"You… you think you can revolt?" snarled the leading general to Feng Jiu, but as soon as the words left his lips, he saw a figure flash before him, grab his wrist, and bend it downwards with a horrible crunch as the sound of the bone splintering pierced the evening together with the sound of the general screaming out in pain.

The sharp sound of his scream surprised his royal guards, and they instinctively unsheathed their swords. Also in this instant, though, their general slammed down to the ground, and all they could hear was his moaning. Even his wretched screaming had died down.

Also watching the man lying prostrate on the ground were the virtuous and resolute Feng Guards. Diffident, the men were in a cold sweat, unwilling to step forth.

"See that? That's what happens when you don't show the Mistress respect!" said one of the eight Feng Guards, scanning the royal guards with a fierce look before he glared at the other general, whose face had become pale, who retreated slightly.

"Did you not hear the Mistress' question? Speak up! Who gave you the right to surround the Feng Residence?"

Hearing this, the other general took a deep breath and remembered the Ruler's command. Straightening his back, he looked to the Feng Guard and cried out, "It's the Ruler's decree, of course!"

"Preposterous!" yelled Feng Jiu coldly, "My grandfather is a founding father of Sun Glory. My father is one of her greatest protectors. Even if our Feng family were to take power, no one can erase our credit to this society. How wise our Ruler must be to wait until my grandfather has disappeared and my father has fallen into a stupor to come here and intimidate a defenseless girl like me!"

Her voice was sonorous and forceful as if she were flattering Murong Bo, and yet her words glinted with a sharpened edge. Her demeanor was so aggressive that the general couldn't help but stumble backward. For a moment, the general was caught in a dilemma.

If he admitted that he was acting at the command of the Ruler, wouldn't he be saying that the Ruler were incompetent to send him here to intimidate the granddaughter of a founding father of the country and the daughter of its protector? And what of the Feng Patriarch's disappearance and Feng Xiao's stupor? Why act at time like this?

If he refused to admit that he was acting at the command of the Ruler, wouldn't this be akin to him summoning the guards for his own bidding to intimidate the Feng family? Given the consequences, he knew that he could not admit to such a grievous crime...

Thinking of this, he broke out in a cold sweat and his face turned ashen. He began to regret picking up this meddlesome errand. This was truly a thankless task! No wonder no one else fought him for the opportunity! Of course, it was only those two fools who would jump at the bit to lead the royal guards on a night like this.

Defenseless girl?

Not far off, the head of the Geng family and several of his men stood hidden from view in the dark of night. After hearing Feng Jiu speak, a smile cracked across his face as he looked across to see the confident, dazzling red-cloaked figure.

Before his father had his say, the Geng family had never troubled themselves with this matter. Though they kept abreast of developments, they rarely encountered the legendary Young Miss Feng. They too had thought of her as nothing more than a defenseless girl, but after what they had seen tonight, they knew that the Young Miss Feng was no soft persimmon waiting for someone to pluck her.

Seeing how she had turned the tables so easily, with such finesse and such force, to where the royal guards were unwilling to act, the heads of other families sighed with envy.

They had come here planning to see if she needed any help, but after seeing how quickly things were dealt with tonight, it seems that she could handle herself just fine!

However, at this very instant, an eerie and fearsome voice rang out...