Facing the niece’s clearly defined fist, Liu Zheng and her husband’s bodies trembled, sucking in a cold breath.

Although their bodies ached to the bone, being beaten by their usually weak niece today left them with unresolved anger in their hearts.

Liu Zheng and her husband were considered wealthy households in Xiqiao Village. Apart from the village head, all villagers gave them some face.

Now being beaten without the ability to fight back, they certainly couldn’t tolerate this.

“You!!! You!!” Liu Zheng struggled to support her body, clutching her abdomen, trembling with anger: “I won’t let you off!”

Tian pulled at his wife-master’s sleeve, his mouth opening and closing, pulling at his swollen cheeks. Hatred flashed in his eyes, he clutched the paper contract tightly and said: “Grand-niece has gone too far. Even if you bring out five hundred taels of silver today, it can’t be settled amicably… We’ll see you in court.”

“Very well! Coincidentally, the county magistrate’s daughter is my former benefactor. If Aunt and Uncle want to reason in the county, that’s exactly what I desire.”

The three looked up. The newcomer was dressed in red clothes with ink-black hair, fine silk outlining his slender figure perfectly.

A dark red whip was coiled around his waist, his jade-like hands now resting on the whip, caressing back and forth.

The man who walked over unhurriedly smiled, his lips now curving into a gorgeous arc, looking dangerous when meeting Liu Zheng and her husband’s eyes.

He reached out his hand, blocking in front of Liu Changning, and said slowly: “Wife-master, why are you squatting? Do you need to be at eye level to talk to these two? Don’t lower your own status.”

Liu Changning looked up at him. The man backlit by the sun, his flying ink-black hair dancing in the air, his sharply defined profile tense, his smiling lips upturned, his whole person like a sharp sword, poised to strike.

He should be extremely displeased at this moment, his body covered in coldness, seeing her staring blankly.

He bent down to grasp her hand, pulling her up in one motion.

The two were close, and the bargain husband’s low voice sounded in her ear: “I’ll help you solve this.”

Liu Changning’s eyes darkened slightly, looking bewildered. She was about to shake her head when she saw the bargain husband had already shielded her behind him.

The long whip was pulled from his waist, the tip sweeping across the contract in Tian’s hand, hooking it towards himself.

Tian was startled and struggled to grab it back, but unexpectedly, the red whip lashed out, and his back suffered a vicious strike.

Pei Yuanshao sneered: “You dare to resist? My wife-master is weak, with only rudimentary skills, surely didn’t serve you two well. But I have a reckless personality, learned a bit of martial arts from the martial arts hall master since childhood. The whip is merciless, Aunt, Uncle, you’d better be careful.”

His ink-black eyes were deep, all his murderous intent falling on the two. The innate aura around him forced ordinary people to tremble.

Liu Changning crossed her arms, glanced at her bargain husband, a flash of surprise passing through her eyes. This person’s serious posturing was no less than hers, an imposing aura?

The couple in the distance now trembled, their eyes full of fear, not daring to move at all.

Pei Yuanshao took the paper contract, his lips curved in a smile, roughly scanning the contents of the paper contract, and said mockingly: “I thought it was something special, actually able to sell my wife-master, but it’s just a piece of paper with blurred writing, unclear handprints, without any official seal.”

He pinched the corner of the yellowed paper, quite disgustedly tearing it into pieces.

A gentle breeze blew, scattering the pieces into the air.

Liu Zheng and her husband stared blankly at the fragments on the ground, their eyes full of distress.

Liu Zheng crawled on the ground, her hand trembling: “You, you, you!”

After shouting three times, anger attacked her heart, and unable to catch her breath, she fainted.

Tian wailed, crawling beside his wife-master, pointing at Pei Yuanshao, shouting hoarsely: “Murder! Murder…”

“Shut up!” Pei Yuanshao’s smile didn’t diminish, his voice cold.

He stroked the red whip in his hand, meeting Tian’s narrow small eyes, smiling playfully: “Uncle should have heard of my, Yuanshao’s, reputation. I’ve always been reckless in nature, flirting around, constantly causing trouble, but remaining unscathed because of the protection of noble people in the county. Today you two came to bully at my doorstep, my wife-master has already taught you a lesson, so I won’t dirty my own hands. But… if you dare to make trouble again, who knows, you two might end up in jail one day. I hear you have a daughter, and the principal of the academy happens to be Lady Guan’s aunt. What do you say… if I have a word with Lady Guan about taking care of her?”

Pei Yuanshao glanced sideways at Tian.

Tian fell silent, his eyes filled with dense fear. His daughter was his life. Almost everyone in Xiqiao Village knew that County Magistrate Guan’s daughter, Lady Guan, was Liu Yuanshi’s backer. If he were to whisper a word or two in her ear, his daughter…

Tian’s eyes shifted, and he struggled to get up from the ground, kneeling and kowtowing.

He repeatedly apologized: “Young master, please spare me. Today’s incident was entirely the doing of this lowly husband and his wife-master, it has nothing to do with Dong’er. I admit guilt on behalf of my wife-master, and we will never dare to do this again. Young master, please have mercy…”

Pei Yuanshao stepped back, pointing at Liu Changning behind him and said: “It’s not me you’ve wronged, it’s my wife-master. She has been magnanimous about past incidents and didn’t hold them against you. But you’ve gone too far this time. Whether to forgive or not is up to her.”

“Changning… no, grand-niece, please have mercy. Your uncle… kowtows to you. Over these years, your uncle and aunt have failed to fulfill your mother’s dying wish. Please, considering our old age, forgive us this once…”

As he spoke, he kept kowtowing. Gravel stuck to his forehead, his head bleeding, looking quite miserable.

Liu Changning remained noncommittal, only saying indifferently: “It’s not me you need to apologize to, but there’s one thing I must tell you today: there are gods three feet above one’s head. What you’ve done today is the cause, and one day you will face an equal effect. Human greed is not excessive, but harming others for greed will inevitably lead to karmic retribution.”

After saying this, she turned around and glanced at the red-clothed man beside her. She said gently: “Let’s go home.”

Pei Yuanshao was stunned for a moment. He nodded reflexively, then suddenly felt something was amiss. She said “we” and “go home.”

Since when had they become so intimate? This person truly had no sense of propriety or shame. They were just putting on an act, so why speak so intimately?

Outside, thunder roared and lightning flashed, a strong wind blowing. The wind blew open his silk-like hair, exposing the earlobe hidden within the black hair, as red as the mountain fruits blooming all over the back mountain.

He followed behind her, his peripheral vision sliding over her profile.

In the lightning, her originally ordinary face glowed with a faint white light, gentle and beautiful.

It wasn’t just his imagination. Pei Yuanshao felt she had become somewhat more beautiful. But upon closer inspection, it was still the same face, ordinary features, yet emanating an inexplicable cold aura throughout her body.

“What are you dazed about?” Liu Changning suddenly turned her head, fixing him with a gaze.

Pei Yuanshao hastily withdrew his gaze, turned to close the wooden door, and mumbled: “I saw a dried leaf fall on your head.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Of course, it just blew away in the wind.”

The red-clothed man irritably rubbed the mole at the corner of his eye, speaking impatiently. Only the faint blush on his slender neck betrayed his current embarrassment after lying.

Liu Changning shrugged helplessly and responded lightly: “Oh, thank you!”

His ink-colored eyes flashed with embarrassment as he snorted: “Insincere!”

After speaking, he quickly walked into the main hall, his back looking somewhat like he was fleeing in disarray.

Liu Changning spread her hands, looking bewildered. What had she said wrong just now? This person was avoiding her like a snake or scorpion!!!!