The wheels of the carriage pressed into the soft ground, leaving tracks that were neither deep nor shallow as it drove toward the town ahead.

Bai Fu rode on horseback, her eyes dazed.

A few days ago, she was just a naive, ignorant handmaid; now, her hands were stained with blood.

The feeling of her sharp sword slicing through another’s throat, of life slipping away, was so vivid it left her lost and bewildered.

At the time, her mind was too taut to process it. But afterward, the memory of the bodies littering the ground brought her frequent nightmares.

Along the way,

conversation was sparse.

Che Yunxiu hid in the carriage and refused to come out. Sometimes she would lift the curtain to look at the road, but her gaze would immediately retract the moment it met Bai Fu’s.

Elder Qian, on the other hand, wore a smile and would chuckle from time to time. He was even attentive in offering Bai Fu food.

As for Xiaozhong...

His face was a little pale. He would hastily lower his head whenever their eyes met.

Ever since Bai Fu had revealed her astonishing strength, the others’ attitudes toward her had changed.

Distance!

Fear!

And...

Greed!

The complexity of human nature is difficult to fathom.

"Elder Qian?"

A rider came toward them from ahead, the man calling out loudly,

"It’s me, Che Sheng!"

"Big Brother." Che Yunxiu threw open the carriage curtain and leaped down, rushing toward the dismounting rider with tears in her eyes.

"Sister." Che Sheng sighed, patting Che Yunxiu’s back. "It’s alright. Everything is alright now. The family already knows what happened. Let’s get back to the inn first and talk there."

"Mm."

Che Yunxiu nodded, sobbing.

*

*

*

The Inn.

The town had only one inn, and it was currently packed with people—men and women, old and young.

Che Yunxiu and her three companions were scrutinized from all sides, their own expressions shifting rapidly.

Surprise, confusion, anger...

The reason was the presence of someone who shouldn’t have been there.

"Why?"

Che Yunxiu’s delicate frame trembled as she pointed at an old man in the crowd and roared,

"Why are people from the Zhao Family here?"

"Yunxiu." The well-kept uncle of the Che Family, Che Zhongshan, frowned slightly, his face showing displeasure as he spoke.

"Watch your tone."

"The Che and Zhao families have been on good terms for generations. My second brother has met with a mishap. What is wrong with Uncle Zhao coming to pay his respects after hearing the news?"

"Uncle!" Che Yunxiu said urgently.

"The Zhao Family is responsible for my father’s death! Zhao Shen even tried to ruin my reputation! Don’t be fooled by them!"

"Miss," Bai Fu said in a low voice.

"Report them to the authorities!"

"Report them?" A look of realization dawned on Che Yunxiu’s face, and she nodded heavily.

"Right! Someone, go report this to the authorities! The Zhao Family colluded with bandits to kill more than twenty people from the Che Family’s caravan."

"Arrest them all!"

"Ahem..." A portly man in the room coughed lightly and said,

"I am Chief Qiu, this town’s Chief Constable, responsible for arresting thieves and suppressing bandits. Is it me you are looking for, Miss Che?"

"However..."

He glanced at Master Zhao and spoke slowly.

"I’m afraid there has been some kind of misunderstanding."

"There’s no misunderstanding!" Bai Fu shouted.

"Zhao Shen colluded with bandits, forced his way into the post station, and killed the Patriarch, Nursing Director Zhang, and others."

"We saw it with our own eyes!"

"Is that so?" Chief Qiu raised an eyebrow.

"What you say is completely different from Master Zhao’s account."

Hmm?

The group froze.

"A tragedy has befallen my family, a wicked assassination by villains." Master Zhao, leaning on a cane, rose unsteadily to his feet.

"I heard the Che Family caravan was headed for Wann City, so I sent my boy out to welcome them. My heart was full of joy."

"And yet..."

He slammed his cane down.

"Bring it in!"

"Yes, sir."

A few men answered and immediately brought in a stretcher covered by a white cloth, which was then whisked away.

An uproar instantly swept through the crowd.

On the stretcher was a corpse.

Zhao Shen!

The body of Zhao Shen, who had died in the wilderness two mornings ago, had been brought here by the Zhao Family and presented before everyone.

"Che Zhongshan!" Master Zhao demanded loudly.

"What exactly did my grandson do to offend your Che Family? Why would you be so vicious as to take his life?"

"This..." Che Zhongshan hesitated.

"Second Uncle Zhao, I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding."

"This is preposterous! You’re twisting black and white!" Elder Qian’s body trembled with rage. He pointed at the corpse and said,

"This Zhao Shen pursued us, intending to silence us by killing us! He is the true villain who colluded with the bandits!"

"Oh?" Chief Qiu stroked his chin.

"Then how is it that you’re all unharmed?"

"The Che and Zhao are both great families, but forgive me for being blunt—the Che Family has, after all, declined in recent years."

Che Zhongshan’s expression darkened.

He was not without blame for the Che Family’s decline.

In those days, he was a court official with a bright future. He had even become acquainted with the Third Prince, Zheng Hong, and his prospects seemed limitless.

When news spread that the Third Prince, Zheng Hong, was about to ascend the throne, the Che Family celebrated with lanterns and banners, a joyous occasion for the whole clan.

But they never expected it.

Things suddenly took a turn.

The Third Prince died on Yunchong Mountain, and Prince Fenyang, Zheng Zhang, ascended the throne instead. Because of this, Che Zhongshan was suppressed by his rivals.

He was eventually dismissed from office and forced into retirement, causing the Che Family’s fortunes to plummet.

In contrast,

the Zhao Family, who originally associated with people from the Martial World and were looked down upon by court officials, had seen their fortunes rise with the tide in recent years.

"Exactly!"

Master Zhao said.

"My Shen’er was accompanied by a Body Tempering Martial Artist, as well as men at the Blood Coagulation and Blood Strengthening stages. If he wanted to kill you, how could you possibly have survived?"

Many in the crowd nodded in agreement. Even the Zhao Family members looked puzzled, unable to figure it out.

"I killed them!"

Bai Fu took a step forward and said,

"I met an extraordinary figure from the Martial World. He... taught me Martial Arts and gave me an Elixir, which caused my strength to increase dramatically."

"That’s how I was able to kill Zhao Shen and his men!"

"Heh..." Master Zhao’s eyes lowered.

"Do you think anyone will believe that story?"

"It’s the truth!" Che Yunxiu rushed to defend her handmaid. "Bai Fu killed many people to protect me, including Zhao Shen. We saw it with our own eyes."

Elder Qian and Xiaozhong nodded vigorously.

"If you don’t believe it,"

Che Yunxiu added,

"you can have someone test Bai Fu’s strength!"

"I believe it." Master Zhao narrowed his eyes.

"Of course I believe your handmaid has such strength. Otherwise, how could my grandson be dead?"

"However..."

"To kill over a dozen people, including a Body Tempering Martial Artist—that level of strength would make one an expert even in the Martial World. Why would such a person hide their Cultivation and conceal themselves within the Che Family as a humble handmaid?"

"Is it because your true identity cannot be exposed? Or do you have some ulterior motive? It couldn’t possibly be out of loyalty, could it?"

Hmm?

As he spoke, the expressions on many faces in the crowd changed, their eyes darting back and forth.

"It’s not like that!" Bai Fu was so frantic her voice became distorted. She explained,

"I’ve always been learning Martial Arts with the Young Miss. I just wasn’t strong a few days ago. I only became strong in the last few days."

BANG!

Chief Qiu slammed his hand on the table, his face contorted with anger. He roared,

"You little wench, are you trying to fool me into thinking I don’t understand?"

"A few days ago, you were just a handmaid with a basic grasp of Martial Arts, and now you can kill over a dozen people including a Body Tempering Martial Artist? Why don’t you just say you met an Immortal and received their divine enlightenment?"

He had practiced Martial Arts for many years and had only barely reached the Body Tempering stage. Yet that already made him the strongest Chief Constable in several nearby towns; even in a large city, he would be considered an expert.

And this handmaid before him was claiming she could kill a Body Tempering expert after just a few days? Did she take everyone for a fool?

"But..." Bai Fu stammered.

"It is the truth."

It was the truth, but besides Che Yunxiu and Elder Qian, who had witnessed her transformation with their own eyes, no one would believe it.

"The situation is already quite clear."

Che Zhongshan sighed and said,

"Zhao the Second was murdered, and my brother was also killed. Both the Che and Zhao families have suffered heavy losses."

"Only the bandits have profited."

"Hmm?" At these words, a flicker appeared in Master Zhao’s eyes. He couldn’t help but inwardly praise how quickly the other man’s mind worked.

"To know the movements of our two families so clearly, there must have been an inside contact." Che Zhongshan continued, "A handmaid by the Young Miss’s side, though inconspicuous, would be the perfect candidate."

"Indeed." Master Zhao nodded.

"This girl hid her Cultivation and concealed herself in the Che Family, tipping off the bandits outside. That’s how this disaster came to be."

"What a pity..."

"My grandson didn’t deserve to die. He was only enthusiastically greeting you after hearing the news, only to meet with an undeserved calamity. Doesn’t the Che Family have anything to say about this?"

In the space of just a few sentences, the two men had already settled the matter.

"Second Uncle Zhao, my condolences." Che Zhongshan lowered his head.

"The Che Family’s medicinal herb business is mostly in Anxi Prefecture. If Second Uncle Zhao is willing to take it over, I can transfer it at no cost, to console the spirit of the child Zhao Shen in heaven."

"Uncle!"

"You can’t!"

Che Sheng and the other Che Family members turned pale at his words.

The medicinal herb business accounted for nearly half of the Che Family’s profits. Giving it up would be a devastating loss.

"My second brother is dead. I am now the Patriarch of the Che Family. If I say it is so, it is so." Che Zhongshan’s expression darkened.

"This matter is settled!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Bai Fu!"

He stared directly at her and shouted,

"You colluded with bandits and plotted against the Che and Zhao families! Your heart is vicious! Surrender without a struggle!"

CLATTER!

Before his voice had even faded, the guards from both families had drawn their swords and surrounded her.

Bai Fu looked bewildered, subconsciously glancing toward her young miss.

Che Yunxiu opened her mouth to speak, but she met Che Zhongshan’s gloomy gaze, and a chill went through her heart, making her take an involuntary step back.

’Miss...’

Bai Fu’s body trembled slightly as she looked at Elder Qian.

’Godfather...’

Elder Qian’s eyes flickered. He gave her a regretful sigh and carefully took a step back, drawing a clear line between them.

’Xiaozhong...’

Bai Fu looked at her ’fiancé’.

But she saw that Xiaozhong had, at some point, already retreated into the crowd to join the Che Family guards. The look he sent her even held a hint of gloating.

"Heh..."

Bai Fu opened her mouth, a bitter expression on her face.

"Bai Fu," Elder Qian spoke up suddenly.

"You were abandoned as a child. It was the Che Family that took you in and raised you. The Che Family fed you, clothed you, and taught you to read and write."

"The Patriarch treated you like a daughter, the Young Miss was like a sister to you, and they even let you study Martial Arts. Everything you have, the Che Family gave to you."

"You..."

"You betrayed the Che Family? Do you feel no shame?"

?

Bai Fu stared blankly at Elder Qian, seeing the tense expression on his face and the mix of hope and pleading in his eyes.

"Ah..."

Her body trembled as understanding dawned on her in an instant. Tears welled in her eyes, but she wiped them away and nodded sharply.

"It was me. I colluded with the bandits. I harmed the Patriarch and Zhao... Zhao Shen."

"It was all my fault. It has nothing to do with the Young Miss or the Zhao Family. If you have the guts, then come at me!"

SHIING!

The longsword left its sheath.

A strange feeling suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Once the shackles are broken, one can be free and unbound!

’Young Master.’

’I now have the sword to shatter these fences, and also...’

’the heart to leap from this cage!’