Zhong Shenxiu gave no instructions, so Robin dutifully ate her own meal. Charlotte and the others were unaware of the brief exchange between Robin and Zhong Shenxiu; they were currently worried sick about Keni, whom they had met only once.

Though they did not know why the soldiers had arrested Keni, they firmly believed she was not a bad person!

Meanwhile, although Zhong Shenxiu appeared to be eating slowly and methodically, his mental wave energy had already been deployed. To be honest, he had a decent impression of Keni, though he couldn't quite place the reason why.

Time crept by, and just then, Zhong Shenxiu’s brow visibly furrowed.

Charlotte and the others had been watching Zhong Shenxiu’s expression closely since they sat down, and seeing him frown made their own hearts clench.

At that moment, Zhong Shenxiu set down his bowl and chopsticks and rose to his feet.

“Wait for me here!” After saying this, Zhong Shenxiu actually walked toward the exit.

Charlotte and Angelia exchanged a look; although neither spoke, their eyes were full of questions.

Robin remained lost in her meal, pausing neither for the departure of Zhong Shenxiu nor for any other reason. Perhaps she knew where he was going, which accounted for her composure!

.

In the small village of Lüvanda, Keni was already completely surrounded by the soldiers.

“Why are you all surrounding me?” Keni asked with a continued smile, showing no sign of panic.

“Stop playing games with us. Hand over what you have quickly, and don't force my brothers to get rough, or it won't be so simple!” the leader declared arrogantly, his eyes lingering lewdly on Keni’s prominent features.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. Perhaps you have the wrong person?” Keni asked, while secretly searching for an opportunity to break through their encirclement.

“Ha, you don’t need to act anymore. We’ve been looking for you for nearly half a year.” The leader spoke as he advanced toward Keni.

Keni knew she couldn't afford to wait passively any longer. Disregarding the odds, she spotted a direction and dashed out. While her escape speed was decent, her actual combat skill was limited to superficial tricks. She was no match for these well-trained soldiers and was subdued by two of them almost instantly.

“What exactly do you people want?” Only then did Keni’s expression turn serious, though she still betrayed no sign of fear.

“Hand over that thing obediently, and then you’ll come with us!” the leader said with a nasty smirk.

“I don’t know what nonsense you are spouting!” Keni maintained her unyielding stance.

“Still talking back? Search her!” A flicker of impatience crossed the leader’s face.

Under his command, the soldiers actually began searching Keni’s body aggressively, utterly disregarding any sense of propriety regarding contact between men and women!

“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Keni struggled, but the determined expression on her face never wavered. Any ordinary woman in this situation would have been pale with terror and weeping uncontrollably.

“Boss, nothing here!” The soldier performing the search stopped and reported.

“Nothing?” The leader was clearly taken aback, then shouted, “That’s impossible!” After saying that, he began searching her himself.

This man was either a pervert or a complete degenerate; he didn't just pat her down, he started tearing at Keni's clothes. Even if her clothes were sturdy, they couldn't withstand his brute force. In moments, they were shredded into strips, exposing large areas of alluring skin.

Keni tightly covered the vital areas of her body with her hands. Even at this point, her expression revealed no fear—only resentment burned in her eyes!

“Where is it? Where did you put the thing?” the leader shouted savagely.

Keni, however, was completely unafraid of him and continued, “I have no idea what you are talking about!”

“You bitch, stop pretending! Tell me. Where did you hide it?” The leader grabbed a handful of Keni’s hair and savagely slapped her across the face with his other hand.

Instantly, a bright red palm print bloomed on Keni’s face, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Yet, Keni stared straight back at him, showing no sign of submission.

It seemed this item was of vital importance to the leader, as he showed absolutely no tenderness, delivering several more slaps to Keni’s face in rapid succession.

Keni’s attitude remained unchanged, steadfastly insisting she knew nothing of his demands.

“Bitch, don’t test my patience!” The leader spat, then glanced around.

Dusk was settling in. Although some nearby pedestrians had heard the commotion, none dared to intervene, preferring to keep their distance.

About five hundred meters to the left, there was a private orchard—a quiet place, ideal for robbery and murder!

The leader’s eyes lit up when he saw the orchard, and he immediately ordered, “Drag her over there! I don’t believe she won’t talk then!” He followed this with an extremely lewd grin.

Keni struggled, still trying to cover herself, shouting “Help!” at the top of her lungs.

Though Keni screamed, her gaze only grew more hateful, showing no trace of panic. Perhaps she had already prepared herself for the worst possible outcome. Perhaps the suffering she had endured had long since erased the meaning of fear!

“You can scream until your throat is raw, and no one will come to save you! Ha!” The leader burst into maniacal laughter. If a poll were taken, he would surely be voted the exemplar of a ‘beast’!

As fate would have it, just as he finished speaking, a small figure materialized out of thin air not far ahead. Due to the dim light, they couldn't clearly make out the appearance at first.

The sudden appearance of this figure caused the soldiers to halt involuntarily.

“Who’s there?” the leader roared.

There was no reply; the small figure standing before them was like a phantom in the darkness.

However, the soldiers, relying on their sheer numbers, were not afraid and continued dragging Keni forward.

Keni, too, watched the figure. As the distance closed, she finally recognized who it was: the little boy she had held in the tavern!

How could he be here?

Just then, Zhong Shenxiu’s emotionless voice cut through the air: “Let her go!”

Huh? The soldiers were clearly stunned, then erupted in an arrogant, roaring laugh, as if they had just heard the funniest joke in the world! But how long would their laughter last?

“Little brat, scram quickly, don’t interfere with our official business!” The leader said, then yanked Keni’s hair again and continued moving forward.

Perhaps due to the low light, he failed to notice the slight frown on Zhong Shenxiu’s brow.

Seeing Zhong Shenxiu standing there motionless, Keni finally grew frantic, shouting hoarsely, “Go quickly!”

She hadn't panicked when the leader treated her so poorly, but now, she was truly desperate!

The leader paused, then laughed again, pointing at Zhong Shenxiu and ordering his men, “Don’t let him run off. Grab him quickly! He’s this whore’s accomplice; the thing might be on him!”

“Run!” Keni shrieked desperately toward Zhong Shenxiu, struggling with all her might.

She might have been willing to disregard her own life and death, but she could not ignore the life and death of another!

Even as she spoke, several soldiers charged toward Zhong Shenxiu, moving to surround him and prevent him from escaping to the side!

However, what none of them expected was that Zhong Shenxiu remained utterly still, like a block of stone.

Those few soldiers reached Zhong Shenxiu and were just reaching out to grab him when a bizarre event occurred: Zhong Shenxiu vanished before their eyes. No warning, no sound—he was gone like a ghost!

Wh-what was happening?

Even these bold soldiers felt a chill crawl down their spines. They looked wildly around, but there was no one else nearby except themselves!

Had they truly seen a ghost?

The leader clearly hadn't anticipated this outcome. His eyes were wide, suspecting he was hallucinating. If Zhong Shenxiu hadn't spoken earlier, he might have dismissed the whole thing as an illusion!

Just as he tried to process what had just happened, Zhong Shenxiu’s voice sounded right beside his ear.

“I told you to let her go. Didn’t you hear me?” The voice was still flat, but upon closer listening, one could detect a subtle undercurrent of killing intent.

The leader nearly cried out in fright, asking in a stuttering voice, “Y-you, you, how are you here?”

Keni stared at Zhong Shenxiu with wide, disbelieving eyes, momentarily forgetting she was still being held captive!

Zhong Shenxiu did not speak; he merely raised a small hand upward. Though seemingly casual, this action signaled the beginning of his move!

The soldiers holding Keni, including the leader, had their attention wholly focused on Zhong Shenxiu, and they failed to notice that their arms had all been cleanly severed at the shoulder!

Strangely, not a single drop of the gushing blood splattered onto Zhong Shenxiu or Keni, as if blocked by an invisible force.

Keni felt her body suddenly grow light and stumbled forward, but Zhong Shenxiu caught her.

Only then did the men realize what had happened.

“Ah! My hand, my hand!” They were finally registering the pain.

Keni saw the severed arms scattered on the ground, but she showed no horror—only confusion and incomprehension!

At this moment, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly said something to Keni: “Hey, woman, if this world makes you feel alone, you can choose to follow me!”

The tone was softer than before, a departure from his previous flatness. Perhaps Zhong Shenxiu truly had changed!

In that instant, Keni, who had always been strong and unyielding, shed tears.

She had been alone for far too long. Today, she had finally met someone who could truly understand her.