That night, while other parts of the village were quiet, the ancestral hall was brightly lit.

In the courtyard, a redwood chair was placed, and the second master sat majestically on it.

More than twenty men from the western village stood in a formation on both sides of the chair, exuding a formidable aura.

In his early forties, the second master had a short beard.

His slightly thin figure and prominent cheekbones gave him a hawk-like appearance.

Standing in front of the second master was his adopted son, Wu Xiao, who stood nine feet tall.

He had a square face, broad shoulders, and a muscular body, but at the moment, he was clutching his chest with one hand.

His clothes were torn, with bloodstains visible where the whip had struck, and there were still fresh bloodstains at the corners of his mouth.

Lin Zhao and several other men from the eastern village stood facing them, with Lin Zhao crossing her arms, looking indignant.

As soon as Lin Yao entered the ancestral hall, this was the scene he saw.

The men from the eastern village brought out a tiger-skin armchair and placed it in the courtyard.

After Lin Yao sat down on it, someone immediately brought him a cup of hot tea.

Seeing Lin Yao’s posture, Lin Zhao involuntarily straightened her back a bit.

Lin Yao brought more than twenty men with him, plus the seven or eight men who had returned with Lin Zhao from their uproar in the western village.

With nearly thirty men on their side, their momentum was not inferior to that of the second master.

On the other side, the second master also had one of the men from the eastern village bring tea, but he waved his hand to dismiss the man.

He looked at Lin Yao with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and said, “The master of the village has quite a grand setup.”

Lin Yao smiled politely and replied, “Compared to Second Uncle, I’m still a bit lacking. Second Uncle comes to visit late at night, I wonder what he’s here to discuss?”

The second master glanced at Wu Xiao beside him and said, “Xiao’er.”

Wu Xiao directly took off his torn outer robe, revealing his muscular upper body. Without the robe covering him, the whip marks on his body looked even more striking under the torchlight.

He said in a rough voice, “Tonight, after drinking with the master at the banquet, I drank a few more cups.

When I returned to the western village, I was asleep when Miss kicked open my door and beat me with a whip.

I, Wu Xiao, have been in the Qiyun Village for five years, without merit, but with hard work.

Miss unjustly accused me of harming her benefactor, I am truly wronged.”

Lin Yao’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Coincidentally, I also have a few witnesses here that Second Uncle and Brother Wu need to explain.”

He signaled to the men behind him, and several men from the western village brought forward the three dead men.

The men from the western village were shocked to see these familiar faces.

One of them had his head chopped off, with only a layer of skin connecting it to his neck.

Even these thieves who were used to committing crimes couldn’t help but feel scared at the sight.

The person who did this was too ruthless.

Lin Yao leaned on the armrest of the armchair, and besides the gangster aura, his bandit-like demeanor became even more pronounced.

With a hint of implication, he said, “Late at night, Brother Wu’s men didn’t return to the western village to rest, but instead, they carried knives and went to my eastern village to rob and kill guests. Brother Wu, do you still feel wronged?”

Wu Xiao’s face changed, and he quickly looked at Second Master, saying, “I truly didn’t know about this. I drank too much at the celebration, and it was Xu Laoliu and the others who escorted me back.

If Father and the Master don’t believe me, you can summon Xu Laoliu to confront me!”

Interestingly, he mentioned Second Master first, then Lin Yao.

Lin Zhao coldly sneered and turned her head away.

Second Master, who had been grim-faced since seeing the three corpses, only now fiercely slapped Wu Xiao and angrily said, “Is this how you manage the people under you?”

Wu Xiao’s head turned from the force of the slap, his mouth bleeding, but he didn’t dare to complain, standing beside Second Master with his head bowed.

Only then did Second Master turn to Lin Yao and said, “My son indeed failed to manage his subordinates properly. But Master, can you spare him for my sake? I have no other heirs, and I still hope he can take care of me in my old age.”

Lin Yao smiled and replied, “Uncle is exaggerating. He came here at night to seek justice, and justice has been served.”

Listening to this, Second Master’s gaze turned slightly dark, but he didn’t show it on his face.

He kicked Wu Xiao’s leg, causing him, a tall and sturdy man, to kneel down.

Second Master scolded him, “You worthless thing! You’ve disgraced me so much. Hurry up and apologize to the Master and the Young Lady!”

Wu Xiao knelt on the ground, hiding the murderous intent on his face, and said to Lin Yao and Lin Zhao, “Wu Xiao apologizes to the Master and the Young Lady, please punish me.”

Lin Yao remained silent, but Lin Zhao couldn’t stand their pretense. She shook the whip at her waist and sneered, “Fine!”

She was about to act but was stopped by Lin Yao, who said, “Azhao, don’t act recklessly.”

Lin Zhao snorted and finally refrained from acting.

Second Master shouted, “Bring me the whip!”

Someone quickly brought a horsewhip.

Second Master took off his wool coat, revealing his bare arms, and stood up, then fiercely whipped Wu Xiao’s bare back.

Blood splattered on the stone floor, and Wu Xiao shuddered but remained silent, gritting his teeth.

“If a child is not taught, it’s the father’s fault. Today, I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of the Master and the Young Lady!”

Second Master lashed him with the whip more than ten times, leaving Wu Xiao’s back torn and bloody.

Lin Yao then casually said, “Enough, Uncle, it’s not a big deal.”

He was deliberately indifferent.

Second Master was itching with anger but still had to say, “I’ll go back and continue punishing this unworthy son. Another day, I’ll have him apologize properly at the guests’ residence.”

Lin Yao’s tone was indifferent, suggesting he was just going through the motions.

“There’s no need for further punishment. Let him apologize properly when Wu brother’s wounds have healed a bit.”

Wu Xiao knelt on the ground, his face pale, and the faint smell of blood emanated from his cracked back teeth.

Having already broken three ribs from Lin Zhao’s beating earlier, and now enduring Second Master’s brutal whipping, he couldn’t even stand up on his own when he rose.

Two men from the Western stronghold had to support him as he walked.

Second Master and his group came with great momentum but returned with several corpses in defeat.

After the people from the Western stronghold had left, Lin Zhao’s tense face finally relaxed into a somewhat satisfied smile.

“Brother, you’re really something! Watching that bastard Wu Xiao get thrashed by Second Master is so satisfying!”

Lin Yao gave her a stern look. “How many times do I have to tell you? Which young lady talks like you, with such foul language?”

Lin Zhao chuckled. “I can’t help it when I’m upset!”

Then she remembered something and asked, “I remember Sister Zheng said there was one survivor. How come everyone’s dead?”

Lin Yao’s eyes turned cold. “If Elder He knew about Wu Xiao’s plan, he’d be even more eager to kill him than us. How could they continue their dog-eat-dog game then?”

Lin Zhao’s resentment vanished completely at this.

With Wu Xiao’s vindictive nature, he would surely hold a grudge against Second Master after tonight’s whipping.

The more they fought amongst themselves, the happier Lin Zhao felt.

She put away her whip and turned to leave. “I have to tell Sister Zheng this good news!”

Lin Yao sighed and stopped her. “It’s late. Go back to your room and sleep. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

After a pause, he added, “Don’t be disrespectful in front of Lady Cheng.”

Lin Zhao glared at Lin Yao unhappily. “What disrespect? Sister Zheng and I have a good relationship!”

As Lin Zhao walked away, Lin Yao turned to Wang Biao and said, “There’s no need to be wary of Mister and Mistress Cheng in the stronghold from now on.”

Wang Biao’s eyes lit up. “Brother, did you recruit that pretty boy?”

Lin Yao’s eyelid twitched. “They are important guests. Show them respect in the future.”

Wang Biao scratched his head, looking puzzled.

He had been planning to spar with that pretty boy once he recovered from his injuries, but now that Lin Yao had said this, could he still challenge him?

---

Every household in the stronghold kept a rooster for dawn announcements.

As the sky brightened, the entire hill resounded with the crowing of roosters.

Qin Zheng, still half-asleep, opened her eyes to find the room dimly lit only through the cracks in the door and windows.

It was still early, and she turned over intending to go back to sleep, but she realized her head seemed to be against something.

It was hard yet somewhat soft, like a warm wall.

Qin Zheng raised her hand to feel it, and through her clothes, she touched a sturdy waist.

Startled, she woke up instantly.

Sitting halfway up, Qin Zheng realized she was almost lying sideways.

Her head had been resting on Prince’s back, and she had wrapped the entire bedsheet around them both like a cocoon. Prince… was almost pushed to the edge of the bed.

He was lying on his side, facing away from her, wearing only an outer robe. In the chilly morning light, his back looked particularly thin.

Besides feeling guilty, Qin Zheng also felt a deep sense of wrongdoing.

She knew she wasn’t the most well-behaved sleeper.

She’d fallen off a two-meter bed on her own before.

But now, with the Prince being a patient, not only did she steal the covers from him, but she also nearly pushed him under the bed.

She didn’t know if she had touched his wound during the night. If he caught a cold from not being covered all night, she’d feel even guiltier.

Qin Zheng got up cautiously, gently pushing Prince to lie down more comfortably.

She was afraid he would wake up.

After all, her sleeping position last night probably made him want to strangle her.

Thankfully, the Prince’s breathing remained steady throughout the night.

He must have been too tired to be disturbed by her slight movements.

Qin Zheng covered him with the blanket and adjusted it before sneaking out of the room.

As soon as the door closed, the Prince opened his eyes. He was always a light sleeper.

When Qin Zheng reached out to touch his waist, he was already awake.

The area from his lower back to his spine still felt numb, and the Prince’s expression was hard to read.

Qin Zheng had somehow ended up sleeping sideways during the night.

At first, her head was against his neck.

He adjusted her, but she didn’t stay put and ended up sideways again.

After several attempts, the Prince gave up.

Qin Zheng had been sleeping with her head against his back all night.

Since she was lying sideways, her feet couldn’t stretch out properly, so she kept nudging him with her head, trying to push him off the bed.

He couldn’t believe he slept through all of that.

---

Qin Zheng rubbed her face in self-reproach as she left the room, contemplating sleeping on the floor tonight.

Aunt Lu in the neighboring room must have heard her opening the door and soon got up as well.

Qin Zheng was feeding some chickens tied up in the corner with a few vegetable leaves she found in the kitchen when Aunt Lu suggested, “These chickens can be kept in a cage for now. I’ll bring some buckwheat and millet later for them.”

Qin Zheng smiled sheepishly. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Aunt Lu had lived for so many years and had never seen anyone like Qin Zheng.

She was kind and friendly, which Aunt Lu appreciated. “No need to thank me. Lady, you can treat this place as your own home.”

Aunt Lu rolled up her sleeves and started cooking in the kitchen, and Qin Zheng followed to help.

Breakfast was vegetable and minced meat porridge, and Aunt Lu also boiled some eggs.

When Qin Zheng went to call the Prince for breakfast, she couldn’t help feeling guilty and avoided looking at him.

The Prince didn’t mention last night’s incident either.

After breakfast, Lin Zhao arrived in a flurry, vividly recounting how Wu Xiao had been whipped by Second Master last night, clearly delighted.

However, her mood soured as she continued, “Although we haven’t completely fallen out with the Western stronghold, last night’s incident is almost as bad as breaking ties.”

Qin Zheng felt apologetic. “I’ve caused you and the Master trouble.”

Lin Zhao shook her head. “What trouble? My brother is currently building a bridge, and the people who know how to build it are from the Western stronghold.

We agreed earlier that they would help us build the bridge, and in return, my brother would give them a third of the cloth we seized.

But now, those Western stronghold guys are denying it.”

Lin Zhao seemed frustrated, but she quickly regained her composure. “I’ll go down the mountain later and capture a foreman who knows how to build bridges.

I don’t believe that without those Western stronghold people, we can’t build a bridge!”

The situation downhill was chaotic, and finding a skilled foreman wasn’t easy.

After some thought, Qin Zheng asked, “How far along is the bridge construction?”