Chapter 329 - 322: The Hateful Side of a Pitiable Person

At Noon, the strand of hair in Song Ciwan’s hand grew slightly warm.

She extended her Spiritual Sense and once again opened the Eye of Cyan Nether, looking at Little Yao Family from afar.

She saw Little Yao Family send Dai Family away, then pretend to glance around casually. Once she was certain no one else was in the room, she walked over to the cradle where Little Girl lay.

It was Little Girl’s hundred-day celebration; she was just an infant, a little over three months old.

Her mother had just finished nursing her, and she was now sleeping soundly in her cradle.

Little Yao Family stood by the cradle, staring at Little Girl for a moment with a complex expression. Then, she gritted her teeth and whispered, "Little Girl, don’t blame your aunty. If you must blame someone, blame your own good fortune. Why is it that we’re both girls, yet you’re born a treasure of the family, while I’m treated as less than nothing?"

"I can’t accept it! Blame your grandmother, blame your second uncle for being a bully. Blame your father and mother for showing off too much. They’re all the ones who have brought this on you..."

As she muttered to herself, she reached out and plucked a fine, soft strand of baby hair from Little Girl’s forehead.

The sleeping infant seemed to sense the discomfort and immediately pouted.

Little Yao Family quickly reached out, gently patting Little Girl’s chest to soothe her while extending her other hand.

In the palm of her other hand was a hidden needle. Attached to the end of the needle was a small, round bead the size of a mung bean.

Little Yao Family held the needle, aimed for Little Girl’s right middle finger, and quickly pricked—

"Ouch!"

But it was she who let out a soft cry of pain.

Yes, the one who cried out was Little Yao Family, not the sleeping Little Girl.

Little Yao Family didn’t know that she had been deceived from afar by Song Ciwan’s Heaven-Stealing Day-Changing Skill. She thought she had just pricked Little Girl’s finger, but in reality, the needle had pricked her own finger!

She believed she had used the Silver Needle to draw a drop of blood from Little Girl’s fingertip, but she was unaware that the Silver Needle had actually drawn her own blood.

Little Yao Family then took out a dusty gray pouch that emitted a strange aura. She stuffed the blood-stained Silver Needle into it, along with the lock of Little Girl’s hair she had plucked earlier.

Of course, that too was not Little Girl’s hair. It was Little Yao Family’s own hair, swapped by Song Ciwan using the Heaven-Stealing Day-Changing Skill.

Without a doubt, there were pitiable aspects to Little Yao Family’s situation.

If she had directed her hatred and vengeance toward those who had caused her suffering, Song Ciwan would not have interfered. But Little Yao Family had turned against an innocent baby!

Who could witness such a thing and do nothing?

The Mortal World was full of sorrows and regrets. While Song Ciwan certainly couldn’t resolve them all, she was more than willing to lend a hand when the matter was right in front of her, well within her reach.

’Lending a hand clears the mind and brings a sense of ease.’

Unaware that her every action had been altered and twisted, Little Yao Family put the pouch back in her robes and looked again at the sleeping Little Girl. This time, a hint of guilt appeared on her face.

"Poor child..." she sighed, reaching out to gently stroke the baby’s head.

As if sensing a malicious presence drawing near in her sleep, the infant’s nose suddenly crinkled, and she burst out wailing.

The baby’s cries startled Dai Family, who had been briefly sent away. She rushed back into the room, exclaiming, "Oh, my dear Little Girl! Weren’t you asleep? Why are you crying?"

Seeing Dai Family rush in, Little Yao Family, who was sitting by the cradle, quickly stood up. Looking a little flustered, she said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what happened. This child... sigh, I tried to pat her and soothe her, but she just started crying even harder."

Dai Family quickly lifted Little Girl from the cradle. While holding her, rocking her gently, and patting her to soothe her, she said, "Oh, it’s not your fault. This little one is just very particular; she only wants to cling to me all day. She only fusses when I’m not here."

Little Yao Family’s awkwardness immediately vanished, and she said with a smile, "That just means she’s a smart baby, she knows she wants her mommy! As for me, her aunty, she doesn’t like me at all..."

Dai Family laughed and said, "Smart? She’s just latched onto me to wear me out!"

The two sisters-in-law chatted and laughed for a bit. Little Girl was soon soothed and stopped crying. Little Yao Family then took her leave, leaving Dai Family in the room, watching over Little Girl without taking a single step away.

...

At midday, the hundred-day feast began.

Dai Family carried Little Girl out to make an appearance before the guests, accepting a pile of various auspicious gifts as part of the ceremony.

Things like small pouches, small copper coins, and small gourds. Dai Family used a basin to hold these gifts from the villagers, among which was a Protective Jade Talisman from Song Ciwan.

Because she was a Cultivator, her Protective Talisman was solemnly accepted with thanks from Ancient Major Sect and Dai Family. Dai Family quickly took a red string, hung the Jade Talisman around Little Girl’s neck, and tucked it inside her clothes.

Finally, Dai Family placed Little Girl into the basin as well, then carried both the basin and the baby back to the room.

To be honest, the sight was quite cute and amusing.

Immediately after, with a musical cry, the Hundred Entertainments performance began on the stage.

The so-called Hundred Entertainments were also known as "variety shows" among the common folk of the Great Zhou. They involved very little storytelling and were famous mainly for their variety of bizarre and spectacular tricks.

For example, there was face-changing, fire-breathing, sitting in fire without being burned, walking on water as if it were solid ground, and being struck by a knife without injury.

Even Song Ciwan, with her memories of a past life and her own practice of Magic, found the various tricks quite interesting, to say nothing of the villagers of Gu Family Village, whose lives were largely devoid of entertainment.

With every new trick, the villagers in the audience watched, stunned and amazed.

"Bravo!"

"Encore! Encore!"

The villagers were so excited they clapped their hands and stomped their feet. The hundreds of guests lost interest in the food on their tables, and their shouts and clamor heated the atmosphere to a fever pitch.

One trick followed another on stage. At some point, Brother Yun, wearing a white-painted mask, made his entrance.

His eerie, white-painted face drew another wave of shocked cries from the crowd. On stage, Brother Yun held up a small, shriveled leather pouch—

The leather bag appeared to be about a foot long and half a foot wide. No matter how you looked at it, it was just a small pouch.

Brother Yun held the small pouch up for all to see, then turned it upside down and slapped it several times to show the villagers that it was completely empty.

Then, his white-painted face broke into a strange smile at the crowd. He beckoned with his hand, and a tall performer with a colorfully painted face stepped onto the stage and came to his side.

Brother Yun pulled the pouch over the tall, colorfully painted performer. The performer stood dazedly in the middle of the stage and was instantly covered by the small pouch.

The small pouch was pushed down, first covering the tall performer’s head, then his shoulders, his torso, and finally, his legs and feet.

In the blink of an eye, the tiny pouch, as if containing a bottomless Abyss, swallowed the tall performer whole!

How was this any different from an ant swallowing an elephant?

The villagers below the stage immediately erupted in another wave of astonished shouts.