The crowd's ughter quickly died away, for just as the wolfdog lunged, ready to sink its teeth into the ugly dog's neck, the ugly dog began scraping the ground with its front paws, its body tensed, tail tucked, and a low, ominous growl emerged—a sign of an impending attack.

  Though not thunderous, the growl was loud enough for everyone to hear. Wasn't this dog supposed to be barely fed, practically neglected? How could it produce such a chilling, intense sound?

  Guanshan was taken aback as well. There were so many gambling dens under his management that he barely had time to keep track of the dogs—except for Han Zhi's ferocious wolfdog, which was fed raw meat daily to keep its predatory instincts sharp. The other dogs weren't worth his attention.

  He knew of the ugly dog simply because it looked so odd, with its strange appearance... Even the stable hands compined about it, feeding it sporadically and sloppily, rarely giving it a full meal. And yet, he remembered that whenever this dog was kept with others, none of the other dogs fared well. Even the sleekest of them ended up starved to skin and bones. Eventually, they had to isote it in its own pen. Some had even suggested killing and eating it, reasoning that it was no valuable breed and wouldn't be missed. But for some reason, no one had ever gone through with it.

  Guanshan quickly found out why. He was startled by a wave of gasps from the crowd and looked down into the ring to see the ugly dog, teeth bared, gripping a chunk of flesh and skin it had torn from the wolfdog's neck. It moved in a small arc, prowling, ready to strike again.

  Impossible! He blinked in disbelief, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. This ugly, ragged dog had ripped a chunk of flesh from Han Zhi's prized wolfdog!

  Infuriated, the wolfdog, sensing the attack, lunged forward with a bloodthirsty gleam in its eyes. The ugly dog mirrored the move, and the two collided with a force so powerful that the audience could hear the dull, solid impact.

  Both dogs crashed to the ground. The wolfdog whimpered, tucking its tail and backing away, visibly hurt and licking its wounds. The ugly dog, with its thick, wrinkled skin, rolled once and sprang back up, wobbling as it chased the wolfdog around the ring.

  Guanshan's mouth hung open. He couldn't fathom what he was seeing—how could Han Zhi's carefully bred, vicious wolfdog lose to this randomly chosen mutt?

  Remembering Song Chuyi's confident smile and her seemingly brazen attitude, he wondered if this young dy truly had some mysterious powers. How else could she have done this?

  Song Chuyi stood, smoothing her gown, and looked at Han Zhi with calm satisfaction. "Young Lord, you lost."

  Han Zhi's smile froze. He twirled his wine cup several times between his fingers before suddenly flinging it to the ground, shattering it into pieces.

  Qin Chuan and the others immediately gathered around Song Chuyi and Song Yan, protecting them and watching Han Zhi warily.

  "A wolf may walk a thousand miles and still feast on flesh; a dog, a thousand miles and..." Song Chuyi, holding Song Yan's hand, looked at Han Zhi with a glint of mockery in her eyes. "Young Lord wouldn't want to act like a dog who goes back on his word, would he?"

  The once lively gambling hall fell silent, and everyone heard her words clearly.

  Han Zhi's expression darkened, then he bared his teeth in a menacing smile. "You're right. This time, I'll be the dishonorable scoundrel. None of you are leaving today."

  Without even sparing him a gnce, Song Chuyi lowered her voice to reassure Song Yan, "Yan'er, don't be afraid."

  Song Yan shook his head firmly, standing tall in front of Song Chuyi, and responded with unwavering determination, "Sister, I'm not afraid."

  Not afraid? Han Zhi curled his lips into a mocking, disdainful smile, his gaze dark and sinister. "Then all of you can die!"

  All of you can die, die, die! After all, when I'm gone, let the world be flooded!

  He raised his hand slightly toward Guanshan. With just that signal, Guanshan would lead nearly thirty hardened fighters from the gambling den to silently sughter the Song siblings right here. They could ter shift the bme onto Master Zhang. Even if the Song and Cui families relentlessly pursued the truth, he didn't care. At worst, it would mean his own death—and once dead, he wouldn't have to endure anything anymore.

  No more living under his mother's oppressive gaze, no more being caught between his aunt and mother, no more sacrificing everything he loved to support his cousin's ambitions.

  But for the first time, Guanshan didn't obey Han Zhi's command. Instead, he pushed through the crowd, hurried over to Han Zhi, and gnced at the private room overlooking the courtyard. Leaning close, he whispered, "Young Lord, the Prince is waiting for you upstairs."

  The Prince of Commandery here? Han Zhi's eyes narrowed, sharp as arrows, as he looked over at Song Chuyi.

  Song Chuyi only smiled. Han Zhi was a madman, and madmen couldn't be reasoned with through logic or threats of consequences. She would never entrust their lives to the whims of a madman. The Prince of Commandery's presence meant Han Zhi's hands were now tied; the Prince wouldn't allow him to act recklessly.

  Han Zhi stood there for a moment, his expression shifting unpredictably, the veins on his forehead throbbing. Finally, he turned and strode up the stairs.

  As he entered the room, he was met with the sight of his cousin, usually calm and smiling, standing with a grim expression. Practically gritting his teeth, the Prince asked, "Are you out of your mind?!"

  He had entrusted Han Zhi with handling matters with Lai Chenglong because Han Zhi was usually level-headed and pragmatic. But now, not only had Han Zhi neglected his duties, he had tried to scheme against the Song family and Song Chuyi!

  The Prince's face darkened further as he asked again, "Are you insane?!"