Chapter 108 – First Use of Mental Power
“Yan Xiaosi, you’re ruthless.”
Liu Qianhe originally came to help the Yan family drive people away. Yet, what happened was that Yan Xiaosi completely offended him.
However, Yan Xiaosi was not afraid of offending him. Even if she tried to please him and said many nice things, with the Yan family’s influence, Liu Qianhe wouldn’t dare let her family stay in the dilapidated grass temple for another day.
“It’s not that I’m ruthless, it’s that you, Village Chief Liu, are magnanimous enough to forgive my second sister. I thank you on behalf of my second sister.”
Yan Xiaosi feigned a smile towards Liu Qianhe, then pocketed the five taels of silver.
This five taels of silver was what she earned to treat Old Lady Yan’s illness. How could she give it to Liu Qianhe easily?
“Humph!”
Liu Qianhe snorted coldly. Unable to outsmart Yan Xiaosi, he instead spoke to Ms. Zhong: “Shuqin’s mother, I advise you to go in and pack your things as soon as possible. No matter how long you drag it out with me, you’ll have to move out of this dilapidated grass temple today.”
“Dad, why are you wasting so much time talking to them?”
Liu Qianqian’s gaze fixed upon Yan Xiaosi, a smug expression adorning her face. Recalling how Yan Xiaosi had previously tricked her with a mirror, leading to her stepmother Zhao Lixia’s scolding and the subsequent loss of her mirror, almost resulting in an undesired marriage to the dim-witted son of Official Li from Xinghua Village, resentment surged within her. However, witnessing the current pitiful state of the Yan family’s third branch, a sense of immense satisfaction washed over her.
As soon as Liu Qianqian spoke, the Chen brothers chimed in.
Chen Dahe said, “Uncle Village Chief, Qianqian is right. Don’t waste words with them, just drive them out.”
Chen Erhe added, “This is a public place in the village. It was Old Master Yan who paid for the construction of the grass temple. It doesn’t belong to the third branch of the Yan family. They’ve been living here for so long and they’re still not satisfied.”
Chen Sanhe was even more resentful, “Uncle Village Chief, as soon as you give the word, my two older brothers and I will go in and throw their things out.”
Last time when he was bathing in the pond, Chen Sanhe was teased by Yan Xiaosi and almost peed his pants. He remembered this grudge well.
As soon as Chen Sanhe finished speaking, Liu Qianhe nodded.
Seeing Liu Qianhe nod, the Chen brothers looked at Yan Xiaosi with a more triumphant gaze. Then, like bandits, the three brothers charged towards the dilapidated grass temple.
Their aggressive posture frightened Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun, leaving them utterly at a loss.
At some point, Yan Xiaosi stood at the doorway, blocking the Chen brothers from entering.
“Chen Dahe, Chen Erhe, Chen Sanhe, I dare you to take another step forward.”
The Chen brothers chuckled mockingly at Yan Xiaosi’s petite figure.
The Chen brothers were full of confidence today. The previous two times they were disciplined by Yan Xiaosi were just accidents. Today, in front of the village chief and the people of the Yan family, under the bright daylight, they were eager to see what tricks Yan Xiaosi could play.
Ignoring Yan Xiaosi’s warning, the three brothers charged forward in their thirst for revenge.
Since successfully condensing her mental power, Yan Xiaosi hadn’t had a chance to use it yet.
As she watched the Chen brothers rushing toward her, Yan Xiaosi’s eyes flickered, and her sharp gaze landed on the broom leaning against the mud wall. She wanted to control the broom with her power.
The broom remained motionless, leaning against the wall.
In a short while, Yan Xiaosi was sweating profusely from exhaustion.
The ancient books stated that when mental power was cultivated to a certain degree, it could manipulate space at will and even kill people from a distance. Unable to control a broom with her power, it seemed she hadn’t fully mastered it yet.
But the Chen brothers were still moving towards her. Seeing that they were just over a foot away from her, Yan Xiaosi had a thought and suddenly turned to look at the firewood piled in front of the stove.
From her position, she could clearly see the pine needles, dry and used for kindling, stacked in front of the stove.
She stared intensely at those pine needles, ready to use her mental power again.
In her mind, she commanded: Rise!
Suddenly, the pine needles, which were previously piled quietly at the entrance of the stove, began to float in mid-air behind Yan Xiaosi.
“Ghost, there’s a ghost!” When the Chen brothers reached Yan Xiaosi, they clearly saw the pine needles floating behind her. Their legs froze in place, unable to take another step. The three brothers stared at the floating pine needles, shouting in surprise in unison, their faces pale, then they turned around and ran away, faster than a rabbit.
“There’s a ghost in the grass temple, Village Chief, Qianqian, we’ll go back first.”
Chen Dahe said to Liu Qianhe and Liu Qianqian in horror, then turned and bolted. Chen Erhe and Chen Sanhe hurriedly followed suit.
Watching the Chen brothers flee like headless flies, Yan Xiaosi let out a sigh of relief and relaxed her mental power.
Not having fully mastered her abilities, Yan Xiaosi couldn’t use her psychic abilities to hurt people, and the energy she had accumulated couldn’t last very long. Luckily, it had been enough to scare away the Chen brothers.
With the release of her power, the pine needles fell back to the ground. All was silent, and aside from the Chen brothers, nobody else had noticed.
When the Chen brothers left, Liu Qianhe and his daughter Liu Qianqian’s momentum significantly weakened.
In front of so many people, they could not possibly act like the Chen brothers, barging in to destroy things. And Yan Bozhang was even less likely to do so.
They were all a bunch of hypocrites.
Liu Qianhe changed his expression, staring at Ms. Zhong, about to speak. Yan Xiaosi cut him off before he could say a word: “Village Chief Liu, since you’re so keen on reclaiming this run-down temple, we’ll just move out. You should pray for your long life and that you won’t fall sick halfway through after what you’ve done today.”
After addressing Liu Qianhe, Yan Xiaosi’s gaze shifted, coldly sweeping over Yan Bozhang and Mrs. Li.
They’d better pray for long life too and not to fall sick halfway through.
Upon her icy gaze, Ms. Li shrank her neck, and even Yan Bozhang, who was used to the grandeur of life, retracted his neck.
Her nephew’s gaze was as cold as a venomous snake.
That was Yan Bozhang’s feeling at this moment.
Yan Xiaosi retracted her gaze, her eyes instantly softening. She turned to Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun and said, “Mother, eldest sister, second sister, third sister, let’s quickly go inside, pack our things and leave this place.”
Yan Shuyun asked, “Xiaosi, once we leave here, where will we go?”
As Yan Xiaosi walked towards the house, she replied, “There’s always a way when we get to the mountain. We are alive and we can’t let hardship suffocate us. We will always find a place to live.”
Hearing Yan Xiaosi’s words, Ms. Zhong felt as if she had taken a reassurance pill.
Yes, Xiaosi, still a child, wasn’t afraid. What was there for her to fear?
“Shuqin, Shuxue, Shuyun, don’t be afraid. Listen to your fourth brother and go inside to pack your things.”
“Yes, mother.”
Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun put away their gloomy moods, responded to Ms. Zhong, and followed her and Yan Xiaosi inside to pack their things. The family was poor and didn’t have much to pack – just a few sets of worn clothes per person, some hardened quilts, and the leftover food and kitchenware.
