"You jinx, you money-losing burden, you unlucky wretch! You deserve a thousand cuts, you Star of Calamity! Yanyan wanting your necklace is a sign of her favor; she's our family's Lucky Star! She wants your necklace, and you dare refuse her!"
Old Lady Li held a fire poker, beating four-and-a-half-year-old Li Suisui forcefully.
Li Suisui lowered her head, her small hands desperately gripping the little Pendant hanging on her chest. No matter how Old Lady Li beat her, she refused to let go.
Her maternal grandmother had quietly hung it around her neck when she came to visit a few days ago. Her grandmother said it was a gift from a High Monk, hoping it would keep her safe, and told her not to give it to anyone!
She had always hidden it under her clothes, but Li Yanyan accidentally saw it and demanded it. When she refused, it incited this brutal beating!
"Grandma said this is to keep me safe! I can't give it to anyone!"
"You listen to everything your Grandma says? If she told you to die, why wouldn't you go and do it?"
"You jinx, you reincarnated demon of misfortune, how dare you talk back to me!"
"I'll beat you to death today! And when you're dead, this thing will naturally be Yanyan's!"
The force behind Old Lady Li's blows grew stronger. After just a few strikes, Li Suisui's vision went black, and she lost consciousness.
Seeing Li Suisui had fainted, Old Lady Li immediately reached for the Pendant.
Unexpectedly, she couldn't pry Li Suisui's hand open, no matter how hard she tried.
"Hmph! Still so strong. It seems you won't die anytime soon. Then just bake out here in this scorching sun! You'll have plenty to suffer!"
After saying her piece, Old Lady Li clapped her hands and walked straight back into the house. No one noticed that the blood oozing from Li Suisui's arm was being absorbed by the Pendant she clutched.
Old Lady Li's second daughter-in-law, Zhao Chunxiang, had been leaning against the doorway, watching the spectacle for quite some time. When she saw Li Suisui unconscious, a vicious glint flashed in her eyes, and she quickly hurried after Old Lady Li.
"Mother-in-law! Do you remember the fortune-teller's prophecy for this girl?"
"I remember. 'Fated to bring ruin to her kin, a Star of Calamity.'"
"Then do you remember when I personally asked the fortune-teller: if this jinx isn't removed, will it affect Fourth Uncle's prospects for an official career?"
Old Lady Li's expression changed. She clearly remembered the fortune-teller saying that Fourth Uncle was also her blood kin! In that case, naturally...
No, this Star of Calamity must be dealt with today. She knew the county examinations were over, and Fourth Uncle was already on his way to the Capital City. The fortune-teller had warned that it was essential to eliminate this Star of Calamity before Fourth Uncle reached the Capital City.
"Second Daughter-in-law, you've reminded me. We can't let this money-losing burden live."
"Go to the mass burial ground first and dig a pit. Once I get the Pendant from her hand, we'll take her straight there and bury her."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Chunxiang was inwardly ecstatic but showed no sign of it on her face.
She grabbed Old Lady Li's arm, feigning concern. "Mother-in-law, can you truly bring yourself to do it personally?"
"No matter what, that girl is your own granddaughter!"
"My own granddaughter?"
"She's just a jinx, a money-losing burden, fated to be a Star of Calamity."
"If we don't deal with her soon, she might bring ruin to our entire Li Family, leaving us with no descendants!"
Seeing Old Lady Li's resolve, and fearing she might change her mind, Zhao Chunxiang quickly agreed.
"I'll go dig the pit right away."
A smirk of cunning triumph flashed in Zhao Chunxiang's eyes.
It hurts so much! Li Suisui felt as if every pore in her body screamed in pain with each breath she took.
"Master, you need to wake up!" an urgent voice cried in her ear.
Li Suisui couldn't open her eyes or her mouth; she was in too much pain and dared not even breathe deeply.
"Master, Master..."
The voice calling "Master" echoed continuously in her ears. Li Suisui finally managed to pry her eyes open a tiny slit.
There was nothing before her.
Am I dying? To think I'm even hallucinating!