The shadow figure came at her fiercely, reaching Qi Yuan in almost an instant.
Qi Yuan’s palm was injured, but relying on years of accumulated experience, she quickly shifted her shoulder to evade the strike and nimbly dodged aside.
Unexpectedly, the attacker was equally fast. After missing the first blow, he immediately drew a soft sword from his waist and slashed hard at Qi Yuan.
Barehanded, Qi Yuan obviously wouldn’t go head-to-head. She endured the pain in her hand, bent low to dodge, and at the same time lifted the screen in front of her, shoving it forcefully toward the attacker.
The soft sword instantly sliced the screen in half.
What a sharp sword!
Qi Yuan retreated a few steps but soon found the sword’s tip pressed against her throat.
The cold blade kissed her neck like a damp, icy snake’s tongue.
The man sneered, “Can’t dodge now? Weren’t you so capable? So this is all you’ve got?”
Qi Yuan steadied her breathing, then suddenly smiled faintly. “For you to say that, you must know me well. If that’s the case, why would you ever think I’m the kind of person to surrender quietly?”
As soon as she finished, her injured right hand, hidden behind her back, suddenly flung forward, scattering a cloud of medicinal powder right into the man’s face.
Caught off guard, the man was hit head-on. His eyes instantly burned as if on fire.
Qi Yuan seized the moment, striking his wrist with her palm. The soft sword clattered to the floor.
She didn’t give him a chance to react. She immediately closed the distance, slammed a palm onto his shoulder, and quickly bent down to grab the fallen sword.
You want to kill me?
Leave your life here first!
But the man reacted quickly. As Qi Yuan bent down, he kicked the sword away and reached to grab her shoulder.
Qi Yuan snorted coldly and swiftly stabbed her golden hairpin into his palm. He cried out in pain.
At the same time, Qi Yuan yanked off his face covering in one pull.
The man’s face was fully exposed before her eyes.
Qi Wang!
Qi Yuan smirked. “Your Highness, since when did you become a sneaky intruder?”
Qi Wang gritted his teeth, clutching his bleeding hand, and suddenly raised his sleeve arrow. “You’re seeking death!”
Qi Yuan’s expression darkened. She immediately recognized the weapon.
It was a sleeve arrow—a small, portable, long-range weapon invented by the Ministry of Works.
But in her past life, the sleeve arrow wasn’t developed until after Qi Wang had been sent to his fiefdom.
Yet now, he already had it.
She had long suspected that Qi Wang, like herself, might be reliving his life again. Now, it was fully confirmed.
Qi Yuan tsked. “Your Highness, why are you so impatient? You’ve been given another life, yet you’re still obsessed with me, a mere little girl?”
Little girl?!
Qi Wang glared at her, his hand already on the trigger but still not firing. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Why?!”
Qi Yuan took two steps back.
Qi Wang snapped, “Why are you moving?!”
Qi Yuan spread her hands. “Your Highness, my hand is seriously injured. I just want to find something to wrap it up. After all, you hit me several times just now.”
“Bandage it?” Qi Wang was furious to the point of laughing. “I can kill you at any moment, and you still bother with such pointless things?”
“But Your Highness hasn’t killed me yet, right?” Qi Yuan sighed softly. “You know I’m terrified of pain. Look at my hand—it’s been skinned raw from gripping the reins. I’ve been holding on purely by willpower until now…”
Qi Wang stared at her, watching as she casually walked over to a nearby curtain, tore off a piece, and loosely wrapped her hand.
Grinding his teeth, he asked again, “Why?!”
Qi Yuan didn’t even lift her head. “What is Your Highness asking about?”
“I’m asking why you wanted to kill me!” His eyes were bloodshot, rage burning in them. “I had already promised to make you my Noble Consort after I ascended the throne! You would have enjoyed a lifetime of glory and wealth! Why did you still want to kill me?!”
He could hardly describe the bitterness in his heart.
He had struggled so hard to remove all obstacles. He was so close to seizing the Imperial Seal and claiming the throne.
And yet, in the end, he died by Qi Yuan’s hand.
This wretched woman!
He had treated her so well!
Qi Yuan fell silent for a moment.
But to Qi Wang, that brief silence felt like an eternity. He aimed the sleeve arrow at her and snapped coldly, “I’m asking you! Why?!”
Qi Yuan finally lifted her gaze to meet his. “Does Your Highness truly want to know?”
Of course, he wanted to know!
He had already promised her the highest position possible. Why did she still betray him?
Qi Wang stepped forward. “Tell me—”
Before he finished, Qi Yuan hooked the soft sword up with her foot and slashed at him. “If you want to know, ask the King of H*ll yourself!”
“Wretched woman!” Qi Wang roared, “I’ll kill you!”
Qi Yuan kicked off the nearby column, collapsing layers of curtains that instantly fell and covered Qi Wang. His shot went wide.
Qi Yuan didn’t hesitate, raising the sword to stab him.
But at that moment, the window was kicked open, and several people leapt inside, shielding Qi Wang.
What a pity…
Seeing four or five of them, Qi Yuan knew immediately these were the Prince’s secret guards.
She couldn’t win against them now.
Realizing this, she shouted loudly, “Guards! There’s an assassin!”
The secret guards, who had still been ready to kill, no longer hesitated and swiftly dragged Qi Wang away.
The room was suddenly empty.
Qi Yuan, who had been full of murderous intent just moments before, instantly relaxed.
She wasn’t made of steel. The fall during the race had been a brutal one, and even now, her insides still felt like they were churning.
If Qi Wang hadn’t wasted so much time asking pointless questions, she’d probably already be dead.
Thinking this, she slowly sat down, leaning against the pillar.
Just as she settled, she heard Wang Chan’s voice outside. “Cousin! I brought Second Madam here!”
As the words fell, Wang Chan pushed the door open. Seeing the shattered screens and the blood on the ground, she stood frozen in shock, then screamed uncontrollably.
Second Madam, startled by the scream, quickly climbed the steps and was stunned to see Qi Yuan sitting amidst the broken screens and fallen curtains.
Her vision went dark. “Yuanyuan! What happened?!”
Qi Yuan was exhausted but still forced herself to look at Second Madam. “Second Aunt, please don’t ask too much right now. Can you go summon Zhou Wang and Jing Wang for me? Please?”
Second Madam’s mind was completely overwhelmed. Seeing Qi Yuan in this state, she hastily nodded. “Yes! Yes! I’ll go right now!”
Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! Want to get early access to at least 10+ chapters in advance? Go to my Patreon to join now! :)
