The soft whip and the dagger were natural adversaries. Daggers required close-quarters combat, while the soft whip excelled at range. Within a few rounds, Taishu Sulian's face and body were struck more than a dozen times. It was painful and frustrating, and she cursed, "Quan Jiu, if you have the guts, fight me up close."
Quan Jiu chuckled, "Even up close, you'd still be my defeated opponent."
With the young madam making a strong start, the Hundred Ghost Army behind them, seeing this, became incredibly enthusiastic. They surged forward as if injected with adrenaline, eager to join the fray.
"Boss, they've sent reinforcements." Old Li, the leader of the Hundred Ghost Army, his sharp eyes scanning their surroundings, had already detected different fluctuations.
Chu Rong elegantly unbuttoned his tailored suit and walked step by step towards Quan Jiu.
The Taishu family bodyguards, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, were all heading towards the main entrance.
However, facing the powerful and coordinated Hundred Ghost Army, despite their numerical advantage, they were still routed and scattered.
Quan Jiu and Chu Rong led the charge, fighting their way directly from the main gate into the inner compound.
The matriarch of the Taishu family, Li Suqiong, finally emerged, clad in luxurious attire, her gaze fiercely fixed on Quan Jiu.
"You are Wang Huiping's granddaughter, just like that bitch... Ah..."
Before Li Suqiong could finish speaking, her arm was struck by a whip. She cried out in pain and angrily rebuked, "You little bitch, how dare you hit me? Today, I'll see you brought in standing and carried out horizontally. Attack!"
Quan Jiu swung her soft whip again, repelling the group of people who had closed in. She then flicked her whip, wrapping it around Li Suqiong's leg and pulling hard. Li Suqiong fell backward.
Quan Jiu quickly moved forward, grabbed Li Suqiong's hair, forcing her to lift her chin. She smiled, "It seems you knew my grandmother. Since I want to learn about my grandmother's past, I'll trouble you to tell me, won't you?"
Li Suqiong was both shocked and terrified. She was the mistress of the Taishu family and had never suffered such humiliation. Enraged, she shouted at her subordinates, "What are you standing around for? Beat this bitch to death!"
Old Li, leading the charge, engaged the Taishu family bodyguards who had reappeared, still holding his own.
Quan Jiu, meanwhile, grabbed Li Suqiong by the collar and dragged her inside.
The household servants watched this terrifying, fiend-like figure with dread. Seeing their mistress being held hostage, none dared to step forward.
Quan Jiu, still domineeringly dragging Li Suqiong, proceeded unimpeded into the Taishu family's ancestral hall.
"Bang!" She forced Li Suqiong to kneel on the ground. From her sleeve, she took out a photograph of her grandmother and placed it in a prominent position above the ancestral hall.
"Kowtow to my grandmother and apologize. Honestly confess how you dealt with my grandmother back then, otherwise..." She whipped Li Suqiong's calf. "I'll beat you until you speak."
Li Suqiong cried out in pain, trying to scramble up and run, but Quan Jiu held her firmly by the back of her neck, preventing her from even standing.
She finally grew fearful, shaking her head and weeping, "I don't know. I only know that your grandmother had a marriage engagement with our patriarch back then, but she eloped, causing our patriarch great shame. Later, she made a name for herself in the outer city. She was a member of our Taishu clan, so naturally, we had the right to bring her back."
"So you went to trouble my grandmother, forcing her to abandon her promising career and live a life of hiding?" Quan Jiu, who had a career of her own, knew that if she were told she could no longer do what she loved, and had to live in anonymity, abandoning all her past achievements and glory, it would be worse than killing her.
Every ounce of effort was her life's blood, yet it was all turned to nothing by these petty individuals. How unwilling and desperate must her grandmother have been back then?
Thinking of this, Quan Jiu's hatred burned like fire. Her grandmother had raised her with such difficulty, yet she hadn't even seen her grandmother one last time. This filled her with regret. Now, knowing that her grandmother had suffered such great injustice, she wished she could send all these people to hell.
"You all deserve to die." She grabbed Li Suqiong's neck and slammed her head onto the ground.
"Thump, thump, thump..." Li Suqiong's head struck the ground with dull thuds.
She wailed, trying to struggle, but she was no match for Quan Jiu's rage. Soon, blood began to trickle from her forehead.
"Apologize to my grandmother," Quan Jiu said hatefully.
Li Suqiong was terrified. She trembled, repeatedly chanting, "I'm sorry."
"And the patriarch. Call him out." Quan Jiu had expected the patriarch to appear given the commotion, but there was no movement for a long time, which puzzled her.
Li Suqiong stammered, "He... he has been bedridden for many years and cannot move."
"So, you're in charge of everything here?" Quan Jiu asked again.
Li Suqiong nodded, "I am the head of the family now. I'm sorry, we shouldn't have dwelled on the past, and we shouldn't have pursued your grandmother. I was truly wrong, please spare me."
Quan Jiu sneered, "Spare you? If you were wrong, I wouldn't do anything to you. I'm just here to 'invite' you to apologize to my grandmother. Since you've apologized, let's talk about compensation."
She released Li Suqiong. "My grandmother was renowned both domestically and internationally at the age of thirty, becoming the only divine-level embroidery master of modern times. Her value is immeasurable, yet you ruined her future. Tell me, how should this be compensated?"
Li Suqiong looked at Quan Jiu in terror, "Whatever you want, I'll give it to you, just please don't hurt me."
"Hurt you? How could I hurt you? I'm calmly discussing this with you." Quan Jiu smiled slightly, sat beside Li Suqiong, and patted her shoulder intermittently.
"How about this? While my grandmother's creative value is priceless, your capabilities are indeed limited, so you can't provide equivalent compensation. Let's go by proportion. You ruined my grandmother's entire life, so you should compensate with your entire family. A life for a family, isn't that a fair exchange?"
Li Suqiong's face turned ashen with fright, "What are you saying? You want our entire Taishu family? Are you insane?"
"One-to-one compensation, it's quite fair," Quan Jiu shrugged.
"You're dreaming." Compared to the vast family fortune, fear could no longer threaten Li Suqiong.
Quan Jiu chuckled, a hint of regret in her voice, "What a pity. I intended to discuss this calmly with you, but since you're unwilling, you can't blame me for having a bad temper. I'm quite self-aware; if you don't give it, I'll take it myself."
"What do you want to do?" Li Suqiong glared at Quan Jiu in terror.
Quan Jiu giggled, "Guess."
"No, how dare you? This is the new district. Our Taishu clan is one of the thirty-two major sects. You..."
"If I say she dares, she dares," a cold voice interjected.
Quan Jiu turned around, somewhat surprised. It was Quan Tianxi.
Li Suqiong clearly recognized Quan Tianxi as well and thought she had found a savior. She quickly struggled to her feet and pleaded for help, "Young Master Quan, this bandit from the outer city dares to break into our home and rob us. As I am a weak woman, I implore you, Young Master Quan, to uphold justice for our Taishu clan."
Quan Tianxi's gaze was stern, "I only know that it is only right for debtors to repay their debts. Since you owe this young lady, isn't it natural to return it to her now?"
Li Suqiong was stunned, "Young Master Quan, what do you mean by that?"
Quan Tianxi snorted, "I mean, you've offended someone you shouldn't have."
Taishu Sulian, enduring the pain, stumbled into the ancestral hall and witnessed this scene. She looked at Quan Jiu with unwillingness. What was this woman's background that even the Quan family would support her?