Very quickly, the Sixth Master pulled back his smile. His eyes turned cold like a frozen pool, and impatience appeared on his handsome face. He was clearly not joking with her.
“It took effort to find you. Don’t make me return empty-handed.”
Qingrong’s face turned pale. She sat on the ground in a daze. He had captured her because he wanted clues about that woman. Without them, she was useless. But she truly had no idea.
Her mind was a mess. Many images flashed through her head. Suddenly, she remembered something. Like grabbing a lifeline, her eyes lit up.
“I remember now! There was a man who sometimes came with her. Once I saw a copper token from the Haishu Tongbao Pawnshop on him. That should belong to a pawnshop worker!”
—A pawnshop worker.
Suddenly, many things made sense. To pretend to be a noble, how could fake clothes be enough? Without real items, how could she fool Zhao Jin and those sharp salt shop owners?
The Haishu Tongbao Pawnshop had more than ten branches in Ningbo Prefecture. Finding one ordinary worker with no clear features was not easy.
But no matter how perfect a scam is, it always leaves traces.
That same day, Xu Miaoxue finally remembered what she had forgotten—the small chicken-blood stone seal.
It was not a very special item. Finding its source in the city would be like looking for a needle in the sea. But she felt uneasy. She told the scholar to disguise himself and go to the pawnshop to buy the seal.
The scholar had just left when Xu Miaoxue was still restless. Then Cheng Kaishou stepped into her small room.
Cheng Kaishou was usually calm and self-controlled, and because of proper boundaries between men and women, he rarely came here. Xu Miaoxue was startled by his sudden arrival. She was relieved he had not seen the scholar, but in the next moment she realized—her cousin’s serious expression meant trouble.
He stayed silent for a long time, as if hesitating. Xu Miaoxue was confused.
“What do you want to do?”
Cheng Kaishou clenched his sleeves. His hands were shaking. He hardened his heart and said,
“Xu Miaoxue, do you want to have a family?”
She was so speechless that she laughed. Mockery came out naturally.
“What? You want to give me one?”
“Yes.”
The smile had not yet left her face when her heart suddenly shook. She did not know how to respond.
Cheng Kaishou had a proper, honest-looking face. His features were not striking, but together they gave a feeling of uprightness and dignity. He looked like someone who would never lie.
At that moment, Xu Miaoxue wished more than anything that he was lying, that he was joking.
“Time is tight. I may not be able to marry you properly,” he said. “But I swear, after this, I will never take another wife or concubine.”
Her buzzing mind finally understood. Cheng Kaishou wanted to take her as a concubine. But she caught one key phrase—no time.
Why was there no time?
Slowly, her smile faded. She realized something.
“As long as you agree, I will handle everything,” Cheng Kaishou said, thinking she doubted him. “If you don’t believe me, I can write a contract.”
Xu Miaoxue did not answer. She pushed past him and walked out.
It was dinner time. Madam Jia and Master Cheng were eating in the dining hall. Servants tried to stop Xu Miaoxue, but she pushed them aside with fierce momentum and rushed in.
She glanced at Madam Jia. Madam Jia felt guilty for a moment, then angrily scolded her,
“You troublemaker! Didn’t I tell the kitchen to send you food?”
Xu Miaoxue gave a fake smile.
“If I can’t eat well, then none of you should eat.”
The next second, she raised her hand and flipped the table full of food.
Dishes crashed loudly. Madam Jia dropped her chopsticks in shock. The doorway filled with servants, but none dared step forward. No one had ever seen Xu Miaoxue like this.
Xu Miaoxue slowly walked to Madam Jia’s chair and picked up a shard of broken porcelain from near her feet, playing with it.
Master Cheng was badly frightened but still tried to act like the head of the family.
“Xu Miaoxue! Get out!”
Xu Miaoxue ignored him and stared at Madam Jia.
“Aunt, don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning.”
In fact, Xu Miaoxue did not know.
But she knew this would force the truth out. Whatever made Cheng Kaishou act so strangely had to be serious. She needed to know.
Sure enough, Madam Jia shouted,
“Marriage is decided by parents and matchmakers! Your parents are gone, and our Cheng family has raised you all these years. I have the right to arrange your marriage!”
“If it’s such a good thing, then why are you feeling guilty?” Xu Miaoxue replied.
“What guilt? That wealthy man from Fenghua County is a bit old, but he’s generous. He offered five hundred taels to marry you. If you give him a son, he’ll give another five hundred. A cursed girl like you should thank your ancestors for such luck!”
As expected, someone had paid a good price. Madam Jia planned to sell her.
Suddenly, Xu Miaoxue pressed the shard toward Madam Jia’s neck. Madam Jia screamed in terror and fell backward. With a loud crash, both she and the chair flipped over.
Xu Miaoxue looked down at her.
“I am not your family’s slave. You have no right to sell me. I advise you to return the money. When the bridal sedan finds no bride, it will be your Cheng family that loses face.”
Xu Miaoxue turned and walked away freely, but saw Cheng Kaishou already standing under the corridor.
She turned back to Madam Jia, a playful cruelty rising in her heart.
“Oh, and tell your son not to think of saving me. He’s willing to never marry just to take me as a concubine—am I worthy of that?”
Seeing the shame and humiliation on Madam Jia’s face felt good. Yes—her proudest son wanted the woman she hated most. But when Xu Miaoxue brushed past Cheng Kaishou, she felt a bit of regret.
She always used the sharpest words on him, yet he never left. He had his weakness. He could never save her all these years, and they both knew it. So they kept this twisted way of getting along. Xu Miaoxue was not stupid. In her messy life, he was one of the few people who truly treated her well. Maybe she should not be like this.
But what else could she do?
Her home was not with Cheng Kaishou. She never even considered that possibility. She refused to be trapped in the Cheng family for life, and she did not want to ruin his future.
She left without looking back.
At least she still had a secret place where she could escape these petty troubles.
But today was very unlucky. There was no good news waiting for her there.
The scholar arrived too late.
The Sixth Master had already bought all the chicken-blood stone seals in the city and asked Zhao Jin to identify them. He quickly traced it to the Haishu Tongbao Pawnshop in Guihua Alley and found that the worker on duty during the Yongjiang Spring Banquet was Shao Jian. The scholar watched helplessly as Scissors was taken away by the Sixth Master’s men.
Scissors was mentally prepared. Xu Miaoxue had already planned for this situation many times. If Scissors was the first to be found, it meant they had no solid proof yet. They were only following objects. Scissors had never shown his face during the scam. As long as he pretended to know nothing, they could not convict him.
The Sixth Master did not bother wasting time on him. Even without Scissors speaking, he could find their base.
Half an hour later, the Sixth Master’s men arrived at the fishing village where the Cheng family lived.
The sea wind carried a salty smell and hit the old banyan tree at the village entrance. The fish carvings on the trunk had been worn away by time. Now, it became a post for punishment.
Scissors were hung from a branch with his arms tied behind him. The rope cut deep into his wrists, and blood flowed down his arms. He was barefoot. Sharp stones cut his feet until they were bloody. As the tide rose and fell, saltwater washed over his wounds again and again. He trembled in pain, and his groans grew weaker.
The Sixth Master sat on a rock some distance away. His dark robe blended into the dusk. He bent one knee and rested his arm on it, casually playing with the chicken-blood stone seal. He did not even raise his eyes. He only lifted a finger toward Qingshan behind him.
“Wake him,” he said calmly, like ordering tea.
A bucket of icy salt water was poured over Scissors’ head. His body convulsed, and a hoarse scream came from his throat. Saltwater entered his wounds like countless ants biting him. He jerked his head up, veins bulging in his neck.
“The Sixth Master sent word—he wants you to come out yourself,” the scholar reported urgently. “Every moment you’re late, he’ll cut off one of Scissors’ fingers.”
Xu Miaoxue glanced at the dripping water clock. The sound was thick and slow, like choking breath. She forced herself to stay calm and waved her hand.
“It’s fine. It’s fine. Not a big problem.”
She paced back and forth until it made people dizzy. Ali stood aside, panicked, waiting for her plan.
The scholar could not hold back anymore.
“Boss, say something! What do we do? How do we save Scissors?”
Xu Miaoxue finally stopped. She looked around and made a decision. She opened a drawer. Banknotes, gold pieces, and pawn tickets poured out from a hidden compartment. The candlelight flickered wildly. She pulled off the tablecloth and wrapped everything together.
“Save him? We can’t even save ourselves. Run.”
The scholar was shocked and kicked over a low stool.
“Boss! Scissors have taken the blame for us so many times! Last time at the Cixi county office, those punishment sticks almost killed him!”
When the four of them first teamed up, their scams were full of holes. They once cheated a local thug in Cixi County and were exposed immediately. The thug reported them. It was Scissors who took the blame.
“The Cixi office’s beating won’t kill you,” she said casually while tying the bundle tight. “But the Sixth Master will.”
The scholar grabbed her sleeve in disbelief.
“You’re really going to abandon him? You—”
Xu Miaoxue’s careless expression turned cold and unfamiliar.
“As long as the green hills remain, there will be firewood. If we all fall, then no one can save Scissors. Move—don’t slow me down!”