Chapter 434: Chapter 433: The Dove Occupies the Magpie’s Nest

A young female’s timid voice came from inside. “Third Uncle, I… it’s me, Nong Ting. Is something wrong? Can we talk about this after sunrise?”

If it had been any male, Nong Yan would have just kicked the door in. But his niece was inside, so even though he was seething with rage, he instinctively showed some restraint.

His face livid, he replied, “Fine. In the morning, I’ll be waiting for your explanation as to why you’re staying in your cousin’s room.”

Nong Yan turned to his daughter, who stood with her head slightly bowed, her face impassive. His heart ached with both pity and guilt. ’In the old days, she would have grabbed a whip, gathered her people, and kicked that door in herself.’

But he bent down, leaned in close to her ear, and coaxed with a smile, “Mumu, how about Father pries the door open for you, and you storm in there to get justice for yourself? Okay?”

Nong Mu pressed her lips together and shook her head, offering a slight smile to show she was alright.

She had grown used to being bullied. From her initial fierce struggles and resistance, she had been beaten into submission, little by little. Now, if someone so much as raised an arm, she assumed they were about to strike her and would instinctively move to block it.

She no longer had a single rebellious thought in her heart. It was like a shark with an ice barrier in front of it and a school of delicious fish on the other side. After ramming its head against the barrier until it was bloody and broken, the shark would give up trying, even after the ice had melted away.

Nong Yan sighed softly and ruffled her hair. He knew his daughter had endured too much hardship and injustice. Even now that she was back home, she was timid and withdrawn. This kind of trauma would take a very long time to heal.

“Alright, alright, Father won’t force you. But Mumu, this is your home. You can’t hide things here. You have to tell Father. Father will have your back, just like… just like before!

“Father is the leader of the Tongdong Tribe, and you’re my little girl. No one in our tribe can bully you. For all the suffering our Mumu has endured, Father and your brothers will shower you with love to make up for it all…”

Nong Mu smiled and nodded. Nong Yan gave her his own room to use, while he stood guard outside.

The room was clean and spacious, filled with her father’s reassuring scent. The bed was soft and comfortable, and it felt as if even the festering sores that ached all over her body had settled down.

But Nong Mu did not sleep soundly. She startled awake several times during the night, but tragically, she couldn’t make a sound. Even when trapped in a nightmare, she was unable to call out to her father, who was just on the other side of the wall.

When dawn finally broke, the Beastmen of the tribe began to wake. The sounds of people fetching water, greeting one another, starting fires to cook, and cubs laughing and playing filled the air. The peaceful, lively atmosphere made her heart swell with a bittersweet sense of fulfillment.

’I’m back, and I’m alive!’

Nong Mu got up and opened the door to find a bamboo basket at the threshold. She lifted it with a soft smile. Inside lay a neatly folded new outfit of a style she used to love: brightly colored, sewn with vibrant feathers, and adorned with metal ornaments and bells. When she wore it, she would sparkle in the sunlight, and the jingling of the bells would ensure she was noticed in any crowd.

Now, however, she no longer had the competitive and ostentatious spirit of her past. She wished for nothing more than to hide in a dark corner, completely unnoticed.

She suppressed the fondness in her eyes and set the clothes aside. The basket also held a warm breakfast: a meat and rice patty, a fried egg, and a dish of fruit.

It had been a long time since she had eaten fresh, warm food. Nong Mu couldn’t help but feel a sense of reverence. Her stomach was growling with hunger, yet she still took only a tiny bite of the meat and rice patty.

The flavorful bits of meat, a perfect mix of fat and lean, burst in her mouth.

Before Nong Mu could even chew twice, a group of young females stormed in. One of them slapped the patty out of her hand and onto the ground, then kicked over the entire basket.

She instinctively bent to pick it up, only to be grabbed by the hair and dragged outside.

“Nong Mu! I thought after everything you’ve been through, you would have become quiet and mature, that you’d understand the pain of others. But the moment you get back, you start stirring up trouble and going after someone else’s Beast Husband!”

Nong Mu was shoved to the ground. Dazed, she looked up blankly at the group of females, all of them smiling with undisguised glee. She clenched her fists and silently lowered her head.

The two females leading the group exchanged a look. One of them sighed, stepped forward and squatted down, placing a Level 14 Crystal Stone in front of her. “Mumu, how did you turn into this person? We’re your family! How could you steal from your own kin? If you wanted one, you could have just asked our Father for it.”

Nong Mu stared at the translucent Crystal Stone, stunned. She shook her head frantically. ’No, I didn’t take it! Doesn’t even my own sister, Nong Jing, believe me?’

Nong Ting sneered. “Sisters, you all saw it. I just took this Crystal Stone from her basket. Heh. I’m about to be mated with Zong Shi. My father felt this room was just sitting empty, and seeing it only made Third Uncle sad, so he let me stay here for the time being. I never thought my cousin would actually be rescued and return. I was happy, of course, but she took the opportunity when I was getting breakfast to sneak into my room and steal the betrothal gift Zong Shi gave me.

“If I hadn’t smelled that strange odor in the air, I truly wouldn’t have believed that even after getting out of that place, she’d still have such bad habits.

“Is my cousin addicted to stealing? Or is she just holding on to her past feelings for Zong Shi and can’t stand to see us happy together?

“Cousin, no male would wait for you forever, especially not after you’ve come from *that place*. You can’t even bear cubs anymore, and you’re covered in filthy diseases. Who would dare want you?

“I didn’t want to say these things to hurt you, but just because you’ve suffered doesn’t mean the rest of us should have to suffer and keep giving in to you.

“You’re back now. If we were to tiptoe around you, that would be truly looking down on you…”

Nong Mu clenched her fists, her heart aching sharply. With red-rimmed eyes, she looked at Nong Ting, lips pressed tight as she shook her head. ’It’s not like that.’

Others could frame her, beat her, and curse her, but these girls… they were once her closest friends. ’Why are they all laughing at me and cursing me now?’

“That’s right, Nong Mu. If you hadn’t been so flamboyant back then, maybe you wouldn’t have been targeted and kidnapped…”

“Nong Ting and Zong Shi have already exchanged their betrothal gifts; they’re just waiting to be mated after the Female Saint Conference. Your return right now just makes Zong Shi’s years of faithful waiting look like a joke! How is Nong Ting supposed to show her face…?”

Nong Mu looked at them in disbelief. ’I just got back. I haven’t done anything. Are they really this eager to bully and humiliate me?’

’I don’t know if I’ve changed after being in Underground Yecheng City for so long, or if I was just blind to their true natures before. I’m the victim here, so how did I become the one at fault?’

Suddenly, before anyone quite saw what was happening, a little bean shot out and knocked Nong Ting to the ground.

“Pah! You think you’re so righteous after stealing her home? You don’t want to give the room back and you’re afraid your betrothed Beast Husband will back out, so you frame my sister! You’re no different from those evil people in Underground Yecheng City!” Da Hai shouted furiously, planting his hands on his hips.

Nong Mu’s eyes brightened. She tugged at the little boy puffing out his chest in front of her, then smiled and shook her head to show him she was fine.

“Sister, some people just see that you’ve changed and that you can’t talk, so they think they can sling whatever mud they want at you. Do you all really need to make such a fuss over a Twelfth level Crystal Stone?” Da Hai said, nonchalantly tossing a Thirteenth level Crystal Stone in his hand, which left the crowd stunned. For a second, they all wondered, since when were High level Crystal Stones so cheap that a little bean could just pull out a Thirteenth level Crystal Stone?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep