After being reborn, I became the apple of my enemy's eye.

Lu Yan reacted quickly, catching her and picking her up.

"Let's get out of here first."

Only by leaving this place can Ning'er's emotions be stabilized.

Lu Yan held Yan Yun in his arms, feeling grateful that the person in front of him was in his embrace.

His anxious heart finally settled down when he saw her. Even though returning to the Zheng residence would surely bring more turmoil, he felt at ease at this moment.

Lu Yan didn't go looking for Lu Yuan; instead, he walked out of the alley and headed straight for the Zheng residence.

He kept talking to Yan Yun.

"It was my own decision to bring you out, but I failed to protect you properly."

He kept repeating this phrase over and over.

Arrived at the gate of Zheng's residence.

The butler was terrified when he saw Yan Yun's appearance.

"Young Master Lu, what's wrong?"

Lu Yan didn't have time to explain. He remembered that there was a doctor in the manor, and he wanted the doctor to take a look first, but he had to tell Zheng Jihua about the deceased.

The steward immediately sent a maid to fetch a doctor.

He led Lu Yan inside quickly.

The steward was even more nervous than Lu Yan. If the master found out that the young lady was like this, the mansion would be in turmoil again.

Just before going in, Yan Yun looked up and immediately spotted the person hiding behind the stone lion. The black clothes were so conspicuous that she couldn't forget them.

The man saw her too, and after a flash of panic, he immediately backed away.

Yan Yun struggled to get down, but Lu Yan's hands were tightly wrapped around her and she couldn't break free.

"Don't worry anymore, we've already returned home."

They went back inside.

After the doctor arrived, he asked Lu Yan and the steward to wait outside.

Lu Yan stared at the closed door with a gloomy expression.

The butler paced back and forth at the door, unsure whether to send someone to inform the old lady. He turned around and saw Lu Yan standing there, and wanted to ask for his opinion.

A servant rushed in to deliver a message.

"Butler, the master is back."

The butler glanced at Lu Yan and felt that this was the worst possible time.

"Young Master Lu, about Miss's matter."

Lu Yan's eyes regained their clarity. "I'm going to see the lord."

Lu Yan went out with the servants, and Zheng Jihua happened to ask if they had returned. He said they would arrive soon, and Lu Yan was waiting for him.

Zheng Jihua was also tired, but she still asked Lu Yan with concern for her daughter, "Did Ning'er have a good time?"

Lu Yan's expression was serious.

Zheng Jihua's expression instantly turned serious. He teased, "This doesn't look like the expression you'd have when you're out having fun. Did Ning'er upset you?"

Lu Yan shook his head.

"It's my fault for not taking good care of my cousin."

Zheng Jihua's face stiffened, and he reminded Lu Yan, "Don't tell me you didn't keep your promise to me."

"Yes."

"explain."

Lu Yan told Zheng Jihua about how he took Yan Yun out but they got separated at the lantern festival. When he mentioned that Yan Yun had been kidnapped...

As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Jihua kept punching Lu Yan in the face. He didn't care whether Lu Yan was the third young master of the general's mansion or a general. He was just a defeated general waiting for him to deliver supplies.

"If anything happens to Ning'er, do you remember what I said?"

Seeing that Lu Yan was speaking slowly, the butler immediately chimed in, "Sir, Young Master Lu has brought Miss back, and the doctor is examining her."

Zheng Jihua raised an eyebrow, and the butler immediately shut up.

Zheng Jihua looked at Lu Yan, "This punch was just a reminder."

Lu Yan lifted his robe forward and knelt before Zheng Jihua, saying, "I should not have to bear just this one punch."

Since he didn't keep his promise, this punch was too lenient.

The butler noticed that blood was flowing from the corner of Lu Yan's mouth.

That punch was no joke.

Zheng Jihua didn't want to continue talking nonsense with Lu Yan. He was worried about Yan Yun, so he immediately went to the backyard.

Meanwhile, in the backyard, the doctor had already examined Yan Yun. The external injuries were on his face and body, while the internal injuries could only be treated slowly. As for his body, although the doctor hadn't examined it, he could see a considerable amount of blood on his clothes.

Zheng Jihua pushed open the door and saw the injury on Yan Yun's face. He felt an intense urge to torture Lu Yan into the same state.

"Ning'er, it's your father's fault for not protecting you well."

He reached out to shake Yan Yun's hand.

Yan Yun pulled the blanket over herself and hid inside. At this moment, the last thing she needed was Zheng Jihua's worry. When in despair, no one can save you; she already knew this all too well.

Lu Yan, who followed, also saw the wound on Yan Yun's face. He hadn't seen it clearly because it was dark outside, but now he could see it clearly; the face was swollen high.

When Lu Yan saw Yan Yun's face, no one could understand his feelings. He didn't think he was afraid of Zheng Jihua, but seeing her injured made him feel the most hurt.

Zheng Jihua told the maid to keep a close watch on him, his face ashen.

"Lu Yan, come out with me."

Lu Yan followed Zheng Jihua out.

Zheng Jihua asked him, "You went out with Ning'er, weren't you by her side? Who did it?"

Lu Yan felt guilty. He didn't mention that Yan Yun had secretly run away, but he also had things he needed to say.

After listening to what Lu Yan said, Zheng Jihua led his men out of the mansion.

Lu Yan led Zheng Jihua away from the Zheng residence and went to the alley where they found Yan Yun. When they reached the alley entrance, they smelled the stench of blood.

When Zheng Jihua saw the unattended corpse on the ground, he asked Lu Yan without changing his expression, "Is this the person?"

Lu Yan told Zheng Jihua everything he had seen. Zheng Jihua saw the sack wrapped up to the side and kicked the already dead man directly. The blood that was gradually congealing splattered around because of Zheng Jihua's kick.

Zheng Jihua was not appeased by the death of the person in front of him. Instead, he bent down to look at the severed hand. It was clean and neat. The person Lu Yan mentioned was also someone Zheng Jihua had been keeping an eye on.

He wondered if Lu Yan had intervened but was keeping it from him.

After having this idea, he went to see Lu Yan.

However, Lu Yan kept turning his head to look at the rooftop where the person had jumped, and he couldn't remember the person's face, which was also Lu Yan's mistake.

However, Lu Yan was also concerned about how easily Lu Yan could climb onto the roof, which was two people high.

Lu Yan's thoughtful expression was genuine, which dispelled Zheng Jihua's suspicions. If he were truly capable of this, he wouldn't have come to the Zheng residence.

Zheng Jihua looked ahead again and saw a line of footprints on the ground, pointing in that direction.

He told Lu Yan to go back and stay with Ning'er.

Lu Yan apologized for the incident.

Zheng Jihua interrupted him, "This is not something you can control; it's my mistake."

What he didn't expect was that someone here would dare to mess with Zheng Jihua's daughter. The person who died is dead, but the living can't escape.

Lu Yan was sent away by Zheng Jihua, and he went to the end of the street to find Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan stood there and saw the Third Young Master coming alone, his face pale.

Lu Yan knew what he was worried about. "Cousin Ning'er has already returned to the manor. Let's go back too."

Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to say that Zheng Ning'er was just being silly, but when he saw his young master's face, he didn't dare to say anything. He thought something must have happened.

After the two returned to the Zheng residence, the old lady sent Granny Zhu over once, having heard something from the steward.

Granny Zhu waited for Lu Yan to return.

Granny Zhu relayed the old lady's message: the adults would take care of the young lady's affairs; Young Master Lu only needed to learn from the adults how to manage the Zheng family's affairs.

The meaning behind Zhu Mama's words was completely different from that of Zheng Jihua. Zheng Jihua prioritized Zheng Ning'er, while the old lady hoped that Lu Yan would prioritize the Zheng family.

Lu Yan listened to what Granny Zhu said, but her mind was still on her cousin. After experiencing such a thing, you can imagine how she felt.

Seeing the Third Young Master's uneasy expression, Lu Yuan knew he was worried.

"Don't worry, young master, I'll keep an eye on things over there."

Lu Yuan went to Yan Yun's room to keep watch, and asked for news as soon as the doctor came out. After asking, he immediately returned to tell Lu Yan.

Meanwhile, Zheng Jihua went to the city lord's residence and sent someone in to tell him that he wanted to see the city lord.

After the others invited Zheng Jihua inside, the city, which should have been bustling with activity, was about to be turned upside down by Zheng Jihua's arrival.

The body of the dead man was hung on the city wall, and below it was a wanted poster offering a reward for his family and brothers.

An elderly man hiding in the crowd asked the person next to him what was written on the paper, and his expression changed drastically after being told what it contained.

He bent down and walked into the alley.

Once he could no longer see anyone around him, he immediately ran forward. He had been spotted! He had been spotted! He gasped for breath, his mind filled with the thought.

When he ran to his thatched hut, he saw a field of firelight.

His own parents were kneeling before someone, begging for mercy.

Although he couldn't hear what his parents were saying, seeing the fear on their faces, he knew without even thinking what they were saying.

The blade was drawn, and with one swift stroke, the old man fell to the ground.

"what!"

Screams rose and fell. The wielder did not kill with a single blow, but instead stabbed those who could not escape. Those on the side could not bear to watch and cried out, "Sir, we are innocent, please spare us!"

But begging for mercy gets you nothing.

The faces illuminated by the firelight were even more grotesque.

The house, wreathed in flames, threatened to engulf everything. The shadow cast on the ground reflected the figure of a man plunging a knife into the neck of another person on the ground.

It was on the very first day of the new year.

On the city wall, out of Yan Yun's sight, there were more than a dozen corpses.