Chapter 44: Standing Up for Her.

“Grandma, I’m back.”
A deliberately flamboyant male voice sounded outside.

The old woman’s flat response followed: “Tianze’s back? Good. Go check on the girl inside, build some rapport. But keep your smugness in check—her talent outshines yours.”

“Grandma, why the hassle?”
Li Tianze’s voice dripped with haughty arrogance, as if she were a prize already won.
“Marrying me, Li Tianze, is her fortune earned over lifetimes. She’ll be endlessly grateful for today’s choice.”

His brazen, entitled tone made Xie Qiyang’s blood boil inside the room.
She itched to rush out and punch that smug face.

The old woman seemed to murmur a few more warnings, but her voice was too low to catch, and the exchange ended quickly.

Inside, Xie Qiyang fumed, inwardly ranting: Fortune? Grateful? Grateful for your big head, you conceited jerk!

Thud, thud, thud…

Heavy, deliberate footsteps carried their owner’s unbridled swagger as Li Tianze pushed the door open with a flourish.

Tall and undeniably handsome, with sharp brows and starry eyes, his gaze burned with aggression.
His lavish brocade robe couldn’t hide his overbearing nature.

His eyes locked onto Xie Qiyang, huddled under the blanket on the bed, a wicked smirk curling his lips.

“Hey,” he drawled, striding toward the bed, “tomorrow, you’re mine, Li Tianze’s woman.”
Before his words settled, his well-groomed, bony hand reached brazenly for her delicate wrist, exposed outside the blanket.

Xie Qiyang snorted coldly, her reflexes faster than her voice.

She yanked her hand back, tugging the blanket up to cocoon herself, scooting back until the cold stone wall pressed against her spine.

Wrapped tightly, only her wary blue eyes peeked out, glaring at Li Tianze.

“Hmph?”
His hand grasped air, and his smirk vanished, replaced by a flash of sinister irritation.
Clearly, he hadn’t expected this “cauldron,” meant for him after seizing Li Tianxing’s Solar Saint Body, to dare evade him.

“Dodging?”
He sneered, his eyes growing more dangerous, dripping with contempt.

With that, he impatiently kicked off his brocade boots—one, then the other—tossing them carelessly to the floor with dull thuds.

“Little lady, be good. Don’t make me lose face…”
His leering gaze raked over her huddled form.
“Your Lunar Saint Body… tsk, tsk… paired with my Solar Saint Body, it’s a match made in heaven. Looks like the mission to restore our ancestor’s glory falls to me.”

Xie Qiyang tensed, her hands clenching under the blanket, silver light flickering at her fingertips as she channeled her mana, aiming for his lower body.

One step back, and it’s all retreat!
The terrifying old woman was just outside.

If she gave in to this beast now, with his attitude, he’d only push further.

Li Tianze’s robe hung loose, his face twisted in a sleazy grin.
One foot stepped onto the bed’s edge, his body leaning forward, ready to pounce on his trembling “prey.”

“Little lady, the night is short. Why don’t we—”
“AHHH!”

A blood-curdling, pitch-shifted scream erupted.

A foot in plain cloth shoes, carrying ferocious force, shot out from the side, landing a precise, devastating kick right between Li Tianze’s unprepared legs.

Crack.
A sickening sound, like eggshells shattering, echoed alongside his inhuman wail, reverberating through the room.

His handsome face twisted into a liver-like hue, eyes bulging, mouth gaping, snot spraying uncontrollably.

Clutching his crotch, he doubled over like a boiled shrimp, collapsing face-first onto the cold, hard black stone floor.

His body convulsed, writhing, gasping “hiss, hiss” sounds, unable to form a coherent word.

“Filthy… beast…”

Li Tianxing appeared at the door, not sparing a glance at the writhing Li Tianze.
He stepped forward, his large hand seizing Li Tianze’s disheveled hair.

Expressionless, his arm unleashed terrifying strength, dragging the spasming Li Tianze across the floor like a dead dog toward the door.

At the threshold, he stopped abruptly, swung his arm, and smashed a fist into Li Tianze’s distorted face.

Thud.
A dull impact of flesh.

Li Tianze’s head snapped back, his wails turning into incoherent, delirious mumbles: “Bastard… little… beast… you… dare…”

Xie Qiyang, hiding in her blanket, watched with bated breath, sweating for Li Tianxing.

The old woman outside clearly favored Li Tianze.
For him to strike so ruthlessly…

No, he’s standing up for me. I can’t just hide like a coward.

She scrambled off the bed, ready to join in and land a few hits on Li Tianze, only to be met with a fierce glare from Li Tianxing.

Then—“You’ve gone too far!”

A furious roar, brimming with wrath, shook the air.
The old woman’s gaunt figure appeared instantly at the door.

Her face was dark as a storm, her cloudy eyes radiating terrifying chill.

Ignoring the crumpled Li Tianze, her withered hands shot out, each grabbing an ear—Li Tianxing’s and the half-conscious Li Tianze’s.

“Ow!”
“Ah!”

Twin cries of pain rang out.

Like lifting chicks, she effortlessly hoisted both boys, dragging them out of the room.

“You little brats! Rebellious punks! Daring to fight at home?! I’ll skin you both!”

“Grandma, it hurts, it hurts! He started—”

“Shut it! You useless fools! Both of you, to the ancestral hall! Kneel until sunrise!”

Outside, a chaotic symphony erupted—curses, pleas, and the old woman’s booming reprimands, mixed with the sharp sound of something shattering.

Oddly, despite the chaos, the old woman didn’t seem to favor Li Tianze outright, which brought an inexplicable sense of relief.

Inside, still wrapped in her blanket, Xie Qiyang’s nerves finally eased.
She let out a silent breath.

Glancing toward the door, her expression was complex.
Li Tianxing’s godlike kick… it was so satisfying.

But he was being punished for her sake.
Guilt crept in—she had nothing now, no way to repay him.

She tiptoed to the door, peeking out.
Li Tianze, apparently fed some pill, was recovering, kneeling alongside Li Tianxing.