Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

The woman's demeanor gave Xue Yuantong the feeling as if she were a female college student encountered during a journey, standing out starkly from a desolate mountain village.

When the dishes were served, the woman approached Xue Yuantong, her eyes staring straight ahead.

Through those eyes, Xue Yuantong sensed her emotions: pleading, pain, despair.

She recognized her, it was the madwoman from last night.

The woman placed the porcelain bowl into Xue Yuantong's hands, then placed it on the table.

When Xue Yuantong took the bowl, her fingers touched something unusual beneath it, seemingly a strip of paper, causing her body to shiver.

Then, without changing her expression, she tightly clenched it and naturally set the bowl down.

After completing the whole step, Xue Yuantong's heart pounded furiously, nerves on edge, her mind filled with visions of Jiang Ning.

Just as she tightly embraced her thoughts, a voice suddenly rang out from the table, "Hold on."

Xue Yuantong subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound and saw an elderly, sharp-eyed lady staring right at her.

"What are you holding in your hand!" the elderly lady asked.

Xue Yuantong did not answer.

"I asked you, what are you holding in your hand!" the elderly lady shouted sharply, drawing the attention not only of Xue Yuantong's table but also of nearby main tables.

Sister Zheng quickly tried to smooth things over, "Please, just tell her."

Xue Yuantong tightly gripped her hand, roughly guessing the woman's identity and the content of the note; if exposed, not only the madwoman but even she herself would be in trouble.

"Not following directions, eh!" the elderly woman burst out in dialect, standing up to grab Xue Yuantong.

Sister Zheng saw this, tried to intervene, but being a city woman, her strength was no match for the elderly woman who had worked in the fields all her life; she could not stop her.

In the ensuing chaos, as the elderly woman reached for Xue Yuantong, a figure suddenly appeared—Jiang Ning stood in front of Xue Yuantong, calmly staring down the elderly lady.

The elderly woman reached out to grab again, but Jiang Ning swung his chopsticks like iron rods, striking the elderly lady's withered hand.

Pain caused her to immediately retract her hand.

Meanwhile, this conflict caught the attention of the main table, where the aged village head, like an old wolf, led several villagers, including the tall, burly man from yesterday.

"Let's talk," the old village chief said.

The elderly woman, seizing the initiative, pointed at Xue Yuantong, "Just now, someone from Da Chao's family passed something to this young lady."

Upon hearing this, the tall man's expression shifted, he demanded sternly, "What was passed?"

The elderly lady replied, "It's in her hand, let her open her hand."

The village chief said, "Hold out your hand."

His words, no ripples of emotion, yet were filled with an undeniable authority, typical in such a rural village where the chief's word was essential as the heavens.

Jiang Ning said, "Tongtong, do as he says."

Xue Yuantong felt a bit of chaos in her heart, but with Jiang Ning by her side, she wasn't afraid, boldly opening her hand in front of dozens of eyes.

What appeared before everyone was Xue Yuantong's clean palm, without anything on it.

Xue Yuantong felt strange inside, she surely felt that sensation just moments before, but as she opened her hand, it was completely empty.

Could it be… her eyes shifted towards Jiang Ning, "Could it be, he did another magic trick?"

The elderly woman's sharp expression turned to disbelief, her shrill voice ringing out:

"The other hand, the other hand!"

Xue Yuantong then spread open her other hand, still empty.

The elderly woman still wanted to persist, but Sister Zheng creased her eyebrows, stating bluntly, "We came back to visit relatives, is this how you treat guests?"

Though the village chief was puzzled, he said no more; with a signal, the burly man rushed out of the courtyard.

A minor friction, a few words from the village chief, and things calmed down.

Following this incident, Sister Zheng felt even more keen on leaving; after finishing their meal, she sought out her husband.

It was time to leave, Uncle Chen, fulfilling his desire to visit his hometown, left a stack of cash; escorted by the village chief, they walked the mountain roads for over two hours, back to the temporary bus station.

The SUV started, the village receding further into the distance, and Xue Yuantong felt as though she had woken from a dream, yet the note in her palm constantly reminded her that everything was real.

Not until the vehicle hit the mountain roads did Sister Zheng in the front ask, "Tongtong, did you get something?"

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Sister Zheng quickly added.

Xue Yuantong didn't hide anything; she pulled out the note, unfolded it, and inside was a series of numbers, a telephone number.

She relayed what she had seen and heard to Sister Zheng.

Uncle Chen, having quietly listened from the front, sighed.

"Is there a way?" Yuantong asked.

Uncle Chen shook his head, "Give up, there's no way."

Sister Zheng was puzzled, "The number could belong to the girl's parents or relatives, how could it be useless? If they are willing to pay, the villagers would usually release her."

Uncle Chen explained, "Paying won't work, the villagers won't release her, nor dare to. If they dared release her, those brokers would no longer visit their village, affecting all the men in the village."

Uncle Chen, who had traveled far and wide, knew much; he said, "That's the rule, luckily they didn't discover the note, otherwise, it would have caused much more trouble."

On the surface, he said this, but in his heart, he was frightened. If the little girl had been found hiding the note, whether she could live to leave the village was another matter entirely.

...

In the car.

Yuantong kept recalling those eyes, unforgettable.

After returning to the urban area, Jiang Ning and Zheng family's group parted ways. Seeing Tongtong looking unwell, he took out his phone,

"I'll handle it."

Yuantong's eyes lit up, Jiang Ning was someone who could do anything in her eyes.

He called Shuangshuang to explain the situation.

With Shuangshuang's influence growing through Changqing Liquid Company, and being the sole public shareholder worth over a hundred billion, her established national sales network and several emergency departments, as well as a network collecting rare items nationwide, this task was almost effortless for her.

Jiang Ning himself could have taken action, but he lacked enthusiasm.

They rested for two days in Yun Province before leaving. On their departure, Yuantong carried Little Bao, passing through the hotel lobby.

A huge television on the wall was broadcasting news, and Yuantong stopped to watch.

The background of the news was the mountain village she had visited two days ago.

"Jiang Ning, she's been rescued!" Yuantong recognized that familiar figure, not just her, but three other women from the village as well.

"Yes." Jiang Ning replied.

At the same time.

In Yun Province, Chun City, a row house, a plump little boy shouted:

"Mom, come see the TV!"

Sister Zheng hurried over and saw the broadcast, astonished,

"Just two days! Did Tongtong handle it?"

Uncle Chen sat on the sofa, a cigarette unlit between his fingers.

Uncle Chen was stunned for a long moment; he knew from his lifetime of experience that resolving this matter in such a brief period required immense effort.

Clearly, the siblings they met by chance came from a good background.

Thinking of their recent departure right before this incident, he advised,

"Dad, it's better not to return to our hometown in the future."

"Got it," said Uncle Chen.

Sister Zheng smiled happily, empathizing more as a woman.

As she smiled, she sighed softly, wondering if these women could ever live a normal life after what they had endured?

...

August 19, the last stop of summer vacation travel.

In Mongolian Province, Hu City.

A tall and a short figure exited the train station, Yuantong looking exhilarated; it was her first time traveling in a high-class sleeper car with only two beds, an exceptionally good experience.

Yuantong led the way cluelessly in front, Jiang Ning carrying the bags followed.

As they passed an old street near the train station, an old lady approached quietly,

"Young man, need a hotel?"

Jiang Ning's Divine Sense swept out, scanning all the nearby building structures.

"Is it legitimate?" he asked.

The old lady immediately assured, "Absolutely legitimate!"

Jiang Ning uninterestedly responded, "I don't want a legitimate one."

He stepped forward, walking past Yuantong.

Yuantong caught up, pouting, "Jiang Ning, do you want to stay in an illegitimate place?"