Chapter 66: Retribution (1 / 2)

When the woman said she was looking for her children, everyone shook their heads and said they hadn't seen any. Some of the kinder girls, like Shen Qingluan, even stepped forward to help her ask around. But really—didn't they understand? Out here in this deserted wilderness, what kind of family would let their child roam around?

The woman's face was filled with anxiety as she explained,

"I went to the temple to listen to the scriptures earlier today. When I left, all five children were still there. But after you all showed up… they were gone."

Everyone shook their heads again. Cui Hai, now feeling slightly accused, got annoyed and raised his voice:

"Ma'am, are you saying we kidnapped your kids? This is the middle of nowhere. Who knows—maybe some monster snatched them up."

The woman glared, her eyes flashing with an eerie light that sent a chill down my spine:

"Nonsense! No monster would dare touch my children!"

No matter how much everyone tried to reason with her, she refused to leave. So I stepped forward and asked,

"Auntie, this is an abandoned village. Where do you live?"

She pointed westward and said:

"My home is right over there—not far."

My expression changed instantly.

Because that direction... was exactly where we had gone earlier—the mass graveyard.

My heart started to race. This place had been abandoned since the economic reforms. Nobody lived here anymore. And the west side? That was all unmarked graves and gnarled trees—definitely no homes.

That's when I became sure—this woman was not human.

Then, suddenly, she glanced at the roasting spit—the yellow weasel meat turning slowly over the flames. Her face went pale. Her hand shook as she pointed toward the fire and asked with a trembling voice:

"What… what is that you're cooking?"

Everyone answered casually:

"Yellow weasel meat."

I kept my gaze locked on the woman, and what I saw next confirmed everything. Her face twisted in grief. She swayed and collapsed to the ground. People rushed over, asking if she was okay.

She waved them off and muttered:

"I've been searching for my children all day. I'm just… hungry. Dizzy. My legs gave out."

She looked impoverished, dressed like a peasant woman. Her gaunt cheeks made her seem pitiful. Many of the classmates, feeling sorry for her, invited her to sit and eat something.

She actually sat down. Cui Hai—arrogant as ever—grinned and handed her a piece of the dried, roasted weasel meat.

"Come on, Auntie! This stuff's super nutritious. You look like you could use the protein—wild game like this is perfect for folks with a weak constitution."

But she refused to take the meat.

Instead, she asked where the yellow weasels had come from.

Knowing who she really was by now, I tried to cover for everyone and said quickly:

"Auntie, we bought it at the market on the way here. It wasn't caught nearby."

But before I could stop him, Cui Hai interrupted. And you know how they say "Heaven may forgive fate, but not self-inflicted stupidity"? Well, this was one of those times.

He puffed up and said:

"Bullsh*t! You ever see this kind of thing sold in markets? Wild game's gotta be freshly killed—best eaten when it's still warm. Any longer and it starts to stink!"

I nearly jumped up and punched him. Could he not keep his damn mouth shut?! But seeing him showing off in front of Liu Ruoyi, I understood—he was trying to impress her with his bravado.

Then the woman asked urgently:

"Did you catch them near the burial mounds?"

Again, Cui Hai proudly responded:

"Yeah! Those little things put up a fight, too. Ruined my shirt—this thing's a Versace from the U.S., cost me a few grand." He made a point to flash the brand tag.

Then she asked:

"Were they golden-yellow in color? All five?"

Everyone nodded.

And that's when I saw her hands start shaking violently. The look she gave us was full of pure hatred.

At that moment, everything became painfully clear to me.

This woman… was almost certainly the mother yellow weasel.

She'd said she went to the temple to "listen to scriptures." Clearly, she had gone to cultivate—to seek enlightenment. Which meant…

Those five yellow weasels we killed and ate—were her children.