Qinglong’s mood was heavy.
They had originally gone out to get ahead on dealing with Liu Wangfei’s situation, but not only had they failed to even catch a glimpse of her, they had also lost two dark guard leaders, over a dozen dark guards, and even Qi Wang had suffered such a severe injury.
Disabled!
What did this mean?
It meant that Qi Wang might very well have mobility issues for the rest of his life, which also meant that he had effectively lost his eligibility to compete for the throne.
Throughout history, how many emperors have had physical disabilities? Especially now, when the dynasty was in a period of revitalization—there was simply no way a physically impaired emperor could be accepted.
Now, Qi Wang ordered them to return to the capital immediately. Qinglong hesitated, concerned about his injuries. “Your Highness’s injury…”
Qi Wang’s expression was unusually calm. So calm it was almost eerie.
He gritted his teeth. “Bring this man to serve me along the way. We must find Divine Doctor Xue when we return. Move quickly!”
Divine Doctor Xue was renowned throughout the land. The Liu family had enticed him with rare medicinal ingredients and kept him close.
Right now, only if they rushed back to find Divine Doctor Xue would there be a chance to heal his leg.
Everything else was secondary—his leg was the top priority now.
Once his leg was healed, he would have all the time in the world to slowly exact revenge on that wretched woman, Qi Yuan!
Qinglong didn’t dare to delay. He arranged the best carriage available, balancing both speed and stability to ensure Qi Wang was transported quickly and safely back to the capital.
When they left the capital, it had been Qi Yuan who was sneaking around in hiding, but now it was Qi Wang who had to stay hidden on the return.
Qi Wang’s face was dark, and his mood worsened with each passing day.
But there was nothing to be done—times had changed. Their positions were now completely reversed. He was now the one who could not afford to have his identity exposed.
Especially since Qi Yuan was a lunatic. If she caught him on the road, she would genuinely kill him without hesitation.
Meanwhile, the capital was in turmoil.
At Duke Chu’s residence, Madam Liu wept day and night. Even though Noble Consort Liu tried to comfort her, Madam Liu was still deeply worried about her son’s whereabouts.
As the days passed with no news, the ominous feeling in her heart only grew stronger.
Under such intense mental pressure, Madam Liu finally fell ill.
Duke Chu summoned the imperial physician.
Madam Liu gripped his hand tightly, her tear-filled eyes full of desperation. “My lord, nothing else matters. This is a heart sickness. I beg you…”
She took a deep breath, her face deathly pale. “Tell me the truth—what has really happened to Jinghong?”
No matter how secret the mission, with the people and abilities Liu Jinghong had at his disposal, it wouldn’t have been difficult to send word home.
So long without any message—something terrible must have happened.
Duke Chu felt a deep bitterness in his heart.
His lips trembled for a long time before he finally lowered his voice and patted Madam Liu’s shoulder. “You have always been the strongest. Even when our youngest son passed away, you endured…”
At the mention of their deceased youngest son, Madam Liu trembled all over.
Of course she remembered. Back then, to secure a better future for their children, Duke Chu had claimed Liu Jinghong and the young Noble Consort Liu as clan children, orphaned, and brought them into Duke Chu’s household as Liu Wangfei’s younger siblings.
Overwhelmed with grief, she had fallen ill, and their two-year-old youngest son had also fallen ill and died.
Was she to endure such a loss again now?
She clenched her jaw so tightly that it made an audible grinding sound, her whole body trembling. “Tell me! I can bear it!”
Duke Chu finally closed his eyes. “Jinghong… he really did meet with misfortune.”
Madam Liu’s mind snapped like a taut string breaking, her expression twisting as she grabbed Duke Chu’s sleeve. “Why? Was it because of Qi Yuan?!”
There could be no other explanation.
Her son had gone after Qi Yuan.
She ground her teeth, her voice nearly forced out from her throat. “My son was perfectly fine—why would something happen to him?!”
Seeing her bloodshot eyes, Duke Chu sighed and sat down, explaining the sequence of events.
Madam Liu’s gaze turned vicious, her face cold, her heart brimming with boundless hatred.
“Kill her!” After a long silence, Madam Liu raised her bloodshot eyes and stared firmly at Duke Chu. “I want her dead. I want her to die a horrible death! I want her torn to pieces!”
Nothing less would satisfy her rage!
That wretched spawn!
A mere lowly girl dared to harm her precious Jinghong!
How could the heavens be so unfair?!
Letting such a vile person succeed!
She was so consumed by rage that her mind was already slipping into a state of irrationality.
Afraid she would collapse at this rate, Duke Chu quickly held her hand and assured her firmly, “It will happen! It will! Don’t worry! I’ve already sent out all the dark guards—they will make sure she’s obliterated!”
Madam Liu burst into tears again.
“But even if she’s torn to pieces, what’s the point?” She sobbed in grief. “Someone like her, even if she had ten lives, she wouldn’t be worth a single toe of my Jinghong!”
Even if Qi Yuan was killed, Liu Jinghong would not come back.
Duke Chu gently patted his wife’s shoulder to console her. “That’s true, but we still have to avenge Jinghong. And you must stay strong—we still have the young Noble Consort in the palace, and we have grandchildren…”
He looked into Madam Liu’s eyes. “They are our blood.”
A large number of dark guards pursued Qi Yuan’s trail into Wuchang. But when they reached the wilderness where they had once encountered wolves, they were ambushed.
In the dead of night, under the bright full moon, the surroundings were eerily silent, yet the dark guards felt a loud buzzing in their ears and an overwhelming chill throughout their bodies.
At that moment, Xiao Yunting appeared, calm and composed. He coldly raised his eyelids and looked at them. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand. “Kill!”
This was an order these dark guards had likely given before—directed at Qi Yuan.
But now, they would not have another chance.
Xiao Yunting closed his eyes briefly, watching Old Zhao lead the charge against the dark guards. His mind drifted for a moment.
Based on the travel distance, Qi Yuan should have already arrived in Jiangxi days ago.
He wondered how she was doing.
Had she found the Xie family?
How was the situation there?
She was incredibly stubborn—had she clashed directly with Qi Wang?
Under the moonlight, Xiao Yunting’s figure appeared especially refined. His handsome face was tinged with cold sharpness. When he saw a dark guard attempting to slash Old Zhao from behind, he calmly pulled an arrow from his quiver and shot the attacker clean through.
Without pausing, he quickly fired several more shots, hitting multiple enemies.
Old Zhao, emboldened, led an even fiercer charge. By dawn, the dark guards were either dead or incapacitated, no longer capable of fighting.
Xiao Yunting raised an eyebrow, about to order the final sweep when he suddenly heard a faint sound.
Immediately, he shouted, “Who’s there?!”
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! :)
