“Understood, understood. I didn’t do anything—just invited Eldest Miss over to talk…”
Zhang Shitou hurriedly promised, only to be cut off impatiently by Ren Jingshu’s wave.
“Enough. With that wooden head of yours, you won’t come up with anything decent. Just say an old acquaintance of the Ren family came to see me, so I was called away. As for these people…”
She curled her lips into a faint smile, a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes.
“Say they were dragged off and eaten by wolves. If anyone doesn’t believe it, let them go up the mountain and see for themselves.”
Zhang Shitou’s face twisted slightly, but he didn’t dare question her. Straightening his back, he said firmly:
“They were indeed carried off and eaten by wolves. I saw it with my own eyes—there’s no mistake.”
Only then did Ren Jingshu nod in satisfaction and turn to leave without hesitation.
Zhang Shitou let out a long breath of relief. That terrifying woman was finally gone.
But now, in the forest, aside from him—the only living person—there were only those horribly burned corpses. The rustling of leaves in the wind made the surroundings even more chilling.
Rubbing the goosebumps on his arms, he thought of her warning and didn’t dare slack off. Gritting his teeth, he returned to the forest, quickly gathering more branches and throwing them into the fire, making it burn even stronger.
At the foot of the slope, a young girl was being pinned to the ground and slapped repeatedly.
“Wuu… let me go! I want to find my elder sister…”
Her cheeks were swollen from the blows, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Yet she struggled to get up, calling out for her elder sister through muffled cries.
“Shameless little wretch!”
A long-faced woman cursed, pushing aside the one delivering the slaps. She stepped forward herself, grabbed the girl’s hair, and struck her twice.
“Pah! Do you think I enjoy stopping you?”
Her face twisted briefly, a trace of smugness flashing in her eyes.
“Your shameless elder sister is probably lying in some man’s arms right now, indulging herself without a hint of shame. And you, blind fool, keep trying to run over there—aren’t you just ruining her good time?”
“You’re lying! My elder sister is not like that! She’s a pure and honorable girl—she’s even betrothed. How could she do such things?”
The girl was Ren Jingyan, Fourth Miss of the main Ren family branch. Even though she was dizzy from the beating, she bit her lip tightly to stay conscious.
Earlier, she had been sent by her second aunt to gather wild vegetables. With her was Nursemaid Yang, who had raised her since childhood. After finally returning with a basket full, they couldn’t find her elder sister anywhere.
As she anxiously searched, she overheard Aunt Li whispering to the maid Xiangliu, warning her not to offend the Second Madam—or she might end up like Eldest Miss, handed over to those rough men.
Ren Jingyan was instantly terrified. She rushed forward, grabbed Aunt Li, and demanded an explanation.
The commotion alerted the second branch of the family. The second aunt immediately ordered her to be restrained, forbidding her from running around.
Thinking her elder sister might be suffering, how could she stay calm? She struggled desperately, even kicking over the pot of vegetable porridge.
Seeing her make such a scene, the second aunt flew into a rage and ordered her maids to pin the girl down and beat her severely.
Their second branch had been dragged down by the main branch and reduced to this miserable state of confiscation and exile. Once a refined lady of status, now she had to endure a long journey to the remote Lingnan region—it felt like a living torment.
Now that the two girls of the main branch had fallen into her hands, how could she suppress her resentment? She cast aside her usual submissive demeanor and became domineering and vicious.
Nursemaid Yang tried to intervene but was quickly subdued, tied up, and thrown aside.
When Ren Jingshu returned, she saw a crowd gathered from afar. Not far off, a group of soldiers lounged under a tree, craning their necks and watching with lewd amusement.
When they saw her return, they looked at her suspiciously, glancing behind her. Seeing no one else, they scanned her from head to toe with disgusting looks.
Ren Jingshu merely gave them a cold glance before walking straight toward the crowd.
Someone noticed her. The onlookers all stared in shock, their gazes sweeping over her body as if trying to see through her clothes, searching for signs of what had happened.
“Hahaha, a pure and honorable girl?”
The second aunt’s face twisted. Her high cheekbones made her look even more sharp and mean.
“That ‘pure and honorable girl’ might not even have the luck to come back. And even if she does… hehe…”
Her expression was strange, her grin wide, as though something immensely delightful had occurred.
“Even if what? Why don’t you say it clearly?”
Ren Jingshu’s voice was icy. She strode forward, and the surrounding women quickly stepped aside, making way for her.
Though she didn’t yet know if this battered girl was truly the original owner’s sister, a sharp pain rose in her heart, driving her toward the girl.
“Y-you…”
The woman hadn’t expected her to appear so suddenly. She looked flustered, tightening her grip on the girl’s hair.
“Elder sister…”
Seeing her sister return unharmed, Ren Jingyan relaxed. She softly called out once before losing consciousness.
At the same time, Ren Jingshu lunged forward, grabbing the woman’s arm and forcing her to release her grip.
“Ah… you wretched girl—!”
The woman felt as though her arm was caught in iron pincers, cold sweat pouring from her body as she involuntarily let go.
Ren Jingshu’s eyes turned cold. She punched the woman in the face, then spun, scooping up the frail girl and retreating from the crowd.
She checked her breathing—only unconscious.
Only then did she relax slightly.
That faint “elder sister” had reached her ears.
So this… was the original owner’s younger sister?
Gently, Ren Jingshu wiped away the dirt and blood from her face, revealing her swollen cheeks.