CREAK...
The door hinges groaned as they turned.
Huang Ying paused at the door, instructing her entourage to keep watch over the surroundings before taking a deep breath and stepping inside.
"Second Sister-in-Law!"
Inside the courtyard.
Liuu Tinglan shielded her two children behind her and spoke, her voice cold:
"Do you still recognize me as your second sister-in-law?"
"No matter what happened, you are still my second sister-in-law. That won’t change," Huang Ying said slowly.
"Yun’er and Chuan’er will always be my niece and nephew."
"Heh..." Liuu Tinglan’s eyes reddened, and her voice choked with a sob.
"My body is not sullied. That Xu Qing feared the Huang Family’s retaliation, so he didn’t dare to kill the three of us. During all our time in that cave, he never touched me. I am pure."
"Second Sister-in-Law," Huang Ying said, looking up.
"I believe you!"
Her tone was solemn, but it only plunged Liuu Tinglan into deeper despair.
She only said that *she* believed, which clearly implied that regardless of the truth, others would not.
"I remember that those who cultivate Magic have methods to verify a woman’s purity," Liuu Tinglan said, her voice trembling.
"They can use that kind of Magic on me. I absolutely have not been defiled."
"Second Sister-in-Law!" Huang Ying’s voice rose, her face etched with helplessness.
"It’s useless."
"The family... has already arranged a new marriage for Second Brother. The woman is from the Yuee Family of the Island of Continuous Mountains."
"The Yuee Family of the Island of Continuous Mountains?" Liuu Tinglan’s face went deathly pale, and she collapsed to the ground as if all her bones had been removed.
"Mother!"
"Mama!"
The two panicked children cried out as they rushed to her side, and the three of them clung to each other, weeping.
"Second Sister-in-Law."
Huang Ying lowered her gaze.
"Before I came, Father gave me instructions. If you are willing, the Huang Family can issue you a writ of divorce."
"Furthermore..."
"You can even take the two children back with you to the Liuu Family in Water City. The Huang Family will provide a sum for their upbringing."
"He..." Liuu Tinglan’s Silver Fangs clenched.
"To marry a woman from the Yuee Family of the Island of Continuous Mountains, he’s even abandoning his own children?"
"Their surname is Huang!"
"The blood of your Huang Family flows in their veins!"
"Second Sister-in-Law," Huang Ying said, her voice dry.
"You should know full well what that new bride will think if Yun’er and Chuan’er go back."
"Even Father might not be able to protect them."
"The new bride is famous for her fiery temper. You wouldn’t want your children to go back only to suffer, would you, Second Sister-in-Law?"
Liuu Tinglan opened her mouth to speak but found she had no words, feeling only a suffocating tightness in her chest that left her breathless.
After a long silence.
She let out a wail of grief and fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
"My... My children!"
"All these years, I managed the family affairs for him, diligently kept the house, and raised his son and daughter without a moment’s rest."
"And now..."
"The heavens are blind!"
’Divorce and return to the Liuu Family in Water City?’
’It sounds nice, but who would dare marry a woman the Huang Family cast aside? What if they offended the Huang Family?’
’I originally thought that even if I had to give up my own status, my two children could at least have a future in the Huang Family.’
’I never imagined it.’
’They were so ruthless, not even leaving me that way out.’
’The once kind-faced father- and mother-in-law, the husband who once spoke nothing but sweet words—to think they could be so cold and hateful.’
Despair flooded her heart. Liuu Tinglan could no longer even muster the strength to cry, her empty eyes filled with a dead stillness.
"Second Sister-in-Law."
Looking at the tear-stained woman before her, Huang Ying clenched her fists and gritted her teeth before speaking.
"Actually, there is another place you can go."
Hm?
Liuu Tinglan’s head snapped up.
"Sixth Sister."
She scrambled to her feet, trembling, and grabbed Huang Ying’s sleeves.
"I’ve doted on you the most all these years, and Yun’er and Chuan’er love playing with you more than anyone. I knew you would help us."
"Right?"
"Second Sister-in-Law."
Huang Ying sighed and said,
"I can take you to the Wenda Sect and have Yun’er and Chuan’er become disciples under one of my senior brothers."
"However..."
"They can only be considered disciples from a branch of the Huang Family, and they won’t receive any support from the main family in the future. You can stay by their side to care for them, but you must remember that no one else in the Huang Family can know."
"The Wenda Sect?" A glint appeared in Liuu Tinglan’s eyes.
Although the Wenda Sect wasn’t on par with the True Martial Sect or the Divine Heaven Sect, it was still one of the top Major Sects in the world.
The Sect was presided over by a Super Grade master, its might holding sway over the East Sea.
For her two children, the prospects of becoming disciples of the Wenda Sect would far surpass those of returning to the Liuu Family in Water City.
Moreover,
If Yun’er and Chuan’er could one day reach the Third Grade and form a Qi Blood Dharma Form, it would be a simple matter for them to regain their status within the Huang Family.
Then, as a mother gaining honor through her children, she too would have a chance to turn her fortunes around.
"Alright!"
Her Silver Fangs clenched, Liuu Tinglan nodded decisively.
"We’ll go with you to the Wenda Sect."
*
*
*
To welcome Huang Ying, who had traveled from afar, the Zhu Mansion had specially ordered a banquet from the largest tavern in the city.
"We’ve troubled Young Master Zhu to take care of my second sister-in-law during this time."
Huang Ying raised her cup and drained it in one gulp.
"Thank you!"
"You’re too kind, miss," Zhu Ju said with a faint smile.
"When you see an injustice on the road, you draw your sword to help."
"Since I encountered such a situation, I naturally couldn’t ignore it. It was simply not Miss Liuu and her children’s time to die."
"’When you see an injustice on the road, you draw your sword to help...’" Huang Ying’s beautiful eyes flashed, and she couldn’t help but slam a hand on the table.
"Well said!"
THUD!
She threw a wooden box, and it landed on the table.
"Inside are gold notes worth one thousand taels of gold, as well as two vials of Sixth-Grade Muscle Strengthening and Bone Forging Pills."
"Though you are only Eighth Grade, your Qi Blood is abundant, and you must cultivate a Hard Skill. This pill is perfectly suited for you."
Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow.
’This woman has a bold and unrestrained personality, but her words and actions are inevitably colored by the superior attitude of a great Noble Family.’
’It’s meant to be a reward for saving their lives, but it feels more like a handout.’
’One thousand taels of gold?’
’Gold is relatively scarce in the Divine Dynasty. One thousand taels of gold is equivalent to about one hundred thousand taels of silver.’
’And a Sixth-Grade pill is priceless.’
’To any ordinary wealthy family, these two items would be a heavenly fortune that would leave them overjoyed.’
’But as a reward for saving three members of the Huang Family, it’s not much at all.’
’They should have at least given me a Qi Blood Divine Weapon. Could it be that Liuu Tinglan and her children are unimportant to the Huang Family?’
"Thank you."
Though his thoughts were racing, Zhu Ju’s expression remained impassive. He didn’t stand on ceremony and pulled the box toward him.
"Then it would be rude of me to refuse."
"Mm."
Huang Ying nodded.
’This handsome ’Young Master Zhu’ is sensible, showing no intention of leveraging the favor for a greater reward.’
"Furthermore..."
Her voice grew serious as she took a token from her robes and handed it over.
"Zhang Kui of the Lii River Military Preparation Camp is one of my Huang Family’s men. With this token, you can have him do one thing for you."
"Zhang Kui has a Sixth-Grade Peak Cultivation and commands eight hundred soldiers, guarding the Lii River Water Vein."
Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up.
’The East Sea Territory is riddled with tributaries, and the Divine Dynasty has established a Military Preparation Camp to patrol each one. The Lii River is one of them.’
’Having a Sixth-Grade Peak expert owe you a favor, even one with limitations, is an incredibly rare boon.’
’Compared to this, the gold and pills were nothing.’
"Thank you!"
"It’s what you deserve."
Huang Ying smiled and continued,
"I’ve made some inquiries. The Celestial Eagle Thieves have run rampant for years without being eliminated by the Court, so they clearly have some skill. Though I don’t fear them, I couldn’t take them down by myself in a short amount of time."
"But since they dared to move against the Huang Family, they have already chosen the path to their own destruction. We will definitely retaliate."
Her eyes narrowed as she spoke in a cold voice,
"I have already sent a letter back to the family. I expect someone will arrive soon to help you exterminate the Celestial Eagle Thieves."
"Oh!"
Zhu Ju stood up with a serious expression and cupped his fists.
"The Celestial Eagle Thieves have plagued Taiyuan Prefecture for decades. If you can help us exterminate them, miss, the people of this entire city will be endlessly grateful."
"You exaggerate," Huang Ying said, stopping his gesture.
"They were the ones who provoked the Huang Family first. I don’t deserve such high praise."
"No," Zhu Ju said.
"Intentional or not, punishing evil and promoting good is a virtuous act. Speaking of which, the son of the Celestial Eagle Thieves’ leader has been in the city these past few days. Unfortunately, the citizens are too afraid of his father to act against him."
"Oh?" Huang Ying’s movements paused slightly.
"What’s his name?"
"Where is he?"
"Yue Nanfeng," Zhu Ju said.
"Tomorrow at noon, he’s hosting a banquet at the Drunken Fragrance Residence."