Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

"The Zhou Family?"

Upon hearing this term, Shen Qing's face changed.

In Taiping County, one of the Four Great Eastern Families was surnamed Zhou.

Or rather, in Taiping County, aside from the Zhou Family, Shen Qing couldn't think of another Zhou who would dare to call herself Miss.

Had Eagle's men actually kidnapped Miss Zhou, and then... assaulted her?

Such audacity seemed almost too much to believe!

Even Shen Qing found it hard to believe.

But it wasn't necessarily impossible.

Shen Qing said to Tian Xiao Hu, "Is there a way to wake them up?"

Tian Xiao Hu shook his head, "There's no particularly good way, we can either wait here, or try feeding them golden liquid to induce vomiting. The drug's effect lasts just for a shi chen or two."

Shen Qing turned his head towards Shen Xiao Hu and lifted his chin slightly to signal him twice, "Xiao Hu."

"Ah?" Shen Xiao Hu: "I don't have any right now."

"I didn't ask you to use your own, go fetch it from the outhouse at the back."

"Oh, right." Shen Xiao Hu quickly reacted and scurried off.

Shortly after, he returned with a bowl filled with golden liquid.

The already dim and foul-smelling hall worsened with this bowl of turbid golden liquid, emitting an even more indescribable stench.

Shen Qing held his breath and commanded, "Pour!"

Shen Xiao Hu did as told.

He gently lifted the head of the murmuring woman, pinched her mouth open, and without hesitation poured the golden liquid into her mouth.

A strong stench immediately filled the air, suffocating.

The golden liquid slowly flowed down the woman's throat, provoking waves of nausea.

The woman, caught in a stupor, seemed to sense an unusual stimulation. Her eyebrows knitted tightly, and her body began to tremble slightly.

The taste of the golden liquid tingled her nerves, triggering her instinctive reaction.

Soon afterward, the woman's eyes snapped open, filled with shock and confusion.

Then, overcome with an intense urge to vomit, she coughed violently, spitting out the golden liquid that had just been poured into her mouth.

"Bleah!"

"Bleah!"

"Bleah!"

The already foul-smelling room became even more unbearable, causing the woman to feel pain as if she wished for death.

However, since she had been unconscious for too long, her physical strength and reaction capabilities were greatly reduced, and due to her dizziness and blurred vision, she couldn't even avoid it.

Seeing this, Shen Xiao Hu swiftly turned the woman's head to one side to prevent her vomit from soiling himself.

After a while, the woman, seemingly mustering all her strength, finally managed to spit out all the golden liquid, along with a series of violent coughs and dry heaves.

After vomiting, the woman felt drained. She leaned weakly against the wall, gasping for air, with an expression full of pain and anger.

"Give me water..."

Shen Xiao Hu acted upon hearing this, bringing over a basin of water.

Without saying a word, the woman rushed forward and repeatedly scooped water with her hands to rinse her mouth, then hurriedly wiped the golden liquid off her face, hands, and body without considering the cold.

In the brief moment while waiting for the water, having seen her half-exposed body, she understood what had transpired.

Glancing around at the corpses in the room, and seeing Shen Qing and others standing patiently aside, she began to weigh her options.

Even though she knew she had just been force-fed golden liquid and was nearly on the brink of another outburst, she suppressed it in the face of life and death.

"Who are you?" the woman asked, wiping the yellow stains at the corner of her mouth, speaking for the first time.

Shen Qing picked up a coat from the ground and threw it to her, saying, "It's cold, put this on before we talk."

The woman silently took the coat and draped it over herself, covering the many revealing sights of her body.

"A member of the Zhou Family?"

The woman nodded, her almond eyes fixed on Shen Qing, "A servant-born daughter from the fifth concubine's quarters of the Zhou Family."

"Raised by a concubine?"

Shen Qing was stunned for a moment.

Having lived in this world for so many days, he had come to understand some of its terms.

Generally speaking, in the households of the wealthy, a daughter of the family who comes as part of a concubine's dowry is called a Concubine Teng.

If the legal wife passes away, they elevate the Concubine Teng to maintain the marital ties and protect the interests of her family.

After the Concubine Teng, there are concubines, secondary wives, side chambers, noble concubines, and concubine maids, etc.

In general, concubine maids are born to those of lowly status within Great Zhou, and their status is very low.

To some extent, they are considered the property of their masters and can be transferred at will.

The status of children born to concubine maids naturally wouldn't be high either.

As soon as Shen Qing heard that she was raised by a concubine maid, he surmised why the Eagle's underlings dared to do such a thing.

"How were you snatched and brought here?"

The woman spoke calmly, "Last night, I went out of the courtyard to dispose of some waste, and after that, I don't know what happened."

"Alright, it seems there are many twists in your story that I am not interested in hearing about. Now that you've woken up, you should just go back on your own."

Shen Qing said offhandedly, planning to leave with Shen Xiaohu and Tian Xiaohu.

She was merely a girl raised by a concubine.

In this chaotic county town, even if someone were killed on a whim, nobody would care.

Disappointment.

"Wait a moment." The woman stood up and spoke, "If you can escort me back, I can give you hundreds of gold taels. If you don't want gold, I can still provide you with martial arts from a government office and an elixir."

"Hmm?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing abruptly turned his gaze onto the woman, eyes gleaming intensely.

"Are you joking with me? I don't believe that a girl born to a Zhou Family concubine can give me all that."

"That's because you know nothing of the Zhou Family's foundation." The woman met his gaze without a trace of fear, "What seems unreachable to people like you are but trifles to the Zhou Family. When the Zhou ranks first among the Four Great Eastern Families, it's not just an empty claim."

Shen Qing hadn't come into contact with the Four Great Eastern Families, but he had vaguely heard people mention that each family within the Four Greats is exceedingly wealthy, possessing riches beyond his imagination.

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes and said, "So, I just need to escort you to the Zhou residence?"

"Yes, just take me back to the Fifth Room of the Zhou house," the woman said firmly, "I keep my word."

After a brief consideration, Shen Qing agreed, saying, "Alright, I'll escort you."

"Good, then it's settled. The Outer City is too chaotic these days; it would be very difficult for me to leave without protection," the woman said, sounding relieved. Discover magic on m_v_l_e_m_p_y_r

Shen Qing examined her from head to toe and said, "You haven't fully recovered yet. Rest a little longer, and then we'll leave."

The woman didn't make a sound, which Shen Qing took as agreement.

Shen Qing went outside with Tian Xiaohu and Shen Xiaohu and said to them, "Xiao Hu, go tell the others to dispose of these bodies. From now on, this area is under our control. After you've done that, everyone can head back."

"Got it," Shen Xiaohu nodded in agreement. "Piece of cake."

Shen Qing then said, "Xiao Hu, come with me later to take the remaining three women to the government office. I will take that woman to the Zhou Family."

"Are you really going to take her there? Do you want me to come with you?"

"No need. If I haven't returned by nightfall, take Xiao Hu to Linfeng Hall and ask Li Linfeng to go to the Zhou Family and find me."

The martial arts from the government office, as far as he knew, generally involved realms above the Qi Cultivation Realm.

They are not only easy to practice but also powerful.

As for the elixirs from the government office, they are probably rare treasures.

Even with some risk involved, it was worth making the trip.

Having dealt with the surrounding affairs, it was two Shi Chen later.

When Shen Qing returned to the house, the Zhou Family woman had found her clothes and gotten dressed again.

Her expression was calm, showing neither joy nor sadness.

"It's about time, shall we go?" Shen Qing approached and asked.

The Zhou Family woman nodded and said, "I haven't been here before and don't know the way; you lead the way."