AUBTN -Chapter 66 The True Engagement

Su Hewan instinctively glanced at Shen Jue.

“Why are you looking at me?”

Shen Jue didn’t open his eyes. His long fingers continued to lazily and deliberately toy with the small red sandalwood Buddhist beads, his voice low and languid.

“Thinking that I’m some kind of bloodthirsty monster who treats human life like grass?”

Su Hewan’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly reined in her thoughts and forced a standard professional smile onto her face.

Her tone was earnest—earnest to the point of overkill.

“Master, you misunderstand. I only think that you act decisively and strategically. The Jiang family has been entrenched in Su City for years, deeply rooted. If it weren’t for your resolute action, that storyteller would likely have already fallen victim to poison. Your actions today saved a life, which is worth more than a seven-story stupa—it is truly a great good deed.”

Her words flowed smoothly like a practiced orator, yet inside her mind, a tiny voice was rolling its eyes furiously.

【Shen Jue has killed enough people to circle Su City three times! With a boss this antisocial, it’s safer to just go along with him.】

The carriage fell into a brief, oppressive silence.

Shen Jue’s fingers paused slightly on the beads.

Antisocial?

Though he didn’t fully understand the term, he could sense the girl’s intense survival instinct and her thorough understanding of his true nature.

Heh.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, a trace of playful mockery flickering in their depths.

His gaze fell on Su Hewan’s face—seemingly obedient, but in fact full of private complaints.

A soft, cold laugh slipped past his lips.

“You little liar.”

Su Hewan froze, forcing a dry laugh, too afraid to reply.

Does this eunuch have mind-reading powers?

Why does it feel like he sees right through me every single time?

To ease the toe-curlingly awkward atmosphere, Su Hewan cleared her throat and forcefully changed the subject.

“Um… Master, today we caused quite a scene at the Jiang residence. We’ve completely torn ties with the Jiang family. Jiang Huai is a spiteful man and a local power broker; he will definitely retaliate fiercely. Could our actions today bring unnecessary trouble to you or Lord Lu? After all, our original plan was to conduct a covert investigation…”

Shen Jue closed his eyes again.

“You overestimate Jiang Huai, and you underestimate the Eastern Depot.”

“Even without today’s little drama, I had no intention of letting the Jiang family linger. Today was just adding a little flair to the show.”

Su Hewan looked at his arrogant expression and felt slightly reassured.

【True, this is the all-powerful villain who dominates the court. To him, a mere salt merchant is probably just a slightly fat grasshopper.】

The corner of Shen Jue’s mouth twitched ever so slightly.

The carriage rumbled as it headed toward the inn.

At the same time, a torrential downpour lashed the Jiang residence.

The oppressive atmosphere inside felt heavier than the dark clouds outside.

In the main hall, the sounds of shattering porcelain rang out repeatedly, accompanied by the furious roars of a man.

“Useless! All of you are useless!”

Jiang Huai paced back and forth, his twisted face reflected in the scattered debris.

Amid the shards, a slender figure knelt quietly.

Jiang Ruyi bowed her head, gripping her skirt tightly, her knees pressed against a sharp piece of porcelain.

Yet she made no sound, only biting her pale lips hard.

Her body trembled slightly from the pain and extreme fear.

Jiang Huai suddenly stopped in his tracks, grabbed Jiang Ruyi by the hair, and forced her head back.

Her once delicate and flawless face now had the left side swollen high, a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth, yet her eyes still held stubborn defiance.

“Speak! Was it you? Did you lure those two demons to Su City?”

Jiang Huai’s gaze was ferocious, and spittle flew onto Jiang Ruyi’s face, his expression seeming as if he wanted to tear her apart alive.

Jiang Ruyi gritted her teeth against the pain ripping through her scalp, her voice hoarse but resolute: “It wasn’t me… your niece has always behaved herself, never—”

“Behaved yourself?”

Jiang Huai slapped her across the face again.

Smack!

The blow was heavy. Jiang Ruyi’s body twisted, almost falling onto the shards of broken porcelain on the ground, but Jiang Huai yanked her hair back mercilessly.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting!”

He crouched down, his eyes gleaming with malice.

“You schemed all the way to the capital just to find that Shen Jue, didn’t you? What? You thought finding a powerful ally would let you come back and take revenge on me?”

Jiang Ruyi’s pupils constricted sharply, her heart feeling as if it had been crushed.

He knew… he knew everything!

Seeing the fear in her eyes, a twisted delight rose in Jiang Huai’s chest. He sneered coldly.

“How naive, my dear niece. You think Shen Jue is something special? He’s a mad dog of the Eastern Depot! A remnant of the Shen family from back then!”

“Do you really believe that holding onto your old marriage certificate will make him look at you differently? That it will make him help you overturn the case?”

Jiang Huai leaned close to her ear, his voice like a venomous serpent’s tongue, chilling her to the bone.

“Stop dreaming! The one who had the engagement with him back then was your short-lived sister!”

“You’re just an imposter! If he knew the person truly engaged to him had long been dead, and that you’ve been deceiving him, using him… do you think, with Shen Jue’s ruthless nature, he would help you—or strangle you with his own hands?”

Jiang Ruyi felt icy all over, as if plunging into a pit of ice.

This was her only gamble.

She had indeed used her sister’s name to get close to Shen Jue.

Only this way could she have a chance to use that man’s hand to avenge her parents and sister, to send the beast who had seized their family fortune and caused her family’s ruin straight to hell!

“I didn’t…” Jiang Ruyi’s eyes reddened, tears swirling but stubbornly refusing to fall.

“Didn’t?”

Jiang Huai released her hair, stood, and looked down at her from above.

“I don’t care whether you did or not. Jiang Ruyi, you’d better remember this.”

“I fed you, clothed you, taught you music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, raised you all these years—not for you to turn around and bite me!”

His gaze became monstrously cruel as he pointed toward the backyard.

“Your parents’ graves are in the back hill. If you don’t obey, I won’t hesitate to have someone dig them up and throw their bones to the dogs! Let your dead parents find no peace even in the grave! Let your sister in the underworld see how her living sister has destroyed the entire family!”

“No!”

Jiang Ruyi finally broke down. She lunged forward, clutching Jiang Huai’s legs, crying her heart out.

“Don’t touch them! I beg you… Uncle, please don’t touch my parents’ graves! I’ll obey, I promise I’ll obey!”

That was her final line.

Seeing the trembling girl kneeling at his feet, Jiang Huai’s face twisted into a satisfied, vicious smile.

That’s right.

As long as he held this weakness, this girl would never escape his palm.

“Since you want to obey, then go do something for me.”

Jiang Huai kicked her away and said coldly, “Find a way to drive Shen Jue and Lu Yan out of Su City. Whatever means you use—seduction or poison—it doesn’t matter. Just make sure they can’t stay in Su City investigating the salt case!”