Chapter 4: 4. Chapter 4: Who knocked Sister-in-law to the ground?

Chapter 4: Who Threw Sister-in-Law to the Ground?

Zhiniang lowered her eyes, her lips twitching subconsciously with a hint of unnaturalness.

"Perhaps it was picked up while passing through the wilderness last night. When we heard news of your accident, we went out to search for you. In our anxiety, we couldn't pay attention to such things."

Her eyes flickered as she smoothly shifted the topic to Li Sui: "How did the Sect Leader get into this trouble?"

Hearing this, Li Sui's attention was indeed diverted: "I'm puzzled too! I didn't even know how my identity was exposed before I was caught by those righteous sects. I tried to explain to them that we've washed our hands of the past and are trying to be good people now, but they wouldn't believe me! In the struggle, I fell off the cliff!"

Li Sui felt a bit frustrated mentioning the incident: "I was worried about you all. Now that you're here, who is managing the Sect?"

"Those righteous sects..." A violent twitch suddenly crossed the corner of Zhiniang's eye, betraying an intense hatred. However, seeing that Li Sui was watching, Zhiniang forced her expression back to calmness.

Fortunately, the Sect Leader was kind-hearted but somewhat careless, lacking the meticulous mind required to analyze the subtle shifts in Zhiniang's expressions.

Zhiniang quickly flashed a smile: "Sect Leader, it's alright. Everything in the Sect is fine; it has been set on the right track according to your instructions. Even if we Protectors leave, the subordinates can manage things. The outside world is so chaotic that they won't run off."

Li Sui felt much more relieved: "That's good then."

She still earnestly instructed Zhiniang: "Zhiniang, I need to get you an identity. The name 'Zhiniang' is too casual. When it comes time to register for household residency, why don't you take my surname, Li?"

A radiance overflowed in Zhiniang's eyes: "Registering for residency means recording my information? And taking the Sect Leader's surname? Yes, please."

How wonderful.

She had no surname.

Even the name "Zhiniang" was something she had simply made up on the spot.

Outsiders called her a "demoness," and only the members of the Demonic Sect and the commoners they rescued called her Zhiniang.

Those who were more respectful would call her Zhiniang-zi.

In any case, it wasn't a formal name.

Li Sui was still thinking. She couldn't place her hopes on Li Ping—what if she was just bragging again?

As an outsider, Zhiniang's lack of a background in the archives would make her a target for investigation within minutes; she had to find a safe reason for her presence.

"Then from now on, you shall be called Li Zhi, though I will still call you Zhiniang. You must remember: you are not allowed to use internal energy—though you can use your own judgment occasionally, just don't expose yourself. Also, stop calling me 'Sect Leader,' and don't refer to yourself as 'this humble one.' Those terms aren't popular in our society and might even trigger an official investigation. In short, don't cause trouble. Later, I'll use a tablet to download some data on the succession of dynasties for you to read through."

The vast amount of knowledge in modern society would be more than enough to keep Zhiniang occupied.

No matter how smart she was, she couldn't break through the limitations of her era, and since Li Sui was just an ordinary person, she could only use the convenience of the internet to help Zhiniang familiarize herself with modern society as quickly as possible.

Li Sui found a tablet, searched for some websites, and let Zhiniang sit on the sofa to read it herself.

She went into the bathroom to wash her face and clear her head.

When she looked up, her own beautiful and vivid face stared back from the mirror.

Li Ping had been beautiful in her youth, and Li Sui had turned out quite well herself.

She had straight brows and almond eyes, a delicate and petite nose, and lips that looked naturally flushed even without lipstick.

She was a classic Eastern beauty.

It was just that her "bob" hairstyle wasn't very trendy these days.

But Li Sui liked it because it was convenient.

Back then, it was this very hairstyle that had caused the Demonic Sect Leader of that era to view her as a celestial being when she transmigrated to ancient times. He thought she was incredibly rebellious and unsuited to the mainstream of the era, which aligned perfectly with the tenets of the Demonic Sect. While he was dying from heavy injuries, he handed the Sect over to Li Sui.

The Li Sui of that time: "?"

The old Sect Leader had even wanted to pass his cultivation techniques to Li Sui, but upon discovering she possessed zero internal energy, he had to give up.

Strangely enough, the entire Demonic Sect, filled with masters, had actually swallowed their pride and accepted her as their leader despite her lack of internal power.

Perhaps it was because the previous Sect Leader was known as the world's greatest master, and his prestige was so overwhelming that they didn't dare defy his dying wish?

Who would have thought that after a few years, Li Sui would transmigrate back, and now Zhiniang, the Right Protector of the Demonic Sect, had arrived as well...

Li Sui felt a bit worried. People who practiced internal energy had one specific trait: they ate a lot.

It wasn't as if cultivators could simply survive on air; setting aside the fact that internal energy and spiritual cultivation weren't necessarily the same thing, the release of internal power was indeed related to physical constitution.

In that era, when many people struggled to progress in internal energy, they would choose dietary supplements. If you weren't well-fed, you wouldn't have the strength to fight or release your energy, and you'd be defeated in a few moves.

But that era was too chaotic. Ordinary people couldn't eat their fill, and many masters couldn't either.

Gold and silver were available, but even with money, where could you buy grain in a time of war?

Li Sui shook her head, trying to shake off her past memories. She still had to cook lunch for Zhiniang.

Li Ping had bought groceries, but considering Zhiniang's appetite, Li Sui decided to order takeout for their first meal.

She wanted her to witness the convenience of the 21st century.

Just as she was thinking this, a loud "thud" suddenly came from the rooftop, followed by a woman's wailing and a man's scolding.

It was an old apartment complex; poor soundproofing was normal.

The neighbors upstairs quarreled every few days, but today sounded exceptionally intense. Li Sui intended to go up and try to mediate.

The rooftop belonged to the family of a man who had "married" a rice cooker—a family of three, plus the rice cooker, making four.

As Li Sui walked out, Zhiniang looked up. She was currently immersed in the rapid development of the new era, her face full of wonder. Li Sui patted her shoulder: "Just sit here. I'm going up to see what the fight is about."

And to watch the drama, of course.

Zhiniang nodded obediently, but upon hearing it was a quarrel, she said softly and gracefully, "Sect—if you encounter any danger, just call for me."

Li Sui: "...Don't worry, people don't usually get physical during arguments."

Li Sui reached the upper floor and knocked on the door.

The wailing inside became more distinct. She heard the man's mother crying while cursing: "You sinner! You absolute sinner!"

Ever since the man married the rice cooker, there had been no peace in this household.

Li Sui knocked, and the man himself came to open the door.

This neighbor was thirty-three years old and quite handsome. He dressed normally, wore glasses that gave him a scholarly air, and held a freelance job with a monthly salary of no less than twenty thousand.

To be fair, with such conditions and looks, it shouldn't have been hard for him to find a good marriage.

It was hard to tell that he was a man whose marriage to a rice cooker had led everyone around him, including his family, to question his sanity.

Seeing it was Li Sui, the neighbor, Wu Yang, calmly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his middle finger: "What are you doing here?"

Seeing Mr. Wu's grim face inside and Mrs. Wu turning her head away in tears to avoid looking at Wu Yang, Li Sui asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she saw a rice cooker on the floor—a "corpse."

Calling it a corpse wasn't quite right; it was just that the handle had been broken off. The rice cooker was bright and shiny, looking as if it had just been newly purchased, but Li Sui recognized it.

She turned pale with shock.

"What happened to Sister-in-law?! Who threw Sister-in-law to the ground?!"