Hearing those words, the scar-faced man shuddered.

When he looked at Jian Xiu again, his eyes were filled with nothing but fear—so much so that he didn’t even dare to think too much.

He was terrified that the dagger in her hand would come down at any moment, and then he would truly be separated from his head.

“Heroine, let’s talk this through. We can discuss it. As long as you spare me, I’ll do whatever you say.”

“Oh? But I’ve been asking about my niece, Sister Fen, this whole time, and I didn’t see you doing anything. What? You haven’t seen blood yet? So…”

“Yes, yes! Fenjie, Fenjie! What are you all standing around for? Go and bring her here now!”

Before Jian Xiu could even finish speaking, the scar-faced man hastily ordered the three lackeys nearby.

No one knew that when Jian Xiu heard those words, she also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She had guessed that Sister Fen was probably safe, but without the scar-faced man’s confirmation, she couldn’t be sure.

Her heart had been in turmoil, going up and down with uncertainty.

But from the way he spoke, it was clear that Sister Fen was at least safe for now.

Not only Jian Xiu but also Jian Ming and Qian Hongmei relaxed after hearing his words.

“What? You don’t think this settles things, do you?” Jian Xiu asked again.

As she spoke, she lifted the dagger in her hand slightly.

One had to admit, this dagger was quite impressive—it gleamed brightly, sharp enough to reflect directly into the scar-faced man’s eyes.

Judging from his cowardly expression, he was already scared out of his mind.

“Heroine, heroine, let’s talk. Whatever you say, I will…”

“Jie Jie’er, bring a chair for your aunt. I need to settle some accounts.” Jian Xiu cut him off and called to Jie Jie’er beside her.

“Okay, okay, Aunt, wait a moment!”

But after searching the house, Jie Jie’er came back empty-handed.

Seeing this, Jian Xiu raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s wrong? Your family doesn’t have a chair?”

“Aunt, all the chairs at home were smashed. They’re broken and can’t be used anymore.”

“Oh, I see? What a dilemma!” Jian Xiu sighed, looking troubled.

At this point, if the scar-faced man still didn’t understand, then he truly deserved to be beaten.

“Heroine, don’t worry! I’ll compensate! I’ll have someone buy a few new ones right away.”

“You? You think this is just about chairs? Look at this mess in the house—do you think a few chairs will make up for it?”

“Heroine, just tell me what you want! Whatever you say, I will do it, no matter what.”

“Hmm, very good,” Jian Xiu said lightly.

By now, she had calmed down a little.

She had nearly made a grave mistake—if she had actually killed the scar-faced man, that would have been a life on her hands.

With no connections in this place, she had no idea what kind of trouble she might face.

Thinking it through, she decided she needed a different approach—one that would allow her to enjoy herself without even needing to lift a finger.

That kind of revenge was the most satisfying.

Of course, if he didn’t cooperate, she could still beat him into submission.

“Heroine, about that dagger…”

Hearing that, Jian Xiu chuckled coldly. She acted as if she was easygoing and put the dagger away.

Then she slowly said, “I heard from my sister-in-law that you come to collect interest every so often?”

The scar-faced man: “…”

He thought he finally understood what this woman wanted to settle accounts over.

So he quickly bowed his head and said respectfully, “Heroine, this is all a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! We would never do such a thing. It’s all just a misunderstanding.”

“Oh? If it’s a misunderstanding, then how did you have the nerve to take all that silver from my brother’s family?”

The scar-faced man: “…”

That was interest, okay?!

But seeing Jian Xiu’s half-smiling, unreadable expression, he swallowed his words.

“What? Did I say something wrong?” Jian Xiu pressed before he could answer.

From what she knew, her elder brother had only borrowed twelve taels of silver.

Yet over the years, this scar-faced man had returned time and again to collect interest.

Even if it were a high-interest loan, this was outrageous.

Not to mention, they raised the interest whenever they pleased—just like today, suddenly increasing it several times over.

A person like this, Jian Xiu would not let off so easily.

“No, no! The heroine is absolutely right!”

“Since I’m right, then good. Today, we’re going to properly settle this account.”

“Settle… settle accounts? Settle… what accounts?” The scar-faced man stammered.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he might have spoken too much and feared another stab.

So he quickly corrected himself:

“Oh, right, right! After collecting interest for so many years, those twelve taels should be considered fully repaid. No need to pay anymore, no need at all.”

“Considered? Considered fully repaid? Hmm… from your tone, it sounds like you’re not very willing.” Jian Xiu asked casually.

As soon as she said that, the scar-faced man shivered and blurted out without thinking:

“I’m willing! I’m willing! Their debt should have been paid off long ago. No, no—it was paid off long ago! Yes, yes, completely repaid!”

“Since it’s repaid, then where’s the IOU? The silver is fully repaid, yet you’re still holding onto the debt slip? You get to take all the benefits? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“The IOU? Oh, right, right! The IOU!”

As he spoke, the scar-faced man no longer cared about the pain in his arm.

He quickly reached into his coat, pulled out the debt slip, and cautiously glanced at Jian Xiu.

Seeing that she hadn’t raised her dagger again, he sighed in relief and carefully handed the IOU over to her.

Then he just stared at Jian Xiu with wide eyes, hoping she would finally spare him.