“What kind of strange creature is this?” Qiao Mu had squeezed herself between Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao at some point without anyone noticing.

Ever since Feng Jiu’er had begun to suspect that Bao Lei was actually Feng Jiang, Qiao Mu had been paying close attention to any news concerning this man.

Unfortunately, she could neither investigate on her own nor find any opportunity to meet him in person.

Just now, when Bao Lei had passed by in front of them, it marked the first time Qiao Mu had seen this man’s true appearance with her own eyes.

No — Jiu’er had said he was wearing a human-skin mask.

“Don’t worry. He won’t lose.” Feng Jiu’er murmured words of comfort in a low voice.

Qiao Mu watched Bao Lei’s retreating figure. To say she wasn’t worried would have been impossible.

She very much wanted to go over and get a look at his face, but unfortunately he had kept his back to them the entire time.

“The match is decided over three rounds. If you are pinned down by your opponent and cannot fight back for a count of ten, you lose.”

“Very well, the match begins! Three, two, one — start!”

The man who spoke tossed out his final words and retreated to a corner of the stage.

The two men on the platform were both unarmed, relying entirely on hand-to-hand combat.

At the outset, the nimble Bao Lei held the advantage.

But after taking several heavy blows from the massive brute, Bao Lei’s attacks gradually slowed.

As the fight wore on, everyone in the crowd had a clear view of both fighters’ faces.

Qiao Mu did not know whether that man was truly Feng Jiang, but with every blow the brute landed on Feng Jiang’s body, her heart lurched painfully.

Feng Jiu’er also found it deeply strange — Bao Lei’s true strength far surpassed what he was showing. Why was he not fighting back?

Thud, thud, thud — the brute’s fists came down on Bao Lei’s body and face, one after another.

That face of his, which had been rather handsome, was soon mottled with bruises of black and blue. The corners of his mouth and his nostrils were smeared with blood.

Eyes bloodshot with excitement, the brute suddenly launched himself into the air and crashed down onto the already-fallen Bao Lei, pinning him beneath his weight.

“No!” Qiao Mu cried out.

She wanted to rush forward and intervene, but Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao each seized one of her arms, one on the left and one on the right.

“Don’t go.” Feng Jiu’er warned in a low voice.

She too felt a piercing ache in her heart — even her head throbbed — but if they went up there now, it would only make things worse.

Fortunately, Qiao Mu had not been the only one to cry out. Quite a few of the bystanders in the crowd had also shouted aloud.

With a thunderous crash, the brute brought Bao Lei down and pinned him beneath his body.

Bao Lei was foaming at the mouth, unable to move even a fraction.

The referee walked over and began the count. By the time he reached ten, Bao Lei had shown no sign of rising.

The referee announced the brute’s victory.

No one had expected it — a grand tournament match that lasted less than a quarter of an hour before ending in Bao Lei’s defeat.

The referee announced that the next match would be held at the same time the following day, and the crowd surrounding the ring gradually dispersed.

Feng Jiu’er led the three of them away, but instead of returning directly to Long Ying, they made their way to the large estate that Lei Shenbao had gifted to Bao Lei.

Something had been very wrong with Bao Lei today. If he had not been holding back — even if he had only fought at twenty percent of his true ability — he could have won with ease.

So why had he chosen to lose, and why had he allowed himself to be defeated so thoroughly?

Thinking of the injuries Bao Lei had sustained today, the woman who carried a medical box sent by her brother kept her brows furrowed, unable to relax them.

“May I ask what brings you here?” A man who appeared to be the estate steward emerged from the main gates.

“My surname is Long. I am a physician from the Long Ying apothecary.” Feng Jiu’er addressed the steward. “Word has reached us that the chief of Li City’s Lei Wang was gravely injured in the match. I have come on behalf of the people’s goodwill to examine Mister Bao’s injuries.”

“This…” The steward’s eyes shifted about, his expression torn with indecision.

“What is the matter?” Feng Jiu’er frowned slightly.

“Our master has never… accepted medical consultations. Physician Long, I fear this may have been a wasted trip.” The steward shook his head.

“Why does he never accept medical consultations?” Feng Jiu’er glanced up at the plaque above the gate. “No matter. If he is unwilling, I will not force the issue.”

“Today, let us simply say I have come to pay a visit to this celebrated figure of our Li City.”

Before her words had even finished, Feng Jiu’er stepped forward.

The three people behind her followed at once.

“Physician Long, this — Physician Long…” The steward hurried back inside.

But he had no way to stop Feng Jiu’er. She pushed open the half-closed main gate and walked straight through with long, determined strides.

“Physician Long, please wait — let me announce your arrival first.”

Left with no other choice, the steward scrambled forward in a hurry.

When Feng Jiu’er, Jian Yi, Qiao Mu, and Xiao Yingtao entered the main hall, they found Bao Lei seated on the main chair, his complexion ashen.

Beside him stood three women of striking beauty.

“Master, these are the ones I mentioned — physicians from the Long Ying apothecary. Physician Long said…”

“Impudence!” A woman dressed in red cut the steward off with a cold, sharp voice. “When did our husband ever say he wanted a physician? Steward Yang, you have been with this household for so long — do you not yet know its rules?”

“Exactly.” The woman in yellow also shot the steward a disdainful glance. “Our husband has no need of a physician. Show these guests out at once!”

Before the steward could say a word, Feng Jiu’er’s voice fell, calm and firm: “If you truly want Mister Bao to lose his life in tomorrow’s match — by all means, keep blocking the way.”

Feng Jiu’er’s single word — lose his life — gave Bao Lei’s several wives quite a fright.

“You — what kind of physician are you? Do you even know what you’re looking at?” The woman in red glared at Feng Jiu’er.

“Whether she knows what she’s looking at — why not ask your own husband?” Xiao Yingtao raised an eyebrow. “If you don’t want him to die, you had best stop questioning Physician Long’s words.”

“Sob, sob…” The woman dressed in blue-green took two steps forward, only to stumble and fall against the wooden steps at the edge of the main chair’s platform.

“Young Mistress.” The steward, seeing this, rushed over immediately.

“Young Mistress,” he said, supporting the woman in blue-green. “Are you all right?”

“You are with child — you must not upset yourself. Please, you must not.”

The steward’s words made both Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu freeze for an instant.

Feng Jiu’er was now almost certain that the injured man before her was her Third Imperial Brother.

Why he had drawn close to Lei Shenbao, she did not know — but was he truly at peace with it? Did he truly hold any affection for these women?

Feng Jiu’er’s heart ached. Qiao Mu’s ached even more.

Was this not all supposed to be a mission — a performance? How had it come to the point where a woman was carrying his child?

The man seated on the main chair was cold and distant, seeming to regard everything around him as beneath his notice — including the woman who had just fallen.

“Young Mistress, are you all right? Shall I help you back to your room to rest?” The steward’s voice continued.

“I am fine.” The woman in blue-green rose to her feet with the steward’s support.

She shook off the steward’s hands, moved to Bao Lei’s side, and settled herself close against him.

“Husband, please let the physician have a look.” She hooked one hand through his arm while the other gently touched the corner of his mouth.

“Please don’t be like this — you will frighten our child. Husband, just let the physician look at you. We cannot lose you.”

“Husband.”

“Husband.”

The other two wives, seeing the first, both crowded in as well.

One embraced his arm; the other wrapped herself around his leg. Their gestures were unmistakably intimate.

The air around Qiao Mu grew colder and colder. Just as she was on the verge of turning to leave, Feng Jiu’er called out: “Qiao, bring the medical box. I need to examine Mister Bao’s injuries.”

And with those words, Feng Jiu’er picked up her small medical box and pressed further forward.

“Three wives — if it would be convenient, please step aside for a moment.”

If they did not leave, Qiao Mu was going to start killing people.