Chapter 10: Who is Responsible for Your Stupidity

A blood-red flower bloomed upon her chest, as if Death itself had descended upon this innocent woman.

She had already ceased breathing, but the warm blood continued to flow incessantly.

The people standing outside began to pour in, while others stood beside Old Lady Zhao and the child.

The brilliant red blood against the snow-white dress created a stark, intense color contrast that jolted everyone's senses.

Psychologically fragile women and children, and even some men, could not help but cover their mouths, fearing they might scream aloud.

Looking at his wife in his arms, Liu San roared toward the heavens in grief and indignation, "Erniu!"

A hot-blooded young man could no longer restrain himself. He stepped forward, holding a wooden club he had found somewhere, and addressed the crowd: "Brother San has helped us so much. Now that my sister-in-law has finally given birth to a child, she has been murdered! We should help Brother San's family seek revenge! We must find that bastard in the black cloak and use his life to appease Sister-in-law's soul in heaven!"

The crowd was not lacking in spirited young men. One by one, they stepped forward, expressing their willingness to go with the young man to find the cloaked figure and avenge Liu San's family.

As more and more people agreed, just as the young man was leading them to set out in search of the cloaked man, Ji Ruoling blocked their path with one hand.

The young man looked at the arm before him in confusion, following it up to see Ji Ruoling. Seeing that the person blocking the way was a little girl who didn't even reach his chest, the young man burst into laughter.

"Little girl, don't get in your brother's way. I'm going to do something important. I'll play with you when I get back," he said, chuckling twice.

He assumed Ji Ruoling was blocking them because she wanted him to play with her, as many children in the alleys acted that way.

"Is your so-called 'important business' just going to fight?" Ji Ruoling's gaze was somewhat cold. Her hand remained unmoved, and she asked with a chilling tone.

"This..." The young man was speechless. They indeed were going to fight, but... in his understanding, fighting didn't seem like "important business."

So, this child wanted to stop him from going to a fight.

For a moment, he didn't know how to respond to Ji Ruoling. He couldn't exactly say that fighting was important business and distort a child's sense of morality.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Ji Ruoling. Seeing her dressed in an exquisite purple silk skirt, they knew she was a child from a great clan, though they didn't know why she wore a veil.

No one spoke, and the situation remained in a stalemate.

Finally, an impatient, burly man could no longer endure it. He shouted at Ji Ruoling, "Little girl, get out of the way! Don't block us, or we'll hit you too!"

As he spoke, he raised the iron shovel he had brought from home, brandishing it in the air while glaring fiercely at Ji Ruoling.

The young man turned back with dissatisfaction. How could he scare a child like that?

Ji Ruoling still made no move, standing there straight and firm, persisting in her attempt to block them.

The young man grabbed Ji Ruoling's hand and brushed her aside.

"I'm sorry, but this is truly important." The young man looked at Ji Ruoling with apologetic eyes. He didn't want to be so rude, but there was no other way.

If they didn't pursue him now, they would lose the man in black forever.

Looking at her hand, which was slightly red and swollen from being grabbed, Ji Ruoling said, "What are you going to do? Go to your deaths?"

The young man, who had previously felt apologetic toward Ji Ruoling, instantly flared up. He turned around and asked her, "What do you mean by that?!"

The others who heard this also glared at Ji Ruoling in anger.

"Are you going to your deaths?" Ji Ruoling repeated her words, without looking at the crowd.

The young man took a few steps toward Ji Ruoling, grabbed her by the collar with one hand, lifted her up, and roared, "Speak clearly! What exactly do you mean?! To your deaths? Are you in league with that black-cloaked man from before?!"

"Yeah, this girl must be with him. She was ordered to stay behind to watch how much Brother San suffers!"

The people inside and outside the room began to jeer, and more and more people believed she was an accomplice of the man in black.

"Hmph, you brainless fools. Do you think you can actually fight him? Look at yourselves—do you really think an ordinary person would escape from so many of you? Is there anyone here with strength above the second rank? No, there isn't."

"Didn't you hear what he said just now? He killed Liu San's family just to make Liu San suffer. If you go, you will all die. Won't that mean Liu San carries an even deeper sin? He will never find peace for the rest of his life. Are you doing this on purpose? Are you so tired of living that you want to go die just to make Liu San eternally restless?"

"Are you helping him seek revenge? You are harming him!"

The faces of the crowd grew paler and paler as they lowered their heads in guilt.

The young man's hand on Ji Ruoling's collar loosened, and she dropped, stumbling back a few steps.

"We... we weren't paying attention then, that's why he escaped." A flash of guilt crossed the young man's eyes, and his tone was much weaker than before.

"Is that so? Ask yourselves, is it truly so?" Ji Ruoling straightened her collar and asked calmly.

No one answered this time; they all lowered their heads in silence.

"Fine. Even if you joined forces and could kill the cloaked man, can you guarantee that not a single person will die?"

Still silence.

Ji Ruoling took a step forward and said, "You can't, can you? Since you can't, why do you insist on doing something so foolish? Every person who dies will add a layer of guilt to Liu San's heart. If you truly manage to get revenge, then who will take responsibility for the mistakes you made out of stupidity?"

The entire area fell silent. Aside from the sound of breathing and heartbeats, nothing else could be heard.

"A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years. Besides, Liu San should want to take this revenge with his own hands," Ji Ruoling said slowly, looking toward Liu San.

Everyone turned their heads in unison toward Liu San. They saw that he was no longer looking at Erniu in his arms; instead, his bloodshot eyes were staring straight at Ji Ruoling.

The young man turned back to look at Ji Ruoling. He now saw this little girl in a completely new light. To be able to say such things at such a young age was truly astonishing.

None of them adults had thought about these things calmly, yet a child could consider so much. He was indeed too impulsive.

Toward Ji Ruoling, they felt not only apology but also shame—that they were actually less composed than a little girl.

Ji Ruoling watched with satisfaction as the crowd lost their intention to seek revenge, their weapons lowered.

Looking at Liu San, she couldn't help but feel a sense of irony. Just a moment ago, he had said meeting her was his good luck, and then this happened. It was more like misfortune.

Suddenly, Liu San set Erniu down and rushed toward Ji Ruoling.

Before anyone could react, Liu San knelt before Ji Ruoling.

The crowd stood agape, staring at Liu San.

Ji Ruoling also instinctively took a step back, frowning as she looked at him.

"Miss, I, Liu San, am willing to work as your ox or horse. Please, take me in!"