"Mother, you and Xiaozhi go back first. I'll talk to him," Qin Su whispered to her mother, not wanting her mother to see her acting too roughly.

Qin's mother shook her head, "Let's go back together."

She knew how infatuated her daughter had been with this man before, and didn't want her daughter to continue to be hurt here.

“Young Master Xue, I’ll say it one last time: the Marquis of Zhongyi’s mansion will no longer form a marriage alliance with the Duke of Cheng’s mansion. The evidence of you arguing with other women in front of the Marquis of Zhongyi’s mansion that day is irrefutable. If you have any sense of responsibility as a man, you should take responsibility for that girl. My Su Su is not worthy of your Duke of Cheng’s mansion.”

She pulled her daughter away, and when Xue Huai'an tried to step forward again, Qin's mother immediately told Lian Tao to do it.

Xue Huai'an didn't want to leave empty-handed, so he quickly approached and said in an almost threatening tone, "Qin Su is already mine. Madam Qin, it wouldn't matter if Qin Su married an ordinary man, but since she is not a virgin, it is absolutely impossible for her to marry into an official family in the capital."

Qin's mother turned her head instantly, her eyes wide with fury, "What did you say?!"

"You're bullying my daughter!"

Her eyes hardened; she didn't care at all whether her daughter was a virgin or not. All she cared about was whether her daughter was being bullied.

"Lian Tao, just kill her! I'll take full responsibility for the consequences!" Her anger had almost destroyed her reason; she no longer cared about the consequences of killing Xue Huai'an.

At worst, they'll just go back to White Tiger Village and live in seclusion in the mountains. They're not staying in the capital!

Qin Su rubbed her temples and pulled her mother back, "Mother, it's too easy for him to die."

Xue Huai'an was not afraid of them killing him and continued, "Rather than let Qin Su marry someone else, she should marry me. I promise I will treat her well, and she will be my only wife."

"Shameless!" Qin's mother trembled with rage. "What kind of noble son is he? Bah! He's utterly shameless!"

Xue Huai'an doesn't care what others think of him; as long as he can achieve his goal, he doesn't mind being covered in filth.

"Mother-in-law, think it over carefully. Do you want Qin Su to marry someone else and suffer all kinds of grievances, or do you want her to marry me?"

Qin Su sneered, "Why do I have to get married? What? Can't I live without a man?"

Xue Huai'an stared at Qin Su's belly and said with a smile, "Perhaps you are already carrying my child. Do you want him to be born without a father?"

Qin Su's pupils contracted, but she quickly regained her composure.

She approached Xue Huai'an, who maintained a gentle smile throughout.

He believed Qin Su would compromise; women are ultimately the weaker party, and finding a man to rely on is more important than suffering alone. Besides, he was no less desirable, the dream lover of many women in the capital.

The next second, Qin Su attacked him, her hand forming a claw, and she gripped his wound tightly.

Xue Huai'an's pupils dilated violently, and his body trembled so badly that he needed Xue Qi's support to stand. However, Qin Su reached out and grabbed the back of his neck, almost at the distance of a lover's whisper, and the words she spoke were particularly vicious.

"Xue Huai'an, with just a little force from my left hand, you will be gone." Her soft, white fingers stroked the back of his neck.

The man under the palm turned pale. He instinctively resisted, but Qin Su quickly subdued him. "Don't provoke my mother, or next time it won't be so simple."

Qin Su took a few steps back, then kicked him hard in the chest. "Get lost!"

Xue Huai'an fell heavily to the ground, feeling utterly useless.

Such a useless person made Qin Su feel that her brain had been completely clouded by indescribable things in her previous life.

She took Qin's mother and younger brother and left.

But Qin Zhi suddenly said he had lost something and ran back halfway.

The boy, who was only a teenager, was very good-looking, and it was clear that he would grow up to be a handsome man.

He looked Xue Huai'an, who was being helped up by Xue Qi, up and down with disdain, and said with a precocious air, "Don't you dare bother my sister again. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Rats should stay in the gutter, don't even think about getting your hands on the moon!"

Xue Huai'an was so angry that he coughed heavily and didn't have time to say anything to Qin Zhi.

Qin Zhi looked disgusted again, "You're like a sickly ghost. How dare you be my brother-in-law? Go take a good look in the mirror."

After saying that, he turned and ran away.

"Grab him!" Xue Huai'an ordered Xue Qi, who was standing beside him.

Everyone in the Qin family practices martial arts, including Qin Zhi. However, Qin Zhi has only just started learning and can only deal with his peers, so he is naturally no match for Xue Qi.

Qin Zhi was quickly captured by Xue Qi, and Xue Huai'an's sinister gaze locked onto the child.

"Who's the real rat in the gutter? What are you, a mere illegitimate son from a collateral branch? Let me tell you, Qin Su is mine, everything in the Qin family is mine. If you mess with me, I'll make sure you don't even know how you died."

He then spoke a few words to Xue Qi, who nodded, covered Qin Zhi's mouth, picked him up, and left.

"Hey! Bullying a kid?" Chongyang's nonchalant voice suddenly rang out, and a long sword stabbed towards Xue Qi.

Xue Qi managed to dodge it with difficulty.

"Give him to me." Chongyang reached out to Xue Qi.

Xue Qi refused to give it to him and looked at his master.

Xue Huai'an gritted his teeth. He knew that Chongyang was a formidable opponent who had fought alongside Prince Chen on the battlefield. Ordinary people were no match for him.

"Give it to him." He was quite unwilling, but then he felt it didn't matter, he knew Qin Su's breakthrough.

Holding Chongyang in his arms, Qin Zhi cursed at Xue Huai'an, "Disgusting! I will definitely tell my sister that she will never, ever marry you. Someone like you is not worthy of my sister!"

"You, you are unworthy of being a scholar!" Qin Zhi was still too young. Growing up in the privileged environment of the Qin family, he had no idea how wicked a person could be.

He thought Xue Huai'an was a scholar and wouldn't do such a despicable thing.

Unfortunately, Xue Huai'an's character was overestimated.

Chongyang smiled and said to Xue Huai'an, "Young Master Xue, instead of harassing Miss Qin, you should take good care of your injuries." He raised an eyebrow, indicating that Xue Huai'an's chest was already covered in red marks.

It's not a fatal wound, but it keeps recurring and won't heal.

Chongyang suspected several times that this was a ruse.

He led Qin Zhi away, and only after they had gone some distance did he say to Qin Zhi, "Young Master Qin shouldn't have faced Xue Huai'an alone."

Qin Zhi lowered his head and said, "I...I know I was wrong. I didn't expect Xue Huai'an to actually attack me directly."

Chongyang found the child endearing, so he bent down and said to him, "Don't be afraid, brother will take you to see Prince Chen first, okay?"

I thought the child would be scared, but to my surprise, his eyes lit up and he immediately said, "Really? I knew that my brother was someone close to Prince Chen. I've met my brother before."

"Oh?" He then took Qin Zhi's hand and asked, "Where have you seen me before, young master?"

“I saw my brother and Prince Chen on the street when they returned to the capital in triumph.”

That's why you felt so comfortable going with him?

"But brother, could you please send someone to tell my mother and sister? I'm afraid they'll worry."