“Why did you come in?” Feng Jiu’er asked, sounding somewhat anxious.

She wasn’t truly anxious — this anxiety was a performance for Lei Shenbao’s benefit.

Still, Feng Jiu’er wasn’t entirely unworried either; seeing Qiao Mu’s face, something in her heart ached.

“What’s the situation outside?” Qiao Mu came closer, and Feng Jiu’er asked again.

“Nothing’s wrong.” Qiao Mu shook her head. “Are you trading the sulfur for it? Why is this taking so long to discuss?”

“If they have no sincerity in this, let’s just leave. Nothing’s worth it — there’s no one we can’t do without.”

“Qiao Mu.” Feng Jiu’er suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and leaned on Qiao Mu for support.

“I…”

“Jiu’er.” Qiao Mu wrapped her arms around Feng Jiu’er and tapped four times on her shoulder.

Yu Jingfeng, who had turned, caught the signal and frowned as well.

“Young Miss Jiu’er, I…”

Yu Jingfeng had only taken half a step back when he found himself unsteady.

Under his gaze, the other five soldiers also began to “lose their balance.”

Qiao Mu held Feng Jiu’er tightly and asked in a low voice, “Did you poison them?”

“Lei Shenbao, tell me! Did you poison them?”

“Hahaha…” Lei Shenbao laughed delightedly, rising again.

“Jiu’er, you’ve been far too careless. I was already dabbling in poisons before you were even born — how could you possibly come see me at a time like this?”

“Hahaha… did you all think that not drinking my wine would keep you safe?”

As Lei Shenbao approached, he glanced up at the top of the tent.

“My poison was already hidden in the ceiling. Jiu’er, I told you — today is our wedding day.”

“Hahaha… I always keep my word. I really do love you, Jiu’er, I’m absolutely smitten with you.”

Yu Jingfeng and the soldiers braced themselves with their swords, trying to stop him, but couldn’t even lift their feet.

Their faces had gone deathly pale, sweat beading at their temples — they were clearly poisoned.

“You… don’t dare harm… Young Miss Jiu’er.” Yu Jingfeng forced himself to take a single step, struggling to block Lei Shenbao’s path.

Lei Shenbao shoved him hard with his somewhat plump hand.

With a thud, Yu Jingfeng’s heavy frame crashed to the ground.

“Commander Yu!” several soldiers cried out at once.

The moment they let their guard slip, they too lost their footing, falling half to their knees.

“Lei Shenbao, you really are ruthless. I…” Before Qiao Mu could finish, she frowned, a trickle of dark blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

Among the group, she was the one who had genuinely been injured.

“Qiao Mu.” Feng Jiu’er’s brows knit tightly too.

The two women leaned on each other, sinking to the ground, holding each other tightly.

Lei Shenbao looked at the eight fallen figures, smiling with delight.

“Someone, take them outside, and execute the rest outside as well.”

“Lei Shenbao, how dare you… no! Let’s talk this through — don’t… kill them.” Feng Jiu’er held Qiao Mu, her whole body wracked with pain.

“Jiu’er.” Lei Shenbao looked at Feng Jiu’er with a mixture of tenderness and lechery.

“Don’t worry, we’ll soon be able to have a nice quiet talk. No rush! Don’t be anxious!”

The guards came in from outside and carried off the fallen ones, one by one.

Last, one guard came to stand beside Qiao Mu.

Lei Shenbao waved a hand, smiling wickedly.

“No need for that — Feng Jiang’s woman, I’d like a taste of her myself, heh heh…”

“Out! Everyone out! No one is to come in without my order!”

“Yes.” Those still remaining filed out promptly.

Lei Shenbao’s words nearly made Qiao Mu spit blood again, and a sour wave rose in Feng Jiu’er’s stomach, nearly making her retch as well.

The two women’s evident distress only made them appear even more thoroughly poisoned.

“Lei Shenbao, don’t kill my people, I’ll agree to anything — you… you mustn’t kill them.” Feng Jiu’er begged “pitifully.”

Lei Shenbao glanced once at Qiao Mu, then let his gaze settle back on Feng Jiu’er.

“Little beauty, don’t be afraid! From now on, all of Lichen City is yours — however many brothers you want, I’ll find them for you.”

“Come.” He scooped Feng Jiu’er up. “For now, attend to me first. As long as the two of you serve me well, everything I have will be yours.”

Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu truly could not understand how anyone’s sweet words could sound this revolting coming from this particular man.

Every expression of his, every sentence — all of it made one want to retch.

In the end, Qiao Mu couldn’t help it and coughed up another mouthful of blood.

“Let go of Jiu’er, let go of her!” She crawled forward and wrapped her arms around Lei Shenbao’s legs.

Lei Shenbao looked down at the voluptuous Qiao Mu, drooling.

“Second beauty, no rush — I’ll favor you too, don’t be impatient!”

Suddenly, Qiao Mu tightened her grip around Lei Shenbao’s legs.

At the same moment, Feng Jiu’er — cradled in Lei Shenbao’s arms — produced a silver needle from who knew where, and with lightning speed, plunged it into Lei Shenbao’s neck.

Lei Shenbao’s entire body stiffened instantly.

Not yet satisfied, Feng Jiu’er drove in two more silver needles for good measure.

With three needles working together, this time, there was truly no escape for Lei Shenbao.

“Dead fat pig!”

Qiao Mu cursed under her breath, stood up, and kicked Lei Shenbao hard.

Lei Shenbao toppled over instantly.

Before his bulky frame hit the ground, Feng Jiu’er gave him a kick as well.

Good thing she did — otherwise his fall would have made far too loud a sound.

Once Lei Shenbao was down, Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu both glanced toward the tent flap.

Fortunately, no one tried to come in.

The people outside might be able to hear something, but Lei Shenbao had given his order — without his command, who would dare disobey?

Especially since everyone knew about the drug Master had given them.

That drug was so precious and its effects so potent that, had they not taken the antidote beforehand, they surely would have been poisoned too.

After all, it was just two drugged women — surely their formidable master could handle it.

Little did they know, that drug had already been disposed of by Qiao Mu at the critical moment.

“Let… let go of me!”

“No! Don’t!”

“Lei Shenbao, let — let go of… her.”

Next, the sounds of two women begging for mercy drifted out.

The guards stationed outside exchanged knowing smiles, standing perfectly still where they were.

While they imagined the wonderful scene playing out inside, Lei Shenbao was being bound up by the two women in elaborate fashion.

Lei Shenbao, like a wild boar, was tied up and thrown to the ground.

Yu Jingfeng and the others had been taken to a spot not far behind the tent, about to be executed.

Yet unexpectedly, they suddenly came to their senses, each striking down a guard with a single decisive blow.

The more than a dozen guards didn’t even have time to cry out before they dropped dead on the spot.

Seeing their own side’s signal, the men hidden in the mountain forest began to move.

Some rushed out weapon in hand, others began releasing the poison fog.

Five thousand enemy troops were up in the mountains searching for medicinal herbs — there was no way Lei Shenbao didn’t know this.

He had been waiting precisely for this — waiting for them to make their move, so he could release the poison fog downhill toward them.

Lei Shenbao was a ruthless man; he never showed mercy even to his own people, let alone his enemies.

There were only a few mountain peaks ringing the valley, not many in all.

He intended to poison all these people to death in the mountains and be done with it once and for all.

—