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A winter night. The snow has stopped, the clouds have parted, and a bright moon shines, its clear light spreading across the snow-covered fields. The entire world is imbued with this pure and bright atmosphere, a scene of tranquility and peace.

At that moment, the torchlight shattered the darkness, and the clamor drowned out the tranquility. Dozens of riders galloped in, their hooves kicking up snow that swirled like butterflies. The riders were all burly men, dressed in dark blue robes, carrying swords and knives, their expressions solemn, yet tinged with a hint of menace.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot into the sky, illuminating the surroundings.

Upon seeing this, the group hurriedly spurred their horses forward. But when they arrived at the place where the light had risen, the scene before them horrified the dozens of burly men.

The snow-covered ground was littered with corpses. Under the moonlight, the faces of the dead were filled with terror, their deaths gruesome. The blood was still warm, faintly steaming.

"Go down and take a look," someone said, giving the order.

Upon receiving the order, everyone immediately dismounted and looked around. A moment later, someone returned and reported to the person who had spoken earlier: "Reporting to the deputy steward, most of them are from the 'Flying Tiger Gang,' along with a dozen or so brothers from our manor, all of whom are Steward Di's confidants. Judging from the wounds, they should be 'Iron Eagle Claws.'"

Upon hearing this, the deputy chief steward frowned and asked, "Could it be that after the 'Flying Tiger Gang' stole the dog-suppressing pot, they encountered the 'Black Eagle Cult' double-crossing them? Where is the 'suppressing pot'?"

"There's no trace of the 'pot-suppressing vessel.' Deputy Chief Steward, what do we do now?"

After a moment's thought, the deputy steward said, "Let's inform Steward Di and then make a decision."

Before he could finish speaking, someone shouted, "Chief Steward Di! It's Chief Steward Di!"

The deputy chief steward was terrified and hurriedly dismounted, following the sound.

The crowd, who were gathered together, hurriedly made way for him when they saw him approaching.

The deputy steward strode forward and saw a man curled up among the scattered corpses, his body covered with a thin layer of snow. The man crouched down, carefully examining him: he was no more than twenty years old, dressed in a sable fur coat, wearing a tortoiseshell crown, a white jade pendant at his waist, and gold-embroidered boots. His attire was extravagant and noble, clearly that of a spoiled brat. Yet, despite his refined features and handsome appearance, he possessed a unique elegance and charm, setting him apart from the ordinary.

"It's definitely Chief Steward Di..." The deputy chief steward frowned deeply, turned to the person behind him, and asked, "Is he dead?"

The people behind them all looked grief-stricken and silently shook their heads.

The deputy chief steward immediately showed a look of deep sorrow.

The group looked at him for a moment, and then all nodded silently.

The deputy chief steward understood and nodded solemnly in response.

He turned his head, looked at the unconscious man, took a deep breath, and slowly raised his hand. He gathered his strength in his palm, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. He opened his eyes wide, let out a low shout, and struck the man's temple with his palm.

However, in the blink of an eye, his wrist was firmly grasped.

The person had already woken up, and a pair of clear eyes were staring straight at him.

The deputy steward was shocked, but quickly composed himself and put on a smile, saying, "Oh dear, Steward Di, you're awake! Everyone was so worried. I was just about to use my internal energy to heal you. How are you feeling now?"

Upon hearing this, the group of burly men behind him all smiled and offered their concern.

The man continued to gaze at him silently, without uttering a word.

The deputy steward swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The people behind him turned pale, utterly terrified.

Suddenly, the man looked down and sneezed.

Everyone was startled and dared not even breathe.

The man released the deputy steward's wrist, stood up, and said, "It's cold. I want to go home."

"Huh?" The deputy chief steward looked at the person in front of him and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

The man ignored him and left.

The deputy steward hurriedly followed with a smile, saying, "Steward Di, please ride my horse."

The man shook his head. "No." After saying that, he continued walking forward through the snow, one step at a time.

"Don't want to?" The deputy steward was increasingly puzzled, and the group of burly men also looked bewildered. After a moment's thought, the deputy steward mustered his courage and shouted:

"Di Xiu!"

The man stopped and turned around upon hearing the sound.

The deputy steward gasped, extremely nervous. Those behind him were filled with terror. Someone stammered, "Deputy Steward, you...you must be joking! Calling Steward Di by his first name...you know the consequences..."

The deputy chief steward's voice trembled, "Don't...don't be afraid...I guess..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man asked, "Did you call me?"

The deputy general manager nodded reluctantly.

The man was slightly puzzled. He waited for a while, but no one spoke. So he turned around and continued walking forward.

A smile instantly spread across the deputy steward's face, his eyes gleaming with cunning. He raised his hand and said to the people behind him, "No need to guess. He must be..."

He frowned, paused slightly, and then uttered the second half of his sentence with unwavering certainty:

"Stupid!"

Chapter 1

The next morning, snowflakes began to fall again.

The southern garden of Yuchi Manor was planted with wintersweet, its fragrance refreshing and invigorating. Although it was still early, the garden was already a hive of activity. Servants bustled about, and maids moved about busily. A dozen or so boxes were already laid out in the open space. People were tidying, bundling, lifting, and moving them. It was clear they were preparing for a long migration.

In the warm pavilion of Nanyuan, four or five maids were helping a young girl to do her makeup in front of a mirror.

The young woman had flowing black hair like satin and skin as white as jade. Her eyebrows were delicate and graceful like willow branches, and her eyes shimmered like spring water. Her lips were painted vermilion, and her teeth were pearly white. Even without makeup, she was already charming and lovely. At this moment, although she frowned in anger, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks, making her as radiant as a peach blossom in full bloom, dazzling and captivating.

"Isn't it done yet?!" she said impatiently, scolding the maid who was combing her hair.

The maid smiled and replied, "Fourth Miss, don't be anxious. If you go out with your hair disheveled, people will mistakenly think you've fled in defeat. What would you do then?"

"I'm defeated and forced to flee?! Who does he think he is?!" The girl slammed her hand on the table and roared.

“That’s right. Who does he think he is? Our Fourth Miss would never lower herself to argue with him. We’re returning to the Nanling Prince’s Mansion today because this place is so simple and crude, it would be beneath our Fourth Miss’s dignity,” another maid added.

The girl raised her head. "That's right!"

The maid who was combing her hair said again, "So our fourth young lady must be even more radiant and beautiful than usual to silence the gossip. Let me finish combing your hair."

The girl frowned and said helplessly, "Alright, alright, let me comb it."

The maids exchanged smiles and continued their work.

At this moment, a maid rushed over, hastily performed a curtsy, and said breathlessly, "Fourth Miss, Steward Di... Steward Di has gone mad."

Upon hearing this, the girl paused for a moment, then asked, "That 'Chief Steward Di'?"

The maid nodded vigorously, "Yes, it's that ruthless, despicable, heartless, cruel, arrogant... Chief Steward Di."

Upon hearing these words, not only the girl known as "Fourth Miss" but also all the maids were astonished.

The girl frowned, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Are you really stupid? Is the information reliable?"

The maid's cheeks flushed with excitement as she nodded, saying, "It's reliable! I heard the 'town pot' was stolen last night. Steward Di led men to chase after it, but we don't know what happened, but apart from him, there wasn't a single survivor. Although Steward Di wasn't injured, we don't know if he was poisoned or if his spirit was damaged; he's now in a daze. Those who had grudges against him in the past are all rushing to visit him, testing the waters and looking for an opportunity to take revenge. The eldest young master, the second young master, the eldest young lady, the third young lady, the uncle, the aunt, the fourth concubine, the seventh uncle, and the ninth aunt have all gone. Fourth young lady, if you don't go now, it will be too late!"

Upon hearing this, the girl slammed her hand on the table and stood up, shouting with boundless pride, "His right hand is mine!"

Having said that, she disregarded her unkempt hair and rushed out in a flurry.

Upon seeing this, the maids immediately followed.

The maid who had been combing hair stopped them, saying, "Go quickly and find Mr. Mei; there's a risk of trouble."

The group understood and quickly headed towards a side room.

...

Leaving the South Garden, passing through the corridor, and then through the garden, one arrives at the residence of the steward of Yuchi Manor.

As soon as the girl entered, she was met with a sea of people, a chaotic and noisy scene. Screams, curses, shouts, pleas for mercy... rose and fell, creating a cacophony of sounds. She could vaguely hear someone calling out:

"You, surnamed Di, how dare you hit the Second Young Master... Ouch..."

"...'The River-Turning Hand'? Well, so you were the one who killed the Jiangbei Twin Heroes!"

"Whoa! Watch out for his 'heart-locking leg'!!!"

"'Heart-Locking Kick' is Master Li's signature move, where did you learn it from! Could it be that you were the one who stole the manual back then?!"

"That was...that was the 'Iron Eagle Claw'?! Could it be that you orchestrated the theft of the 'Pot of Treasure'?!"

"Steward Di, calm down!!! This is the Third Miss, don't do anything rash!!!"

"Grab him! Grab him now!"

"Quickly release sleeping gas!"

...

Hearing the commotion, the girl became displeased. She spoke up and shouted at the wall of people in front of her, "Get out of the way!"

Upon hearing this, the onlookers were all astonished and hurriedly respectfully addressed the "Fourth Miss" and made way for her.

The girl walked in with her head held high, only then did she see the situation inside.

It was a real, brutal fight, a hand-to-hand combat. A group of highly skilled guards and the servants of the young masters and ladies were ganging up on a young man. The man was unarmed, yet he still overpowered them all, gaining the upper hand.

Upon seeing this, the girl shouted angrily, "His right hand is mine!"

The people who were fighting were all startled by these words. The young man turned around and glanced at her.

In the brief struggle, his eyes revealed a murderous intent and were extremely fierce. The girl was startled, and in an instant, the man had already leaped in front of her, striking her forehead with a palm.

In an instant, gasps of alarm arose. The maids behind the girl drew their soft swords from their waists, intending to protect their mistress.

However, the girl's eyes narrowed, and she shouted, "How dare you!"

With that domineering shout, the man suddenly froze, forcefully withdrawing his palm strike.

The girl showed no fear and slapped the man across the face.

The crisp sound of the slap silenced everyone instantly, leaving only an eerie stillness in the surroundings.

The girl spoke, her words ringing out: "How dare you! How dare you be so disrespectful to me time and time again!"

Everyone fell silent, waiting to see what would happen next.

The man lowered his head, raised his hand to cover his slapped cheek, and remained silent.