I manage female characters in all the heavens.

She lowered her head, looking at the gorgeous dress she was wearing, and suddenly reached out and pulled out the hairpin from her hair.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, she raised her hand and slashed the sharp tip of the hairpin fiercely at her own cheek!

She didn't utter a sound, her eyes filled with ruthlessness.

Blood splattered!

A gruesome wound cut diagonally from the left cheekbone to the right corner of the lip, the flesh torn open and blood gushing out!

And that wasn't all; she then slashed the other side of her face as well!

The audience erupted in uproar!

"what--!!"

The slick-haired young man was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a thud, screaming, "She's crazy! She's crazy! Madam! Pay up! Ten times the compensation! And compensation for emotional distress!!"

The madam's face turned ashen instantly. She rushed up the platform, grabbed Jiang Yuyan's head to examine the wounds on her face, and trembled with rage!

"You...you slut! Do you know how much you're worth?! Do you know how much money I've spent on you?!"

Jiang Yuyan dropped the hairpin, and blood dripped down her chin, but she seemed not to feel any pain, and just smiled.

That smile was poignant and breathtaking, carrying a sense of resolute liberation.

“I’m worthless now, and I’ll be worthless when the next corpse comes along.”

The madam froze for a moment, then erupted in fury: "A corpse? You want to die? Fine, I'll grant your wish!"

"Guards! Beat her! Beat her hard! Crush her into a pulp, then throw her out to feed the dogs!!"

Seven or eight burly thugs rushed forward, wielding sticks, and surrounded Jiang Yuyan.

Jiang Yuyan closed her eyes.

ended.

she thinks.

At least, she held onto what she had left.

Just then—

A loud bang!

boom!!!

The rooftop above us collapsed completely!

Huge wooden beams, tiles, and rubble rained down like divine punishment!

Those thugs and the madam didn't even have time to scream before they were buried under the rubble!

The heavy sounds of impact, bones shattering, and blood splattering... all blended together to create a brief, bloody symphony.

Then came screams, wails, the sound of tables and chairs overturning, and the shattering of wine glasses...

The entire Peony Garden was thrown into chaos.

In the chaos, someone knocked over an oil lamp, and the fire quickly spread, completely igniting the den of iniquity.

The flames illuminated half the night sky.

On the high platform, Jiang Yuyan was surrounded by a pure land.

Not a single broken tile or piece of broken wood fell beside her.

She opened her eyes and raised her head.

The roof collapsed, but the four walls of the Peony Garden remained standing until they were gradually engulfed by the fire.

On a towering pillar, a figure slowly lowered its eyes and looked down.

Moonlight streamed down from behind her, outlining her stunningly beautiful figure.

The heatwave whipped up her hair and skirt, making them flutter behind her like the wings of a deity.

The full moon becomes her backdrop, and the sky becomes her domain.

Jiang Yuyan looked up at the figure and was completely stunned.

Heart thump, thump.

A strange, burning sensation, as if it were melting her whole being, spread from her chest.

It's not fear.

It's not despair.

It was a warmth she had never experienced before.

Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

She recognized the person.

It is *Iron Heart Orchid*.

When she was most helpless after being cheated out of her travel expenses, left homeless, and about to be forcibly sold into a brothel, it was Tie Xinlan who helped her and gave her one hundred taels of silver as travel expenses to continue searching for her father.

When she was being beaten by the evil servants of the Wang family, it was Tie Xinlan who killed those servants and saved her from her predicament.

Now, in her most desperate moment, when she was prepared to defend her last shred of dignity with death—

It was Tie Xinlan again, accompanied by the bright moon, who descended from the sky like a goddess and saved her.

Jiang Yuyan's lips trembled slightly, and tears silently streamed down her face.

She had never realized it so clearly as she did at this moment—

I, too, have a hero.

The figure in the moonlight slowly drifted down from the broken rooftop and landed in front of Jiang Yuyan.

She reached out and gently stroked Jiang Yuyan's cheek.

A cool, gentle breeze swept by, and the edges of the gruesome wound began to close and stop bleeding at a visible speed.

She reached out her hand to Jiang Yuyan.

"Get up."

Jiang Yuyan looked at the outstretched hand of hers, and then looked up at her face in the moonlight.

Suddenly, he smiled.

That smile, tinged with blood and tears, was as radiant as a blooming flower.

She reached out her blood-stained hand and grasped that clean, slender hand.

Two hands, clasped tightly together.

The fire swept and spread behind them, engulfing the entire Peony Garden.

They stood side by side amidst the ruins and flames, walking outwards, causing the flames to retreat.

Behind them lay burning sins and the past.

Ahead lies a promising future and a bright outlook.

Jiang Yuyan vowed that she would follow in the footsteps of those around her for eternity, to the ends of the earth.

Chapter 116 Early Education of the Big Boss: The World's Future is Dark

The carriage sped along the official road, raising a cloud of dust.

Jiang Yuyan sat cross-legged in the carriage, her hands forming a mudra. Following the incantation taught by "Tie Xinlan," she carefully guided the newly generated Mingyu True Qi within her body, allowing it to flow slowly along the eight extraordinary meridians.

This wisp of true energy was directly bestowed upon her by "Tie Xinlan," allowing her to skip the stage of standing meditation and breath control to grasp the feeling of energy, and directly enter the practice of internal energy cultivation methods.

Such an extravagant method of improvement can only be provided by "Tie Xinlan," who now completely disregards power.

That wisp of true energy was as thin as a thread, yet it carried an astonishing chill. Wherever it passed, the meridians felt a slight stinging pain, yet also a strange sense of comfort, causing Jiang Yuyan to involuntarily let out a soft groan.

"Concentrate and guard your mind."

"Tie Xinlan" leaned against the soft cushion on the other side of the carriage, holding a scroll of the "Transplanting Flowers and Jade" formula that she had just copied down.

His tone was casual, but his gaze remained fixed on Jiang Yuyan, observing her qi circulation.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuyan quickly composed herself and guided the wisp of true energy that had almost gone astray back onto the right track.

About an incense stick later, she slowly exhaled a breath of white air. When she opened her eyes, a fine layer of white frost had condensed on her eyelashes.

"This...this is true qi?" She looked at her hands, somewhat incredulous.

In just three days, she went from an ordinary, weak woman to a formal martial artist capable of circulating her inner energy. If this speed were to spread, it would be enough to astound all martial artists in the world.

"Is it strange? That's a gift from me."

Tie Xinlan put down her book and raised an eyebrow at her. "This is nothing. You are practicing the Mingyu Skill, one of the most advanced martial arts techniques in the world. Your starting point is naturally many times higher than those who practice farming tricks."

"Once you've mastered the first level and your inner energy has grown stronger, I'll teach you the moves and martial arts of the Yihua Palace. With your physique, you'll be able to put up a fight against ordinary third-rate masters."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuyan did not immediately show any joy.

She lowered her head, looking at her well-defined hands, and remained silent for a long while before asking in a very soft yet unusually firm voice:

"Lord Eiri...can I really become as strong as you?"

She raised her head, and on her face, which she had slashed and disfigured with her hairpin, shone with an intensely focused light.

Tie Xinlan paused in her book, looked at Jiang Yuyan, and did not answer immediately.

You're being a bit greedy. Do you know how strong I can become in the future?

The only sounds in the carriage were the hoofbeats of horses, the wheels rolling over the dirt road, and Jiang Yuyan's suppressed yet rapid breathing.

A moment later, "Tie Xinlan" smiled. Her smile held both admiration for the girl's audacity and the comforting words of a wise elder to a younger generation.

"Want to become like me? Then you'd better cultivate diligently, master the Bright Jade Skill to its peak, develop ice-like skin and jade-like bones; and then master the Shifting Flowers and Jade Technique to the point of complete control..."

"When you are able to stand at the pinnacle of this world, you will know just how strong someone like me really is."

If you don't practice martial arts, you'll see me like a frog in a well looking at the moon in the sky; if you do practice martial arts, you'll see me like a mayfly looking at the blue sky.

She stretched out her hand and lightly traced a line in the air with her fingertips.