Chapter 117: Playing Deaf
“Stop complaining and just keep moving! If we lose these supplies, we’ll starve or freeze to death in this wilderness!”
Seeing his son’s reluctant expression, Yu Zhengqing continued using his light-footed martial skills to carry supplies up into the trees while scolding him.
“Yu Luo! If no wild beasts show up tonight, you’ve wasted my father’s and brother’s energy, and troubled everyone else! Let’s see if you still have the nerve to keep traveling with us!”
Yu Yingying, furious at seeing her exhausted brother collapse onto the snow only to be dragged up again by their father, turned to the nearby tree where Yu Luo sat and threatened her.
“Heh, don’t worry. In twenty days, we’ll be at the exile settlement, and we’ll be parting ways—far, far away from each other. Just don’t come bothering me then, since I’ve been sick of you for a long time.”
“Enough! Stop arguing! You’re shouting across two trees—save your energy! If those wild beasts really come, you’d better hold onto that tree trunk for dear life!”
Lady Lan, who had just been carried up into the tree by Yu Zhengqing, happened to be in the same tree as Yu Yingying. She clung tightly to the trunk, too afraid to move, fearing that the branch she was perched on might snap beneath her. Yet, even in this terrifying moment, Yu Yingying had the audacity to start a fight with Yu Luo in another tree.
Lady Lan was speechless. Couldn’t this spoiled young lady at least wait to survive before picking a fight?
“Mind your own business! You’re just a concubine! Lady Lan, has my father and mother been giving you too much respect lately? Have you forgotten your place?”
Yu Yingying wasn’t one to listen to reason. Instead, being scolded only made her angrier. She turned her sharp tongue against Lady Lan without hesitation.
But Lady Lan had no time to argue. She was already terrified for her life. Across from her, her seven-year-old son, Yu Xiaoyun, sat clutching another branch. Protecting her son was far more important than dealing with Yu Yingying’s tantrum.
Yu Yingying, however, grew even more brazen. Not only did she continue insulting Lady Lan, but she also demanded that Lady Lan remove her shoes and hand them over to her!
Unbelievable.
Even if they weren’t in a life-threatening situation, why would Lady Lan hand over her own shoes in such freezing weather? Yu Yingying had always treated her poorly and now dared to command her?
Without hesitation, Lady Lan ignored her. She gripped the tree trunk tighter, held onto her son, and pretended not to hear anything—playing deaf.
“Lady Lan! Are you deaf? I told you to take off your boots and give them to me! I’ll say it one last time!”
“Second Sister, please stop yelling. If there really are wild beasts out there, they might not have noticed us hiding in the trees yet. But if you keep shouting, you’ll lead them right to us!”
Seven-year-old Yu Xiaoyun finally spoke up. Even though he understood the hierarchy between legitimate and illegitimate children, he couldn’t stand how his older sister was treating his mother. He gritted his teeth in frustration but still tried to reason with her gently.
That only made things worse.
“Oh, so even your son can hear me, but you’re still pretending to be deaf, Lady Lan? I’ll say it again—give me your boots, or don’t blame me for what happens next!”
Lady Lan hesitated and glanced up cautiously.
Yu Yingying was sitting just five feet above her. If she really wanted to make trouble, Lady Lan wouldn’t be able to stop her.
“Yingying, I can’t take them off. I’m holding onto Xiaoyun and can’t move.”
“Excuses! You just want me to freeze to death! Fine, if you won’t give them up, then nobody will have peace!”
With that, Yu Yingying started shaking the tree trunk violently.
The tall poplar tree swayed dangerously in the freezing wind. Even if Yu Xiaoyun hadn’t already been crying in fear, Lady Lan was now drenched in cold sweat.
“AAAAHHH! FATHER! HELP!”
Before the wild beasts could even arrive, Yu Xiaoyun’s terrified cries rang through the trees. The shaking tree trunk made him cling desperately to his mother, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Yu Yingying, have you lost your mind?! STOP!”
Lady Lan, usually meek and submissive, was now screaming at her. She clutched her son in one arm, clung to the trunk with the other, and shouted at Yu Yingying.
By now, the commotion had caught the attention of everyone hiding in the trees.
Chang Huilan, Yu Yingying’s own mother, was perched in a nearby tree. Seeing her daughter’s reckless behavior, she was both angry and helpless.
“Yingying, are you crazy?! Stop shaking the tree! If that branch snaps, you’ll fall and break your neck!”
“Mother, mind your own business! If you have time to scold me, go scold Lady Lan! She refuses to give me her boots! If I have to freeze, then everyone suffers with me!”
Watching Yu Xiaoyun cry in terror and seeing Lady Lan’s face turn pale, Yu Yingying only seemed to get more satisfaction.
Any concern she might have had was replaced with a cruel desire—to shake Lady Lan and her son right off the tree!
Her heart was truly venomous.
Perhaps it was simply strong genetic inheritance—she had inherited every bit of Chen Shi’s wickedness.
CRACK.
A branch snapped under the pressure, nearly silencing Yu Xiaoyun’s cries.
Yet, completely oblivious to the danger, Yu Yingying kept shaking the trunk.
Hearing her son’s desperate wails, Yu Zhengqing’s face darkened like a storm. He immediately leaped into the air, intending to stop her.
But before he could reach her—
A deafening, guttural roar shattered the night.
“Wild…wild beasts! The wild beasts are really coming!”
Moments earlier, the others had been distracted, watching Yu Yingying’s outburst.
Now, suddenly, the distant sound of thunderous stomping filled the air.
The howling, guttural roars of monstrous beasts echoed through the snow-covered wilderness. The wind howled, carrying their cries as they approached.
High above the ground, the people hiding in the trees turned pale with fear.
Their bodies stiffened.
They dared not move.
They dared not breathe.
For a moment, the entire forest was eerily silent.
Yu Zhengqing, who had been about to climb the tree to stop Yu Yingying, froze in place.
He turned his head slowly toward the direction of the approaching beasts.
His face was stone-cold.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Yu Xiaoxuan and leaped onto a nearby tree, one that hadn’t been occupied yet.
Because right now, nothing else mattered.
Not Yu Yingying’s tantrum.
Not the chaos she caused.
Because the real threat had finally arrived.
