Reborn as a Happy Wife in a Rural Family
Chapter 188: Xue Slaves

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Xue Slaves

She waved into the air, and eight more young women flew out.

Everyone looked on. These eight young women were dressed the same as the previous four, all wearing green linen tunics.

Their faces were expressionless, their hands clutching gleaming swords. They glared at the newcomers with fierce anger, ready to tear them limb from limb.

Xue Mei, the woman in the wheelchair, watched these eight, a cruel smile on her lips.

These are the Xue Slaves I’ve nurtured, she thought. These eight are much stronger than the previous four. This time, they will certainly kill this group of people. Every generation of the Saintess is allowed to train eighteen Xue Slaves. When Xue Xin left, she took those eighteen Xue Slaves with her. These eighteen, I trained myself. The Saintess’s seals are all in my hands; who from the clan would dare say no?

"Kill them!" Xue Mei ordered the Xue Slaves harshly.

The man held by Wuxin couldn’t believe his ears when he heard his mother order their deaths. His life was in their hands, yet his mother disregarded his safety and ordered the kill.

I thought she would at least try to save me before attacking this group, he despaired. But she just gave the order directly. Is this really my mother? Does she truly care so little about her son’s life for the sake of power?

Thinking of this, the man’s heart turned to ice.

At that moment, he fervently wished these people would kill the Xue Slaves and his mother.

Quick as a flash, Wuxin tossed the man to Wuqing. While Wuqing protected Gu Qingli, Wuxin, Wuyou, and their three companions flew out to intercept the eight Xue Slaves, and a battle began.

Gu Qingli kept her gaze fixed on Xue Mei. Wuyou and the others have consumed the snow lotus seeds, she thought. They should be more than capable of handling these eight. I know very well how much their combat abilities have grown on this journey.

As expected, it wasn’t long before Xue Mei’s expression turned extremely unsightly.

Gu Qingli could see the veins bulging on the hands gripping her wheelchair. She’s infuriated to the extreme, Gu Qingli noted, watching her calmly.

In no time, Wuxin, Wuyou, and their companions dispatched the eight Xue Slaves and swiftly returned to Gu Qingli’s side.

"Good job, all of you! Very good! Very, very good!" Xue Mei seethed, glaring at Gu Qingli and speaking through gritted teeth.

My eighteen Xue Slaves, meticulously trained for seven or eight years, and twelve of them killed within an hour! I didn’t expect this group to be so formidable. Only six are left. Sending them out now would just be sending them to their deaths. And then I’d have no means of protection left. The Xue Clan isn’t large, but internal competition is intense. Not everyone is content to live a quiet life, working from sunrise to sunset. Xue Clan members are forbidden from leaving the clan for life; anyone who leaves is no longer considered a member. So, some are unwilling to remain confined in this small, cage-like place and are always scheming. The Xue Slaves were created to meet this need—to ensure the Saintess’s safety. Some clan members have tried to leave, but without the Xue Clan’s map, they all get lost in the Icefield.

"You’d better call out whoever you need to, quickly, or we’ll destroy this place," Gu Qingli said, shaking her head. Her tone was harsh.

Ever since we arrived, we’ve been met with hostility and poison, she thought. My patience has worn thin. I just want to get to the bottom of Wuyou’s situation quickly so we can leave. This den of tigers is no place to linger.

"Miss, why don’t I go find someone and ask how to get out of this Icefield?" Wuyou suggested, a plan forming in her mind as she noted the woman’s unyielding demeanor.

Gu Qingli turned to see the cunning glint in Wuyou’s eyes. She has a plan, Gu Qingli realized, deciding to play along. She blinked and asked, "Aren’t you going to ask about your parents anymore?"

This is a genuine question, Gu Qingli mused. Like most from the Secret Sect, ninety-nine percent of them don’t know their origins. Everyone in the world should know where they come from, shouldn’t they?

"No need. If they were here, they wouldn’t let that old hag run rampant," Wuyou said, jerking her chin dismissively towards Xue Mei.

"Alright then. Grab someone older; surely someone here knows about your parents. I refuse to believe that old hag is the only one with information," Gu Qingli said with conviction.

"You—!" Xue Mei clutched her chest, enraged. Hearing these two call me ’old hag’ again and again, I could almost cough up blood!

Wuqing and the others couldn’t help but smirk. Miss and Wuyou’s tactic is brilliant, they thought. There’s no way that old wench can keep her composure now.

"Hmph! Thinking of leaving?" Sure enough, Xue Mei caught her breath and pointed at Gu Qingli. "It was your luck to get in. Getting out isn’t so easy."

If these people go asking around the clan, things will get out of my control. Once those old elders see this girl’s face, they’ll immediately know Xue Xin’s daughter has returned! Since they only want to leave, why not trade the map for my son and keep this whole affair quiet? It’s clear I can’t kill them or poison them, so I might as well let them go. Where did these fiends even come from? They’re so savage! Xue Mei fumed internally.

"Oh? Judging by your tone, you know the way out? So, what’s your proposal?" Gu Qingli asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I do have a map to get out," Xue Mei said through gritted teeth, her earlier confidence gone. "I’ll trade it for my son. But you must all leave the village immediately and never return. Only then will I make the exchange."

Right now, I just want to send these bringers of misfortune away as soon as possible, she thought.

Gu Qingli scoffed. "If you had treated us with courtesy when we arrived, perhaps we would have left long ago."

Xue Mei didn’t reply to Gu Qingli. Instead, she had Ah Li, who was pushing her wheelchair, lean down and whispered something in her ear.

Ah Li listened, then glanced at Gu Qingli.

Gu Qingli rolled her eyes. "Go on, get it. We’re not like some people; we don’t play tricks. We won’t take advantage of someone’s predicament."

Ah Li looked at Xue Mei again, and Xue Mei nodded.

Only then did Ah Li walk towards the inner courtyard.

Ah Li had only taken a few steps when Wuyou swiftly pulled a grappling hook from her bag, flung it at Xue Mei’s wheelchair, and yanked hard. The wheelchair shot towards her.

It all happened so suddenly that Xue Mei only had time for a startled cry before Wuyou seized her.

Ah Li, who was some ten feet away, heard Xue Mei’s cry and immediately rushed back. She saw Wuyou’s hand clamped around Xue Mei’s neck.

"You—you went back on your word!" Ah Li stammered, trembling with anger, barely able to speak.

"Hmph! Do you take us for fools?" Wuyou snorted. "If you went to fetch reinforcements, we’d be in trouble. This way, we have some insurance."

"Go! Get it!" Ah Li started to say more, but Xue Mei shot her a glare and growled, her voice a low rasp forced from her throat.

"Yes, Madam." Ah Li cast a hateful look at Gu Qingli’s group and had no choice but to hurry away.