The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

Looking at the swarming crowd, Jia Jue simply smiled contemptuously.

With swift movements and flying hands, in just a few exchanges, the crowd was beaten to the ground, howling and unable to get up.

Seeing Xue Pan lying on the ground like a shrimp after being kicked twice more, Jia Jue squatted down and said to him, "Just wait, tomorrow, or at the latest the day after, you'll see me again."

After saying that, he stood up and said to Qingfeng and Mingyue, "Quickly carry that young master Feng into the carriage and send him back."

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng and Mingyue rushed over to lift Feng Yuan up.

The servants who were with Feng Yuan knew that the two men in front of them were there to help them, and were probably friends of their young master. So they quickly helped to lift Feng Yuan up.

"You," Jia Jue said, pointing to someone, "follow the carriage and show the way to your young master home."

Upon hearing this, the man quickly said "Yes, yes" twice, then got into the carriage and drove off with the driver.

Jia Jue then walked up to the boy and said, "I'll take this girl."

Without waiting for him to speak, she walked up to Yinglian and asked, "Are you coming with me?"

Yinglian didn't speak, she just looked at the boy.

The boy said, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and follow this gentleman!"

Hearing him say that, Yinglian felt relieved and followed Jia Jue to his side.

As Jia Jue turned to leave the boy, he smiled and said to him, "Do you know what? Someone like you will be hated by everyone three hundred years from now."

The young man stared blankly at Jia Jue, seemingly unable to understand the meaning behind his words.

But the next moment, he no longer had the leisure to think about what those words actually meant.

He only felt a sharp pain in his throat, as a long sword pierced through it.

He tried to speak, but only managed to utter a few inexplicable sounds, the meaning of which remained unclear.

When he looked again, it was as if his eyes were playing tricks on him; there was no longsword stuck in his throat.

If it weren't for the excruciating pain and the continuously bleeding wound, this young man would have thought he was dreaming.

Jia Jue committed murder.

He had killed someone several dozen days ago.

Yinglian witnessed the entire process of him killing someone.

She was so frightened that she took two steps back.

"It's alright." Jia Jue managed a gentle smile. "He just received the punishment he deserved."

Yinglian nodded timidly.

Jia Jue led Yinglian to where the carriage had been.

The carriage had already taken Young Master Feng away, leaving only Qingfeng waiting for him.

Jia Jue glanced around and saw that none of the Feng family's servants had gone far. He then said to Qingfeng, "You don't need to wait for me. Follow them to the Feng family's residence. When the carriage returns, take it back home."

After saying that, he took Zhen Yinglian back to the Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Jue entered the Rongguo Mansion through a side gate, and luckily, he didn't encounter anyone along the way.

Upon entering his courtyard, Musk Moon, Xi Ren, and Qing Wen rushed over to greet him, but they all felt awkward seeing Ying Lian standing there.

"Sir, who is this...?"

After a long while, Qingwen finally spoke.

Jia Jue smiled at them and said, "I rescued them on the way..."

Then, Jia Jue told the three of them the whole story of how he had encountered two families fighting in the street, how he had defeated the Xue family, and so on.

The three men listened and suddenly understood, but they all said, "Sir, you're taking too much of a risk! What if you get hurt? There are so many people over there, why bother joining in the fun?"

While complaining about Jia Jue, they also surrounded Yinglian, asking her all sorts of questions:

"What's your name?"

Yinglian shook her head.

"Where was your original home?"

Yinglian shook her head.

"Do you still remember any relatives?"

Yinglian shook her head.

Seeing her clueless expression, the group looked at her with pity, and a wave of sorrow washed over them.

Jia Jue said, "You should help her take a bath and change her into clean clothes."

The three of them responded and then pulled Yinglian to take a bath.

A short while later, the four people returned.

Yinglian had already finished bathing, her hair still wet, but she came with her hair down.

She had changed out of her old clothes, and Qingwen gave her a clean set of clothes that she had never worn before, saying, "We're about the same size, so if you don't mind, I'll wear these."

Yinglian quickly thanked them and put on the clothes.

She was already extremely beautiful before she washed up, but now that she has washed up, she is even more stunning and captivating, especially with the cinnabar dot between her eyebrows, which makes people's imaginations run wild.

Jia Jue said to Yinglian, "Do you still remember that Lantern Festival more than ten years ago?"

Yinglian's body suddenly trembled, as if she had remembered something, but in the end she shook her head.

Jia Jue sighed. It seemed that the young man had been thoroughly trained by Yinglian.

Jia Jue then said, "I'll tell you now. I know where you come from and what kind of person you are—your father is Zhen Shiyin, originally from a wealthy family in Changmen, Suzhou, and your mother is from the Feng family. More than ten years ago, after you were lost, the gourd temple next to your house caught fire again, burning your house to the ground. You had no choice but to go to live with your maternal grandparents. But later, your father, Zhen Shiyin, somehow became enlightened and became a monk, leaving only your mother in the Feng family—now in Jinling, in the famous Feng family. Why don't I send you back?"

After hearing Jia Jue's words, Yinglian's long-sealed memories were finally unlocked, and she vaguely remembered many things from her childhood.

When she heard Jia Jue say he would send her back, she was naturally excited, but she also felt fear and apprehension.

The three people beside her sighed upon hearing Yinglian's story—how could a girl from a good family have to go through such a difficult and bumpy journey!

The three were happy to hear that Jia Jue was going to send it back, but then they became worried.

Because the Feng family was actually quite famous in Jinling City—the story of the old patriarch of the Feng family bullying his daughter for more than ten years had already spread throughout Jinling City.

It was only when Jia Yucun, the current prefect of Yingtian Prefecture in Jinling, visited the Feng family that the old man became less blatant, but he still continued to make small moves behind the scenes.

If Feng Shi alone was already living such a miserable life in the Feng family, how could things possibly be any better if Yinglian were added to the mix?

Qingwen, who was always outspoken, said, "Why don't we let her stay?"

"Oh? How so?" Jia Jue asked.

Qingwen said, "Although we haven't been in Jinling for long, we've already heard about the Feng family's history and know that her mother isn't doing well. If she were to go there now, it would only cause more trouble for the old man. It would be better to let her come with you!"

Jia Jue nodded after listening, then turned to Yinglian and asked, "What are your thoughts?"