I manage female characters in all the heavens.

"Seven hundred!"

The bidding was incessant, as if it were not a person, but a commodity, a piece of pork.

The girl closed her eyes, and tears silently streamed down her face.

Sudden--

boom!!!

With a loud bang, the huge solid wood wall behind the magnificent stage of the Red Sleeve Pavilion, carved with the image of a hundred women paying homage to the phoenix, exploded outwards as if it had been struck by an invisible bull!

Splinters of wood rained down like a storm!

The guests at the nearest tables were immediately smashed, their heads bleeding profusely, screaming as they rolled on the ground.

The clamor in the hall abruptly ceased.

Everyone turned to look at the back of the stage—the place where the girls would make their final preparations before going on stage—but now it was filled with smoke and dust, and a tall, slender figure was slowly stepping out.

Amidst the smoke and dust, lamplight seeped in, outlining the silhouette of that figure.

With each unhurried step, the wooden floor silently cracked into spiderweb-like fissures, yet no sound of footsteps was heard.

The room was completely silent.

It was as if even the air itself had solidified due to something emanating from that person.

Then, the smoke and dust dissipated.

Everyone could see what the newcomer looked like.

She was a girl who was about sixteen or seventeen years old.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her eyes like autumn waters rippling across the surface, and her long hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, gently swaying in the wind.

Wearing a simple yellow and white dress and without any makeup, she was so beautiful that she made all the heavily made-up women in the building pale in comparison, and even the lights of this den of beauties seemed to lose their color in front of her.

However, what makes it even more captivating are her eyes.

Clear and bright, yet carrying a chill that penetrates to the bone, and something else that cannot be understood.

That coldness wasn't a deliberate display of arrogance or indifference, but rather... as if there was an invisible, insurmountable barrier between her and everything in this world.

Or perhaps, it is the kind of disregard that gods have for ants.

She stood there, quietly surveying the entire room.

Everyone whose gaze swept over her felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over their head, chilling them from head to toe.

Although Tie Xinlan was furious, seeing everyone's reaction, she couldn't help but feel satisfied with her performance; it was truly a classy entrance.

It was worth it for her to rummage through her closet to find this outfit and change out of the sexy lingerie the madam had forced her into wearing. If she had actually appeared in that outfit, even her fierce aura probably wouldn't have been intimidating.

The madam was the first to react; her smile froze, and she looked on in disbelief.

"you you you……"

The madam pointed at "Tie Xinlan" and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time. Clearly, even though Tie Xinlan had changed her clothes, the madam still recognized the stunning beauty she had just bought for 2000 taels of silver that day.

Tie Xinlan remained silent.

She simply raised her right hand and then gently pressed it down.

For ordinary people, this overwhelming true energy soared up and then descended from the sky, spreading out as pressure.

Pfft!

The twenty-odd pimps and thugs in the room, along with the madam herself, felt as if an invisible giant hand was pressing down on their shoulders at the same time, causing their knees to buckle and them to kneel on the ground!

The wooden floorboards made a dull thud when knees hit them, and some people even shattered the floorboards with their knees!

"This...this is..."

"Sorcery! It's sorcery!"

The guests retreated in terror; some tried to flee through the door, but found their legs too weak to move.

"Quiet."

When "Tie Xinlan" spoke, a strange, bewitching aura emanated from her.

The sound wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, like a cold spring flowing through their hearts.

All the noise vanished instantly.

She strode forward, past the trembling brothel owners and thugs kneeling on the ground, up the platform, and stood before the girl who was being carried.

She looked down at the girl.

The girl also looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, filled with fear and confusion.

"What's your name?"

The girl's lips moved slightly, her voice barely audible: "Chu...Chu Lian..."

"First Love? What a nice name." Lord Yingri repeated the name, then casually took a gold ingot from a guest's arms and gently placed it in Chu Lian's hand.

The customer dared not speak out, for it was my money!

"Take it, leave here, and start over." He's being incredibly generous with other people's money.

Tie Xinlan didn't intend to save her, but in this situation, if she didn't save her, the atmosphere would feel incomplete, so she did it.

There are many pitiful girls in the Red Sleeve Pavilion who need to be saved, but "Iron Heart Orchid" is unmoved. Chu Lian is just lucky to have come here. If it weren't her on the stage now, or if there were no one there, no one would be saved tonight.

Chu Lian held the gold ingot, trembling all over, tears streaming down her face: "Benefactor...benefactor..."

"Walk."

That word carried an unquestionable determination, a resolve that said, "You go first, I'll cover your retreat," as if it were a great redemption that could be accomplished even at the cost of one's life.

In some ways, that's not wrong. Tonight, someone will certainly pay with their life, but it's not "Tie Xinlan".

"May I ask your name, my benefactor?"

“The Third Mistress of Yihua Palace, Yingri.”

Chu Lian was so moved that tears streamed down her face. She said nothing more, kowtowed deeply, and then staggered towards the back door.

Lord Yingri watched her leave, then turned around to face the guests in the hall, and finally his gaze fell on the madam kneeling on the ground.

The madam trembled violently, pleading, "Miss...madam...please spare me..."

I've been here all day, and you don't even know my name, yet you dare to beg me for mercy?

"Spare me?" Lord Yingri tilted his head slightly, as if he had heard an interesting question.

When you forced me into prostitution, did you ever think of sparing my life?

"When you used needles to prick me when I refused to submit, did you ever think of sparing my life?"

"When you tied me up, an innocent person, and were about to put me up for auction, did you ever think about sparing my life?"

Of course, your action of preventing me from starving myself to death is commendable and you deserve credit.

But merits are merits and demerits are demerits. I'm the kind of person who doesn't reward merits but punishes demerits. You have to understand that.

With each question, the madam's face paled a little more.

The madam tried to say something, but found she couldn't make a sound; it was Lord Yingri who had placed a "silence" order on her.

After asking the question, she shook her head.

No need to answer.

With a flick of a finger.

puff!

A wisp of extremely fine true energy pierced through the madam's brow, exploding a bloody hole in the back of her head.

The madam, mouth agape and terrified, fell straight backward.

The room was deathly silent.

Is this real murder?!

A moment later, screams and cries erupted!

Just then, Lord Yingri suddenly frowned.

Her gaze swept over several guests in brocade robes in the crowd—they were not panicked in the chaos, but instead secretly sized her up, their eyes filled with scrutiny and a hint of...greed.

One of the men, who appeared to be a wealthy, pot-bellied businessman, even had a playful smile on his lips.

That's incredibly bold! Perfect opportunity to make an example of them.

Lord Yingri's expression suddenly turned cold.

She raised her hand, making a grasping motion forward, and activated the Absorption Technique.

The man was suddenly pulled away from his original position by an invisible suction force, flying dozens of meters away to her, where she grabbed his neck and lifted him high in the air!

"What...what are you doing?!" The man kicked wildly, his face flushed red. "I...I'm the city lord's son..."

"Who are you? What's it to me?"

Lord Yingri's voice was calm, as if he were talking casually: "I didn't like the way you looked at me just now."

She applied slight pressure with her five fingers.

Click!

The man's neck twisted at an odd angle, and the light in his eyes went out instantly.

The girl released her grip, and the corpse slumped to the ground.

Then her gaze swept over the remaining few people.

The men's expressions changed drastically, and they all retreated, some even drawing their swords!

I'm afraid of you?

I am indeed afraid.

"Friends! We were just passing by and watching the fun! No offense intended—"

The desire to see beautiful women is universal. You're so pretty, surely you can't just not let people see you, right?