Qiao Xin didn’t know whether to be grateful that the heavens had delivered this opportunity so quickly or to lament that her own words had been eerily prophetic.

The commotion in the main hall startled everyone awake in the carriage.

Qiao Yunxin and a few others quietly got off the carriage, crouching behind some bamboo leaves as they carefully listened to the noises ahead.

The children huddled together in fear, yet their curiosity made them peek their heads out to see what was happening.

Qiao Xin pushed their little heads back one by one and instructed her daughters-in-law to take care of them.

Without her orders, no one was to come down.

Only after settling them did she silently gesture to her sons and move toward the scene outside.

It was unclear whether to thank the two bundles of bamboo leaves blocking the entrance or blame the bandits for their poor intelligence—somehow, they had completely overlooked this large side hall.

Even Heng Wen had climbed up to watch the commotion.

As they observed his nimble movements, a realization hit them—he had recovered way too fast!

Was their mother selling some kind of miraculous elixir? In just half a day, someone who had been on the verge of death could now move freely.

Only Qiao Xin gave him a casual glance, as if she was used to such things.

But deep down, she was just as shocked.

For the first time, she acknowledged the existence of the system—it wasn’t completely useless after all! Though accumulating enough merit points would definitely require some effort.

Qiao Yunxin, with his sharp ears, had already made out the sounds of screaming and fighting in the main hall.

But without Qiao Xin’s command, no one dared to rush out and see what was happening.

“Mother, what’s going on?” he asked.

“You think your mother knows everything? It’s simple—someone doesn’t want them to return to the capital safely.”

Qiao Yunting, not thinking too much, blurted out, “Why?”

“Why? Figure it out yourself! If you can’t even understand this, you might as well give up on returning to the family home.”

…

Fan Boqing’s face was ashen.

He had no idea where this group of assailants had come from.

Without saying a word, they had stormed in and started killing. Most of his guards had already fallen, yet they still couldn’t stop the enemy.

Seeing his second brother wounded and clan members starting to die, Fan Boqing had to face the reality—these attackers intended to wipe them out completely.

“Second Brother, take everyone and retreat! I’ll hold them off.”

“Brother, you go first! I’ll stay behind!” Fan Jihuai refused.

They both knew what would happen to the one who stayed behind.

How could he possibly abandon his brother to die alone?

Just as another child was about to be slain, the brothers could no longer argue. Their eyes burned with fury.

“Villains, how dare you!”

But no matter how they roared, they couldn’t stop the executioner’s blade from falling.

Their defense was in shambles, and their clan members were scattered, each fighting for themselves.

Then, with a loud “clang,” the blade was knocked aside. A cool, feminine voice rang out from outside.

“Middle of the night, and nobody’s sleeping? Everyone so full of energy? Guess I should come see which blind fools are disturbing my peaceful rest!”

“Get lost! Stand in my way, and you die!”

“Oh? Fourth Son, did you hear that? These days, even troublemakers are this arrogant?” Qiao Xin said as she lazily dug her ear and turned to Heng Wen.

Heng Wen’s face darkened. “Whatever you say.”

He hadn’t fully adjusted to being part of the Qiao family and could only respond in silence.

But to the enemy, his silence was a blatant provocation.

And so, what was originally a two-sided battle instantly turned into a one-sided massacre.

Fan Boqing and her brothers, along with Heng Wen, watched in shock as Qiao Xin grabbed people like they were little chicks and tossed them onto rooftops and tree branches.

The once-arrogant bandits, so full of themselves just moments ago, were now being crushed—one shovel strike at a time.

Qiao Xin buried them halfway into the ground, as if planting turnips in her vegetable garden. In no time at all, the hall floor was filled with human-shaped turnips.

After dealing with the troublemakers, Qiao Xin clapped the dust off her hands, looking completely relaxed.

“A bunch of weaklings. Could’ve been living decent lives, but nooo, had to go stir up trouble.”

As she walked out, she turned to the stunned Fan clan members and said, “Sorry about that. I got a little carried away. Hope I didn’t scare you. You guys can handle the cleanup, right?”

She then dragged the completely incapacitated bandit leader over and threw him in front of the Fan brothers, muttering in disgust, “Honestly, if you had just listened to this old woman, things would’ve been much easier. Do you even realize that disturbing people’s sleep at this hour is basically a crime?”

Fan Jihuai stared blankly at Qiao Xin and Heng Wen disappearing into the night.

Dazed, he turned to his brother.

“Brother, what… what did she mean?”

Fan Boqing pressed his lips together, speaking with deep meaning. “Whatever it was, at least for now, they aren’t our enemies. And we owe them a massive favor.”

He no longer trusted anyone who suddenly appeared in their path.

They had encountered far too many accidents on this journey.

His expression turned grim as he told his brother, “For now, the most important thing is to deal with this scum.”

For Fan Jihuai, this was nothing.

The enemy was already incapacitated—if they couldn’t extract some information now, they’d be doing themselves a disservice.

Just then, his youngest son, Fan Shuli, ran over. “Father, Second Uncle, Grandfather wants to see you.”

Fan Boqing acknowledged him with a nod and quickly walked away, with Fan Jihuai following closely behind.

Fan Huairen, being a scholar, wasn’t used to witnessing such bloodshed.

The brutality of the night had left him shaken.

But had it not been for the unexpected help, they would have all perished today.

Seeing his sons approach, he let out a breath to steady himself. “Are you hurt?”

The brothers shook their heads. “Nothing serious, just minor injuries.”

“Draft a memorial for me. Say that I am old and frail, suffering from chronic illness, and that I must withdraw from my journey to the capital. I will retire to my hometown instead. I can no longer endure this.”

Fan Boqing looked up in shock. “Father, why?”

No matter how difficult things had been, their father had never spoken of giving up.

Now, when they were so close to the capital, he wanted to stop?

“If we don’t stop now, none of us will make it back alive! Look at how treacherous this journey has been. We’ve already lost so many clan members—we can’t afford to keep going.

“There are many in court who don’t want me to arrive. No matter how much His Majesty values me as his former teacher, it cannot outweigh the greater political forces at play.

“Returning home alive is the greatest fortune we could ask for!”

Fan Boqing was silent.

He didn’t want to give up, but he couldn’t deny the truth in his father’s words.

The previous attacks had been mere obstacles.

But this time, the enemy had come to kill.

If they didn’t make a decision now, the next strike would leave them no survivors.

He clenched his fists, then finally let out a slow breath.

Fine. As long as they lived, there would always be another chance.

“I will handle it.”

“Also, go to the side hall and personally invite our benefactor here. I must thank her in person.”

His father, personally thanking a woman? Wouldn’t that be improper? What if word got out—

“Father, can’t I just thank her on your behalf? Why trouble yourself?”

Fan Huairen shot him a look before struggling to stand, leaning on his attendant for support.

“If you won’t go, I will.”