The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

In the flickering light of the torches, countless bats surged out like a black tide, emitting shrill screams.

Tang Youyou was startled and subconsciously protected the wooden box in her arms.

But she quickly calmed down and scanned the chaotic cave with her sharp eyes.

Seeing the bats disperse, Shopkeeper Hua and Niu Xiaoer looked at each other greedily and took advantage of the chaos to pounce on Tang Youyou, trying to snatch the wooden box from her hand.

"Bitch, hand over the things!" Niu Xiaoer roared in a rough voice, and his fat body pressed down like a mountain.

Tang Youyou sneered and advanced instead of retreating.

She was agile and dodged Niu Xiaoer's brute force attack by moving sideways, while raising her leg and kicking him hard in the stomach.

Niu Xiaoer was caught off guard, let out a scream, and rolled out like a ball.

When Shopkeeper Hua saw this, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

He originally thought that Tang Youyou would just dodge like before, but he didn't expect her to take the initiative to attack, which caught Shopkeeper Hua off guard.

He drew the dagger from his waist and stabbed at Tang Youyou viciously.

"You don't know your own limitations." Tang Youyou snorted coldly, dodging the dagger sideways while grabbing Shopkeeper Hua's wrist and twisting it hard.

Shopkeeper Hua felt pain and the dagger fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Tang Youyou took advantage of the situation and kicked him on the knee. Shopkeeper Hua immediately fell to his knees, groaning in pain.

"You think you can take my things like this?" Tang Youyou looked down at the two of them with cold eyes, "Too naive." She bent down to pick up the dagger on the ground, weighed it in her hand, and the blade flashed coldly in the firelight.

At this moment, a deep voice sounded in the cave: "Stop."

Mr. Mo and Mrs. Lin walked out from the shadows. Mrs. Lin was still elegant, while Mr. Mo had a meaningful smile on his face.

He looked at the dagger in Tang Youyou's hand and said slowly: "This thing doesn't seem to belong to you."

The dagger in Tang Youyou's hand flashed with cold light, but her brows were furrowed, and beads of sweat oozed from her forehead.

The bats were still circling around her, their sharp claws occasionally scratching her clothes, leaving streaks of blood.

She gritted her teeth and held the wooden box in her arms tightly, but her body was shaking a little.

Seeing this, Constable Li became extremely anxious.

He wanted to go forward to help, but was entangled by more bats and could not get away for a while.

He couldn't help but shout, "Miss Tang, be careful!" His voice was full of worry, which further highlighted Tang Youyou's helplessness at the moment.

Niu Xiaoer covered his stomach and got up from the ground. He looked at the embarrassed Tang Youyou with a gloating smile on his face: "Bitch, I wonder how long you can hold on! After the bats suck all your blood, this treasure will still be ours!" His arrogant tone seemed as if victory was just around the corner.

Although Shopkeeper Hua was surprised by Tang Youyou's resistance, he felt relieved when he saw that she was gradually losing strength. A sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "It's just the last gasp of a dying bow." He slowly adjusted his clothes, looking confident of victory, which made Tang Youyou look even weaker.

Mr. Mo watched this scene with great interest, his eyes full of amusement.

Mrs. Lin beside him frowned slightly and said softly, "Mr. Mo, are we really not going to intervene? This woman..."

Mr. Mo waved his hand, interrupting Mrs. Lin's words: "No hurry, wait a little longer." He glanced meaningfully at the wooden box in Tang Youyou's hand, "I want to see what other cards she has."

Tang Youyou's breathing became more and more rapid, but the light in her eyes did not diminish at all.

She stared at Mr. Mo, saying word by word, "You...will regret this." She suddenly threw the dagger in her hand toward the top of the cave...

The dagger hit a mechanism on the top of the cave accurately.

After a loud rumbling sound, a crack appeared on the top of the cave, and a strong pungent smell filled the air.

Tang Youyou covered her mouth and nose in preparation. The smell was emitted by her special bat-repelling powder.

The group of bats seemed to be frightened. They let out shrill screams and ran around in panic. Finally, they poured out of the cave like a tide and disappeared into the night.

Shopkeeper Hua and Niu Xiaoer were stunned by this sudden change. They covered their noses and coughed continuously, unable to get close to Tang Youyou at all.

Niu Xiaoer pointed at Tang Youyou and shouted angrily, "You...you cheated!"

Tang Youyou sneered: "All is fair in war, don't you understand this principle?" She slowly stood up, patted the dust off her body, her eyes full of confidence.

Shopkeeper Hua looked at Tang Youyou, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes. He suppressed his discomfort and said, "Even if you drive away the bats, you can't keep this box!"

"Really?" Tang Youyou raised an eyebrow, with a hint of provocation in her tone.

Constable Li had also gotten rid of the bats by this time. He walked over to Tang Youyou and asked with concern, "Miss Tang, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Tang Youyou shook her head, then looked at Mr. Mo and Mrs. Lin, "You two, did you find this scene exciting?"

Mr. Mo clapped his hands and laughed: "Excellent, wonderful! Miss Tang is indeed both wise and brave."

Mrs. Lin also smiled slightly: "Miss Tang's wit is admirable."

Tang Youyou ignored their praise and carefully opened the wooden box in her hand.

In the box, there lay quietly an ancient map and a key of a peculiar style.

Shopkeeper Hua and Niu Xiaoer's eyes widened, their greed unconcealed.

Niu Xiaoer couldn't help rubbing his hands and said, "Boss, this..."

Shopkeeper Hua raised his hand to stop him, staring at Tang Youyou with a gloomy look, and said slowly: "Miss Tang, this thing..."

Before Shopkeeper Hua could finish his words, Tang Youyou interrupted him: "This thing is mine." She closed the wooden box and put it into the cloth bag she carried with her, doing it in one go.

Niu Xiaoer became anxious and stretched out his hand to grab it: "What do you mean yours? We were the ones who discovered it first!" He pounced on Tang Youyou rudely, but was stopped by Constable Li halfway.

"Niu Xiaoer, you are so brave. You dare to steal things in front of me!" Constable Li shouted sternly, grabbed Niu Xiaoer's arm with one hand, and threw him to the ground.

Niu Xiaoer cried out in pain and struggled to get up, but did not dare to move forward.

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Hua's face became even gloomier.

He said to Tang Youyou with a fake smile: "Miss Tang, this thing is very important. It's probably not safe for a weak woman like you to hold it. Why don't you give it to me for safekeeping?"

Tang Youyou smiled contemptuously: "Shopkeeper Hua, you are robbing me openly. I advise you to give up this idea."

"Humph, if you don't accept my toast, then I'll have to drink the forfeit!" Shopkeeper Hua's face changed, and he stared at Tang Youyou fiercely, "In that case, don't blame me for being rude!"

Mr. Mo and Mrs. Lin stood aside, watching the fight with interest.

Mr. Mo gently waved the folding fan in his hand and said to Madam Lin, "Madam, who do you think this thing will end up in the hands of?"

Madam Lin smiled slightly, her eyes falling on Tang Youyou: "This Miss Tang is not simple."

Tang Youyou felt the hostility of Shopkeeper Hua. She calmly reached into the cloth bag and tightly grasped the chili powder bag inside.

She knew that a fierce battle was inevitable.

She swept her gaze over the crowd, finally stopping at Shopkeeper Hua. Her tone was icy: "Shopkeeper Hua, how do you want to be rude?" She slowly opened the cloth bag...