Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 320 Torture
The old man smiled kindly at Yan Ciwan and said gently, "Good child, it's kind of you to bring your seriously ill mother here without any trouble. Your filial piety has deeply moved me. Why don't you stay in the village for now, and I will try my best to help cure your mother's illness."

Yan Ciwan was overjoyed: "Thank you, Village Chief! You're such a kind person!"

The old man looked at Ah Ying and said, "I remember you have a spare room. Let them stay at your house for now. Please take good care of them for me."

Ah Ying seemed quite surprised; she hadn't expected the village chief to not only personally receive a stranger but also allow the person to stay in the village.

She was a little reluctant: "But my rice jar is already empty, and I can't afford to feed them."

The old man turned his head and shouted into the house.

"Old lady, go to the kitchen and get five jin of flour, and hurry up!"

A woman's voice answered from inside the house. After a short while, a middle-aged woman dressed in coarse cloth rushed out carrying a cloth bag. She handed the bag to the old man, who then handed it to Aying.

"Take this flour back with you, and come back to me for more when you've finished eating it."

Ah Ying was flattered: "Is...is this alright?"

The old man waved his hand: "Take it if I tell you to."

On the way back, Ah Ying was holding a cloth bag filled with flour. She felt light on her feet, as if she were in a dream.

She couldn't help but turn to look at Yan Ciwan, wondering what kind of person he was. How could he get the village chief to make an exception and keep him here, and even get the village chief to bring out his own food?

Yan Ciwan noticed her gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"

Ah Ying shook her head: "It's nothing."

Yan Ciwan could actually guess what Aying was thinking. The reason why the village chief treated her differently was because he was misled by her words, which led him to mistakenly believe that the envoy was a descendant of the Ning family.

This further proves that Yan Ciwan's guess was correct. The reason why the sorcerer targeted her was because her mother came from the Ning clan.

Yan Ciwan guessed that the village chief would probably inform the shaman of her whereabouts, and perhaps she would soon be able to meet that elusive shaman.

Aying's home is located at the very end of the village, and you can tell how poor the family is just by looking at their dilapidated gate.

She pushed open the courtyard gate and said to Yan Ciwan, "Wait a moment."

Then she quickly ran into the house, put down the cloth bag and hoe, and then hurriedly ran out again. Together with Yan Ciwan, she lifted the cart and carried it through the courtyard gate. The donkey was taken to the straw shed in the backyard. Yan Ciwan fed it all the remaining buckwheat husks in the cloth bag, and also drew half a bucket of well water for it to drink.

After the donkey had eaten and drunk its fill, its temperament became much more docile. It showed no signs of running away and stayed obediently in the straw shed to rest.

Aying led Yan Ciwan to the guest room on the left side of the backyard and said, "This used to be my elder sister's room. It was vacated after she left, so you can stay here temporarily."

Yan Ciwan casually asked, "Is your older sister married?"

Ah Ying's expression suddenly turned very ugly.

She paused for a moment before saying, "I don't know where she went, but she'll never come back."

Yan Ciwan was taken aback, feeling that the other party's words were too strange and seemed to have another story. Just as she was about to ask again, she heard a hoarse call coming from the opposite room.

"Ah Ying, is that you back?"

Aying immediately abandoned Yan Ciwan and ran towards the house across the street.

She pushed open the door and went inside. Yan Ciwan hesitated for a moment, but finally followed her. She stood outside the door and peered into the room.

The small room was sparsely furnished. In the innermost corner against the wall was a bed, on which lay a sickly, emaciated woman.

Aying helped the woman sit up and called her "Mother".

The woman asked, "I just heard you talking to someone. Did we have guests at home?" Aying nodded and said yes.

"It's rare for guests to come to our house, so I have to go and treat her well."

The woman was about to get out of bed after speaking, but Ah Ying stopped her.

“Mother, you are still sick and need to rest. I will take care of finding guests.”

"But as the lady of this house, I can't just not even greet her; that would be too impolite."

"It's alright, I'll explain it to her, she should be able to understand." As Aying spoke, she got up and walked to the table, intending to pour the woman a glass of water, when she happened to see Yan Ciwan standing at the door.

Ah Ying paused, frowned, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Yan Ciwan walked into the room with a generous air and greeted the woman lying on the bed: "Hello, Madam. My surname is Xiao. Please forgive my abrupt visit."

The woman quickly replied, "I'm just a country woman, how can I be called a lady? If you don't mind, just call me Aunt Fang."

Yan Ciwan immediately changed her address and sweetly called her Aunt Fang.

Aunt Fang saw that she had fair skin, red lips, black and shiny hair, and was dressed very elegantly. She must be a young lady raised in a wealthy family. Aunt Fang had never dealt with such a person before, so she couldn't help but feel a little awkward and nervous.

"Hey, you look unfamiliar. You've never been to our village before, have you?"

Yan Ciwan nodded: "Yes, I came to Xiao'an Village to treat my mother's illness."

Aunt Fang looked puzzled. Aying leaned over and whispered in her ear how she had met Yan Ciwan.

"So that's how it is." Aunt Fang suddenly realized, then sighed. "You shouldn't have come."

Yan Ciwan was surprised: "What do you mean by that?"

Aunt Fang looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Ah Ying interjected, "Madam Xiao, you haven't had lunch yet, have you? Go settle your mother in first, I'll prepare lunch, and we'll eat together later."

After saying that, she walked out of the room and looked back at Yan Ciwan, signaling him to come out quickly.

Yan Ciwan glanced at Aunt Fang again, and seeing that Aunt Fang didn't say anything, she had no choice but to leave with Aying.

Aying had no intention of talking to Yan Ciwan; she went straight to the kitchen to get busy.

Yan Ciwan pulled the envoy off the cart, hoisted him onto her shoulder, and carried him into the room on the left. She then threw the envoy onto the bed.

Perhaps because the wound hit the bed frame, the envoy was awakened by the excruciating pain.

He opened his eyes and saw Yan Ciwan standing by the bed. The scenes before he fell into a coma immediately flashed through his mind. He was both angry and resentful, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.

"Where am I? How else do you intend to torture me?"

Yan Ciwan rolled up her sleeves, revealing the crossbow strapped to her forearm. She skillfully opened the quiver and took out a small crossbow bolt.

She approached the envoy, holding a crossbow bolt, and said with a smile.

"Don't worry, I won't torture you. I just want you to rest quietly for a while."

The envoy's expression changed drastically upon seeing the crossbow bolt.

He was both anxious and furious, and tried to shout, but before he could utter a sound, the arrow had already pierced the skin of his neck.

The toxin invaded his body, and the familiar numbing sensation swept over him. He immediately lost consciousness and could no longer move his body at all.