Chapter 4: Su Jiao (Seeking Survival, Seeking Recommendation!)

"Su Ye, this is not a place you should be. Before Master finds out, you'd better hurry back!" The moment Su Ye reached the gates of Rong'an Hall's courtyard, the servants inside blocked his way.

These servants looked at Zhao Bai with clear annoyance in their eyes. The attendants of Rong'an Hall had never interacted with Su Ye; they only knew he was disliked by Master and had always been confined to his own quarters.

Now, seeing Su Ye boldly leaving his compound and coming to Rong'an Hall without permission truly infuriated them. If Master were to discover this, they too might be implicated.

"This matter does not concern you. Step aside at once," Su Ye said, his gaze sweeping over each of their faces. He knew these people had never dealt with the original owner of his body, and thus would not have participated in his former humiliation.

Their obstruction now was merely a matter of duty.

"Su Ye!" one of the servants barked impatiently, their faces growing more annoyed. Still, none dared make too much noise for fear of waking Su Ren, who was still soundly asleep inside.

Su Ye sighed softly, realizing that unless he dealt with these servants, he would never be able to meet Su Ren.

"You little bastard, how dare you sneak out!" Suddenly, a cold gust swept from behind, followed by a sharp crack—a long whip lashed toward Su Ye’s face.

The one wielding the whip was a girl of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in pink. Su Ye recognized her as Su Jiao, daughter to Su Ren and Madam Hua.

Su Jiao had inherited her mother’s looks—delicate, if not beautiful, but lacking the striking features of her father. Even before meeting Su Ye, she had known that her father had a son by another woman, and resented him for monopolizing their father’s attention. Under her mother’s influence, she had borne a grudge against Su Ye since childhood.

Thus, during the years Su Ye was imprisoned by Su Ren, it was Su Jiao who inflicted the cruelest humiliations upon him.

The whip in Su Jiao’s hand was specially crafted, the lash forged of beast hide blended with fine iron, its surface lined with tiny barbs that would rip flesh open with every strike.

As the whip cracked toward him, Su Ye’s body instinctively recoiled in fear—clearly, this was not the first time he had suffered such treatment at Su Jiao’s hand.

But Su Ye was no longer the powerless youth he once was. He quickly suppressed his body’s instinctive reaction, gathering spiritual energy in his palm, and caught the oncoming whip in a single motion.

With a forceful tug, Su Ye wrenched the whip from Su Jiao’s hand.

"What a venomous little shrew you are. Today, I’ll let you taste the agony of your own whip!" Su Ye gripped the weapon and, with a flick of his wrist, snapped it toward Su Jiao’s face.

"Su Ye, how dare you! Are you all dead on your feet? Hurry and stop that little bastard!" Su Jiao shouted furiously at her entourage of maids and servants.

At her command, the crowd rushed to shield her. Two burly servants, faces twisted with menace, advanced on Su Ye, intent on seizing the whip from him by force.

But the whip cracked sharply, darting like a venomous serpent through the crowd and landing viciously across Su Jiao’s face.

"Aah! My face!" Su Jiao shrieked in pain, her body reeling from the blow as she crashed heavily to the ground.

Clutching her right cheek, she felt only blood and torn flesh.

The whip, her own favorite instrument of discipline, had always been used to punish disobedient servants. Now, the little bastard had turned it on her, making her taste agony she had never imagined.

"All of you, attack! Kill him!" Su Jiao screamed, retreating with the help of her maids, her eyes burning with hatred as she glared at Su Ye, wishing she could tear him apart.

The burly servants, terrified but obedient, lunged at Su Ye, intent on overpowering him.

But Su Ye’s wrist flicked again, the whip lashing out with an explosive crack, its supple length imbued with a savage force. Before the servants could lay a hand on him, they were struck down, collapsing in pain.

"How is this possible? Wasn’t Su Ye always locked away? How does he have such strength?"

"This is a disaster. Su Ye has injured so many of them!"

Murmurs rippled through the onlookers. At that moment, Su Ye’s fierce aura was overwhelming; none of the Su family’s servants dared meet his gaze.

Within moments, all the strong-armed servants brought by Su Jiao lay sprawled on the ground, deep bloody welts crisscrossing their bodies. The pain was so intense, they could not help but cry out.

Su Ye still held Su Jiao’s whip in his hand. His gaze swept over the servants, finally settling on Su Jiao, who was being supported by her maids.

He had not held back with that last strike. Su Jiao’s delicate skin was torn open, the whip’s barbs gouging flesh, leaving her cheek covered in blood. Her already plain face now looked even more ghastly.

Su Ye stepped toward Su Jiao, his movements silent, yet to Su Jiao’s ears, each step sounded like the beating of war drums.

"Su Ye, what are you doing? This is the Su family; you will not be allowed to run wild here! If my brother finds out, he will never let you go!" Su Jiao’s face was twisted with malice, but her eyes betrayed deep fear. She gripped her maid’s wrist so tightly that her sharp nails broke the skin, causing blood to ooze out.

The maids bore the pain in silence, not daring to utter a sound for fear of angering Su Jiao further.

"There is no need to be so afraid. I do not intend to take your life—for now," Su Ye said, halting in front of her. His voice was calm and cold. "When you return, keep to your quarters. If you cause trouble again, I will end you."

Though his tone was even, to Su Jiao it sounded like a summons from the underworld.

Despite her inward defiance, Su Jiao knew she was powerless against Su Ye now. If she made trouble again, she would only suffer greater punishment at his hands.

She did not understand why Su Ye had changed so drastically, but once she reported this to her mother and brother, she was determined to make him pay dearly for today’s humiliation.