She was just thinking about the plans they had made before, and since this was also her son’s home, Old Madam Liu stiffened her neck and said to Jian Xiu,

“I’m telling you, this is my son’s… ah!”

Before she could finish speaking, she saw that Jian Xiu, who had been quite a distance away just moments ago, had already swiftly closed in on her.

Before she could react, her leg was struck hard with a stick.

Then, before she could open her mouth again, she received a slap across her face from both sides…

Slap! Slap! Slap!

“You dare hit me? This is unfilial! I am your mother-in-law… ah! Ah! Help… ah!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jian Xiu seemed completely indifferent to her words.

After slapping her several times, she followed up with three more strikes from the stick before finally stopping.

With a mocking tone, she said, “Mother-in-law? Are you trying to say you’re my mother-in-law? Ha! Do you even deserve that title?”

After saying this, she crouched down, grabbed Old Madam Liu’s chin, and coldly asked, “If I call you ‘mother-in-law’ right now, do you dare respond? Hmm?”

As she spoke, her grip on the old woman’s chin gradually tightened.

Old Madam Liu instantly broke out in a cold sweat as she recalled the last time Jian Xiu had dislocated her jaw.

She wanted to shake her head, but her chin was firmly held in place.

Any movement caused her even more pain.

Jian Xiu acted as if she didn’t notice and continued speaking at a leisurely pace,

“Oh, right. I don’t even know who you are. I just know that my house was robbed today. And when there’s a thief in the house, naturally, they should be beaten immediately. Am I wrong?”

After saying that, she released her grip on the old woman’s chin, stood up, and smirked coldly.

Before Old Madam Liu could react, the stick in Jian Xiu’s hand swung down viciously on her leg again.

“Ahhh!”

This time, Jian Xiu didn’t hold back at all.

She knew exactly where to strike to inflict the most pain while leaving the least evidence.

At the doorway, Zhang Zifu instinctively wanted to step forward and intervene.

However, he was stopped by Wang Xiuying.

“Xiuying, Jian Xiu… she…”

“Don’t you think Mother-in-law went too far today?” Wang Xiuying looked at Zhang Zifu with a serious expression.

She wanted to see if this foolish man would finally wake up.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zhang Zifu hesitated and then shook his head.

Although Old Madam Liu was his mother, what she did to the fourth family today was indeed too much.

“If it was too much, then why are you trying to help her? Isn’t that just aiding the wicked?” Wang Xiuying questioned him again.

There was no way she would let her husband interfere.

Jian Xiu had noticed their little exchange, but when she saw that Zhang Zifu did not take any further action, she nodded slightly.

If he had tried to stop her, she wouldn’t have minded teaching him a lesson as well.

Letting him see what true filial piety was—what separated loyalty from blind obedience.

“Zifu, Zifu, save me! Your mother…!”

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Jian Xiu delivered three more slaps.

“Ahhh!”

Old Madam Liu’s face was now swollen beyond recognition.

“Old Madam Liu, let me make myself clear—today, even if the emperor himself comes, it won’t matter. If I, Jian Xiu, want to teach you a lesson, no one can stop me!”

At these words, Old Madam Liu was completely speechless.

“Heh, interesting. Have you finally learned to keep quiet?” Jian Xiu sneered.

“Zifu, you unfilial—ah!”

Slap!

Before she could finish, another slap landed on her face.

Jian Xiu’s strength was formidable.

As a former special agent, even an average man’s strength couldn’t compare to hers.

“Let me tell you, Old Woman—from now on, for every word of pleading you say, I’ll give you one slap. Want to test me?” Jian Xiu said slowly.

Old Madam Liu immediately shut her mouth.

Even though her face was burning with pain, she dared not utter another word.

Seeing that the old woman had finally quieted down, Jian Xiu’s cold gaze shifted to Zhang Zihua.

If her guess was right, Zhang Zihua must have been the one who hit Zhang Zixuan the hardest.

Thinking of this, Jian Xiu let out a chilling laugh and said lightly,

“What’s wrong? Are you scared already? I haven’t even started yet.”

Her voice was calm, her movements unhurried.

But for some reason, Zhang Zihua felt a deep fear creeping over him.

Meeting Jian Xiu’s icy gaze, he felt as if his entire body was freezing up.

He instinctively wanted to step back but stumbled over the broken bed frame they had kicked down earlier, falling face-first onto the ground.

That wasn’t even the worst part—the worst part was that Jian Xiu had already started walking toward him.

Panicking, Zhang Zihua scrambled to his feet and looked at her cautiously.

He wanted to beg for mercy, but somehow, the words that came out were completely different.

“I-I’m telling you, you can’t blame us for this! You had wild boar meat, why didn’t you bring it to the old house to honor us? There are—ugh…!”

Before he could finish, Jian Xiu grabbed him by the throat.

With a single motion, she flung him into the corner of the room.

“You… ugh… mother… third brother… save me…”

Jian Xiu’s grip tightened as her bloodshot eyes locked onto Zhang Zihua with a deadly glare.

Her strength was so immense that Zhang Zihua couldn’t even manage to call for help.

Thinking about how he had brutally beaten Zhang Zixuan earlier, Jian Xiu’s fingers pressed down harder and harder.

Although the eldest branch of the family wasn’t good people either, at least they hadn’t gone this far.

“You want me, Jian Xiu, to honor you all? Hahaha… what a joke! And what exactly makes you think you deserve it? What relationship do you think we have? We’ve already cut ties! Even if we hadn’t, you still wouldn’t be worthy!”

As she spoke, her grip tightened even more.

Zhang Zihua’s face started turning blue, his eyes rolling back as if he were about to pass out.

And still, Jian Xiu showed no sign of loosening her grip.

Seeing this, Wang Xiuying hurriedly stepped forward and anxiously said…