Chapter Nine: Trust

Song Qingcheng walked further inside to find a group of wealthy young men and women laughing maliciously as they held a whimpering, terrified puppy, dangling it over the hot spring to make the young girl nearby cry in distress.

"Please, let it go! I’ll leave right now, I won’t be an eyesore to you anymore, I beg you!" The young girl, held back by someone with half her body hovering over the water, couldn’t care about her own safety, her eyes fixed on the puppy with agonizing worry.

A young man in blue robes, fanning himself languidly, took the puppy, stepped in front of the girl, and—right before her eyes—pushed the puppy’s head into the water.

The puppy kicked its legs frantically, struggling for life. The girl wept and shook her head, trying to break free, but the person holding her was too strong; she could not escape.

Song Qingcheng frowned. This group was truly vile, ganging up on a young girl. Adjusting her bamboo hat, she stepped forward. "You lot have no shame, bullying a young girl like this. Do you have any decency?"

The group stopped. The leading man scanned Song Qingcheng’s figure up and down. "You have a fine figure. Take off that hat and let me see your face. If you are beautiful enough, I might take you as a concubine and let you enjoy a life of luxury."

His followers chimed in, "This is Master Baili from the Vice Minister’s household! Beauty, don't miss this chance. Take off the hat and let us see your face."

A woman in red to the rear, arms crossed, turned her gaze toward Shen Runzhi. "I haven't been back to the capital in a long time; I didn't know there were such handsome men here. Come join me in my chambers later."

Song Qingcheng recognized their faces and immediately understood. These were the protagonists of a scandal that would soon rock the capital.

Baili Shui was the youngest son of Vice Minister Baili. Relying on his father’s influence, he bullied the weak and preyed on the innocent. He had just arrived in the capital with his cronies, and in three months, he would be found hanged on the city walls by a woman holding a blood-written letter of grievance, which was how his crimes would finally be exposed. The ensuing public outrage was so great that Vice Minister Baili had to personally petition for his son's execution to quell the unrest.

The woman beside him was Bei Meng, daughter of the North City Lord. She was infamous for her obsession with collecting handsome men. She rarely returned to the capital, but after the Baili Shui scandal, her own depravities were also dragged into the light, leaving her reputation in ruins.

Counting the time, they had clearly just arrived in the capital. Song Qingcheng hadn't expected to run into them here.

Shen Runzhi stepped forward, his cold eyes about to open, but the young girl, having managed to break free, snatched her puppy back and shielded Song Qingcheng behind her.

"Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the magistrate!" Though terrified, she stood firm, refusing to let an innocent person be implicated because of her.

Baili Shui sneered. "Do you know who my father is? If you report me, aren't you afraid the person who comes will be my father himself?" He licked his teeth and cast a lecherous glance at the girl’s chest. "I didn't realize it before, but you, Li Feixue, have such a shapely figure. Why don't you join my household and be my concubine along with this lady here? I'm sure your vulgar father would be happy to welcome the arrangement."

Song Qingcheng glanced over, surprised to find the girl was Li Feixue of the Li family. But wasn't the Li family powerful enough to even throw out the Vice Minister’s people? How could she be… Song Qingcheng began to doubt her own memories. In her past life, she had only heard rumors from her maid, Tao Hong, and had never investigated the truth herself. It seemed there was more to the story.

Li Feixue tightened her grip and whispered, "Run… hurry and run!"

As Li Feixue turned to drag Song Qingcheng away, Song Qingcheng calmly held her back and looked straight at Baili Shui. "Baili Shui, the youngest son of Vice Minister Baili, who was driven out of the capital years ago for sneaking into his own eldest brother’s bed with a concubine. What’s the matter? Did your big brother forgive you, allowing a piece of trash like you to return to the capital?" Song Qingcheng had heard many rumors, and this was one of them; whether true or not, it didn't matter—she would use it anyway.

Baili Shui’s face turned black. "How do you know that?!?!" The old man was obsessed with his reputation; he would never have let that news leak.

Song Qingcheng smirked. It seemed the rumor was true. "Don't worry about how I know. Baili Shui, if you keep acting like this, you’ve barely made it back—do you want to be thrown out again? Given Vice Minister Baili’s personality, he’ll likely abandon you, leaving you as a stray dog that everyone wants to beat."

Baili Shui wavered. Life outside was nowhere near as good as life in the capital. If another scandal broke, he would never be able to return.

Bei Meng stepped forward, stopping Baili Shui from retreating. Her arrogance undiminished, she said, "You have a sharp tongue, but what use is that? As long as you disappear without a trace, who will know it was us?"

Bei Meng waved her hand, and men with blades instantly swarmed out, closing in on them. "I intended to kill you, but such beautiful faces are too good to waste. Be obedient and become my playthings. Catch them—carefully, don't scratch those faces. If you ruin them, don't bother coming back alive."

As the henchmen rushed forward, Shen Runzhi caught Song Qingcheng’s playful gaze and understood her intent. He stopped his own men and stood back, letting her have her fun, keeping a distance where he could ensure her safety while letting her enjoy herself.

Song Qingcheng shielded Li Feixue behind her and drew a soft whip from her waist. With a fluid motion, she lashed it out, releasing a cloud of medicinal powder that instantly seeped into the skin of anyone it touched.

Within a second, blades clattered to the ground. The men touched by the powder collapsed, clutching their exposed skin and screaming in agony. "Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!"

Song Qingcheng could not practice martial arts, but that did not mean she was helpless. She had plenty of tricks like this.

"Miss Bei Meng, tell me, if a refined and elegant City Lord’s daughter were to become known as a woman of ill repute, would your fiancé still marry you? After all, your half-sister has been watching you closely, just waiting for you to stumble so she can take your place." Song Qingcheng retracted her whip, tilting her head at her.

Bei Meng froze, her eyes filled with terror. How could this girl know so much about her?

Bei Meng panicked for a second, then forced a smile. "I don't know who you are, but I have clearly offended someone I shouldn't have."

Song Qingcheng sheathed her whip, hands on her hips, teasing, "You did offend me. Why don't you kneel and apologize? If you do, I might be magnanimous and not tell your sister."

Bei Meng’s smile stiffened, and her expression darkened. "Don't push your luck. Do you believe I could crush you with a single finger?"

Song Qingcheng shrugged nonchalantly and pointed to someone in a tree. "And so? If I don't say anything, can you tell him to come down?"

The man in the tree held a bow and arrow, aiming directly at her. She was in a life-or-death situation, yet she was still speaking so calmly—was she dreaming? Bei Meng glared at him, cursing him for being an idiot who didn't know how to hide properly.

"Since you’ve discovered him, I don't need to waste any more words on you." Bei Meng stepped back and waved her hand viciously. "Eliminate them all. Leave no one alive." Anyone who knew too much could not be left alive.

Li Feixue was terrified. "What do we do? We aren't going to make it~"

There were too many of them, and Song Qingcheng didn't bother playing the hero. She tugged on Shen Runzhi’s sleeve. "Cousin, you’re up."

Shen Runzhi loved the way she trusted him completely. With a flick of his lily-white fingers, a snap echoed in the air. In the span of a single breath, the crowd scattered, and all of Bei Meng’s men had their throats slit, falling silent forever.