Chapter 6: A Vicious Lesson for the Mistress

Wei Zi withdrew her gaze. No matter what virtues He Xiaohe possessed—whether gentleness or understanding—Wei Zi harbored nothing but hatred for her. That woman! That woman was the culprit who shattered her blissful childhood.

She would never let her off the hook, nor allow her to continue living a carefree life. Such days were numbered.

Like a silent, stealthy cat, Wei Zi’s ten years of mercenary experience in the wild made it effortless to avoid alerting He Xiaohe.

She slipped into He Xiaohe’s bedroom and quickly searched until she found what she sought.

It was a crystal card—her crystal card!

Back when her grandfather was on the verge of a fit of rage-induced illness, fearing Wei Zi would be bullied by Wei Dongming, he secretly gave her a card. Every month, 100,000 Xuan coins were credited to it. No one knew where He Xiaohe got the information, but she took the card away, claiming Wei Zi was too young to hold such a large sum safely. Instead, she gave Wei Zi only five or six hundred Xuan coins a month, sometimes even forgetting to give it, and every time Wei Zi asked for money, she was met with He Xiaohe’s disdainful glances.

Despite being a young lady from a wealthy family, Wei Zi lived worse than the housemaids, even working part-time on her days off, trying to avoid returning to that heartbreaking home.

While Wei Xuan and Wei Qing recklessly splurged on luxury goods, Wei Zi agonized over adding one more piece of clothing.

But from today onward, she would no longer live like this!

Tucking the crystal card away, Wei Zi crept downstairs.

It seemed that since Wei Dongming and He Xiaohe intended to poison her, even the servants had been sent away by He Xiaohe, leaving only herself, humming happily.

Having rid themselves of the irritating Wei Zi, He Xiaohe was naturally in a great mood. Wei Zi resembled her mother far too much, and despite He Xiaohe’s efforts to pinch and skimp, Wei Zi, dressed in cheap clothes, was still more beautiful than her two daughters, which made her grit her teeth in rage.

Watching He Xiaohe sway her hips and fiddle with her backside from behind, a surge of bitterness welled up in Wei Zi’s chest. Leaving quietly would be far too kind to them.

With that thought, Wei Zi grabbed a purple clay teapot from the table, a cold smile tugging at her lips, and with a flick of her hand, hurled it across the room.

*Bang, crash...*

The teapot arced through the air and struck He Xiaohe’s nape directly.

He Xiaohe didn’t even utter a sound before collapsing unconscious!

Wei Zi struck with perfect restraint—only to knock He Xiaohe out, not to kill her. She would not let her die, but she needed to vent.

Striding over, Wei Zi grabbed He Xiaohe’s hair and unleashed a barrage of slaps.

*Smack, smack, smack, smack!*

Four sharp slaps left He Xiaohe’s cheek swollen. The pain was enough to rouse her consciousness, but before she could fully regain it, Wei Zi’s elbow struck her temple with just the right force to cause dizziness without fatal harm.

“Bitch, you’re the real bitch, He Xiaohe, you killed my mother! I’ll make sure you never live a good life!” Wei Zi snarled, a blazing fury surging from her heart to her head. All the resentment accumulated over two lifetimes was unleashed this day!

*Smack, smack...* More than ten fierce slaps followed. He Xiaohe’s pig-like face, beaten and swollen, spat out a foul, bloody tooth. Wei Zi’s palms turned red and swollen from the relentless strikes.

Seeing that face stripped of all charm, innocence, and the pitiful expressions used to seduce men, Wei Zi’s rage finally subsided, replaced by a deep satisfaction.

Then she picked up a pair of scissors used for trimming fish bellies from the kitchen counter, the scent of fish lingering. With a *snip snip*, she hacked off He Xiaohe’s beautiful, silky waves right at the roots, leaving behind a jagged, buzzcut-like mess.

Watching He Xiaohe’s disheveled state, Wei Zi couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

“So this is what revenge feels like, haha!” she admitted with a twisted smile. Ten years of pent-up frustration had warped her heart, but after thrashing He Xiaohe, the sky seemed so bright, her mood so free and clear, even the air felt fresh, as though the world was bathed in sunlight.

Tossing He Xiaohe’s hair aside like garbage, Wei Zi carefully washed her hands and strode out boldly, even flashing a dazzling smile at the surveillance camera outside her home.

“Wei Dongming, bastard!” she mouthed deliberately, making sure the image would be captured before turning on her heel and leaving.

After departing the Wei residence, Wei Zi found an automated withdrawal machine. She inserted the crystal card and keyed in the password.

The machine confirmed the password was correct, and Wei Zi exhaled in relief. It was already five o’clock in the afternoon. Had the password been wrong, she would have had to wait until tomorrow to change it, which could have been disastrous. Though Wei Dongming was just a businessman, in the capital of Huatianguo, which reputable merchant didn’t wield some power? Wei Dongming’s decade-long efforts had even ensnared certain ministers.

He had connections, and finding her would be easy. Her faint mystical skills would be no match for their weapons.

Wei Zi selected the balance inquiry, and as expected, she ground her teeth in fury.

The card was empty. From the age of fourteen to sixteen—over twenty months—at a hundred thousand per month, it should have held at least two million by now.

She checked the transaction history and saw that every month, He Xiaohe transferred the money out right on time. Anger flared anew.

“Just two million? After this month, I’ll make sure you don’t get a single cent!” Wei Zi vowed. She knew Wei Dongming, though wealthy and generous in public, was stingy with his family, embodying the selfishness of a “phoenix man.” Or perhaps he thought women didn’t deserve much care. The monthly amount given to He Xiaohe was only around thirty thousand, with luxury goods charged separately. His daughters’ expenses were accounted for separately, so without Wei Zi’s funds, He Xiaohe’s monthly life would no longer be so comfortable.

The card was empty now, and Wei Zi had about fourteen hundred Xuan coins on hand. Even staying in the cheapest, least safe inns, it wouldn’t last her until her birthday. Moreover, she needed to hire enforcers to reclaim everything that belonged to her.

So staying in the city was clearly impossible.

Having been a mercenary for ten years, the wilderness was Wei Zi’s domain. She could live alone in the wild for two months, sleeping under the sky and on the earth, hunting for food with her own hands, making fire by friction, and finding water—all skills she had mastered.

Most importantly, even if she killed Wei Dongming, he would never suspect she had left the capital.

However, leaving the capital required formalities. Life was hard for humans, and Huatianguo was not a populous country. To preserve its population, the capital’s outskirts were sealed off. Only certain merchants and mercenaries could exit.

Thus, Wei Zi’s first step was to become a mercenary.

The Mercenary Guild was a loose organization for mystics unwilling to join the national army, as well as many physical cultivators. The guild issued missions such as hunting rampaging wild beasts, acquiring experimental materials, or relaying messages.

Wei Zi paid a thousand coins and registered for the mercenary assessment.

Of course, since Wei Zi was only a graduate of a basic introductory school, and the state wanted to prevent reckless youths from rushing out to their deaths, the mercenary guild had certain hardware requirements.