Shen Qingwan watched the live scene for a long time, growing impatient.

“Get down! This mule cart is mine,” she said.

Under the dim moonlight, the group could only make out the silhouette of a slender young woman, but her face was unclear.

“Oh ho, another little lady delivers herself to us! Looks like we’re in for a good night,” one of the men sneered.

Shen Qingwan had no patience for nonsense.

She rushed forward and kicked the leader, sending him flying.

The others, seeing their boss attacked, immediately charged at her.

The dagger in her hand gleamed coldly under the moonlight. With a few swift movements, she severed an arm from each of them.

“Aah! My hand!”

“It hurts! My arm!”

“Please, have mercy, warrior! We won’t dare again!”

Seeing her ruthless methods, the men dropped to their knees, begging for mercy.

Shen Qingwan scoffed coldly. “You dared to steal my mule cart. Consider losing an arm as your punishment.”

With that, she drove the mule cart away.

She hadn’t killed them on purpose—she wanted them to properly “entertain” Lu Wenzhi and his wife. Killing them outright would have been too easy.

Whatever happened to them next was no longer her concern.

As soon as Shen Qingwan left, the wounded men struggled to their feet, glaring at their severed arms and the two children who had woken up and were crying loudly in terror.

“It’s all because of those two wretches! They stole the mule cart and made us lose our arms!”

The leader, filled with fury, kicked one of the crying children. “Shut up!”

Lu Mingxuan and Lu Minghao, already sobbing, were knocked to the ground and struggled to recover.

Lu Wenzhi, hearing his sons’ cries, groggily woke up. “Xuanxuan? Haohao?”

Under the moonlight, he saw his children lying on the ground and quickly crawled over to embrace them. Only then did he notice his wife, Li Qiujun, lying nearby, barely clothed.

Just one look at her condition, and Lu Wenzhi understood what had happened.

His body trembled as he turned to the fierce-looking men.

“Brothers, please… have mercy. I beg you, let us go!”

Terrified, he immediately knelt and pleaded, but the leader approached and slapped him twice across the face.

Despite only having one hand left, the man’s strength was immense, and Lu Wenzhi’s face swelled instantly.

He didn’t dare resist.

“Let you go? Because of you, I lost an arm, and you expect mercy?”

The man spat at him and sneered. “Fine. If you want me to let you go, kill your two sons. Do that, and I might spare your life. Otherwise, I’ll carve you up piece by piece.”

The man ran the tip of his dagger across Lu Wenzhi’s face, making him shiver uncontrollably.

Lu Mingxuan and Lu Minghao sobbed in fear.

“Daddy…!”

“No! Please, spare us! I have money! I’ll give you all my money… I…” Lu Wenzhi fumbled for his money pouch, only to realize it had been left in the mule cart. He had nothing.

The leader, seeing his desperation, raised his blade, ready to slice his flesh. Panicked, Lu Wenzhi screamed,

“No! I’ll do it! I’ll kill them! Just spare me!”

Tears and snot ran down his face as he sobbed.

The leader smirked and tossed a dagger at his feet.

Lu Wenzhi picked up the blade, his hands trembling violently.

He gritted his teeth and hesitated for only a moment before plunging it toward Lu Mingxuan.

The boy’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he saw his own father stabbing him.

Blood splattered across Lu Wenzhi’s face.

Without hesitation, he turned and stabbed his younger son.

His mind held only one thought—survival.

He had to live. As long as he lived, he could always have more children later.

Li Qiujun, who had just regained consciousness, opened her eyes to see Lu Wenzhi stabbing their children.

She screamed in horror.

“Ah! Lu Wenzhi, you madman! They are your own flesh and blood!”

Ignoring the pain in her body, she lunged forward to stop him, but the leader grabbed her roughly.

“Little beauty, you’re not going anywhere. I was going to let you all go, but since you insist on making things interesting…”

He turned back to Lu Wenzhi. “What are you waiting for? If you don’t finish the job, don’t blame me for taking back my offer.”

Lu Wenzhi’s hands trembled, his face contorted in agony.

Finally, he made his decision.

His blade fell.

Blood sprayed.

Li Qiujun wailed in despair.

The leader snatched the knife from Lu Wenzhi and yanked his hair back. “Hold her down,” he ordered.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, Lu Wenzhi obeyed without resistance. He only wanted to live.

Li Qiujun struggled desperately, but when she saw the men removing their clothes, she knew exactly what was about to happen.

Right in front of her husband, she was violated repeatedly. Worse yet, it was Lu Wenzhi himself who held her down.

For the first time since marrying him, Li Qiujun felt regret.

She regretted her greed.

She regretted stealing her sister-in-law’s mule cart and running away with this dog of a man.

If they hadn’t fled, none of this would have happened.

If they hadn’t fled, she never would have realized the kind of monster she had married.

A man who killed his own sons to save himself.

A man who pinned his wife down to let others defile her.

He wasn’t just a coward—he was worse than an animal.

Whether out of sadistic pleasure or frustration, the men continued their assault for the entire night.

Li Qiujun’s screams filled the darkness until her voice gave out completely.

Lu Wenzhi remained kneeling, holding her down, until he realized her body had gone cold.

She was dead.

The men cursed in annoyance before dressing themselves.

As for Lu Wenzhi, killing him outright would be too merciful.

They weren’t good men, but even they thought he was worse than scum.

Before leaving, the leader chopped off Lu Wenzhi’s remaining hand and one of his legs.

He also slashed his face beyond recognition and cut out his tongue.

Only then did they feel satisfied.

They wanted him to live. They wanted him to suffer.

Lu Wenzhi, missing limbs and unable to walk, could only crawl forward, dragging himself along the dirt, inch by inch.

He headed back in the direction he had come from.

He had to find his parents.

He had to tell them he was sorry.

He would never try to run away again.