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

Fang Ling rushed over to snatch him away, but Fang Yu didn't even glance at her, not even lifting an eyelid. He kicked Fang Ling away and said, "Get out of my way!"

She grabbed Fang Ping and glanced at the three people in the room. Zhu Shi wasn't there, and she already had some guesses in her mind.

She tightened her grip, her gaze as icy as her voice: "If anything happens to Xin'er, your Fang family can expect to be wiped out. And what about Fang Youcai's whereabouts?"

Fang Yu's last question was directed at Zhang Shi.

"Grandma...cough cough...help...help me..."

Fang Ping cried out for help with difficulty in Fang Yu's palm, his face red with a hint of paleness, as if he would stop breathing at any moment.

Fang Wande was still clueless. He frowned and took two steps over: "Sister Yu, what exactly are you trying to do? Ping-ge is also your brother. Are you trying to strangle him? Stop it right now!"

Fang Yu stared intently at Zhang Shi without uttering a word, but her knuckles were clenched to their limit; she was waiting for Zhang Shi to speak.

Fang Ping's struggles in his arms grew weaker and weaker, and it seemed that his last breath was about to disappear.

Zhang finally couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "Youcai went to the city... Ningxin... brothel."

Upon hearing the answer, Fang Yu released the barely breathing Fang Ping, his terrifying eyes slicing across Zhang's face like knives.

When Mo Jiu saw her return, he emerged from the shadows and asked, "Miss Fang, have you found Second Miss Fang?"

Fang Yu paused slightly, and said in an emotionless tone, "Thank you for escorting me back. You can go back now."

After saying that, she left.

Before we even got home, Madam Li had already found us: "Yu'er, have you found Xin'er?"

Fang Yu forced a faint smile: "Mother, Xin'er went up the mountain. I'll go find her and bring her back. Mother, could you tidy up the house and prepare a meal for us when we return?"

Perhaps Fang Yu was too good at disguising herself, so much so that Li Shi didn't notice anything amiss. She even breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, then be careful. Mother will cook dinner and wait for you to come back."

Fang Yu closed the courtyard gate and headed to Qingshan City, arriving at Zhang's Ningxin Courtyard.

This is the largest brothel in Qingshan City.

Without wasting a moment, Fang Yu slipped in. Before finding Fang Youcai, he ran into Xiao Jingqi, with whom he had fought side by side at Shanheifeng Village.

"Why are you here?"

Before Fang Yu could even ask, he walked over, grabbed her wrist, and said, "Come with me!"

If he hadn't returned in time, we wouldn't have known such a big thing had happened.

Fang Yu struggled to free his wrist, his usual carefree demeanor gone: "Lord Xiao, I have important matters to attend to..."

“I know where your sister is.” Xiao Jingqi interrupted her and quickened his pace, leading her away from Ningxin Courtyard.

She was lifted onto the horse and Xiao Jingqi rode with her. Only on horseback did he say, "I came in a hurry and only have one horse. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Fang Yu gripped the saddle bridge tightly, putting that question aside, and asked instead, "Can we go any faster?"

Having walked through Ningxin Courtyard, she knew without even thinking what would happen next; she just hoped she wouldn't arrive too late.

The sky was already bright, and there were more and more people on the streets.

After crossing two streets, the horse finally stopped in front of a house with the words "Prince's Mansion" engraved on its plaque.

"arrive."

When Xiao Jingqi reminded him, he had already dismounted and was standing below, gesturing for Fang Yu to come down.

Fang Yu's eyes were fixed on the doorway, and without thinking much, she placed her hand in his.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Mo Jiu arrived, and without any hesitation, he went up to knock on the door.

The servant who opened the door looked tired: "Who are you? Disturbing my sleep so early in the morning."

Before Mo Jiu could make a further move, Xiao Jingqi grabbed Fang Yu's wrist and went inside.

Mo Jiu pressed the servant against the door: "Go and call someone, hurry up."

Xiao Jingqi had a clear purpose. He led her straight to the backyard and opened the doors on any ignorant servants they encountered.

"Get out of here! Get out of here!"

A voice suddenly came from a room. Fang Yu recognized it clearly; it was Fang Xin.

She let go of Xiao Jingqi's hand and rushed into that room.

"Xin'er!"

Fang Xin, who was huddled in the corner of the bed looking disheveled, suddenly looked up when she heard the sound.

Standing by the bed, the person, who had stripped down to only his undergarments, turned to look at him. Thinking he was an ignorant servant, he scolded, "Who let you... in...?"

Upon recognizing Fang Yu, Wang Yuan instantly adopted a humble smile: "Miss, what brings you here?"

His expression visibly brightened with excitement.

Fang Yu's brows furrowed, and she bit her back teeth slightly. Xiao Jingqi then entered, glanced at the situation, withdrew his gaze, and took off his cloak, handing it to Fang Yu.

Fang Yu took the blanket, stepped onto the bed, covered Fang Xin, and held her in her arms. She whispered an apology in her ear: "Xin'er, I'm sorry, I'll take you home."

Seeing the situation, Wang Yuan realized something was wrong. He grabbed some clothes from the rack and started putting them on while saying, "Who are you people? How dare you break into a private residence! Guards!"

Mo Jiu entered, displaying his token: "The Inspector is handling a case. You have forced women into prostitution. The evidence is now conclusive. Take you all away."

The people who came in behind him were about to take Wang Yuan away, but he took two steps back, stood there for a moment to react, and then asked disdainfully, "I only know that the Prefect of Qingshan City is the highest-ranking official. What kind of official is the Inspector? I've never heard of him."

He glanced indifferently at Fang Xin on the bed: "This is my concubine whom I bought for fifty taels of silver. It's all in black and white. How can you say I'm forcing her into prostitution? Even if you're government officials, what can you do to me?"

Forcing a woman into prostitution is a violation of the laws of Beiyu, but taking a concubine is a common human practice.

Mo Jiu glared angrily and shouted, "You audacious commoner! This is an official appointed by the imperial court, how dare you disrespect him! His authority is as high as the heavens, how dare you lowly commoners offend him? Kneel down and beg for forgiveness at once, or you will be punished for the crime of great disrespect!"

Before Wang Yuan could react, a large knife was placed against his neck, forcing him to kneel.

Wang Yuan was only now intimidated by Mo Jiu's imposing manner. He had only ever met the Prefect, and had never heard of any Inspector, which was why he dared to be so bold.

Xiao Jingqi, who had been silent until now, took two steps forward and said calmly to the people behind him, "You escort the two young ladies back."

Fang Yu did not refuse. He helped Fang Yu, who was still trembling, up and whispered his thanks as they passed each other.

A carriage was already prepared at the entrance, and clean clothes were provided inside.

When no one was around, Fang Xin, who hadn't said a word, suddenly burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably in Fang Yu's arms.

"Sister, that bastard Fang Youcai sold me out! I'm going to beat him to death!"

Fang Yu gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and said remorsefully, "I'm sorry, Xin'er, it's my fault for not protecting you."