Lesson

Gao Yuan was over the moon with glee, taunting Qibao every few moments. She couldn't even be bothered to look his way.

"Little girl, have that surname Xu send over the precious ink and I'll let you go, but he still has to kneel down and apologize to me before he can do so." Gao Yuan said to himself.

Seeing Qibao's silence, he thought she was too scared to talk. He started laughing even harder and more recklessly.

Soon, they arrived at the governor's office. The guards at the door didn't even stop them and let them pass through.

Inside, Gao Yuan made them sit in an interrogation room. He crossed his legs and kicked back, saying: "All right, tell me where that Xu guy lives. I want to send word for him to pay your bail!"

Mrs. Zhang looked terrified: "What... What Xu guy? I don't know what you're talking about."

Gao Yuan's patience was running out: "Looks like you won't talk unless you feel a bit of pain. Grab a whip—tonight, I'm going to give you a good lashing."

"Young Master Gao, please be gentle with your hands, if something really happened, with all these people around, it wouldn't look good for us." The leading officer said.

"Fine, I know my limits." Gao Yuan said with an evil grin: "I have plans for them later! Just let me have some fun for now."

He took the whip, flicked it a few times, and then snarled as he swung it at Mrs. Zhang.

Qibao, sharp-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed the whip's lash mid-air and yanked it from Gao Yuan's grasp.

Gao Yuan was taken aback, he hadn't expected this girl to have such strength despite her small size. The whip slipped from his hand in an instant.

"Die, little girl! How dare you fight back! Today, that brat's gonna skin you alive!"

Qibao said coldly: "Fuqiu, close the door!"

Fuqiu was stunned for a moment, then quickly closed the door of the interrogation room from the inside and inserted the bolt.

Qibao said: "Since you want to play, I will play with you."

At this time, there were only seven people in this small room. In addition to Mrs. Zhang and Fuqiu, there were Gao Yuan, the leading official, and his two subordinates.

Qibao's lash descended with a crack that pierced the air.

"Pah!" The sound of breaking through the air sounded...

"Aargh! My face!"

Gao Yuan howled in pain, covering his face with both hands and collapsing to the floor.

"Stop! What are you doing? Drop that whip!" The leader of the group, startled by the scene, shouted.

"Don't be in such a hurry! You're next!"

Another crack of the whip landed directly on the leader's body.

To become the head of such a group had to be no small achievement was clearly demonstrated by his swift action. He dodged the blow, already moving away from his initial position before the whip could reach him.

However, he couldn't outrun Qibao's whip, which left a lash mark straight across his shoulder blades. The force of the strike even tore through his clothes.

"Who exactly are you? How can someone so young have such skills?" The leader, covering his wound and trying to endure the searing pain in his shoulder, demanded an explanation.

"Hmph! You don't even deserve to know my name!" Qibao replied, followed by another crack of the whip.

This scene also deeply affected Mrs. Zhang and Fuqiu, leaving them rooted in place for a long moment in the corner.

Then came the relentless sound of lashes breaking the air, accompanied by wails and screams audible for at least half a kilometer.

The constables guarding the door outside sensed something was wrong. They tried to push open the door to investigate but discovered it had been bolted from within. No matter how long they pounded on it, no one answered, all they could hear were the waves of pitiful cries coming from inside.

"Young master! What's wrong? Open the door!" Wangcai, a servant, pounded on the door in panic. If anything happened to the young master, I'd lose my life too.

"Wait! Call for help and break down the door!" one of the law enforcement officers ordered.

Inside, Gao Yuan's clothes were in tatters from the lashings, and he lay on the ground, too weak to stand.

The group of three government officials leading the raid were also covered in wounds.

Qibao was furious. My family is my weak spot, but touch them and you're courting disaster.

No one knew how many lashes had been inflicted. Gao Yuan, curled up on the floor, couldn't even muster the strength to cry out anymore. His frightened eyes fixed on Qibao's expressionless face, he managed to gasp out: "Help... help me... Wangcai..."

Mrs. Zhang finally spoke up: "Qibao, we mustn't cause any deaths. Remember, this is still a government building."

Qibao paused before saying: "Don't worry, Aunt. I won't take their lives."

With her foot on Gao Yuan's back, she asked coldly: "Have you given up on my big brother kneeling to apologize?"

Gao Yuan didn't dare to fight back. He shook his head quickly and said: "No... I don't want it anymore... please let me go!" As he spoke, a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth—he'd clearly been injured inside.

"You lot too." Qibao continued: "As constables of the magistrate's office, you had no right to grab people and haul them in for questioning without considering the facts. You're nothing but dogs relying on human might. For a measly bit of gain, you've done things that go against your conscience. I bet plenty of innocent people have suffered because of you!"

The leader's eyes darted around fearfully as he said: "Don't twist the truth! I've worked at the magistrate's office for over a decade, always following orders to the letter. You've made a big mistake by attacking a constable. If you don't surrender now, you might get an even harsher punishment."

Qibao gave a small smile: "It seems you still don't get it!"

With those words, she swung her whip at him again.

Though this man was more agile and robust than the average person, Qibao's whip didn't miss once. With each strike, it tore a large hole in his clothes. He couldn't even return fire, the beating left him feeling utterly helpless.

By now, the two junior constables were barely daring to breathe. They feared that any noise might attract attention to themselves, only hoping their leader would last a bit longer.

Thud!

A pounding on the door came from outside. The thick, sturdy wooden door wouldn't give way anytime soon to their efforts.

Qibao had played enough. She moved to the door, unlocked it, and swiftly stepped aside. Five or six people outside couldn't stop in time, they all tumbled in, the battering ram they were carrying landing squarely on Gao Yuan's back.

Crack!

The sickening sound of bones breaking reverberated clearly for everyone to hear.

"Argh!" A scream like that of a slaughtered pig escaped Gao Yuan's lips as he lost consciousness from the excruciating pain.

Qibao shrugged. This isn't my fault, she thought.

"Young Master! What happened to you? Wake up, quick!" Wangcai saw his young master in such a dreadful state and immediately knelt by Gao Yuan's side, shaking him with both hands.

Qibao shook her head. I thought I could mend the bones. Now I'm afraid that's no longer possible.

At that moment, another group of soldiers rushed in from outside, surrounding the entire room.

"Get her!" The leader of the guard pointed at Qibao. His voice was strained with pain: "She seems suspicious."

"Yes sir!"

Just as the soldiers were about to grab her.

"Hold it!"

A gentle voice spoke.

The leader immediately limped over to the newcomer and said respectfully, "Third Young Master, I suspect this person is not who she claims to be. She might be a spy from another kingdom. Her martial skills are remarkable, Young Master Gao was injured badly and has lost consciousness."

Wen Yuan looked at Qibao in surprise. When he entered the prefectural office earlier, he saw many soldiers rushing over, thinking there was some emergency, he had come to join them.

"I've seen you before. Who are you related to that Master Xu?" Wen Yuan asked.