I want to die!

"Young Master Zhao, do you really intend to marry my... sister-in-law?"

In the courtyard outside, the old scholar wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and asked cautiously.

Last night, when Zhao Shanren's steward came to collect a debt, he hastily changed his mind and only mentioned his niece when he proposed marriage.

Zhao Shanren's original business was not hiring farmhands to till the fields, as that was too slow a way to make money. There are no wealthy families or gentry in the world who have made their fortunes by honestly tilling the fields.

Zhao Shanren's original profession was lending money, and if he couldn't get the money back, he would naturally use the methods that are expected in the debt collection business.

But even though he had already done it, he really didn't expect things to develop to this point.

In front of him, the burly young master Zhao squatted at the gate of the courtyard, intently watching the ants at his feet.

Upon hearing this, Zhao San Gongzi, who was standing with his hands behind his back, merely glanced at the old scholar expressionlessly.

Though he didn't speak, the coldness in his eyes was already obvious.

"...Since the Third Young Master has no intention of doing this, why did you say that?" the old scholar asked in surprise.

Zhao San's lips curled into a mocking smile: "If I were to ask to marry that Li family girl, that wild girl probably wouldn't agree; but if I were to ask to marry her mother, or even both of them, she would give in."

"Do you really think I'm going to marry a eunuch's wife? I'm only giving it a try because of that pretty girl."

"Is...is that so?" The old scholar was skeptical.

In his heart, however, he was cursing Zhao the Great Philanthropist, thinking that he was indeed a nouveau riche from the countryside who did nothing but act without any regard for rules or etiquette and resorted to all sorts of dirty tricks.

Zhao San sneered, "Don't believe me? Wait till you get back and open your eyes. Who will be the one coming out in the wedding dress—her mother or her?"

"What if you don't agree?" the old scholar asked again.

"It's best if they don't agree," Zhao San said with a smile.

"That's a good reason to use force, and it will also let me see if this eunuch Li who serves the nobleman really has a windfall."

Upon hearing this, the old scholar felt a little uneasy.

It was indeed at his instigation that the Zhao brothers came to visit.

The whole matchmaking and marriage proposal was just a pretext.

The whole thing started when the old scholar took Zhou Xing's money and wondered if this man, who lived in the palace, was returning home in wealth and honor. That's why he came to Zhou Xing's house to take a concubine.

In the end, it was nothing more than a conspiracy to seize the family fortune... Even if there was no wealth to be gained, getting two beautiful concubines for free would not be a loss for the Zhao family.

Young Master Zhao leaned against the courtyard wall and waited quietly, watching the three incense sticks gradually burn out.

His patience was also gradually running out.

Just as he was about to get up.

The door to the house was suddenly pushed open, and a beautiful woman with a fair face, wearing a red wedding dress and still half-covering her face, walked out.

At first, they thought it was Li Ziqing dressed up, and they were amazed by her beauty.

But then they all snapped out of their daze and stared blankly at the pale-faced beauty's Adam's apple.

The wedding dress was as red as fire, which made her white face appear even more androgynous and strangely eerie.

The scene left the old scholar and the Zhao brothers stunned. Even though they were all well-traveled and knowledgeable, they had never seen anything like it before.

"...What do you mean by this?" Young Master Zhao asked instinctively.

"It's obvious." Zhou Xing smiled faintly, deliberately making his voice high-pitched:

"If you want to take my wife and daughters away, you'll naturally have to get past my family first."

"?" Young Master Zhao carefully examined the person in front of him, and his heart suddenly fluttered.

First of all, he is not Nan Tong.

But if it's this beautiful woman in front of me, although it's difficult, it doesn't seem like it's impossible not to give it a try.

"You mean, as long as I get past you, your whole family can be reunited in my mansion?" Young Master Zhao snapped open his folding fan.

"However, I must make this clear first: I have no homosexual tendencies," said the Third Young Master Zhao solemnly.

"So at most you can be a maidservant, and you can't possibly have the status of a concubine like them."

"Thank you," Zhou Xing said slowly, clearing his throat.

"It is common knowledge that all married men are actually virgins."

As the poem testifies: The flower path has never been swept for guests, but the humble gate is now opened for you; to repay your kindness on the Golden Terrace, I still sing "The Flowers of the Rear Courtyard" across the river.

Therefore, it is easy to conclude that we are actually virgins who have never been intimate.

So since you're going to marry into our family, we can't just do it haphazardly. There have to be a few rules, a three-point agreement. If this works out, don't just give me one family member; don't just give me a bowl of rice, give me a whole bucket of rice with my whole family."

A moment of silence fell over everyone: "..."

After each sentence was spoken, their minds would go blank for a moment, and they would have to rack their brains to understand what Zhou Xing meant.

Later on, even the Third Young Master Zhao became a little insecure.

"You, you say it." Young Master Zhao hesitated slightly for some reason.

In front of Zhou Xing, this son of a country gentry seemed like a clueless greenhorn...

This time, it seems we've truly met an expert.

As expected of someone who has lived in the capital's palace for a long time, she is indeed incomparable to the rough country women I usually see.

"Then I'll speak," Zhou Xing said calmly.

"I'm a straightforward person, so I'll just say it straight from the start."

"Since we're here with marriage in mind, we hope to be treated seriously. Today is the first day we've known each other, and with the end of the year approaching, let's split it evenly and give each other 520 taels of silver as a red envelope to ask for good fortune."

Young Master Zhao was taken aback: "How much?"

"Our Li family is, after all, a small and insignificant family. We're actually quite insecure about moving to Zhao with the whole family this time. I haven't seen any real effort from you, so how do I know if you truly care about our family?"

"After all, we are not women, and we are not exactly the same as those women, so we need a greater sense of security."

After several rounds of this, Young Master Zhao was so angry that he laughed.

"Third brother, he's playing a trick on you," said the eldest son of the Zhao family, who had appeared unnoticed.

"Hmm?" Young Master Zhao's expression changed.

Zhou Xing was also shocked: "You only realized it now?"

Young Master Zhao's face darkened, and he ignored Zhou Xing. He then realized what was happening and his gaze fell on the tightly closed door behind Zhou Xing.

The room was quiet; there wasn't a sound.

After such a shocking remark, it was impossible for the mother and daughter inside the house to remain silent.

"Could they have climbed over the wall at the back of the house?" Young Master Zhao realized.

"No wonder that damned eunuch agreed to this; he was just here as bait."

His slightly strange gaze finally landed on Zhou Xing.

It wasn't due to his negligence.

The main reason was that the eunuch in the red wedding dress who came out was too eye-catching; everyone who saw him couldn't help but take a second look.

This led to the complete disregard for the existence of Li Yingcai's wife and daughters.

His next words completely stunned them all, leaving them deaf even though they hadn't done anything.

Zhao Da seemed to sense his regret and patted him on the shoulder: "It's only natural, Third Brother."

"Hurry up and chase after them to the back of the house!" Zhao San hurriedly scolded the servants.

The servants naturally agreed in unison, but before they could even step out of the courtyard, a bright red figure suddenly appeared before them.

It was that strange eunuch in the wedding dress who had blocked their way at some point.

"Want to leave? Not so easy... Today you'll have to step over my dead body." Zhou Xing sneered.

"Go ahead and kill me if you dare!"

This wasn't anything harsh; it was just stating the facts.

Li Yingcai's lifespan is seven days, and this is the third day. In any case, he doesn't have many days left to live, so he needs a good, satisfying death.

The servants hesitated slightly, then looked at Young Master Zhao.

"Leave him a breath." Young Master Zhao snapped open his folding fan and said calmly.

"I don't like dying, it's so boring."

The seven or eight servants immediately surrounded Zhou Xing, wielding sticks and rushing in.

But all that could be heard was the whistling of the wind.

The figure in the red wedding dress twirled and moved through the crowd, becoming a blur, and wherever she went, blood spurted out.

Before long, the ground was littered with servants, and the rest of the servants retreated several steps in panic, not daring to go forward.

Zhou Xing stood there holding a kitchen knife, his bloodstains scattered on his wedding dress, making the dress appear even more crimson and vibrant.

"This eunuch actually knows martial arts?" Young Master Zhao exclaimed in surprise.

Actually, Stephen Chow was quite surprised too.

According to Li Yingcai's memory, this eunuch had been in the palace for ten years. Although he had practiced the "Chrysanthemum Manual," he had not actually learned any practical martial arts techniques, and had not fought with anyone in the past ten years.

It has absolutely no practical combat ability; it only has a few numerical values.

The Chrysanthemum Manual is a technique known for its speed, and when Zhou Xing first started practicing, he also felt an invisible internal energy surging within his body... Did Li Yingcai actually develop internal strength?

This person has been in the palace for ten years and has never fought with anyone, yet he has actually developed internal strength that is comparable to the ninth rank of the Celestial Realm.

At this moment, Zhou Xing just remembered that Li Yingcai was different from Wei Liu and Li Xuanqing before him, and had an "elite" rating.

"My death is imminent. Since the Zhao family's servants can't kill me, then the one who can should be..."

Zhou Xing looked up and saw Zhao Da and Zhao Weigang looking up at him. Their eyes met.

"So what if you know martial arts? It doesn't matter, I'll take action." Young Master Zhao said calmly.

With his large, fan-like hand, Zhao Da pushed aside the servants blocking his way and strode forward. His imposing, towering figure looked down at Zhou Xing, whose wedding dress was stained with blood.

The old scholar, who had become nervous after seeing Zhou Xing make a move, suddenly felt inexplicably at ease.

Passing the imperial examinations through reading and writing was already extremely difficult, but it was the only path an old scholar could take.

As for practicing martial arts? Poor people like Li Yingcai could hardly afford the expenses of learning martial arts.

Only wealthy families like the Zhao family in town could afford to support him. Zhao Da was taught martial arts by the guards employed by his family from a young age, and now at the age of thirty-five, he has passed the imperial examination for martial arts.

Although he was a wealthy young master, his martial prowess was far superior to that of his many servants.

Unlike Zhao San, he remained calm even when he saw that Zhou Xing's skills were extraordinary and beyond his expectations.

Even a hint of undisguised admiration appeared in his eyes.

"Beauty is only meant for the strong."

"A beauty like you should belong to both my brother and me, so we can enjoy the blessing of having two women."

Ignoring the hesitant expression of the old scholar beside him, Zhao Da stomped his foot suddenly, and visible wisps of energy exploded under his feet.

A faint aura spread, and the black iron club in his hand slammed down, the sound like muffled thunder, landing on Zhou Xing's head.

The force of the stick pressed down on Zhou Xing, causing his blood-stained wedding dress to cling tightly to his body and flutter loudly.

Zhou Xing raised his head.

"boom!"

A shallow crater was blown open in the ground, and dirt flew everywhere.

Zhao Weigang suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

In his vision, the scarlet wedding dress swayed like a ghost.

A cold sensation came from the side of my neck.

When he opened his eyes again, Zhou Xing was already standing beside him.

That ordinary kitchen knife was now deeply embedded in his neck.

"Hah..." Zhao Weigang let out a hissing sound like a broken bellows.

He looked down in disbelief, watching blood gush out of the wound like a fountain.

But Zhou Xing's expression was even more confused than his:

"No, please don't die!"

"If you die, who will kill me? And who can kill me?"

Amid Zhou Xing's bewildered voice, Zhao Da's eyes widened, his throat made a hoarse sound, but he could no longer utter a single word.

......................

"Mother, you go and hide outside the town. I'll be right back."

At the corner of the alley, Li Ziqing, who was leading her mother Zhang Shi in a hurried run, suddenly stopped and said this.

Zhang was clearly taken aback and quickly grabbed her daughter's wrist.

"Don't be reckless," she quickly said.

"If we go back now and fall into the hands of the Zhao brothers, your father's sacrifice will have been meaningless."

"...I know what I'm doing," Li Ziqing said, silently pulling her wrist away from her mother's grasp.

"I am going back this time to help my father get out of his predicament."

In her past life, she was a battle-hardened rebel leader, so she would never act like a sentimental drama character at a crucial moment, saying things like "You go first," "You go first," or "I won't go if you don't go."

As a reborn person, although she was only nineteen years old and had just begun her cultivation, she was not without any power to fight back.

The reason she had previously complied with Zhou Xing's bait was merely to lure her mother, Zhang, away.

After saying this, without waiting for her mother Zhang's response, Li Ziqing quickly turned around and walked away, leaving Zhang with a resolute back view.

She hurried through the alley, rushing back towards her home.

It's hard to say that she had any father-daughter feelings for Li Yingcai.

But both emotionally and rationally, Li Yingcai made the move of covering her retreat and acting as bait. Even if it was a complete stranger with whom she had no connection, she could not remain indifferent.

In her past life, she rose up in rebellion, fought her way out of the masses of refugees, and rose from a rebel leader to an empress vying for control of the Central Plains. At that time, she believed that there was nothing in this world that required relying on others, and no obstacle that required waiting for someone to save you.

But in this life...

Li Ziqing walked alone through the shadows, her deep, double pupils rippling like waves in the ocean.

"What belongs to the past life belongs to the past life."

"Li Yingcai, since I have received your kindness in this life, I will naturally not leave without a trace." She murmured to herself:

"I hope you can... stall for time a little longer, and deal with them a little longer... I'll be there soon."

She moved through the shadows as fast as the wind.

She doesn't seem like a nineteen-year-old girl who has just embarked on the path of cultivation at all.

What she had gained from risking her life on the battlefield in her past life was gradually returning with her steps... not cultivation, but instincts forged in bloody battles.

She knew when to charge forward, when to retreat, and when to let go of everything behind her and run forward without looking back.

But she couldn't help but recall the absurd image of her father, dressed in a red wedding gown, laughing loudly as he left, and the rumors from her previous life about her being defiled and killed by a prince.

In today's world where morality has collapsed, it's really hard to say what kind of taste the wealthy have.

A series of tragic scenes flashed uncontrollably through her mind, and her fists clenched involuntarily until her knuckles turned white.

In this life, she will never repeat the same mistakes!