“Mother, sometimes I wonder if I'm even your biological daughter. What kind of parents willingly pimp out their own daughter? I was an innocent, respectable maiden!”
Yun Dagang replied dismissively:
“Innocent maidens are precisely what fetch a high price! That first night alone brought in two hundred taels of silver for us. Think about it—how long would it take our whole family to earn that much otherwise? It’s only because you were from an upright family and a virgin that they valued you so highly.
“Just accept your fate. You should count your blessings that I didn't sell you off entirely. I raised you all these years; now is your time to repay the family.”
Yun Xiu'er’s expression remained unchanged as her gaze shifted toward Yun Da, Yun Er, and Yun San.
“Brothers, what about you? Did you enjoy spending the money earned from selling your younger sister’s body?”
Yun Da’s face turned an ugly mix of green and pale.
“Why bring this up with me? Father made the call! Don't you dare use that sarcastic tone here. You’re already tainted now anyway—no man would ever want to marry you. If you don't behave, I have plenty of ways to put you in your place.”
Yun Er chimed in, “Exactly. You're nothing more than a ruined flower and a broken willow now. Aside from depending on us, do you have any other choice?”
Yun Xiu'er looked at the Yun family members. The entire family was truly rotten to the core. Trapped in their hands, Yun Yanxi had no hope of escape—they would only suck her dry down to the marrow.
Yun Xiu'er let out a soft sigh, her voice laced with chilling frost.
“Yun Yanxi had a kind heart. Even at the very end, she wished to spare you. If you had just shown a shred of sincere remorse, I would have spared your lives.
“But you are rotten through and through, from top to bottom. So this sumptuous feast tonight will be your last.”
Her words drew a contemptuous sneer from Yun Dagang.
“Wretched wench, don't try to spook me with these ghost tricks! You think your old man was born yesterday? Tomorrow, wash yourself clean and attend to the guests properly, or I’ll beat you black and blue!”
“Is that so? Then feel free to try right now,” a sinister, eerie voice whispered right in his ear.
Yun Dagang suddenly found himself unable to move his body at will. To his horror, he noticed that a knife had appeared on the table out of nowhere.
His hand gripped the blade tightly. Helpless, he could only watch as his own feet carried him, step by step, toward his three sons.
Yun Dagang gasped for breath, his eyes widening like bronze bells, brimming with sheer despair and terror.
He realized he could not make the slightest sound. As he drew closer and closer to his three sons, he screamed desperately in his mind: No! No! Run, sons! Run!
Seeming to sense his father’s intent, Yun Da leapt to his feet and bolted toward the door. He shook the door with all his might, but no matter how violently he yanked and kicked, it remained completely unyielding.
Cold sweat trickled down Yun Da’s temples, dripping down his neck with an icy, piercing chill. His fingernails tore against the wood, faint traces of blood oozing from the sheer force.
He could only watch as his father walked up to his two younger brothers, who were still completely oblivious to what was happening. One slash, two slashes—in moments, the pair collapsed to the floor, eyes wide and staring, dying with grievances unresolved.
“Ah! Help!” The woman, her three daughters-in-law, and the young concubine huddled in terror against the door, frantically hammering on it, dread flooding over them like a tidal wave.
All color drained from their faces; their haughty arrogance from moments ago seemed like nothing more than a distant dream. Their lips trembled, their teeth chattering uncontrollably.
“Help! Murder! Someone save us!”
Seeing Yun Dagang approach like a marionette on strings, Yun Da let out a crazed roar, pushed past the brink by terror:
“Stop screaming! No one can hear us outside! Kill that wretched wench, and everything will go back to normal!”
Yun Xiu'er wore a look of pure malice, the curving smile at the corners of her lips rendering her all the more terrifying. She tilted her head, feigning astonishment.
“My, you actually figured it out. Too bad there's no reward. I was going to toy with you a bit longer, but now... all of you can just go die.”
Yun Da felt as though time itself had ground to a halt. He felt something constricting his throat, choking the breath from his lungs.
In the dim light filtering from outside, a cold flash gleamed across his vision. The next second, he collapsed in a pool of blood. His mouth opened wide, copious blood gushing forth. He was dying? No, he didn't want to die! He hadn't lived enough...
A breath later, the door swung open. Yun Xiu'er stepped outside, and the door clicked shut behind her without a gust of wind. She tilted her head back and took a deep breath. Ah, the night sky was extraordinarily clear.
...
At the third watch, Gu Qingyun and Bai Fan continued their patrol. She intentionally took a winding route before finally arriving at Bamboo Leaf Alley. Just as they reached the front of the Yun family residence, Gu Qingyun’s eyes flickered. She looked toward the courtyard.
“Bai Fan, do you smell anything?”
Bai Fan wrinkled his nose and sniffed, then shook his head.
“Sister Yun, I don't smell a thing. How about we have Lord Cat take a look?”
Gu Qingyun put on a look of sudden realization.
“Good thing you reminded me, I almost forgot.”
She scratched the Xuan cat under its chin.
“Little Black, go inside and take a look. If something’s wrong in there, meow three times. If not, meow twice.”
【Meow】
Strutting with feline grace, Little Black leaped and scaled the wall in an instant, quickly vanishing into the darkness.
Gu Qingyun pointed at the residence.
“Do you know who owns this house?”
“Of course I do. The Yun family lives here. You rarely see them around. Word has it they got into some kind of business, and in just two short years, their wealth multiplied several times over.
“They used to earn just enough to scrape by, but now they not only have carriages, but several storefronts as well. The head of the household is practically dripping with grease from eating so well.”
Bai Fan sounded increasingly envious as he spoke.
“I’d really love to know how they make their silver. Maybe I could have my family try it too.”
Gu Qingyun glanced at him. You fool. Once you find out how they earned it, your entire worldview will shatter. Just as she was about to speak, Little Black appeared atop the wall and let out sharp, urgent cries—exactly three times. Gu Qingyun’s expression turned solemn, her voice dropping:
“Little Black meowed three times. Something happened inside. Let's go in and check.”
They knocked several times, but no one answered. Gu Qingyun and Bai Fan had no choice but to scale the wall like cat burglars, slipping into the main courtyard without resistance.
Before they even stepped into the main house, a heavy, suffocating stench of blood rushed at them. Gu Qingyun pushed open the door with an impassive face. What greeted her eyes were more than a dozen corpses strewn haphazardly across the floor—men, women, and even two young boys.
Bai Fan, poking his head in behind her, blanched instantly. He clapped a hand over his mouth and stumbled back out of the room, running to the side to vomit violently.
“Hurk... Sister Yun, this is too terrifying! What kind of grudge was this? The whole family was slaughtered—they didn't even spare the children!”
For a fleeting moment, Gu Qingyun didn't know whether she had done the right thing.
Taking a deep breath, she fired a signal arrow into the sky. Head Constable Liu, sleeping soundly in his courtyard, snapped his eyes open at the sound of the whistling arrow. He threw on his clothes while swearing up a storm:
“Dammit all! Can't even get a decent night's sleep. I'd like to see which greenhorn fired that signal arrow—there’d better be an actual emergency!”
He strapped on his saber, took the reins from the groom, and spurred his horse toward the direction of the signal arrow.
When he arrived at the scene, the Fast Constables stationed nearby had already arrived. Tossing the reins haphazardly to a constable, he strode inside.
“What happened here that required a signal arrow?”
Wang Hu and several others, freshly returned from leave, looked grim. It was their first day back on duty after nursing their injuries, and an incident of this magnitude had already landed on their heads.
He leaned in close to Head Constable Liu’s ear.
“Head Constable, there are dead bodies. Aside from a mentally impaired young woman, not a single soul survived.”
Head Constable Liu stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing deeply.
“What do you mean? Even the children...?”
Wang Hu nodded grimly.
“Yes. All of them are gone.”
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