Zuo Ling's face turned cold. She turned around, pulled and yanked the remaining two, and kicked them out, causing them to fall to the ground like a human pyramid.

The screams startled Dai Jianzhong, who was leading the way, and he roared:

"What's all the fuss about? Hurry up and catch up."

Someone pointed at Zuo Ling, wanting to complain, but Pei Nansheng and Xiao Hao stood next to Zuo Ling, glaring at him fiercely.

The man shrank back, swallowing back the words he was about to say about the incident.

Seeing that they looked formidable, the others didn't dare to say a word and followed them cautiously.

An old woman tried to grab the water bottle, but Zuo Ling snatched it back.

The old woman, with her triangular eyes wide open, shouted, "She's my daughter-in-law, so what's hers is mine."

Zuo Ling sneered: "I gave her the water, and now I don't want to give it to her anymore."

The old woman, not daring to provoke Zuo Ling, slapped her daughter-in-law and cursed:

"You useless slut."

One slap wasn't enough; he relentlessly punched her several times, disregarding her head and face. The woman seemed used to being beaten and didn't dare utter a sound.

After finishing, he spat indignantly in Zuo Ling's direction, cursing under his breath.

Ha, Zuo Ling didn't tolerate her, grabbed the old woman and slapped her several times without regard for her appearance.

The old woman had never been beaten before, and she was stunned by the beating. It wasn't until Zuo Ling had finished hitting her that she remembered to let out a pig-like scream.

"Oh dear, that little whore has hit an old man! She can't live anymore, that little whore..."

Zuo Ling slapped the old woman hard across the face, the kick stronger than the kick. Blood gushed from the old woman's mouth and nose, but she still mumbled incoherently, "You little slut..."

Zuo Ling made a kicking motion, and the old woman flinched in fright. She glanced at her dazed daughter-in-law, grabbed her, and mumbled incoherently:

"You shameless woman, just watching your mother-in-law get beaten up..."

The woman instinctively shrank back, but when she looked up and saw the hand about to hit her face, she somehow mustered up the courage to grab her mother-in-law's hand.

After struggling a few times without success, the old woman began to curse loudly:

"You wretched creature, you've gone too far, daring to hit me..."

Looking at her mother-in-law's foul mouth that opened and closed, the woman's mind flashed back to the image of Zuo Ling hitting someone.

With a snap, the scene fell silent.

The woman stared blankly at her hands, at a loss for what to do. The old woman covered her face, staring at her daughter-in-law in disbelief. It was always she who hit her daughter-in-law, never her daughter-in-law who hit her.

Zuo Ling laughed and clapped her hands, saying, "Well done! You hit too lightly."

The old woman, realizing what had happened, frantically began to tear at her daughter-in-law:

"You bitch, how dare you hit me! You've gone too far..."

The woman was used to being submissive, and her mother-in-law was too harsh; in no time, her face and head were bruised, and her arms had many bloody marks.

Zuo Ling stood by with her arms crossed, watching coldly.

None of those who came with them tried to mediate; they either watched the spectacle or took a detour.

In the cold of the end times, few people offered warmth to women.

But one woman, grasping at a straw, looked pleadingly at Zuo Ling, only to be met with a pair of eyes that were utterly indifferent.

The old woman continued to beat her daughter-in-law regardless of how badly she was injured.

Recalling the exhilarating feeling of slapping her mother-in-law, the woman suddenly pushed her to the ground, pounced on her, and straddled her, cursing and hitting her simultaneously.

"You old hag, I've put up with you for so long! I'll let you hit me, I'll let you hit me, I'll let you hit me..."

The woman did not stop until Dai Jianzhong arrived.

The old woman's head and face were covered in blood, making her unrecognizable.

"Stop, stop, all of you stop!"

The woman, venting years of pent-up frustration, was pulled away but still glared at her mother-in-law, muttering to herself:

"You dare hit me? I'll beat you to death, you old hag, I'll beat you to death..."

The old woman had never seen her daughter-in-law act like this before. Feeling wronged, she sat down and pounded her chest.

"I can't go on living, I can't go on living, son, your wife is hitting me, son..."

Dai Jianzhong had no patience to listen to her wailing and said sternly:

"Shut up, or I'll kick you to death."

The old woman choked. She only dared to be tough in front of her daughter-in-law; when she encountered someone more domineering than her, she immediately softened.

"Stop making a scene. If you do, get the hell out of here."

After roaring, he swept his fierce eyes around the room, his gaze lingering on Zuo Ling and her brother for a moment.

Dai Jianzhong wasn't completely unaware of what happened afterward; he simply chose not to care.

After Dai Jianzhong left, the woman followed behind Zuo Ling.

Zuo Ling stopped in her tracks and said, word by word, "If you don't become independent, no one can save you."

The woman was stunned.