi Mo Village!
