Chapter 65: Protection

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Protection

As Qiao Dalin spoke, his voice choked with emotion. He tried hard to suppress his feelings so his family wouldn’t worry, but he missed home far too much. The person he couldn’t bear to leave behind the most was Hao Hao. How could he have the heart to leave the child here all alone? Reaching out, he carefully held Hao Hao’s hand, his eyes red and brimming with tears. He had never expected Shi Sisi to be so heartless.

Qiao Suluo took out a clean handkerchief and handed it to Qiao Dalin. "Dalin, everything will be fine.

"Wait here for now. I’ll go handle this," she added.

Just then, Erlin returned with a doctor in tow. However, Shi Sisi tried to block their path while Qiao Feishuang and Qiu Bin were still locked in a heated argument with her.

Unwilling to waste another second, Qiao Suluo confronted her directly. "Shi Sisi, you’re stopping the doctor from treating Dalin and Hao Hao. Aren’t you afraid the Chi family will find out about your selfish and vicious behavior?

"If anything happens to Dalin or Hao Hao, I can’t guarantee what I’ll do. Maybe I’ll go to the Chi family and raise hell, or maybe I’ll lose my mind and hack down anyone who gets in my way."

With that, Qiao Suluo pulled out her axe and swung it straight at Shi Sisi.

"AHH!" Shi Sisi screamed in terror as the axe grazed past her, burying itself into the wall right behind her head. Her legs gave out from the sheer fright, and she slumped to her knees.

"You... How dare you..."

Meeting Qiao Suluo’s freezing, murderous gaze, a chill shot up from the soles of Shi Sisi’s feet, and she couldn’t stop herself from shivering.

"Shi Sisi, you must have heard of me and know what I’m capable of," Qiao Suluo said, her expression colder than ice. "Of course I dare. There are many things I dare to do."

Shi Sisi had never imagined that Qiao Suluo would stand up for Qiao Dalin. She knew Qiao Suluo was a notoriously vicious and ruthless woman. In the past, Qiao Suluo had always despised Qiao Dalin and the rest, making it seemingly impossible for her to ever back them up. That was why Shi Sisi had dared to act so brazenly. She hadn’t expected Qiao Suluo to suddenly leap to Qiao Dalin’s defense today.

Worse still, Qiao Suluo actually knew about her affair with Chi Lang! She couldn’t let the Chi family find out what she had done under any circumstances.

"What... what exactly do you want?" she stammered.

"Divorce Dalin," Qiao Suluo demanded coldly. "Write a letter of divorce. Also, write a severance agreement relinquishing all ties with Hao Hao.

"As soon as you write them, we will leave immediately. We won’t delay your future plans in the slightest.

"But if you refuse, I have plenty of ways to make you regret it.

"Try me if you don’t believe it."

A cruel smirk tugged at the corners of Qiao Suluo’s lips. When dealing with someone like Shi Sisi, she had to present a ruthless facade to intimidate her. Otherwise, the woman would never let Dalin and Hao Hao go so easily.

Terrified by Qiao Suluo’s relentless pressure, Shi Sisi decisively agreed.

Qiao Suluo watched as the woman drafted the divorce papers and the severance agreement. Once Shi Sisi stamped her thumbprints on them and Qiao Suluo confirmed there were no issues, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiao Feishuang and the others hadn’t expected the matter to be resolved so swiftly. They were actually going to bring Qiao Dalin and Hao Hao home on their very first attempt. The doctor quickly checked the pulses of Qiao Dalin and Hao Hao, assuring the family that there were no major health issues, which put Qiao Feishuang and Qiu Bin at ease. Afterward, Qiao Dalin carried Hao Hao onto the ox cart, and the family rode through the night, hurrying back home.

Later that evening.

Sitting in the ox cart on the way home, Qiao Dalin quietly wiped his tears and choked out, "Suluo, thank you."

He could hardly believe it. He couldn’t believe he was still alive and actually bringing Hao Hao home. He had never expected his family to accept him back.

"Dalin, there’s no need to thank me. We’re a family," Qiao Suluo said softly. "From now on, with me around, no one will ever bully you and Hao Hao.

"Just stay at home with peace of mind. I can earn silver, so none of us will go hungry."

However, Qiao Suluo understood that giving a man a fish was not as good as teaching him how to fish. She planned to come up with a way for Dalin to make a living eventually, but her priority was letting him and Hao Hao rest and recover at home first. Besides, she had countless culinary recipes in her head; they definitely wouldn’t starve.

Qiao Dalin didn’t even know how to begin expressing his gratitude. He then looked toward Qiao Feishuang and Qiu Bin. "Mother, Father... I’m sorry. I..."

Qiao Feishuang knew exactly what her eldest son was about to say. He had always been sensible since he was a child, swallowing any grievances and never complaining. She interrupted him gently, saying, "I just want you to be well. Don’t say anything else.

"Now that you’re home, no one can bully you. With your parents here, you can stay and rest easy."

Qiao Erlin and Qiao Sanlin also chimed in to comfort Dalin, afraid he might overthink things.

Qiao Suluo looked at her palm, feeling she needed to absorb more medicinal power to enhance her healing abilities. That way, she could cure Dalin’s hands and Erlin’s legs. She glanced at Dalin’s hands—they were heavily scarred and injured from years of grueling carpentry work.

Feeling the warmth of his family’s care, Qiao Dalin’s heart swelled with gratitude, and the tension he had been carrying for so long finally melted away.

An hour later.

As the family hurried back, the sky darkened completely. While passing through a narrow dirt road, two assassins clad in black suddenly sprang out from the shadows. Wielding long blades, they slashed violently toward Qiao Suluo and the others.

Qiao Suluo’s expression hardened. She quickly drew her axe, ready to fight back.

Qiao Sanlin and the brothers immediately threw themselves in front of Qiao Suluo, prepared to fend off the attackers. However, the assassins moved too fast for them to react in time.

At that hair-raising moment, a figure as radiant as moonlight descended from above, standing firmly between Qiao Suluo and the assassins. Under the night sky, his moon-white sleeves fluttered without any wind. With a flick of the Peacock Feather in his hand, countless peacock plumes shot out like hidden weapons toward the two assailants.

Caught completely off guard, the two black-clad assassins exchanged merely a few blows before being struck down and killed.

Qiao Suluo never expected to see Que Hongjin here.

Que Hongjin immediately turned his head to check on her. "Are you alright?"

"I’m fine," Qiao Suluo replied, shaking her head.

Thank goodness Que Hongjin had arrived in time. But shouldn’t he be at home right now?

Que Hongjin then addressed Qiao Feishuang and Qiu Bin as Mother and Father, before greeting Qiao Dalin and the rest.

Qiao Feishuang and the others were equally astonished. In their memory, Que Hongjin and his family heavily disliked Su Luo, wishing they could stay as far away from her as possible. Why was he here? In the past, whenever Que Hongjin addressed them, he was always polite yet distant, merely using the titles out of basic courtesy. Now, however, his tone and voice had become much warmer, making them feel as if he truly saw them as family.

"Why are you here?" Qiao Suluo asked, puzzled.

With his picture-perfect features, Que Hongjin gazed deeply at Qiao Suluo. He wanted to reach out and stroke her hair to comfort her, though he wasn’t sure if he was doing it to soothe her or his own restless heart. However, realizing her parents were right there, he reluctantly pulled his hand back.

"I was worried about you, so I came to take a look," he replied.

Since she hadn’t let them tag along, it meant she thought their presence would be inappropriate. Yet, staying at home, Que Hongjin couldn’t set his mind at ease no matter what. His heart had been in his throat the entire time, terrified that something might happen to her. As a result, he had secretly followed them to offer protection from the shadows. He hadn’t intended to reveal himself, but he never expected actual assassins to target her life.

Thinking back on what had just transpired, waves of lingering fear washed over Que Hongjin.