Chapter 37: The male lead will descend into darkness and slaughter the entire Pingcheng County!

"What’s wrong?" Zhao Qiaofeng leaned against Wang Feng’s chest, her voice barely a whisper.

"There is no antidote."

Zhao Qiaofeng’s eyes dimmed, her heart silently praying for her cousin to return home quickly. Tears fell uncontrollably.

"Don't cry. I will definitely save you," Wang Feng said, settling her into a corner of the dungeon. He tried to find an exit, but it was clear there was no way out.

Footsteps echoed from afar, drawing nearer.

"Young Master."

"Open the door," Song Lecheng’s voice sounded.

*Clang!*

As the cell door swung open, Wang Feng lunged from the shadows, locking his hands tightly around Song Lecheng’s throat. "Let us go, or I’ll kill him!"

Though Song Lecheng was a wastrel, he had practiced martial arts. If he couldn't defeat Zhao Qiaofeng, he certainly wouldn't lose to a half-baked fighter like Wang Feng. Seeing that Wang Feng held no weapon, he felt no fear. He grabbed Wang Feng’s wrists, executed a shoulder throw, and tossed him aside.

"Grab him and make sure he’s well looked after."

Song Lecheng approached Zhao Qiaofeng, gently brushing her cheek. "So beautiful. Such delicate skin." He scooped her up into his arms.

"Let her go!" Wang Feng scrambled toward them but was intercepted by the servants, who beat him into the dirt.

"Lock him up and make him watch how I take his woman. Not so tough anymore, are you? Daring to rob me? Ten thousand taels—that’s enough to buy your body, isn't it?" Song Lecheng sneered lecherously.

"Let me go!" Zhao Qiaofeng struggled, but it was futile. "Please, let me go! My cousin... my cousin has plenty of money, he’ll give it all to you, just let me go." Her tears fell in heavy droplets, her body trembling violently.

Wang Feng was chained to the wall of the cell, his limbs secured. The two of them were separated by the iron bars.

"Your cousin? What’s this? Keeping another lover behind his back? You really are a slut!" Song Lecheng placed Zhao Qiaofeng onto a table outside—a place where the bailiffs usually gambled. The greasy surface was far from clean. He tore at her clothes, revealing the epiphyllum-embroidered bodice beneath.

"No! Let her go! Come at me instead!" Wang Feng’s eyes widened, his roar like that of a wild beast.

"I’ll deal with you in a moment; right now, I’m going to have her." Song Lecheng stripped off his own clothes and reached for hers again.

Zhao Qiaofeng had no strength left to fight. She lay on the table, motionless and unresisting, as if her soul had been drained away. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Cousin, I was wrong. Cousin, save me."

Elsewhere, Ji Ci was busy eating a candied hawthorn when a piercing alarm from the system made her head spin.

*[Stop eating! Something’s happened! Go save Zhao Qiaofeng!]*

She staggered, and the candied hawthorn fell from her hand.

Dongfang Jibai’s eyes darkened. *Feng'er? What happened to her?*

*[Zhao Qiaofeng is in the county jail. If you’re a moment too late, she will lose her purity, take her own life, and the male lead will succumb to darkness and slaughter the entire Pingcheng County!]*

Ji Ci’s mouth fell open. *So that’s what a villain is! Slaughtering an entire city just like that?*

Without another word, Ji Ci grabbed Dongfang Jibai and began to run. Sensing her urgency, Dongfang Jibai swept her up and used his lightness skills to dash toward the county jail.

The entrance was unguarded. Song Lecheng had dismissed all the bailiffs to ensure his privacy; only the three of them remained in the dungeon. Dongfang Jibai set Ji Ci down and raced into the depths of the prison.

From within, Wang Feng’s roars echoed. "You beast! Let her go!"

Dongfang Jibai, sword in hand, flew forward and kicked the man standing over her, sending him flying before he could even register the man’s face.

On the table, Zhao Qiaofeng’s clothes were shredded, leaving her barely covered. Her body was covered in bruises, a testament to the abuse she had endured. Dongfang Jibai covered her with his outer robe.

"Kill him! Jibai, kill him!" Wang Feng screamed from the cell.

Song Lecheng looked at the unremarkable man before him, his eyes narrowing. "You’re Dongfang Jibai? You’re not dead!"

"That’s right. And now, you are!"

Dongfang Jibai swung his blade, severing the man’s manhood, then struck again to slice his Achilles tendons. "I’ve changed my mind. Dying would be too easy for you."

The sword flashed again, and the man’s hands were severed.

"Please, don't kill me! My father is the County Magistrate. He will serve you as his master! Spare me!"

"It’s too late."

Dongfang Jibai ripped out the man’s tongue and gouged out his eyes. Only when the man lay on the ground, twitching in agony, did he cut the chains to release Wang Feng.

Wang Feng rushed out and wrapped Zhao Qiaofeng in his clothes. "Feng'er, don't be afraid. I’m here."

"Kill me," Zhao Qiaofeng murmured, her eyes vacant, her soul seemingly hollowed out.

The dungeon was dark, and Ji Ci finally stumbled in, breathless. The thick scent of blood made her frown. Seeing the gruesome state of the man on the floor, she sucked in a cold breath. *As expected of the villain, his blade is precise.*

Ji Ci hurried to Zhao Qiaofeng’s side, taking her small hand. She channeled her energy into Zhao Qiaofeng’s body, offering a steady stream of vitality. But Zhao Qiaofeng showed no reaction, acting like a wooden puppet.

"Feng'er, Cousin is here. Don't be afraid."

Dongfang Jibai wrapped his cloak around her. Her eyes flickered, and she began to sob into his chest. "Cousin, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I shouldn't have come. Cousin!"

Zhao Qiaofeng’s wailing silenced Ji Ci. She was usually prone to tears, but she had never cried with such heartbreak.

"I am very skilled; I can help you heal," Ji Ci said.

Zhao Qiaofeng looked at Ji Ci, vaguely remembering her as the woman she had seen by her cousin’s side on the street. "Sister-in-law," she choked out.

Ji Ci froze. *Sister-in-law already?*

"Don't worry, Sister-in-law is here," Ji Ci said, patting her chest.

Dongfang Jibai looked at Zhao Qiaofeng, only to see her head drop, her voice fading as if that moment had been a final flash of vitality.

"Let’s go back," Wang Feng said, reaching out to hold her. Zhao Qiaofeng recoiled from his touch.

Dongfang Jibai tightened his grip and picked her up. "Let’s go. Let’s go home."

Ji Ci stayed behind to clean up, tucking Song Lecheng away into her space—the first living person to ever enter it. He should consider himself lucky.

Back at the manor, Dongfang Jibai personally carried Zhao Qiaofeng to her courtyard. He stopped at the gate; as a man, it was improper for him to linger, so he called for Ji Ci to keep watch over her.

"A-Ci, please look after her," Dongfang Jibai said in a low, heavy voice.

Ji Ci scratched her head. She had never comforted anyone before and wasn't sure if she could handle it.

Outside the courtyard, Wang Feng knelt rigidly on the stone slabs.

"Jibai," Wang Feng’s voice was raspy, beyond recognition. "I have never asked you for anything in my life."

Dongfang Jibai stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the wind. He looked down at his usually proud brother, a sharp pain piercing his heart. No one wanted this to happen, but since it had, he had to resolve it—not blame his brother for failing to protect her.

"This time, I beg you to wipe out the County Magistrate’s entire household," Wang Feng said, each word squeezed through gritted teeth.

"Granted," Dongfang Jibai replied cleanly, reaching out to pull Wang Feng to his feet. He felt the man’s arms trembling; the suppressed rage seemed to sear through their skin.

"It is fortunate that I needed my men to move in anyway," Dongfang Jibai said, looking toward the county office, cold light flashing in his eyes. "Tonight, let the Magistrate’s entire lineage be extinguished."

His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked, and his nails dug into his palms, blood seeping between his fingers. These scumbags needed to be purged.

Wang Feng sat silently on the threshold of Zhao Qiaofeng’s room. The distance was neither too near nor too far—close enough to guard her, yet far enough not to disturb her. The night breeze ruffled his clothes but could not disperse the aura of slaughter freezing the air around him.

Dongfang Jibai stood in the courtyard, watching his brother’s back, his eyes slowly darkening. This night was destined to be a night of blood.