Chapter 680: Unexpected Gains

nd a lack of sufficient food supplies to continue the war.Tuoba Huan presented a letter of submission to the Han Dynasty, pledging annual tribute and willing to become a vassal state of the Han.But th...Ripple stood up, gracefully putting on her coat. Then she pricked up her ears and listened for a moment before following the scent of blood.

After she crawled out of the crack in Mount Wan, she saw a dark figure lying on the ground not far away. The figure was face down and its body barely moved. The smell of blood came from him.

He fell in just the right spot, right at the upwind edge of the crevice. A spring breeze swept by, carrying the stench of blood from his body into the bowl-shaped mountain belly. This allowed ripples to discover her first, rather than letting the beasts find him.

Ripples didn't intend to meddle. She wasn't a saint, and this person's life or death had nothing to do with her. However, at this moment, she heard a familiar voice.

"Where did he go The blood trail just leads in this direction, how did it disappear"

A man's low grumble reached Lian Ri's ears.

Ripple raised an eyebrow. If she remembered correctly, the owner of that voice was her little uncle, Song Dashan. But how could he be here

The ripples did not make a sound, but instead found a place to hide and watch to see what the other party would do.

After a while, the sound of chopping branches came. Song Dashi, wearing patched thin cotton clothes, appeared in Lian Ri's line of sight. The other party also discovered the man in black lying on the ground, almost blending with the earth.

Song Dashan's eyes lit up immediately, but he didn't rush forward. Instead, he took the ax in his hand and poked the person on the ground. Finding that the other party had no reaction, he cautiously flipped the person over.

The people on the ground were like dead, with no reaction whatsoever. When flipped over, the first thing that caught the eye was a face covered in blood, clearly already unconscious.

Song Dashi was certain the man was immobile. He began to search the man's body, and soon discovered a letter and a small package, about the size of two palms, tucked close against his person. It seemed quite heavy. Song Dashi couldn't wait to open it. The moment he did, his eyes lit up. Inside was a golden bar, as thick as a thumb and as long as a finger.

"I'm rich! I'm rich!"

Song Dashan mumbled to himself as he stuffed the thing into his bosom.

Ripples' eyes flashed, and her figure shot out. Before Song Dashi could hear the sound and turn around, she struck him directly with a palm strike, knocking him unconscious.

Then she quickly tucked the letter and a small pouch of gold into her bosom, and as an afterthought, felt the pulse of the man in black. He was barely alive, his breath fading; there was no hope for him.

The ripples searched the other person again and found a beast-shaped jade pendant hidden in their shoe.

"How can you be so unrefined."

Ripples took a twig and picked up the jade pendant, wrapping it in her handkerchief and tucking it into her sleeve.

Then, he posed Song Dashan and directly put the hand holding the axe against the neck of the man in black. He then used the man in black's hand to choke Song Dashan's neck, creating a scene where Song Dashan was going to kill the man in black, who resisted and choked Song Dashan unconscious, leaving himself unable to move either.

After finishing all of this, the ripple erased its own footprints and then returned to the mountain belly, descending from the other side. Before a cup of tea had passed since her departure, someone followed the trail to the location of the man in black and Song Dahuang.

At that time, the men in black had already died, and Song Dashan was still unconscious. Lian Yi's actions were brutal, ultimately waking Song Dashan with a bucket of water. After enduring a hellish interrogation, he died at the hands of these men in black.

"Boss, I didn't get anything out of him. This guy isn't being truthful. At first, he said he had never seen the letter or the gold, but later he admitted that he had seen them. However, he claims that he was attacked and knocked unconscious, so he doesn't know where the gold and letter went."

He must have companions, and they're definitely from around here. Go find out about his background, then pay a visit to his house.

"Yes!"

Moments later, the bodies of the man in black and Song Dajian were buried on the spot. The men in black wiped away all traces and searched Bowl-mouth Mountain for a day before leaving. Fortunately, Lian Yi had left in time; otherwise, she might have run into them.

When Liang Ri returned home, the sun was just about to set, leaving only a sliver of it on the horizon. Hui Niang saw her daughter back and asked:

"Ripples, where did you go Why are you back so late"

"So I wandered around the nearby area. I was hoping to find some wild vegetables, but instead, I found a few leaves."

Liàn Yī raised the prop basket in her hand and said.

"You're too impatient, child. It's only been a few days since spring started, and even the wild vegetables need a few more days to grow."

Hui Niang smiled and, holding Huzi, welcomed Lian Yi into the house.

With one hand, Ripples gently picked up the little tiger cub and asked with a smile:

"Was Tiger good today"

"Huzi, be good!"

Huzǐ hugged Liàn Yī's neck and said in a milky voice.

Since Ripple started taking care of Tiger's body, Tiger has become very attached to her. Although he is small, he knows that staying by Ripple's side is comfortable, so he subconsciously chooses to cuddle in her arms.

He walked for two hours by himself today. I was worried he wouldn't have enough energy, so I didn't let him walk any longer. Then he just stared at the door, probably waiting for you.

Hui Niang smiled and said, taking the basket from Lian Yi's hands.

"He must be thinking of me."

Liàn Yī said with great certainty.

At this moment, Tiger seized the opportunity while Ripple and Auntie Hui were talking. With a quick grab of his small hand, he pulled down her veil.

"Sister"

When he saw the scars on Ripples' face, his eyes turned red. He gently touched Ripples' cheek with his small hand, and the next moment, it seemed like he was about to cry golden tears. It appeared as if these terrible scars were caused by him pulling down the scarf.

Hui Niang also discovered this, but her expression and the little boy's were completely different. Because she found that these scars had shrunk by a circle.

"Tiger, be good, don't cry, this isn't your fault."

Ripple patted the tiger's back, put the veil back on, and smiled reassuringly.

Huzǐ then stopped Jīndòudòu, but he only hugged Lián Yī's neck, his excitement not as high as before.

"Ripples, I see that the scar on your face is a little smaller."

Hui Niang said softly.

"Well, I have ointment, but I dare not use too much. Miss Dong hasn't married yet, and if she knew I had lied to her, she wouldn't just let me off the hook. She'd drag you all down too, so this scar can't heal too quickly."

Ripple explained.

"So you tore off the veil in front of the matchmaker last time, to confirm that your face was ruined and scare away any potential suitors from the Dong family, right"

Hui Niang also reacted, lowering her voice and asking.

"I'm not afraid of ten thousand, but I'm afraid of what if. What if I go home and get engaged in two days Do you think the Dong family will be suspicious"

"You're right."

Hui Niang was immediately persuaded.

"Mother, perhaps someone curious might take my veil. This kind of thing is hard to guard against, so we still need to be careful. I know you worry that the scar on my face will affect my marriage prospects. You worried about it before, and now you continue to worry. But please, don't let it slip out among the neighbors and let them know about my injury and how it is healing."

Ripple reminded.

"Mother knows, she would never talk out of turn. Let's wait until Miss Dong leaves Wanshan Town completely before we say anything."ear, so they weren't desperate enough to be unable to survive. How could they sell their daughter And the one selling her was her married nephew.So after the incident, the village head immediately tol...