He forced his clenched jaw to relax, stretching his lips into something resembling a smile.
"Ha… ha ha," he chuckled, though his voice cracked. "You're right. Those fools deserved it. I've told them countless times not to touch what isn't theirs. Discipline was overdue."
He waved his hand sharply, eyes narrowing at the groaning men. "Take them away. Don't let me see their useless faces again."
His tone was sharp, authoritative. But everyone in that corner of the camp could feel the truth: the authority now belonged to Ling Yu.
The surviving bystanders, the civilians who had been too afraid to intervene before, were staring at her with awe, as though she were a saint descended into the pit of wolves. They whispered her name under their breaths, their eyes shining with hope, gratitude… and a tinge of fear.
Ling Yu ignored them. She wiped her bloody hands on a rag one of the thugs had dropped, then crouched down beside the golden-haired man, her expression softening just slightly.
