Bai Hu felt like his heart was about to stop, but luckily, Qing Long arrived just in time, quickly charging his horse into Qi Wang’s steed.
The horse panicked and bolted, causing a slight pause in Qi Yuan’s movement.
In that brief moment, Qi Wang broke free from Qi Yuan’s hold and rolled to the ground.
The instant his back slammed into the earth, Qi Wang felt like his internal organs had all been shattered. The pain was so intense that he curled up involuntarily.
Qing Long was utterly terrified. He had never seen such a vicious woman like Qi Yuan.
She was practically insane!
No, she was a crazed ghost!
He grabbed Qi Wang tightly, hauled him onto his own horse, and without caring about anything else, fled with him as fast as he could.
The faster they ran, the harder it was for her sleeve darts to hit.
Qi Yuan narrowed her eyes and happened to see a fallen quiver from a dark guard on the ground. She picked it up, drew the bow, and fired three consecutive arrows at Qi Wang.
Two of the arrows were intercepted by Qi Wang and Qing Long.
But the third arrow struck Qi Wang’s right shoulder. He fell from the horse again, his knee slamming hard against a sharp rock, and he let out a painful cry.
Qing Long dared not pause for even a second. He grabbed Qi Wang, slung him over his back, and fled down the hillside with the few remaining dark guards, soon disappearing from sight.
Qi Yuan expressionlessly lowered her bow and coldly furrowed her brows.
What a pity.
She had been just one step away from killing Qi Wang.
This was the best opportunity. Qi Wang couldn’t reveal his identity. Killing him now would simply be treated as killing a bandit.
But it didn’t matter.
Even if she didn’t kill him this time, he likely wouldn’t survive. That arrow—she hadn’t held back in the slightest. Even if it didn’t kill him, it would take half his life.
The bandits basked in their temporary success, but soon after, a large number of pursuers from the magistrate’s office arrived, and a fierce battle broke out immediately.
As Qi Yuan passed through, she casually struck down a few straggling bandits.
These bandits had been a nuisance long enough, plaguing countless travelers. In a way, Zou Xiaopeng’s death this time had turned out to be a good thing—an excellent opportunity.
It was at least a contribution to the local people.
After a whole night of chaos, the entire Xie family returned home, trembling.
Madam Xie grabbed Madam Zou’s hand. “Ah Ru, what on earth happened? The ones who came to arrest us, they really weren’t sent by the magistrate?”
Madam Zou gave a bitter laugh.
There was nothing to hide from her sister-in-law. She softly explained everything and lowered her voice, saying, “Anyway, he’s dead. Whatever I say now becomes the truth. I’ll just say the bandits impersonated his orders—that’s what it’ll be.”
As for the so-called charge of treason, that had always been a false accusation concocted by Qi Wang and Zou Xiaopeng. Now that both were gone, naturally there would be no such thing.
Madam Xie was still terrified, her lips pale as she muttered, “It’s all thanks to Lady Qi…”
At this point, Xie Ying had also returned home. The first thing he did was come to see Madam Xie.
Seeing her son, Madam Xie finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, “I’m fine, I’m fine.”
But Xie Ying didn’t look at ease. “How’s my sister’s injury?”
Madam Xie took a deep breath. “Fortunately, it’s not serious. Thankfully, it didn’t hit any vital areas. The doctor has already seen her and applied medicine. She should recover after some time.”
Only then did Xie Ying relax.
Madam Xie then grabbed his hand and turned to Madam Zou. “Ah Ying is now the pillar of our family. Sooner or later, he needs to know everything. Tell him what happened.”
Madam Zou nodded and didn’t hesitate. She told him everything—how Qi Yuan had found her, how she killed Zou Xiaopeng and Chen Haohui, and how she arranged for the magistrate’s involvement.
Xie Ying’s pupils trembled as he listened.
Had he not experienced all this himself, he would have thought his aunt was simply telling him a story.
How could there be such a formidable woman?
She didn’t seem human—more like a deity!
She planned flawlessly, could write, could fight, and killed people like slaughtering chickens.
All his shock eventually condensed into one question: “Aunt, where is Lady Qi now?”
Madam Zou quietly said, “She went after Qi Wang. It seems like…”
After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her voice even further. “It seems like she and Qi Wang have some deep-seated grudge.”
Xie Ying immediately decided: “I must go meet this Lady Qi.”
But before he could go, Steward Xu rushed in, panting. “Madam! Madam! A young lady asked me to deliver a message to you!”
Madam Zou hurriedly took the letter, glanced at it, then grabbed Xie Ying’s hand. “No need to go. Lady Qi said this matter is settled. She’ll explain everything to us later, but for now, she’s returning to the capital.”
Qi Wang, that rabid dog—unless she confirmed his death, Qi Yuan would not feel at ease. Of course, she had to follow him back to the capital to be sure.
She had come suddenly and left just as quickly.
Thinking back on it now, it all felt like a dream.
Xie Ying dazedly took the letter, and upon seeing the sharp, bold handwriting, he immediately felt that if words reflected a person’s character, then this Lady Qi must be someone with a deadly aura.
But things were not as easy for Qi Wang.
For the Xie family, this disaster that could have wiped out their entire clan had vanished like smoke.
But for him, he had fallen headfirst into h*ll—his life hanging by a thread.
Qi Yuan’s arrow had struck his right shoulder, nearly piercing straight through.
But that wasn’t even the worst part, as it hadn’t hit any vital organs.
What was truly disastrous was his fall from the horse—his leg had been impaled by a sharp rock, the pain almost knocking him unconscious.
Bai Hu and Qing Long quickly summoned a doctor, but as soon as the doctor saw Qi Wang’s injuries, his face turned pale with fright.
After treating the wound on his shoulder, the doctor carefully cut open Qi Wang’s pant leg, and upon seeing the injury, immediately frowned. “This… this is too severe…”
Qi Wang’s eyes turned sharp.
Bai Hu immediately pressed his blade against the doctor’s neck. “Cut the nonsense! Use every means to treat him, or you’ll lose your life!”
The doctor was terrified, trembling as he busied himself with treatment, then finally wiped his cold sweat and said, “I’ve done all I can, but… but my skills are limited. I’m afraid you’ll need to find a more skilled physician. Otherwise… otherwise this leg might…”
Before he could finish, Qi Wang already understood.
He shut his eyes tightly, and when he reopened them, his gaze was bloodshot. “Let’s go!” he ordered darkly.
