Hitting Rock Bottom

Chapter 30

Ming Wen was locked up again.

Sha Niu’s Mother was in a state of total chaos. She had finally snapped out of the trance-like atmosphere she had been living in.

But now, something was wrong with her daughter’s head, and her anxiety grew. A terrifying thought took root in her mind. The Immortal Lady was only two merits away from completion. She could… she could go out now and catch two animals, break their legs, bring them to the brink of death, and then let the Immortal Lady heal them. Once the Immortal Lady reached the Consummation of Merits, she would ascend, and then she would be able to save her daughter…

As for whatever divine retribution she might face, she would bear it herself.

With this thought, she had already decided to catch some dogs…

She had originally thought of catching sheep, but then she remembered the dogs belonging to the Old Bachelor. Hatred welled up in her heart. Those dogs were accomplices used to hunt down escaping trafficked brides.

That night, she opened her door, holding a piece of meat in her left hand and a burlap sack in her right.

Just as she stepped out, Ming Wen arrived. Ming Wen had waited until the Zhang Family was asleep and climbed out through the window.

Ming Wen was rarely this anxious. She stepped forward hurriedly and asked, “How is Sha Niu now?”

“It still hurts a lot. I coaxed her to sleep.” It didn’t hurt as much when she was asleep.

Ming Wen looked toward the distant mountains and asked, “If we go to the town together right now, can we make it?”

“No, we really can’t escape,” Sha Niu’s Mother said with certainty. “At most, we could cross two mountain ridges. There are several households over there, and every single one keeps dogs. The moment someone passes by, the dogs start barking. The Village Chief must have spoken to them already. We’d be caught and brought back in no time. Even if we made it to the town, we couldn’t get to the city. The people at the town’s bus station know me and Sha Niu.”

It was a hopeless situation. When the trafficked brides were first sold here, they couldn’t speak the local dialect, so they would be discovered immediately at the station.

By the time the brides grew older and could speak the dialect, everyone knew whose wife they were. They wouldn’t be allowed to board a bus even if they tried.

Sha Niu’s Mother said, “Immortal Lady, wait here a moment. In a little while, you can save two more animals, and then your merits will be complete.”

Ming Wen shook her head. “Merits don’t work that way. The animals must come to me of their own accord for it to count as merit.”

She had already checked Sha Niu’s condition and said, “I’ll perform the surgery first.”

Given Sha Niu’s current state, if they tried to flee with her on their backs only to be caught again, the damage to Sha Niu would be even worse.

Ming Wen could only use the existing conditions to operate on Sha Niu and remove the needles from her brain.

Ming Wen did not ask Sha Niu’s Mother for help. She worked inside alone while Sha Niu’s Mother kept watch outside.

As dawn approached, Ming Wen had still not finished the surgery. The Zhang Family came looking for her. Knowing Ming Wen was inside, they were somewhat disgruntled, but they ultimately did not force their way in.

Another three hours passed. The Zhang Family began to suspect Sha Niu’s Mother was lying and wanted to go in to confirm if Ming Wen was actually there.

Only then did Ming Wen emerge. Her face was deathly pale, looking as if most of the life force had been drained from her body.

Ming Wen handed a tray to Sha Niu’s Mother. “There were three needles in her brain. I’ve removed them all. Now, we can only observe.”

Seeing that she was still there, the Zhang Family members went back.

Sha Niu’s Mother finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was enough that Sha Niu was still alive.

She went inside first to touch Sha Niu, confirming she was still breathing. When she came back out, she remembered that the Immortal Lady had seemed off. Only then did she notice Ming Wen’s pallor; her condition was terrible.

“Immortal Lady, are you unwell? Why don’t you sleep for a while…”

She realized it was already morning. “I’ll make you something to eat first. Eat something before you sleep.”

“You’ve worried so much for our Sha Niu…” She didn’t know how to express her gratitude.

Ming Wen had not slept all night. Her nerves had been stretched to the limit, and the pressure was immense. Performing surgery on Sha Niu while maintaining that high level of tension had naturally left her in a wretched state.

She did not refuse the mother’s kindness.

Sha Niu’s Mother was about to head back to prepare food when she saw Li Qingqing running toward them in a panic.

“Immortal Lady, something has happened!”

Sha Niu’s Mother’s heart sank. Her intuition told her it was something catastrophic.

“What is it?” she asked, quickly grabbing Li Qingqing.

Li Qingqing was both frantic and devastated. “The clinic… so much blood…”

“Child, speak clearly! What blood?”

“I went to the clinic this morning, and as soon as I got there, I saw a whole row of animals hanging outside… they were all bleeding…”

Sha Niu’s Mother understood instantly, and she immediately recalled the Immortal Lady’s pale face.

She rushed into the house. Sure enough, Ming Wen was sitting there, her head propped up by her hands. Those animals meant for merit were dead; as an immortal, Ming Wen would surely be affected!

“Immortal Lady!” Sha Niu’s Mother rushed over to her. “Are you alright?”

She was terrified that the Immortal Lady might die.

She had never seen the Immortal Lady so weak. Not even when her legs were broken and she was sent into the mountains had she appeared this frail.

Ming Wen forced herself to rally her spirits. “I’m going to take a look.”

“Please don’t go, Immortal Lady. With all that blood, it will surely bring you more misfortune,” Li Qingqing cried out in desperation.

Sha Niu’s Mother also understood the gravity of the situation.

Disregarding formalities, she took Ming Wen’s left hand and felt her right wrist. As expected, the merit beads that should have been glowing there were all gone.

Looking at the wrist where the merit beads should have been, Sha Niu’s Mother was overcome with grief. Her voice trembled. “The merits are all gone. There were only two left, and now they’re all gone. What are we going to do?”

Ming Wen’s face was pale, but she did not lose her composure. She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. I’m going to check the situation at the clinic.”

“You… your health is failing now. It must be because those animals died.”

The young deity seemed to sense their panic. She said softly, “I feel unwell right now because I haven’t slept all night. It has nothing to do with the merits.” The young deity comforted them, “I’ll go to the clinic to see what’s happening and then come back to sleep. You stay here and watch over Sha Niu.”

A crowd had gathered around the clinic, but no one dared to clear away the animal carcasses hanging there.

When Ming Wen arrived, the villagers froze. They wanted to step forward and ask her what had happened, but seeing her face so deathly pale and her body so weak that she needed Li Qingqing to support her, they hesitated to approach.

The Village Chief was also in the crowd, watching the scene unfold. He knew his guess had been correct. Sure enough, now that these merits had all been killed, Ming Wen would be affected.

A sense of gratification welled up in his heart. In his eyes, this Immortal Lady in human form was not their Immortal Lady. He only recognized the one in the temple who didn’t speak, the one who would grant any request as long as they offered a bit of lamp oil and burned some incense.

This version of the Immortal Lady naturally could not ascend.

All her merits were gone.

Ming Wen initially looked at the small animals, checking them one by one to see if any could still be saved.

The person who did this had been brutal. Several birds had their necks snapped clean through.

The young deity quietly cleaned up the bloodstains. She picked up the dead animals one by one and eventually buried them.

No one knew what she was thinking at that moment.

The Village Chief kept his eyes on her until Ming Wen raised her head and looked over.

The Village Chief met her gaze and was startled.

That was right, she was a god. Even if she had no magical powers, she still possessed her own abilities. She naturally knew who had done it.

Their eyes met for only a brief moment before the Village Chief reflexively averted his gaze.

He did not dare to look a deity in the eye.

Even though she currently had no power and looked like an ordinary human, he still felt a deep sense of fear.

Li Qingqing had also guessed that the Village Chief was responsible. She desperately wanted to scream at him, but Ming Wen was in such a poor state that she couldn’t leave her side.

Ming Wen finished tidying the clinic and finally sat down.

Li Qingqing felt an unprecedented wave of sadness, overwhelming and heavy, as if it were pressing down from above. She felt as though she couldn’t breathe.

That day, even though it was daytime, the sky over Xinghua Village was exceptionally gloomy, without a single ray of light breaking through.

The young deity stared at the sky, her thoughts a mystery to everyone.

Elsewhere, Sha Niu’s Mother watched over her still-unconscious daughter. Her mind was filled with the image of the Immortal Lady’s pale face and her trembling, unstable form.

She felt a pang of heartache. Was this place truly a trap that even a god could not escape?

Starting the next day, it began to rain in Xinghua Village. It poured for two consecutive days. Ming Wen began to cough. This seemed to be the first time she had fallen ill since arriving here.

Sha Niu’s Mother understood. In the past, even when Ming Wen had broken a leg, it hadn’t affected her physical health because she had merit then.

But now, her merit was gone. She had truly become an ordinary Trafficked Bride.

The Village Chief’s eldest daughter-in-law was consumed by guilt. Once she learned that all the merits had been killed, she knew her father-in-law was behind it.

But there was nothing she could do. She could only sneak over to visit Ming Wen and bring her some food.

Retribution soon found her as well.

Her belly grew larger by the day, but several midwives she asked refused to come to the village to help with the delivery.

Even the midwife who had delivered her eldest daughter made excuses. Although she didn’t say it outright, her meaning was clear: she didn’t want to come. No matter what gifts were offered, she refused to make the trip.

“Doesn’t your village have a very skilled doctor? Let her help you with the birth.”

The daughter-in-law didn’t want to involve Ming Wen, but now she truly had no other choice.

When she found Ming Wen to discuss the matter, she didn’t even dare to look her in the eye.

She knew her father-in-law had wronged the Immortal Lady.

However, she soon realized that a deity is always a deity.

Ming Wen simply said, “You are you, your father-in-law is your father-in-law, and your child is your child. I will view you all separately.”

The daughter-in-law breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart felt even more burdened by guilt.

The Author has something to say: In this chapter, some people might feel it is unrealistic for the female lead to perform surgery on Sha Niu. This might be due to different life experiences. When my friend was little and had a growth on their head, it was a barefoot doctor in the village who performed the surgery. Because the stitching wasn’t done well, there is still a small bump there today. Although my friend insists the doctor used a kitchen knife to cut it, I remain skeptical about that part.