Chapter 61: Attack
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ye Ling nodded, and the child said, “A big brother asked me to come over and tell you that he had something to do at the last minute and asked you to go back by yourself.”
Did something happen to Min Nan? Was he too busy with work?
Ye Ling slowly stood up and patted her legs, which were sore from squatting for so long. She said to the child, “Okay, I understand. Thank you.”
After the child left, Ye Ling looked at the now empty ancestral hall and turned to leave.
Walking along the mountain path, Ye Ling hummed a tune softly. She planned to take out some of the herbs from the small world in a few days and sell them in town to buyers or medicine shops. Then, she would buy some essential items and get a few things for Sun Li, the three Wan brothers, and Min Nan.
Ye Ling lived at Sun Li’s house and getting free meals might not bother Sun Li, but she couldn’t feel at ease. People needed to know gratitude.
As Ye Ling pondered over these matters, she suddenly sensed that something was amiss.
Before Ye Ling could react, a person suddenly jumped out from the nearby bushes. The person was holding a stick and struck her head forcefully.
A sharp pain shot through Ye Ling’s head, and her surroundings seemed to spin. She let out a scream and tried to struggle forward, but with her injuries, she had no chance of outrunning her attacker. The person struck her leg with the stick again, and the sound of her leg bones breaking reached Ye Ling’s ears.
After that, Ye Ling lost consciousness.
In a haze, she felt her body suspended in the air before plummeting downward. The pain that followed felt as though every bone in her body was shattering.
The night grew late.
Min Nan’s face turned pale, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Sun Li held a torch in her hand and said anxiously, “Where could this person have gone? Why can’t we find her anywhere?”
“It’s all my fault…” Min Nan’s voice was hoarse. “I should have come earlier.”
Wan Hai had never seen Min Nan lose control of his emotions like this. He looked at him with concern.
Initially, Wan Hai had thought that Min Nan merely had a strong liking for Ye Ling. But now, it appeared that Min Nan’s feelings for Ye Ling were much deeper than he had imagined.
Sun Li stamped her foot in frustration. “That Liu Lin, she chose the worst possible time to look for you! Why did she appear when you were on your way to pick up Lingling?
Wan Hai was also aware of Liu Lin’s identity. Hearing his mother’s words, he sighed and said, “Liu Lin is also participating in the selection exam, so it’s not too surprising that she encountered Min Nan on the way. Since we haven’t found Lingling yet, let’s not jump to conclusions.”
Min Nan clenched his fists tightly.
It wasn’t that Min Nan hadn’t suspected Liu Lin, but as Wan Hai pointed out, there was no evidence linking Ye Ling’s disappearance to Liu Lin.
When Ye Ling went missing, Liu Lin had already left the ancestral hall and even encountered him on the way.
In the afternoon, Min Nan had estimated it to be nearly noon, so he set off for the ancestral hall to pick up Ye Ling. However, he encountered Liu Lin not far from the ancestral hall.
Seeing Liu Lin, Min Nan continued walking without stopping or even acknowledging her. But Liu Lin called out to him.
“Min Nan, are you still mad at me?”
Min Nan didn’t want to engage with Liu Lin, but Liu Lin approached and blocked her path. “I apologize to you. I acted impulsively back then, but I didn’t intend to hurt you!”
Min Nan couldn’t fathom how Liu Lin could say something so shameless.
After all the vile things she had done, did she truly expect an apology to erase it all?
Had Min Nan not taken the risk of tetanus by piercing his arm with a pair of scissors that day, he might have… What happened that day was the darkest shadow cast over Min Nan’s life.
“From now on, I don’t want to see you. Get lost.” Min Nan’s sharp gaze fixed upon Liu Lin with unwavering disgust in her eyes.
Liu Lin’s face turned ashen, and there was a tinge of bitterness in her tone. “Because of Ye Ling, isn’t it?”
Min Nan abruptly turned her head. “What do you want with her?”
Liu Lin hadn’t anticipated that just mentioning Ye Ling’s name would cause
Min Nan to react so nervously. To what extent did Min Nan care about Ye Ling?
Overwhelming jealousy and resentment nearly drove Liu Lin to lose her composure. Gritting her teeth, she retorted, “Min Nan, why? I’ve known you for over a decade, but you’ve only known her for a few days? What about me is inferior to her?”
Min Nan looked at Liu Lin sarcastically. “How can you compare to her? With all the disgusting things you’ve done, are you even worthy of being compared to
Min Nan’s words pierced deeply into Liu Lin.. Min Nan had stated that he wasn’t even worth being compared to Ye Ling!