Chapter 114: Moral Blackmail

"If you have the energy to let your mind wander, you would be better off saving it to give birth."

Chen Zhaodi’s sharp rebuke quickly brought both Old Mrs. Chen and her daughter-in-law back to their senses. Old Mrs. Chen nodded repeatedly, and noticing her daughter-in-law was clearly exhausted, she caught sight of the milk candy sitting on the edge of the pillow and hurriedly grabbed it, her hands trembling as she unwrapped it.

"Xiaotao, hold on. Eat this candy and save some strength."

With her mouth stuffed with the candy, Xiaotao was in too much pain to speak, so she could only nod with great difficulty.

When Bai Xi entered the courtyard, her brows were tightly knitted. Ignoring the expectant gazes fixed upon her by everyone, she walked straight to the tightly shut door of the delivery room, reaching out as if to push it open, but then hesitating and pulling her hand back. She knew nothing of medicine; going in would only cause chaos.

"How is it inside?"

A woman carrying water tried to step forward to answer, but a figure darted in front of Bai Xi faster than anyone else. With a sudden thud, the person dropped to their knees, followed immediately by the sound of a head striking the ground.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* A series of heavy kowtows echoed.

"Great-Aunt, my aunt is having a difficult birth. I beg you, please save my aunt!"

"Get up first," Bai Xi said, glancing at the man. It was Old Mrs. Chen’s eldest grandson.

"No, Great-Aunt, I beg you to save her!" Chen Tianming did not rise. Instead, he slammed his head against the ground again with such force that his forehead split open. The sight of his blood and dust-stained brow was truly harrowing.

"Everyone says that Great-Aunt is the most powerful and blessed person, so please, I beg you to save her. If my family is truly so cursed that someone must die, I am willing to trade my own life for hers."

His parents had passed away early. When his aunt married into the family, he was still small, and his grandmother was in poor health. It was his aunt who had raised him, caring for his every need; for all intents and purposes, she was his mother. Now that his aunt had finally conceived a child, only to face a life-threatening labor, the thought of losing the person who was like a mother to him filled Chen Tianming with panic. Seeing Bai Xi felt like clutching at a life-saving straw; he refused to let go.

"Please, Great-Aunt, show mercy..." It was said that the Li family’s daughter-in-law had only given birth to twins because of the blessings of the Great-Aunt.

He had not believed it before. How could such things be so mysterious? She was just a little girl. His teacher had taught him to respect facts and believe in science—though he did not truly know what facts or science were. He had asked his teacher, and the teacher had said that some concepts in Niuluo Village were old-fashioned and undesirable, and that learning knowledge and culture was the only way to abolish these outdated ideas and make progress. The teacher was a man of knowledge, logical and articulate; how could he be wrong?

Despite his skepticism, Chen Tianming still called her "Great-Aunt" like everyone else, yet he never truly believed in her "blessings." How could one believe in something that could neither be seen nor touched? But now, Chen Tianming believed. If it were true that the Great-Aunt was blessed enough to ensure the Li family's daughter-in-law gave birth safely to twins, then she must certainly be able to save his aunt.

"Great-Aunt, I beg you! Great-Aunt, I beg you..."

"Grrr!" Xiao Hei immediately let out a furious growl at Chen Tianming. Though it did not understand such complex reasoning, it could see that Chen Tianming was coercing its master. If Xiao Hei had come from the modern world, it would have known this was called "moral kidnapping."

"Xiao Hei!" Bai Xi softly chided the dog. She looked down at Chen Tianming without saying a word.

Seeing this, Chen Tianming’s heart sank into despair. He looked up at Bai Xi, his voice filled with anger: "If I hadn't gone early to wait for you, if I hadn't knelt before you, my aunt wouldn't be in this situation!"

"Chen Tianming, what nonsense are you spewing!" Chen Daliu gasped, stepping forward, his hand raised high, ready to strike. Disrespecting the Great-Aunt was unforgivable.

Old Mrs. Zhang also shouted angrily, "What are you standing there for? Drag this insolent wretch away!"

"Hit me! Go ahead and kill me! If my aunt doesn't survive, I won't live either!" Chen Tianming lunged, smashing his head against Chen Daliu’s stomach in a display of reckless desperation. He hit with such force that Chen Daliu stumbled back several steps.

"Why? Why won't you save my aunt?"

Incensed, Chen Daliu strode forward, grabbed Chen Tianming by the collar, and delivered a fierce slap that sent him reeling.

"Insolent! Have you lost all sense of propriety? Our Chen clan has no room for such an unfilial descendant!"

In truth, Old Mrs. Chen’s family and Chen Daliu were distant relatives—beyond the fifth degree of kinship—but even so, in Niuluo Village, they were all listed in the Chen clan’s genealogy. Daring to coerce the Great-Aunt was a crime of heaven-defying audacity.

Chen Daliu had already decided that once the third day of the lunar month passed, he would speak to the clan elders and have Chen Tianming’s name struck from the genealogy, banishing him from Niuluo Village.

Chen Tianming’s head was ringing from the blow, but he didn't care that he had slammed into a pillar. He climbed back up, his face streaked with tears, and questioned Bai Xi: "Everyone respects you, everyone says you are a blessed person. Why won't you save my aunt? Are you truly so cold-hearted?"

"You wretched elder, you good-for-nothing Great-Aunt..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the clear, sunny sky suddenly turned black with thick, roiling clouds. Thunder rumbled, and though it should have been bright daylight, the sky darkened as if inked over. Bolts of lightning tore through the air, and the atmosphere grew stiflingly heavy.

This sudden change left everyone in the courtyard frozen in place, looking up at the sky with expressions of terror. The heavens were angry!

Lightning struck several times, aimed directly at Chen Tianming. However, because Bai Xi was standing right in front of him, perhaps out of fear of harming her, the bolts that were about to strike him veered off at the last second, retracting back into the clouds.

This miraculous sight left the onlookers with their mouths agape, so stunned they nearly forgot to breathe, staring with wide, unblinking eyes. Though only seconds passed, it felt as long as a century.

Bai Xi glanced up at the sky, her brows furrowing in mild confusion, but she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she turned to the stunned Chen Daliu and said, "Drag him away!"

At that moment, a cry of alarm came from inside the room, and words like "hemorrhage" could be faintly heard. Without further hesitation, Bai Xi pushed open the delivery room door and stepped inside.

The people waiting in the courtyard had heard the cry, as had Chen Tianming, who was right by the door. He tried to rush in ahead of Bai Xi, but Xiao Hei was faster, slamming into him and knocking him aside, where he was pinned down by Chen Daliu and the others who had snapped out of their shock.

He struggled against their grip, but he was no match for two strong young men and was dragged away. Even then, the lightning did not relent, keeping its focus on Chen Tianming, as if waiting for another chance to strike.