The Sun Family's daughter-in-law was no heroine from some great, prestigious sect.
But her family was wealthy, and she had grown up in the lap of luxury. To give his daughter some means of self-defense, her father sent her to a martial arts school to learn some skills to protect herself.
She lived up to his hopes and did indeed become quite skilled.
Later, drawn by a longing for the Jianghu, she joined an Escort Agency with her fellow students from the school.
She had only planned to run a couple of escorts, see the splendors of the Jianghu for herself, and then obediently return home.
Who could have known that they would encounter bandits on the road? After a fierce struggle, the Escort Agency's members were scattered.
She herself was injured. Struggling onward, she eventually found the Sun Family's home and, just like Fang Shuwen and Zhou Qingmei, intended to ask for lodging for the night.
That single night... was the beginning of a nightmare that would last nearly twenty years.
She was just a young girl, a greenhorn with no experience in the Jianghu. She even saw the world that so many spoke of through rose-tinted glasses.
So much so that she didn't even realize her food had been laced with a Sedative.
When she awoke, she found she had been tied up.
The man named Sun broke her legs. Using the blunt side of an axe, he slowly shattered her collarbones, leaving her, even to this day, with hands too weak to even tie up a chicken.
She was violated.
At first, she was naturally defiant. She wanted to escape, but her legs were crippled, her hands were powerless, and all the skills she had learned were useless.
Slowly, she learned to endure.
She did everything she could to earn the trust of the Sun Family, and eventually, she succeeded.
When Sun went into the city, he took her along.
But in the beginning, she didn't act rashly. She continued to bide her time.
Because her legs were lame and her hands were weak, she needed someone to help her.
After several trips to the city where she behaved obediently, she finally gained their complete trust.
Only then did she find someone who seemed the most suitable, explained her predicament to him, and hoped to be rescued from her living hell.
But she never expected that the "most suitable" person would turn her in, taking two taels of silver from Sun for his trouble.
It was those two taels of silver that cast her back into hell.
Sun flew into a rage, accusing her of being promiscuous, of being uncontent with her place, of trying to seduce men in the city.
In his fury, he disfigured her face with a knife. He struck with such abandon that he accidentally destroyed one of her eyes.
After that, her life became even worse. Sun grew to loathe her ruined face, as if it weren't his own handiwork, and would either beat or curse her daily.
If they hadn't discovered she was pregnant at the time, she probably wouldn't have survived to this day.
But even so, her life was nothing but a purgatory.
What drove her to even greater despair was that the son she carried for ten months and gave birth to was the spitting image of his father.
He looked just as innocent, and he was just as vicious.
Every time someone came seeking shelter, she would try to find ways to warn them, but it was no use.
Sun succeeded time and again, as if divinely assisted. When she tried to persuade her son not to be like his father, she was met with beatings from her own flesh and blood.
Slowly, she gave up.
She was just a broken person. She couldn't change anything.
But she still believed that the Sun Family would one day face retribution.
And in fact, she lived to see it.
In the courtyard of the Sun Family home, she sat on the steps and recounted her experiences, her tone calm and unperturbed.
It was just that... she had always thought she would be overjoyed to see the Sun Family get their comeuppance.
But now, she felt not a shred of happiness.
Her entire life had been destroyed... and her future was just as dark and hopeless.
'What was there to be happy about?'
Now, her heart was filled with nothing but a dead calm.
Zhou Qingmei was silent. Fang Shuwen didn't know what to say either.
He just felt that in this Jianghu, evil people weren't limited to those who cultivated a Demon Technique. Some people, even without any Martial Arts, could be just as outrageously cruel and vicious.
Fang Shuwen hesitated for a long time before finally asking:
"Should we take you home?"
Logically, he shouldn't have asked that question.
Because they had their own troubles to deal with.
The Black Death Sect was in relentless pursuit, and those people were far more terrifying than Sun ever was.
Taking her with them would not only be a burden, but it might also drag her into their mess.
But Fang Shuwen simply couldn't bear it...
Even though he had a miserable youth and was accustomed to the fickle ways of the world, he still hadn't completely lost that last shred of conscience.
Because he knew that if they left her here, she would die soon.
When a person's heart dies, the death of their body is only a matter of time.
The disfigured woman shook her head, her gesture slight but firm.
"No need."
Just those two words, without any hesitation.
Zhou Qingmei wanted to say more, but Fang Shuwen held up a hand.
"Alright. We understand."
The woman gave a rare smile.
"Thank you."
After speaking, she stood up, shuffled back into her room, and closed the door.
"Why didn't you try to persuade her more?"
Zhou Qingmei looked sorrowful.
"She can't survive in a place like this on her own."
"Tell me... what do you think would happen if we took her home?"
Fang Shuwen asked in return.
Zhou Qingmei froze.
"If her family is still alive, they'd surely be happy to see her, right?
"She's endured so much hardship... Her family would definitely feel for her and take good care of her."
"But it's also possible they would see her as a disgrace."
Fang Shuwen's words carried a detached coldness.
"If it's as you say, she might live a few more days. But the better her family treats her, the more special they make her feel, the more likely she is to feel unworthy. Sometimes, inner anguish cannot be healed by external comforts.
"But if things were to go as I suggest, she would only die faster, and with less dignity."
Zhou Qingmei fell silent.
Because what Fang Shuwen said wasn't mere speculation.
It was a harsh, bloody reality.
"So we... we just leave her be?"
Zhou Qingmei was unwilling to accept it.
Fang Shuwen patted her shoulder.
"Miss Zhou, have you perhaps forgotten your own situation?"
"...But I still can't bear it."
Zhou Qingmei looked up, her usually sharp and stern brow looking exceptionally soft in that moment.
"That's why I left the question to her and let her make her own choice."
Fang Shuwen sighed.
"She has already made her choice... Miss Zhou, life is full of disappointments. Not everything can go the way we expect.
"What we think of as good intentions can become the very hand that pushes someone into the abyss.
"So, it's best to know when to stop."
Zhou Qingmei knew Fang Shuwen was right, so she nodded.
Then she walked over to the Black Death Cult Member, who could neither die nor escape.
She drew the sword that had already been shattered and stabbed down viciously, only to hear an unexpected CLANG.
A grave look appeared in Zhou Qingmei's eyes.
"Speak. Is the Black Death Sect in Guangning City?
"What exactly are you plotting?"