Jiang Ning arrived through a space-time continuum. She moved within this space, her thoughts controlling her movement, and when she materialized, her position in the real world also shifted accordingly.
Through the barrier of this space, she could see every unfolding event in great clarity without revealing herself.
She was merely a few steps away from the scene of a bullying tyrant harassing a helpless woman; coldly watching, waiting for the opportune moment to strike when He Wen was alone.
The woman was slapped twice and fell to the ground, weak and feeble. Her hair was a messy veil covering her face, her collar torn open, revealing her bodice inside.
To Jiang Ning’s surprise, amidst He Wen’s raucous shouting, the woman managed to push herself off the ground. Suddenly, her knees came together and she knelt on the ground towards He Wen.
Was it a plea for mercy?
Futile. Jiang Ning understood the mentality of thugs like He Wen too well. They were relentless against the weak and frightened of the strong. Pleading would neither soften his heart nor calm his cruel intentions. It would only increase his uncontrolled audacity.
As expected, seeing her kneel, He Wen merely chuckled with obvious satisfaction. “My mute little creature, good girl. Let this master take good care of you…” he trailed off, chuckling.
The woman shook her head frantically, her hands gesturing quickly.
Jiang Ning, who had studied sign language in the modern world, watched intently, curious to know what the woman would express under such circumstances. To her surprise, she found she could not understand.
However, her confusion subsided when the woman pointed at her stomach and drew a circle around it with both hands.
Jiang Ning’s face hardened with realization.
She got it. The mute woman was pregnant!
He Wen also realized, his advancing steps faltering momentarily. However, just when the woman had a glimmer of hope that he might spare her, she heard him say words that made her feel like she was falling into an abyss.
“You’re carrying a kid? Ha…ha… I’ve had my fun with countless girls, but you’re the first to get knocked up. Great, great. Quite exciting, I must say!”
Upon hearing these words, the woman’s resolve seemed to crumble. Tears slid down her cheeks like broken beads, dimming the desperate light in her eyes.
“Enough dawdling, let’s get to it!” He Wen, his head clouded by desire, pounced upon her with a disgusting smirk, ready to release his animalistic lust.
However, before he could even touch the lady, he felt a firm grip on his collar from behind. The intruder was strength personified, yanking him off the woman and causing him to stumble backward before crashing onto the ground.
His fun disrupted, He Wen turned around, his face resembling a ferocious beast, ready to lunge at whoever dared interrupt him.
Unfortunately, he hardly managed to shift his gaze when a powerful punch landed on his temple, blinding him momentarily.
Jiang Ning carefully controlled the power of the punch; enough to render him temporarily incapacitated but not leave any obvious marks.
Marks on the corpse, that is.
She had decided to kill He Wen.
Perhaps initially she only intended to disable his hands, but now, a murderous intent filled her heart.
He deserved to die!
Dizzy from both the punch and the alcohol-induced haze, He Wen had no energy to offer any resistance. He could only be dragged away like a hapless stray dog.
Jiang Ning led He Wen to the edge of the pond, not hesitating in the slightest, she dunked his face down into the water.
"Ugh!" The icy water stirred him to consciousness; realizing his predicament, He Wen began to struggle. He flapped his hands around hoping to grab hold of something, anything to give him leverage. However, there was nothing near his grasp.
Water filled his nostrils and mouth, cutting him off from air. His throat contracted uncontrollably, searing with painful heat. The air in his chest cavity was being squeezed out, for the first time, he felt the terror of death’s proximity.
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" Screaming in his mind, He Wen started to wrestle with all his might, desperate to escape the hand pressing him down.
Jiang Ning, looking at his dying struggle, had eyes cold as millennium-old ice. At the same time, she slowly curled up the corners of her lips, exerting even more force to push him further down into the water.
Several steps away, the mute woman was scared to the point of holding her breath.
At her most desperate, this beautiful girl had appeared out of nowhere, yanking He Wen away from her and saving her from violation. She had thought this was an angel descending to her rescue.
However, when she finally recovered her senses, she saw the same maiden pressing a man into the water, a slight smile on her face resembling a god condescendingly watching over the ants.
She was cruel, yet stunning. Both an angel and a devil.
Regardless, she had saved her and her unborn child from He Wen. Whether she was good or evil, this young woman was a godsend!
He Wen's flailing hands gradually lost their strength, and his struggling body movements diminished. In the end, his head hung limp, becoming nothing more than a corpse. He never got to see who had sent him to his death.
Only after making sure he was dead did Jiang Ning pull back her hand. Just as she'd stood up, she heard soft rustling sounds behind her. Turning her head, she saw the mute woman trembling uncontrollably as she approached her. When she was just a few steps away from Jiang Ning, she fell to her knees in a deep bow.
"Why are you bowing to me? I didn’t harm you,” said Jiang Ning, puzzled.
The woman couldn't verbalize her thoughts. Instead, she started bowing her head towards Jiang Ning anxiously, tears streaming down her face.
Jiang Ning finally understood; she was expressing her gratitude.
"Alright, stop bowing," Jiang Ning lifted her up and looked her straight in the eye, warning her, "You can't say a word about what happened today to anyone. Understand?"
The woman nodded vigorously, then opened her mouth wide to show Jiang Ning. To Jiang Ning's surprise, she only had half a tongue!
Initially, Jiang Ning thought she was a born mute. She hadn't anticipated that it was due to human actions.
"Fine, I believe you. Go home."
Jiang Ning didn't care to deal with her anymore. She needed to clean up the crime scene to ensure everyone would think He Wen had accidentally drowned himself.
The terrified mute woman, however, was reluctant to leave. She gestured with her hands, her eyes pleading for something.
Jiang Ning didn’t understand her, nor did she care to guess what she wanted. Right now, all she wanted was to wrap things up at the scene before anyone discovered it and created any unnecessary trouble.
The mute woman, seeing Jiang Ning didn't understand, turned anxious. She feared Jiang Ning might leave, so she took the risk to grasp Jiang Ning's sleeve.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Ning, a bit frustrated, tried to shake off her hand. However, catching the sight of the red hand print on her face and her tear-stained eyes, not to mention that she was pregnant, Jiang Ning forced herself to be a bit more patient.
She had no sympathy, but she wouldn't bully the weak.
The mute woman pointed at Jiang Ning and then used her hands to mimic a series of gestures. Jiang Ning paid close attention for a while, guessing what she wanted to communicate: "Are you asking who I am and where I live? Is that right?"
The woman nodded vigorously with hope in her eyes.
All Jiang Ning wanted to do was get rid of her as soon as possible. The mute woman probably didn't pose any threat, so there was no harm in telling her.
"My name's Jiang Ning. I live at Liu Ming'an's place."
The woman nodded hard to show she'd remembered.
"Can you go home now?" Jiang Ning asked.
The woman nodded again, gave Jiang Ning an appreciative final look, then trotted away from there.