Volume 1, Chapter 57: I Am Excited

Fan Xiu was inwardly anxious and uneasy. What should he do?
At this moment, Fan Xiu missed 'Liu Yue' even more than before.
How wonderful it would be if Shadow were here.
Forget it.
He would take it one step at a time; he had no choice but to wait for an opportunity to act.
Fan Xiu continued to follow behind the two men, lingering to look for a chance.
After turning two more alleys, Liu Wenyan and Song Yi arrived deep inside an alley where an exquisite courtyard stood prominently.
Perhaps for the sake of secrecy, the courtyard they chose was extremely remote, with only two guards stationed at the entrance.
"Young Master Xie has already returned. Go on in," one of the guards said before opening the door.
Liu Wenyan and Song Yi entered the courtyard.
Fan Xiu cast a glance around the surroundings.
Entering directly through the front gate was clearly impossible.
This alley led straight to the courtyard entrance, and there wasn't even a place to hide nearby. Was he supposed to just stroll in openly?
Fortunately, the original owner had grown up living in Zhiyuan County and was quite familiar with its streets.
Fan Xiu immediately retreated, following his memories down another alleyway, and soon arrived at the back of that very courtyard.
Then, he scaled the courtyard wall and dropped inside.
No sooner had he landed than he heard footsteps, followed by Liu Wenyan and Song Yi emerging from the building and closing the door behind them.
Fan Xiu quickly hid himself.
Looking at the meaningful smiles on the faces of Liu Wenyan and Song Yi, it was clear they had everything that was about to happen completely under control.
"This is for you."
Liu Wenyan took out a pouch of silver and handed it over, saying, "Inside is twenty taels of gold. Keep it safe. What happened today must die in your stomach."
Song Yi accepted the gold, bowing and scraping as he said, "Thank you, thank you, Young Master Liu. If you ever need anything else in the future, just give the word; I guarantee I'll handle it properly for you."
"Alright, off you go." Liu Wenyan waved a hand, his eyes filled with utter disdain.
Song Yi tucked the gold into his pocket and hastily scurried away.
However, no sooner had he run to the entrance than the two guards at the door thrust a spear straight through Song Yi's chest.
"You... you..."
Song Yi spat blood, uttering a muffled, indistinct groan before his head tilted to the side, and he breathed his last.

"Hmph."
Liu Wenyan sneered, "You actually dared to take my gold! This matter must never be known to outsiders, so I can only wrong you. Get rid of him."
"Understood," the two guards at the door replied, cupping their fists.
Hiding in the courtyard, Fan Xiu turned pale with fright at this sight.
Whether before or after his transmigration, he had never witnessed such a scene of murder; at most, he had seen it on television.
Yet how could television ever compare to the intense visual impact of seeing it with one's own eyes?
He knew Liu Wenyan was no good, but he hadn't expected him to be so ruthless—a living person killed just like that.
Fortunately, although Liu Wenyan disliked him, Fan Xiu hadn't crossed him to the death; he had only cursed him a few times, which wasn't enough to warrant murder. Moreover, as someone holding the scholarly rank of a juren, Liu Wenyan would still have some reservations.
Otherwise, wouldn't he have been plotting to get rid of him too?
No!
It was too dangerous!
He could no longer wade into these muddy waters!
Damn it!
To hell with it all. He wasn't even that close to Su Ying'er; there was no need to risk his own life to save her!
As for his juren status and freedom—if they were gone, so be it. Anything was better than losing his life!
At worst, he would just go back to being an uncomplaining beast of burden!
He had been a corporate drone before his transmigration anyway! What did it matter if he continued to be a beast of burden after transmigrating?
Wasn't it just changing places to pull the cart?
Fan Xiu quietly crept out of his hiding spot, intending to scale the wall and leave immediately—pretending he had never even set foot here!
Yet, right at that moment, a woman's terrified scream suddenly rang out from the upper story.
"Ah! You... Xie Tangfeng, what are you trying to do?!"
Followed by the sound of tables and chairs being overturned.
Fan Xiu's foot, raised to step away, froze in mid-air. His fists clenched tightly together, his face a mask of bitter struggle!
Was he... really going to just leave?
Damn it!
Why did he have to run into such a damned, messy situation?!
Fan Xiu gritted his teeth, then pulled back his foot, a resolute expression taking over his face!
He didn't want to leave anymore!

If he just ran away like this, he would surely regret this decision for the rest of his life, haunted by nightmares forever!
Every time he thought of this incident, he would want to slap himself across the face!
He was someone who had already died once!
Before transmigrating, he was a corporate drone, working day and night until he finally dropped dead from exhaustion!
Life had given him a second chance. If he continued to be a beast of burden just waiting to drop dead, what meaning would there be in living?
Rather than living a spineless, cowardly life, he would rather burn brightly for a single second!
Fan Xiu glanced at Liu Wenyan, who was pacing back and forth in the courtyard. Taking advantage of the moment Liu Wenyan turned his back, Fan Xiu forced open a nearby window and climbed straight inside.
There was no one on the ground floor.
However, once inside, Xie Tangfeng's voice from the second floor became much clearer.
Xie Tangfeng: "Su Ying'er, aren't you high and mighty? Why stop pretending now?"
There was no response from Su Ying'er.
Fan Xiu slipped off his shoes and quietly crept up the wall toward the second floor.
The center of the second floor was a large hall, flanked by four bedrooms on either side, and the voices were coming from one of those rooms.
He crept up to the doorway of the bedroom, and the scene inside came clearly into view.
The room was in complete disarray, evidently the result of Su Ying'er's earlier struggle.
At this moment, Su Ying'er was pressed against the wall, staring at Xie Tangfeng with terror in her eyes.
Her face was flushed red, and even the hands she pressed against the wall behind her were faintly crimson. Her teeth were clenched tightly against her lower lip, breathing heavily, and her expression was one of desperate suppression.
Meanwhile, Xie Tangfeng was staring at her with a wicked grin.
"What? Are you feeling like you can't take it anymore? Is your heart already filled with yearning?"
Xie Tangfeng said, walking toward Su Ying'er with a smug expression. "When you were unconscious earlier, I already fed you the Joy Powder. The more you resist now, the more excited I'll be when you finally surrender!"
With that, he laughed aloud and lunged at Su Ying'er.
Su Ying'er panicked and tried to dodge to the side, but her footing gave way, and she collapsed heavily to the floor, her expression turning even more painful.
"Hehe," Xie Tangfeng chuckled excitedly. "Su Ying'er, why suffer through holding back? You'll feel good, and I'll feel good. It's best for everyone, so stop repressing yourself! I can't wait anymore!"
Saying this, he squatted down and grabbed the sash at Su Ying'er's waist, his excitement spilling over his face.
Despair and agony surfaced in Su Ying'er's eyes.
She had never expected that this trip to Zhiyuan County would lead to such a horrifying fate!
Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure appear right behind Xie Tangfeng.