"Mm!!!"
Someone suddenly clamped a hand over Xu Qinghuan's mouth. Her heart jolted, and she instinctively tried to let out a terrified scream.
But the withered palm clamped around the lower half of her face like an iron vice, sealing every sound in her throat and turning it into a muffled whimper.
She struggled with all her might, kicking wildly and flailing her hands, but that hand didn't budge.
She felt her jawbone groan under the strain, as if it would be crushed the next moment.
She was so frantic she could have cried.
Her enchanting eyes were filled with terror and disbelief.
This was Golden Star Peak! The courtyard of Jin Hai, a True Inheritor! An important part of the Inner Sect!
How could anyone dare break in? How could anyone even get in?!
She used all her strength to try to turn her head and see her attacker's face.
But the other hand pressed against the back of her neck, holding her down like a chick waiting to be slaughtered. She couldn't move.
Her strength was like a stone sinking into the sea before that hand—utterly useless.
Just then, an old but somewhat familiar voice slowly sounded beside her ear:
"Want to speak? Want to see my face, too? No matter. I can grant you both."
The voice was unhurried, as if he were simply chatting with her.
"Still, to keep you from making a foolish racket later, I'll have to teach you a little lesson first."
The instant the words fell, Xu Qinghuan's body stiffened.
She felt it—the other person's two fingers pinching the fragile little finger on her right hand.
Crack.
The sharp snap rang out with startling clarity in the silent room.
"Mmm—!!!"
Xu Qinghuan's eyes flew wide open, and tears sprang to their corners.