“What did you…” Cai Liantang clutched his throat.

Qin Anzhuo also clutched his throat, his face full of pain.

“What did you make us eat? Don’t want to live anymore, is that it?”

“Brother Cai, Brother Qin—ah—” Jiang Hongsheng, guarding against Zhang Zhicheng, opened his mouth slightly to call out.

But unexpectedly, something small came from who knew where and went straight into his throat.

He clamped his mouth shut, not daring to speak again.

“We were sent by Lei Shenbao. Tell me, where is the poison?” Feng Jiu’er stared at Cai Liantang.

Cai Liantang frowned, his eyes flickering slightly. “Heroine, we really…”

“Ah—” A miserable scream rang through the entire room.

Cai Liantang covered his ears, blood flowing from his palms all the way down to his arms.

Zhang Zhicheng looked at Feng Jiu’er and sucked in a cold breath as well.

Who would have thought that such a petite, delicate woman would not only be so skilled in martial arts, but so utterly merciless in her actions.

Men like Cai Liantang and Qin Anzhuo — there was no telling how many people they had harmed; they deserved to die ten times over.

He cast a cold glance at Cai Liantang, now kneeling on the ground, then withdrew his gaze to look at Jiang Hongsheng beneath his own sword.

“Still doubting our abilities? If you don’t talk now, you won’t be leaving this place today.”

Jiang Hongsheng met Zhang Zhicheng’s gaze, still breathing deeply.

“You…”

With a swish, Zhang Zhicheng’s long sword plunged into Jiang Hongsheng’s shoulder.

Another miserable scream — Jiang Hongsheng, his face deathly pale, sank to his knees.

He kept gasping for breath, as if worried that at any moment he might not even get the chance to breathe at all.

“It was them.” Suddenly, he stretched out his hand, pointing at the two men not far away. “It was all instigated by them.”

“Jiang Hongsheng, what are you saying?” Qin Anzhuo, who hadn’t been badly hurt, was so frightened his face turned pale and his lips white.

“This has nothing to do with us, Great Hero, spare us!”

Qin Anzhuo understood very well — they could never admit to stealing the poison; it belonged to His Majesty.

Even though the emperor was far away and the mountains were high, Lei Shenbao, that ruthless figure, would never let them off.

Jian Yi’s sword in his hand moved slightly, and Qin Anzhuo threw his entire body flat on the ground.

He didn’t want to lose his ears. He didn’t, he didn’t.

“I’ll tell you, Great Hero, I’ll tell you everything I know, just — just don’t do anything, I’ll talk.”

Cai Liantang, covering the place where his ear had been, knelt there, not even daring to raise his head.

“It was all your idea — I was only being used.” Jiang Hongsheng sensed danger approaching.

He raised his eyes to look at Zhang Zhicheng, then knelt forward.

“Brother Zhang, Lingling isn’t my blood sister, but she’s still like a sister to me — I treat her just like my own sister.”

“There was no scheme at all behind her meeting you — you have to believe me!”

“Brother Zhang, save me, Lingling is still waiting for us to come home for dinner — you have to save me.”

“All of this really has nothing to do with me, I was just used by them. They — they told me to lure you out, otherwise they’d harm Lingling.”

“Jiang Hongsheng, how dare you say you didn’t know anything? You bought the poison and didn’t take a share of the money?” Qin Anzhuo roared, sprawled on the ground.

“Mr. Jiang, is that right?” Feng Jiu’er, standing in front of Cai Liantang, looked at Jiang Hongsheng.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Jiang Hongsheng nodded furiously. “Great Hero, what are your orders?”

Feng Jiu’er withdrew her long sword, pulled over a chair, and sat down.

“Speak. I want to know exactly what the situation is. Tell me everything you know, and I’ll spare your life!”

Whether these men lived or died really had nothing to do with her.

“Fine, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you.” Jiang Hongsheng nodded again.

He realized that this woman’s gaze was even more terrifying than Cai Liantang’s or Qin Anzhuo’s.

It was as if, if he hid anything further, he would surely die without a burial place.

“Heroine, don’t…” Qin Anzhuo raised his eyes to look at Feng Jiu’er.

Swept by a glance from Feng Jiu’er, he immediately shut his mouth.

“If you want to keep your tongue, you’d best stay quiet now!” Feng Jiu’er said indifferently.

Qin Anzhuo covered his mouth and shook his head repeatedly.

“Great Hero, here’s how it happened…” Jiang Hongsheng, seeing the displeasure in Feng Jiu’er’s eyes, found even his breathing growing hurried.

He took a deep breath and nodded firmly: “Yes, I took money too, but I really wasn’t the mastermind, really wasn’t.”

“They had a master among them who understands hypnosis. They had me lure Brother Zhang out.”

“Those nights, Brother Zhang wasn’t actually drunk — he was hypnotized. He stole the poison himself.”

“He probably doesn’t even know what happened, because he was hypnotized.”

“Those brothers on guard duty were hypnotized too.”

“We prepared poisoned, torn-up remains and placed them in the breeding farm, to confuse everyone into thinking the creature had eaten everything.”

“Because Brother Zhang was so familiar with the breeding farm, that’s why we chose him.”

“Great Hero, that’s the whole situation. As for the money, I haven’t spent it all — I’ll give it back, all right?”

“Jiang Hongsheng, don’t try to shift the blame.” Cai Liantang shouted, head lowered.

“Using your own woman to lure the young master in, and even planning to have the young master raise your child for you — is there anyone more despicable than you?”

Jiang Hongsheng raised his eyes to Zhang Zhicheng, shaking his head fiercely. “Brother Zhang, don’t listen to him, he’s slandering me.”

His blood was nearly drained dry; all he wanted now was to survive.

“Whether it’s slander or not, you know better than anyone.” Cai Liantang, too, had come to terms with the situation.

He raised his eyes to the woman seated in the chair and said softly: “Heroine, the poison has already been sold.”

“If we can retrieve the poison, would that count as making up for our crime?”

Feng Jiu’er’s gaze met Cai Liantang’s, her crescent brows lifting slightly.

“You think you have the standing to negotiate terms with Lord Lei? You should know exactly what kind of man Lord Lei is.”

“I know.” Cai Liantang let out a faint sigh. “The mistake has already been made — but couldn’t the Heroine give me a chance to atone?”

“If we can take the poison back, wouldn’t that save the Heroine a great deal of trouble too?”

Feng Jiu’er lifted her long sword, using it to tilt up Cai Liantang’s head.

“Do you know what you just swallowed?”

Cai Liantang nodded, somewhat stiffly. “Heroine, whatever you require, just say it.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever lost to a woman — and I accept it completely.”

“Heh…” Feng Jiu’er gave a cold laugh. “I didn’t expect that even though you fear Lord Lei, you’d dare speak to me this way.”

Cai Liantang curled his lips into a faint smile.

“Everyone fears Lei Shenbao, but I don’t! Either way, whether I fear him or not, he won’t treat you as human either — so there’s nothing left to fear.”

“Heroine, just say what you require, whatever I, Cai, can do, I will see it through to completion.”

“Either way, I’ve already eaten your poison — there’s no escaping it now!”

In Lì City, those who didn’t fear Lei Shenbao were considered real men.

Cai Liantang’s words made Feng Jiu’er glance at him once more, almost without meaning to.

“Very well. As long as you bring the poison back within three days, I’ll give you the antidote.”

“As for whether Lord Lei will spare you, that depends on your own fate.”