The end of Pinglan Village.

Inside the wooden house deep in the bamboo forest, the cracking sound of the whip was terrifying.

Inside the room, the woman was tied to a wooden frame, her limbs chained. Two strong old women took turns whipping her, as if competing with each other, each whip harder than the last.

The woman's body was covered in crisscrossing bloodstains, and her clothes were already tattered, but no matter how the old women whipped her, she didn't utter a sound. Her cold eyes looked down at the two old women with arrogance, as if they were ants.

They were clearly the ones in charge of this torture, yet they received no respect whatsoever, not even a shred of fear. Whenever the old women saw that arrogant look in the woman's eyes, they would beat her harder, but no matter how they tortured her, her gaze never wavered.

Su Renyi felt sorry for Mu Junyu, who was being whipped repeatedly, and asked, "Where did you hide the military tally?"

Mu Junyu didn't even lift her eyelids, as if she hadn't heard Su Renyi's question.

Su Renyi frowned, and asked again, unwilling to give up, "Is it with Su Xuening?"

When Su Xuening was mentioned, Mu Junyu finally looked up at Su Renyi as if it were a favor.

Her cold, mocking eyes glared at Su Renyi, making him feel guilty. He instinctively shouted, "Stop hitting me!"

The two old women whipping him paid no attention to Su Renyi, acting as if they hadn't heard him, and continued whipping him.

Seeing that his words had no effect, Su Renyi roared in anger and embarrassment, "I said stop fighting!"

Su Renyi was truly enraged, and only then did the old woman speak coldly: "My lord, you must not forget Consort Su's instructions. Consort Su said that you must be whipped a hundred times every day. If she doesn't confess, you must endure this whipping every day. Once you confess, you will no longer have to endure it."

The old woman's voice was sharp and sarcastic, carrying a hint of mockery. Su Renyi's face turned extremely ugly upon hearing it, and he coldly shouted, "You all go out first, I have questions for her!"

When did a Marquis of Yong'an have to put up with these old women's nonsense?

The two old women finally stopped and looked at Mu Junyu, saying, "For the sake of the Marquis, we'll spare the rest of the whipping."

After saying that, the old woman looked at Su Renyi again: "I hope the Marquis can find out something. If he can't, we old servants won't be able to explain to Consort Su."

After the two left, Su Renyi hurriedly went over and untied Mu Junyu's chains.

Once freed from the chains, Mu Junyu fell straight down.

"Careful!" Su Renyi quickly caught her and helped her lie down on the small couch next to him.

Mu Junyu slumped weakly on the small couch, her body covered in pain, leaving her with no strength at all.

Seeing her pale face, the blood seeping from the whip marks on her body, and the old wounds that had long since begun to fester, Su Renyi felt a pang of heartache: "Why are you doing this to yourself? Just tell me where the military tally is, and you won't have to suffer any more torture!"

Mu Junyu didn't want to pay attention to him, nor did she have the energy to. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

Su Renyi stared intently at Mu Junyu. Even though she was disheveled and covered in injuries, it did not diminish her beauty in the slightest!

Her skin was very pale, perhaps from being imprisoned for too long, or perhaps from losing too much blood; it was as white as porcelain, devoid of any life. Her eyebrows were thin and long, exuding a rare heroic spirit among women of Dongchu. Her eyelids were narrow and long, and even with her eyes closed, they still seemed to radiate a cold, arrogant light. Her nose was straight and prominent, unlike the delicate noses of other Dongchu women. And her lips were as beautiful as flower petals, yet at this moment, they too were devoid of color.

Even with such severe injuries, she was still breathtakingly beautiful. Even looking at her face up close, there was not a single flaw to be seen; she was so perfect that the few bloodstains on her face could be ignored.

At this moment, she was like a princess fallen from heaven; even her injuries could not conceal her unparalleled beauty and aloof temperament. One glance was enough to captivate anyone.

"Yunyu~" Su Renyi's eyes gradually became infatuated, and he couldn't help but reach out his hand to Mu Yunyu.

Mu Junyu suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze as sharp as a sword as she stared directly at Su Renyi: "Have you forgotten that I am your sister-in-law!"

As if she hadn't spoken in a long time, Mu Junyu's voice was hoarse like an old woman's, but its force pierced straight into Su Renyi's heart.

Su Renyi's hand froze in mid-air, and he didn't dare to put it on Mu Junyu's face again.

Countless voices and images flashed through his mind—some of Su Renzhong, some of Su Huiyan, some of Mu Junyu, and even his own inner desires—all flashing together in his mind.

He longed to pounce on her and take advantage of her weakness to possess her completely!

This was the thing he wanted to do the moment he saw her, and it was something he had always dreamed of!

After a long while, Su Renyi slowly lowered his hand: "You know, I've always liked you. I liked you from the first moment I saw you."

Faced with Su Renyi's heartfelt confession, Mu Junyu remained unmoved, coldly looking at him: "What do you want to say?"

Su Renyi felt a little guilty under Mu Junyu's cold gaze, but he still said urgently, "Su Renzhong is already dead, you don't need to be a widow for him at all."

Mu Junyu scoffed disdainfully, "So what? If I don't stay a widow, what am I supposed to do? Marry you?"

Upon hearing this, Su Renyi's blood boiled instantly: "If you're willing, I will definitely give you a proper title."

As Su Renyi spoke, he reached out to grab Mu Junyu's hand.

"A title?" Before Su Renyi could even touch her hand, Mu Junyu raised it high: "A mistress or a concubine? Do you think I, Mu Junyu, care?"

Su Renyi's face stiffened, and he dared not touch Mu Junyu's hand again, but he still said urgently, "As long as you are willing, I can agree to even become the wife of the Marquis of Yong'an. I can divorce Zhong Shi for you right away!"

His words did not please Mu Junyu much. Instead, she mocked, "I truly feel sorry for the Zhong family. I was once the wife of the Marquis of Yong'an, but I only want to be Su Renzhong's wife. Even though he is dead, he still lives in my heart. As for you, you are not worthy to be his brother at all! I would rather you put your shoes on my feet than accept them!"

Because he regarded Mu Junyu as a goddess, Su Renyi always spoke very nicely to her, and he really wanted to win her over!

But now, hearing her mock him like this, he couldn't control his anger any longer. He stood up abruptly and coldly shouted, "Mu Junyu, who do you think you are? You're just an orphan girl that Su Renzhong brought back from the battlefield. What makes you so noble! Don't even mention that I'm willing to take you in. Even if I forced you on you right now, what could you do about it!"