Chapter Thirteen: My Sister Wants to Kill Me!
Black Wind Fortress, before the mountain.
At the very moment when despair and fury intermingled, and Lei Zhentian’s thunderous command to search the mountain still echoed through the ravine—
“Big brother!”
A piercing female voice rang out, laden with endless grievance and a desperate resolve!
Everyone turned abruptly.
On the steep mountain path leading to the fortress, a fiery red figure staggered hurriedly down—it was Liu Meimei.
Her face was pale as paper, her hair disheveled, and her violet dress torn in several places by thorns, making her look utterly wretched.
“Fifth sister?!”
Meng Changchang cried out in disbelief, his voice overflowing with immense joy!
The shock rooted him in place, tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks.
She had returned!
She truly had returned!
She hadn’t abandoned them!
“Liu Meimei! You have the nerve to come back?”
Hu Qi was the first to react, his eyes shining with a twisted blend of delight and venom.
He shrieked fiercely, “Seize this poisonous woman!”
The remnants of Scarlet Chain Fortress and Eagle Fortress, like bloodthirsty hyenas, howled as they brandished their battered weapons and charged at Liu Meimei.
They cared nothing for her pitiful appearance, wanting only to tear her apart in vengeance!
Liu Meimei faced those ferocious, contorted faces, fear overwhelming her in an instant.
Her martial skills were mediocre at best, and she had only just recovered—she stood no chance!
But why were these people attacking her?
“What are you doing? I am the Fifth Mistress of Black Wind Fortress!”
“You blew up my armory! Crippled our chief’s martial arts! And you dare ask what we’re doing?”
Hu Qi cut her off with a sinister grin, “Brothers, chop her up!”
Blades and swords flashed, enveloping Liu Meimei.
She hurriedly raised her icy needle, but was utterly unable to defend herself.
“Splurt!”
A rusty machete easily sliced through her lifted arm.
Blood gushed forth instantly!
“Ah!” Liu Meimei screamed, stumbling backward and falling to the ground as more blades, reeking of death, descended upon her!
At the critical moment—
“Stop!”
A short, stout figure, moving like a cannonball and screaming with a desperate resolve, crashed in from the side.
It was Meng Changchang!
Seeing his fifth sister attacked, only one thought filled his mind: protect her!
He threw himself forward with all his might, knocking aside the two foremost Scarlet Chain henchmen.
The two men, struck as if by a boulder, flew out with agonized cries!
Meng Changchang spread his arms like a living wall of flesh and blood, standing firmly before Liu Meimei!
“Who dares touch my fifth sister?”
His short, sturdy frame exuded a shocking aura!
The bloodstained bronze hammers were nowhere to be seen; his hands were empty now, but his resolve was fiercer than ever!
“Splurt!”
“Crack!”
Blades slashed his broad back; clubs smashed his sturdy shoulders.
The sound of bones breaking was unmistakable!
Meng Changchang’s body trembled violently, blood pouring out like a spring, soaking his already tattered clothes.
But his feet were rooted to the ground, refusing to retreat a single step!
The agony blurred his vision, but he bit his tongue hard to stay conscious.
He looked down at Liu Meimei curled at his feet, trembling, her arm streaming with blood. In those large, coppery eyes was no blame—only a heart-wrenching tenderness and reluctance.
With the last of his strength, he bared his bloodied teeth in a smile uglier than tears, his hoarse voice unmistakably clear:
“Fifth... fifth sister, don’t be afraid! Third brother is here!”
Before he finished, “Splurt!”
A sharp spear, guided maliciously, stabbed into him from behind! The tip pierced through his chest!
Scalding blood sprayed Liu Meimei’s face!
“Ugh...” Meng Changchang groaned briefly, his stout body collapsing forward as if its bones had been removed.
“Third brother!” Liu Meimei screamed, her voice ripping through the night.
For the first time, she feared losing the man before her.
With Meng Changchang’s fall, all Liu Meimei’s terror was instantly replaced by a vengeful hatred that would destroy everything!
“It’s you!”
She raised her head, bloodshot eyes locking onto the Scarlet Chain lieutenant who had wielded the spear, then swept over Hu Qi and the others, her voice shrill as a vengeful spirit: “You killed Third Brother!”
She sprang up from the ground, mad with rage,
Ignoring her weakened body, she grabbed the bronze hammer and, with a resolve to perish together, smashed it down on the lieutenant who had killed Meng Changchang!
“Bang!”
The hammer struck his temple; he collapsed before he could even scream!
The entire scene fell silent!
All were stunned by the bloody, savage reversal!
Liu Meimei’s strength faded; the hammer slipped from her hand, clattering to the ground. She staggered and knelt beside Meng Changchang’s now-cold body, gasping for breath, blood pouring from her wound.
Hu Qi and the others, after a brief shock, were consumed by even deeper rage: “Demon woman! Still daring to resist! Kill her!”
Lei Zhentian, Qian Tong, and Liu Qiang stood not far away, their faces grave.
Liu Meimei’s unsteady steps earlier had nothing in common with her recent slaughter.
The three exchanged wary glances, doubts swirling in their hearts.
But they knew the woman before them could not have crippled Jiang Hongling’s martial arts or severed Ji Xiang’s arm.
She simply lacked the strength.
As for what had really happened, with their own injuries, they had no desire to pursue it.
They tacitly chose to watch coldly from the sidelines, none stepping forward to help.
More Scarlet Chain and Eagle Fortress bandits, urged by Hu Qi’s furious shouts, again charged at Liu Meimei with bloodshot eyes!
Liu Meimei saw Lei Zhentian’s cold face, Meng Changchang’s lifeless eyes, and her immense grievance erupted like a volcano!
“It wasn’t me!”
With the last remnants of her strength, she cried out in anguish, “A pretty boy attacked me, disguised himself as me! I don’t know what he did with my face, but none of it is my doing!”
She pointed to her face, then toward the fortress, rambling, “He locked me in the dungeon! I barely escaped—you want revenge, go after him!”
But her cries, to the blood-crazed bandits and those who already deemed her the culprit, sounded like the most pitiful and laughable of lies!
“Nonsense!”
Hu Qi cursed first, face twisted with scorn and anger. “Death is upon you and you still lie! Pretty boy? Do you think we’re fools?”
“That’s right! Still trying to blame others! Kill her!”
“Chop her up and feed her to the dogs!”
Blades once again illuminated Liu Meimei’s pale, desperate face, the shadow of death engulfing her.
At that very moment!
Liu Meimei abruptly looked down at her bloodstained dress.
There, amid earlier chaos, she had hidden a homemade Black Wind Fortress explosive packet she’d found in the dungeon’s corner.
The fuse was crude, but its power could collapse half a stone house.
Everyone goes to hell with me.
That thought consumed every shred of her sanity.
“You forced me!”
Her eyes flashed blood-red; she tore open her dress, pulled out the heavy explosive packet, and reached for the fire striker at her waist with unwavering resolve.
“Look out! Explosives!”
Hu Qi’s sharp eyes caught it, terror distorting his scream!
“Retreat!”
Lei Zhentian’s face changed drastically, his voice hoarse and urgent.
Qian Tong and Liu Qiang recoiled instinctively in fright.
But it was too late!
“Scratch!”
The fire striker sparked.
A faint flame flickered in the wind, carrying fatal terror!
Liu Meimei glared fiercely at the bandits rushing toward her, screaming, “You dare to slander me, bully me, all of you can die!”
Without hesitation, she pressed the flame to the fuse.
“Shhh—!” The fuse instantly ignited! Acrid gunpowder smoke spread! Sparks raced along the fuse with a sharp, nerve-rattling hiss, speedily approaching the core!
Time seemed to freeze!
The bandits’ twisted grins turned to terror; they wanted to run, but their bodies were paralyzed with fear! They could only watch as death’s spark raced toward the explosive!
Lei Zhentian, Qian Tong, and Liu Qiang’s eyes bulged as they retreated frantically!
Liu Meimei knelt beside Meng Changchang’s corpse, clutching the hissing explosive, her face wild, liberated, and filled with boundless hatred! She gave Third Brother’s pale but peaceful face one last glance, tears mixing with blood.
“Boom!”
A thunderous roar shook the mountain!
Blinding flames engulfed Liu Meimei, Hu Qi, and every bandit within several yards.
A savage shockwave spread outward like an invisible giant hammer.
Stones, dirt, severed limbs, and scalding flesh rained in all directions.
Silence fell instantly.
When Constable Zhang and his men arrived, only a scorched pit remained, smoke curling from its depths.
“This... this?”
Constable Zhang’s mouth gaped, stammering in shock, “What happened? Did we succeed in rooting out the bandits?”
...
The setting sun bathed the Wen family courtyard in golden warmth.
Wen Changning stepped through the doorway, finally relieved of her disguise.
But as she entered the backyard, she froze.
The sight before her made her pupils contract.
The once ordinary grape trellis had been ingeniously remodeled.
Thick vines were carefully arranged, winding around reinforced bamboo poles to create a dense, natural canopy.
Beneath, the earth had been covered with polished blue stone tiles, their gaps filled with small pebbles, clean and fresh.
But what startled her most was the peculiar rattan lounge placed under the trellis.
Beside it stood a small bamboo table, neatly stacked with several brand new storybooks—the kind she secretly longed to read but dared not let her parents discover: tales of demonic sorceresses, palace intrigues, and more.
It all seemed too extraordinary, beyond what her family could do.
A chill of alertness replaced the warmth of coming home.
She scanned every detail of her surroundings.
“Creak!” The door to the west wing opened.
Wen Changkong stepped out.
He wore the dark clothes Wen Changning usually wore at home, standing tall, his features refined and handsome.
But Wen Changning’s gaze was fixed on his eyes.
That look...
No longer did they possess her brother’s gentle, scholarly calm.
Now, upon seeing her, his pupils contracted sharply, his gaze briefly drifting to some unseen point, his expression flickering with excitement and panic.
Wen Changning’s heart sank!
She stepped forward, her voice low but heavy with pressure:
“Brother?”
Wen Changkong visibly stiffened; his fingers curled unconsciously at his sleeve.
He forced a smile, his voice deliberately steady and gentle: “Ning’er, you’re back? Was the journey hard? Look... I made this reading spot for you under the grape trellis, do you like it?”
Wen Changning did not answer.
Her gaze swept over her brother’s face like a precision instrument.
The smile was slightly forced, his eyes shifty, his posture upright but lacking that innate composure, replaced by a subtle tension.
It’s not him!
Her eyes suddenly sharpened like blades; her aura turned icy.
“Who are you, really?”
Her voice was unwavering. “Who are you? What did you do to occupy my brother’s body? Where is my brother’s soul?”
[Wow! The heroine’s insight is amazing!]
[Micro-expression master! Saw right through it!]
Stay calm, heroine! We’re on the same side!
Wen Changkong was so intimidated by Wen Changning’s fierce presence that he paled and stepped back, lips trembling: “I...”
His heart raced, fear making him incoherent:
“I... I’m Wen Xiaoxiao, I don’t know why I appeared in your brother’s body, I swear I didn’t hurt him! I don’t know where he is!”
In her panic, she pointed to the backyard, trying to prove herself: “Look! I revived the vegetable patch! Stocked up on grain.”
“I even wanted to make you a better training area. I... I just didn’t want anything to happen to you! The book said... said he would die... and you would too...”
Suddenly, she clamped her mouth shut, frightened, staring at Wen Changning.
“Book?”
Wen Changning caught the key word, her gaze sharp as a hawk. “You know the future?”
Lin Xiaoxiao nodded, tears falling, giving up all pretense: “I read a book. It said... your brother would be killed during the bandit campaign. And you would become a general, but in the end... you’d be murdered by an evil minister.”
Her voice choked, filled with genuine sorrow.
Wen Changning listened silently.
When she heard her brother would die while fighting bandits, her grip on her sword hilt whitened.
Upon hearing her own fate, her eyes ignited with fiercer flames—not fear, but a burning, unyielding spirit.
She looked at Wen Xiaoxiao with gentler eyes. Perhaps it was Wen Xiaoxiao who changed the outcome; at least her brother’s body was still alive.
Wen Xiaoxiao mustered her courage: “Do you... do you want to know more? Like how to avoid—”
Wen Changning raised her hand, cutting her off crisply.
She regarded the person occupying her brother’s body, full of helpless fear, her eyes still frosted but the murderous intent settling.
She slowly released her sword hilt, her voice low but undeniably powerful:
“No need.”
Lin Xiaoxiao was stunned. “Why... why not?”
Wen Changning’s gaze passed over her to the vast night sky beyond the courtyard wall, her voice calm and resolute as stone:
“My brother’s fate, my path, should be walked by ourselves.”
“To know the so-called ‘ending’ is merely to shackle oneself.”
“Victory or defeat, life or death, all are up to my will, all are up to my strength!”
She drew her gaze back to Lin Xiaoxiao. In those clear eyes now burned fearless fire:
“The world is wide, and I, Wen Changning—”
She raised her chin, lips curling into a bold smile, carrying the pride of a warrior:
“I will blaze my own trail!”
[Ah, so cool!]
[Sister, kill me! This is a true heroine!]
[Such vision! Refuse to accept fate!]
Lin Xiaoxiao was stunned, awed by her resolve.
Wen Changning stepped forward, coming to stand before Wen Xiaoxiao.
She stretched out her hand, not touching her, but her gaze settled solemnly on “her brother’s” face, her voice strangely formal:
“Miss Wen.”
Lin Xiaoxiao shivered.
“My brother’s body,”
Wen Changning looked at her, eyes clear and earnest, almost entrusting him to her, “Please, take good care of him.”
Lin Xiaoxiao looked up abruptly, stunned and incredulous!
Wen Changning’s eyes were unwavering: “No matter where you came from, no matter what happens, until I find a way for both you and my brother to be safe, please... protect him for me.”
She paused, her voice softer but weighty:
“And then, return him to me whole.”
Lin Xiaoxiao’s tears flowed freely.
She nodded fiercely, voice choked: “Yes... yes! I promise you! I will... I will protect him! Until he returns!”
Wen Changning’s gaze softened at her tearful face.
She was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked softly, a hint of sisterly concern slipping through:
“Miss Wen, do you... miss home?”