After Saving The Disabled Villain, I Was Attacked In Return! - Chapter 48

Qi Chengxuan’s actions naturally demanded full repayment to be satisfying. Qi An saw him not as her brother, but as an opponent—a venomous, snake-like adversary.

Jiang Yu looked up at Qi An. For some reason, seeing her smile made her feel as if Qi An had everything under control. Even in the face of this terrifying scene, Jiang Yu felt reassured. She smiled and straightened her posture, preparing to walk forward with confidence.

The low-lying village was deathly still. After only a few steps, Jiang Yu began to hesitate, her almond-shaped eyes repeatedly glancing toward Qi An. The woman in the wheelchair showed no sign of discomfort or fear, her relaxed demeanor radiating calm.

“Under the Son of Heaven’s watchful eye, within the Imperial City itself, we have nothing to fear,” Qi An said, noticing Jiang Yu’s gaze. She turned her eyes toward Jiang Yu, who, illuminated by the moonlight, looked particularly lovely. Even in simple clothes, her refined beauty shone through—a testament to her upbringing in the General’s Residence, nurtured by wealth and privilege.

After a momentary lapse in concentration, Qi An quickly regained her composure and focused her gaze on Fengmen Village, framed by the moonlight.

Surrounded by a circle of trees, Fengmen Village was always partially obscured. Though the winter branches were bare of leaves, their slender limbs, stretching into the night, resembled ghostly arms reaching out, making the place seem inhospitable. Fengmen Village stood alone within the Imperial City, as if deliberately separated from the rest of the Capital.

Its incongruity was puzzling. Jiang Yu stared blankly at the village, passing through the trees and over a low hill before finally reaching the entrance.

A stone tablet stood at the entrance to Fengmen Village. Under the silver moonlight, it looked eerie, like an unmarked grave in a mass grave. How could superstitious ancients have tolerated such a decoration?

Qi An had secretly brought a few matches when they left. It was clear she had come prepared, as if she knew they would end up in this place tonight. While Jiang Yu examined the tablet, Qi An maneuvered her wheelchair around, searching for a wooden stick. Finding one, she lit it with a match, creating a flickering torchlight that guided them closer to the tablet.

The tablet bore three large characters: Fengmen Village.

The words “Fengmen Village” were written in crude, hasty strokes, as if a traveler who had encountered something terrifying had hastily scrawled the warning with their last breath, a desperate plea to those who might follow.

Ever since descending, Jiang Yu had felt a growing unease. Though they were still within the Capital, arriving at Fengmen Village’s entrance felt like being deep in the mountains, stripped of the familiar safety and sense of belonging she associated with the city.

An oppressive stillness hung over the place, devoid even of the usual sounds of roosters crowing. A wave of unease washed over Jiang Yu as she edged closer to Qi An. Inside the village, there were no barking dogs or crowing roosters, only an eerie silence that suggested not a soul was around.

Every house had its doors and windows tightly shut, without a single light or sound of conversation. The village houses, just as the soldier had described, looked dangerously dilapidated, like they hadn’t been inhabited for years. It was the very image of an abandoned village.

Walking through this oppressive environment, Jiang Yu couldn’t help but lower her voice. “Qi An, do you think they just made up an address? This place really looks completely abandoned.”

Qi An shook her head. She had “lucky” passed through this place before, and even during the day, it was as quiet as night. Yet she still occasionally saw villagers walking the streets.

Sensing Jiang Yu’s fear, Qi An reached out and took her hand, while her other hand slowly turned the wheelchair. Jiang Yu noticed that while pushing the wheelchair with both hands seemed somewhat strenuous, Qi An turning it with just one hand showed no sign of effort whatsoever.

Has Qi An trained in martial arts? The thought briefly flashed through Jiang Yu’s mind before she quickly dismissed it. If Qi An had martial arts training, why hadn’t she resisted when she was bullied in the original book?

Qi An’s attention was now completely focused on examining this mysterious village. The entire settlement seemed to consist of just one main street, and they hadn’t walked far before spotting a house with its door left open.

To be precise, the house had no door to close in the first place. Qi An, with her excellent night vision, could see clearly from a distance that there seemed to be something inside the house.

Unable to see clearly and worried about startling Jiang Yu, Qi An unfastened her waist pendant. She had brought it with her from home; a small bell hung from it. But since Qi An was confined to her wheelchair and couldn’t walk, the bell had rarely rung, and she’d almost forgotten it was there. Now, she remembered.

Qi An removed the bell and tied it to Jiang Yu’s right wrist. The red cord with the bell dangled from Jiang Yu’s wrist. With a flick of her slender fingers, a crisp, clear sound rang out.

“I’m going to check the house ahead. Stay right here. If you’re in danger, remember to shake the bell. I’ll come protect you immediately. Jiang Yu… trust me,” Qi An said, looking at her earnestly.

Jiang Yu nodded. She naturally believed Qi An could protect her, so she stayed put as Qi An wheeled away alone toward the small house. As the house drew nearer, Qi An gradually made out the scene inside.

Inside the dilapidated hut was a coffin—a pitch-black coffin! Qi An was horrified, feeling her blood run cold. She’d always heard Fengmen Village was the most eerie place, but she never imagined something like this would be happening within the Imperial City.

Qi An didn’t dare call Jiang Yu over, afraid of startling her. Gathering her courage, she slowly maneuvered her wheelchair closer to the black coffin. After glancing back to ensure Jiang Yu wasn’t watching, she began kicking it.

Boom… boom… boom… The hollow sound echoed, confirming the coffin was empty. But why? That remained a mystery.

If it was empty, there was nothing to fear. Qi An smiled faintly and began surveying the ramshackle hut. The ceiling was unusually high, unlike the typical style of the Capital. Beside the black coffin stood a dusty Grand Tutor’s Chair, its legs chipped and peeling.

The chair was worn and shabby, but it stood out starkly in the empty room. Qi An tilted her head, studying it. Suddenly, she recalled everything she knew about the Bone Tribe. The Grand Tutor’s Chair bore a striking resemblance to the kind of furniture they used.

Could it be… Qi An already had a plan? After looking around and finding nothing else suspicious, she was about to retreat.

But before she could move, she heard a chaotic jangle of bells—Jiang Yu’s wrist bells mixed with a frantic clamor. The urgency was unmistakable: something was wrong!

Qi An quickly looked toward Jiang Yu. As expected, a man in black was covering her mouth, trying to drag her into an alley!

The situation was too dire for Qi An to maneuver her wheelchair. She sprang from her seat, leaping to Jiang Yu’s side. A dull ache shot through her legs, but it didn’t slow her down. She gripped the man’s throat with one hand and pried his hand from Jiang Yu’s mouth with the other. Jiang Yu gasped for air, collapsing to her knees and wrenching free from the man’s grasp.

“Who are you?!” The man’s pained shout was unmasked, and Qi An made no effort to conceal the sounds of the struggle. Yet even these loud noises failed to draw any neighbors out to investigate. Qi An felt a surge of relief.

Qi An gripped the man’s neck as if he were holding a doll. With a squeeze, a sickening crack echoed.

“Bone Tribe members fear venturing out at night. Their guilty consciences make them fear retribution. Even if you scream for help, no one will come—because you’re not even a Bone Tribe member!” Qi An’s voice dripped with delight, as if she had seen through something, or simply because she was enjoying tormenting him.

Jiang Yu stood up, brushing the dirt from her skirt, her eyes fixed on Qi An and the man in black.

“Qi An, he was trying to strangle me!” Jiang Yu hurried over, pulling open her collar to show Qi An the mark. Under the moonlight, a clear red mark marred Jiang Yu’s neck, as if another inch of pressure would have drawn blood.

If this mark looked this bad under the moonlight, how horrifying would it look under candlelight? Seeing this, Qi An tightened her grip. The man began to wail in agony, the sound chilling the night air.

Qi An didn’t rush to kill him, instead interrogating him methodically. The man, no coward, quickly broke: “I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Just let me go and I’ll tell you everything!”

The man’s words finally earned him a chance to live. Qi An dragged him by the sleeve back to the small room. She sat down in her wheelchair while the man knelt beside the coffin.

“I was just getting paid to do a job,” the man said. “Someone told me to patrol the village every night with this stupid bell and capture anyone snooping around. I thought I was pretty good at fighting, but you still…”

As he spoke, the man felt his dignity slipping away. He couldn’t shake the humiliation of being outmatched by a woman after years of training.

Under the night’s veil, Qi An’s red lips curved slightly. She remained silent, listening intently as Jiang Yu stood beside her, trembling.

“These people spend their days concocting harmful schemes at home. It seems some wealthy young master wants to help a prince usurp the throne… I don’t know anything beyond that…”

Usurp the throne? Qi An’s eyes narrowed. It sounded exactly like something her brother would do.

But Qi Chengxuan would at most help someone else usurp the throne. Qi An had her own ambitions.

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