The Hellborn Heiress​ - Chapter 10

He had thought he could enjoy the pleasures of a beauty in his arms, but instead, what greeted him was a bench smashed over his head.

“Ah! You-you little bitch, that hurts like hell…”

Zhang Qiang clutched his bleeding head in shock, staring at Jiang Ci.

In his memory, this idiot had always been dazed and dumb, did whatever she was told, very obedient.

When did she get so strong?

And…

Zhang Qiang felt that she was completely different, especially her eyes, so deep and inscrutable that he felt a chill run down his spine.

“Brother Qiang, don’t mess with her, go check on your mom first!” Someone pushed him.

Only then did Zhang Qiang notice his mother, Nanny Zhang, lying in the flowerbed.

Nanny Zhang’s face was covered in blood from vomiting, her chest was mangled beyond description, all a bloody mass of flesh, with rib bones faintly visible piercing through skin and muscle…

“You little bitch, I’m going to kill you!”

Zhang Qiang grabbed the bench and tried to smash her.

Jiang Ci dodged nimbly.

The bench landed squarely on Nanny Zhang on the ground.

Nanny Zhang was hit so hard she spat out another mouthful of blood and actually started speaking, trembling: “Are you blind… Hospital… Hurry!”

“Jiang Family, you just wait, I’ll never let this go!”

Zhang Qiang quickly called for help, while rushing his mother to the hospital, and summoned a gang of thugs to surround the Jiang Family’s house.

The servants hurriedly called Jiang Wan.

“Eldest Miss, something terrible has happened! Jiang Ci caused trouble again. She injured Nanny Zhang and her son. Now Zhang Qiang has brought more than a dozen thugs and blocked the gate of our house. What should we do?”

Jiang Wan was accompanying One-Eyed Dragon Ye Shuhua for an infusion. Hearing this, her expression instantly changed.

From last night until now at noon, she had been running between two hospitals without a break.

With things as they were, her parents both lying injured in the hospital, and Jiang Ci causing trouble-wasn’t it left to her to clean up the mess?

Someone so unpresentable should never have been kept at home from the start.

Jiang Wan thought for a moment and decided to report to Ye Shuhua.

“What? She provoked a gang of thugs to surround the Jiang Family?”

Ye Shuhua was so furious that her blood boiled, quickly staining the bandage over her left eye with fresh blood.

Jiang Wan quickly tried to comfort her: “Mom, don’t get so upset, mind your wound!”

Ye Shuhua gnashed her teeth in hatred: “I told you from the start, we shouldn’t have kept that wretch! We should’ve thrown her into the mountains to be eaten by wild dogs! It was your grandfather who insisted that, after all, she was a living life, we couldn’t do evil.”

“Now it’s Jiang Ci bringing evil upon us!”

“Mom, it’s only because you were too kindhearted that Jiang Ci has been kept until now.”

Jiang Wan said anxiously, “She’s acting like a lunatic, causing trouble everywhere. If we let her keep going, she’ll stir up even bigger disasters, and it’ll be impossible to clean up.”

“Wanwan, you’re right. We can’t let her be any longer.”

Ye Shuhua narrowed her eyes, filled with vicious intent: “I heard Zhang Qiang has liked Jiang Ci for a long time, right?”

“I think so. Every time Nanny Zhang brings her son here, he always goes to see Jiang Ci.”

Jiang Wan paused, “But I heard Zhang Qiang is a thug, indulges in everything-drinking, gambling, whoring, all of it.”

“Tell the Steward to tie up Jiang Ci and send her to Zhang Qiang. From now on, her life and death will have nothing to do with the Jiang Family.”

Ye Shuhua spoke venomously.

She had reached the end of her patience with Jiang Ci!

From now on, she would act as if she never had this child.

When Steward Li received the call, he looked timidly at Jiang Ci, who was swaggering around the living room, eating and drinking to her heart’s content.
With the strength Jiang Ci had now, stronger than an ox, even four or five men might not be able to hold her down, let alone tie her up.

It would be lucky if she didn’t beat them all black and blue.

“Madam, this is a bit difficult to handle…”

Ye Shuhua shouted, “Difficult or not, you have to do it! If I see anything related to Jiang Ci at home when I get back, Old Li, you’ll be in big trouble!”

Steward Li broke out in a cold sweat and had no choice but to find a few strong bodyguards.

But unexpectedly-

Jiang Ci, who had just been feasting in the living room, was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Jiang Ci?!” Steward Li grabbed a servant and questioned them.

“She just went upstairs…” The servant pointed to Jiang Wan’s room.

Steward Li hurried upstairs to catch her, but found nothing.

The Eldest Miss’s wardrobe was open, and a plain white dress was missing.

The room was empty.

Only the window was half open.

They searched the entire Jiang Family villa, the garden, the backyard, and the basement, but Jiang Ci was nowhere to be found.

She had vanished without a trace.

Outside the gate, a group of thugs was still clamoring for the Jiang Family to pay up and hand someone over.

No one saw Jiang Ci nimbly leap out the second-floor window, vault over the high wall, and head straight for the city center.

An hour later.

Cultural Square.

Jiang Ci, wearing sunglasses, sat under the shade of a tree, watching the elderly play cards, chess, drink tea and chat, sing, dance, and listen to opera.

She leisurely set up a prepared signboard, on which was written in bold, powerful calligraphy:

-Free Fortune-telling, Limited to One Person Today!

She was now penniless. If she wanted to survive in Jiangbei, she had to earn a living first.

Jiang Ci decided to start with her old trade.

“Young as you are, with hands and feet, instead of working you come here to scam the elderly? Little girl, what era do you think this is? You won’t make any money like this!”

Someone passing by saw her sign and sneered.

Jiang Ci sat cross-legged, unfazed by the ridicule, as steady as an old dog.

At that moment, two elderly men in traditional Tang suits walked by.

One of them was immediately drawn to the calligraphy on the signboard. He quickly grabbed his friend and pointed at the sign:

“Old Song, look! Doesn’t this look like the handwriting of that great calligrapher?”

The one called Elder Song stroked his white beard and pondered for a moment. “It does look a bit like it. The brushwork is vigorous and powerful, as lively and flowing as a dragon or phoenix.”

“Could it be an original?”

“Elder Meng, your surname may be Meng, but you haven’t gotten that muddleheaded yet, have you?”

Elder Song was dismissive: “That master’s calligraphy is exquisite beyond compare, worth a fortune per character. How could her original work possibly show up in a place like this? It must be a copy.”

Elder Meng laughed, “If a copy can be this convincing, that’s impressive enough.”

Calligraphy can reflect a person’s character, temperament, and learning.

For this young girl to imitate such handwriting, she was quite a promising seedling.

“Young lady, are you interested in joining our Calligraphy Association?” Elder Meng extended an invitation.

Jiang Ci said nothing, only gently tapped the words on her signboard.

The meaning was clear: today, she was only doing this.

“Fortune-telling?” Elder Song sneered. “How much money can you make from that? My friend Elder Meng rarely invites anyone to join the association himself. If you’re recognized by him, it’s a blessing for your ancestors!”

“That’s right, young lady. These two are famous calligraphy masters in China. They rarely come to Cultural Square. Meeting them today is a blessing earned over eight lifetimes! Why not agree right away?”