"Big brother, big sister, save me!"
The sound of whipping echoed. King Grant glared angrily at Yuna Ji, who was suspended at the palace gate. Red welts had already formed on her thighs and buttocks from the lash, and a crowd had gathered to watch, with even the arriving envoys trying to speak up for her.
"King Grant, the child is young and doesn't understand. Let it go."
But King Grant ignored the advice and continued to lash her several more times. Edward Grant watched Yuna Ji helplessly, while Sophie Grant stood by, smiling without moving.
"Yuna, why are you so mischievous? Do you know how many people have spent more than half a month searching for you, and still haven't found you? This is what you deserve."
"Big sister, how can you say that? If you want to blame someone, blame Joseph Qiao and Lucille Xing. They kept it from me. I just wanted to say goodbye to Lady Yvonne May."
Joseph Qiao looked helplessly at Yuna Ji, then walked over to the furious King Grant.
"Well? Are you wrong or not?"
King Grant shouted. Yuna Ji, stubborn and in tears, cried out loudly.
"I didn't do anything wrong. I'm not wrong!"
With a loud crack, the whip in King Grant's hand struck Yuna Ji's buttocks again, making her cry out instantly.
"King Grant..."
At that moment, Joseph Qiao stepped in front of Yuna Ji. Leonard Lei, Lucille Xing, Phoenix Yu, and Sebastian Zhao all came over, kneeling on one knee.
"It's all because of the five of us. The punishment is enough. Even if you break that whip, Yuna Ji still won't admit she's wrong."
Joseph Qiao spoke as King Grant slowly lowered the whip and sighed.
"If I don't teach her a lesson this time, she won't change."
"King Grant, it's my fault. I didn't stop Yuna Ji at the time. I'm responsible too."
Lona Long rushed over and knelt on the ground. King Grant's face was still filled with anger as he gripped the whip tightly. Yuna Ji, who had been crying, suddenly let out a chuckle.
"King Grant..."
Just as the whip was about to strike again, Terry Mao stepped forward and grabbed King Grant's hand. King Grant glanced at him, while Lily Mao and Mason Mao hurried to Yuna Ji's side to protect her.
"It was the three of us who were at fault. If I had brought her back that day, maybe so many people wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble."
King Grant sighed. At that moment, Edward Grant came over, smiling, and took King Grant by the arm.
"Father, let it go. We've won the war, and winter is coming. It's time to celebrate. I think it's enough for the nine of them to watch over Yuna Ji. I promise she won't cause any more trouble."
King Grant looked at the nine and nodded.
"Joseph Qiao, you take them and teach Yuna Ji well. Don't let her cause any more trouble."
"Yes, King Grant. I will make sure to teach Yuna Ji properly."
When it comes to Yuna Ji, everyone in Grant City knows she's been a troublemaker since birth. She's gotten the Grant Family into countless incidents, and this time it was even bigger—a thirty-thousand-man carpet search of the mountains for over half a month.
At night, in the room opposite the aviary, Yuna Ji lay on the bed while Lona Long applied freshly ground medicine to her wounds. The others were outside.
"You really know how to get us into trouble, Yuna Ji. Can you count how many incidents you've caused since you were little?"
Lucille Xing said, arms folded, while Yuna Ji giggled.
"Your butt is covered in welts, and you're still laughing."
"It's just a little wound, nothing serious. I didn't die, did I? I used to fall out of trees and be fine. Lucille Xing, weren't you watching back then?"
Lucille Xing immediately looked at Yuna Ji helplessly.
"Only you would try to put a fallen chick back in the nest... Only someone as foolish as—"
Before Lucille Xing could finish, Leonard Lei and Joseph Qiao laughed outside the door.
"Didn't you do the same when you were little?"
Joseph Qiao said, and Lucille Xing rushed out, grabbing Joseph Qiao by the ear. His cheeks immediately turned pink, and everyone else burst out laughing.
"And I remember when Yuna Ji was three, a grandmother passed away. She sneaked out just to see her one last time."
As Lona Long spoke, everyone in the room smiled knowingly.
"Go ahead and laugh. You adults have no idea how important these things are..."
"Yuna Ji, no one thinks you did anything wrong. The fault is ours."
Lucille Xing, for once, wore a gentle expression and softly stroked Yuna Ji's forehead.
"May I have a word?"
At that moment, Joseph Qiao whispered into Mao Tian's ear. Mao Tian nodded, and the two walked over to the aviary.
"I'm really grateful to all of you. Thank you."
Joseph Qiao bowed his head, but Mao Tian quickly reached out to stop him from bowing.
"I should be thanking you. You helped my siblings and me find a treasure. At least for now, we don't have to worry about going hungry."
Their hands clasped tightly together.
In the night, at the north gate of Grant City, the sentries held torches, patrolling in the cold. Nearby, soldiers moved about on wooden platforms, and soon snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
"It's so late. Why is someone here?"
One of the soldiers spoke, and soon a dozen others raised their torches and gathered at the gate. In the distance, a solitary figure approached.
"Who goes there?"
A soldier shouted, but the newcomer's eyes glinted with amusement.
"It's a cold night. You all have worked hard. Open the gates and get some sleep!"
A chilling wind swept through, black currents swirling toward the soldiers. Instantly, their eyes glazed over as they opened the gate. Wraithshade strode inside, and as the gate closed, the soldiers collapsed to the ground, asleep.
"It's been years since I last came here. Still as bustling as always."
This chapter isn't over yet~.~ Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading!
Wraithshade spoke, then slowly disappeared down the street.
Early the next morning, a strange incident was reported: Among the thirteen soldiers guarding the north gate, two had frozen to death, and the other eleven were in bad shape.
Joseph Qiao hurried to the north gate to investigate. The frozen soldiers were still there, and others were handling the situation. It was very odd—these men had been on the late shift, and Joseph Qiao had felt a chill last night, only realizing it was snowing when he woke up.