Chapter 153: Throwing Huang Yaxin and Chen Ju Into the Manure Pit

"Is it wrong for my sister to be talented? How could you be so vicious! Do you have any idea that you killed her?!"

Zhu Damei’s face was flushed with rage, and she roared the words out.

Huang Yaxin shrank her neck in fear, "She’s still alive and well, isn't she? It wasn't me who put her in prison."

Zhu Damei’s eyes turned red. "No... you don't understand... my sister is never coming back..."

The person who was Zhu Qingqing now was a fake; she was not her sister. Her real sister had been sweet and sensible since childhood, curling her eyes and calling out "Big Sister" the moment she saw her. Her sister was considerate and filial, always busy around the house helping their parents. Her sister loved dancing so much that she would practice until the early hours of the morning just to get into the county art troupe.

But all of that had been destroyed by the person in front of her!

Her sister was dead. Her body had been taken over by some unknown fool who had turned their home into a chaotic, restless nightmare. If it weren't for Huang Yaxin, things would never have turned out this way. It was Huang Yaxin who killed her sister!

Zhu Damei’s gaze turned murderous. She wrapped her arms tightly around Huang Yaxin’s neck, her voice sounding like a demon's: "Since you killed my sister, I want you to pay with your life!"

"Ngh... ngh..."

Huang Yaxin’s throat was locked tight; she couldn't make a sound, only weak whimpers. She struggled desperately, trying to break free from Zhu Damei’s grasp, but Zhu Damei’s strength was overwhelming.

Soon, Huang Yaxin’s lips turned purple, and her eyes began to roll back. Her consciousness faded, as if she were seconds away from suffocating to death.

Just then, a cold, clear voice sounded: "Sister Damei, calm down. Don't take a life; someone like this isn't worth it!"

Huang Yaxin’s neck was suddenly released, and her breath returned. She was saved! Huang Yaxin slumped onto the ground, gasping for air.

But the next second, that voice spoke again: "Throw her into the septic tank. A little soak won't kill her."

Huang Yaxin’s pupils contracted, and before she could react, she was lifted into the air.

*Splash!*

Huang Yaxin was tossed straight into the septic tank. Instantly, a nauseating, foul stench hit her, making her gag. Terrified, she struggled desperately, but the more she tried to crawl out, the deeper she sank. Soon, the reeking, sticky waste clung to her entire body, even seeping into her mouth and nose.

"Help... help me..."

Huang Yaxin screamed desperately to the people standing by the pit. Lin Xiaodou and Zhu Damei watched coldly, unmoved.

Chen Ju, who had been beaten by Lin Xiaodou and was lying on the ground playing dead, saw Huang Yaxin’s miserable state and scrambled to her feet, preparing to sneak away. But after only a few steps, a scoff echoed in her ears: "Where do you think you're going, Auntie? Since you came here with Huang Yaxin, why don't you share in her suffering?"

"No!" Amidst Chen Ju’s shrieks, she was thrown into the pit as well.

Unfortunately, she wasn't very bright; as she sat in the pit, she kept screaming with her mouth wide open. Predictably, several wriggling, plump white maggots found their way into her mouth. The screaming only grew louder, and her mouth opened even wider, allowing more waste and maggots to pour in.

"Blegh!!!"

Seeing this, Zhu Damei vomited on the spot. Lin Xiaodou quickly turned her head away. It was truly disgusting.

The pit was too large and deep for them to climb out. Worried they might actually drown, Lin Xiaodou finally threw a thick wooden board over. Huang Yaxin and Chen Ju clung to it desperately, finally able to catch their breath.

Huang Yaxin begged pitifully, "Please, I beg you, help me up! I can't take this anymore, boo-hoo..."

Chen Ju’s face was covered in sticky, reeking filth. She was retching so hard she couldn't even speak.

Lin Xiaodou crossed her arms. "I can save you, but it will cost you money." She wouldn't be able to face herself if she didn't bleed them dry before leaving.

As soon as Huang Yaxin heard the mention of money, she nodded frantically. "How much do you want? I'll pay, I'll pay!" Compared to her life, money meant nothing.

She assumed Lin Xiaodou would ask for a few dozen or maybe a hundred yuan. She never expected the girl to hold up one finger and demand one thousand.

"What?!" Huang Yaxin’s eyes widened. "Are you joking? Do you have any idea how much one thousand yuan is? That’s a huge fortune, more than an average family saves in a lifetime!" The Huang family in the capital was quite well-off, but their total savings were only about ten thousand. One thousand was a tenth of their family's wealth; how could she possibly cough that up?

"Can it be less? How about two hundred?" Huang Yaxin tried to bargain.

Before Lin Xiaodou could respond, Zhu Damei grabbed her arm to leave. "Let's go, Xiaodou. If she doesn't value her life, then we won't save her!"

"Wait! *Cough, cough*..." Chen Ju finally spat out the filth in her mouth and shouted, "I'll pay it!"

She didn't want to spend another minute in this septic tank. Promising the money was just a stalling tactic; once she escaped, she would make them pay for today's humiliation tenfold.

Lin Xiaodou asked, "I said one thousand per person. Are you sure you're both paying?"

Chen Ju replied, "Of course!" Her family had no shortage of money; this wasn't much.

"Fine." Lin Xiaodou nodded. "I saved your son twice, that’s two thousand. The two of you make another two thousand. Four thousand total, and we're square."

She had originally intended to get the money from Xiao Jingyao, since his mother, Chen Ju, was insufferable. But since Chen Ju had walked right into the trap, it was only fair that the mother paid for the son's debts, right?

Chen Ju’s eyes popped. "You’re an extortionist! No one asks for money like this!" This brat was obsessed with money; it was infuriating.

Lin Xiaodou sneered, "Don't waste my time. If you can't pay, we're leaving. This place is in the middle of nowhere; no one will ever find your rotting corpses in this pit."

Huang Yaxin shouted, "This is murder! Aren't you afraid of the police?"

Lin Xiaodou shrugged. "What’s to be afraid of? You came here on your own. There are no witnesses; no one can charge me."

"You!" Just as Huang Yaxin tried to speak, Chen Ju cut her off. "Fine, I'll give you the money! Just hurry up and get us out!" Once they were out of this hellhole, she had plenty of ways to torture this brat.

Before coming, Lin Xiaodou had prepared two long bamboo poles. She and Zhu Damei each took one and tossed them to Huang Yaxin and Chen Ju, holding the other ends tightly. With the poles, the two women clung to them like seaweed.

As they struggled and climbed, finally nearing the edge of the pit, Lin Xiaodou suddenly pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and smiled. "This is an IOU for four thousand yuan. Press your fingerprints on it, and you can come out. Otherwise, we’re letting go."

Chen Ju: ...
Huang Yaxin: ...

What else could they do? With freedom in sight, they pressed their prints in bitterness.

Seeing them comply, Lin Xiaodou tucked the IOU away with a look of disgust. Even though it was just thumbprints, the paper still reeked.

Zhu Damei stared at the scene, dumbfounded. She thought Xiaodou was just joking about the money, but she actually meant it. *Good heavens*, that was four thousand yuan—she’d never seen that much money in her life!

Xiaodou really was a miracle worker; she was incredible!