TL: Moonlit
On the way, Qi Lanhong told Shen Ye about the situation. Her classmate’s name is Wu Mengying, and they attended the same high school and class. They had just finished their college entrance exams, and both of them had performed well and were accepted to the Imperial Foreign Language School.
After receiving the acceptance letter, Qi Lanhong wanted to go on a trip with Wu Mengying to celebrate their admission to college. However, when she arrived at Wu Mengying’s house, her family did not welcome her and informed her that Wu Mengying was about to get married and would not be attending college.
Qi Lanhong was extremely surprised. Wu Mengying was only eighteen years old and hadn’t even reached the legal age for marriage. How could she be getting married so early?
Wu Mengying was locked up by her family, but Qi Lanhong, being clever, managed to find Wu Mengying’s younger brother and extracted information from him. It turned out that Wu Mengying’s family wanted her to marry a deceased person, a practice known as a ghost marriage.
The one who proposed this was a Taoist priest. It was said that the Taoist priest’s employer had a lot of money and promised to provide Wu Mengying’s family with a house within the second ring road of the Imperial City. Houses within the second ring road were extremely expensive, so Wu Mengying’s family readily agreed.
Wu Mengying’s family was not well-off to begin with, and her younger brother was about to enter his final year of high school. They would need to buy a house in the Imperial City for future marriage and child-rearing. They had been worrying about where to get the money, so when someone offered them money and a house, they didn’t hesitate to agree.
The Taoist priest’s condition was that Wu Mengying had to go with him after the ghost marriage and could no longer stay with her family. Wu Mengying’s family obtained the house and millions of cash, so they didn’t care about Wu Mengying’s life anymore.
Upon hearing this, Qi Lanhong was filled with anger. She packed her bags and tried to escape, but she was caught by Wu Mengying’s family and locked up.
“I can’t believe there are still people practicing ghost marriages nowadays. It’s one thing to have a ghost marriage, but they actually want to take her away… That Taoist priest wants Mengying to go with him. I suspect he wants to harm her and make her accompany that… that dead person!” Qi Lanhong gritted her teeth and said angrily, “Mengying’s parents are ridiculous too. They sold their daughter like this. They truly don’t deserve to be called parents!”
Upon hearing this news, Qi Lanhong immediately left the village because she knew that the Taoist priest possessed powerful abilities, and she was afraid of being discovered by him.
Fortunately, she managed to leave quickly, just as the Taoist priest arrived at Wu Mengying’s house.
At that time, Qi Lanhong happened to see a Weibo post from Shen Ye, stating that he could help girls who were being forced into marriage. Wu Mengying’s situation was unique, but it could still be classified as a forced marriage, so she created a new number and called Xu Sisi.
She changed her number to prevent being traced by the Taoist priest. As someone who had read many online novels, she believed that wicked Taoist priests were capable of many sinister things, so it was better to be cautious.
In truth, her actions were unnecessary and only delayed Ye Ze’s progress in finding her.
But it was always better to be cautious. Her line of thinking was correct.
Shen Ye had already deduced the situation from Qi Lanhong’s appearance and knew that if he hadn’t come this time, the Taoist priest, after harming Wu Mengying, would come after Qi Lanhong.
Fortunately, Qi Lanhong contacted Xu Sisi in time.
“You guessed it right. That Taoist priest indeed wants your classmate to accompany the employer’s son underground. So, your classmate is indeed in danger,” Shen Ye paused and said, “But don’t worry, I will rescue your classmate.”
Qi Lanhong felt a mix of anger and gratitude and said excitedly, “Thank you so much. I knew you would help us!”
Shen Ye couldn’t help but smile. It seemed like he had gained another little fangirl.
The car quickly drove into Ming Feng Village and stopped directly in front of Wu’s house.
Wu Mengying’s family also had a self-built two-story villa, which looked quite grand.
However, after building the house, the Wu family had no savings left, so they sold Wu Mengying in order to buy a house for their son in the city.
There were quite a few people in the Wu family’s yard, including Wu Mengying’s parents, relatives, the Taoist priest, the employer, and the bodyguards brought by the employer.
They were planning to have Wu Mengying marry the employer’s son in a ghost marriage tonight, so they arrived at Wu family’s house in advance to take Wu Mengying away.
The employer was the first to realize when several cars arrived at the house.
“Master Yin, are those people outside the ones you invited?” The employer’s surname was Yao, and the Wu family didn’t know his name, only that Master Yin called him Boss Yao.
Upon hearing this, Master Yin looked towards the gate.
The first person to get out of the car was Qi Lanhong, and Master Yin sneered. How dare this little girl come here? Don’t blame him for being impolite!
But in the next second, he saw Shen Ye and Ye Ze holding hands as they got out of the car.
The moment he saw Shen Ye, Master Yin’s face immediately changed.
Taoist priests also had their own circle, and they had long known that Shen Ye had defeated several powerful masters. Those masters were targeted by Shen Ye because they had done bad things.
Master Yin was well aware that he himself was no good person, and this ghost marriage he was conducting for Boss Yao’s prematurely deceased son was also a bad thing. He even planned to devour Wu Mengying’s soul, as she was born on a Yin year, Yin month, and Yin day, which would be a great supplement for him.
He originally thought that this matter would go unnoticed and wouldn’t reach Shen Ye’s ears. After all, it was in a remote place, and he intentionally kept Boss Yao low-key.
Who would have thought that Shen Ye would still find out!
He suddenly regretted it a bit. He should have dealt with Qi Lanhong earlier.
Otherwise, Shen Ye wouldn’t have found this place.
Boss Yao was also quite anxious.
He knew Shen Ye, and he knew Ye Ze even more.
Ye Ze was the heir of the Ye family, while the Yao family, although wealthy, was merely nouveau riche and couldn’t be compared to the Ye family.
He leaned over to Master Yin, and nervously asked, “Do you… do you have a way to deal with Mr. Ye and Master Shen?”
Both of those people were not easy to deal with, but he still held onto a glimmer of hope.
Master Yin’s face darkened. “I can only give it a try.”
As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Wu Mengying who was beside him.
Shen Ye saw his action and sneered, “Do you think you can threaten me with a hostage?”
At this moment, the gate of the Wu family’s house was closed, and Master Yin shouted loudly through the iron bars, “Don’t come any closer! If you take one step forward, I’ll kill her immediately!”
Wu Mengying’s face turned pale, but she wasn’t afraid of Master Yin. She said loudly, “Go ahead and kill me. I don’t want to live anyway!”
She also knew Shen Ye and guessed that Qi Lanhong had brought Shen Ye here to save her.
She was particularly grateful to Qi Lanhong and Shen Ye for their kindness, but she had long lost all desire to live.
During this period, she had pleaded with her family to spare her, but her parents, driven by money and a house, didn’t care about her life or death. They sold her off like this. Later, to prevent her from escaping, they locked her in a room and only gave her one meal a day, which left her too weak to run away.
There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart. Her parents’ betrayal had extinguished any will to survive within her.
Shen Ye understood her thoughts and said, “You’re already eighteen, an adult. You can sever ties with your parents. As long as you’re willing, I will help you, not just financially.”
Wu Mengying widened her eyes and couldn’t help but be tempted.
She had been studying peacefully for the past eighteen years, without entering society. This time, she was sold by her parents, and she felt like her world had collapsed. She had no idea how she would go on living.
Now, with Shen Ye’s comfort and assurance, a glimmer of hope suddenly sprouted in her heart.
Shen Ye knew she had regained her fighting spirit and relaxed slightly. His gaze shifted to Master Yin, and he said, “You are no match for me, and you can’t harm Wu Mengying. If you voluntarily release her, I can reduce your suffering. You should have heard about my methods. If you refuse to let her go, I have plenty of ways to make you suffer.”
Master Yin’s face darkened, and he stared silently at Shen Ye.
Shen Ye shrugged. “It seems you’re unwilling to release her?”
Deep down, Master Yin was definitely afraid. He knew he was no match for Shen Ye, and now his only option was to find an opportunity to escape.
Unfortunately, before he could take any action, Shen Ye placed three talismans on him, and he became immobilized, unable to move.
Shen Ye leisurely opened the iron gate of the Wu family’s house and walked in with his people.
Master Yin couldn’t move his body or speak; he could only stare at Shen Ye with fear and resentment.
Shen Ye didn’t bother with him and went straight to Wu Mengying’s side. He said, “Don’t be afraid, everything is fine now.”
Perhaps it was Shen Ye’s gentle tone, but Wu Mengying felt a weight lifted from her heart, and tears inexplicably streamed down her face.
Qi Lanhong quickly stepped forward and supported her, saying, “Don’t be afraid, with Master Shen here, everything will be okay.”
“Yeah, I believe in Master Shen.” Wu Mengying hugged her and cried, saying, “Lan Lan, thank you.”
She knew that Qi Lanhong must have sought Master Shen’s help; otherwise, she wouldn’t know if she would still be alive tonight.
Qi Lanhong shook her head.
Shen Ye said, “Take her to the car to rest.”
This was to separate Wu Mengying from her family.
Upon seeing this, the Wu family immediately protested, saying, “No, you can’t take our daughter away!”
They had just received money and a house from Boss Yao, and if Wu Mengying was rescued, what if Boss Yao changed his mind?
Father Wu stepped in front of Qi Lanhong and tried to pull Wu Mengying away. He said, “Come back to the room, you’re not allowed to go anywhere!”
Clearly, Wu Mengying was afraid of him. She cowered and sobbed.
“Why are you crying?” Father Wu scolded impatiently. “Go back to your room, and without my and your mother’s permission, you’re not allowed to come out!”
After speaking, he signaled for Mother Wu to take Wu Mengying back to the room.
Wu Mengying clung fearfully to Qi Lanhong’s arm.
Qi Lanhong looked at Shen Ye for help.
Shen Ye directly instructed the Ye family’s bodyguards to separate Father Wu and Mother Wu from the two girls, then he protected Wu Mengying and Qi Lanhong.
“Do you deserve to be parents? Even if you’re animals, you wouldn’t harm your own child like this,” he sneered and scolded Father Wu and Mother Wu.
Father Wu and Mother Wu were very unhappy. “How dare you speak like that! Is there something wrong with us disciplining our own daughter?”
In their minds, their child was their private possession, and they could do whatever they wanted. Outsiders had no right to interfere, not even the government could interfere with how parents raised their children!
Shen Ye snorted. “You’re truly animals! Do you know that your daughter is getting married tonight in a sinister ceremony and will lose her life tomorrow?”
Father Wu and Mother Wu avoided eye contact.
“How is that possible? You’re talking nonsense!” Father Wu said angrily.
Shen Ye stared at him. “What if your daughter is really in mortal danger? Would you still force her to go through the sinister ceremony?”
Father Wu stubbornly replied, “How can she be in mortal danger? Don’t try to scare me, I won’t be fooled!”
But there was no remorse on his face. It was clear that even if he watched Wu Mengying die before his eyes, he would still not give up the house and money.
It wasn’t the first time Shen Ye encounter such heartless animals who cared nothing for their children’s lives, but seeing Father Wu’s despicable face, he was still furious.
By this time, the sun was about to set, and the sunlight in the yard gradually dimmed.
Because Shen Ye and Ye Ze’s cars had just entered the village, and with the arrival of Mayor Wang and others, many people in the village came to watch the commotion.
Everyone whispered and discussed the Wu family’s situation.
Earlier, they had vaguely heard that the Wu family had sold Wu Mengying and forced her to go through a sinister marriage in exchange for millions of dollars and a house.
Although there were parents like Wu Mengying’s parents who lacked humanity, there were also enlightened and law-abiding parents in the village. Many people disagreed with Wu Mengying going through a sinister marriage, and they even advised her parents not to do such a wicked thing.
But Father Wu and Mother Wu believed that everyone was jealous of the benefits they had gained and drove everyone away.
Now, upon hearing Shen Ye say that Wu Mengying was in mortal danger, some straightforward aunties couldn’t help but speak up.
“This little master, please save Mengying. This child is pitiful.”
“Her parents favor her brother and often beat and scold her. They give her brother all the good things. We’ve long been displeased with it!”
“If it weren’t for her excellent grades and the high school principal personally coming to the Wu family to recruit her and exempt her from all school fees, the Wu family wouldn’t have sent her to high school.”
“But I heard that Mengying didn’t do well on the college entrance examination. She caught a cold from her brother splashing cold water on her before the exam, and no one in her family cared about her…”
I caught a cold today and have a cough. Because I’m close to Wuhan, I’m a little anxious… But don’t worry, it’s just my wild imagination…
Everyone, please take precautions and wear masks when going out~
I’ll revise the text another day~
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or gave me nutrient solution from 2020-01-19 23:48:06 to 2020-01-21 22:52:14~
Thank you to the little angel who threw a hand grenade: Wang Xian Xian, 1 vote
Thank you to the little angels who gave me nutrient solution: Chun Jiang Hua Yue Ye, 2 bottles; Luo Ri Yu Hui, 1 bottle
Thank you very much for your support, and I will continue to work hard!
