Famine and exile: I brought the Spirit Spring to save the entire Marquis's mansion.

The four constables kept a close watch on them. Even when they were resting in the tent, they would leave gaps to keep a constant watch on them.

Now, apart from Hu Si still eating meat outside, the other three are nowhere to be seen.

Where did Narcissus and Xiaoya go?

Sang Ning jumped up and whispered, "I'll go look for it."

Before Huo Chang'an could say anything, she clutched her stomach, bent over as if in pain, and ran into the woods.

Hu Si, who was gnawing on meat, narrowed his eyes, threw down the bone, picked up the knife, and made as if to follow.

He wasn't too worried about others, but he was most afraid that Sang Ning'er would run away.

He witnessed firsthand how she subdued the cow; she was incredibly agile and capable!

Just as I was about to respond, a wail and curse came from the other side.

"Heavens above! When will you open your eyes and see this corrupt world! My Huo family has been loyal and devoted, yet we have come to this end!"

"Once honored guests of kings and nobles, now they are fish on the chopping block and bullied! With treacherous officials in power, the country is in grave danger!"

"Sang Xiuqi! Yan Yuheng! Traitors and villains, parasites harming the country! May you die a horrible death!"

……

This madman dares to insult the Grand Commandant and the Prince! He's been itching for a beating for days!

Hu Si pulled out his whip and went over to strike.

Everyone woke up with a start.

"Fourth brother! What's wrong?" Li Yuzhi asked in surprise.

The whip cracked through the air with a terrifying sound, and everyone reflexively shuddered.

No one expected that when the first whip was lashed out, a small body would fall onto Huo Chang'an.

The whip struck the child's back, and its tail swept across Huo Chang'an's face, leaving a bloody mark.

"Jintang! Get away, this is ridiculous!" Huo Chang'an exclaimed in shock and pain.

"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt said that Jintang is a man of the Huo family and should support the Huo family with Fourth Uncle. He is not a child anymore."

The little child gritted his teeth, his face pale, and refused to roll over.

Huo Chang'an was speechless.

If he's no longer able to function, we really need Jintang...

"Did your fourth aunt teach you that when you are still weak, you should avoid the enemy's sharp edge? Hurry up, all you are doing is making pointless sacrifices. They will still come after me in the end."

Jintang not only failed to get up, but Li Yuzhi and Xie Yurou also blocked her way.

The old lady looked around and suddenly realized what was wrong with her son's unusual behavior.

"No wonder they're from the Huo family, they just love to unite and fight against the enemy." Hu Si sneered.

He had seen countless people abandon their wives and daughters, betray each other, and be too busy to even take care of themselves in times of crisis. It was rare to see such unity in this situation.

But he wasn't happy at all.

Because he didn't!

Another whip lashed through the sky and fell.

The old lady suddenly knelt down and cried out her innocence: "Sir, do you know what place you are standing on? My lord was once here..."

Du Shan, who had followed, showed impatience in his eyes.

"Madam, we all know that the Marquis has rendered great service to Dongyang, but all people under heaven are subjects of the king, and a subject must die if the king commands it! The Fourth Young Master's open insults against the royal family may implicate us..."

"I know that you, sir, were just feeling down and confused. He definitely won't do it again. I don't mean anything by it. I just remembered that my lord killed more than a hundred bandits here. Since I have nothing better to do, would you be interested in hearing about it, sir?"

Actually, the bandits weren't killed here, but that didn't stop the old lady from using them.

"Then let's listen."

*

Not long after Sang Ning entered the woods, he saw Huo Jingya running towards him, her clothes disheveled.

"Sang...Fourth Sister-in-law! Fourth Sister-in-law!" She was delirious and incoherent, with scratch marks on her arms and neck.

"It's over...it's over...what do I do? What do I do? I smashed up Li's factory! I don't know if he's dead or not, but he definitely won't let me off the hook. Will I drag everyone down with me?"

They might be executed on the spot by the officials!

She's ruined everyone's lives!

After understanding what was happening amidst her crying, Sang Ning breathed a sigh of relief. "That silly girl, it's good that she's alright."

"Why are you crying! Don't be afraid, I'll handle it!"

Sang Ning quickly changed their clothes to cover her scratched neck.

Wipe away your tears and go back as if nothing happened.

Sang Ning's calm and composed voice and expression put Huo Jingya at ease.

She realized once again how wrong she had been.

Sang Ning'er was not the good-for-nothing she used to think, nor was she one of those pampered young ladies from the capital.

She is like a female general who remains calm even when Mount Tai collapses before her, possessing both courage and wisdom.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, what are you going to do?"

One word: Desert!

What does "desert" mean?

These are clearly two characters!

As Huo Jingya was thinking, she heard Sang Ning ask, "Where is Yun Shuixian?"

"Narcissus? Didn't Narcissus invite you here?"

Sang Ning frowned: "No, I didn't see her. Okay, you go back first, I'll look for her again in a bit."

She went to find Li Chang in the direction Huo Jingya pointed.

Huo Jingya became worried again.

Is something bad going to happen to Narcissus again?

She hurriedly ran back, wanting to see if those yamen runners were up to their old tricks again.

As I passed a large rock, I heard a faint noise coming from behind me.

Huo Jingya nervously leaned over quietly.

Then she witnessed a scene that utterly shocked her.

Yun Shuixian, clutching the ox bones she had brought, gnawed at them like a greedy, starving dog, completely unrefined, her face greasy.

There was nothing else in her eyes.

She forgot that her sister was being violated and was waiting to be rescued.

No, perhaps she hasn't forgotten.

They just never cared.

After all, it was only right for others to save her.

……

As soon as Huo Jingya returned, Hu Si quickly sized her up.

Nothing happened!

The one who should suffer is that young woman surnamed Yun.

Factory Li really has a consistent taste; his goal has never changed.

Hu Si picked his teeth with a blade of grass in his mouth, now afraid that Sang Ning'er would ruin things.

But probably not. There's enough time for Li Chang to play around with it several times.

Seeing the hidden urgency in Huo Chang'an's eyes, Huo Jingya squatted down beside him and whispered, "Fourth Sister-in-law is alright, she told me to come back first."

Then he recounted what had happened, but didn't mention Yun Shuixian.

After hearing this, Huo Chang'an was so angry that his heart, liver, and lungs ached.

"What does she plan to do with Factory Li?" Huo Chang'an asked worriedly.

They couldn't kill him, and they also had to silence him.

How to do?

"I don't know," Fourth Sister-in-law said, "just one word: desert."

"These are two words!" Huo Chang'an said absentmindedly, his gaze turning to Lin Zi again.

"She definitely didn't say those two words; you've misunderstood."

But which two characters are the homophones?

Kill, bury?

Huo Jingya fell silent.

It turns out that even Fourth Brother couldn't understand the meaning behind it.

So, was Fourth Sister-in-law wrong or not?