Xianglan said urgently, "I swear I'm not lying. Just untie the ropes on my wrists, and I'll give it to you. My feet are still bound—where could I possibly run?"
Chunyan thought to herself, "Fifty taels is no small sum. Most of the silver I earn goes to that old hag. If she really has fifty taels, I might as well take it and save for my future." Aloud, she said, "If you're lying to me, you'll regret it." With that, she untied Xianglan.
Xianglan breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed her wrists, and indeed pulled out a fifty-tael banknote from her inner garment, stuffing it into Chunyan's hand. While Chunyan was gleefully examining the note, Xianglan cautiously shifted to get off the bed.
Humming a tune, Chunyan tucked the banknote into her bosom. Seeing Xianglan's pitiful state reminded her of her own first days in the brothel, and she sighed. She took off her shoes and handed them to Xianglan, saying, "I'm in a good mood today—might as well do a good deed. Take these shoes. I just checked, and the backyard isn't locked. If you were kidnapped, you should escape."
Xianglan was taken aback and asked, "Why don't you leave too?"
Chunyan sneered, "Where would I go? Better to earn more silver while I'm young. If I'm lucky, I can buy my freedom later, become a concubine in a wealthy family, or even open a brothel like Mama and save some private funds." She pricked up her ears to listen for any movement outside, then cautiously pushed the door ajar. Hearing the sudden silence outside, she remarked, "That ogress must have left. Strange—it was so lively just moments ago." She then stepped out.
Xianglan wanted to leave too, but her legs were numb and sore from being bound, making it impossible to walk. Meanwhile, Qian Wenze had gotten drunk. Earlier, the fierce woman had demanded that the madam hand over Chunyan. Having once been close to Chunyan, Qian Wenze couldn't bear to see her suffer and came to the back to warn her.
Hearing that Chunyan had run into Honggu's room, Qian Wenze pushed the door open. Through drunken eyes, he saw a disheveled but strikingly beautiful girl standing by the kang—the very maiden he had encountered once before. He stared in astonishment.
Xianglan was terrified, her limbs turning cold instantly. Before she could comprehend the situation, Qian Wenze rushed forward, exclaiming, "Dear girl, am I dreaming? How did you get here!" He grabbed her, trying to kiss her and tear off her clothes.
Horrified, Xianglan struggled desperately. Seeing his lust-filled face, she panicked, scratching, kicking, and finally biting his neck. Qian Wenze, consumed by desire, howled in pain. He yanked her hair and slapped her, snarling, "You bitch! You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!" He pinned her down on the kang, intent on assaulting her.
At that moment, Du Bin kicked the door open. Stunned by the scene, he strode forward, seized Qian Wenze, and hauled him up. With two swift thrusts of his sword, Qian Wenze collapsed motionless in a pool of blood.
Xianglan was petrified, trembling uncontrollably as tears streamed down her face. Du Bin noticed her nearly torn clothes, revealing a pale blue undergarment. His throat tightened, and he reached out to pull her up. Xianglan screamed in terror. Frowning, Du Bin slapped her and snapped, "Stop shrieking! Keep it up, and I'll kill you too!"Xianglan fell silent in terror, forcing herself to calm down. Du Bin seized her and groped her chest first, feeling a soft, mesmerizing touch that made him inwardly curse the inconvenient location. He bent down to find a rope to bind and take her away.
Xianglan’s eyes darted around, spotting a porcelain pillow with an animal head design on the kang. Gritting her teeth, she resolved, "This time, I’d rather shatter jade and stone together than fall into the villain’s hands again." With that thought, she snatched the pillow and smashed it fiercely onto Du Bin’s head, hitting his forehead squarely. He cried out in pain, instinctively releasing his grip. Clutching the pillow, Xianglan scrambled off the kang, trembling and stumbling.
Furious, Du Bin touched his forehead and found his hand covered in blood. Holding his head with one hand, he reached for Xianglan with the other. She couldn’t dodge in time, and he grabbed her hair, dragging her back. Just then, a commotion louder than before erupted outside, followed by thunderous footsteps. The door burst open with a crash as someone shouted, "Hey, hey! Search carefully for me, young master! Don’t let anyone escape—round them all up!"
The intruder gaped in shock at the scene inside, especially the person lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Being one who "never minded stirring up trouble," he recovered quickly, stepping back while egging others on loudly: "Found them! Found them! Hurry, everyone! Brother! Brother! Someone’s bullying Xianglan, hey!"
As he retreated outside, he bumped into Madame Zhou, who had just found Chunyan and was brawling with her in the next room. The tigress, assuming Lin Jinting was there to protect Chunyan, flared up and scratched him, ordering, "Beat him up!" Lin Jinting, who had never suffered such humiliation, yelped and felt his neck—already scraped raw, stinging fiercely. Seeing someone actually advancing to attack him, he flew into a rage, hopping mad and yelling, "You bitch! How dare you strike your ancestor! Men, beat them up!" Rolling up his sleeves, he charged into the fray himself.
Meanwhile, the brothel’s patrons emerged to watch the spectacle, some laughing, others gossiping, and a few itching to join the fight, all buzzing with excitement.
The courtyard descended into chaos.
Back in the room, after Lin Jinting’s outburst and retreat, Du Bin knocked the pillow from Xianglan’s hand. Through tear-blurred eyes, she saw a crowd surge into the room, surrounding Lin Jinlou at the center. His gaze was cold, like two venomous arrows, his expression stern and composed, his face rigid as an eternally frozen mountain.
Xianglan couldn’t tell if she felt rescued or inexplicably disappointed. She feared Du Bin, but she also feared Lin Jinlou—now his eyes blazed with malice, even more terrifying than when he had tried to strangle her last time.
Du Bin was dumbstruck, his mind ringing but clinging to a sliver of clarity. He tried to use Xianglan as a hostage and reached for the sword on the kang. At that moment, Lin Jinlou suddenly sprang into action, darting forward and roaring, "Your life ends here!" He threw a punch, and with a "crack," Du Bin’s facial bones shattered.
Terrified, Xianglan curled into a ball in the corner.Du Bin had some skill himself, raising his arm to block, but Lin Jinlou was already enraged. He grabbed that arm and forcefully twisted it, snapping the limb at the joint. Du Bin let out a piercing scream from the agony.
Lin Jinlou’s expression remained calm, but he was utterly infuriated, so much so that his head spun for a moment. He never expected to find Xianglan in such a state—her clothes nearly torn to shreds, her hair disheveled, and several large, swollen handprints marring her jade-like face. Just imagining what had nearly happened made Lin Jinlou’s fury boil over, his temples throbbing with rage. He ordered his subordinates, "All of you, get out! Guard the door tightly!" With that, he began throwing punches. Trained by several renowned masters, his fists were as hard as iron, and fueled by his blazing anger, he struck wherever he could. Du Bin initially tried to resist, but having already been dazed by Xianglan’s blow with a pillow, he was disoriented. After three punches from Lin Jinlou, Du Bin’s face was covered in blood, and he fell unconscious without a sound.
Xianglan was utterly terrified. Lin Jinlou’s punches were swift and brutal, his expression venomous. With each strike, the crisp sound of cracking bones echoed, yet he deliberately left Du Bin barely alive, ensuring he would suffer to death in agony.
Just then, Lin Jinting called out from outside the door, "Brother, had enough? Let me brew you a cup of tea to soothe your throat before you continue?"
Lin Jinlou finally stopped, straightening up impatiently and resuming the composed, elegant demeanor of the Lin family’s young master. He asked Xianglan, "Was it this scoundrel who did this to you? And what’s the story with the one lying on the ground?"
Xianglan trembled all over, tears streaming down her face as she remained speechless, like a helpless mouse pinned under a cat’s paw—a truly pitiable sight.
This only fueled Lin Jinlou’s anger further. He hauled Xianglan up and snapped, "You ran away! You brought this upon yourself—you deserved every bit of this suffering!"
Xianglan wiped her tears pitifully, sobbing uncontrollably.
A leisurely voice then sounded at the door, "Enough. Since you’ve found her, calm down and take her away quickly." The voice was unfamiliar, its owner unknown.
Lin Jinlou took a deep breath, suppressing the rage simmering within him. As he released his grip, Xianglan collapsed to the floor again. He scoffed, "Look at you—such nerve, thinking you could run off on your own!" Xianglan, fearing he might strike her, kept her head bowed, not daring to make a sound. Lin Jinlou then removed the crane-feather cloak he was wearing, lifted Xianglan once more, and wrapped her from head to toe, bundling her up completely. Bending down, he hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her out.
The courtyard was in chaos. With powerful strides, Lin Jinlou carried Xianglan outside, where a carriage had been brought by someone. He tossed her into the carriage and yanked the curtain shut. The same person strolled over and asked, "So, Yingyang, you’ve found your cousin?" Yingyang was Lin Jinlou’s courtesy name.
"Found her. I’ll take my leave now. Please handle the aftermath."
"Rest assured, I will."
Lin Jinlou exhaled deeply, his anger still simmering. The man chuckled and added, "Yingyang, aren’t you usually quite the charmer? Stop scolding her and try coaxing her a bit more."Lin Jinlou gritted his teeth and said, "What a damn curse, she's the one who always causes trouble, and now she's even more cunning!" His tone softened slightly as he continued, "Thanks to you for handling this matter. I'll repay you later."
The man laughed and said, "We're about to become relatives by marriage, no need for formalities between family." It turned out this person was none other than Marquis Yongchang, Yuan Shaoren.
Lin Jinlou said, "Come over to my place tomorrow, I'll have that wretched girl personally serve you a drink." He bent down and boarded the carriage.
Xianglan had already struggled to sit up, shrinking in the corner like a frightened little rabbit. Lin Jinlou didn't even glance at her, his face ashen with anger.
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