Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 232 The Source of Calamity is Extinction

Qin Huairu stepped into the Jia family's house empty-handed, clutching only the meager two yuan, her face full of resentment. Jia Zhangshi's cloudy, triangular eyes immediately swept over her like searchlights. Instead of seeing the expected meat, she saw Qin Huairu's sullen expression, and her old face immediately fell.

"Where's the meat? I told you to go and get something good, and all you brought back were two worthless bills?" Jia Zhangshi demanded shrilly, her spittle almost landing on Qin Huairu's face.

Qin Huairu trembled at the shout, then, as if finding an outlet, she embellished her account of what she had seen at the Xu family's house: "Mom! Don't even mention it! That Lin Gang family didn't come back legitimately at all! They smuggled themselves out! They ran away!" She deliberately lowered her voice, "I heard it with my own ears, and his son Lin Yan, the way he acted, dressed like one of those capitalist young masters from back then! I heard he hooked up with some incredibly powerful boss in Hong Kong, and that's how he became rich!"

She suppressed her jealousy: "Tell me, they've made such a fortune, coming back adorned in gold and silver to show off, but they won't even share a single piece of meat with us old neighbors! They're the richer they are, the stingier they become, heartless bastards!"

"What?! Smuggling?!" Jia Zhangshi's cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with a greedy glint, like a hyena smelling blood. "They've got some nerve! Daring to do something so illegal and punishable by death? And they dare to come back so brazenly?" She slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly, her face trembling with excitement. "Dongxu! Dongxu, did you hear that? This is a surefire way to get them arrested! Speculation, smuggling, treason—any one of those charges would be enough to get them into serious trouble!"

Jia Dongxu, who had been slumped in his chair, straightened up upon hearing this, his eyes burning with malicious calculation.

The news of the Lin family's success already fueled his jealousy, but now, learning that they'd become successful by "committing a crime," a twisted excitement surged within him: "Mom, you're right! They're courting death! We're going to the neighborhood committee and the police station tomorrow to report them! Let's see if they dare to be so arrogant again! We'll make them spit out everything they've taken!" The more he thought about it, the more he felt this was a golden opportunity to vent his anger. He could confront them tonight and maybe even extort some hush money. "Report them! We have to report them! Let them regret it!"

Banggeng chimed in, "Yes! Report the bad guys! Make them hand over all the good food!" Little Dang, hiding in the corner, was timid and didn't dare to breathe.

Lin Yan smiled. His divine sense had already detected Qin Huairu eavesdropping at the door, and now the Jia family's malice was being transmitted to his mind word by word.

Lin Yan sat at the dining table, his fingertips gently teasing Xiao Qi, who was curled up on his lap. Qin Huairu… this woman, seemingly weak and easily bullied, was actually like a venomous snake lurking in filth, always subtly provoking the malice of others, the source of many sordid incidents in this courtyard. Jia Zhangshi? Just an old hag who relied on her age to act shrewishly, all bark and no bite. Without Qin Huairu's mediation and scheming, she was just a toothless tiger. As for Bang Geng… a cold sneer flashed through Lin Yan's mind. What "chosen one"? Just a petty thief relying on a bit of cleverness and the indulgence of adults.

With a slight thought, five invisible and intangible puppet talismans instantly pierced through space and silently entered the backs of the five members of the Jia family, like cold, venomous snakes burrowing into their bodies.

Dinner time.

Xiao Dang was rummaging through the porridge in her bowl when she suddenly felt an irresistible force compelling her to put down the bowl and stand up blankly. "Grandma, Dad, Mom, I'm full. I'm going out to play." Her voice was flat, and her eyes were vacant. Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu were still immersed in the fantasy of their successful report and waved their hands impatiently, "Go away!" Xiao Dang walked out like a puppet and disappeared into the deepening night.

Only four people remained in the room. Just as Qin Huairu picked up a rag, a violent command instantly assaulted the nerves of Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu through the puppet talisman!

"Qin Huairu! You shameless whore!" Madam Jia jumped up suddenly, pointing her finger at Qin Huairu's nose. Her voice was shrill and sharp, filled with twisted rage. "Have you been having an affair? Tell me! Have you! I've smelled the stench of another man on you for a long time!"

Qin Huairu was struck dumb, her face turning deathly pale: "Mom! What nonsense are you talking about! I didn't!"

"You dare talk back?!" Jia Dongxu's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a madman. He grabbed the enamel bowl next to him and smashed it on the ground, shards flying everywhere. "You didn't just steal from me, you also dare to steal money from the house! Did you steal the five cents I put under my pillow last time? Tell me! Did you use it to support your lover?!" He roared, veins bulging on his neck, completely unlike his usual cowardly self.

The hysterical accusations and arguments pierced the walls. The neighbors in the middle courtyard pricked up their ears.

"Sigh, the Jia family is at it again."

"Jia Zhangshi's mouth is truly despicable; she's utterly vilifying Huai Ru."

"Why is Dongxu acting like a mad dog? He's not usually like this!"

"Forget it, forget it. Even an upright official can't settle family disputes. When doesn't that family make trouble? Let them be. They'll quiet down when they're tired of it." Everyone was already used to the Jia family's daily quarrels, assuming that Jia Zhangshi was just being unreasonable again, or that Jia Dongxu was acting crazy because he was drunk. No one thought this time would be any different; at most, they shook their heads and closed the doors and windows for some peace and quiet.

However, under the absolute control of the puppet talisman, the last trace of human emotion in Jia Zhangshi and Dongxu's eyes was completely extinguished. Jia Zhangshi howled and lunged at Qin Huairu, her withered fingers gripping her neck like iron clamps! Qin Huairu struggled desperately, the suffocation making her vision blur. At the same time, Jia Dongxu, like a killing machine programmed into his body, expressionlessly grabbed the old scissors on the table—the kind used for cutting cornbread, their blades worn smooth—and plunged them viciously and precisely into Qin Huairu's ribs!

"Thud!" The dull thud of a sharp weapon piercing flesh was accompanied by Qin Huairu's short, piercing scream. "Ugh..." Qin Huairu's eyes widened, overwhelmed by excruciating pain and disbelief. "Thud! Thud! Thud!" Jia Dongxu's arm moved with terrifying steadiness, stabbing and pulling the scissors mercilessly, one after another! Blood splattered wildly like cheap red dye, staining the walls, the floor, and the assailant's numb face. Each stab avoided vital points, yet brought extreme pain and rapid blood loss. Twenty stabs in total! No mercy, only the execution of cruel commands. Qin Huairu's body convulsed violently and quickly went limp, her pupils dilated. Her mind flashed back to the joy of marrying into the city, the daily grind and endless chores in this home, and finally, she collapsed in a pool of blood, filled with resentment and hatred, her eyes fixed on the mother and son who had taken her life, filled with despair and confusion.

Bang Geng was terrified by the hellish sight and screamed, trying to run away. "You little brat!" Jia Zhangshi, like a demon awakened from its trance, suddenly released her grip on Qin Huairu's neck at the puppet's command, turned around and pounced on Bang Geng like an eagle snatching a chick, shoving him hard! Bang Geng's thin body flew out of control, his head hitting the sharpest, hardest corner of the dining table squarely!

"Thump!" A dull thud that made your teeth ache. Bang Geng's scream came to an abrupt halt. His body slid limply to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Blood mixed with grayish-white brain matter gushed from the horrifying indentation at the back of his head, quickly spreading into a small patch of crimson.

The pungent, nauseating smell of blood poured out from the cracks in the doors and windows, permeating the entire courtyard.

"Oh my god... what... what's that smell?" Aunt Ma from next door was the first to notice something was wrong. She sniffed hard, her face changing drastically. "It's blood! Old Liu! It smells like blood! It's coming from... coming from the Jia family!" She rushed to the Jia family's door in a panic and pounded on it: "Sister-in-law! Dongxu! Huairu! Open the door! What happened?!" Inside, there was only deathly silence, with the thick smell of blood answering her silently.

Panic spread like wildfire. More and more people gathered at the courthouse, and the sounds of banging on doors and shouting created a chaotic scene. Finally, someone broke down the door—

"Ah—!!!" A piercing scream tore through the night sky above the courtyard.

The scene before them was like a painting of hell: a scene of utter devastation and glaring crimson. Qin Huairu lay in a pool of blood, her body covered in horrific scissor wounds, her eyes wide open in death. Bang Geng lay slumped under the corner of the table, the back of his head a bloody mess. Jia Dongxu, covered in blood, stood like a wooden stake in the center of the pool, his hand clutching the old, blood-stained scissors tightly, his eyes vacant. Jia Zhangshi, meanwhile, huddled in a corner, trembling, her blood-stained hands clutching her head, muttering incoherently, "Retribution...retribution has come...retribution...ha...hehe..." emitting a chilling, eerie laugh, clearly having gone completely mad.

"Murder!!! The Jia family has killed someone!!" The terrified screams echoed through the sky.

"Sister Qin! Sister Qin! Wake up, don't sleep, I'll carry you to the hospital!" Sha Zhu rushed into the house like a madman, but was stopped by everyone.

The entire No. 95 courtyard erupted in chaos. Some people collapsed to the ground, vomiting uncontrollably; others ran to call the police, crying out; still others tried to approach but were deterred by the overwhelming stench of blood. Panic, like boiling oil, spilled into the once peaceful courtyard.

The piercing sound of police sirens grew louder as they approached, and the beams of flashlights swirled wildly in the yard. Police quickly secured the scene. Forensic examination, photography, evidence collection… the air was thick with tension. Jia Dongxu and Jia Zhangshi were handcuffed and dragged away like dead dogs, offering no resistance, their eyes still vacant.

The incoherent and delirious Jia Zhangshi was also forcibly dragged out.

Lin Yan stood under the eaves of the Xu family's house in the backyard, his gaze indifferently passing over the noisy crowd.

"The source of the trouble has been eliminated."

"Qin Huairu, that venomous snake, died a worthy death. As for Bang Geng, everyone says he's the chosen one who even the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation couldn't kill, but he's nothing more than an ant."