Two bloody wounds appeared on Tang Chuchu’s fair face, and fresh blood trickled down her cheeks, staining her neck red.
Her eyes welled up with mist, and crystalline tears flowed down. As the tears rolled off, they mingled with the blood on her face.
At this moment, she felt absolute despair.
Facing Xiao Zhan, a general of the Xiao family, she felt hopeless and helpless.
She felt nothing but hate!
She hated herself for rushing into that sea of fire all those years ago just because she heard cries for help!
She had saved a life, yet she was burned, enduring ten years of suffering and ten years of humiliation.
After the burns, she became the laughingstock of her classmates!
Those who had once been close to her stopped talking to her altogether.
Whenever her classmates saw her, they acted as if they had seen a plague god, keeping as far away as possible!
She was despised by her own family; even her own parents looked down on her.
After her wounds healed, she had felt that the suffering of the past decade was worth it.
But now, she was once again plunged into despair.
"General Xiao, please, this has nothing to do with us! It was all Tang Chuchu!"
"It was all her! Go make trouble for Tang Chuchu. Please, let us go!"
In her despair, Tang Chuchu looked at Xiao Zhan’s cold, ruthless face and heard the pleas of the Tang Family members. To save their own lives, these people were pushing all the blame onto her.
"Not talking?"
Xiao Zhan’s expression was cold as he gestured slightly.
Immediately, two men walked in: "Vice Commander."
"Take Tang Chuchu out to the auction floor. I want the whole of Jiangzhong to know what happens to those who cross my Xiao family. Once I’m done with the Tang Family, I’ll deal with Ye Xiong."
"Yes."
The two men walked over and untied the ropes binding Tang Chuchu. They grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of the room as if she were a dog.
Tang Chuchu was wearing thin clothing; as her body scraped against the floor, her dress tore, and her skin was abraded, sending waves of burning, searing pain through her. She screamed and begged for mercy, but no matter how she cried or pleaded, it was useless.
At the top floor of the Jiangzhong Grand Hotel, the auction was in progress.
The items the Xiao family was auctioning off were worthless trinkets, but the starting prices were set incredibly high—dozens of times their actual value.
The attendees were all Jiangzhong elites, people who spent their lives in the business world, and they immediately understood what was happening.
The Xiao family had been bankrupted by Ye Xiong, and Xiao Zhan had returned to raise funds for a comeback.
The elites present were helpless; Xiao Zhan was a general of the Western Territory with immense power, and they dared not offend him.
Even knowing the items were fakes and worthless, they still had to grit their teeth and buy a piece or two.
They knew that if they didn't spend some money today, they would be marked by Xiao Zhan, and they would surely suffer for it in the future.
After one item was auctioned, another was brought out. It was a painting—a complete version of *Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (Huayue)*.
The sexy and glamorous auctioneer announced loudly, "Up next, we have *Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (Huayue)*. The starting price is eight million, with a minimum increment of five hundred thousand."
Seeing another *Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (Huayue)* brought out, many people realized that the painting Tang Chuchu had supposedly damaged was also a fake, and that the Xiao family was deliberately picking on the Tang Family.
Rumors were spreading that the Xiao family had gone bankrupt because Tang Chuchu had left her phone on speaker while calling Ye Xiong.
Ye Xiong had overheard Xiao Chen of the Xiao family, which led to him bankrupting them.
A genuine *Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (Huayue)* was priceless; eighteen billion would not be an exaggeration. Yet, the Xiao family was openly auctioning off another fake with a starting price of eight million. It was a blatant scam.
"The Wang Family bids ten million. I'll take it."
"The Zhao Family bids eleven million. I want this painting."
"The Zhou Family bids twelve million."
Even knowing it was fake, in order to curry favor with Xiao Zhan, the Vice Commander of the Western Territory, the wealthy families kept raising their bids. The worthless fake painting was quickly driven up to twelve million, and the price continued to climb.
Finally, this fake *Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (Huayue)* was snatched up by a family for the high price of twelve million.
Just as everyone was waiting for the next item, two heavily armed men walked over, dragging a woman with them. Her hair was a mess, and her face was covered in blood.
One of her high heels had been ripped off, and her knees were scraped raw, blood dripping steadily.
Seeing this, the people at the venue all gasped in shock.
Tang Chuchu was dragged onto the auction stage.
Her face was directly facing the room and everyone in it.
Dozens of people sat in the auction seats.
These were all influential figures in Jiangzhong, but upon seeing Tang Chuchu’s bloody, terrifying face, they turned pale and sat in their seats, not even daring to breathe.
"Save me, save me..."
Seeing so many people, Tang Chuchu seemed to grasp at a straw; she reached out her hand, calling for help repeatedly.
But among the dozens of people in the room, no one dared to stand up or say a word, because two heavily armed guards were standing on either side of Tang Chuchu.
Xiao Zhan walked out holding a dagger. He came to the front of the stage, grabbed Tang Chuchu by her hair, and exposed her face clearly to everyone’s view. With a cold expression, he said, "My Xiao family is the number one influential family in Jiangzhong. Whoever opposes the Xiao family must die."
As he spoke, he slashed the dagger across Tang Chuchu’s face again.
"Ah!"
Tang Chuchu’s expression contorted in pain as she let out a piercing, heart-wrenching scream.
"Kill me, I beg you, kill me! Stop torturing me!"
Tang Chuchu was physically and mentally exhausted. At this moment, she only wanted to die; she only wanted to be released! She prayed constantly, begging Xiao Zhan to end her life.
Outside the hotel!
Jiang Chen and Xiao Hei had been waiting there. Seeing that the time was right, they put on their pre-prepared masks and walked toward the hotel.
However, because there were heavily armed soldiers guarding the entrance, they didn't go through the front door but opted for the back entrance instead.
Jiang Chen and Xiao Hei reached the top floor of the hotel where the auction banquet was being held. But before they could even step into the hall, he heard Tang Chuchu’s painful wails and pleas.
Upon hearing those sounds, his heart skipped a beat, his expression darkened instantly, and a surge of fury shot from the soles of his feet straight to his brain!
Xiao Hei, following behind Jiang Chen, suddenly sensed a terrifying, murderous aura erupting from him.
This aura was so terrifying that even he trembled, and his body couldn't help but take a few steps back.
He had been with Jiang Chen for many years, and he had only seen this aura once before.
That was a year ago, during the Great Disturbance in the Southern Wasteland, when tens of thousands of the Black Dragon Army were framed and slaughtered by the enemy. In that moment, Jiang Chen, in his rage, charged into the enemy’s main camp alone.
That battle turned rivers into blood.
That battle left mountains of corpses.
That battle ended with Jiang Chen carrying the enemy commander’s skull back with him.
At this very moment, in the auction hall, Xiao Zhan held the dagger against Tang Chuchu’s neck and said coldly, "I’ll give you one last chance. Who was the person you saved ten years ago?"
"BOOM!"
The doors to the auction hall were suddenly kicked open.
"It was me."
A roar, filled with overwhelming fury and monstrous killing intent, echoed through the hall.