Du Xiaoyan wandered aimlessly through the streets of Dingzhou like a ghost, staggering as if sleepwalking. She didn't know how long she had walked, or where she was going. Her mind was blank, her eyes clouded, and tears streamed down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.
She bumped into people without even noticing, colliding into burly men who stumbled back in surprise. They dared not complain.
Even the dimmest onlooker could sense something was off. A delicate-looking woman who could send grown men sprawling? Clearly no ordinary citizen. That, coupled with her dazed expression and tear-stained face, gave off the air of someone who had snapped — and no one wanted to be the unlucky spark to light that powder keg.
Well... almost no one.
As luck would have it, a pale-faced dandy with dark eye bags and too much perfume was swaggering her way, flanked by four bulky bodyguards in servant garb. He twirled a folding fan in one hand and grinned smugly when he saw her.
"Well, well," he said with a drunken chuckle, stopping five steps in front of her. "Why the rush, my lovely? Running to meet a lover, perhaps? Why the trouble? Let me be your lover instead, eh?"
WHUMP.
She slammed into him with the force of a cannonball. The dissipated playboy, all wine and no muscle, let out a choked grunt and flew backward, only barely caught by his men.
But Du Xiaoyan didn't even register the collision. She kept stumbling forward, lost in her sorrow.
The dandy roared, humiliated and enraged. "You bitch! How dare you touch me?! Grab her! I'll show her what happens when you offend a noble son like me!"
The four guards, grinning wickedly, circled around her and easily subdued her — or so they thought. She offered no resistance and was dragged back in front of the young master.
He reached out with his fan, tilting her chin up, and gave her a lecherous grin. "Sweetheart, I've got nothing but money — and you can have it all. Wealth, luxury, anything your heart desires. But if you make me angry... well, my methods aren't exactly gentle. Don't come crying later."
Du Xiaoyan's vacant eyes didn't flinch. Her tears glimmered. She murmured softly, "What… do you want?"
He leaned closer. "Isn't it obvious? I want to—"
He never finished the sentence.
The moment his hand neared her chin, a red whip flashed from nowhere — three zhang long, twisting in the air with a horrifying speed and impossible angles. In a blink, the street was bathed in screams and blood.
All five men were torn to shreds. Not one had a complete body left. Limbs and flesh littered the street, pooling in a wide puddle of gore.
Du Xiaoyan calmly coiled her whip, blood flecking her face. She stepped over the corpses, her eyes hollow, tears still falling, and kept walking into the night.
Strangely, applause broke out from the onlookers. Dingzhou was no stranger to violence — a dozen bloody brawls a day was normal — but this was artistry. A few quick-footed beggars dashed forward and began looting the mangled corpses before the blood had even cooled.
Then came a thunder of hooves.
Two horses, one black and one white, galloped up the street. As they closed in, their riders pulled hard on the reins. Both steeds neighed and rose on their hind legs before halting gracefully just two zhang away.
The white horse carried a woman in a flowing white dress with a three-foot sword strapped across her back. Her face was covered in white gauze, revealing only a pair of ice-cold eyes.
The black horse bore a woman in a purple blouse and green pants, with a short skirt around her waist. A purple veil covered her face, but her sparkling eyes were intoxicatingly seductive.
The purple-robed woman clicked her tongue, scanning the bloody remains on the ground. "Vicious little thing, aren't you? Killing men in the street is one thing — but tearing them limb from limb? Whatever happened to laws in this country?"
The white-robed woman rolled her eyes. "Nier, aren't you one to talk? Name one man you've let live after crossing you."
"Hmph!" said the purple girl, flipping her hair. "At least I leave them in one piece. Besides, in the Great Qin Empire, if I say a man lives, he lives. If I say he dies, he dies. Who's going to stop me?"
"Fine, fine, I won't argue with you." The white-robed girl turned her attention to Du Xiaoyan. "Miss, what happened? Why so ruthless?"
Du Xiaoyan looked up at the mounted pair, her voice faint. "A rapist… deserves death… deserves to be torn apart…"
The purple-robed woman's eyes lit up. She stared deep into Du Xiaoyan's soul. "What's your name? Do you know that bastard from the Qin family — that perverted Third Young Master?"
Du Xiaoyan trembled violently. Her eyes cleared.
She looked at the two women and hesitated, flustered. Her lips parted, but what came out wasn't what she'd planned. "No… I don't know Qin Ren. I've never met him. Don't block my path."
She lowered her head and tried to walk past the horses.
But the purple-robed girl snapped her whip out sideways, blocking her path. "You don't know Qin Ren?" she sneered. "Then why did you immediately know I meant him when I said 'Third Young Master'? Poor girl, you're a terrible liar."
Du Xiaoyan forced a smile. "Everyone knows the Qin family's Third Young Master is Qin Ren. I… I've never met him."
The purple-robed woman looked her up and down, then said coldly, "You don't look like a virgin anymore, do you? Let me guess — that beast Qin Ren ruined you too? You women, always suffering in silence, letting the wicked go unpunished. You have to fight! Stand up for yourselves!"
"Cousin," the white-robed girl muttered, "you're being way too harsh."
The purple girl waved her off. "Whatever. You heard me, girl. Don't let it go in one ear and out the other. Now tell us — where is Qin Ren?"
Du Xiaoyan smiled bitterly. "Sorry. I don't know."
The purple girl scowled. "Still playing dumb? Want me to beat it out of you?"
The white-robed woman sighed to herself. "With how you treat women, no wonder Qin Ren's the only man brave enough to touch you…"
That did it.
Du Xiaoyan, daughter of Master Du from the Tiansheng Villa, was not one to be spoken down to. Her pride ignited.
She straightened up and snapped, "You little girls, calling me 'girl'? Have you looked in a mirror lately? Had you spoken politely, maybe I'd have helped. But with your attitude? Hah! Even if I knew where Qin Ren was, I wouldn't tell you. Now get out of the way — and remember: good dogs don't block the road."
With that, she shoved aside the whip with disdain and strode past them.
The purple-robed girl screamed, "Oh, you've got a death wish! You dare mouth off to me?! Taste my whip!"
Her whip lashed out — fast, vicious, unforgiving.
But Du Xiaoyan sneered. "Playing with whips in front of me? Let me show you real whip technique!"
She floated like dandelion fluff, dodging the strike with ease. In a flash, her own three-zhang whip lashed out like a spear, aiming for the purple girl's waist.
Meanwhile, nearby…
A group of four men peeked around a street corner, eyes wide with interest.
It was Third Young Master Qin, along with Qiao Wei, Uncle Li, and Little Ye.
Qiao Wei nudged Qin's ribs. "Shouldn't we break it up?"
Qin Ren chuckled. "No rush. I never thought Xiaoyan had such solid skills! Let them fight. Two tigresses fighting — one's bound to get hurt. We'll watch the show."
Qiao frowned. "But the purple-clad girl seems stronger. And the white-robed one doesn't look like someone easy to mess with either. Xiaoyan might be outmatched."
Qin shrugged. "Even better. Fewer women chasing me equals fewer headaches. But damn… both of them are scary good with whips. If they're into that… uh… I'm doomed."
Qiao blinked. "Into what?"
"SM," Qin whispered. "Y'know… ropes, whips, wax, nails… great for torturing — or being tortured by — women. Interested, Brother Qiao? I can show you~"
Qiao visibly shivered. "Pass. Thanks but no thanks."
Little Ye was furious. "You're horrible! Du Xiaoyan risked everything for you, even refused to give up your location under pressure. And here you are, joking about her death!"
"Alright, alright," Qin muttered, a little embarrassed. "You think I want to leave her hanging? But that purple girl… I really can't afford to mess with her."
Uncle Li squinted. "Oh? Even you have women you can't handle?"
Qin grinned. "Of course. That girl… Keep this secret, okay? Don't tell anyone... Her name's Qin Nier. She's the Emperor's illegitimate daughter. And… well, back when I was still a, uh, 'flower thief'… she was one of mine."
Qiao and Uncle Li exchanged looks, eyes glittering. Two foxes sniffing an opportunity.
"Incredible," they said in unison. "Third Young Master, we have a plan…"