Jiang Chuting pushed open the door with her sword, and Lin Zhi followed closely behind. They saw a slender black figure standing in the courtyard under the moonlight. Although her face was covered, her figure made it clear that she was a woman.
She saw the two men blocking the doorway and let out a hoarse laugh, "You've brought in reinforcements again? Useless. I'll kill the Huang family members one by one. If you know what's good for you, leave now."
Judging from her voice, she wasn't young. Jiang Chuting's dark eyes were clear and bright. He asked her, "May I ask who you are? If you intend to slaughter an entire family, at least have a reason."
The woman spoke with great force, her voice filled with hatred: "Of course there's a reason! The Huang family owes me! Do you expect me to explain every single detail to you now? Get out of my way, or I'll kill you all!"
Unwilling to say more, he angrily drew his sword.
Lin Zhi said, "So arrogant? Let's see if you have the ability!" He was about to rush forward when Jiang Chuting held him back.
Jiang Chuting said in a low voice, "I'm going to meet her. You stay here and watch over her."
Lin Zhi was stunned. Before she could speak, Jiang Chuting had already leaped forward to meet her and engaged in combat.
After a few moves, Jiang Chuting realized that her martial arts style was extremely insidious, with each move aimed at killing. This reminded him of a woman named Hong Yudie who had been by Lin Xuan's side when he was searching for Lin Zhi. Her martial arts were unfathomable, and every move was exceptionally vicious and brimming with evil. Back then, he had been defeated by her and forced to swallow a pill.
Practicing this unorthodox martial art will lead to the same fate as Xiao Jiu—damaging both mind and body. The process is fraught with danger, easily resulting in demonic possession or even death. It's an extremely perilous path, and most people wouldn't choose this route unless forced into it. However, if one manages to succeed by chance, they will become ruthless and unstoppable.
However, although this woman is quite formidable, she is far inferior to Hong Yudie back then. In addition, Jiang Chuting's internal strength is also far superior to what it was back then, so dealing with her is not a problem.
The woman underestimated Jiang Chuting, never expecting that someone so young could possess such high martial arts skills, far surpassing the men the Huang family had hired. Even with her full strength, she couldn't harm a single hair on his head. She was greatly surprised and found herself increasingly struggling to cope. Finally, unable to withstand his attacks, she had her sword knocked from her hand and staggered back several steps before regaining her footing.
The woman clutched her wrist, which had gone numb from the shock, stared intently at him, and asked in a low voice, "Who exactly are you? Why are you ruining my plans?"
Jiang Chuting held his sword in his right hand, the tip pointing diagonally towards the ground. The powerful sword energy caused the blade to hum, and the cold moonlight enveloped his tall figure, as if he were covered in frost and snow. Lin Zhi, who was standing guard at the door after listening to him, crossed her arms and stared intently at his back and the ends of his hair that were being blown by the evening breeze. Suddenly, a burning sensation welled up in her chest, and she involuntarily took a few steps closer.
"An unknown person, not worth mentioning." Jiang Chuting paused, looked at her and said, "Although your internal strength seems strong, it has flaws. Did you start practicing martial arts too late and take pills to accelerate your training?"
The woman, not expecting him to see through her, was slightly startled and said coldly, "What's it to you!"
Jiang Chuting said, "Practicing evil arts damages the body, and taking large amounts of pills to enhance internal strength will only make matters worse. Why would you risk your life to personally kill the people in the Huang family? What deep-seated hatred could drive you to do that?"
Knowing that he was there today and she couldn't continue her revenge, the woman became enraged, her eyes bloodshot, and she suddenly roared at Jiang Chuting, "Stop putting on this gentlemanly act! Do you want to uphold justice for them? Do you know what they did to me?! They've ruined my life! They've destroyed my whole life! If you hadn't gone through what they went through, how could you understand the pain I've endured?! What right do you have to question me and stop me?! I want them all dead, all of them dead!! If you try to stop me, you can die too!"
Lin Zhi, who had already walked to Jiang Chuting's side, was annoyed by her rude words and immediately retorted sarcastically, "It's precisely because we don't know what their family did to you or how they made you suffer that we keep asking you. Can't you understand human language? Why are you wallowing in self-pity? Who knows if you're just making this up to scare people? Also, don't pretend to be a gentleman. He is a gentleman, so watch your words."
Jiang Chuting was much gentler, but his calm tone was laced with a chilling edge. “Even when it comes to seeking revenge in the martial world, there must be reason, evidence, cause and effect. If the person inside is truly guilty of heinous crimes, I will not stop you. But if you are indiscriminately killing innocent people, as long as I am here, you will never be able to step through this door behind me.”
Her hatred was too intense, but Master Huang clearly said that he had not harmed anyone. Was she really in a difficult situation, or was Master Huang lying?
The woman glared at him fiercely, took a trembling breath, and sneered, "Fine, you want to know? I'll let you know. If you still won't let me in to kill after you've heard it, then you're just like them!"
Jiang Chuting flipped his wrist, deftly sheathing his sword, and said, "Please speak."
Just then, a voice rang out from behind, "Fine! I'd like to hear how my two older brothers from the Huang family have harmed you!"
Huang Yu actually came out. His face was cold and stern. He quickly stepped down the stairs, flicked his sleeve, and stood on the other side of Jiang Chuting. He gritted his teeth and said, "At this moment, why don't you take off your mask and let me see where you really came from, you monster!"
The woman scoffed, "When I left the Huang family, you were still in your mother's womb. Even if I removed you, you wouldn't recognize me. But I would like to invite your father, Huang Zhao, for a chat."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuting frowned and said, "So, you're saying you've never met Huang Yu and have no grudge against him?"
Feeling her hatred denied, the woman's eyes flashed with madness. She immediately said, "Who says there isn't?! Every single one of their family members is involved! Huang Jiao and that old woman ruined my life, Zhou Qingqing made me lose my daughter, Huang Jiao and that damned old woman died of illness, and Zhou Qingqing didn't even live to see me take revenge, she died too." She sneered and looked at Huang Yu: "Now it's her son and husband's turn."
Huang Jiao is the name of Huang Yu's second uncle, and Zhou Qingqing is the name of Huang Yu's mother. Upon hearing her mention the old woman, Huang Yu immediately realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, "You, are you called Yin Ziqiu?!"
“That’s right, it’s me.” Yin Ziqiu pulled off her veil. She was probably not even forty years old. Her face was pale with a hint of blue, and her lips were a bit dark. But from her features, one could vaguely tell that she must have been a beauty in her youth. She gave a twisted smile. “So, you know me. I thought your father and mother never told you.”
Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi looked at him at the same time. Lin Zhi asked, "What exactly is her relationship with your Huang family?"
Huang Yu didn't answer. A surge of blood rushed to his head, his face turned almost purple, his eyes widened in horror, his lips trembled, and he raised his trembling hand to point at Yin Ziqiu: "You actually, you actually killed my two brothers! You are so cruel! You, you, do you know my mother..." He clutched his chest, too grief-stricken to speak, his whole body trembling, almost fainting. Jiang Chuting had never seen him like this before, and she gently raised her hand to support his swaying body.
Yin Ziqiu said sternly, "So what if I killed her! She betrayed my trust and made me lose my daughter forever! So I will never let her child go either! She should still be alive, so she can truly feel the pain of losing her own flesh and blood!"
Yin Ziqiu's suffering all stemmed from Huang Yu's second uncle, Huang Jiao, the second young master of the Huang family.
Twenty years ago, Yin Ziqiu was an orphan girl who performed with a traveling troupe. When she arrived in Jian'an, her beauty caught the eye of Huang Jiao, who redeemed her and raised her outside the Huang family mansion. Huang Jiao was handsome and charming, and very good at pleasing women. Yin Ziqiu, with her innocent girlish heart, truly believed that this man loved her and would marry her in the future, and poured all her tenderness into him.
But Huang Jiao had no such intention. Her status was too low; she was merely a concubine for his amusement. After Yin Ziqiu became pregnant, she anxiously brought up marriage with him. Huang Jiao told her that the custom in Jian'an City was that only those who gave birth to sons could enter the family. Yin Ziqiu secretly inquired and learned that this was indeed the case. Helpless, she could only wait for the child to be born, but she gave birth to a daughter.
When she was young, the old lady of the Huang family went through many trials before she was able to marry into the Huang family. Some people are vicious. They have to find an opportunity to make others suffer the same hardships and mistreatment they have endured. Otherwise, they can't seem to find peace in their hearts.
So, after Huang Jiao mentioned it briefly, Old Madam Huang ordered him to smother the newborn girl and throw her away. This also suited Huang Jiao's wishes. He never intended to have a child with Yin Ziqiu. He had only made up a casual remark to appease her. Even if she really gave birth to a son, he would at most keep him to raise, but he would not marry her to elevate her status.
When he ordered his men to lay a hand on the child, Yin Ziqiu discovered it. She was shocked and fought back fiercely to protect the child. Huang Jiao revealed his true colors, coldly telling her that if she didn't hand over the child, they would all get out of here.
Panicked and frightened, Yin Ziqiu fled with her child. However, she had only recently given birth and was weak; the baby was too young. Unable to earn money, she wandered the streets begging for several days until her health gave out and her child fell ill. Returning to her former lodgings, she was refused entry and could not find Huang Jiao's men.
Just when she was at her wit's end, she was rescued by Zhou Qingqing, who was heavily pregnant. Apart from Old Madam Huang, Huang Jiao had never let his family know about Yin Ziqiu, so Zhou Qingqing did not recognize her. Seeing that she and her child were pitiful, she took her back to the mansion to take care of her.
Zhou Qingqing didn't know Yin Ziqiu, but Yin Ziqiu was shocked when she led him to the Huang residence, as she knew it was Huang Jiao's home.
Zhou Qingqing happens to be the eldest daughter-in-law of the Huang family.
Yin Ziqiu was filled with both hope and fear. She hoped that she might be able to win back Huang Jiao's heart, but she feared that Huang Jiao would kill her daughter again. After much deliberation, she decided to focus on getting her child well first. This young mistress seemed kind and gentle, and perhaps she would help her later. She clung to Zhou Qingqing like a lifeline, staying in her side courtyard for about ten days. Zhou Qingqing loved children and took excellent care of her. Yin Ziqiu also wanted her to spend more time with the child, even begging her to give her daughter a name.
During the time Yin Ziqiu lived in Zhou Qingqing's courtyard, he learned some things about her and the eldest young master Huang Zhao. It turned out that although Jian'an had a custom of getting pregnant before marriage, Zhou Qingqing was properly married into the family before she became pregnant and gave birth to her child because of Huang Zhao's insistence. Moreover, she gave birth to two sons in a row after marriage and served her mother-in-law well. The old lady Huang could find fault with her no matter how hard she tried. Occasionally, when she was in a bad mood, she would scold her a few times, but she would silently endure it. Life was peaceful.
While feeling grateful to Zhou Qingqing, Yin Ziqiu couldn't help but feel envious. She began to fantasize about marrying into the Huang family, returning to Huang Jiao's side, receiving the same treatment as Zhou Qingqing, and living a life of luxury and splendor.
Yin Ziqiu had only suffered one loss, and her mind wasn't clear yet. She still felt there was room for reconciliation between her and Huang Jiao. After all, the child was her own flesh and blood; if she begged him, he would definitely accept it, especially now that she had someone else who could plead for her.
Hope took hold of her, and she was constantly preoccupied with what was happening in the mansion. Finally, she overheard the servants talking about how the second young master had returned home. Without thinking twice, she rushed to the front yard to look for him, only to be caught red-handed by the grim-faced Old Madam Huang.
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