Chapter 10: The Woman's Plan

Words : 1748 Updated : Jan 15th, 2026

Della Sowden saw Joseph Lyson staring at her and immediately got angry. Inwardly, she fumed, You little punk-eating dinner and your eyes still can't behave. "Joseph, where exactly are you looking?" "Quit gawking. If someone sees you, they'll think you're getting horny." Joseph Lyson saw Della Sowden's temper and chuckled instead. "Della, me know. Me just think Della's too pretty, so me can't help looking more." He had to keep playing dumb. He couldn't let Della know his eyes had gained a see-through ability. If the villagers found out he wasn't a fool, and that he could see through women, it would spell trouble. Besides, being the village fool was a built-in get-out-of-jail card. Playing the fool actually had its perks; he could do a lot of things others couldn't. Della Sowden sighed. "No more staring. Eat up, then go rest early." After speaking, she noticed Joseph's face looked rosy, nothing like the drained, listless look from the morning. Strange. What was going on? Did that fool just sleep it off? She couldn't figure it out and chose not to dwell on it. She only hoped he would finish dinner and go to bed early. She hadn't had any alcohol tonight and couldn't use it as an excuse to keep the brat over-she'd look far too forward. Besides, tomorrow she had to wait for her sister to come to Della's house. It had been almost half a year since she'd seen Yuru, and she missed her so badly it drove her crazy. Joseph also wanted to head back early; he planned to cultivate again. He had already broken through Body Refinement, and next came Energy Refinement. Once he broke through Energy Refinement, he would harness the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth for his own use. His medical skills would take another leap, and he would command Needle and Energy Manipulation to help patients. "Della, after I eat, me go straight back to sleep," Joseph said, shoveling rice and grinning. "You," Della huffed, "you're a college student. Stop with the 'me this, me that.' City folks will peg you as a country bumpkin. From now on, say 'I,' got it?" Earlier at the town hospital, Joseph had already embarrassed her enough to make her want to crawl into a hole. In a few days, she planned to take him to the provincial hospital for treatment. If he kept talking like that, city people would laugh at him-and at her. She dreaded being looked down on. "Heh-heh, Della! Then me won't say 'me' anymore. Me say 'I,'" Joseph parroted. "I finished dinner. I'm heading back to sleep. If you need me, just holler." He had eaten his fill and was ready to go home to secretly cultivate. Della Sowden nodded. "Fine. Go sleep. Remember to get up early tomorrow and come help." "Okay, no problem!" Joseph had just stood, ready to head next door to his own place, when a knock sounded outside Della's house. Then came Jessica Looske's shout. "Della, is Joseph at your place?" Hearing Jessica Looske's voice, Della suddenly remembered promising at noon to let Joseph go to Jessica's house tonight to help. She called toward the door, "Oh, Jessica. Hold on, I'll open up." She walked over and opened the door. Jessica Looske had changed into a loose set of pajamas. A soft breeze slipped in and pressed the fabric against her, the lines of her figure fully displayed. That kind of sensual shape could hook a man's soul at a glance. Della wondered why Jessica was dressed like that. While Della still froze for a beat, Jessica smiled. "Della, I'm here to get Joseph to fix my well. At dusk I forgot, and it only popped into my head just now. It should be quick-about twenty minutes." Since Jessica had come asking Joseph for help, Della Sowden couldn't very well refuse. She turned to Joseph. "Joseph, go help Jessica with her well. Once it's done, head back to sleep." Joseph grinned. "Okay, no problem." He headed for the door. He and Jessica left together. He knew perfectly well that Jessica came so late with an excuse. She would definitely try a beauty trap to seduce him. He wasn't afraid. His body was strong now; he could teach her a lesson if he had to. Even so, he could treat it as repaying her for the life-saving favor. They soon reached Jessica's house. It was already 8:50 p.m. "Joseph, sit for a bit first. I'll pour you some tea," Jessica said. She fetched a cup from the kitchen, then brought out a few fruit plates and set them on the table-apples and tangerines, the stuff she had bought in town that afternoon. "Drink some tea and have some fruit," she said. "I bought these this afternoon in town-super fresh." Joseph played the fool, grinning. "Great. Thanks, Jessica. This apple looks real tasty. Heh, let me try it." He picked up an apple and took a big bite. He figured that once he finished the apple, Jessica would probably start her beauty trap. He would just play dumb and enjoy the perks. Then Jessica spoke again. "Joseph, today is my grandma's death anniversary. When I was little, she treated me so well. I can't forget her day. So I cooked fish, bought a lot of fruit, and picked up some joss paper in town. You eat slowly; I'll burn some paper for her. When I'm done, then you can help fix the well." Joseph kept up his cheerful act. "Sure, Jessica. You go ahead." Jessica checked the time. It was nearly 9:00 p.m. It really was her grandma's death day. She would burn a little paper money to pay her respects, then start her plan. Excitement fluttered in her chest, and her hands moved fast. She grabbed a small iron pot and a stack of yellow joss paper, then walked to the doorway. She set down the pot and started burning the paper. As she fed the flame, she kept glancing down the village road, hoping no one would pass by this late. Then her plan could go smoothly, and she wouldn't have to worry about that fool Joseph not taking the bait. A smug smile curled at her lips. Just then, a rush of footsteps came from the right side of the village road. Houston Lyson, that freak, had arrived. That morning, he had followed Jessica Looske to the little grove by the river and dragged her into the trees. He was just about to succeed when the damn woman kicked him, almost crippling him. By nightfall he had recovered a bit, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. He used the cover of darkness to come to Jessica's house. In a moment, he was going to teach that woman a hard lesson.

Chapter 10: The Woman's Plan

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