Severed ties and living in a dilapidated house? No worries, the poor thing has a space.

Wang Yuan turned to look at Fang Fangling, and for the first time became interested in her.

"Oh?"

"Then tell me, how can you share my burden?"

In fact, Fang Ling hasn't figured it out yet; she just wants a temporary excuse to keep Wang Yuan around.

She lowered her eyes: "I tried my best, but..."

Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words back down.

Then, when she looked up at him again, her eyes clearly held a hint of eager expectation.

She parted her lips slightly and said softly, "Young master, please do not misunderstand. I dare not have too many expectations. I do not aspire to be your principal wife. I only ask to have the honor of staying by your side and serving you diligently. Even if I am just a concubine, I will be willing and have no regrets."

Wang Yuan stood still, his gaze fixed on the woman in front of him, pondering to himself. At this moment, he had completely seen through Fang Ling's thoughts. It turned out that this seemingly weak woman was actually playing a trick on him, using retreat as a means of advance.

So what? The Wang family is large and powerful, and he has no shortage of women around him. Besides, this woman in front of him is just a country girl. Even if he takes her back to his mansion as a concubine, it will be as easy for him as adopting an ordinary maid.

Thinking of this, Wang Yuan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a playful smile.

Then, with steady steps, he walked back to the bedside and slowly sat down. This time, the interest he had shown in Fang Ling's eyes, which had been faint, became even more intense.

With a flick of his folding fan, he lifted Fang Ling's delicate chin high, then leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Since that's the case, then I'll just have to wait and see..."

Fang Ling nodded firmly and resolutely, looking at Young Master Wang with unwavering eyes, as if trying to convey all her determination to him. She said, "Young Master Wang, please rest assured, I will do my best and will never let you down!"

Wang Yuan nodded slightly in satisfaction, then turned and slowly walked away. His steps were steady and powerful, each step seemingly carrying a sense of determination and resolve. Just as he was about to disappear from sight, he suddenly seemed to remember something, stopped, took a bulging money bag from his waist, gently placed it on the ground, and continued walking without looking back.

Fang Ling watched Wang Yuan's figure gradually disappear until he was completely out of sight. Only then did she slowly squat down and reach out with trembling hands to pick up the money bag. The heavy feeling in her hand brought her some peace of mind, but then the image of Fang Yu, so successful and thriving, immediately flashed through her mind.

Thinking of all this, the hatred in Fang Ling's heart surged like a flood bursting its banks, wave after wave. That intense hatred almost devoured her, making her feel extremely suffocated in her chest, and even a little breathless.

Fang Yu saw off the last table of customers. The restaurant had almost sold out of ingredients and was closing for the day.

She hurried to the backyard, where Li was wiping the sweat from Fang Xin's brow.

"Mother, Xin'er, thank you for your hard work today," Fang Yu said as she walked in, then pinched Fang Xin's cheek.

Fang Xin shook her head vigorously, her face beaming with barely suppressed excitement. Her bright eyes sparkled as she said in a clear voice, "Sister, I really don't feel tired at all! Just thinking about how many people enjoy my cooking makes my heart bloom like a flower. I can't be happier!"

Immediately afterwards, Fang Xin turned her gaze to Li Shi, her eyes showing concern, and asked softly, "But, Mother, are you exhausted today?"

Mrs. Li looked at her daughter tenderly and smiled gently, a smile as warm as the spring sun. She waved her hand and said softly, "Silly child, this little bit of work is much easier than toiling in the fields under the scorching sun, digging for food!"

At this moment, Fang Yu stepped forward, reached out and pulled the two of them, and said kindly, "Come and sit down for a while, let's stop here for today."

After sitting down as instructed, Fang Xin eagerly turned to look at Fang Yu and asked curiously, "Sister, how much silver did we earn today?"

Fang Yu smiled slightly, not answering her question directly, but mysteriously pointing to the bulging bag placed to the side. The bag was filled with gleaming silver coins, almost overflowing.

Upon seeing this, Fang Xin quickly stood up, walked briskly to the bag, and carefully picked it up. When the heavy money bag fell into her arms, Fang Xin's eyes instantly shone like the brightest stars in the night sky, and her whole body trembled slightly with excitement.

She clutched the money pouch tightly, as if afraid it would suddenly fly away, and murmured to herself, "Great! If we can earn this much money every day, won't it be soon that our family will be able to live a happy and fulfilling life?"

Fang Yu gently stroked her nose: "Little money-grubber, but you'll get very tired doing this every day. I'll find two people to help you out later."

This time, Fang Xin did not refuse, because this way, Li Shi would not have to run around by her side.

That was exactly what Fang Yu meant, she just didn't say it outright.

Before going home, Fang Yu went to check on Yun Xiao's leg.

Yunxiao would smile in the past, but you could tell it was a forced smile. But today was different. Although the wrinkles at the corners of her mouth were very shallow, you could tell that she was in a really good mood.

Fang Yu changed her dressing and checked the condition of the scars on her face; they were healing very well.

"Miss Fang, thank you." Yun Xiao suddenly spoke in her ear.

What she actually wanted to say was: Thank you for saving my brother and me too.

Fang Yu looked up at her, didn't ask any questions, and simply said, "Get some rest."

They hired a carriage to go back today. Fang Xin and Li Shi said they weren't tired at all. When they first got into the carriage, they were extremely excited because it was their first time riding in a carriage.

It had only been half an incense stick's time, and the mother and daughter had both fallen asleep leaning against the carriage.

Fang Yu lifted the carriage curtain to see where they were.

Before the curtain was even lowered, the carriage suddenly stopped. The driver lifted the curtain, and Fang Yu stepped out.

Upon seeing the person blocking the car, Fang Yu not only recognized him, but had actually guessed it long ago – it was the man with the strange totem.

The driver asked Fang Yu, "Young lady, shall we continue now?"

Fang Yu nodded: "Keep the pace steady, don't disturb their rest."

Fang Yu got out of the car alone. She glanced at where Fu Ju was and gestured for him to take them back first.

Fu Ju did not show himself, but left directly.

The strange man knew of Fu Zi's existence, but he did not stop him or the carriage from leaving.

After the carriage had driven far into the distance and disappeared from sight, Fang Yu took two leisurely steps forward. With her arms crossed and a composed expression, she asked, "What brings you here to intercept us?"

Fang Yu thought to himself, the person in front of him was able to get rid of Xiao Jingqi's pursuit so easily, so his strength must be extraordinary.

However, the man did not respond to Fang Yu's question, but simply raised his head slightly. With this movement, the cloak he was wearing slid down, revealing his true face.

A chilling killing intent flickered in the man's eyes, sending shivers down one's spine. Before Fang Yu could react, he drew a long sword from his waist without a word and thrust it towards Fang Yu. His stance suggested he was certain that eliminating Fang Yu would be a piece of cake.

To the man's utter surprise, his powerful strike was abruptly blocked in mid-air! And what blocked his fatal blow was none other than the large sword in Fang Yu's hand.

The knife looked much thicker than Fang Yu's palm, but she handled it with ease and deflected the man's knife with effortless skill.

Fang Yu first gently shook his neck to loosen his muscles, then his lips curled up slightly, revealing a sinister and ruthless smile just like the man's, and he said provocatively, "You're not bad, let's go again!"

The man clearly hadn't expected that Fang Yu would not only be able to steadily block his full-force strike, but also have the audacity to openly challenge him.

But he was no ordinary person either. Faced with Fang Yu's provocation, he didn't hesitate for a moment and launched an even more fierce and aggressive attack...

"呲-"

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly shattered the tense atmosphere. It was the sound of clothes being torn, but surprisingly, it wasn't Fang Yu whose clothes were torn, but the man confronting her.

Fang Yu's gaze quickly swept over the faint traces of blood on the blade. Instantly, her eyes brightened with excitement, as if burning with a raging fire. A slightly manic smile appeared on her lips as she provocatively shouted, "Again!"

At this moment, Fang Yu's long-suppressed fighting spirit was completely ignited. It had been far too long since she had fought someone so thoroughly and exhilaratingly. Every swing of her sword, every move, was imbued with boundless power and determination.

The confrontation with the man lasted for several rounds, yet Fang Yu maintained a firm advantage, showing no signs of fatigue. She was agile and nimble, like a cheetah, her broadsword gleaming coldly in the sunlight, like the scythe of death, mercilessly reaping her enemy's weaknesses.

The man stared at his torn clothes and bleeding wounds, his face gradually contorting with anger. Despite his rage, he tried to remain calm; after all, to have withstood Fang Yu's relentless attacks this long was no small feat.

Finally, unable to contain his anger any longer, the man spoke first, asking, "Who exactly are you?!"

Fang Yu, however, calmly and forcefully plunged the large knife in his hand into the ground, the hilt sinking three-tenths of an inch into the soil, standing firmly upright.

She crossed her arms, appearing somewhat relaxed, and chuckled, "As for me, I'm just an ordinary village girl. But you, hiding your true identity, why don't you tell me who you really are and why you tried to kill my mother?"

Upon hearing Fang Yu mention her mother, the man's dark, deep eyes narrowed sharply, clearly not expecting Fang Yu to know the true purpose of his trip. After a brief moment of astonishment, he regained his composure and said in a deep voice, "The dead are not worthy of knowing!"

After several fierce exchanges, the man knew that defeating this seemingly weak but incredibly strong woman would be no easy feat. Since he was going to kill her anyway, he decided to disregard any semblance of chivalry and prepare to unleash his final, deadly move…

With a sudden flick of his wrist, a streak of cold light shot out like lightning! The hidden weapon, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, flew straight towards Fang Yu. If all went smoothly, once the poisoned dart struck its target and the poison took effect, Fang Yu would surely die.

However, Fang Yu seemed to have already anticipated her opponent's thoughts. With a swift movement, she dodged the deadly poisoned dart as lightly as a ghost. Not only that, she flicked her wrist, sending a hidden weapon hurtling towards the man like a shooting star.

With a muffled thud, the hidden weapon turned out to be an incredibly sharp dagger, piercing straight into the man's arm! Blood gushed out instantly, staining a patch of ground red. The man cried out in pain, clutching his injured arm tightly, and involuntarily took two steps back.

However, Fang Yu did not intend to kill the man immediately. From the beginning, everything she did was intentionally to buy time; she firmly believed that Xiao Jingqi would arrive soon.

Fang Yu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a contemptuous smile, and she deliberately provoked, "Tell me, how do you want to die? I'm in a good mood today, so I'll reluctantly leave you with a whole corpse."

Upon hearing this, a cunning glint flashed in the man's eyes. Clearly, he too had sensed Fang Yu's intentions. But without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly pulled a handful of poisoned darts from his pocket and hurled them all at Fang Yu. At the same time, he viciously threw a stun grenade to the ground!

In an instant, a deafening explosion rang out, flames shot skyward, and smoke billowed. The entire scene descended into chaos…