The scorching wind swept across the wilderness, carrying clouds of hot dust that stung people’s eyes.
Not far away, Zhao Tieniu was still rolling around in the dirt, clawing himself bloody as his pitiful screams echoed endlessly.
Yet even that horrifying soundtrack failed to knock any sense into the pampered women of the Ninth Prince’s Residence.
Dowager Consort Shen’s commanding voice rang through the silent convoy, especially grating to the ears.
“Sang Wanwan, are you deaf? I’m talking to you!”
Seeing Sang Wanwan standing motionless, the arrogance that had only just returned to Dowager Consort Shen immediately flared back to life.
She was, after all, a noble consort of the Ninth Prince’s late father. Back in the manor, someone like Sang Wanwan, a village girl from the countryside, wasn’t even worthy of receiving a glance from her.
Now the Ninth Prince’s Residence had fallen.
The principal wife had long since hanged herself.
In this exile convoy, Dowager Consort Shen naturally believed she was the highest-ranking woman present.
The wrinkled Old Nanny Li beside her immediately jumped in to support her mistress.
Planting one hand on her hip, she jabbed a finger toward Sang Wanwan’s face.
“You’re nothing more than a substitute bride rejected by the Marquis Zhen Guo’s household. Do you really think you’re the princess consort now?”
“Take a look at yourself! How dare a country bumpkin like you break the rules of our manor?”
As she cursed, the old nanny pinched her nose and waved away the dust floating through the air.
“This place reeks of poverty and dirt. It’s absolutely disgusting!”
“Why are you still standing there? Go find some clean spring water nearby!”
“And catch a few wild chickens for Her Ladyship to eat!”
“If you delay our meal, I’ll skin you alive!”
Several concubines who were used to flattering the powerful immediately chimed in.
“Exactly. She doesn’t know her place at all.”
“If it weren’t for this jinx, would the prince have been implicated in all this?”
“Serving us is the least she should do!”
These women had spent their entire lives acting like royalty.
Even though iron shackles now hung from their bodies, their sense of superiority remained deeply rooted in their bones.
They seemed to have completely forgotten who had caught a whip with her bare hand.
And who had silently reduced the vicious guard captain to a screaming wreck.
In their eyes, Sang Wanwan had simply gotten lucky.
Nothing more.
The remaining guards stayed far away.
They glanced nervously between the writhing Zhao Tieniu and the infighting among the manor women.
Not one dared interfere.
The merciless sun baked the earth.
Sang Wanwan tilted her head slightly, her cool gaze sweeping over Dowager Consort Shen and the shrieking women.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
There was no anger in her eyes.
Only the pity one might feel when looking at fools.
“Serve you?”
She let out a cold laugh.
Her clear voice struck the hot air like shards of ice.
“What makes you think you’re worthy of being served by me?”
The moment those words left her mouth, Dowager Consort Shen nearly exploded with rage.
The powder on her face practically crumbled off from fury.
“Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!”
“Someone! Nanny Li, slap her!”
“Hit her hard and teach her the rules of this manor!”
The old nanny immediately rolled up her sleeves.
With a vicious expression, she strode toward Sang Wanwan.
She had been bottling up frustration ever since the exile began.
Now she finally had an outlet.
Beating a village girl weighed down by heavy shackles?
That would be effortless.
Raising her hand high, the old nanny swung toward Sang Wanwan’s beautiful face.
A gust of wind accompanied the slap.
Then—
Smack.
A soft sound echoed.
But it wasn’t the sound of a slap landing.
The old nanny’s wrist had been caught midair by a slender, pale hand.
Sang Wanwan didn’t even bother looking directly at her.
She merely tightened her grip.
Crack.
The sharp sound of breaking bone sent chills down everyone’s spine.
“AHHH! MY HAND!”
The old nanny let out a shriek worthy of a slaughtered pig.
The pain dropped her instantly to her knees.
Cold sweat drenched her back.
Sang Wanwan flung the woman’s hand away in disgust, as if tossing aside a pile of filthy garbage.
Ignoring the old nanny’s agonized screams, she simply turned and walked toward the roadside.
There stood an old elm tree.
It had been dead for years.
Its trunk was as thick as an adult man’s thigh.
Though long devoid of leaves, the wood had hardened over countless seasons until it was tougher than stone.
Nobody knew what she intended to do.
Looking at the crippled old nanny, Dowager Consort Shen’s face turned deathly pale.
Trembling, she pointed at Sang Wanwan’s back.
“Y-you vicious woman!”
“You actually hurt Nanny Li!”
“Just wait until we reach the exile settlement! I’ll have the prince divorce you!”
Sang Wanwan acted as though she hadn’t heard a thing.
She stopped before the dead elm tree.
Drawing a slow breath filled with dust and heat, a cold glint flashed through her eyes.
There was no reasoning with people who refused to face reality.
Only overwhelming strength and fear could make them shut their mouths.
Her shackled right leg slid backward.
Ancient martial energy surged through her meridians like a bursting flood.
In the next instant, her body moved.
A slender leg lashed through the air with explosive force.
The sound alone was enough to make hearts stop.
Then it struck.
BOOM!
CRACK!
The explosive impact sounded like thunder erupting from a clear sky.
The dead elm tree, so hard that even a guard’s saber might struggle to leave a mark on it, shattered under her kick.
Wood splinters exploded outward in every direction.
The upper half of the massive trunk collapsed with a deafening crash.
Dust billowed skyward like a sandstorm.
For a moment, the entire world seemed frozen.
The wind stopped.
Even Zhao Tieniu, who had been rolling around in agony, stared in shock and forgot to scream.
The guards nearly popped their eyes out of their sockets.
Their jaws practically hit the ground.
The anger and arrogance on Dowager Consort Shen’s face vanished instantly.
In its place remained only pure terror.
As the dust slowly settled, Sang Wanwan lowered her leg.
She stepped onto the broken trunk.
Leaning slightly forward, she looked down at the terrified women.
Her stunning face was expressionless.
Her gaze was sharp enough to feel like knives scraping across their bones.
“Listen carefully.”
Her cold, commanding voice echoed across the empty wilderness.
“I don’t care what your status used to be in the manor.”
“And I don’t care what titles you once held.”
“But this is exile.”
“In exile, there are exile rules.”
She pointed toward the massive elm tree she had snapped in half.
Each word landed with crushing force.
“I am not your servant.”
“I have no obligation to serve anyone.”
“My rules are the only rules that matter here.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“And if any of you dare put on that noble attitude in front of me again…”
“If I hear one more word of pointless nonsense…”
She pressed down with her foot.
Crack.
Deep fractures spread across the remaining section of the trunk.
“This tree will be your future.”
“Do you understand?”
The final words carried unmistakable killing intent.
It felt as though a mountain had dropped onto everyone’s shoulders.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The only sounds left were the frightened breaths of those present.
No one dared object.
Not a single word.
Dowager Consort Shen’s legs gave out.
With a thud, she collapsed back onto the rocks.
Her face was devoid of color.
Her entire body shook like a leaf in a storm.
The arrogant dignity she had clung to had been completely shattered by that one kick.
Nanny Li scrambled backward on her hands and knees.
Covering her mouth tightly, she was terrified of making even the slightest sound.
A village girl?
What nonsense.
This woman was a ferocious tigress who looked capable of tearing people apart with her bare hands.
Seeing the troublesome women finally behave themselves, Sang Wanwan snorted in satisfaction and stepped off the broken trunk.
Trying to play palace politics with her?
Before absolute strength, every scheming woman had no choice but to behave.
Just as the suffocating tension reached its peak—
A series of cheerful claps suddenly broke the silence.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Zongzheng Zhan, who had been hiding in the back, somehow appeared beside her.
His handsome face was glowing with excitement.
While clapping enthusiastically, he circled around Sang Wanwan like an overexcited fan.
“Wow! Wife is amazing!”
“Wife is so powerful!”
His eyes sparkled as he stared at the broken tree.
“Wife is super strong!”
“Wife smashed the bad tree!”
Looking at the oversized human accessory that had suddenly attached itself to her, the murderous aura around Sang Wanwan instantly weakened.
She rubbed her temple helplessly.
Just as she was about to speak—
Grrrrrrrr…
A loud rumbling sound echoed from Zongzheng Zhan’s stomach.
Honestly, it wasn’t much quieter than when she had kicked the tree.
The sound was crystal clear in the silent wilderness.
His clapping stopped immediately.
The excitement vanished from his face.
His handsome brows drooped pitifully into a sad little frown.
Like a giant abandoned golden retriever, the nearly six-foot-three war god prince tugged at Sang Wanwan’s sleeve.
His voice was soft and pitiful, carrying a hint of a whine.
“Wanwan… hungry…”
Swallowing hard, he looked at her with eyes full of longing.
“I want a big pork knuckle.”
“And sweet-and-sour ribs too…”
Sang Wanwan’s lips twitched.
Looking at her suddenly adorable fool of a husband, she couldn’t help sighing.
Then she glanced toward the horizon.
The sun was already sinking.
Night would arrive soon.
The temperature around them had begun dropping rapidly.
And it wasn’t just Zongzheng Zhan.
After everything that had happened, the frightened prisoners around them also began clutching their stomachs as hunger set in.
They were stranded in the middle of nowhere.
No water.
No food.
The only guard captain was still rolling around wishing for death.
The entire exile convoy now faced a crisis that threatened every one of their lives.