Despite her chapped lips and disheveled appearance, she still reached out to grab his arm, pleading for the person who had wronged her.
Meng Yuxiu's face darkened, and he said coldly, "There's no need to be merciful to this kind of person."
Chang Lili's lips curled up slightly, and she said with a bitter smile, "It's not about mercy. Look," she said, catching her breath, "even if you kill them, my injuries won't heal. The way you treat them now, they probably won't dare to do anything, but if a new jailer comes, they might become even more ruthless."
The prison guards lay on the ground, wanting to escape but daring not to. They looked at them, trembling, and nodded repeatedly as they listened to Chang Lili's words, almost kneeling down to kowtow.
Meng Yuxiu gave them a cold glance, then turned to Ke Shou and said, "Go and prepare some medicine and clean clothes."
Ke Shou accepted the order and left, and the other jailers also hurriedly retreated.
They were quite sensible; soon they brought in wine, dishes, and stools, and after settling in attentively, they hurriedly withdrew.
Meng Yuxiu sighed, picked up Chang Lili and sat her on the stool. He fed her some of the tea that was no longer too hot, and her complexion softened a bit.
She was probably starving, because she struggled to sit down on the stool and reached for the chopsticks on the plate. But her hands were covered in shocking bloodstains, and her thin, scarred fingers could barely hold the chopsticks.
With a sorrowful look in his eyes, Meng Yuxiu caught the chopsticks that had fallen from her fingers, picked up some food, and fed it to her.
He held the chopsticks gently with one hand, but clenched them tightly with the other, his knuckles making a slight cracking sound.
After eating some food, Chang Lili shook her head when Meng Yuxiu tried to feed her again.
Meng Yuxiu put down his chopsticks, forced a smile, and opened the small food box. The sweet aroma filled the dark dungeon.
"Look what I brought you!" Meng Yuxiu pushed the food box in front of Chang Lili.
Chang Lili's eyes lit up: "Walnut shortbread..."
With trembling hands, she picked up a piece of walnut pastry and, as if starving, stuffed it into her mouth.
She ate too quickly and couldn't help coughing. Meng Yuxiu fed her a few sips of water, and she calmed down.
"I thought... I wouldn't be able to eat it anymore..." Chang Lili seemed to be laughing, but also crying.
Meng Yuxiu reached out and touched her forehead: "No, the kitchen is waiting for you to get tired of eating."
Chang Lili couldn't help but smile, her eyes bright as stars.
"Will I survive this ordeal?" she asked hesitantly.
Meng Yuxiu said gently, "Of course, I will take you out in a few days."
Chang Lili nodded and sighed, "This time we've really suffered a great calamity. How is Grandma...?"
As she spoke, she looked nervously at Meng Yuxiu, her face showing worry.
"Don't worry, I'm just here to see you on her behalf and let her know I'm safe," Meng Yuxiu reassured him.
Chang Lili said, her voice slightly choked with emotion, "That's good, thank you."
Meng Yuxiu was somewhat dissatisfied: "I've never seen you treat me so politely before. Don't worry, I will take good care of your mother-in-law. After that, I will have Ke Shou stay to take care of you, and this kind of thing will not happen again."
Chang Lili was both amused and exasperated: "This is a prison cell! You're punishing him by making him spend the whole prison sentence with me!"
Meng Yuxiu remained noncommittal, gently touching her pale cheek and saying softly, "Wait for me for a few days."
After instructing Ke Shou, Meng Yuxiu returned to the General's Mansion. He knew that the longer the investigation dragged on, the more suffering Chang Lili would endure. He could no longer proceed with the investigation in a conventional manner.
He secretly arranged for people to investigate Physician Jiang and arrest Physician Jiang's family members.
He made up his mind; regardless of whether the letter from an unknown source was a trap or not, he was determined to force the truth out of him.
However, when they sent people to find out about Physician Jiang's family members and went to arrest him, they were stopped.
A subordinate reported that a stunningly handsome man with superb martial arts skills was protecting the family.
"Absolutely stunning?" Meng Yuxiu looked at the subordinate who came to report with a strange expression.
When the man replied, the astonishment in his eyes remained undiminished: "Yes... I've never seen a man with such an appearance before..."
Helpless, Meng Yuxiu waved the man away, deciding to go and see for himself, wondering if his subordinate had encountered some kind of demon or monster.
But when he arrived there, at Physician Jiang's hometown, he realized that the so-called "stunning beauty" was not an exaggeration, because standing in front of him was Chu Moyu.
He was dressed in black, which made his exposed skin appear flawless, like white jade. His obsidian-like eyes were calmly watching Meng Yuxiu, with a smile even playing on his lips, as if he had been deliberately waiting for him here.
"I wonder what Commander Chu means by this?" Meng Yuxiu asked coldly.
Chu Moyu smiled with a hint of wickedness, yet possessed a captivating beauty: "What does the General mean by this? Physician Jiang's family are all ordinary people; surely they haven't committed any crimes?"
Meng Yuxiu remained calm, only showing a hint of impatience: "What I sit in is none of your business. We've always kept to ourselves, so is there something I've done wrong?"
"I never would have guessed that General Meng was such a dissolute person. He's quite to my liking." Chu Moyu's smile deepened, becoming even more wicked.
Meng Yuxiu frowned and said, "I'll only say this once: get out of my way, or don't blame me for being rude to you."
Seeing that Meng Yuxiu was already exuding murderous intent and ready to strike, Chu Moyu instead showed an excited expression.
"Then I'd like to see how General Meng is so impolite." As soon as he finished speaking, his long sword was drawn.
Meng Yuxiu took a long sword from his subordinate who was standing guard to the side and used it to parry Chu Moyu.
The two clashed, their longswords meeting in a continuous chorus of sword clashes.
Chu Moyu couldn't hide his disappointment: "General Meng, why didn't you bring that peerless weapon from last time? I wanted to see the power of that sword for myself."
"I'm afraid you're not worthy of it," Meng Yuxiu said coldly.
The two exchanged several blows and were locked in a stalemate for a time.
They were standing next to Physician Jiang's small courtyard. Meng Yuxiu's subordinates were in the courtyard, having taken control of Physician Jiang's family members, who were mostly elderly, weak, women, and children, who looked at them in fear.
While the other families in the village dared not approach, seeing that Meng Yuxiu and his group did not harm anyone, they couldn't help but peek around, and some even began to mutter under their breath that they should report it to the authorities.
What could have been accomplished quietly was ruined by Chu Moyu.
Meng Yuxiu was truly enraged. His impatience and anger caused him to lose his usual composure in his attacks, making his moves full of flaws. After only a few moves, the long sword in his hand was knocked straight out of his hand by Chu Moyu and stuck diagonally into the ground.
Meng Yuxiu's subordinates were stunned. Chu Moyu sheathed his longsword, his interest waning: "General, are you doing this on purpose? Do you think I'm not worthy to be your opponent?"
Meng Yuxiu simply stared at him coldly for a long while before turning to his subordinates in the courtyard and saying, "Withdraw."
After saying that, he turned around and left without looking back.
Chu Moyu watched Meng Yuxiu turn and leave, and chuckled softly.
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