Jian Yi’s gaze swept briefly over the women before withdrawing.

In his mind, he kept silently repeating what Jiu’er had told him that day.

“Jian Yi, going out looking like this, you’re definitely going to make those wives and maids lose their minds.”

“But remember, as long as they don’t lay a hand on you, just bear with it.”

“If people like looking at you, that’s your own charm at fault, isn’t it? It’s not like you’re losing anything for it.”

“If they want to look, let them look. Of course, if they dare touch you, you can come ask me for help…”

Jian Yi had no interest in pondering the concept of “charm,” but he had taken Jiu’er’s words to heart.

He didn’t want to ruin Jiu’er’s plans, so he treated these people as nothing more than empty air.

Still, if any of them dared lay a hand on him, Jian Yi felt he wouldn’t hold back.

As for asking for help — that was something the great Jian Yi would never do, and Feng Jiu’er knew that perfectly well.

All the wives, along with the two maids trailing behind them, were utterly captivated by Jian Yi.

Jian Yi’s charm — there was no doubt about it.

The Second Wife, lost for a moment in fantasy, was the first to come back to her senses.

“He’s just a guard. No matter how handsome, he’s nothing more than a vase — pretty to look at, useless for anything else.”

“Right.” The Third Wife nodded vigorously, wiping the corner of her mouth. “A vase is a vase — it’ll never amount to anything.”

Jian Yi’s aura ran cold, but the Third Wife, despite having some martial background herself, couldn’t sense his internal energy at all.

Naturally, she assumed Jian Yi had no martial skill whatsoever.

With the most martially skilled among them, the Third Wife, declaring as much, the rest all agreed Jian Yi was without skill.

Even the sword in his hand, surely just for show.

Compared to their own wealthy and powerful husband, a vase was just something to look at — nothing impressive about it.

Each wife consoled herself this way, yet in her heart, every one of them was thinking of how to bring this gorgeous man home with her.

Finding such a kept man, they’d have gladly traded ten years of their lives for it.

“Out of the way!” The Seventh Wife shoved Jian Yi’s sword aside.

She wasn’t all that beautiful, in her own mind — she was the beautiful one, the Flower of Li City; who could compare to her?

When the powerless Seventh Wife managed to push his sword aside so easily, everyone became even more convinced that Jian Yi had no martial skill at all.

No skill was fine too — it would make him easier to deal with later.

They were all already thinking that once this handsome man left the Lei residence, they’d have their chance.

They wanted to take Jian Yi, hide him away, and keep him purely for their own enjoyment.

Jian Yi withdrew his sword and stood off to the side, once again perfectly still.

He had already assessed the situation — these women, even Xiao Yingtao alone could knock every one of them flat without breaking a sweat. They posed no threat to Jiu’er whatsoever.

Since Jiu’er had said to simply let them through after a token block, Jian Yi made no further attempt to stop them.

The Seventh Wife swayed forward, the others following close behind.

“Miss, look, isn’t this fish gorgeous?” Xiao Yingtao’s cheerful voice rang out.

“I heard this fish is incredibly rare — all the maids are jealous that Miss gets to feed it.”

“They say the master usually comes to feed the fish himself, and there are ten servants hired just to take care of them.”

“And I also heard…” Xiao Yingtao pretended not to notice the group behind them, leaning in close to Feng Jiu’er’s ear.

“Aside from the three people specially assigned to feed the fish, no one else is allowed to come give them food. Miss, you’re the first one — so it really wasn’t an exaggeration, what the master said.”

“Do you think the master might really chase off the other eight wives and keep only Miss?”

“Ahem…” Qiao Mu, seeing the approaching group, coughed loudly.

Xiao Yingtao, “suddenly realizing,” glanced over and quickly lowered her head in feigned alarm.

She tugged at Feng Jiu’er, her voice dropping to a near whisper.

“Miss, they’re… someone’s coming.”

Feng Jiu’er poured a bit more fish feed into the lake and slowly turned around.

Today she wore a simple blue robe that traced her fine figure perfectly, with only a single vermilion hairpin set atop her head — simple, yet far from plain.

That vermilion hairpin alone was clearly no ordinary piece.

Her jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, nearly reaching the slender curve of her waist that one hand could encircle.

Most striking of all was her delicate, heart-shaped face — skin fair and flawless, glowing like crystal, smoother even than an infant’s, without a trace of makeup.

Her two willow-leaf brows were even and well-proportioned, their curve perfectly natural, with not the slightest hint of artificial shaping.

Her large eyes, brimming with moisture, conveyed boundless tenderness, delicate and pitiable.

A high, elegant nose bridge, and small, soft pink lips — ravishing, yet not lacking in charm.

Before her, the Seventh Wife, who always styled herself the Flower of Li City, wasn’t even fit to be called a green leaf beside her — not even a stem.

The Seventh Wife glared venomously at Feng Jiu’er, wishing she could ruin that face on the spot.

But not yet fully grasping the situation, she didn’t dare lash out at Feng Jiu’er directly.

“You shameless wretch!” The Seventh Wife’s attention turned instead to Xiao Yingtao, glaring at her.

“What were you saying just now? What’s this about the master wanting to chase all of us out and keep only your mistress?”

“Nonsense! Someone, pry her mouth open!”

“Yes.” Among the maids who’d come along, the older one stepped forward and bowed.

After bowing, she turned and walked toward Xiao Yingtao.

Qiao Mu took a long stride, blocking her path.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The Seventh Wife flared with anger. “Are you planning a rebellion?”

“Don’t forget, I’m the wife here. Before you think about rebelling, have you considered the situation you’re in?”

“With a houseful of wives against one honored guest, whose status carries more weight here?” Qiao Mu said flatly, looking straight at her.

“You…” The Seventh Wife pointed at Qiao Mu. “That’s it, you’ve crossed the line — get them! Both of you, get up there and beat them hard!”

“If we don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll really start thinking they’re somebody!”

The Seventh Wife was, admittedly, quite beautiful — the loveliest of the eight wives.

The Eighth Wife was something of an outlier; it was the Seventh Wife whom Lei Shenbao had always favored and pursued most.

So she had always been spoiled and arrogant, used to getting her way.

“Yes.” The two maids nodded in unison.

They didn’t say it aloud, but in truth, they were rather afraid of Qiao Mu.

Even though she stood there now empty-handed, it was obvious at a glance that she wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

Pressured into it, the two maids positioned themselves on either side of Qiao Mu and reached out to grab her.

“Ah—!”

“Ah—!”

Two screams rang out, followed by two splashes as something fell into the water.

Before the maids could even lay a hand on her, Qiao Mu had already grabbed them, one in each hand, and flung them.

With a single motion in each hand, she sent both maids flying straight into the lake.

“How dare you—” The Seventh Wife’s pointed finger trembled as she stared at Qiao Mu. “You…”

She never could have imagined that a woman could possess such strength.

Flinging one person away with each hand, simultaneously — how terrifying was that!

“You dare act so recklessly here in the Lei residence — I won’t let this go.” The frightened Seventh Wife still refused to back down.

“Someone, come quick! Come—”

“Stop shouting!” Feng Jiu’er said, her voice soft as she fluttered her fan-like lashes.

“It was this lady who was in the wrong to begin with, wasn’t it?”