Chapter 48 Refusing to Give Up Until All Hope is Gone

“Mother, the man who came today didn’t look like he lived nearby, and I don’t know what his background is,” Liu Yuelan said in the yard, stacking firewood with a furrowed brow, worry creasing her face. “If he already knows our family’s secret and what food we have, I’m afraid we won’t be able to keep it hidden for much longer.”

The old Mrs. Su also frowned and sighed, “There’s nothing we can do for now. We can’t just stop eating—how can a whole family survive without food? The vegetables in the field will be ready to harvest in just over a month. By then, we’ll go back to living as we used to.”

They only hoped nothing else would happen in the meantime.

Su Xiuer pressed her lips together and whispered, “Mother, do you think that man will tell others about our family?”

“I doubt it,” He Daxiang chimed in. “He came here to share our meals, didn’t he? If he tells others we were robbed, he won’t have anything to eat either... Besides, if someone really came to rob us, would that man help us? The way he swung that knife was fierce!”

As the conversation grew more and more absurd, the old Mrs. Su sharply snapped, “Enough! What are you all thinking? Be careful—walls have ears. And no matter what, never rely on anyone else. We’re just plain folk; it’s honest work that will keep us fed.”

The three younger women lowered their heads in agreement.

“Ke ke ke ke... Forget about eating first, hand over that thing to me! If you do, we can talk. If not, ke ke ke ke!” A strange laugh rang out from nowhere, making the four women’s hair stand on end.

The three little ones widened their eyes in unison, staring at the creepy old man descending from above. “Grandma, there’s a strange man!”

The old Mrs. Su twitched the corner of her mouth, and after a brief moment of alarm, quickly regained her composure.

They had experienced this kind of thing so many times recently that it had become somewhat routine.

“Who are you, barging into my home? What do you want us to hand over? You can see right through our house—there’s nothing of value here!” Mrs. Su swiftly pulled the three children close to her side and exchanged glances with her two daughters-in-law and daughter.

The younger women understood immediately.

Liu Yuelan rushed into the main room to pick up her daughter; He Daxiang grabbed a piece of firewood as a weapon and stood protectively in front of the grandmother and the children; Su Xiuer ran to the entrance of the vegetable garden and latched the gate shut.

The mad old man could easily climb roofs, so he was clearly skilled. If the men were to come now, it would only be courting death. Blocking the back provided some measure of safety.

The mad old man paid no attention to the women’s small maneuvers; to him, they were pointless.

If he wanted to kill someone, it didn’t matter how far they ran.

“That one, your family has it—hand it over!” The mad old man chuckled darkly, flashing the flower petal he had snatched from the baby. His drooping, triangular eyes were red and shining. “Tianshan Snow Lotus! Fresh! Ha ha ha! It was worth coming here first; it was effortless to get this!”

The old Mrs. Su’s mouth twitched again as she saw the pure, translucent, fresh petal.

That mischievous Sweet Treasure had thrown things around again!

“Hand it over quickly. My patience is limited. Don’t make me angry!” The old man snarled, looking mad and vicious.

Mrs. Su did not hesitate. Life was more important than anything.

“Daxiang, take out that flower,” she instructed, tilting her head.

He Daxiang responded immediately, running out from the kitchen wall with a ragged cloth bag and handed it to the old man, forcing down anger and fear, “There’s only this one!”

“...” The mad old man’s face twisted even more than the old woman’s as he looked at the tattered bag. “Tianshan Snow Lotus is such a precious and delicate treasure, and you just carry it in a rag bag?! You country bumpkins don’t know a thing about valuables!”

He cursed under his breath but moved quickly, snatching the bag and opening it.

“...” Upon seeing the contents, his already excited expression contorted further.

He took out the snow lotus lying at the bottom of the bag, his hands trembling so much it was almost comical. His eyes bulged and he screamed sharply, “What have you done to it?! The petals are curled and moldy! The flower core, the flower core...!”

The mad old man was so overwhelmed he nearly fainted, rolling his eyes in pain.

The snow lotus he held in his hand showed no sign of its former grace.

It had been dried into an ordinary withered flower, its color dull, edges curled, tiny spots of mold scattered around, and the essential flower core shriveled and invisible, falling apart at the slightest touch!

With his keen eyes, though the snow lotus was not large, it was top quality—grown only in the coldest parts atop the snowy mountains.

But now, it had completely lost its value!

The Su women were speechless.

They were just simple mountain villagers who had no idea how to preserve medicinal herbs. Besides, in this place of exile, they dared not ask anyone or sell it. Drying the flower was already an accomplishment.

Wasting such a treasure was better than having their whole family targeted by bandits.

Wasn’t this mad old man one of those bandits?

“The item is already given to you. Whether it’s useful or not, this is all we have. Please leave our home quickly!” Mrs. Su tightened her lips and issued the eviction order.

“One flower? Don’t think you can fool me with your poison trick so easily!” The mad old man’s face shifted, and he sneered again, showing a fresh petal. “The petal your little one took isn’t from a dried flower! Hand over the other one! Or I’ll kill you all!”

His words struck a nerve; the pear blossom needles were ready to be unleashed.

The old man chuckled darkly, “I’m telling you, you’re already poisoned. If you don’t cure it within fifteen minutes, even a god can’t save you! Be smart and hand over everything quickly!”

The pear blossom needles froze at the entrance to the space.

Sweet Treasure’s brows knitted tightly; her young face showed a grave expression.

She had discovered her weakness.

Even though she could borrow the space’s power, facing a true martial expert, she was still at a disadvantage.

First, a broken blade had breached her alert range, then the mad old man’s claim of poisoning caught her unprepared.

When he appeared, she hesitated for just a moment and lost her chance.

“There’s nothing! Even if you kill us all, there’s nothing!” Mrs. Su shouted angrily, staggering and then collapsing weakly to the ground.

Looking at the others in the house, none were spared.

“You really won’t see the coffin before shedding tears!” The mad old man leisurely sat on the ground. “Fine, wait and see. Soon you’ll itch all over as if bitten by ants. After the itch comes excruciating pain—like someone is smashing your bones piece by piece with a hammer... Ke ke ke ke! Let’s see how long you can keep your mouth shut!”

The women collapsed weakly, unable to move. The little ones turned pale, their faces blank with fear.

Terror and anger mingled on their faces.

But as time ticked by, not a single one gave in.

The mad old man stopped laughing, his expression darkening.

Could it be there really was nothing?

Impossible. If there wasn’t, where did that little one get the fresh petal?

It couldn’t be that a six-month-old child crawled all the way to pick it, could it?

With that tiny body, which snowy mountain could she have climbed?