Shen Yun had never seen Su Xiaoqi like this.
She was curled up in his arms, her face etched with lingering fear, her eyes wide with panic, and tears streaming down her face.
His heart trembled, and he held her tightly, as if only by doing so could he comfort her and himself.
Su Xiaoqi was merely experiencing a post-traumatic stress reaction; she had been thoroughly frightened.
At the same time, she didn't forget to complain, "Husband, you must not let them go. They are evil."
Shen Yun had already observed the situation in the main hall. Zhang Lei had also taken the initiative to retrieve their cloaks from his guards and cover the women whose appearance was unsightly.
"Take them down." As soon as Shen Yun gave the order, all the guards behind them moved in unison, surrounding the four individuals from Kongshan.
Kongshan, who had been overjoyed at Su Xiaoqi's reappearance, was suddenly stunned by the influx of so many guards in tight-fitting attire.
Seeing that they were launching killing blows, he quickly signaled his companions to counterattack.
The scene became a fierce melee, with blows exchanged back and forth.
Shen Yun, seeing how formidable Kongshan and the others were, wanted to join the fight to subdue them quickly.
However, Su Xiaoqi, startled by the ordeal, clung to Shen Yun like a lifeline.
She held onto his hand tightly, unwilling to let go.
She was afraid that if she loosened her grip, he would disappear, and her hope would be extinguished.
"Husband, don't go!"
"Alright, alright, my dear, don't be afraid. I'm not going, I'm not going." Shen Yun, sensing her fear, felt an overwhelming tenderness. He simply held her entirely in his arms, stroking her shoulder and whispering comfortingly, as if to a child.
"My dear, don't be afraid, don't be afraid."
Su Xiaoqi had cried enough, releasing all her fear. She sniffled and looked up at Shen Yun.
At that moment, the main hall doors were open, and sunlight streamed in, falling half on her and half on his profile.
It illuminated his well-defined features, making his handsome face even more striking.
He seemed like a divine being descended from heaven, rescuing her from a dire situation.
Her heart warmed immensely.
Seeing his gentle words and tender actions, as if afraid of startling her, she felt a surge of immense courage. She moved forward without hesitation and kissed Shen Yun's lips.
The kiss was brief, yet it conveyed all of Su Xiaoqi's affection.
After the kiss, she gently whispered into Shen Yun's ear, "Husband, I love you!" I love you very, very much!
A fated love!
Shen Yun's heart surged like a tidal wave, and he embraced Su Xiaoqi with profound emotion.
His movements were careful, as if he were afraid of hurting her if he applied too much force.
"My dear, I love you too."
Their eyes met, clear and pure, their gazes brimming with affection.
While the young couple was locked in a tender gaze, the struggle in the hall had concluded.
Kongshan and his three companions were indeed formidable.
Shen Yun had deployed Zhang Lei, Zhang Feng, Zhang Dian, and Zhang Yu, who had recovered from his injuries.
Coupled with the timely arrival of Xiao Lin, they easily apprehended them.
"Cough, cough… you, have you finished your display of affection?" Xiao Lin kicked Kongshan, whom he held in his hand, and reminded Shen Yun with a frown.
Shen Yun was unfazed, smiling as he cupped his hands towards Xiao Lin. "Thank you, Pavilion Master Xiao, for your assistance."
"Ah, it's nothing. In fact, I've wanted to deal with this group for a long time. They are bad people, but I'm not exactly a good person, so I couldn't find a reason.
This time, it's perfect, as it's given me an excuse to clear them out." Xiao Lin rubbed his nose, feeling a bit sheepish at Shen Yun's solemn demeanor.
As the young master of Yan Yu Pavilion, he was not a purely good person, as he admitted. However, he was not as depraved as Kongshan and his ilk, who would insult women and were worse than beasts.
Su Xiaoqi also took the opportunity to rise and express her gratitude. "Thank you, Young Master Xiao!"
"It was a small effort, but it cannot compare to the kindness you have shown me," Xiao Lin said earnestly.
Su Xiaoqi chuckled. Listening to Xiao Lin's words, she realized he was implying that the lives of these men were worthless compared to his own.
And indeed, that was the truth.
These men were utterly devoid of conscience.
According to their own words, they had been engaged in such inhumane acts in the capital for the past twenty years, with countless people suffering from top to bottom.
Even death could not atone for their sins.
At the same time, Su Xiaoqi thought of someone.
She walked over and stopped about five steps away from Kongshan, asking,
"Do you remember if the sister of the imperial concubine you mentioned earlier was the wife of the Marquis of Dingbian? Do you have any connection with this person?"
Kongshan's brow twitched, and he instinctively looked at Su Xiaoqi.
Recalling how she had toyed with them earlier, and that all their current misfortunes stemmed from her appearance,
He let out a cold snort, too disdainful to even bother replying.
Shen Yun could not bear it any longer.
His wife had finally stopped being afraid and was able to ask questions, and he dared not let him refuse to answer.
He sneered, stepped forward, and stomped on Kongshan's right hand fingers.
"Ah..." Kongshan yelped, startled, then cried out in pain.
"Speak!" Shen Yun commanded fiercely.
Kongshan was a shrewd individual. Generally, those who had committed many wicked deeds were the ones most eager to survive.
Applying a bit of pressure, making him see no hope of survival, would frighten him.
Just as he was now, with his hand pinned by Shen Yun, his pride suppressed, he quickly lowered his head, but still refused to speak.
For so many years, he had sown so many seeds in the capital.
And indeed, they had borne much fruit.
But those were all unknown individuals.
Even he himself was unwilling to remember them.
However, there were also those of noble status among them.
For instance, the most esteemed among them was the heir of the Marquis of Dingbian's household.
He held the highest status and the most honor.
The heir of the Marquis of Dingbian's household, a meritorious official from the founding of the dynasty, the most favored nephew of the imperial concubine in the palace, and the crown prince's cousin.
Any one of these titles alone was enough to command respect in the capital, where no one dared to offend him.
Perhaps, at a critical moment, he could even serve as his fallback.
Therefore, no matter how much pain he felt or how much he wished to escape, he dared not reveal this matter.
He knew very well that if he didn't speak of these things, whether his life could be saved was still uncertain.
But if he spoke of them, he would surely die.
And it would also implicate that person, leading to their demise.
This was a lose-lose situation, so how could he possibly do it?
But Shen Yun's methods were truly remarkable.
Seeing his eyes flicker, knowing he held much information but refusing to speak,
Shen Yun had no patience for him. He raised his hand, and Zhang Lei stepped forward, unceremoniously severing the tendons in Kongshan's hands and feet.
"Ah..." Kongshan screamed, his agonizing cries carrying far into the distance.
Su Xiaoqi frowned. Shen Yun had already raised his hand to cover her ears and whispered an explanation, "I didn't realize severing tendons was so painful."
Su Xiaoqi twitched the corner of her mouth, thinking that Shen Yun was indeed Shen Yun. His ruthless methods were deeply ingrained, completely different from the tenderness he showed her.
However, she felt no dissatisfaction. Compared to Kongshan, Shen Yun was merely using evil to counter evil.
"Now it's your turn. Do you wish to end up like him?" Shen Yun turned to the other three so-called masters, varying in size.
"No, no, sir, spare me, sir, spare me." The胖 monk immediately prostrated himself.
The skinny monk blurted out, "Sir, I know, I know. The heir of the Marquis of Dingbian is his offspring... Ah..."
Before he could finish, he suddenly cried out. He was killed by a sudden attack from a thin, short monk who had barely spoken, seizing an opportunity.
Striking the heart with the black tiger's paw, a direct hit.
"Kill." Shen Yun glanced at the short monk with gloomy eyes and immediately acted decisively.
There was no need for leniency with such a person.
There were still two others, so his confession was not absolutely essential.
The quartet of wrongdoers was now reduced to Kongshan and the胖 monk, whose dharma name was Kong Yuan.
He also truthfully told Su Xiaoqi about the heir of the Marquis of Dingbian.
During this time, Su Xiaoqi, along with Zhang Yu, woke up Madam Li, Wen Ruohua, and several other ladies.
She also administered antidotes to them, and under the escort of Zhang Yu and Zhang Lei, they left the temple before the arrival of the officials.
As for the other matters, they were left to Shen Yun to handle.