After returning this time, Jiang Yuanxi clearly felt that both her older brother and father had become busier.

Even Jiang Yuancheng, who had always been carefree and lazy, was now working diligently.

With no one to play with, she had no choice but to look for her little snake.

“Heizi.” This was the new name Jiang Yuanxi gave to the black snake.

Jiang Yuanxi threw a piece of spinach from her bowl in front of the black snake.

“Eat the veggies.”

The black snake took a few steps back.

Jiang Yuanxi pushed the bowl closer to it.

“It’s delicious!” She widened her bright eyes and looked at it expectantly.

The black snake hesitated but, under Jiang Yuanxi’s hopeful gaze, slowly stretched its head towards the small bowl.

Three seconds later, the black snake lay on the stone platform, dry heaving.

So disgusting.

Absolutely awful.

She clearly didn’t want to eat it herself, so she gave it to him.

And he actually believed her.

Ugh!

Jiang Yuanxi let out a long sigh.

Then, while Chun Zhi wasn’t paying attention, she secretly transferred all the spinach from her bowl into the black snake’s bowl.

Then she turned around.

“Zhi Zhi, all done.”

She thought she had successfully hidden the evidence, but Chun Zhi was taller than her and saw everything at a glance.

Seeing the black snake’s miserable state, it was clear that the young miss had tricked it again and forced it to eat a lot of vegetables.

Chun Zhi took the bowls away.

Just then, Jiang Yuanyuan arrived.

“Second Brother!”

Jiang Yuanfan picked up his little sister and gave her a kiss.

“Yuanxi, Heizi is a carnivore. It doesn’t eat vegetables.”

Jiang Yuanxi refused to accept this. “It loves eating them. Look!”

Under Jiang Yuanxi’s threatening gaze, the black snake drooped its head and buried itself in the bowl, swallowing spinach in big mouthfuls.

Eating while gagging.

Jiang Yuanfan: “……”

Jiang Yuanxi knew that her second brother would leave again soon.

So, she grabbed onto his sleeve.

“Brother, take me with you!”

Thinking of the bloody scene inside the prison, Jiang Yuanyuan refused immediately.

“I’ll play with you tonight, okay?”

“Hmph.” Jiang Yuanxi refused and climbed down from him.

Just when Jiang Yuanyuan thought his sister had given up—

Jiang Yuanxi ran from afar, then slid forward on her knees in a perfect dramatic motion.

“Please, Third Brother!”

Jiang Yuanyuan was so shocked that he jumped up.

Realizing what had happened, he quickly grabbed Jiang Yuanxi by the collar and lifted her up.

His heart was still pounding.

Does she have wheels on her knees?!

How did she slide so far?!

He lifted up her pant legs and, seeing that her knees weren’t injured, finally felt relieved.

“Fine, I’ll take you.”

If he refused again, who knew what kind of trick she would pull next?

Jiang Yuanxi grinned and picked up the black snake, which had fainted from gagging, stuffing it into her sleeve.

..

Despite the brutal torture, Boss Mo still refused to confess.

However, his subordinates had already spilled quite a bit. But Jiang Fengyuan still felt that Boss Mo held some crucial information.

“General, the Third Young Master has brought the young miss.”

What?!

His daughter was here?!

The usually stern and imposing general suddenly became flustered.

“Quick, quick, quick! Find a clean set of clothes for him, clean him up! And this place—clean everything up!”

“What are those things on the wall? So dangerous! Take them down immediately!”

The soldiers stared wide-eyed.

What the hell?

This isn’t a playhouse.

This is a prison. If torture tools aren’t on the walls, then what should be?

“Why are you all standing there? Move!”

The prison instantly fell into chaos.

Meanwhile, outside, Jiang Yuanfan was holding Jiang Yuanxi, watching the scenery for an hour.

Jiang Yuanxi’s little face had turned red from the wind.

Feeling bad for her, Jiang Yuanfan cupped her face with his hands while grumbling about how slow their father was.

Finally, a soldier came over.

“The General invites the Third Young Master inside.”

Inside the prison, the floor was damp and smelled faintly of osmanthus.

The once blood-stained torture tools had been replaced with shiny swords.

Even Boss Mo himself had his hair neatly combed—though there was an unmistakable scent of pork fat coming from him.

Jiang Yuanfan stared in a daze.

“Wait… is this still the same prison I left this morning?”

【Huh? The conditions in this prison are so nice?!】

【There are flowers, snacks… I kind of want to live here!】

Jiang Fengyuan took a deep breath and subtly motioned for someone to remove the fruit plates and pastries from the table.

His precious daughter absolutely could not stay in such a place.

“My dear little girl, why did you come here today?” Jiang Fengyuan smiled so widely that wrinkles appeared.

The surrounding soldiers looked at him in horror.

Was this really their fierce and cold-blooded general?

He looked like an old flower blooming.

It was true—rumors that the General was a complete daughter-obsessed fool were not false.

And there were also rumors that he was completely henpecked by his wife.

Could that be true too?

..

“Father, he still hasn’t confessed?” Jiang Yuanfan asked.

Jiang Fengyuan frowned. “That old bastard is stubborn. I will… uh, keep questioning him.”

【In the previous life, even the female lead couldn’t get him to confess, no matter how extreme her methods were.】

Jiang Yuanfan suddenly had an idea.

“What should we do? If he won’t testify, how can we get the information from him?”

【That’s simple. Everyone has a weakness. Find his, and he’ll talk—even without torture.】

Jiang Fengyuan and Jiang Yuanfan exchanged glances.

Jiang Yuanyuan immediately said, “Father, let me check the next cell.”

Boss Mo’s underlings must know something about him.

A moment later, Jiang Yuanfan returned with a smirk.

“Boss Mo, I heard that in the red-light district, there’s a Qin family.”

According to his underlings, Boss Mo had a wife and child outside.

Boss Mo’s eyes widened in fury.

“You! Despicable!”

Bingo. That’s his weakness.

Jiang Yuanfan was secretly pleased.

“If you confess, I won’t touch them. If not… you’ll see them tomorrow.”

Boss Mo gritted his teeth. “You wouldn’t dare!”

Jiang Yuanfan picked up a red-hot branding iron from the corner and slowly approached.

“Tomorrow, this will be burned onto their skin. Do you think I dare or not?”

Jiang Yuanxi’s eyes sparkled as she cupped her little face.

【Third Brother is so cool! Yuanxi loves it!】

He looked just like the villains in those storybooks.

Jiang Yuanfan froze.

Right. His little sister was watching.

He awkwardly put the branding iron back.

【Wait, why did he put it away?】

Jiang Fengyuan quickly stuffed a lotus pastry into Jiang Yuanxi’s mouth to silence her thoughts.

---

An hour later, Jiang Yuanfan walked out, wiping his hands.

“Father, Grandmother’s death was indeed connected to that old hag.”

Jiang Fengyuan clenched his fists, his heart aching like a knife was piercing it.

“A family of heartless beasts!”

Jiang Yuanxi hugged him tightly.

“Don’t worry, Daddy. You have me.”

【I’ll protect my family from now on.】