Do You Know Whose Woman She Is!?

The Grand Matron's expression was grave, her gaze fixed on the unfolding battle, yet she addressed Du Chen, "Rest assured, the Kursk family has need of this old woman now; they dare not push matters to an irreparable extreme!" With that, she turned to Hook, "Mr. Hook, matters have come to this. I, this old woman, will not mince words: our family was at fault regarding Heidi's survival. However, circumstances compel us; I implore you to have your people stand down, and let us reason together."

Hook abruptly clenched his fist, about to retort, but a whispered word from an aide by his side made him snort and change his tone. "Grand Matron, you are a woman of reason; then let us both meet halfway… We will join forces to resist the allied forces of the Nine Families, and my family will further assist yours through the crisis of the dwindling Huhuhu Beast population. However, Heidi remains a member of our family, and the one who interrupted Saint Tru's Dark Execution must also be handed over to me! I must use his blood to atone for this egregious insult!"

To demand our very lives to balance the ledger… Hmph. Let us see how the Grand Matron reacts—will she betray us, or will she bear this burden for us!

The Grand Matron glanced at Du Chen, then smiled wryly. "The person who saved my granddaughter vanished long ago; even my granddaughter never saw his true face. How am I, this old woman, to conjure him for you?"

Hook stared at the Grand Matron, then his eyes flickered to Xue Ji, and a glint of interest sparked within them. Yet, he maintained his stern demeanor and scoffed, "Is the Grand Matron taking me for a fool with such tales?! Simply put: either you hand over Heidi and the one who saved her, and we assist your Huhuhu Beast population through its crisis, or we dissolve this alliance, and my family will no longer pursue that Ninth-rank sacred artifact!"

At this, Heidi snapped with a sharp cry, "Hook, you are surrounded! Hmph! Watch your tongue!"

But Hook grew even more defiant. "Aye, we are bloody surrounded, but my Eldest Brother and an army of a thousand men are poised right on your borders! Dare to kill me, and my Eldest Brother will massacre your stronghold!"

He proudly swept his gaze over the Brockman family members, then bellowed at the one engaging Steve, "Third Sister! Be swift! Render this boy useless! Let's see who dares to cross us, the Kursk people, after this!"

On the battlefield, the assailant immediately roared like a tiger and charged swiftly and fiercely. Steve feigned being overwhelmed, yet resolutely cried out, "You wish to take Miss Heidi? You'll have to get past my fists first!" As he spoke, amidst the chaos, he cast a tender yet resolute glance towards Heidi, conveying, *'Beautiful lady, protecting you is my sacred duty!'*

Grand Matron Elizabeth clucked her toothless gums. "Hook, my family genuinely does not know who saved Heidi. Why do you refuse to believe us?"

Hook roared, "Hand over the culprits, or we dissolve this! If you, you decrepit hag, utter another word of nonsense to me, we Kursks will immediately slaughter your stronghold!"

The Grand Matron narrowed her eyes and slowly stepped forward. "Oh, is that so? Your Kursk clan boasts eighteen thousand Huhuhu Beasts and can support an army of thirteen hundred, while my family has but eight hundred… But does having a larger army grant you the right to speak to me thus, boy!? When I, this old woman, frequented the Supreme Council, you weren't even a glimmer in your father's eye!" A surging, palpable aura of Killing Intent washed over him.

Hook gritted his teeth and endured, then forced out, "Hand over the culprits, do you hear me!?"

The air crackled with tension, but just then, a young man from the Brockman family spoke softly, yet insidiously, "Elder Sister, just go with them. Isn't it a fair exchange to trade you for the Huhuhu Beasts? Grandmother, please appease your anger."

The Grand Matron was startled. Heidi whirled around, glaring at the young man, and gritted out, "My dear brother, what a truly *dear* brother you are!"

The young man shrugged. "If you go with them, we can live better lives, have more Huhuhu Beasts, and won't have to face the Kursk family's army. Isn't that wonderful!?"

Hook's lips twisted into a cruel grin. "Grand Matron, you heard him. Your own grandson agrees with my proposal!"

The Grand Matron's lips twitched. She turned back, her gaze fixed on her grandson, and thought to herself: *This foolish child! If you betray your own sister, then you'd just as easily betray the two who saved her! Those are two Eighth-rank young prodigies! In this City of Penance, where each generation declines, young prodigies mean that even after this old woman is gone, you younger ones will have protectors for decades to come! You, my child, why do you lack the discernment of consequence!? With their army pressing at our gates, Hook would never truly massacre our city. The Kursks are brigands and ruffians, but not fools. Hook is merely trying to frighten us!*

*If Grandmother were to act, scare him a little, then offer a conciliatory smile to postpone this matter, protecting those two young prodigies would be most beneficial for the family!*

Hook spoke again. "Grand Matron, will you provide me with a resolution?" He again glanced at Xue Ji.

Before Elizabeth could respond, Heidi suddenly interjected, "Hook, I have a question for you!"

"Speak!"

"You said that Saint Tru's Dark Execution is the most severe ritual. So, which crime is graver: my castration of your nephew, or interrupting Saint Tru's Dark Execution!?"

"Of course, the one who interrupted Saint Tru's Dark Execution deserves death far more!"

Heidi nodded, then spoke with chilling resolve. "Very well, I will go with you, and I will tell you who interrupted the execution! But you must guarantee my survival unharmed!" She swept a cold glance over the Brockman family. "Otherwise, I shall die here, and you will never find out who interrupted the execution!"

The Grand Matron's gaze slowly moved from her grandson to her granddaughter, and she sighed dejectedly. "None of them are truly accomplished, not a single one! Ah, yes, it's true; all the accomplished ones were slain by Bonis…"

Hook consulted amongst his people. "Good! Your engagement to my nephew still stands; you will remain our family's daughter-in-law… provided you reveal who interrupted the execution!"

Heidi pointed a finger at the battling Steve. "It's him, Bell Glynn! And his younger brother Alex, and his sister-in-law Xue Ji!"

Steve gasped, "Aiya! Brother, don't worry! Eldest Brother here is simply… heartbroken, heartbroken indeed!"

The Grand Matron, sighing helplessly, walked back into the crowd. As she passed Du Chen, she pursed her lips, as if to speak, but said nothing. Instead, she walked directly to her grandson. Suddenly, she landed a resounding 'smack' that sent him sprawling to the ground, and she bellowed, "You good-for-nothing! Guards, throw him into the dungeon!"

Next, she walked over to Heidi, a wry smile gracing her lips. "Well now, you've learned to betray your own family, have you?"

Heidi snorted. "Grandmother, you taught me that the most important thing in the City of Penance is to survive. And I simply wish to survive!"

The Grand Matron laughed a furious, mirthless laugh, then raged, "I also taught you that my Brockman family never betrays its own!" And with another resounding slap, she knocked Heidi to the ground.

Lying on the ground, Heidi fumed, "Then why did you betray me to exchange for Huhuhu Beasts? You wouldn't care if I was executed!?"

"If I were to protect you, two hundred members of our family would starve to death!" The Grand Matron trembled violently!

Heidi sprang to her feet, seething. "Then what about now? The Kursks mean to massacre us, yet you claim 'never betraying our own' for these two individuals who have only just allied with our family! Hmph, hypocrite!"

"You, you…" The Grand Matron sighed wearily. There were some things that simply could not be explained here and now!

Du Chen had been watching the spectacle with a faint, amused smile. He leaned forward, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Miss Heidi, in the Grand Matron's heart, family trumps all. Her apparent disregard for you was to ensure the survival of more family members! Her lie just now, protecting us, was also because Hook is all bluster and no true substance; he wouldn't truly dare to massacre the Brockman stronghold!"

The Grand Matron shot Du Chen a glance, then suddenly said, "If only you were my grandson… no, even a grandson-in-law like you would suffice…" Then she smiled at Xue Ji. "Do not misunderstand, this old woman has no intention of snatching your husband for her granddaughter!"

Xue Ji's beautiful face flushed crimson, utterly at a loss for words.

The Grand Matron whirled around. "Hook, this granddaughter, I disown her! I only wish to protect these two young people. Name your price!"

Hook sneered, "Name a price? Elizabeth, do you truly believe I am all bluster and no substance, that I wouldn't dare massacre your stronghold?" He truly hadn't dared at first, but Du Chen's remark about him being "all bluster" had utterly enraged him! "Hand over the culprits!"

His sharp gaze suddenly fell upon Xue Ji. "Including Alex's wife, this woman!"

Though Hook currently embodied the quintessential brigand, the slight peek of his tongue as he licked his lips and the sudden shift to a greedy glint in his eyes made Xue Ji instantly understand his intentions. Unconsciously, she clutched Du Chen's sleeve.

Though Xue Ji could discern every Secret Technique of those before her, and though no one present could contend against her if her battle qi were to recover, at this moment, Xue Ji was a woman severely wounded and still recovering, in dire need of protection…

Steve suddenly bellowed, "Third Brother, do you understand now!? This bastard has set his sights on my sister-in-law, your wife! He means to abduct her as a female slave!" He wildly parried a few blows, then roared again, "Are you a man, dammit!? If you're a man, then incapacitate him!"

Having his lecherous intentions exposed, Hook became even bolder, openly leering at Xue Ji.

Xue Ji clutched Du Chen's arm tightly. "Alex…" she thought, *Benefactor, why do you feign being an Eighth-rank Battle God? Xue Ji dared not ask before, but now…*

Du Chen had already shaken off her hand and stepped forward, rubbing his nose as he coldly approached Hook. Staring at him, he asked, "You want this woman?"

Hook gave a savage, twisted grin. "And what if I do?"

Du Chen nodded slightly. "Do you know who she is?"

"Your woman…"

Du Chen abruptly seized Hook's hair, pulling his head down with brutal force. His right knee shot up, violently smashing into Hook's face! A strange, wet 'thwack' echoed, and Hook's forehead visibly caved in.

Flicking his hand, Du Chen tossed Hook to the ground. To everyone's astonishment, he was not dead, nor was there a single trace of blood on his face! Could the damage-controlling prowess of a Titled Battle God truly be a facade!?

Du Chen bent down and patted Hook's cheek, staring into his terrified eyes with a gaze as chilling as death itself. "Some women," he said lightly, "are not for petty worms like you to even *dream* of!"

With a gentle kick, Du Chen sent Hook sprawling further. "I spared your life moments ago because I dislike the sensation of brain matter splattering my attire. Now, you may die!"