The whole family is insanely eavesdropping on my thoughts Chapter 520
Chapter 520: Slaying A-Man
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The entire village walked back in silence.
Dark expressions clouded every face, their hearts weighed down by unease. Yet, none dared to offend the divine.
“If we simply return, how will we explain this to the outsiders who merged with our village?”
“And what about the other villages waiting to join us? We’ve already accepted their benefits!” The food had been eaten, the spirit stones spent!
Normally, they flaunted their status as original villagers, looking down on the newcomers and making countless enemies in the process.
The men who came today were mostly of the Li Clan’s original bloodline. A few were from the earliest group that merged a thousand years ago and had long since become complicit.
In Bai Li Village, they lived like emperors.
Who could have imagined that these mud-legged peasants, struggling to survive in the Demon Realm, would one day have concubines?
They freely picked and chose from the village girls, ruining many lives in the process.
At the very back of the group stood Lu Chao Chao, Xie Yu Zhou, and A-Man. As they walked, Lu Chao Chao turned her head to glance at the small courtyard behind them.
“A-Man, don’t return to the village just yet. Wait for me a little while, alright?” She couldn’t shake the feeling that Celestial Sovereign Yan Qing was acting strangely.
She wanted to go back and investigate.
“A-Man, come with us instead.” The villagers already blamed A-Man as a harbinger of disaster. Today, she might truly be in danger. Even Xie Yu Zhou, often slow to pick up on things, could sense that something major was happening in the village.
A-Man’s face was filled with worry as she looked toward the villagers heading back. “My grandmother is still in the village. I have to go back.” She feared that the enraged villagers might harm her grandmother.
“Besides, we’ve already agreed to leave. Grandmother is packing our belongings. I want to take my mother’s coffin with me.”
Her mother had suffered all her life. She couldn’t bear to leave her remains behind.
Xie Yu Zhou thought for a moment and understood her reasoning.
“If we don’t return, don’t confront them. Just keep yourself safe!”
A-Man’s worried expression melted into a smile. “Alright, alright, you two sound like little adults. We’ll meet at the village entrance later. Stay safe!” She cast one last look at Lu Chao Chao. For some reason, being near her always brought a sense of security.
Then, without further hesitation, she hurried after the others.
Lu Chao Chao sighed softly, her eyes full of concern for A-Man.
“Should we give her a protective talisman?” Xie Yu Zhou asked, noticing her worry.
Lu Chao Chao slowly shook her head.
“If her life is in danger, I will step in. But today is a turning point in her fate. I cannot interfere with her karma.” Lu Chao Chao had foreseen that A-Man would face a great tribulation today, but it was a necessary trial in her life.
If she avoided it now, she would forever be plagued by inner demons.
Lu Chao Chao pressed a concealment talisman onto Xie Yu Zhou and quietly led him back to the courtyard.
Inside, Celestial Sovereign Yan Qing was solemnly gathering grass seeds.
“A thousand years of cultivation, and they finally bear fruit. I still don’t know if this was the right choice…” Back when Lu Chao Chao had been sacrificed, Celestial Sovereign Han Chuan had secretly ordered him to cultivate the Glazed Purification Flowers.
And so, he had remained here for a thousand years.
The flowers couldn’t be touched by spiritual energy, or they would disintegrate. He had to personally water and tend to them, spending a millennium as nothing more than a humble gardener.
“These Glazed Purification Flowers have flourished beautifully,” he murmured. His efforts had not been in vain.
Xie Yu Zhou shot a glance at Lu Chao Chao. His mother’s name! Had she been trapped here for a thousand years because of this?
Once the seeds were collected, Celestial Sovereign Yan Qing returned inside.
The interior was sparse and serene, with a single painting hanging on the wall.
Celestial Sovereign Yan Qing stood before it, his expression momentarily wavering, a hint of struggle in his eyes.
He lifted his hand and gently traced the image of the girl in the painting. She stood amidst a field of lush Glazed Purification Flowers, her smile as bright as the blossoms.
Xie Yu Zhou’s eyes widened. He pointed at Celestial Sovereign Yan Qing.
That girl…
Wasn’t this the same portrait hanging in A-Man’s room? The old lady had drawn it with charcoal to leave A-Man something to remember her by!
Lu Chao Chao placed a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.
Today, when Celestial Sovereign Yan Qing spoke, his sincerity had been evident. It did not seem like a lie.
Celestial Sovereign Yan Qing slowly traced the girl’s face.
“I always reprimand young immortals, telling them to remain steadfast and not be consumed by desires.”
“Yet, I never imagined I would fall into the same trap.”
He took down the painting and carefully held it in his arms.
“But you… you are nothing but a phantom born of my heart demon. How am I supposed to find you, Shu’er…” Sixteen years ago, Bai Li Village had come to offer sacrifices to the Mountain God.
Shortly after they left, he had felt an unfamiliar desire sprout within him.
He sat in meditation amidst the Glazed Purification Flowers, trying to expel it.
But instead, the desire struck back, wounding him deeply.
For a time, he lost himself to an illusion conjured by his heart demon.
Even now, he sometimes couldn’t tell what had been real and what had been a dream. That period of his life remained chaotic.
When he finally awoke, the image of his heart demon lingered in his mind.
“I must be mad. That young girl today… she resembles you.” He sighed, sinking into his chair, his gaze dazed.
He had even entertained the unthinkable thought of allowing his heart demon to flourish, just to see her again.
But he was bound by duty and could not take such a path.
Just as he stood up, his steps suddenly faltered. He gripped the table for support.
“Ugh…” A searing pain tore through his heart.
His head snapped up toward the sky. “No, this isn’t right… Why is my heart pounding so wildly?” He had already transcended the cycle of reincarnation. He shouldn’t feel such a deep connection.
Closing his eyes, he focused inward.
A vision of A-Man, defiant yet desperate, surfaced in his mind.
His heart nearly leaped from his chest.
The thread connecting them was weakening!
With a wave of his sleeve, he vanished from Lu Chao Chao and Xie Yu Zhou’s sight, rushing straight toward Bai Li Village.
“What just happened? Why did he run off in such a panic?” Xie Yu Zhou whispered.
Lu Chao Chao’s expression was grim. “A-Man is his bloodline. When she faces death, he can sense it.” This was why she had refused to interfere in A-Man’s fate.
Wasting no time, she grabbed the painting and sped down the mountain.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, the air carried the acrid scent of burning.
“Over there!” She grabbed Xie Yu Zhou and teleported them to the grain-drying yard.
A pyre had been built, with fresh soil still clinging to the coffin placed on top.
Thick smoke rose all around as A-Man choked on the fumes, coughing violently.
“Mother… Mother! It’s my fault… I couldn’t even protect your remains!” The girl’s anguished cries pierced the air. Nearby, the old lady had been thrown to the ground, blood dripping from her lips.
“She angered the divine! Because of her, the gods have forsaken Bai Li Village!”
“She is the village’s greatest sinner!” The village chief bellowed.
“That shameless woman was a disgrace, and her daughter is a coffin child—a cursed star born to bring disaster!”
“Kill her! Let her death be our offering to the divine!”
“Yes! Kill her! Kill her!”