In an instant, Sun Tong let out a pig-slaughtering scream.
He thudded to his knees, writhing on the ground in agony, clutching his bloodied lower body, his face pale with terror and disbelief!
At the same moment, the roars and screams of Xiao Muchen and his brother outside the cave also stirred Cheng Lan within.
She cast a cold glance at Sun Tong, who was still reeling from the pain, and as she passed by him, she raised her right foot and, with a “thud,” kicked him squarely in the forehead.
Instantly, overwhelmed by the compounded pain, Sun Tong’s eyes rolled back, and he fell unconscious.
Seeing that Sun Tong was no longer a threat, Cheng Lan strode quickly toward the cave entrance.
Sure enough, outside the cave, Xiao Muchen’s eyes were bloodshot as he clashed with the guards.
He used the iron chains on his hands to strangle one guard, shielding the disheveled Xiao Yunqing behind him. An aura of terrifying intensity radiated from his entire body as he confronted the other guards.
Xiao Yunqing, humiliated and disheveled, trembled with rage and growled, “Brother, kill them! Kill them all!”
Though Xiao Muchen’s eyes burned with crimson fury, a fleeting hesitation betrayed the loyalty ingrained in his bones from his days as a young general, warning him not to recklessly slaughter officials of the court.
“Sun Tong, you bastard, come out!”
Bound by his principles, Xiao Muchen couldn’t act immediately. Furious to the core, he could only vent his hatred through roars.
But at that moment, Cheng Lan had quietly arrived at the cave entrance.
Watching the brothers’ hesitant demeanor, she shook her head, raised her hand, and abruptly fired a crossbow bolt, striking a guard squarely in the chest!
Instantly, the guard fell with a “thud,” his eyes wide open, dead without warning.
The sudden, bizarre turn of events froze the tense atmosphere outside the cave, plunging it into an eerie silence.
As everyone traced the source of the crossbow bolt, their eyes fell upon Cheng Lan.
She stared intently at the guard she had killed, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.
“This…” Xiao Muchen snapped back to reality, staring at his mother in shock.
Before he could speak, Cheng Lan inexplicably drew a large blade from behind and hurled it toward the stunned Xiao Muchen.
“Fool, catch the blade!”
Seeing Xiao Muchen’s dazed expression, Cheng Lan frowned and shouted coldly at him.
Then, raising her crossbow, she unleashed a massacre upon the other guards who had regained their senses.
“They’re rebelling! Brothers, charge!”
The leader, seeing Cheng Lan armed and witnessing his fallen comrade, led a frenzied charge toward her.
As a former mercenary leader in her past life, Cheng Lan handled the guards’ assault with ease.
She barely needed to aim, skillfully firing crossbow bolts with deadly precision, each shot claiming a guard’s life.
Seeing Cheng Lan’s fluid archery and the heavy casualties before they could even close in, the guards quickly shifted their target, charging toward Xiao Muchen, who had yet to act.
“Kill them!”
The guards roared in unison, their faces twisted with ferocity. Xiao Muchen, a man of seven feet, suddenly felt as though he were back on a battlefield, caught in the throes of slaughter.
He held the large blade he had instinctively caught earlier; its sharp edge gleamed with a cold light—a fine weapon he had never seen before!
Clenching his teeth, he no longer cared about anything else. With a sudden burst of strength, he fiercely shattered the chains binding him.
Watching the swarm of officers rushing forward, and with Cheng Lan closely following, the mother and son duo reached their peak coordination at that moment. In the time it took for an incense stick to burn, they effortlessly eliminated all dozen or so constables.
Such formidable combat prowess left Xiao Yunqing, standing nearby, utterly dumbfounded.
Hiding behind a rock like a cowardly turtle, Xiao Fuchuan trembled all over, his fleshy face quivering. He stared in terror, mouth agape, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Seeing the crisis resolved, Xiao Muchen retracted his blade in an instant, his peripheral gaze shifting toward Cheng Lan, whose expression remained unchanged.
His eyes held a deep complexity and curiosity. After a moment of silence, he finally said nothing, lifting his foot to charge into the cave first.
After Xiao Muchen left, Xiao Fuchuan stared at Cheng Lan as if seeing a ghost, trembling as he tentatively crawled a few steps inward.
“This madwoman, she’s insane, truly insane…”
His face pale as a sheet, he scrambled into the cave in a panic.
Xiao Yunqing still sat dazed on the ground, unable to snap out of it, when his gaze met Cheng Lan’s icy stare.
“Today, your mother will teach you a lesson.”
Cheng Lan raised an eyebrow with a half-smile, tossing an arrow directly in front of Xiao Yunqing. She spoke slowly, word by word: “A true man, when humiliated, must seek retribution. Repay grievances with vengeance, settle scores with justice!”
She had heard clearly just how pitiful and humiliating the second son’s cries had been.
Looking at his torn robes in several places, even if the worst hadn’t happened, it surely hadn’t been pleasant.
Xiao Yunqing glanced at the sharp arrow before him, then at Cheng Lan, whose entire being radiated a fierce aura.
With darkened eyes, he picked up the arrow. Then, his eyes turning bloodshot, he slowly rose to his feet and step by step approached the officer who had humiliated him earlier.
Looking at the officer lying on the ground, already on the brink of death, a strange, cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. He raised the arrowhead and stabbed it fiercely into the officer, again and again!
He stabbed wildly dozens of times until blood stained his face. Only then did Xiao Yunqing roar and finally stop, collapsing weakly to the ground.
Not bad.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed Cheng Lan’s eyes before she stood up and walked into the cave.
But as soon as she entered, she saw Xiao Muchen, also driven to a frenzy of rage, gripping the collar of the now-awake Sun Tong, his eyes blazing with savage fury.
“You damned bastard, I should have killed you!”
Cheng Lan frowned slightly and spoke calmly to stop him: “Hold on.”
“Mother?!” Xiao Muchen turned to look at her in disbelief, his fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged.
That beast had tried to violate his wife earlier!
Sun Tong, knowing the situation was hopeless, wore a pale face filled with despair.
He was so terrified he nearly wet himself, quickly wailing and begging for mercy.
“Young General, Young General! Please, show mercy! I’m nothing but scum, lower than a dog! I was just confused for a moment—spare my life, please!”
Sun Tong, held tightly by the collar by Xiao Muchen, was already in excruciating pain below and could barely breathe from the choking. He struggled and wailed as he pleaded.
Seeing Xiao Muchen glance at Cheng Lan, Sun Tong gritted his teeth fiercely. Seizing a moment when Xiao Muchen was distracted, he immediately used all his strength to break free from his restraints, aiming to dash outside at the first opportunity.
Cheng Lan stood with her arms crossed at the cave entrance, watching Sun Tong foolishly charge toward her. She sneered and raised her foot, pretending to kick him in the lower body.
But before she could even kick, Sun Tong’s face turned deathly pale. He hurriedly covered his crotch with his hands and knelt before Cheng Lan in despair.
“Madam Xiao, spare my life! I know I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong!”
“Let me go, and I’ll leave immediately. I swear I won’t breathe a word about tonight’s events!”
Sun Tong pleaded repeatedly, but seeing Cheng Lan remain unmoved, he steeled himself and began slapping his own face hard, hoping to win her sympathy.
Xiao Muchen’s face darkened as he strode over, raising the large blade in his hand.
He had broken his vow and was clearly consumed by bloodlust.
“Mother, this beast cannot be left alive. Let me take his wretched life!”
Just as Xiao Muchen was about to bring the blade down, Cheng Lan narrowed her eyes and shot a sharp arrow from her fingertips. The arrowhead had been broken off, and it struck Xiao Muchen’s hand with a sharp impact.
The force was neither too light nor too heavy, but it instantly numbed his wrist.
Xiao Muchen shuddered, nearly dropping the blade. He gritted his teeth and looked up, his eyes filled with anger and confusion.
Cheng Lan’s gaze remained indifferent, and her voice turned colder. “I said, let him keep his wretched life for now.”
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