Chapter 356 - 368: Going Out to Sea
Hua Cheng and Jiang Xia had both grown up in Beijing.
The title "Demon Lord of Mayhem" hardly did justice to their reputation back then.
The old man was truly incensed by their exchange.
He stood up and walked toward them, a malicious glint in his murky eyes.
"We live by the sea here. People go missing every year."
"Whoa, you’re scaring my poor little heart half to death."
Jiang Xia clutched his chest, his feigned look of fear instantly twisting into something sinister.
"What a coincidence. The people I run into tend to go missing often, too."
An Ning looked at Jiang Xia. While she didn’t know what had set him off, she knew he wasn’t joking now.
She took a few steps, moved to stand in front of Jiang Xia, and turned back to him with a faint smile. "Let me handle this, okay?"
The moment Jiang Xia saw An Ning, the sinister aura around him vanished. The malice churning in the depths of his heart settled and grew calm.
"Okay."
Jiang Xia’s docile "Okay" gave Hua Cheng, who stood behind them, his first true realization of An Ning’s importance.
After all, in the past, no one could ever keep Jiang Xia in check.
If it hadn’t been for Grandpa Jiang, that person wouldn’t have survived.
Hua Cheng reined in his thoughts, his estimation of An Ning rising even higher.
An Ning turned back around, ignoring the old man opposite her. She looked at the mother and daughter who were still sitting there, crying softly, and asked, "Who holds the deed to the house?"
Of the mother and daughter on the ground, Feng Xiaoyu reacted much faster. She immediately stood up, wiped her tears, and said, "There’s no deed. Everything is just under the village chief’s seal."
Hearing this, An Ning’s gaze finally fell upon the old man. She smiled unexpectedly and said, "You know, you keep handing me evidence. I almost feel bad about it."
"As far as I know, all residential plots in a village have to be registered with the town or county government. Land is allocated to each household based on their official registration, and the size of each plot is regulated. Furthermore, transferring ownership of these plots requires official procedures."
"Having all the houses in an entire village under the village chief’s name... that’s indefensible no matter where you take it, isn’t it?"
With just a few sentences, An Ning had the old man by the throat.
His murky eyes stared threateningly at An Ning.
"Little girl, don’t get too arrogant."
An Ning shrugged. "Same to you."
"Oh, and you can stop with the threats against our lives. You need to understand something. There are seven of us, out here traveling for fun. We’re not short on money, and we’re not short on time. Do you really think we’re ordinary people?"
"Not to mention, we call home every day to report where we are. Our families would have more than enough power to deal with a measly little village chief."
An Ning was half-bluffing, but the old man across from her was starting to believe it.
In this era, tourism hadn’t just failed to take off; it was practically nonexistent.
No one had the spare money to just wander around and travel for fun.
"What do you want?"
The old man’s question was a sign that he was about to concede.
Instead of answering, An Ning looked over at Yin Xuemei.
"What do you want to do?"
Hearing An Ning’s question, Yin Xuemei walked over to Feng Xiaoyu and Aunt Zhang. "Do you know how to cook? Can you make pastries?"
The two of them didn’t understand the reason for Yin Xuemei’s question, but they both answered honestly: Yes.
Yin Xuemei nodded and continued, "Even if you keep the house and the boat, it would be difficult for you to continue living here, right?"
"If you don’t have other plans, you can leave with me. I’m preparing to open a pastry shop and I need people to help out."
Yin Xuemei’s proposal earned Feng Xiaoyu’s immediate approval.
The old village chief hadn’t expected such a turn of events. His original intention was just to drive the two of them away.
Seeing Yin Xuemei nod at her, An Ning turned to the old man. "How about this? We came here to have fun and we’d like to stay for another two days. We’ll stay in the house for now, and when we’re done, we’ll leave and take the mother and daughter with us. How does that sound?"
"Fine. We’re leaving."
The old man was surprisingly agreeable, leading the other men out of the courtyard.
With the old man’s departure, the crowd of onlookers also dispersed.
Inside the courtyard, Feng Xiaoyu began to pick things up off the ground. Her bent back was like a cornstalk after a violent storm. What choice did she have but to accept her fate?
And just like that, the matter seemed to be resolved.
An Ning and the others cleaned up the leftover dinner, fooled around by the sea for a while longer, and then strolled along the beach at night. After it got very dark, they went back to sleep.
Everything was normal, as if the day’s events had never happened.
Around one in the morning, An Ning knocked on Feng Xiaoyu’s window.
An Ning roused a groggy Feng Xiaoyu, and the two of them left the courtyard.
A confused Feng Xiaoyu followed An Ning. They walked and walked, until they eventually arrived at the boat Feng Xiaoyu’s father had left behind.
During the day, An Ning had asked Feng Xiaoyu if she knew how to operate a boat.
The answer had been yes.
"I want to go out to sea. To that island."
An Ning pointed in a certain direction. Feng Xiaoyu knew the island she meant.
"Why that island?"
An Ning saw the resistance in Feng Xiaoyu’s eyes. Her interest piqued, she asked, "Why don’t you want me to go?"
Feng Xiaoyu wasn’t very good at lying. She lowered her head and remained silent for a long while before saying, "My dad said there’s an Immortal on that island. It’s best not to disturb them, or you’ll get bad luck."
"Really, I’m not lying."
An Ning nodded. "I believe you. But I’m still going to that island. Let’s go."
Feng Xiaoyu didn’t understand why she couldn’t refuse An Ning. By the time her head cleared, they were already floating on the surface of the sea.
There was no wind tonight, and the sea was as calm as a mirror.
"My dad used to take me to that island often. On the first and fifteenth of every lunar month, he would go there to burn joss paper. I asked him why, and he said an Immortal lived there."
"Do you think... because I got on the boat, my dad..."
Feng Xiaoyu’s voice was quiet and fearful.
"No. It has nothing to do with being a man or a woman."
An Ning looked at Feng Xiaoyu piloting the boat and said, "In ancient times, women weren’t allowed on boats simply because they were physically weaker than men. There was no other reason. You should remember, the immortal you worship, Lady Mazu, is a woman herself."
An Ning’s words were like a revelation to Feng Xiaoyu. She suddenly broke into a smile, and a single tear fell with it.
"Thank goodness. Thank goodness."
Feng Xiaoyu focused on piloting the boat. When they reached the shore, An Ning said to her, "You’re very skilled. Your dad would be very proud."
"Thank you."
Feng Xiaoyu moored the boat and led An Ning to the place where the legendary Immortal was said to be.
In An Ning’s mind, a three-dimensional map was constantly guiding her forward.
’Sir, I wonder what you left behind here?’