No one had expected that such a beautiful woman could be so coldblooded.

Even men who were thoroughly used to such scenes wouldn’t have dared crouch down and watch like this.

Watching Feng Jiu’er crouched there, observing such a bloody scene with what almost looked like appreciation — who wouldn’t be afraid?

“I… help… save, save…” The bitten man’s breath had grown so faint it was barely audible, yet still he did not lose consciousness.

“So that means you’re of no use at all, is that it?” Feng Jiu’er’s lips curved faintly, her gaze seemingly never leaving the man’s face.

“I… I…” In the end, the man’s breath finally stopped altogether.

Feng Jiu’er rose to her feet without a flicker of emotion, looking at the five men who remained.

“Well? What else can you do for me? If you’re of no use to me, your fate will be exactly the same as his.”

The light of the setting sun filtered down through the branches, falling over Feng Jiu’er’s body and face.

Under such a beautiful scene, on any ordinary day, anyone who saw Feng Jiu’er’s face — as lovely as an immortal maiden’s — would have found it hard to look away.

But now, the five men kneeling on the ground couldn’t tear their eyes away — and it had nothing to do with Feng Jiu’er’s beauty.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t bear to look away — they didn’t dare to. In their eyes, she was no longer a woman, but an asura risen from hell.

After a moment of stunned terror, the five men all rushed to spill everything they knew, and of course, made sure to mention their own usefulness as well.

Feng Jiu’er stood in the forest, looking down at all of them, listening to each one in turn.

“Are you all finished?” Once the scene had quieted down, Feng Jiu’er’s low voice rang out.

“We’ve said it all, lady hero — is there anything else you need us to say?” The man closest to Feng Jiu’er asked, his face full of fear.

“We’ve told you everything we know. Lady hero, please believe us — from now on we’re all your men, lady hero.” Another man immediately echoed him.

“That’s right, lady hero, please, don’t take our lives.” Another man begged.

The other men all knelt down together, pleading over and over.

“Jian Yi.” Feng Jiu’er turned her head and glanced at Jian Yi.

Jian Yi stepped forward and walked over.

Feng Jiu’er pulled a bottle of medicine from inside her robe and handed it to Jian Yi.

“Give each of them one pill.”

“Mm.” Jian Yi took the medicine, twisted open the bottle, and pulled out a few pills.

Though the five men trembled all over, they obediently swallowed the pills down.

Watching them swallow the pills, Feng Jiu’er’s lips curved faintly.

“This medicine is more poisonous than any of your own poisonous creatures. If you don’t take the antidote in time, in a month you’ll find out exactly what it feels like to have your guts rot through.”

“If you don’t believe me, feel free to find out.”

Feng Jiu’er pulled another bottle from her waist and handed it to Feng Jiang, who stood beside her.

“This is the antidote. If you behave yourselves, every month this hero here will give you one dose.”

“You.” Feng Jiu’er pointed at one of the men, her voice growing noticeably sharper. “Send the poisonous creatures back, so my brothers here don’t have to look at them and feel uneasy.”

“The rest of you — bring over whatever good food and drink you have, and let my brothers have a taste.”

“Oh, and take your companions’ bodies away. It doesn’t bother me to look at them, but I won’t have them dirtying my brothers’ eyes.”

“Don’t even think about trying any tricks — you can’t afford the consequences!”

With a flick of her sleeve, Feng Jiu’er turned and walked back.

“Yes, lady hero.”

“Yes, we’ll definitely obey, we’ll definitely listen…”

“…”

The men who had been kneeling for so long got to their feet one by one and began cleaning up the scene together.

Feng Jiu’er paid them no more attention, returning instead to where her brothers were to check on everyone’s condition.

Once she’d confirmed everyone was fine, Feng Jiu’er turned to walk over to Qiao Mu, but not before sweeping her gaze around the surroundings once more.

Seeing no unfamiliar faces, she took a deep breath and came to sit down beside Qiao Mu.

“Jiu’er, you’re really too…”

Before Qiao Mu could finish speaking, Feng Jiu’er suddenly stood up, stumbled back a few steps, and with a retching sound, vomited all over the ground.

The sound of her retching was loud enough that all the brothers present heard it.

At that moment, those who understood what had happened felt something beyond ordinary admiration for Feng Jiu’er.

Here was a young girl with so little experience of the world, and yet her ability to strike terror into others surpassed that of most men.

“Jiu’er, are you alright?” Qiao Mu steadied herself against a tree trunk and stood up.

Just as she was about to go over, a tall figure appeared beside her.

Zhan Qingcheng stepped forward, not only blocking Qiao Mu’s line of sight but also nearly hiding Feng Jiu’er from everyone else’s view.

Feng Jiu’er retched once more, and afterward finally felt a little better.

She had only just straightened her back when a large hand pulled her in close.

Lifting her eyes to meet the man’s gaze, Feng Jiu’er spoke, her voice somewhat hoarse. “Ninth Imperial Uncle, am I really that useless?”

Zhan Qingcheng said nothing, simply raising his other hand to gently wipe the corner of her mouth.

“Jiu’er, you’re tougher than I am. I didn’t even dare watch, and yet you…” said Feng Jiang, who had just hurried over, a water pouch in hand.

In an instant, not only Feng Jiang but also Mu Mu and Jian Yi had all rushed over.

At once, every bit of light around Feng Jiu’er was completely blocked out.

“I thought you were fine — I didn’t realize you’d been holding it in this whole time. It’s my fault for being too soft, my methods just weren’t ruthless enough.”

Feng Jiang let out a faint sigh, twisted open the water pouch, and held it out to Feng Jiu’er.

Feng Jiu’er took the pouch and rinsed her mouth out twice, feeling much better afterward.

“What are you all doing? With so many of you crowded around here, I can barely breathe.” Feng Jiu’er looked around at everyone, smiling.

“Today wasn’t without its gains, though. Those poisonous creatures might actually help us get through this crisis.”

“And, Third Imperial Brother, if you start with these five men, you might be able to root out exactly which organization has been secretly breeding these poisonous creatures.”

“From what they said, the poisonous beasts aren’t limited to just the eight here. If they’re allowed to breed more, the harm to the common people will only grow.”

Meeting Feng Jiang’s gaze, Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together.

“No matter whose hands the Feng Clan ends up in, I hope the people of the Feng Clan can live peaceful lives.”

“Fourth Imperial Uncle and I will be leaving now. For the time being, you’ll be in charge of things here. You need to work even harder — don’t let all my efforts go to waste.”

“And of course, be careful. These are people who play with poison — not easy to deal with.”

“Mm.” Feng Jiang gently patted Feng Jiu’er’s small shoulder. “I’ll do my best to handle things while I wait for you and Fourth Imperial Uncle to return.”

Feng Jiu’er smiled faintly, took a sip of water, and only then handed the pouch back to Feng Jiang.

“Shouldn’t you be worried about me coming back instead?”

She was a daughter of the Feng Clan — if she returned, what would that mean? There was no way he didn’t know.

Feng Jiang took the water pouch back, smiling faintly.

“Just as you said — I too hope the people of the Feng Clan can live good lives. I believe that when you come back, everyone’s life will be even better than it is now.”

“This is still Feng Clan territory — watch what you say!” Feng Jiu’er shot Feng Jiang a glance, then looked away and slipped her arm through Zhan Qingcheng’s.

“Everyone go and rest for a bit. Oh, and Jian Yi, is there anything to eat? I’m hungry.”