Chapter 17: Punishing Qili Zhang and Killing Yuan Zhang

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Zhang Qili thought she could intimidate Qin Anyu, but unexpectedly, he remained unmoved. Without a word, he severed his cousin’s two hands. Before she could react, his sword was already at her throat. Whatever he said was lost to her; she only let out an instinctive scream.

Qin Anyu raised his sword and tapped her cheek, his voice cold: “Were you involved in my parents’ disappearance?”

Only then did Zhang Qili come to her senses, panicking as she cried out, “I wasn’t involved! I didn’t know anything!”

With a slight movement, Qin Anyu’s sword sliced off three of her fingers. “You call this man your cousin, but he’s part of a secret organization.”

Terrified, Zhang Qili looked at him and then turned to Qin Fang. “Brother Fang, you know I don’t know anything.”

Qin Anyu’s sword slid down again, slower this time.

Suddenly recalling something, Zhang Qili screamed sharply, “I swear I wasn’t involved. That cousin didn’t come to find me; he found me at a gathering and said we weren’t separated by the usual mourning rites, so I’m his cousin. His name is Zhang Yuan, from the Kingdom of Dali.”

Seeing Qin Anyu’s impassive expression, she continued, “I only know Zhang Yuan commands many underlings. A few days ago, I overheard that your mother’s family offended a powerful force they couldn’t confront. They want revenge, so the family is rounding them all up to hand over to them. Your parents were captured by Zhang Yuan’s group. I heard they killed a few Qi-condensation stage warriors.”

Qin Anyu, somewhat confused, asked, “What does my mother’s family’s affair have to do with Zhang Yuan’s organization?”

Zhang Qili shook her head like a rattle. “I don’t know. I really don’t. I don’t even know why they came here. Anyu, I am your aunt; I would never do anything against the Qin family.”

“What was he here for today?”

“He just came to see me and to ask Brother Fang about his progress in controlling Tanzhou Prefecture.”

“Do you know others in their organization?”

“Yes, another Qi-condensation stage, once visited the Qin residence.”

Qin Anyu immediately changed the question. “Why did you tell them when my parents went to Liuguang County?”

Panic flashed across Zhang Qili’s face. “I didn’t say anything. Nothing at all.”

Feeling the sword at her throat slide downward again, she cried, “He said he rarely sees his brother and sister-in-law and wanted to have a chance meeting on the road to get acquainted. I thought it was no big deal, the more friends, the more paths, so I told him.”

Qin Anyu asked, “How did you pass along that information?”

Zhang Qili sobbed, “I told them in person.”

Suddenly, she felt searing pain in her right shoulder. Then the sword struck. A sharp pain exploded in her head, her mind buzzing as her body was flung back. At the same moment, a cold voice pierced her mind: “Marrying into the Qin family yet aiding outsiders against it merits punishment. I will spare your head for now, but if you lie today or if my parents die, I will come for your life.”

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