Flirting with the Villain's Mother - Chapter 35

The Little Mountain Bandit hadn’t lied to Shen Su.

With the token in hand, Shen Su now saw paths she hadn’t noticed before. Though rugged and winding, the further she walked, the fewer trees remained.

Emerging from the dense forest, Shen Su spotted a faint golden gate not far ahead.

Almost instinctively, she felt that passing through this gate would lead her away from Goddess Mountain.

Shen Su quickened her pace, soothingly stroking the rabbit’s head. “Madam, we’ll be out of here soon.”

Just as Shen Su was about to step through the gate, the Goddess Mountain token suddenly emitted wisps of green smoke. Startled by the sudden change, she recoiled.

Suddenly, the voice of the little girl named A’Ling echoed again: “Sister, you mustn’t go through that gate! There are wicked people on the other side who will capture you!”

Following the voice, Shen Su glanced down at the token. She realized that as the green smoke dissipated, the token had transformed into a bronze mirror framed with silver. Reflected in the mirror was the Little Mountain Bandit who had robbed her earlier.

The bandit’s eyes had regained their inky blackness, and she was huddled in a pitch-black mountain cave.

The cave was almost entirely dark, the only light source being the Tiger Demon itself. However, the demon seemed to lack mastery over its demonic power, casting only faint, yellowish glows throughout the cavern.

Had the Tiger Demon not been standing directly behind A’Ling, Shen Su might not have been able to make out the child’s face at all.

Though Shen Su’s vision was limited, she could still discern that the cave was extremely crude. The bed where A’Ling lay was nothing more than a pile of leaves—not even dried ones, but damp and cold to the touch.

The backlash A’Ling had suffered seemed severe, judging by her pallid complexion.

Unaware of Shen Su’s covert assessment of her dwelling, A’Ling grew anxious at the lack of response. “Sister, you really can’t go through that door! Sister Tong said all the bad people are waiting behind it. There are many other exits from Goddess Mountain—I can show you!”

Sister Tong, again.

Earlier, A’Ling had mentioned she couldn’t leave because she needed to protect Sister Tong. Now she claimed Sister Tong had warned her about the bad people behind the door. These “bad people” must be targeting the Sister Tong A’Ling kept mentioning.

Shen Su wasn’t surprised that A’Ling had used the token to find her.

Shen Su had long sensed the strangeness permeating Goddess Mountain. Even if the residents possessed even more bizarre abilities, she wouldn’t be surprised.

Her only question was why A’Ling had specifically come to warn her.

Since arriving in this world, Shen Su had encountered only madmen and malevolent beings, with the exception of Wei Nanyi. Though facing a group of children, she remained cautiously on guard.

“Why are you warning me?”

“Sister Tong said you gave us silver and medicine. You’re a good person, and we shouldn’t let you fall into the hands of bad people…” A’Ling suddenly fell silent, as if recalling something terrible. Terror flashed across her small face, and her frail body began to tremble. She continued, her voice shaking, “Sister, you’re a Goddess. The bad people will eat Goddesses.”

Wait a minute.

When had she become a Goddess?

A’Ling seemed oblivious to Shen Su’s shock. Her gaze drifted, and her tiny frame curled in on itself. “Father… Father has become so scary too.”

The cowering, frightened look on that overly young face struck Shen Su’s heart like a hammer. A’Ling was too young, her consciousness barely formed, blindly following the older children. Yet fear had already been etched deep into her bones.

Shen Su softened her voice as much as possible. “A’Ling, Sister asks you, why do you say I’m a Goddess?”

The gentle voice drifted through the Bronze Mirror into A’Ling’s ears. Her pupils refocused, and she glanced beyond the mirror as if receiving a cue before answering Shen Su, “Because you are a very, very good offering.”

One moment A’Ling called her a Goddess, the next an offering. Why did she keep changing her mind?

Perhaps it was because she was too young. These words might not even be her own, but rather something she was repeating for someone else, hence the confusion.

Shen Su wanted to ask A’Ling more questions, but the object A’Ling was using to communicate with her was snatched away by a pair of slender, clean hands. This time, Shen Su clearly saw the Mountain Bandit Leader’s face in the mirror. His body was wrapped in bandages and coated with medicinal ointment, and even through the Bronze Mirror, she could smell the stench of bl00d and the medicinal powder.

Yet his small face remained stern, his tone still feigning maturity. “Little girl, we’ve said all we need to say. Whether you believe us is up to you!”

The Mountain Bandit Leader’s actions gave Shen Su a chance to observe more of the cave’s interior.

The cave wasn’t particularly large, with uneven walls and a pockmarked floor. The Little Mountain Bandits, who had robbed her, were huddled on the leaf-strewn ground, their conditions utterly spartan. Shen Su even noticed that some of the leaves were damp.

Of course, the cave also contained a bed.

Calling it a bed was generous; it was merely a crude platform made of stacked wooden roots, covered with slightly drier, withered leaves.

Shen Su had initially assumed the Tiger Demon’s demonic power was the only source of light in the cave. But when the Bronze Mirror reflected the wooden bed, she discovered five slender white candles encircling it. Lying in the center was a young woman in a floral dress, appearing even younger than the Mountain Bandit Leader.

The circle of candles allowed Shen Su to clearly see every detail of the girl’s dress.

While the Little Mountain Bandits wore tattered rags—even their seemingly intact clothes were crude—the girl’s dress was different. Though not made of fine fabric, it was embroidered with vibrant butterflies that fluttered and danced in the candlelight, radiating youthful vitality.

Yet this seemingly animated dress, draped over her frail, bony frame, lacked its intended brilliance and vibrancy.

The girl was described as “fine-boned” because she was truly emaciated, reduced to skin and bones. The bones on the back of her hands pressed against her skin, protruding outward as if there were no flesh beneath, only skin stretched taut over bone.

Her complexion was deathly pale, utterly drained of color. The only crimson came from the fine cracks on her lips, where thin streaks of bl00d seeped outward.

Pain and illness twisted her brow, even tainting her once-black hair with strands of white. Her gray, lifeless pupils faintly reflected the candlelight, yet within their depths flickered a desperate longing for life.

Even if she could truly become a butterfly, she would be a butterfly on the verge of death.

This girl might be Sister Tong, whom A’Ling had mentioned.

Before Shen Su could ask any questions, the image in the mirror vanished, and the bronze mirror reverted to its token form.

This is my fault for staring at her for too long, Shen Su thought. She gazed deeply at the golden-glowing gate, then whispered to the token, “If you want me to trust you, at least show me the way to the other gate.”

Expecting the Little Mountain Bandits to ignore her, Shen Su was surprised when a silver thread emerged from the token the moment she finished speaking. The thread stretched out, pointing toward another direction within the dense forest.

Shen Su marked the spot near the glowing gate, then clutched the token and followed the silver thread into the woods.

As she chased after them, Shen Su told Wei Nanyi, who was huddled in her arms, weak from hunger, everything she had just witnessed, peppering her with questions.

“Madam, why did A’Ling call me both ‘Goddess’ and ‘Sacrificial Offering’?”

“Madam, most of them aren’t cultivators, yet they can use techniques. Where did they learn them? The leader is a cultivator, but she only has spiritual Qi and no cultivation level, meaning she probably hasn’t truly cultivated. How can she control that Tiger Demon, which is far stronger than her? It’s so strange.”

“Madam, what about those children’s parents? They all seem to be crammed into a cave with no beds. Don’t their parents care?”

“…”

Shen Su didn’t usually meddle in others’ affairs, but the Little Mountain Bandits’ concern for her safety had made her think they weren’t entirely bad. Moreover, A’Ling’s fear and the sight of that dying butterfly had deeply affected her.

They didn’t seem like bad children, but rather like fugitives with no home to return to.

Just like Wei Nanyi.

Wei Nanyi, who could hear everything, naturally didn’t miss their conversation. The little rabbit leaned against Shen Su’s soft form, its tiny paws tugging at her sleeve as it whispered weakly, “Miss Shen, seducing hearts and devouring flesh… that sounds like something the Demonic Sect would do.”

The Demonic Sect?

Her luck was truly terrible. It was always either man-eating demons or flesh-devouring fiends.

If it was the Demonic Sect, Shen Su faced a difficult choice.

Should she intervene?

As a mere peak Qi Condensation cultivator with combat skills at the mid-Qi Condensation level, she possessed a Supreme Treasure, but she hadn’t yet mastered its use. Engaging a large group of Demonic Sect members would undoubtedly lead to her death, and might even drag Wei Nanyi down with her. This was far beyond her capabilities.

But if she did nothing, the dying butterfly would surely perish.

Though she didn’t know the butterfly, it had selflessly helped her avoid danger and, even on the brink of death, worried about her safety. This showed the butterfly’s kind heart.

Shen Su hesitated, but soon the urge to remain a bystander prevailed.

She didn’t believe it was shameful to prioritize her own safety in a crisis. Moreover, she was responsible not only for her own life but also for Wei Nanyi’s.

The Demonic Sect was beyond her capabilities.

Shen Su quickly changed her mind.

Following the silver thread, she indeed found another door. Emerging from it, she was no longer surrounded by towering, endless mountains. Instead, she saw a flat path and patches of cultivated land. Immediately, harsh and terrifying voices rang out.

“Shift change! Shift change! We’ve been squatting here for half a month now, and those little brats still haven’t come out!”

“Old Lin, no offense, but how did you raise your son? This whole mess was caused by your boy!”

“Don’t get smart with me! Which of your kids wasn’t involved? Besides, it was your A’Ling who spilled the beans.”

Hearing A’Ling’s name, Shen Su’s gaze froze. She immediately turned toward the direction of the voices.

Though the terrain inside the mountains differed from the outside, Shen Su still felt the voices originated from the same door where A’Ling and the others had blocked her escape.

The voices continued, growing increasingly crude and vulgar.

“Tch, what bad luck. Ninth Brother, how’s Widow Lin doing?”

“What do you think? A few sticks of Immortal Incense, and she’s as docile as a lamb.”

“Hey, Ninth Brother, that Immortal Incense works wonders! Why don’t you sweet-talk Widow Lin into becoming my wife? Her fair skin, plump br3asts, and juicy hips—I’ve been drooling over her for ages!”

“Hey, Lao Wu’s wife is basically my wife too. Let me borrow her for a couple of days, Lao Wu won’t mind.”

“If you’re going to make a move, you’d better do it soon. Otherwise, by the time the day comes, there won’t be anything left for you.”

“……”

Tch, what a bunch of scum!

Shen Su angrily pulled out the rabbit and covered its ears with her sleeve. Only then did she realize that the voices were only audible to her; Wei Nanyi couldn’t hear them at all.

Quickly realizing her mistake, Shen Su immediately released the rabbit, whose fur had turned red from being suffocated. Wei Nanyi, knowing Shen Su’s keen hearing, would naturally ask about it.

“Miss Shen, did you hear something?”

Facing Wei Nanyi’s question, Shen Su maintained a calm expression and steady voice. “Nothing much,” she replied smoothly. “Just a pack of rabid dogs barking wildly. I was afraid they’d disturb Madam.”

Despite her harsh words, Shen Su couldn’t shake off a growing unease.

These men didn’t seem like members of the Demonic Sect; they were more like ordinary men. Could the “bad guys” the Little Mountain Bandits had mentioned be her parents?

She remembered A’Ling mentioning an Aunt Lin when talking about Sister Tong. Could there be some connection between the Aunt Lin A’Ling spoke of and the Widow Lin these men were talking about?