Chen Hong’s words made the onlooking crowd furrow their brows despite themselves.

“Would the city lord really disregard the lives of soldiers and common people, all for the sake of the man she loves?”

“She wouldn’t! The city lord isn’t that kind of person.”

“Honestly, we don’t know the city lord all that well either—was Lord Duan’s death really Lei Shenbao’s doing?”

“The city lord has done so much for us—we can’t let the one-sided words of a she-devil make us doubt her!”

“Do you all really think Long Jiu’er did this for your sake?”

Chen Hong stared at the murmuring crowd nearby.

“Chen Hong, you talk far too much for someone at death’s door!”

Qiao Mu shot the madwoman a sidelong glare.

“What are you so afraid of?”

Chen Hong stared at Qiao Mu, sneering coldly.

“Afraid?”

Qiao Mu’s lips curved slightly. “Well, of course—a heartless woman like you, willing even to use a child, how could I not be afraid?”

“Let him go now, and I’ll leave your corpse whole!”

“Heh!”

Chen Hong sneered again. “Do you think your city lord is willing to let me die?”

“If I die, the man she loves won’t survive either. She’d rather trade all of your lives for mine.”

“No—more precisely, trade them for her man’s life.”

“You’re all fools, so devoted to someone like her!”

“Chen Hong, watch your words!”

Xiao Yingtao glared coldly at Chen Hong.

This woman—locked up for so long, and still with so much strength left in her.

If only they’d known, they should have fed her just once every two or three days—it would have saved food, and spared them all this trouble now!

“What are you so afraid of, then?” Chen Hong’s gaze shifted to Xiao Yingtao.

“Afraid you’ll die too slowly! You monster!”

Xiao Yingtao showed her no courtesy at all.

She didn’t know what Feng Jiu’er intended, but she truly wished for this woman to die as soon as possible.

“If I die, you’ll all get to keep deceiving the world, won’t you?”

Chen Hong swept her gaze across the surrounding crowd.

“The moment Long Jiu’er arrived, she brought you nothing but war, and got your former city lord killed besides.”

“Her ambitions run deep—for the sake of her own goals, she wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice anyone.”

“I’ll say this—Long Jiu’er really does have some ability, to have subdued so many soldiers. But our common folk aren’t fools either, are they?”

“Think carefully on what I’ve said—don’t die without even knowing how you died!”

“You she-devil, let the child go!”

A commoner stepped forward.

“How dare you sully our city lord’s name?

The city lord just drove off our enemies for us—we’ve all seen it with our own eyes!”

Once one commoner stepped forward, no small number of others followed suit.

“Let him go now!”

“Release him! She-devil, stop spouting nonsense! No one’s going to believe you!”

“She-devil, hurry up and let him go!”

“If you dare so much as touch that child, Heaven won’t let you off easy!”

“…” Watching the crowd step forward one after another, Qiao Mu and the others all felt that their hard work these past days had truly been worth it.

Qiao Mu smiled faintly and said in a low voice, “If Jiu’er could see a scene like this, she’d be so pleased.”

“The horse is here.”

A brother came leading a horse from the other side.

At the sight of the man and horse, the crowd fell silent.

No matter what, the city lord still cared deeply for them—otherwise, trading a condemned criminal for one child would have been the easy way out.

Xing Zizhou swept his gaze over everyone and waved a hand.

At once, those who had stepped forward retreated several paces, and everyone fell silent.

“Hahaha…” Chen Hong threw her head back and laughed again.

“Long Jiu’er, you’re quite skilled—you can fool the world, but you can’t fool me! Hahaha…”

“I’m leaving, but I’ll be back! This debt, I will settle without fail!”

“Chen Hong, enough talk!”

Qiao Mu personally took hold of the horse’s reins. “Here’s your release—everything you asked for is ready.”

Qiao Mu walked forward at an unhurried pace, leading the horse.

She wasn’t worried for herself; the only thought in her mind was making sure Chen Hong could not hurt anyone else.

Qiao Mu knew full well that for Feng Jiu’er to say she could kill Chen Hong must have taken tremendous courage.

She absolutely could not let Chen Hong harm this child—absolutely not!

“Don’t come any closer!”

Sensing the thick killing intent, Chen Hong pressed the child close and took a step back.

“Weren’t you the one who wanted a horse? Do you think a horse will just walk obediently up to you on its own?”

Qiao Mu stopped in her tracks.

Damn it, how had Chen Hong gotten hold of a dagger? The blade looked terribly sharp—one careless slash, and a whole family would be shattered.

“Have him bring it over.”

Chen Hong looked toward a nearby commoner. “That old man, with his trouser leg rolled up halfway.”

“Don’t try anything clever, or else…”

“No!”

The boy’s father, who had just gotten to his feet, dropped to his knees again.

“I—I’ll bring it to you.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself!”

Chen Hong didn’t so much as glance at the man who’d spoken, keeping her eyes fixed on Qiao Mu.

“Quick! Have him bring the horse over, and don’t try any sneak attacks behind my back! I doubt you can afford to play that game!”

The moment Chen Hong’s words left her mouth, the archers stationed on the second floor of the building behind her froze for a moment.

Qiao Mu shook her head slightly, and the archers on standby lowered their bows.

“Chen Hong, once you have the horse, when do you plan to release him?”

Qiao Mu’s gaze returned to Chen Hong.

“Once I’m safely out of the city, I’ll naturally let him go.”

Chen Hong replied coldly.

“I need to know the exact location, otherwise—”

“You have no right to negotiate terms with me!”

Chen Hong cut Qiao Mu off.

“Have everyone blocking the road clear out. I’ll count to three—if that old man hasn’t brought the horse over by then, don’t blame me for what happens.”

“Alright.”

Qiao Mu raised both hands, making a gesture of surrender.

“All I want is for the child to be safe. Everything else, I’ll do as you say.”

She waved a hand, and the soldiers and commoners on both sides of the road retreated to the sides.

Only the old man who had been named remained standing where he was, staring at Qiao Mu without blinking, trembling.

Qiao Mu turned to him. “Old sir, I’m sorry to trouble you.”

The old man nodded slightly. Qiao Mu led the horse over to him.

Qiao Mu placed the reins in the old man’s hands and gently patted his palm.

“Don’t worry! I’ll be watching from behind.”

The old man nodded. “It’s fine, it’s what I should do.”

With those words, he glanced once at Chen Hong, then led the horse forward.

Chen Hong’s attempt to sow discord had failed; in the end, she still stood there utterly alone.

Watching the old man approach her, Chen Hong’s crescent brows knitted, and the hand not holding the dagger clenched into a tight fist.

Qiao Mu stared fixedly at Chen Hong. “Chen Hong, you’d best not try any tricks.”

“If you want to leave, fine! Just don’t hurt anyone! Otherwise, even if you manage to swim across the Song River, Jiu’er will still tear you to pieces!”

“She won’t!”

Chen Hong withdrew her gaze from the old man.

“Her lover’s life has long been tied to mine—if she really meant to kill me, she’d have done it already, wouldn’t she?”

“Jiu’er just said, if you dare kill anyone, we will show no mercy.”

Qiao Mu snorted coldly.

“Do you really think your inner demon has already reached its peak?

Heh, you’re wrong! Jiu’er has already found a way to save Jian Yi.”