Chapter 52: Does Moon Carp Town Belong to the Xiao Family to Boss Around?

Fresh blood continuously gushed from Xiao Yi's abdomen, staining his white T-shirt red.

Frowning, he lowered his head to glance at the wound, then lunged forward again in a fit of rage.

Fortunately, Bai Peiyu was quick-witted; with a single stride, he pulled Qiu Yiyao behind him.

Free from Xiao Yi's grip, Qiu Yiyao panted heavily.

"Don't worry... he won't die."

She did not forget to comfort Bai Peiyu. After all, Xiao Yi was the town mayor's nephew, and if he really died, things would escalate drastically.

Qiu Yiyao had taken elective nursing courses in college, so she roughly knew which body parts could sustain injuries without causing death.

"Bad woman, you're amazing!"

Bai Lixuan approached happily, but the moment he remembered the dark figure beside the big tree, sorrow washed over him again. His eyes turned red, and he whimpered, "Little Black..."

Xiao Yi's subordinates were sprawled out across the ground in disorder. Seeing him get stabbed, they hurriedly struggled to their feet and swarmed around him.

"Boss, are you alright?"

"How do you think I am?"

Furious, Xiao Yi slapped the bald man standing next to him right across the face. "I just got stabbed, and you guys were just watching? Why haven't you dragged that woman back yet?"

The subordinates muttered in response, but none of them were willing to charge out first.

Not to mention Bai Peiyu, just getting sat on by Bai Lixuan's massive backside would probably shatter their spines.

Seeing that they hadn't moved, Xiao Yi kicked the bald man in the rear. "If you cowards don't move, I'll have my uncle chase all of you out of town when we get back."

Terrified by the threat, the subordinates abandoned all hesitation. Regardless of whether they could win a fight, they charged forward with gritted teeth, surrounding the trio in the center.

Bai Lixuan was still howling away, and seeing that they were surrounded, he shouted indignantly, "You guys crushed my Little Black to death, pay up!"

He thrust his hand forward. "Quickly, pay for it!"

Aside from a slightly sore back, Qiu Yiyao's breathing had normalized significantly. Remembering the force with which Xiao Yi had choked her neck, she realized he had genuinely intended to kill her.

Furious, she stood up and took a step to stand beside Bai Lixuan. "Exactly! You surnamed Xiao, I'm warning you, don't think you can act lawless just because your uncle is the town mayor.

I will definitely tell everyone in town what you did today, so they can see how you throw your weight around and bully people everywhere by relying on your status."

Xiao Yi laughed upon hearing this. Clutching his lower abdomen tightly, he shoved his subordinates aside and stepped forward. "Go ahead. So what if the whole town finds out? The mayor is my biological uncle. Do you think they'd dare start an uprising, or do you think my uncle would execute justice by sacrificing his own family member?"

"Fine, I'm going right now."

Qiu Yiyao raised her phone, pretending to leave, while issuing a threat: "I'm telling you, I've already recorded everything you just said. If you've got the guts, don't try to stop me. I refuse to believe the Yuechi Town is entirely run by your Xiao family!"

Xiao Yi had always been afraid of his stern uncle, especially since his uncle had been promoting the construction of a harmonious and beautiful town and had even gone out of his way to warn him not to misuse his status outside.

If his uncle found out about today's incident, there was no telling what kind of family punishment he might face.

He had originally just intended to scare Qiu Yiyao, never expecting that she would actually record the audio. Gritting his teeth, he took a step forward. "You stabbed me and now you want to play the victim and accuse me first? You're an outsider, do you think this is your own living room where you can do whatever you want?"

"It certainly isn't my home, but you should also remember that this Yuechi Town isn't yours either."

Qiu Yiyao refused to show any weakness. "You think you can act like some feudal emperor here? Pah! Keep dreaming in your spring and autumn fantasies. Have you never heard of being struck by lightning?

I'm talking about trash like you. Having committed every evil imaginable, you're bound to be struck by lightning one day, and after death, you'll be thrown into a boiling vat of oil to be thoroughly fried—frying out every single drop of grease on your body and all those filthy things hiding in your heart."

As soon as her voice fell, a dull rumble of thunder suddenly echoed across the sky.

Qiu Yiyao hadn't expected the heavens to cooperate so perfectly. She smiled and said, "It seems the heavens heard what I said. Surnamed Xiao, keep your chin up and wait for it."

The sudden clap of thunder made Xiao Yi flinch and swallow nervously.

His subordinates behind him were even more frightened; one of them secretly tugged at his sleeve. "Boss... this..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Xiao Yi refused to let Qiu Yiyao think he was scared by her words. He stealthily glanced up at the pitch-black night sky.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning cut through the dark, followed immediately by a dense barrage of thunder rolls, sounding like drumbeats before a charge, shaking everyone's body with each strike.

"Hmph, I won't bicker with you anymore. For my uncle's sake, I'll spare you today. Let's go."

Xiao Yi's voice remained loud, though it lacked a bit of its previous conviction.

He turned and strode away, while his subordinates scrambled and scurried, none of them wanting to be left behind at the end.

Seeing them leave in such a wretched state, Qiu Yiyao finally let out a sigh of relief.

Behind her, Bai Lixuan was trembling as he sat on the ground. He hugged his head tightly with both hands, muttering incessantly, "Don't strike me, don't strike me..."

Bai Peiyu wore a stern expression. He gently patted Bai Lixuan's shoulder to comfort him. "Don't be afraid, it won't strike us."

A tinge of sorrow touched Qiu Yiyao's heart. Watching Bai Peiyu desperately trying to protect his younger brother, she felt a surge of respect.

She looked toward the spot where Little Black had fallen. Under the dim moonlight, the branches broken by its impact swayed gently in the wind.

She turned on her phone's flashlight and mustered the courage to step forward.

Little Black lay quietly on the ground. Its eyes were tightly shut, and its entire body was stained with leaves and fresh blood.

Qiu Yiyao felt a pang of pity. Even though it was just a dog, and one that had almost bitten her last time, her heart still ached for it.

She reached out and gently stroked its body.

"In your next life, just be a big tree. That way, no one will ever be able to control your destiny."

Qiu Yiyao sighed deeply. Just as she was about to pull her hand back, she felt Little Black twitch suddenly.

With disbelieving, wide eyes, she carefully confirmed that Little Black was indeed still alive, then waved excitedly at Bai Peiyu. "Come quickly, Little Black is still alive!"

...

Bai Peiyu disinfected the torn areas on Little Black's body and wrapped them neatly in gauze.

Bai Lixuan watched from the side the entire time, asking curious questions from time to time. When he learned that Little Black wasn't going to die and would slowly recover, he jumped up in joy.

He rushed over to Qiu Yiyao, picked her up, and spun her around in circles. "Bad woman, you saved Little Black!"

Qiu Yiyao felt a bit dizzy from the spinning and tightly grabbed his clothes without daring to let go. "Stop spinning, put me down!"

Yet Bai Lixuan acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, only setting Qiu Yiyao back down on the ground after Bai Peiyu came over and pulled him away.

"I'm dizzy..."

Qiu Yiyao covered her head with both hands. Everything in her field of vision—whether people, tables, or chairs—was spinning continuously.

Her legs trembled uncontrollably, threatening to pitch her forward onto the ground at any second.

Bai Peiyu hurriedly caught her and comforted her, "You're fine now."

Standing aside like a child who had just caused trouble, Bai Lixuan lowered his head and muttered softly, "I just wanted to thank her."

"A simple 'thank you' next time will do. Such overwhelming enthusiasm is more than I can handle."

Qiu Yiyao pushed Bai Peiyu away and staggered over to sit on a chair. "Let me catch my breath."

Noticing her rather pale complexion, Bai Lixuan remembered something. He bolted out through the back door and returned a moment later cradling a watermelon. "Bad woman, come eat some watermelon, it's very sweet."

After resting for a moment, Qiu Yiyao finally felt the surrounding objects steady themselves.

Looking at Bai Lixuan—who resembled a child eagerly seeking praise—she smiled and patted his head. "Alright, we'll eat watermelon in a moment."

"The bad woman isn't angry anymore!"

Sure enough, Bai Lixuan cheered happily. Cradling the watermelon against his chest, he spun around in a circle on the spot.

Bai Peiyu, however, put on a serious face and admonished sternly, "You mustn't call her that anymore. Call her older sister."

"Oh, that's not necessary." Qiu Yiyao didn't care what Bai Lixuan called her; after all, it was just a form of address.

Besides, with him being such a giant calling her older sister, she felt she might not quite be able to bear it.

"Older sister."

Bai Lixuan addressed her with a "sweetness" that carried a child's pure innocence.

Frowning, Qiu Yiyao acknowledged the call, thinking to herself: *Isn't this a bit wicked? Who knows who's actually older.*

Suddenly, the smile vanished from Bai Lixuan's face.

Sniffing slightly, he curiously leaned closer to Qiu Yiyao, bent down to sniff her shoulder, and then, setting the watermelon down, grabbed her hand and brought it close to his nose to sniff carefully.

Finding it strange, Qiu Yiyao confusedly asked Bai Peiyu, "What's wrong with him? Do I smell bad because I haven't taken a bath?"

As she spoke, she lifted her arm and sniffed it herself. It seemed fine.

Just as she was about to ask Bai Lixuan what he was smelling, a single sentence from him left her frozen in place.