Xue Niang pressed the dagger against the sharp-mouthed man's throat, lightly tracing along his Adam's apple. He trembled violently, a smell of urine filling the air.
"No, I'm not qualified. Mercy, my lady! We'll return the jewelry you were wearing. Please spare us! All the jewelry is still here, still kept safe!"
Jewelry?
Xue Niang recalled that when she fled, she had changed her clothes and left behind her phoenix crown and pearl necklaces. She only had a few strings of jade and pearls on her wrists and neck, along with the silver notes Qing He had stuffed into her.
Each of those items had been meticulously chosen and was priceless.
"Heh, are you lying to me? If it fell into your hands, would it still be here?"
The sharp-mouthed man, sensing hope, spoke eagerly, "It's here, it's here! The silver notes are spent. We only sold one bracelet, and then we were targeted. Some noble person, I don't know who, was everywhere inquiring about where the bracelet came from. We didn't dare to sell any more, so we hid them all."
"Oh, is that so!" Xue Niang stood up, looking down at the three human traffickers cowering before her like dogs. "I don't want them anymore. Keep them to spend in the underworld!"
Underworld?
"No, we can't! Spare us, spare us..."
Xue Niang looked at the two women huddled nearby. "Do you want revenge?"
"How... how do we get revenge?" one of the women asked, her eyes filled with hatred, gritting her teeth.
Xue Niang took out the antidote, fed it to the mouths of the two women, and then thrust a knife into their hands. "Of course, it's blood for blood!"
The woman who had spoken's eyes lit up with a fierce glow, while the other shivered in fear, dropping the knife.
Soon, the woman regained her strength. She eagerly got up, knife in hand, and approached the cross-eyed man. The cross-eyed man bared his teeth fiercely, "Bitch, how dare you!"
"What is there that I dare not!" the woman shrieked and plunged the knife into the cross-eyed man's stomach.
Due to her weakness and lack of food, she didn't stab very deeply, and the cross-eyed man cried out in pain.
But she had a stubborn resolve. If one stab didn't kill him, she'd stab again, and again...
"Damn beast! You killed my parents, killed my brother, ruined my purity! I'll kill you, kill you, kill you!"
The woman cried out while fiercely and madly stabbing at the cross-eyed man.
Su Yurou cried out in fright, while Liu Donghuai, pale-faced, watched everything with determination.
This world was far more brutal than he had ever imagined.
Women who should have been gentle were being driven to madness by others.
He looked at Xue Niang. Her face was stern, her lips tightly pressed, and there seemed to be a shimmer in her eyes.
A wave of heartache spread through him. Compared to her, what were his own experiences? She was delicate, yet strong. His previous understanding of her was too superficial.
The cross-eyed man finally stopped howling, his limbs twitching before going still. The woman laughed maniacally, scaring the bushy-bearded man and the sharp-mouthed man even more into begging for their lives.
Xue Niang knew the potency of the sleeping drug. Without an antidote, it would take at least four hours to wear off. She wasn't in a hurry. The more they feared, the more satisfied she felt.
Her knife tip then pointed at the sharp-mouthed man's neck. "I remember you enjoyed bullying children?"
"No, I truly know my mistake... Help me... Help me..."
Help them? No one had helped them when they lived in hell. If these scumbags were helped, it would be a true injustice.
However, at that very moment, the temple door was violently kicked open from the outside.
The sharp-mouthed man shouted, "Help! Someone's killing people, killing people!"
The woman holding the knife jumped in fright, gripping the knife tighter and holding it protectively to her chest.
Xue Niang, however, was completely stunned.
Xiao Shan, clad in black, his face streaked with blood, his tiger-like eyes filled with cold, bloodthirsty intent, appeared like a demon.
He walked out from the shadows. With each step he took, people's hearts tightened, until he reached them. The sharp-mouthed man felt as if his throat was being choked by an invisible giant hand.
It was that terrifying man.
He was finished, he wouldn't survive.
A pair of large feet appeared above him, the last image in his eyes.
With the sound of cracking bones, blood gushed from the sharp-mouthed man's mouth like a stream. His eyes, wide with terror, remained open, unable to close.
The bushy-bearded man, writhing in terror, tried to crawl away. However, despite all his efforts, he only managed to crawl half a meter before Xiao Shan stepped on his waist from behind. With a snap, he went still.
The firelight in the temple, unfueled, gradually weakened. Silence descended, not even a sob could be heard.
Xue Niang's dagger fell to the ground with a sharp clatter.
Even with her head bowed, she knew his gaze was fixed upon her.
He must be very angry, very disappointed in her?
She remembered how he had gone mad the first time she left. What would he do to her now?
Xue Niang took out the antidote and placed it in Liu Donghuai's hand, standing there blankly, unsure what to do.
A commotion erupted outside the door, and a group of constables rushed in, led by Magistrate Yuan Bufeng.
Upon entering and seeing the dead bodies in the temple, he waved his hand. "Clear away these wicked villains! They deserve to die for causing trouble next to my Donglin County!"
Then he approached Xiao Shan. "Brother, haven't we found sister-in-law? Let's go back, shall we?"
Liu Donghuai looked at Xiao Shan with surprise.
Xiao Shan walked towards Xue Niang.
Xue Niang lowered her head, her hands trembling with nervousness.
Xiao Shan took her hand and said calmly, "Let's go home!"
Was he not angry? Xue Niang looked at him, confused. Or would he... at home?
"Thank you, miss, for saving me."
The woman who had killed the cross-eyed man came over to thank Xue Niang. Her expression was desolate, her clothes tattered. Driven by hatred earlier, she had poured all her strength into her enemy. Now that her enemy was dead, her spirit collapsed, and her eyes held a bewilderment about the unknown path ahead.
Xue Niang paused. "What do you plan to do now?"
The woman tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I haven't made any plans yet. I have to live on somehow."
Xiao Shan gave Yuan Bufeng a look. Yuan Bufeng loudly instructed Du Ling, "Distribute the money found on those villains to the victims."
The woman quickly knelt down, gratefully saying, "Thank you, sir."
The woman who had been cowering in the corner also ran over and knelt, crying, "Sir, this humble one is now homeless. Could you arrange a way out for me? I'm willing to be a servant or a maid. Otherwise, otherwise, this humble one truly cannot go on living."
Xue Niang let out a cold snort.
This woman, who had been so terrified earlier and dared not even strike down her enemy, was now running over to find a way out for herself. If she was timid, that would be one thing, but this showed she was quite cunning.
Yuan Bufeng naturally heard Xue Niang's snort. This woman was clearly not favored by sister-in-law!
Therefore, he didn't even bother to acknowledge her, waving to Liu Donghuai instead. "The city gates are open, hurry up and let's go back together!"
Xiao Shan had already taken Xue Niang's hand and led her out. Upon exiting the temple, with a call, Qian Hang ran over. Xiao Shan lifted Xue Niang onto the horse and galloped away.