Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 198: Didn’t I Warn You Not to Provoke Me Again
CRASH—
The bowl shattered. Rice soup spilled all over the floor, where a few grains of rice could be faintly seen.
"Oh, no!"
Sister Mi’s heart ached at the sight.
There wasn’t much rice left to begin with. Even the Old Master was only given a small handful at a time, boiled into soup to soothe his stomach.
Cheng Xidian stood before them, whip in hand, a gleeful expression on her face as if she had caught them red-handed.
"No wonder the food has been getting worse and worse lately. So someone’s been hiding in the kitchen, cooking for themselves! Song Lianhe, let’s see what you have to say for yourself this time!"
Song Lianhe remained seated on the small stool, staring at the spilled rice soup as Sister Mi’s pained sighs filled her ears.
Da Xi shielded her, and though she cowered before Cheng Xidian’s whip, she explained in a trembling voice, "Lord Thousand Commander, you’ve misunderstood. This is for the Old Master..."
"Who do you think you are? Get out of the way!"
With that, she cracked the whip against Da Xi.
Da Xi cried out in pain. Sister Mi rushed forward to protect her. "Mercy, Lord Thousand Commander! Mercy..."
"Still here?..."
Cheng Xidian raised her whip again, but Song Lianhe shot to her feet and snatched it from her hand.
"Song Lianhe! Are you looking to die?"
Cheng Xidian already despised her to the bone. Her attempt to kill Song Lianhe had failed; instead, she had been saved by Song Lianhe’s public display of "witchcraft," turning her into the laughingstock of the Prince Mansion. Even the Old Master no longer summoned her. Now, she wished for nothing more than to flay this woman alive and pull out her tendons.
Now that Cheng Xidian had leverage, how could she possibly let her go?
Seeing Song Lianhe gripping her whip tightly, Cheng Xidian’s eyes flashed with malice. She yanked hard, and Song Lianhe allowed herself to be pulled forward—
Cheng Xidian had intended to kick her, but the moment her gaze fell upon the silver needle in Song Lianhe’s other hand, she instantly went slack, her eyes widening as she froze in place.
Three silver needles were poised between Song Lianhe’s fingers, hovering just above Cheng Xidian’s eyeballs.
So, she had merely used the momentum.
"Song Lianhe!!"
Cheng Xidian roared with rage. Although she knew Martial Arts, the silver needles were too close. No matter how fast she moved, she couldn’t be faster than the needles striking down.
Song Lianhe stared at her coldly, one hand gripping the whip, the other clutching the silver needles.
Sister Mi and Da Xi were both in a panic, standing frozen and unsure of what to do.
Song Lianhe leaned forward, staring at Cheng Xidian’s face, and said word by word, "Cheng Xidian, haven’t I warned you not to provoke me again?"
"Song Lianhe, do you really think you’re Princess Qing? You’re nothing but a charlatan from the streets here! What can you do to me? Let me tell you, I am a Thousand Commander of Sui Bei! I hold an official rank. If you dare to touch me, you’ll be facing a death sentence!"
"Official rank?" Song Lianhe sneered in disdain. "If Old Man Luo appoints people based on favoritism like this, he won’t even need foreign enemies. Sui Ning City will fall at his hands sooner or later."
"How dare you slander our Warlord!"
"You’re worried about slander when he can’t even tell right from wrong?"
Suddenly, a cough came from outside the door. "Ahem..."
Sister Mi and Da Xi started in shock. It was the Old Master!
The two of them immediately knelt.
Song Lianhe looked up to see Luo Fubang enter, with Zhong Shimin trailing behind him. Zhong Shimin’s immediate reaction was to scan her from top to bottom, only then did he slowly lower his gaze.
"My Lord, save me!"
Seeing him, Cheng Xidian acted as if she’d seen her savior. Her voice softened, and she trembled like a frail, terrified little white rabbit.
"What is going on here?"
Luo Fubang stood still, his presence commanding.
Zhong Shimin stared at the tip of his nose, as if he hadn’t just been standing outside the kitchen with his lord for quite some time.
Cheng Xidian shouted, "My Lord! Song Lianhe slandered you! Her intentions are punishable by death!"
Song Lianhe sneered, moving the silver needles a little closer. "You dare to tattle on me right to my face? I see you really don’t want these eyes anymore!"
"Ah! Help! My Lord, save me!"
Luo Fubang frowned and looked at Song Lianhe irritably. "Let her go."
"No!" Song Lianhe didn’t even lift her head. She didn’t care whose authority she was defying.
"You knocked over a bowl of rice soup that Sister Mi and Xixi wouldn’t even dare to eat themselves! Even turning her into a pincushion wouldn’t be enough to vent my anger!"
"You were clearly the one sneaking food here!" Cheng Xidian accused. "We’re facing a food shortage in Sui Bei right now, and look at you, coming to the kitchen to have someone make you rice soup! And you still won’t admit it after I caught you!"
Luo Fubang glanced down and saw the traces of rice soup on the floor.
Fearing he would misunderstand, Sister Mi hurriedly said, "Reporting to the Warlord, this rice soup was a reward from you to the kitchen. This servant saw that Miss Song has grown quite thin recently, so I gave it to her to eat."
This time, Da Xi was no longer afraid and said loudly, "Warlord, this servant and the others know how precious rice is; we would never dare to eat it secretly or waste it. It’s just that the Witch Doctor is not used to our food here, so we gave your gracious gift to her. If there is any fault, it is this servant’s alone and has nothing to do with Sister Mi or Miss Song. Please, Warlord, forgive us!" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
As she spoke, she kowtowed.
Song Lianhe raised an eyebrow. ’I didn’t expect this little girl to learn to take responsibility so quickly.’
Luo Fubang also knew what was going on; it was as clear as day to him. He tilted his head and glanced at Zhong Shimin.
Zhong Shimin immediately stepped forward and took hold of Song Lianhe’s wrist.
Knowing his own strength, he didn’t use much force. He held her wrist loosely, yet with just enough pressure to make her release Cheng Xidian.
Song Lianhe looked up at him and said in a low voice, "I’m doing this for my patron’s sake."
Zhong Shimin raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Cheng Xidian immediately retreated to Luo Fubang’s side and wailed, "My Lord, you must stand up for Xidian! Not only did Song Lianhe slander you, she also..."
Song Lianhe couldn’t stand her hypocritical, blame-shifting face. Ignoring Zhong Shimin’s attempt to stop her, she strode forward, grabbed Cheng Xidian by the collar, and pulled her close. Pointing to the grains of rice on the floor, she said angrily, "Cheng Xidian, I understand you hold a grudge against me and want to get revenge whenever you can. I’m even willing to play along. But you yourself said that food is precious. You came in here and knocked it over without a second thought. Have you shown any care at all? This one simple bowl of rice soup could save a life in a critical moment! Aren’t you afraid of retribution for such a wanton waste?"
Seeing Luo Fubang’s face darken, Cheng Xidian’s own face paled and flushed in turn.
"Don’t you dare frame me! I just... I made a mistake, that’s all..."
"A mistake? You came in accusing me of cooking special meals for myself, and only then did you knock the bowl from my hands. How was that a mistake?"
"Song Lianhe! You did this on purpose! You’re framing me!"
"Hah. Waste a bowl of food just to frame you? Cheng Xidian, you should really take a look at yourself. Do you think you’re that important? If I really wanted to deal with you, I have plenty of ways. I could guarantee that even your bones would be turned into medicinal dregs!"
The bickering gave Luo Fubang a headache. His face grim, he bellowed, "Enough! All this squabbling! What has become of this place!" Then he glared at Song Lianhe. "Especially you! So sharp-tongued! You just won’t let it go, even when you’re in the right!"
