For an afternoon, Pinny’s mind drifted through countless memories. She desperately sought solitude, craving a moment of quiet, but to her immense frustration, the moment she stepped out of the auction house, she sensed she was being followed.

The Keni of today was not the woman of the past. Following Zhong Shenxiu’s marrow-washing and a subsequent [content intentionally omitted for literary pacing], she had become a true master. Detecting surveillance was now second nature.

Keni knew those tailing her harbored no good intentions. Though she couldn’t pinpoint who they were, a quick guess suggested they were agents sent by some rival family.

Keni’s brow furrowed. Her mood was already fragile, and this intrusion only soured it further.

If they are waiting for an opportunity to strike, she thought, then I shall grant them one!

With that resolve, Keni headed towards a secluded, deserted area—a place she and Zhong Shenxiu had visited that very morning.

Meanwhile, Alfred and his cohorts, who were shadowing Keni closely, felt a surge of elation as she walked into the uninhabited zone. Heaven is truly helping us!

The day was already fading into dusk, and the few remaining pedestrians were dwindling. Alfred knew the moment to strike had arrived.

He subtly gave a signal. His guards understood instantly, surging forward from the rear. With just a few swift bounds, they surrounded Keni completely. Keni had stopped moving as well, fixing them all with a furious glare.

Just then, a chanting sound drifted from nearby. A flash of light erupted at Keni’s feet, enveloping her in a Wind-element restraint spell.

Alfred had truly planned meticulously, even employing a mage. It seemed he was absolutely determined to capture Keni this time.

Seeing Keni encircled by so many experts and caught in the binding spell, Alfred stepped out with confidence. He knew he had succeeded; this woman was now his prize.

“Now, even if you had wings, you couldn't escape!” Alfred advanced toward Keni, a sinister grin stretching across his face.

As he drew near and saw her features up close, he paused, thinking to himself: This woman is even more alluring than before. I wonder if her taste is as good as…

While his mind conjured lewd images, Keni’s cold voice cut through the air: “I never intended to flee!”

Indeed, this time she felt no impulse to run. She was different now, no longer the fragile woman who relied solely on wit to survive. Today, she was a warrior whose very presence struck terror into the hearts of her enemies.

This was Keni’s first direct confrontation with these foes, yet not a flicker of tension showed on her face. She was a woman forged in tempests; unimaginable hardship had honed her will into something as unyielding as bedrock.

“Have you finally seen reason?” Alfred sneered, though his eyes relentlessly scanned Keni's more prominent curves.

Keni remained silent, returning his gaze evenly.

Alfred initially thought she recognized the futility of resistance and planned to surrender. But remembering her usual cunning, he decided caution was best.

He signaled one of his subordinates, who nodded, pulled out the coiled ropes he had prepared, and began walking toward Keni. The intent was clear: bind her tightly so she couldn't play any tricks, allowing them to torment her as they pleased until she cooperated.

However, what Alfred was about to witness was something he would never forget.

As the subordinate approached Keni with the rope netting, still two meters away, his body suddenly convulsed and violently fragmented. In the blink of an eye, a living man was reduced to a pile of shredded meat.

This was Keni’s first time deploying the ‘Invisible’ Silk Threads in active combat, and she hadn't expected such devastating power. The subordinate died without a cry, likely never even feeling the pain.

Keni’s expression remained unchanged by the kill, still cold as ice and placid as still water, watching them as if the subordinate's death had nothing to do with her. She felt no pity for these men. Compared to what they had done to her 'Kelaopou Clan,' this was nothing.

She would never forget that day—the moment these seemingly civilized people revealed their ugly nature, conspiring and executing a long-planned scheme just to seize what belonged to her family. Nor could she forget the sight of her father being dismembered to cover her escape, or her mother’s heart-wrenching screams while being violated. Her heart had turned to ice that day; against such beasts, even devouring them alive would not seem cruel enough.

Alfred had never anticipated such a horrific transformation. He was instantly paralyzed with terror, staring at the bloody mess on the ground and the spreading gore. A chilling numbness crept up his scalp, and his entire body seized, as if plunged into an ice cellar.

What in the world was that?

Alfred was terrified, his face sickeningly pale. He retreated backward again and again. The other guards were no better. Though they had seen and caused death before, this bizarre manner of dying was entirely new to them. What truly terrified them was that none of them knew what had happened. How could a living man spontaneously turn into mere scrap meat? They had watched intently, certain Keni hadn't moved, yet the man died horribly. The more they considered it, the more their blood ran cold.

“Who? Who did that? Show yourself!” Alfred yelled out, his voice laced with panic. He felt as if demonic eyes were watching them from the surrounding darkness. The ability to reduce a person to that state silently offered no explanation other than perhaps a powerful Wind spell. Since Keni hadn't moved, the attacker had to be hidden. Could it be that this woman deliberately lured us here to wipe us out? The thought, coupled with Keni’s unnervingly calm demeanor and her earlier words, caused a cold sweat to break out on Alfred’s brow.

“Come out now! The woman is still in our custody! If you don't reveal yourself, don't blame us for being ruthless!” Alfred screamed inanely at the empty surroundings, utterly unaware that Keni was watching him with chilling intensity.

Suddenly, a spurt of blood arced out. Upon closer inspection, it was Alfred’s own arm, cleanly severed! The speed was so absolute that Alfred hadn't even registered the slicing motion while he was shouting at the shadows.

When he heard something thud onto the ground, he looked down, stunned. Why is there an arm here? Why does it look so familiar?

This moment of confusion lasted only a few seconds before the agonizing throb in his shoulder snapped him back to reality. He turned his head, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

“My hand! My hand!” Alfred shrieked, clutching the gushing stump. It was a cry of shock at the loss, and the pain was now rapidly intensifying.

Keni observed him with the detachment of a spectator. She had initially thought the first kill was too quick; dying without suffering felt too lenient for them. They deserved to taste true agony. Watching Alfred writhe in pain brought Keni no satisfaction, as she knew the physical torment he felt was a distant echo of the soul-rending pain she had endured.

The guards surrounding Keni grew increasingly terrified. An unseen enemy was the most terrifying kind. But they all made the same crucial mistake: assuming the attack came from some hidden entity nearby, completely ignoring the motionless Keni.

Though Keni’s body hadn't moved, with a mere shift of her will, those ‘Invisible’ Silk Threads could instantly activate.

Keni shifted her intention again. A series of metallic crashes echoed as several guards’ swords clattered to the ground, some even splitting in half. In an instant, wails erupted. The guards forgot Keni entirely, clutching their severed joints and screaming.

“Have you all made peace with death?” Keni’s voice finally broke the silence again.

“Y-you… what did you do?” Alfred’s voice trembled violently, whether from fear or blood loss, it was impossible to tell.

Keni allowed herself a rare, chilling smile. “Are you asking about this?”

With a graceful wave of her hand, several guards instantly dissolved into gore.

“It was you?” Alfred stared, his eyes wide.

“Indeed,” Keni sneered.

The moon above was pale and hazy. The occasional gust of cold wind lifted strands of Keni’s hair, momentarily revealing a face even colder in the moonlight.

Now, only Alfred remained alive. It wasn't that Keni chose to spare him; she simply intended for him to die one last, prolonged time. Though still breathing, he was functionally dead. All his limbs had been severed, and judging by the torrent of blood and his ashen face, death was near.

But then, Alfred began to laugh maniacally. Keni watched him coldly, not questioning his sudden mirth, but Alfred offered the explanation himself.

“Hahaha! If you kill me, you kill your own kin, hahaha…”

“What do you mean?”

The word “kin” caused a noticeable shift in Keni’s composure.

“You know Clyd, don’t you? He is in my hands. Only I know where he is imprisoned. If I die, he dies too, ha!” Alfred’s laughter grew more unhinged. Perhaps knowing his end was near, he wanted this woman to carry guilt for the rest of her life.

Hearing the name “Clyd,” Keni froze entirely. He was the old steward who had doted on her since childhood. She hadn't realized he was still alive.

“Tell me, where did you lock him up?” Keni demanded, her voice sharp with sudden anxiety.

Alfred only continued to laugh, as if her rising distress brought him immense pleasure.

“Where is he?!” Keni roared, her voice raw with desperation. She rarely showed such agitation, but the thought of those who loved her being threatened broke her composure. She could disregard her own life, but not those who cherished her.

“I won’t tell you! Without me delivering food, that old fool will starve to death in a few days! Hahaha! I get a companion for the afterlife! Hahaha!”

Keni grew increasingly frantic, clearly losing control. Clyd was the closest thing she had to a grandfather, having watched her grow up besides her parents. The news that he lived brought her genuine joy, but the realization that his death would be her fault delivered a stabbing pain, recreating the agony of losing her parents all over again.

“What must I do for you to tell me?” Keni wished to flay Alfred alive, but she knew he no longer feared death; for him, it was a release. Alfred would find peace in dying, but Keni would be tormented by the resulting soul-crushing guilt.

“Cough, cough…” A mouthful of blood escaped Alfred’s lips; he was clearly nearing his end.

“You cannot die yet! Tell me where Clyd is!” Keni quickly channeled a trickle of her vital energy into him and sealed his major pressure points.

Alfred’s complexion improved only marginally; his fatal decline was irreversible unless Zhong Shenxiu were present.

“You want to know?” Alfred suddenly stopped laughing.

“Tell me quickly!”

“Kneel down and kowtow to me ten times, and call yourself a slut and a whore…”

Alfred’s vision was starting to blur. He knew that if he closed his eyes, he would be reporting to the netherworld. But he didn't want to die yet. He wanted to see this woman debase herself; he wanted her to pay a final price for what she had done.

Keni showed no hesitation and immediately complied.

“Hahaha! The day has come! You actually knelt before me, hahaha!” Alfred burst into maniacal laughter again.

“I did as you asked. Now tell me the location!” Keni’s hair was disheveled, her face etched with desperation.

“He’s locked up somewhere in the world. Go look for him, hahaha!” Alfred erupted in one last bout of wild laughter, and then he was gone. He died without revealing the location.

Keni collapsed onto the ground as if her soul had been ripped out, staring blankly at Alfred’s corpse.

Just then, an unusual gust of wind swept through, and Zhong Shenxiu materialized.