Exile after Divorce? Empty the Scumbag Husband First!

Chapter 181 - 178: And Outside the Door Stood Xie Huai’an, Graceful and Full of Springtime Radiance

Tears fell like broken beads, pattering down.

Mrs. Zhang was also tear-streaked; she quickly wiped away her tears and smiled while doing her hair, "Today is a good day, no crying."

"Last time, when I personally sent you into the depths of the Qi Mansion, this time it won’t be the same. Mother will definitely hold you up."

"Mianmian, if Mr. Xie ever treats you poorly, if you suffer even a little, you must tell your father and me. No matter what, our family will seek justice for you and protect you!!"

Ruan Mian wiped her tears and nodded heavily, "Mother, you’ve promised that if I want to return home, you..."

"Why is there any talk of returning? This is your home for life, even if you marry out, this is always your home!"

Looking at the joyous characters pasted on the dilapidated earthen walls, Ruan Mian’s heart felt enveloped by their radiant glow.

With the lively sound of firecrackers rising, she, surrounded by people, donned new clothes, covered her face, and slowly walked out of the house.

Outside the door stood Xie Huai’an, full of grace and a spring breeze smile.

In the midst of well-wishes, his gaze fell upon the red figure ahead.

In a trance, he remembered when his sister was married off, it was just like this, walking towards her husband.

From afar, he watched in the crowd, thinking he sent her to a place that could protect her, but little did he expect he sent her into an abyss.

But this time, the woman walking towards him, he was determined not to let her path ahead be a dark abyss.

He vowed to fight to lay a broad path for her, allowing her to do whatever she wished under his protection.

...

The wedding was kept simple, and once in the bridal chamber, the noisy voices outside reached Ruan Mian’s ears.

She curved a slight smile, not expecting one day she’d be married here, genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart.

Little did she know, outside her little house, in a dark corner, crouched a shadowy figure.

His face was gloomy, his nails dug fiercely into his palms, both eyes filled with fires of hatred, just waiting for the right moment.

This time, even if it cost his life, he wouldn’t let Ruan Mian have her way!!

Yet as he waited to act, a strong hand suddenly clapped on his shoulder!

As Qi Nanfeng turned around, a fist swung at him, instantly knocking him unconscious on the ground.

When he awoke, he was bound to a tree in the forest, far from the house, surrounded in pitch black.

"Who?! Who’s causing trouble?!"

Qi Nanfeng shouted in fear, and in a panic, he suddenly saw a red figure in the darkness.

His back tightened as the figure gradually approached him.

Once it was close, he saw by moonlight it was Xie Huai’an standing there.

He stood expressionless in front of Qi Nanfeng, his gaze as piercing as the winter’s harsh wind, cutting across his face.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!"

Qi Nanfeng evaded eye contact, shouting angrily.

Seeing Xie Huai’an remain silent, Qi Nanfeng, exasperated and mortified, spoke, "Xie Huai’an, you were once a Prime Minister, a high official, why marry Ruan Mian, a woman who’s separated from another?"

"Do you really know what kind of person she is? Do you know how vindictive and ruthless she is?! Do you know how many lives were on her hands on the exile road?!"

"Consider this a friendly warning given your stature—don’t be bewitched by that woman! Don’t end up like me!"

"Your end?"

Xie Huai’an suddenly laughed, his eyes shadowy and sharp as a blade.

"Becoming a cripple isn’t her fault, it’s self-inflicted."

Qi Nanfeng’s face changed dramatically, and before he could speak, Xie Huai’an swiftly twisted his hand, and the sharp blade swiftly moved!

Before Qi Nanfeng even felt the pain, he saw a finger of his neatly cut off, flying away!

Blood splattered his face, his complexion turned ghostly white in disbelief, eyes wide open.

A moment later, extreme pain came, twisting his features, making him cry out uncontrollably, "You... What are you doing?"

Xie Huai’an said little, posing him just one question.

"Did the Fifth Princess secretly approach you?"

Qi Nanfeng, drenched in cold sweat, pained into silence; seeing him unresponsive, Xie Huai’an expressionlessly severed his second finger.

"You have eight more chances." After saying that, he lit incense in front of him.

"In the time of one incense stick, eight chances should be enough for you to speak."

The blue smoke rose, burning what seemed not incense but Qi Nanfeng’s life.

When Xie Huai’an picked up the dagger again, Qi Nanfeng finally cried out in pain, "Stop! Yes, the princess did come to me!"

"At the Zhuangzhou Mountain Pass, the firewood in the post station was collusion between me and the Princess’s people."

"Yes, yes! But Mr. Xie, I was forced!"

"The Princess blackmailed me, saying you would definitely go to Zhangzhou Mountain Pass to find Ruan Mian, so she used me to try to eliminate you and Vice Minister Dong completely."

"She also said that on the way, you were elusive; her men didn’t have a chance to strike, only when you met Ruan Mian was there an opportunity. Moreover, she told me that if that failed, once you became the Longchang Post Station master, I would have a chance to poison you."

"If I didn’t obey her, my mother and I would be done for!"

With a pale face, he confessed everything, yet Xie Huai’an’s expression remained unchanged.

Ignoring Qi Nanfeng’s pleading for mercy amidst his shouting, until nearly fainting from the pain in his fingers, he stepped forward, nonchalantly lifting Qi Nanfeng by his collar, and leisurely spoke.

"You once saved King Yan and also worked for the Princess, which indeed makes you useful."

He actually knew so much?!

"What... what do you want to do??"

Qi Nanfeng only felt that the moment’s Xie Huai’an was like the King Yanluo of the underworld, decisive and ruthless, seemingly able to end his life in an instant.

However, Xie Huai’an suddenly pushed him away, then re-grabbing his hand, slowly sliced at his fingers, speaking softly.

"Before having you do something for me, let me vent a bit for my wife."

"Spare me, my lord! My lord... ah..."

That string of cries echoed through the mountain forest.

Until the second half of the night, Qi Nanfeng, drenched in sweat, stumbled back into the house with his hand wrapped in torn cloth.

His face excessively pale, enduring immense pain, those words whispered in his ear by Xie Huai’an replayed in his mind.

Thinking of what he was tasked with doing, Qi Nanfeng trembled entirely, almost scared enough to froth at the mouth, dying on the spot.

But he wasn’t resigned to die like this, not willingly!!

Of course, he never thought Xie Huai’an was such an unprovokable person...