Zhou Weizhao sat in the seat of honor, his expression calm as he glanced at the chaos scattered outside, then turned his gaze to Song Chuyi, who had just entered.

In the afternoon, he had heard Song Chuyi mention that every family had its own difficulties, and that she had a stepmother at home.

However, he hadn’t expected this stepmother to be dangerous to such an extent. No wonder she was so cautious to the point of being excessive. With a stepmother like this, anyone would need to be on full alert.

Due to Miss Chen’s push earlier, Song Chuyi hadn’t had time to tidy her appearance and looked rather disheveled. Yet her face remained calm and her gaze indifferent, as if she hadn’t been affected at all.

“Your Highness, I wonder if the transaction you mentioned to me earlier still stands?” After staring at Zhou Weizhao in silence for a long moment, she suddenly spoke.

Zhou Weizhao could have denied it. After all, compared to him, she had neither power nor influence, and she had already told him her method in order to gain his trust.

If Zhou Weizhao went back on his word at this moment, she would have no recourse. At least, that’s what everyone would think on the surface—what kind of waves could a young lady from one of the capital’s many earl families possibly stir up?

Ye Jingchuan frowned as he looked back and forth between Zhou Weizhao and Song Chuyi, feeling somewhat dissatisfied.

“When did you make another deal with him?” He looked at Song Chuyi, feeling quite angry. “Don’t you know he’s a fox?”

But after saying this, he felt somewhat stunned. Although Zhou Weizhao was difficult to deal with, wasn’t Song Chuyi also a fox?

Zhou Weizhao covered his mouth and coughed, and seeing Ye Jingchuan close his mouth at the appropriate time, he turned to look at Song Chuyi. “Naturally it stands. Have you now decided what you want me to help you with?”

“Those people—can I deal with them as I see fit?” Song Chuyi tilted her head toward the granary and asked expressionlessly.

Ye Jingchuan waved his hand, looking rather dismissive. “No matter how capable you are, you’re still a girl. Those people are all slippery characters, desperate ruffians, you know? If they say some unpleasant things, will you be able to face anyone afterward?”

Although he appeared frivolous, always acting willful, carefree, and cavalier, Ye Jingchuan was fundamentally a good person—a good person who treated others with kindness.

Nanny Xu also felt that Ye Jingchuan had a point and hesitantly leaned close to Song Chuyi’s ear to persuade her. “Miss, Young Master Ye is right. Those people have filthy mouths. If they say something that dirties your ears…”

Song Chuyi continued looking at Zhou Weizhao in the seat of honor.

Zhou Weizhao then nodded with a slight smile at the corners of his mouth.

Ye Jingchuan grew somewhat anxious and also somewhat frustrated. “Don’t you know she’s a girl? Have you stayed in the Taoist temple too long? Oh, how could I forget—you have stayed in the Taoist temple too long and can’t even tell the difference between men and women!”

Song Chuyi had already risen swiftly and started walking. Halfway there, she turned back to look at Zhou Weizhao. “Can you lend me those few young Taoist priests beside you?”

Lanterns had been hung all around the granary, making it bright as day—as if it belonged to a different world from the pitch-black night outside.

As soon as Song Chuyi had someone remove the cloth gags from those people’s mouths, they began spouting foul language.

Among them, a round-headed, rather corpulent fat man stared at Song Chuyi with ill intent, spitting several times in succession.

“So after all this effort, the one they wanted us to kill is just this little yellow-haired girl.” He made some sleazy clicking sounds with his tongue, then raised his head with a face full of smugness and disdain. “I’m afraid her hair hasn’t even fully grown in yet, and they actually needed this many of us.”

Both Qing Tao and Hong Yu’s faces flushed bright red. After a long moment, they hurriedly tried to cover Song Chuyi’s ears.

Song Chuyi lightly brushed them aside, turned a deaf ear to the curses and mockery, and suddenly pointed at the round-headed man. She turned back to the young Taoist priest beside her and calmly ordered, “Go break all his hands and feet for me.”

The young Taoist priest looked at her with some surprise. Seeing that she closed her mouth after saying this, he hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and kicking the man’s knee, then forcefully folding his leg together.

The entire process was so swift that people only had time to blink.

The round-headed man’s screams instantly filled the entire room. Only now did he look with some terror at this young girl who remained expressionless, and dragging his already broken leg, he tried desperately to retreat.

“His hands!” Song Chuyi glanced at the young Taoist priest, her calmness utterly inhuman. “Break them!”

When she said hands and feet would be broken together, they were broken together—no dragging feet, no soft-heartedness whatsoever.

In an instant, only that man’s screams remained in the room.

After the young Taoist priest mercilessly crippled the man, Song Chuyi took two sharp steps forward with a cold face, staring icily at the group of people who were too shocked to react.

“Who’s the leader?” Her gaze was cold as she looked at them, then raised her voice to ask again, “Who’s the leader?”

Some of the more timid ones were already pointing at the lean man who had cursed most viciously earlier.

Song Chuyi snorted coldly and looked at him with deliberate composure. “Do you want to live, or don’t you?”

Although she still showed little emotion, in the eyes of this group, she was undoubtedly a life-stealing demon. The man stared at her intently, cautiously shrinking back, and asked hesitantly, “What if I want to live, and what if I don’t?”

“I already know perfectly well who sent you. I only need your testimony. If you want to live, cooperate with me properly. If you don’t want to live, I don’t mind treating you all as Tartar raiders and beating you to death!” This was the first time since Song Chuyi’s rebirth that she spoke in such a vicious tone, momentarily shocking everyone in the room.

Although they had indeed come for her life, they ultimately hadn’t succeeded—so why did this young lady look at them as if they had a blood feud?

The leader swallowed hard, already feeling his hands beginning to tremble.

After all, they were only in it for the money. If they lost their lives over those silver coins, it wouldn’t be worth it…

Song Chuyi raised her chin toward Qing Tao and Hong Yu, who immediately understood and brought out the paper and brush they had prepared earlier.

“I won’t let you go for now.” Song Chuyi watched the man write furiously, then looked over all of them again. “When the time comes, after you testify against the person who ordered you, I’ll release you.”

Everyone shook their heads. “How do we know whether you’ll keep your word when the time comes…”

Song Chuyi suddenly threw a cup at them. The clear sound of it shattering instantly silenced everyone.

“If you don’t believe me, die right now!” Song Chuyi had no patience whatsoever for this group who had nearly killed her, and sneered coldly. “If you don’t want to write, then go die like that man just now!”