Chapter 33: Is This How You Rob People?

Ming Xi felt as though she were on the verge of a breakdown. That adorable, dim-witted son of hers—hadn’t she told him repeatedly to keep quiet? She knew he was only concerned for her, but in this situation, he was being anything but helpful!

“What’s going on here? Who is this brat?” the bandit leader asked, turning his head to scrutinize the small figure inside the carriage.

This movement by the bandits made Little Tong realize that his outburst had truly caused a disaster, one that had brought immense trouble upon his mother.

“This is…” Ming Xi felt cold sweat beading on her forehead. *My sweet, dim-witted boy, you are going to be the death of me! Why did you have to speak up? What am I supposed to do now?*

“He called you ‘Mother.’ Is he your son?” The bandit leader’s attitude shifted abruptly. He squinted, sharpened his scimitar, and a murderous glint flickered in his eyes. “Someone just told me she hadn’t even experienced her first night yet…”

“Of course… of course I haven’t! This child is just my sister’s son. She died in childbirth, and since he’s disabled, I took pity on him and adopted him! If you don’t believe me, look for yourselves! Do we even look alike?”

Ming Xi feigned calm as she pulled back the curtain, exposing Little Tong to the crowd while trying to steady her racing heart. She signaled to him with her eyes: *I told you to be quiet! What on earth are you doing, you wretched boy?*

*That’s what I should be asking you, Mother! What are you doing? I heard all those inappropriate things you were saying to him!*

*Where is your sense of propriety? If you know they’re inappropriate, why are you listening? I was using a strategy, and it was about to work! Do you want to get your mother killed? Don’t you know these bandits hate being lied to?*

*But Mother, you were lying to them. If you’re still a virgin, then how did I come to be?*

*You! You wretched boy! Stop with the backtalk! Let’s just get through this first!*

*Fine, Mother. I understand. I’ll make up for it, okay?*

The silent exchange between Ming Xi and Little Tong ended. Ming Xi repeated herself, “Bosses, you’ve really misunderstood us. He is truly not my biological son!”

“How can you prove that? Let me tell you, if you dare to deceive me, you’ll lose your head!” the bandit leader warned.

“That’s easy enough to prove. Just look at his face—do we look anything alike?”

“Yes!” the bandits shouted in unison.

*Oh, for heaven’s sake! You blind fools!*

“Seriously, which eye are you using to see a resemblance? The left, the right, or your belly buttons? He is not my son!”

“Little lady, don’t play games with me. I’ll ask the kid myself. If I find out you’ve been lying, I’ll slice you in two!” The bandit leader walked up to Little Tong, believing children didn’t lie. “Little one, tell me honestly—is that woman your mother?”

Little Tong stared blankly at the fierce-looking man with a touch of innocence.

“Well?!” the leader growled, annoyed by the silence.

“That depends on how you define it, Uncle! Don’t you adults always say, ‘He who provides milk is mother’? She’s so flat she doesn’t even have any milk, so how could she be my mother? If she were, I would have starved to death long ago!”

*W-what?!*

Ming Xi’s face turned bright red. Was that really her sweet, innocent son talking? *Where is your dignity, child? It’s bad enough that I, a fox spirit, have no shame, but must you be just as shameless?*

The bandits roared with laughter. Ming Xi could only suppress her rage, thinking that once this was over, she would definitely teach this boy a lesson for daring to tease her. She seized the moment, adding, “Now you believe me, right? Please, stop accusing me. I’m not even twenty-one yet! I don’t even have a sweetheart, let alone a child.”

“I see… but this kid is truly strange. Is he really blind?”

*Why does this guy have so many questions?*

“Yes! What else would he be?” Ming Xi was completely exhausted. For some reason, she felt a heavy, oppressive pressure filling the air.

In the next second, the bandit leader reached out and ripped off Little Tong’s eye patch! Immediately, an ethereal, terrifying blood-red beastly eye was exposed to everyone.

“Ahhhhhhh!” some of the more timid bandits screamed.

The leader’s eyes widened, fixated on the left eye. Before he could react, the magical beast, the Obsidian Dragon, let out a mournful shriek and began to retreat in terror. This only fueled the bandit leader’s curiosity and fury.

“…Are you sure this foster son of yours is blind in his left eye?” he asked, his voice turning icy.

“Yes, he can’t see anything out of that eye…”

“Then there’s no point in keeping it, is there?” A dark premonition flashed through Ming Xi’s mind as the leader continued, “Men! Gouge out the boy’s left eye! I want to study the secrets hidden in this eyeball!”

*W-what?!* Ming Xi’s mind went blank. Had these bandits gone insane?