Hearing this, Zhao Jing clenched his fists, his entire body trembling, his face turning purple. But in the end, he forced himself to turn his head back.

"I’m only living for the sake of survival. Besides, Han Wan'er hasn’t even married me yet, so she’s not really my wife. This shouldn’t affect me at all!"

Zhao Jing screamed these thoughts in his heart, trying desperately to comfort himself. Yet, despite his reasoning, his eyes were already bloodshot, filled with rage and tears.

"If our roles were reversed, I would make you understand what true cruelty is!"

As for Han Wan'er, she was on the verge of collapse. The humiliation of being put in this position under her fiancé’s gaze was unbearable. Overwhelmed with shame and fury, her face flushed as she shouted:

"Impossible! I am a lady of nobility! I would never do such a thing!"

Her voice was firm, almost desperate.

If she truly yielded to Chen Zhou’s tyranny, what would separate her from the women in brothels?

"Yeah?"

Chen Zhou showed no anger at her resistance. Instead, he smirked and offered her an enticing condition:

"If you serve me well, I will let you live. If you refuse, I will kill you immediately and ensure that your so-called dignity vanishes along with you."

He stroked Han Wan'er's face and said softly, "Think carefully. What’s more important—your life or your dignity?"

Han Wan'er's throat tightened. Chen Zhou’s words shook her to the core.

Yes… What in this world is more valuable than life itself?

Trembling, she turned toward Zhao Jing and whispered, "Zhao Jing… turn your head away… don’t look."

But Chen Zhou didn’t need to say anything—he already knew what kind of man Zhao Jing was.

As expected, Zhao Jing didn’t budge.

Even though he was seething with rage and despair, he still prioritized survival above all else.

If you want to live a comfortable life… you must learn to endure humiliation.

He had once used that phrase to mock weak husbands. Now, he repeated it to comfort himself.

Seeing that Zhao Jing was willing to give up everything in order to survive, Han Wan'er was completely defeated:

"Alright! I agree! I promise you!" she cried out, her voice filled with despair.

At this moment, her self-esteem was completely crushed by Chen zhou. Nothing mattered anymore—as long as she could survive…

Tears streamed down her face as she knelt at Chen Zhou’s feet, slowly reaching toward his waist.

But in the next moment, she heard Chen Zhou’s mocking voice: "Heh, so you really agreed?"

Han Wan'er looked up and saw Chen Zhou looking at her with eyes full of mockery and sarcasm, and then he kicked her hard!

Bang!

The sharp sound of bones breaking echoed throughout the courtyard. Han Wan'er’s body flew backward like a broken kite, crashing hard against the distant wall.

After twitching twice, she stopped moving.

[You have slain the wicked daughter of a wealthy family. Good Deeds +80.]

[You have reunited all members of the Han family in death. Good Deeds +20.]

Chen Zhou looked at the Record of Merits with satisfaction. "That’s right. A family should stay together."

Han Wan’er was so naive. She actually wanted to live? Her parents and brother were already dead—could she really bear to live on alone?

Chen Zhou then turned his gaze toward the increasingly terrified Zhao Jing. Just then, a sudden burst of heavy footsteps echoed from outside, accompanied by frantic shouts:

"Over here! Over here!"

"Hurry! Move in!"

"Surround him!"

Chen Zhou frowned as hundreds of soldiers flooded into the courtyard.

Each of them was clad in black uniforms, wielding massive crossbows. The iron-tipped bolts, over three feet long, gleamed menacingly in the light.

This was an elite crossbow unit. At the forefront stood a man in his thirties, clad in a deep blue uniform, a sword strapped to his waist. His features were sharp and chiseled, his expression tense.

Zhao Jing, who was still lying on the ground, was elated at the sight. He screamed hoarsely:

"Captain Xiao! Save me! Kill this bastard—!"

Before he could finish, Chen Zhou yanked his hair, lifting him like a helpless chick. "Oh? You know him? That makes things easy,"

"Young Master!" County Lieutenant Xiao’s face twitched nervously before he barked at Chen Zhou:

"You daring lunatic, release Master Zhao immediately! Or—" his eyes glinted dangerously, "—a thousand arrows will pierce your heart!"

The surrounding soldiers all raised their crossbows, locking onto Chen Zhou.

"What a joke, my life depends entirely on your dear master now…"

Chen Zhou chuckled, his tone relaxed despite the dire situation: "Everyone, be careful not to shoot your master."

Saying this, he took a step back, positioning Zhao Jing directly in front of him.

The county lieutenant was the county magistrate’s right-hand man, responsible for maintaining law and order. The fact that Changqing County’s forces had responded so swiftly was surprising, and their equipment was far better than Chen Zhou had anticipated.

He hadn’t expected them all to be armed with crossbows. Against such weapons, even his martial arts prowess wouldn’t be enough to withstand an all-out attack.

For the first time, Chen Zhou felt fortunate that he hadn’t killed Zhao Jing outright.

As if on cue, Zhao Jing shouted in panic: "Don’t fire! No one shoots!"

Zhao Jing had no desire to die alongside Chen Zhou. In his mind, his life as the son of a county magistrate was far more valuable than that of a mere lowly commoner.

Seeing Zhao Jing’s fear, the soldiers hesitated, lowering their crossbows slightly.

They understood their master well—if Zhao Jing were accidentally killed, they’d all be in serious trouble.

Just then, another group of people arrived.

These newcomers were members of the Black Tiger Gang, recognizable by their black robes and red waist sashes.

Leading them was a burly man, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, resembling a bear. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he shouted at Chen Zhou:

"Who’s the bastard that killed a member of my Black Tiger Gang?!"

"I don’t kill people," Chen Zhou said casually, sweeping his gaze over the man. "I only kill beasts."

"What did you say?!" The burly man’s eyes bulged with rage. He hadn't expected the young man to still be so arrogant in the face of death.

"You’re asking to die!"

"I am seeking death," Chen Zhou admitted readily. "Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come here. But if I die, don’t expect your county magistrate’s son to walk away either."

With that, he swung Zhao Jing’s limp body playfully, like a child toying with a doll.

The big man's face was trembling with flesh and his throat was rolling. Although he acted extremely arrogant, he did not dare to make any move.

"What do you want? As long as you let Mr. Zhao go... we can discuss things."

County Lieutenant Xiao on the side spoke again. Seeing that deterrence didn't work, his tone softened, and there was even a hint of flattery in his look.

Chen Zhou was also somewhat surprised at the attitudes of the two. So, Zhao Jing was a more valuable hostage than he had initially thought.

As this group of people suddenly appeared and witnessed the atrocities of the Chen Zhou, the "Record of Merits" began to continue writing:

[Your reputation has reached its first milestone: A Rising Star.]

[Legendary Reward Unlocked: You will awaken your own unique martial arts talent.]

A martial arts talent… that belonged solely to him?

Chen Zhou’s heart stirred with anticipation.