"Shall we continue to wait and see?" Cheng Le asked. With just the two of them, infiltrating the Jin family was impossible. But if they didn't go in, even if Xiao Man died inside, they would be powerless.
"Find a way to sneak into the Jin family," Cheng Ze said slowly. "It's confirmed she's in the Jin family, so we must find her. The young master has ordered that she must be protected, or we will face his wrath."
Cheng Le touched his neck and swallowed with embarrassment. "This Xiao Qin is too troublesome. If she hadn't deliberately shaken us off, we wouldn't have taken so many detours. But, Cheng Ze, how do we get in?"
"There will be a way."
In the main courtyard, the Jin family head's face was ashen, and he was in a state of disarray. He was sound asleep when his main courtyard exploded. Worse still, the secret prison was also blown up. The lake water poured in, turning the entire main courtyard into ruins, not to mention the loss of many hidden guards!
Looking at the scene, Jin Feng subconsciously swallowed. For some reason, he had a feeling that the explosion in the main courtyard was related to Xiao Man. He subconsciously looked around, and after searching without finding any trace of Xiao Man, he couldn't help but feel relieved. Fortunately, this brat hadn't come. If she had, she might not have been able to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.
"Family head, this is..."
"Send people down to search. We must find her alive or dead!" The Jin family head said grimly, looking at the messily destroyed artificial lake. "Also, investigate who has entered my main courtyard recently. Not a single person is to be spared."
"Yes, Family Head."
Jin Feng took two steps back and quietly left. No wonder she said she didn't need to enter the main courtyard again. By using such a method to create a disturbance and then rescue people in the chaos, if she really came to rescue someone, she must still be trapped nearby. He had to hurry and help. If the hidden guards found her, she was doomed!
Jin Feng searched the surroundings but found no trace of Xiao Man. He looked at the main courtyard with a puzzled expression.
"She hasn't run out yet, has she?"
Jin Feng hesitated for a moment, then returned to the main courtyard, searching its vicinity. He still found no trace of Xiao Man, let alone such a commotion. Where could she hide in the main courtyard?
Jin Feng pondered for a long time, his gaze shifting towards the direction of the alchemy hall. Had he been deceived? There was no one in the secret chamber; this person just wanted to blow up the Family Head's main courtyard!
Reaching this conclusion, Jin Feng quickly headed towards the alchemy hall. As soon as he reached the outside of the alchemy hall, he noticed that the main door was tightly shut. He felt puzzled and glanced at the poisonous herbs planted outside the alchemy hall. He swallowed an antidote pill and prepared to climb over the wall. As soon as he climbed onto the wall, he met a pair of eyes.
"Ah, a thief!" Jin Xu shouted and fell from the wall, landing on the ground and crying out in pain.
"Who are you calling a thief?" Jin Feng climbed over the wall and sat down, only then realizing that there were many people in the courtyard. The disciples of the alchemy hall were probably all gathered here. "What are you guys doing?"
"Senior Brother Jin Feng!" Jin Xu, seeing that it was Jin Feng, finally felt relieved. He got up from the ground, rubbing his sore backside, and asked, "Senior Brother Jin Feng, what happened outside? There was earth-shattering rumbling and shouting. Is there an enemy attack?"
"You guys didn't go out?"
"No, we didn't. We were still sleeping when the earth started shaking." Jin Xu took two steps forward. "Senior Brother, what exactly happened?"
Jin Feng looked at Xiao Man, who was standing in the crowd. She was inconspicuous, yet among the disciples, she had a distinctive aura. "The Family Head's courtyard was blown up."
"Who dares to blow up the Family Head's courtyard?" Jin Xu exclaimed in surprise.
"I also want to know who dares to blow up the Family Head's courtyard. Have they eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard?" Jin Feng looked at Xiao Man. "Junior Brother Lan, don't you agree?"
Xiao Man yawned. "How many people came?"
"That's the problem, not a single person was caught."
"An inside informant?" Xiao Man's expression was flawless, revealing no hint of anything. If Jin Feng hadn't known that Xiao Man had infiltrated the Family Head's courtyard and the secret prison, he would have believed Xiao Man was innocent.
"I don't know."
"Is the Family Head alright? Are there any casualties?"
"The Family Head is unharmed. Several guards in the main courtyard were injured or killed. The Family Head is extremely furious and will dig three feet deep to find this audacious thief."
Xiao Man nodded affirmatively. "It should be so. If the Family Head's courtyard can be so easily blown up, the Jin family's reputation will be ruined. This person must be caught."
"If this person is caught, what do you think the punishment should be, Junior Brother?"
Xiao Man clasped her hands behind her back, her fingers tapping rhythmically on her arm. "First, beat him for three days and three nights, so everyone else can see the consequences of provoking the Jin family's authority and the Family Head's authority."
"Hmm?" Jin Feng looked at her in disbelief. You're actually so harsh on yourself!
"Then, break all his limbs, ruin his foundation, gouge out his eyes, pierce his ears, cut out his tongue, and tie him to the main gate, so that everyone passing by can see that the Jin family is never soft on its enemies!"
"Junior Brother, that's too cruel!" Jin Xu was so scared by Xiao Man's words that goosebumps broke out all over his body.
Jin Feng swallowed. Could it be that the person who blew up the Family Head's courtyard wasn't her? Otherwise, how could she say such cruel words? Had he wronged her?
"Wouldn't this kind of behavior make our Jin family seem too barbaric?"
"Barbaric?" Xiao Man asked, looking around.
Everyone nodded like pounding garlic. Barbaric, very barbaric.
"Then how about a more gentle method?"
"What is the gentle punishment method?"
"Dig a pit at the entrance and plant the thief in it..."
"Junior Brother, you think you're planting radishes, planting thieves!" Jin Xu interrupted Xiao Man. "Be serious!"
"Senior Brother, don't be impatient, I am being serious!" Xiao Man said with a smile. "Plant the person in the ground, leaving only the head exposed. Then, cut a gash on the person's head and pour heavy water into the wound."
"Why pour heavy water?"
Xiao Man revealed a row of sharp white teeth. "To peel the skin. When the heavy water flows through the thief's entire body, then pull the person out. At this time, a complete human skin will remain in the pit. The skin peeled this way is clean and complete, perfect for shadow puppetry."
"Junior Brother, you're terrifying!" Jin Xu quickly hid behind a senior disciple, rubbing his arms. "How can you say such horrifying things?"
Jin Feng's scalp also tingled, and he even felt his scalp itching, as if a gash had been cut on his head, and someone was pouring heavy water into that gash, wanting to peel his skin off!
Xiao Man noticed Jin Feng's increasingly grim expression, but she asked him with an innocent face, "Senior Brother Jin Feng, what do you think of my method?"