Li Yishu was both terrified and furious, completely losing her composure.
That intricately carved bed—she had begged her aunt for it for so long!
And the new cloud-patterned brocade quilt spread on it—all ruined by that wretched “Jiang Xingyan”!
“Ah! You bitch! How dare you!”
“Someone, seize her and beat her mercilessly!”
Since his soul had entered Jiang Xingyan’s body, Huo Ci hadn’t had a single day of peace.
Each day was more suffocating than the last.
As a general accustomed to holding power over life and death, how could he tolerate such humiliation?
The gentle, humble Huo Ci of the past was dead. The Huo Ci of now only wanted to unleash madness.
He had become, perhaps, the first man in history to truly understand the despair of so many women driven insane by the confines of domestic life.
Facing the two maids rushing toward her, Jiang Xingyan’s body may have been weak, but Huo Ci’s combat experience was more than enough to handle them.
Fighting recklessly, he focused only on attacking, not defending, and quickly kicked one to the ground.
While the other was still stunned, he slapped her across the face, leaving her dazed.
Huo Ci shook his hand, hissing in pain.
Through repeated hardships, he had discovered a secret: although he felt real pain when beaten, it didn’t actually damage Jiang Xingyan’s body.
This made him even more fearless.
Still, Jiang Xingyan’s skin was sensitive and delicate, unlike his own rough hide, so the pain was intensified.
Gritting through the pain in his hand, Huo Ci grabbed a nearby laundry baton and charged at Li Yishu with the bloodthirsty ferocity honed on the battlefield.
So you like bullying A-Yan, do you?
Then let’s all die together!
Li Yishu turned pale with fear, screaming as she stumbled backward.
The maids and servants around her had been assigned by the Old Madame Huo that very day—none were loyal to her.
Seeing Huo Ci’s murderous rage, they scattered in panic, each saving themselves.
In the chaos, someone shoved Li Yishu, and she fell to the ground.
Ignoring the others, Huo Ci fixed his eyes on his viper-like cousin.
In a few strides, he was upon her, raising the laundry baton and bringing it down hard on her shoulder.
Li Yishu couldn’t withstand the blow and screamed in agony.
Huo Ci hadn’t paid much attention to his memories with Jiang Xingyan before, but that didn’t mean he’d forgotten them.
Before their marriage, when A-Yan had first arrived in the capital, she’d been especially kind to Li Yishu for his sake.
The newest jewelry, the trendiest cosmetics—she always let Li Yishu pick first.
And how did Li Yishu repay her? Knowing A-Yan was afraid of cats, she deliberately took her to an alley teeming with strays.
Whatever she did provoked the cats into a frenzy, and they nearly scratched A-Yan’s face.
Fortunately, she’d shielded A-Yan.
Li Yishu was carried back, covered in blood, while A-Yan cried all the way home.
His mother blamed A-Yan in front of him.
His cousin pretended to defend A-Yan, but her words subtly implied that A-Yan had been reckless and brought the misfortune upon herself.
At the time, deeply in love with A-Yan, he hadn’t fully believed his mother and cousin. Instead, he investigated the alley himself.
That lane was far from both the Jiang residence and the Huo estate, with no Jiang family shops nearby.
There was no reason for A-Yan to go there unless someone led her.
He’d assumed his cousin was just using a petty trick to win A-Yan’s favor. Since both were unharmed, he let it slide.
Now, looking back, he realized how terribly wrong he’d been.
If only he’d warned A-Yan earlier, she wouldn’t have trusted his cousin so blindly.
Huo Ci was filled with regret and shame.
What embarrassed him even more was that he was usually so thorough in his investigations!
Once he switched back to his body, he would give himself a few hard slaps.
The laundry baton struck Li Yishu a third time just as Old Madame Huo arrived with her attendants. Furious beyond words, she could only point a trembling finger at the scene.
Yuzhu and several stout maids rushed forward.
Huo Ci turned, pressing his back against the wall, and fought back fiercely.
He wielded the laundry baton with the precision of a sword, guarding himself and keeping the others at bay.
“Outrageous! This is outright rebellion!”
Old Madame Huo watched “Jiang Xingyan’s” audacity and felt murderous rage.
But she couldn’t afford to let her die—not yet.
Li Yishu, gritting through the pain, shouted hoarsely, “Throw cold water on her!”
Yuzhu seized the idea, dashed into the room, grabbed the bucket that had been overturned on the bed, filled it halfway with water, and drenched Huo Ci from head to toe.
The shock of the cold water caused him to falter for just a moment.
The other maids seized the opportunity, swarming him, pinning his arms, and snatching the laundry baton away, throwing it to the ground.
But Huo Ci showed no fear. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed wildly.
“If you have the guts, kill me tonight.”
“Otherwise, I’ll never let you go!”
His sheer, reckless madness sent a chill through everyone.
If it were possible, Old Madame Huo would have long since had Jiang Xingyan silently eliminated.
But she couldn’t—first, because they still needed her people to manage the shops, and second, because of Huo Ci’s attitude.
A mother knows her son best.
The way Huo Ci looked at Jiang Xingyan told her that if she really did kill her, even if she covered all traces perfectly, Huo Ci would never forgive her.
So, she and her niece had devised a plan to drive a wedge between them.
While Huo Ci was away on campaigns, they would feed him negative impressions, slowly turning him against Jiang Xingyan.
Even if he didn’t believe it at first, repetition would leave its mark.
They’d create misunderstandings and conflicts until the rift was irreparable.
Only when Huo Ci had moved on to someone else could they safely eliminate Jiang Xingyan for good.
But now was not the time.
Before, they’d had Little Ya and the four maids to keep the merchant’s daughter in check.
Now, with nothing left to lose, no wonder “she” had gone mad.
Old Madame Huo truly feared “she” might despair and dash her brains out right there.
If that happened, all their efforts would be wasted.
No matter how much she hated Jiang Xingyan, she didn’t dare add fuel to the fire now.
She only offered a few symbolic reprimands, had “her” tied up, and left with her people.
But Li Yishu wasn’t ready to let it go.
She wrapped “Jiang Xingyan” in the cotton batting from the bamboo bed and drenched it thoroughly with cold water.
Setting down the ladle, she curled her lips into a vicious smile. “Rest well, cousin-in-law.”