When Feng Jiu’er stepped through the gates of Feng Manor, she immediately sensed that something was off.

There was hardly anyone along the way. She hurried back to her courtyard tucked away in the corner, yet Yanu was nowhere to be found.

Yanu’s room was always kept tidy — he was a clean person by nature, and even though his quarters were modest, they were neat and comfortable.

But today, the chair in his room had been knocked over and left lying on the floor, and the shattered shards of a broken cup still lay scattered across the ground.

Something had happened to Yanu!

Feng Jiu’er quickly left the courtyard and at last found a guard passing through the front courtyard. “Where is Yanu?”

The guard shot her a contemptuous glance and said dismissively: “Yanu was caught stealing Miss Qingyin’s jewelry last night. He’s been taken to the dungeon for interrogation.”

“What?” That wretched Feng Qingyin — Yanu had never been greedy for money or possessions. This was a blatant false accusation!

Feng Jiu’er turned and immediately made her way toward the dungeon.

She had not yet arrived when she heard voices outside: “That fellow is stubborn alright — beaten through the entire night and still won’t confess.”

“I heard the men carrying out the punishment have already rotated three shifts. He’s something else, acting like he doesn’t feel pain at all.”

“Probably just as senseless as his mistress — truly doesn’t know what pain is. Ha ha ha…”

Feng Jiu’er’s figure swept past them like a gust of wind, and in the blink of an eye, she had vanished through the entrance to the dungeon.

……

The dungeon was a place found in every great household — reserved specifically for punishing servants who had committed offenses.

In one of the dungeon cells, the stench of blood hung thick in the air.

Yanu was bound to a wooden rack. His entire body was covered in whip wounds, and fresh blood had soaked through his clothing, staining a vast area crimson red.

A guard stood before him, striking once and asking once: “Did you steal the Eighth Miss’s gold chain? If you confess, just nod your head.”

Yanu’s face was expressionless. His scar-riddled features were drenched in beads of sweat the size of soybeans, yet from last night until now, he had not let out so much as a single groan.

“What a spineless wretch! Not even afraid of the whip!” The guard let out a cold snort.

Suddenly, with a sharp ring of steel, he drew the sword at his waist and drove the blade toward Yanu’s arm.

“A whole night of beating and still no confession — do you really think we don’t dare do anything worse to you?”

The Eighth Miss had given her orders: he must be made to confess, even if it meant a forced admission through torture.

But who could have known that this lowly slave would have such endurance, holding out until now and still refusing to admit guilt!

That blade was bearing down on Yanu’s wrist.

A sword that sharp — even if it did not sever his hand entirely, it would certainly cut through the tendons.

If that blow landed, Yanu’s hand would be crippled for life!

“Stop!” From behind, someone kicked the cell door open with a single strike.

A thunderous boom rang out, startling the two guards who had been carrying out the punishment inside.

Both men froze, and that sword stopped in its tracks.

The guard holding the blade had just begun to turn his head when a white blur flashed before his eyes — someone had already closed the distance and was right in front of him.

Then came a searing pain in his wrist. A beat later, the guard let out a belated scream — his tendons had been severed!

“Ninth Miss!” The other guard was frightened out of his wits and immediately drew his sword to defend himself.

There was a clang — the long sword that Feng Jiu’er had seized from the first guard came slashing toward him with fierce momentum.

The guard had no idea when she had moved. The sword in his own hand had already been knocked aside by her single strike.

“Ahh…” A scream rang out alongside a spray of blood. The guard collapsed to the ground, his tendons severed in the same fashion.

Two guards — in nothing more than an instant — had both been felled by Feng Jiu’er’s hand.

Yanu stared at the young woman who now walked toward him, his eyes filled with utter astonishment.