Chapter 41: The Mantis Stalk The Cicada, Unaware Of The Oriole Behind

Wei Shi Lan heard a hard and furious voice as he walked through the neighborhood. Funnily, he expected that by this time of the night the entire neighborhood of the Lake Valley’s north edge would be fast asleep, but they were outside, watching with lanterns in their hands.

Each of them as usual had something to say.

"Ahrah! At least, the wrath of the heavens have caught up with her!"

"All of that nonsense she was doing with that foreigner behind her husband’s back, it all ends today."

"Tch tehh, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

As they noticed Shi Lan walking calmly in the darkness, quite close to them, they whispered to each other and pointed their gazes at him.

’I wonder if this neighborhood ever sleeps...’

Shi Lan sighed and turned to the road that led to Chang’e’s house, he could see Chang’e and a ragged man outside, the man was raising his voice, so much that the cords of his neck and head were looking like they were going to snap.

"How dare you?! How dare you bring another man to my house! You shameless woman, you’re a lust demon. Your husband is not enough for you! Even daring to bring a foreign man to my house."

As her husband shouted, Chang’e’s head was lowered. She held her hands together. A moment later, she raised her head and spoke with a calm tone.

"He’s not that kind of person—"

Before she could finish her statement, a slap resounded across her face and her head flew sideways. As Wei Shi Lan saw this, his rage boiled.

His eyes darkened dangerously, but none of that showed. He entered the fence with a very cool gait.

The man turned his head, his voice charged with fury.

"Who is this untaught bastard, coming into my house by this time!"

The man paused, his bushy brows furrowing as the dots connected in his head. Of course, there was only one person who would dare to enter his house by this time of the day.

"Ooh, it must be you, the fiend that thinks he can take my wife and my house from me. Using my house for business, wretch!"

Chang’e frowned.

"That is no way to talk to a person, Tianming. And leave him out of this."

Her voice climbed higher, shifting to a reprimanding tone as she continued.

"When you went and gambled your entire life away, ran away knowing very well the gambling den will come and pester me and your children, this was the man that helped me repay your own debt. Unlike you who only brings suffering and pain to my life, unlike you who only knows how to take and take and take, this man has only brought value to our lives! Don’t you dare, Tianming, don’t you dare speak to him in that manner." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

For a moment, Tianming was silent, blinking at his wife.

This was the first time he had seen her talk to him with such vexation, while Chang’e was incredibly capable of violence, she was someone of a very good temperament, and her control over her emotions was flawless, second only to perfection.

So this moment made him silent.

However, the silence did not last for long. As he turned to Shi Lan, even in the darkness, he could see the young man’s well-built figure.

He released his loud voice, with a renewed energy again.

"Ohh, ooh ooh, so that’s how it is, you have gone that far, gone and fallen for another man, haven’t you? You ungrateful woman, I am like this because I sacrificed my life for you, you gutter witch, would you even be alive today if it wasn’t for me? And you dare talk back to me!"

Chang’e lowered her head and went silent the moment Tianming started talking like this. This, of course, naturally caught Wei Shi Lan’s attention, he had observed that there was something that was tying Chang’e to this place, this man. And he very much suspected that whatever that thing was had to be connected to her past.

He did not expect that it would come like this though.

’Lake Valley, the only good thing about them is their women.’

"Father, aren’t you tired of always saying that?"

The voice that entered was Xiao Fa’s. She also appeared to just be coming from wherever she usually went to. She stood outside the fence, her face twisted in anger. Then she walked in with that energy.

"Every time, when you gamble and put us in debt, you never allow mother to say anything, always saying she has the guts to talk to you after you wasted your entire life for her. You do it every time to control her and shut her up, making her accept your miserable self without being able to complain! You are a shameless man! That’s what you are, you’ve been shameless since I was born!"

Shi Lan stood by the side and watched carefully, even slightly surprised that Xiao Fa was defending her mother so valiantly. It was clear they had a common enemy in this case.

The man though turned to his daughter, with a fierce anger.

"You bastard, talking back to me just like your mother, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, huh! Bastards all of you, I wouldn’t blame you, my own children couldn’t be so rude!"

Chang’e’s head snapped up, her face pale as the man said this.

Tianming met her gaze and was about to continue, but at that moment, Wei Shi Lan came. He brought out a gold coin, grinning. He slipped it into his hand.

"Hehehe, so sorry for your troubles, you shouldn’t stress yourself like this, young lord."

He then leaned into his ear and whispered:

"You know what, how about we go to the gambling den tonight, then from there we settle at the Flower House. We share drinks, make more money and share the night with beautiful maidens!"

Tianming’s eyes glittered. He was looking at the coin in his hand, and at this young man with a good demeanor. He knew a gambler and fornicator like himself when he saw one, and this man, he might be handsome and manly, but in the depths of his eyes were the same thing that Tianming embodied.

Recognizing camaraderie, he cleared his throat and slipped the gold coins into his torso.

He glanced at Chang’e, glared at her.

"You, better be grateful!"

Shi Lan smiled warmly, putting his hands around Tianming’s shoulder as he led him away. He glanced back at Chang’e with a cold and dangerous look in his eyes.