TSWPF – Chapter 19 Slander

As soon as the villagers arrived, Lame Li’s eyes lit up with excitement. He thought he was saved. He immediately yelled at the top of his lungs, “Help! Li Qingling wants to kill me!”

He didn’t believe that with so many people watching, Li Qingling would still dare to attack him.

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know her well enough. Li Qingling was not someone anyone could bully.

The people entering the courtyard gasped when they saw Lame Li’s miserable state. Then they looked at Li Qingling, who stood there expressionless, holding a bow and arrow. A chill ran down their spines.

Could it be… Lame Li was shot by her?

“What’s going on here?” The village chief walked in with his hands clasped behind his back. When his eyes fell on Lame Li, his brows furrowed even deeper. He had always disliked this man who stole chickens and dogs and lazed around all day.

Li Qingling’s expression softened a little when she saw the chief. She bowed politely and said,  “Village Chief, Lame Li came to steal from us and was caught by me in the act. Please tell me—how should he be dealt with?”

She planned to use this chance to warn those who thought they could bully her family. Even if her household was just a widow and an orphan, they were not easy prey.

“Bullshit! I didn’t steal anything!” Lame Li sucked in a sharp breath, then shouted loudly, “Madam Zhao told me to come! I only came because of her!”

At that, Li Qingling shot him a cold glare that made him tremble. This girl, so young, yet so fierce.

“Lame Li, I have no enmity with you. Why are you slandering me like this?” Madam Zhao came out, holding her large belly, tears streaming down her cheeks. She faced the crowd and said,  “I’ve been married into this village for so many years. Everyone here knows what kind of person I am. How could I possibly do something so disgraceful that deserves to be drowned in a pig cage?”

Even if she were blind, she’d never take a liking to someone like Lame Li!

“Hmph, flies don’t bite eggs without cracks,” Madam Lin sneered coldly from within the crowd. She wasn’t about to let go of such a perfect opportunity to ruin Madam Zhao’s reputation.

With those words, the villagers’ gazes changed again. Madam Zhao might be a little tanned from farm work, but she had delicate features and was famously pretty.

Back when she married Li Laigui, many men in the village envied his good fortune for marrying such a beauty.

Even now, pregnant, she didn’t look bloated like other women. Instead, she had a gentle charm that made her even more attractive.

No wonder Lame Li had evil thoughts.

“Nonsense! We all know what kind of person Huiniang is!” Old Madam Huang, known for her sharp tongue but kind heart, spoke up. “But Lame Li, he’s done plenty of sneaky things. Who in this village hasn’t been stolen from by him?”

Everyone knew that Lame Li was a scoundrel who liked to bully those weaker than him.

Li Qingling gave Madam Huang a grateful glance, then turned her cold eyes toward Madam Lin. Did Madam Lin really think hiding in the crowd would make her unnoticed?

A gentleman’s revenge can wait ten years. Madam Lin’s petty actions—Li Qingling had already marked them down.

“Then why,” Madam Lin pressed, unwilling to stop, “did Lame Li only name Madam Zhao? Why didn’t he accuse anyone else?”

Her words stirred up whispers among the villagers again. Fingers pointed, eyes turned suspicious.

Madam Zhao’s face flushed red, then pale. Li Qingling reached out to hold her hand, silently telling her not to be afraid—she wouldn’t let anything happen.

Madam Zhao gave her a faint smile, took a deep breath, straightened her back, and looked the crowd squarely in the eye. “Even if I, Madam Zhao, were blind, I’d never fancy a man like Lame Li.”

A useless man like him—she wouldn’t want him even if he were given to her for free.

Just as her words fell, a loud wail came from the gate.

“My son! Don’t die! If you die, what will happen to me?”

It was Madam Huang—Lame Li’s mother. When she saw her son lying in a pool of blood, she wailed even louder. “Madam Zhao, you shameless slut! You seduced my son, and now you’ve hurt him this badly? I’ll kill you!”

She charged toward Madam Zhao, looking as if she really meant to tear her apart —but an arrow whizzed past her ear before she could reach her.

She collapsed to the ground, her eyes wide, her throat blocked like a stone was lodged in it. No sound came out.

The noisy courtyard fell silent instantly.

Everyone’s gaze fell on the arrow sticking upright in the ground, quivering slightly, its tip buried deep into the soil. Their hearts skipped a beat.

If that arrow had hit a person, could anyone survive it?

A chill spread through the crowd. All eyes turned toward Li Qingling, filled with awe and fear.

She was young, but definitely not someone to trifle with.

“If I hear anyone slander my mother again,” she said icily, sweeping her gaze across the crowd, “don’t blame my bow for lacking eyes.”

Her cold voice slithered into everyone’s hearts like a venomous snake, making them shudder.

Then she turned to Lame Li. “You said my mother sent you. Then why didn’t you come openly through the door? Why were you prying it open with a knife?”

“I—uh…” Lame Li stammered, rolling his eyes nervously. “Because… because she didn’t want you to know, so she told me to pry it open.”

What a terrible lie. Truly impressive in its stupidity.

Li Qingling grabbed the arrow lodged in his thigh. Even before she moved, Lame Li screamed, “Don’t! Don’t move it! I’ll die!”

That pain—it was worse than death.

“Think carefully before you speak,” Li Qingling said coldly. “Otherwise, I’ll drag you to the county office and let the magistrate interrogate you. Then you’ll find out what real suffering means.”

Her narrowed eyes gleamed dangerously, making Lame Li break out in a cold sweat. He opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound.

“How dare you!” Madam Huang shrieked. “Madam Zhao seduced my son and now you want to send him to the authorities?”

Li Qingling’s face darkened. Without a word, she twisted the arrow twice.

Lame Li howled in agony as blood soaked his pant leg.

Madam Huang froze mid-scream, terror flooding her eyes.

Even the villagers felt their legs go weak.

Li Qingling’s voice was calm and cold. She turned to Liu Zhimou and asked, “What’s the punishment for breaking into a home with a weapon to steal?”

Standing beside her, Liu Zhimou replied evenly, “Anyone caught stealing with a weapon and entering another’s house may be killed by the homeowner without any legal consequence. If turned over to the authorities—twenty strokes of the cane and imprisonment.”

The crowd gasped. Madam Huang’s face turned deathly pale.

Li Qingling sneered softly. “Lame Li, don’t blame me for being ruthless. This is all your and your mother’s doing.”

If she didn’t show her fangs, people would really think she was a sickly kitten.

“I was wrong! I was wrong!” Lame Li cried desperately. “I don’t want to go to jail! I shouldn’t have slandered your mother. Please forgive me!”

Li Qingling plucked the bowstring lazily. “Then tell me, why did you come to my house?”

“I… I lost a bet and owed someone a tael of silver,” he stammered. “So I wanted to steal… I’ll never dare again, I swear!”

He wouldn’t dare mention the lustful thoughts he’d had. If he did, she’d kill him on the spot.

Hearing this, everyone looked at him with disgust. Stealing was bad enough—but slandering an innocent woman? Unforgivable.

Madam Huang’s face burned red with shame. She swallowed hard and pleaded with Li Qingling not to hand her son over to the authorities.

He was her only child. Bad as he was, she couldn’t watch him die.

Li Qingling’s gaze stayed cold and silent. Madam Huang turned helplessly to the chief for help.

The village chief sighed heavily. He hadn’t expected Li Qingling to be this fierce—but honestly, could anyone blame her? A girl like her had to be tough to protect her mother.

“Xiaoling,” the chief began carefully, “we’re all from the same village. Lame Li already knows he’s wrong. Could you let him go this once? I know you’ve suffered, but if word spreads, it won’t look good for the village. For my sake, don’t send him to the county office, all right?”

If she wanted to live peacefully in the village, she had to give him some face.

Li Qingling exhaled slowly. Her tone softened, her lips curved in a faint smile. “Since you’ve said so, I won’t send him to the authorities. But he still needs to be punished—otherwise, he’ll never learn. Today he stole from my house and slandered my mother; tomorrow, he might do it to someone else’s wife. Don’t you think so, Village Chief?”

“Of course,” the chief nodded. “He must be taught a lesson.”

Li Qingling’s gaze deepened as she looked at Lame Li’s pale face. This time, he was lucky. Next time, there wouldn’t be one.

“Then I’ll leave this matter to you, Village Chief,” she said gently. “My mother’s been frightened and doesn’t feel well. I’ll stay home with her.”

The chief nodded and told a few men to carry Lame Li away.

“Oh, wait,” Li Qingling called out. The men froze and turned back.

“When you pull out the arrow,” she said with a smile, “make sure to return it to me. My father didn’t leave many behind—just three.”

Seeing her smiling face, the villagers felt a chill run through their hearts. They hurriedly carried Lame Li away, nearly tripping over themselves in their haste.

The village chief, walking behind them, gave Li Qingling a quick nod. “I’ll return it,” he promised, before quickly leaving as well.