“General, you mustn’t!” Uncle Xiao, who had been standing silently nearby, hurried forward and urged in a lowered voice, “Madam is clever and quick-witted, far beyond ordinary people. And she possesses… extraordinary abilities. If she’s safe, she’ll certainly find a way to send word to us.”
“We still don’t know who the other party is or what they want. If we mobilize everyone, we’ll alert the enemy. And if we fall into a trap—or place Madam in even greater danger—it could make matters worse! Please think this through, my lord. For now, we must endure and wait for the right moment to act!”
Uncle Xiao’s words were like a basin of ice water, dousing the fury blazing within Zhan Haoting.
He remembered that Cheng Yao possessed a mysterious “place” of her own, along with those miraculous medicines.
That was right. Yao’er was not an ordinary woman entirely without the means to protect herself. She had secrets and hidden trump cards even he could not see through. Uncle Xiao was right. Recklessly making a show of force might not be the best course of action.
He closed his eyes and forcibly suppressed the anxiety and violence nearly bursting from his chest. His chest heaved several times.
When he opened his eyes again, the rage in them had vanished, replaced by an even deeper chill.
“Song Ze,” he said coldly, “first take some men and secretly search the nearby towns and forests. Pay particular attention to clinics, pharmacies, and anywhere people might be hiding.
“Keep an eye out for any special marks or messages Madam may have left behind. At the same time, investigate those thugs and servants. Move quickly!”
“Yes! Your subordinate obeys!” Song Ze accepted the order and immediately rose, vanishing into the shadows like a phantom.
After Song Ze left, Uncle Xiao reminded Zhan Haoting, “General, Madam’s disappearance has left everyone unsettled. Perhaps you should say a few words to reassure them?”
Zhan Haoting pondered for a moment. “Summon the clan elders.”
“Yes.”
Within the group, Second Madam Zhan looked at everyone’s stricken faces—especially Madam Zhan, whose eyes were swollen red and whose expression was dazed and distraught. A twisted sense of delight inexplicably rose in her heart.
She curled her lips and spoke sarcastically. “Oh, sister-in-law, what are you crying about? Some people are simply born under an ill-fated star, destined to bring disaster to everyone close to them! The moment she married into this family, she threw the entire household into chaos, got the whole clan exiled, and still wouldn’t let us have any peace along the way! Now that she’s gotten herself into trouble and been taken away, that’s just fine. At least she won’t drag all of us down with her!”
“Mother! What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhan Jinmo scolded, his expression grim.
Seeing that even her own son dared to rebuke her, Second Madam Zhan grew furious. Raising her voice, she said, “What nonsense? If Cheng Yao hadn’t taken her half-sister’s place and married into our family, would the Zhan family ever have come to this? Everyone in the country knows she was born under a hard and deadly fate! The moment she was brought back to the General’s Residence, she supposedly brought about the deaths of her grandparents. Then she went to her maternal grandfather’s family and supposedly caused his death as well, not to mention dragging that family’s business into bankruptcy and burying them in debt! She’s simply fated to ruin her husband and her family! But none of you would listen! And look where we are now—the entire clan has been exiled! If that isn’t being a curse, then what is?”
The more she spoke, the more vicious she became, blaming Cheng Yao’s supposed horoscope and lowly origins for the Zhan family’s downfall and the hardships of their exile.
She did not forget to twist the knife in Madam Zhan’s heart. “Sister-in-law, after marrying such an unlucky wretch into the family, don’t you regret it terribly?”
Madam Zhan was already frantic with worry over Cheng Yao’s disappearance. Hearing Second Madam Zhan heap abuse on the daughter-in-law she regarded as her own child, she trembled with rage. Her vision went black!
She pointed at Second Madam Zhan, trying to speak, but her lips merely quivered, unable to form a single word. Her anger and grief overwhelmed her reason, and she charged forward, raising her hand to strike Second Madam Zhan.
“How dare you!” Second Madam Zhan shrieked as she stumbled backward.
At that very moment, Zhan Haoting had been sitting quietly in the distance, seemingly cut off from everything around him. Without even turning his head, he merely lifted his right hand, resting on his knee, almost imperceptibly.
An invisible yet razor-sharp gust of force shot toward Second Madam Zhan from across the room!
“Ah!”
Her words were cut off mid-cry. Her entire body was hurled away like a kite with its string severed, crashing heavily to the ground. She vomited a mouthful of blood, her head lolling to one side as she fainted on the spot.
The entire scene fell deathly silent!
Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events and stared at Zhan Haoting in terror.
He was simply too powerful!
No one had seen how he had struck!
“Haoting! You actually dared to attack your elder! Have you gone mad?” Old Madam Zhan was so furious that even the hand gripping her wooden cane trembled violently. “Such defiance and filial disrespect will bring down heavenly punishment upon you!”
Zhan Haoting slowly turned his head. His gaze was as cold as ice that had endured for ten thousand years, fixed directly on Old Madam Zhan. There was no reverence for an elder in his eyes—only a chilling indifference and warning.
“Then you’re no man at all!”
“As a husband, if you can remain indifferent while your own wife is humiliated, then you’re not fit to be a man.” His voice was not loud, but it carried unquestionable authority. “Grandmother, I respect you as my elder. But some words and some actions must have limits. If I hear anyone slandering or targeting Cheng Yao again…”
His domineering gaze swept across the entire gathering. Every person it touched shuddered involuntarily and lowered their head.
“Don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”
The icy tone of his voice, combined with the intimidation of that strike from across the room, made everyone understand clearly: even though this once-renowned God of War was seriously wounded and fallen from power, his abilities and methods were still far beyond anything they could provoke.
Old Madam Zhan felt a chill in her heart beneath his gaze. The rest of her words stuck in her throat, never to be spoken. Her face turned livid as she ordered Zhan Jinmo to hurry and check on the unconscious Second Madam Zhan.
Unlike the grieving people around him, Zhang Dapeng, hiding in a corner, was secretly overjoyed.
Cheng Yao was gone!
That woman who had repeatedly made him suffer, caused Constable Wang to beat him in front of everyone, and stolen all the attention was finally out of the way!
It would be even better if she never came back!
As he thought this, a malicious idea suddenly occurred to Zhang Dapeng. He leaned toward the worried Constable Wang and whispered, “Chief, don’t you think this whole thing is suspicious? Cheng Yao didn’t disappear sooner or later—she vanished precisely when we’d just started making some money and were finally getting back on our feet. In my opinion, this is nothing but a ruse by Zhan Haoting—a cicada shedding its shell!”
Constable Wang frowned deeply. “A cicada shedding its shell? What do you mean?”
Zhang Dapeng edged closer, his tone filled with certainty. “Think about it, Chief! What kind of man is Zhan Haoting? He was once the God of War who commanded massive armies and held power over the entire court! Would he really be willing to be exiled to Jiuyou Prefecture and wait to die? Of course not!
“That Cheng Yao knows medicine and secret arts, and she can produce all kinds of strange and unusual things. She might very well be one of his most important pieces on the board!
“Now that the authorities are watching him closely, he must have decided that Cheng Yao was too conspicuous—or perhaps he had something even more important for her to do. So he staged this little ‘abduction’ to help her slip away in secret, allowing her to contact his former supporters and gather provisions in preparation for a rebellion!”
The more he spoke, the more convinced he became that he had uncovered the truth. A smug look spread across his face.
Constable Wang was shaken to the core by what he heard.
