The family of three had never taken the recently returned Qin Chuan seriously, seeing him as no different from a beggar. Yet, his current demeanor instilled an indescribable fear in them, as if his presence was hammering at their very souls.
"Qin... Qin Lan was... taken by the Zhao Family..." Yu Hui stammered, her voice trembling.
In the next moment, Qin Chuan left abruptly, his voice cold as ice: "Get out of the Qin Family within an hour!"
As soon as Qin Chuan departed, the oppressive aura vanished without a trace.
The family of three finally scrambled to their feet. Yu Hui, still shaken, said, "Chenghe, we... we should move out."
Her husband, Feng Chenghe, wore a grim expression: "Are we really afraid of a filthy beggar?"
Though he couldn't explain the fear that had gripped him earlier, the thought of being intimidated by a mere beggar now filled him with rage. It was simply unacceptable.
"Besides, if he goes to the Zhao Family, do you think he'll come back unscathed?" Feng Chenghe sneered, a look of disdain on his face.
"Yeah, Mom, this house is perfectly fine. If we move out, we'll have to go back to that old rental place. No way am I doing that. That rental is unfit for living! Besides, this is our home now. Who cares about Qin Chuan, that filthy beggar? Let's see how the Zhao Family deals with him!" Feng Ruiyun had no intention of returning to their previous rental. Having lived in this large house for some time, she was accustomed to it and had no plans to leave.
In her heart, this was already her home, not the Qin Family's.
Feng Chenghe smiled smugly: "Exactly, this is the Feng Family now!"
Meanwhile, at the Zhao Family.
The Zhao Family in Jinling was a powerful clan, no less formidable than the former Qin Family, perhaps even more so.
"No... no..."
A girl, covered in wounds, sat slumped in a corner, trembling. Her eyes were clouded, and there wasn't a single unscathed spot on her body. Her legs had been broken, rendering her unable to stand.
In front of her stood a young man with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Seeing the girl's pitiful state, he seemed particularly exhilarated, as if her suffering brought him joy.
"Young Master, if you continue, she might die..." one of his subordinates couldn't help but speak up, looking at the girl's condition.
Slap!
In response, Young Master Zhao raised his hand and slapped him: "What, are you teaching me how to do things?"
"I wouldn't dare." The subordinate immediately fell silent.
"Qin Lan, why pretend to be a saint? If you had just submitted to me, you wouldn't be in this situation." Young Master Zhao sneered.
"Now that the Qin Family is no more, if you had submitted to me, I, Zhao Donglai, could have protected you. But look at you now, isn't this your own doing?"
Indeed, the girl slumped in the corner, covered in wounds, was Qin Chuan's sister... Qin Lan.
In Jinling, everyone knew about the infamous Zhao Donglai. Women he set his sights on rarely escaped his grasp. After the Qin Family's downfall, he targeted Qin Lan, but his impatience led him to resort to violence when he couldn't succeed.
Girls captured by him would first endure mental and physical torment. Qin Lan had been mercilessly tortured to this state. Although she hadn't lost her chastity, her life force was nearly depleted.
With her legs broken, escape from the Zhao Family was impossible. She was doomed to be tortured to death here.
"Brother..." Qin Lan murmured, tears welling in her eyes, "Lanlan really, really... misses you..."
"Damn it!" Seeing that Qin Lan didn't even glance at him, Zhao Donglai was infuriated. Despite being tortured to this extent, she refused to beg for mercy, which made him furious. "Break her arms too!"
"This..." The subordinates hesitated.
They could see that if this continued, the frail girl might truly die.
"Useless fools!"
Seeing their hesitation, Zhao Donglai grabbed a wooden stick and swung it viciously at Qin Lan's arm.
Bang!
Crack!
Her arm was broken, and the stick shattered, but Qin Lan didn't scream. Her pale, bruised face only showed pain, as she no longer had the strength to cry out.
In the Zhao Family Hall.
Madam Zhao was leisurely sipping tea. She was Zhao Donglai's mother, Sun Yinghua.
"Tell Donglai to clean up; we have an honored guest today."
"Madam, if Young Master continues, that girl named Qin Lan might not survive." The Zhao Family Steward felt a pang of sympathy.
Zhao Donglai had abused girls before, but this time was different. After a whole day of torment, he was genuinely worried she wouldn't make it.
These days, as long as no one died, it wasn't a big deal. But if someone did die, it would be a different matter altogether.
"Haha!" Sun Yinghua sneered, "If she dies, she dies. A fallen Qin Family trash, can't we beat her to death?"
The steward thought so too and didn't pay much more attention. After all, Qin Lan was now without family. If she died, no one would care.
Tap, tap, tap...
Footsteps approached.
Two figures entered together. One was Zhao Yuanshan, the head of the Zhao Family, dressed in a sharp suit with meticulously combed hair, exuding the aura of a successful man.
Accompanying him was a man in his thirties, with an extraordinary bearing and an aura that made one's heart tremble.
"Oh, Jiancheng, you finally decided to come to Jinling." Sun Yinghua, upon seeing the man, immediately put down her teacup and greeted him with a beaming smile.
"Aunt." Zhao Jiancheng nodded slightly.
He was a direct descendant of the Zhao Family, and Zhao Yuanshan's cousin. Zhao Jiancheng's branch of the family was quite remarkable, with a lineage of martial prowess, far beyond ordinary families.
Even though Zhao Jiancheng was just a cousin, Zhao Yuanshan and his wife treated him with great respect and courtesy.
"Where's Donglai?" Zhao Yuanshan asked.
"Quick, go call Donglai in, tell him his brother is here," Sun Yinghua instructed the steward, deliberately omitting the word 'cousin' to sound more intimate.
Zhao Yuanshan knew his son was tormenting a girl but didn't pay much attention. He invited Zhao Jiancheng to sit down, poured him a cup of tea, and then asked, "Jiancheng, what brings you to Jinling?"
Zhao Jiancheng shrugged, not hiding anything from his uncle Zhao Yuanshan: "The family received news of an extraordinary mysterious expert in Jinling. We're here mainly to find this mysterious expert."