From cannon fodder villain to superpowered queen

The musty smell in the basement made Bi Yao frown.

By the dim light of her phone, she finally saw the so-called "Liu Ermazi" clearly—a thin, unkempt middle-aged man, huddled in a corner, trembling like a frightened rabbit.

“We’re here to help you,” Bi Yao said, trying to soothe him by softening her voice. “We know about the Jiang family’s affairs.”

Upon hearing the words "Jiang family," Liu Ermazi trembled even more violently.

"No, don't mention them... they'll kill me! And my wife and children too..." He cried, his face contorted with grief, tears streaming down his face, which made Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan feel a pang of pity.

“We know you’re afraid,” Jiang Ruiyuan said in a deep voice, “but only if you testify in court can the Jiang family be brought to justice and your family be protected.”

Liu Ermazi shook his head in despair: "It's no use, it's no use! The Jiang family is too powerful. Even if I testify, they can still kill me! I don't want to die..."

Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan exchanged a glance, both feeling that this witness was even more difficult to deal with than they had imagined.

This isn't a witness, this is a ticking time bomb!

Outside, Sun Fu's cursing and banging on the door rose and fell, making people feel irritated.

Jiang Ruiyuan walked to the door, listened intently, and his expression gradually became serious.

"Their numbers are increasing; we need to find a way to get out of here."

Just as they were at their wits' end, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from the basement entrance, followed by a shrill voice: "Listen up, you're surrounded! Get out now!"

Bi Yao thought to herself, "This is bad." It seems that the Jiang family has brought reinforcements.

The door was kicked open with a loud bang, and blinding light shone in. Bi Yao squinted and saw a fat man with a big head and ears dressed as a clerk standing in the doorway, followed by a group of yamen runners.

"Master Wang?" Jiang Ruiyuan recognized the man at a glance. It was Wang Fugui, the county clerk, who was notorious for his greed and lust and had close ties with the Jiang family.

Master Wang waved his folding fan and said with a forced smile, "Oh, isn't this Young Master Jiang and Boss Bi? What are you doing hiding in a place like this? Have you been up to some shady business?"

Bi Yao sneered inwardly. This Master Wang had clearly taken bribes from the Jiang family and was deliberately looking for trouble.

“Master Wang is joking,” Bi Yao replied calmly. “We are just here… to discuss business.”

"Talking business?" Master Wang raised an eyebrow, his eyes scanning Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan. "What kind of business needs to be discussed in a basement? I think you're disturbing the peace. Come with me to the yamen!"

As soon as Master Wang finished speaking, the constables behind him swarmed forward, trying to seize Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan.

“Wait a minute,” Bi Yao suddenly spoke, taking out a letter from her bosom. “Master Wang, I think you should be very interested in this.”

The clerk took the letter with suspicion, unfolded it, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

The letter contained clear evidence of his collusion with the Chiang family and acceptance of bribes, and the handwriting was indeed his own!

He looked at Bi Yao in horror, his lips trembling as he couldn't speak.

"Master Wang, are you satisfied with this business?" Bi Yao looked at him with a half-smile, her tone tinged with sarcasm.

The surrounding people, who had initially just been watching the spectacle, began to murmur amongst themselves when they saw Master Wang's expression change drastically.

"What...what's going on?"

"It seems that... Master Wang has been caught red-handed?"

"I knew it! This Master Wang definitely has some kind of shady relationship with the Jiang family!"

Master Wang felt as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into the street, filled with shame and indignation.

Enraged, he pointed at Bi Yao and roared, "You...you're slandering me! Guards, arrest them all!"

The constables looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Although they obeyed Master Wang's orders, it was clear from the current situation that Master Wang was in the wrong.

Seeing this, Jiang Ruiyuan stepped forward and said slowly, "Master Wang, are you sure you want to arrest us? Do you know that once this letter is made public, your career will be over? At that time, even the Jiang family may not be able to protect you."

Jiang Ruiyuan paused, then continued, "As far as I know, Master Wang has recently acquired quite a bit of wealth. I wonder where all this money came from? Could it be... that he's embezzling?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding people immediately erupted in uproar.

"You scoundrel Wang Fugui, you've actually embezzled and accepted bribes!"

"I thought you were a good official, but I never expected you to be such a parasite!"

"Arrest him and send him to the authorities!"

The people were filled with righteous indignation and condemned Wang the advisor.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Master Wang knew that he was doomed today.

He glared fiercely at Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan, then slunk away with the constables.

Liu Ermazi, who was in the basement, witnessed all of this and was terrified.

He looked at Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan with a look of awe in his eyes.

Bi Yao walked up to Liu Ermazi and said softly, "Now, are you willing to come with us?"

Liu Ermazi nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes! I'll do whatever you say!"

Bi Yao smiled with satisfaction and turned to look at Jiang Ruiyuan.

Jiang Ruiyuan gently patted her head...

Bi Yao looked at Jiang Ruiyuan gratefully, her eyes slightly red.

Jiang Ruiyuan gently stroked her head and said softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here, I won't let you get hurt." Bi Yao leaned against him, listening to his steady heartbeat, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

The tension and fear from before seemed to vanish completely, replaced by a strong sense of security.

They successfully moved Liu Ermazi to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, a secret hideout that Sun Fu had arranged in advance.

Although the warehouse was dilapidated, it was well hidden, with few people around, making it difficult to be discovered.

Bi Yao arranged for someone to bring food and clean clothes to Liu Ermazi, and also found a doctor to examine him.

“The Jiang family won’t let this go.” Jiang Ruiyuan looked at Bi Yao, his tone grave. “They will definitely try every means to prevent Liu Ermazi from testifying in court.”

Bi Yao nodded, knowing full well that the Jiang family's power should not be underestimated.

"We'll meet force with force, and we'll dam water with earth. I refuse to believe they can control everything!" A resolute glint flashed in her eyes, like a resilient rose blooming proudly in the storm.

That evening, the Jiang family indeed sent people.

However, their target this time was not Liu Ermazi, but Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan.

Jiang Ruifeng, the fourth young master of the Jiang family, is a treacherous and cunning fellow who actually came up with a plan to "lure the tiger away from the mountain".

He sent people to spread the word that Liu Ermazi was being held in a house in the west of the city, luring Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan to rescue him.

Upon receiving the message, Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan immediately realized it was a trap.

But they couldn't just leave Liu Ermazi unattended; what if the news was true?

After discussing it, the two decided to turn the tables and take the initiative.

They pretended to fall for the trap and went to a house in the west of the city.

Meanwhile, Sun Fu and his men secretly lay in ambush near the Jiang family mansion, preparing to "catch them like turtles in a jar".

As night deepened, the houses in the western part of the city were quiet and still.

Bi Yao and Jiang Ruiyuan hid in the shadows, observing the surrounding situation.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the night.

A group of men in black, armed with sharp knives, surrounded the house from all sides.

"Looks like we guessed right." Jiang Ruiyuan's lips curled into a cold smile, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Then let's play with them." Bi Yao flexed her wrists, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Just then, Jiang Ruifeng swaggered over with several of his men, a smug smile on his face.

"Bi Yao, Jiang Ruiyuan, I didn't expect you two to fall for it so easily! Hahaha..."

Before Jiang Ruifeng could finish speaking, he suddenly heard a loud bang behind him.

He turned around abruptly and saw flames shooting into the sky from the Jiang family mansion, thick smoke billowing out...

Jiang Ruifeng's expression changed drastically, and he roared, "What's going on?! Who is it?!"

A familiar voice came from behind him: "It's me."

Jiang Ruifeng turned around and saw Sun Fu leading a group of people, surrounding him and his men.

Sun Fu said with a smile, "Young Master Jiang, excuse me, but I'd like to borrow your precious space to set off some fireworks to celebrate."

Jiang Ruifeng immediately realized he had fallen into a trap. His face turned ashen with rage, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "You..."

"Shh—" Bi Yao interrupted him, walking up to him with a smile. "Now, it's time for us to talk." Her eyes were sharp as knives, her tone icy cold. "Fourth Young Master Jiang, how do you want to play this game?"