Chapter 13: The Attack and the Severed Finger

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Are scammers these days—or rather, human traffickers—really this bold and brazen?! Are they completely brainless, or do they think everyone else is an idiot?!

How could they deceive two young girls so openly and without the slightest restraint? Weren’t they afraid of divine retribution?! Didn’t they worry that their sons might be born without an anus?! And weren’t they even more afraid that their descendants would suffer the consequences?!

Perhaps most people would consider such thoughts mere feudal superstition, but Lu Jiao’er firmly believed in them.

Otherwise, how could she have traveled from her previous life into the world of cultivation? And then, for no apparent reason, traveled from the cultivation world to the 1980s?

She had the same name, but she was no longer the same person. Lu Jiao’er really had no choice but to believe that the fantastical truly existed.

Smack.

Without warning, all the lights in the carriage suddenly went out, leaving only a few small lamps in the corridor. At ten o’clock at night, the lights in the hard-sleeper carriage were switched off on schedule.

Sister Qing, Xiaofang, and Xiaozhen had been chatting and showing off when the darkness struck without warning, startling them so badly that their voices stopped at once.

The three of them stared at one another, unable to understand why all the lights had gone out. Just then, the train’s announcement finally came, explaining that ten o’clock was the designated time for the carriage lights to be switched off. Only then did they realize what had happened.

At that hour, they would normally have been lying in bed asleep at home. If they had not been so excited and fascinated by their first train journey, they would have noticed it much sooner.

Some passengers had already gone to sleep before the lights were turned off, let alone after receiving this signal. Sister Qing, Xiaofang, and Xiaozhen did not dare disturb everyone’s rest, so they took turns going to the restroom before climbing into their respective berths and lying down to sleep.

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In the pitch darkness, with no lights at all, Lu Jiao’er naturally could not read. She did not yet possess night vision, but she had no intention of sleeping that night. If she could not read, she could meditate and practice cultivating her qi, or take advantage of the darkness to count the supplies stored in her small personal space.

There was simply too much she could do. One night was just enough.

Lu Jiao’er did not hurry to get up. Instead, she lay on her berth and went over the algebra she had just studied, reviewing and retracing everything from beginning to end until she had memorized it completely and firmly.

The effects of the Clear Spirit Pill were astonishing, and Lu Jiao’er was immensely satisfied. At this rate of learning, she estimated that in no more than ten days or so, she would have memorized and finished studying all the high-school textbooks.

After finishing her review, Lu Jiao’er went to the restroom. However, before she had even reached her berth, a hand suddenly emerged from the darkness and reached straight for her chest.

Lu Jiao’er did not panic. With a calm expression, she raised her hand and swiftly struck at the offending hand.

The next second, an unbearably shrill scream rang throughout the entire carriage.

At the same time, Lu Jiao’er quickly retreated several steps. The calm and composure on her face were replaced by shock, fear, and unease.

The piercing scream woke everyone in the carriage. The timid passengers were too frightened to leave their berths, while the bolder ones hurriedly took out the flashlights they had brought with them.

Before long, the railway police and train attendants arrived. They also turned the lights in the carriage back on, restoring its brightness.

At that moment, everyone could not help drawing in a sharp breath. A lecherous-looking man was clutching his palm, which was pouring with blood, and howling incessantly. Two severed fingers lay scattered on the floor.

Good heavens! How had this man’s fingers been severed? Who was the culprit?

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Lu Jiao’er immediately became the center of attention, because she was the person closest to the man—and she also looked as though she had been frightened out of her wits.

Could it have been… her?!

Everyone began speculating silently. But no, that did not seem right. The girl looked so young, and she was still trembling as she hugged herself. She had no weapon in her hands, nor was there any blood on her.

Besides, no one would believe that a young girl would dare chop a man’s fingers off—and cut off only two of them at that.

The man with the severed fingers was soon taken away to have his wounds bandaged, while Lu Jiao’er was taken to the train conductor’s office.

…

Author’s Note:

Happy Double Ninth Festival, everyone!

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