Chapter 679 - 586: Retribution
Chapter 679: Chapter 586: Retribution
Xiao Man held Jiang Xuehua back, indicating there was no need. She patted Qiuyan, having her and Jiang Xuehua stand to the side, then stared down coldly at Wu Qin on the ground.
Wu Qin was indeed indescribably filthy. It wasn’t just that the original color of her clothes was indiscernible; her entire head, face, hands, and feet were caked in a thick layer of grime. Where was a single trace of the fair-skinned, delicate beauty she once was? To think she had profited from usurping Tang Yaxuan’s identity and status for more than a decade, living a life of luxury where everything she used and consumed was of the finest quality. She had been so arrogant, looking down her nose at the world. And now, returned to her rightful place in the countryside, this was the state she was in!
’Weak limbs? She can still pick up rocks and clods of dirt to hurl at her younger siblings, so why can’t she practice with a crutch and take care of herself? She just has to make herself so filthy she looks like a walking plague, despised by all.’
’She really is Liu Fengying’s own flesh and blood. The mother and daughter are exactly alike—neither is willing to work an honest day in their life. They’re always scheming to take what others have, using any means necessary, no matter how depraved. They can’t even be called human anymore. Maybe they deserve to live like this, like animals.’
Wu Qin looked up at Xiao Man, her eyes brimming with hatred and venom. If looks could kill, she would have murdered her a hundred times over.
When she spoke, she revealed a mouth full of yellow teeth, with two missing from both the top and bottom rows. That, combined with how gaunt she’d become and how the winter air had left her skin dry, wrinkled, and uncared for, made her face resemble that of a little old crone. "Tang Manman," she rasped, "are you happy now that you see me like this?"
Xiao Man replied coolly, "I’m very happy to be home from Beijing. You, on the other hand, are utterly disgusting. I’ve never seen such a filthy, foul, ugly beggar. Good dogs know not to block the path. From now on, you are forbidden from appearing anywhere I walk."
Wu Qin’s face twisted in a snarl. "You have the gall to say that? It’s all your fault I’ve ended up like this! You’re so vicious, Tang Manman! You’ll get what’s coming to you!"
"How hilarious. Does a viper get to judge who’s the most venomous? As for getting what’s coming to you, aren’t you and Liu Fengying already getting it? Wu Qin, you and your mother are so resilient. You’ve got a long life ahead of you, so you can just suffer slowly. You say it’s my fault you’ve become like this? I don’t mind you saying that, because I’ve wanted to deliver this punishment for a long time. It’s just that someone beat me to it. Remember Yang Liu’er? You came between her and Bai Junfan, destroyed her relationship, and harmed her. She swore she would never let you off the hook!"
"Yang Liu’er, that crazy bitch!" Wu Qin shrieked in a rage. "Brother Junfan was always mine! We were husband and wife in our past lives, and we’re going to get married! Brother Junfan never loved Yang Liu’er, he was just playing with her! Why would she take it seriously? A country bumpkin like her—how dare she even think about my Brother Junfan?"
Xiao Man scoffed. "Yang Liu’er is from the countryside, that’s true. But now she’s a rich woman in Beijing. And you, Wu Qin, you’re supposed to be a city slicker, right? But look at you now—a little beggar in the countryside! As for your Brother Jun-bug, hmm? Yang Liu’er doesn’t want him anymore. You can just wait for him to come and marry you!"
Qiuyan shivered. "My goodness! Who is ’Brother Jun-bug’? Would he really dare to marry this filthy thing?"
Jiang Xuehua burst out laughing and pointed at Wu Qin. "Oh, give it a rest! Wang Laosan from the west side of the village is pockmarked, mute, and still a bachelor in his thirties. When the matchmaker asked if he wanted to marry you, even he frantically shook his head no! That ’Brother Jun-bug’ of yours would have to be as dumb as a pig to ever marry you!"
"Bullshit!" Wu Qin shot Jiang Xuehua a venomous glare and lifted her chin, a gesture that, surprisingly, carried a hint of her old imperious air. "Someone will come for me one day! I’ll get better and go back to the way I was, and then Brother Junfan will naturally marry me. You hicks will never be able to imagine how grand, lavish, and beautiful my wedding will be!"
"Fine. We wouldn’t know. You just keep enjoying that thought."
Xiao Man picked up the fruit basket she had set on the ground, and together with Qiuyan and Jiang Xuehua, she walked around Wu Qin and started to leave.
Just as Mo Shuixia had said, Wu Qin dropped to all fours and crawled after them with surprising speed. "Tang Manman!" she yelled. "You did this to me! I’ll curse you forever! I’ll make it so your conscience never lets you rest, so you have nightmares every single night! One day, heaven will punish you! You might as well just compensate me! Give me the herbs in this garden, and our grudge will be settled. I’ll stop cursing you and let you live your life in peace!"
Qiuyan pushed Xiao Man forward in fear. "Xiao Man, hurry, let’s go! She’s going to grab something filthy and throw it at us!"
"Don’t worry, she can’t hit us."
Xiao Man told Qiuyan and Jiang Xuehua to go on ahead. Holding the fruit basket in front of her, she made a subtle gesture toward Wu Qin, who immediately froze in place. Qiuyan and Jiang Xuehua just thought she had gotten tired, but only Wu Qin knew the truth: she couldn’t move forward, even if she put every ounce of her strength into it.
The feeling was all too familiar. Every time she tried to crawl into Grandpa’s house or into the herb garden on the hillock, she was blocked by this same unyielding force, unable to break through no matter how hard she struggled.
Wu Qin looked up at Xiao Man, her eyes filled with jealousy and resentment. "Tang Manman, you’re enjoying this, aren’t you? I heard from Gongsun Ruxue that you practice that same mysterious Martial Arts as Brother Junfan. That destiny was supposed to be mine, and you stole it! You stole my identity as Mo Xiaoman and snatched away my destiny! You’re a thief! Heaven is just and sees all! If you don’t compensate me, you’ll be sent to the eighteenth level of hell when you die!"
"You disgusting stray! What do you even have that’s worth stealing? Who’d want anything from you? Shameless!"
Qiuyan and Jiang Xuehua both stepped forward and spat contemptuously.
Xiao Man held them back and turned to Wu Qin. "You wouldn’t know the first thing about justice. I don’t have time to waste talking to you. What you and Liu Fengying owe me is a debt you could never repay in this lifetime. And you owe plenty to others, too. So, if anyone’s going to the eighteenth level of hell, it’s most likely you. From now on, you may have the chance to see me, but I will never grant you another glance, because you are simply too disgusting. You love cursing people, don’t you? Well, look at yourself now, frozen in place so obediently. *That* is the power of a real curse. Both you and Liu Fengying are marked by one. Don’t even try to approach places you don’t belong. You’re still planning to steal herbs and get them to someone, aren’t you? You can dream about it. Whether you can pull it off... Good luck with that!"
With that, Xiao Man, carrying her fruit basket, walked home with Qiuyan and Jiang Xuehua. Wu Qin remained frozen on the spot, her shrieks, sobs, and curses echoing behind them, completely ignored.