Xiao Yunqing’s expression was icy and stubborn.
Yet the rumbling from his stomach had already betrayed his current condition.
“I… hmph, big brother, don’t try to persuade me. I, Xiao Yunqing, am not someone she can manipulate at will. Given how she treated us before, I will never forgive her.”
After speaking, Xiao Yunqing, trying to hide the embarrassment brought by his hunger, walked to the side with flushed cheeks.
He left Xiao Muchen behind, who could only look helplessly at his cold and stubborn younger brother, trying to think of ways to ease the tension between him and their mother.
Sun Tong secretly observed Cheng Lan’s every move. Seeing that she had resolved the Xiao family’s food problem, he naturally harbored resentment.
His gaze was sinister as he watched Cheng Lan’s contented appearance after eating and drinking her fill. This wretched woman, in just half a day, had repeatedly opposed him!
Just wait and see. Soon, she’ll be kneeling and begging for mercy!
Cheng Lan keenly sensed this hostile gaze and sneered coldly. Was he already impatient to make a move?
“Enough! All of you, get up and continue on the road.”
With a plan in mind, Sun Tong scolded the Xiao family and ordered the other constables to lead the way, pulling the chains as they continued forward.
As the sun set in the west and the sky grew increasingly dim, the group arrived at a mountain ridge.
Sun Tong looked at the surroundings and stopped, panting heavily.
“Alright, we’ll rest here tonight!”
At Sun Tong’s command, the constables were naturally happy to comply.
Just as Cheng Lan and the others sat down to rest, they saw Sun Tong walking toward them.
This made Cheng Lan, who had been on guard all along, narrow her eyes and silently prepare for a fight.
“The mountain here is high and the wind is strong. All the women will rest in the cave, and I will guard them. The rest of you, go outside!”
The lewdness in Sun Tong’s tone as he spoke did not escape Xiao Muchen’s notice.
He immediately sensed something amiss, his expression changed, and he sprang up, shouting fiercely, “Sun Tong, if you have any issues, come at me! What kind of man bullies women?”
Seeing Xiao Muchen finally lose his composure, Sun Tong raised his eyebrows triumphantly, unwilling to miss such a perfect opportunity to humiliate him.
He took a step forward, leering at Li Xuerong on his left, and spoke with a vulgar tone.
“I say, Young General Xiao, why so loud? I know you’re worried about your wife. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her for you. Rest assured, hahaha!”
As soon as Sun Tong uttered these words, they provoked Xiao Muchen, whose eyes turned bloodshot. Like an enraged lion, he mustered all his strength and, weighed down by the heavy chains, charged at Sun Tong.
In the blink of an eye, before Sun Tong could react, Xiao Muchen kicked him in the back of the knee, causing him to fall face-first to the ground with a loud “thud.”
Seeing Sun Tong in such a sorry state, Cheng Lan couldn’t help but let out a scornful laugh.
Sun Tong struggled to his feet in pain, trembling with rage as he pointed at the stunned constables. “Bastards! Are you all dead? Didn’t you see the criminal trying to attack? Beat him! Drag him out and beat him to death!”
The constables were mere low-ranking officials and dared not disobey Sun Tong, the deputy general. Naturally, they swarmed forward, kicking Xiao Muchen to the ground and raining blows upon him.
Xiao Yunqing watched his brother being beaten but was powerless to intervene. His cold, handsome face was filled with fury as he roared with all his might, “You bastards, stop! All of you, stop!”
Xiao Yunqing was naturally handsome, and now, flushed with anger, his lips grew even more crimson. The constable restraining him couldn’t help but reach out and stroke his face with a lecherous grin.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Second Master Xiao truly has a naturally fine appearance. Look at this delicate, smooth face, those red lips and white teeth—he’s practically no different from the young male courtesans in the brothels!”
“Come on! Let’s have some fun with Second Master Xiao too!”
The group of constables burst into raucous laughter.
Xiao Yunqing, who had never suffered such humiliation before, paled instantly. In his dazed state, he was caught off guard and dragged out of the cave by the constables.
Xiao Fuchuan, already terrified out of his wits, quickly assessed the situation and, without a second thought for his wife and daughter, scrambled out after them.
Cheng Lan watched all this with cold indifference, but that didn’t mean she would remain passive.
Ever since Xiao Muchen was beaten, she had quietly taken a pair of pliers from her spatial dimension and discreetly worked on prying open the heavy shackles around her ankles.
Amidst the chaos, even Liu Manwen’s sharp-featured face turned pale. She moved swiftly, pulling Xiao Tongtong to hide in a corner nearby, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
She never imagined these lackeys would dare to be so bold!
“Sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. They are, after all, government officials. Surely they wouldn’t dare act recklessly—they can’t knowingly break the law!”
Xiao Qin’er trembled with fear, her small face tense as she stubbornly shielded Li Xuerong.
Unexpectedly, Sun Tong only grew more brazen upon hearing this.
He first glanced at the expressionless Cheng Lan, sneered, and then raised his hand, delivering a sharp slap across her face with a loud crack!
“Aren’t you capable? Come on, fight back!”
“Today, I’ll make you understand what it means to wish for death but be unable to die! Once your two precious sons have been thoroughly tortured, it’ll be your turn to meet your end!”
Feeling the searing pain on her face, Cheng Lan curled her lips into a cold smile.
Very well. No one had ever dared to act so insolently in front of her before!
Sun Tong leered, then turned his lustful gaze toward Li Xuerong.
“Oh no…” Li Xuerong’s face drained of color. Without another thought, she clutched Nannan tightly to her chest and grabbed Xiao Qin’er, who stood before her, trying to rush outside.
Sun Tong blocked their path a step ahead. “What’s the hurry? Isn’t this lord here to favor you now?”
As he spoke, he seized Li Xuerong’s delicate wrist and roughly shoved the child in her arms aside.
“Nannan!” Xiao Qin’er cried out in panic, rushing over to catch her little niece before she could fall, tears welling in her eyes.
Just as Sun Tong, that beast of a man, reached out triumphantly toward Li Xuerong—
“Let go of me! You bastard, let go!” Li Xuerong screamed in terror, struggling wildly, causing Xiao Muchen, pinned to the ground outside the cave, to roar in fury.
Just as Sun Tong’s filthy hand was about to touch her, there was a sudden clang—Cheng Lan had finally pried open the heavy shackles.
Her eyes sharpened instantly. Swiftly, she drew a crossbow from her Weaponry Armory and aimed it coldly at Sun Tong’s groin.
With a whoosh, the arrow shot forth without hesitation, striking its target with pinpoint accuracy!
“Ah! Ah! It hurts! It hurts like hell! Ah!”