The sky was just beginning to lighten as the golden sun rose on the horizon, bringing a trace of warmth to the dewy morning.
But Old Zhao and his men felt no such warmth. All of them were on high alert, swiftly raising their weapons in unison.
Until a head popped out from the valley below.
Old Zhao was momentarily stunned.
Xiao Yunting, however, had already rushed down the slope, tossing his quiver to Old Zhao as he quickly jogged toward Qi Yuan.
In that moment, it was hard for Xiao Yunting to describe the feelings surging within him.
But the joy in his voice was unmistakable.
“Why are you here?” He looked at Qi Yuan, almost failing to recognize this dusty, disheveled figure as her.
Qi Yuan shook her head, flicking off the morning dew, and grinned, showing her teeth. “I was hurrying back to the capital and thought I’d stop by and take a look.”
Take a look at what?
Xiao Yunting quickly realized, “You wanted to see if the Liu family had found it?”
Qi Yuan nodded, clapping the dirt off her hands as she casually said, “The pit down there has been disturbed. If I’m not wrong, it must have been people sent by Duke Chu.”
At this point, the men Xiao Yunting brought were already starting to clear the bodies.
Hearing her words, he said in a low voice, “All the people they sent are here. It seems their mission was to ambush you.”
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow. “Besides ambushing me, they probably had orders to retrieve Liu Jinghong’s remains. Looks like someone escaped and has already reported back.”
Among the dead dark guards, none were carrying any packages, but the pit had clearly been dug up.
This suggested someone had taken what they came for and left.
Neither Xiao Yunting nor Qi Yuan were worried about this discovery.
Privately raising dark guards was a capital offense.
Even though the Liu family had lost Liu Jinghong, they would never make this public.
Otherwise, the matter of the dark guards would be exposed, and it would implicate Qi Wang as well.
The Liu family would have to swallow this bitter loss.
As for the Liu family’s secret revenge, Qi Yuan was not afraid.
After all, who would die first was not yet certain.
Xiao Yunting’s gaze lingered on her. Although she seemed to have lost more weight, her bright eyes showed she was uninjured, and he finally let out a sigh of relief. “I thought you’d be seriously injured this time, but it seems you fared better than I expected.”
For some reason, Xiao Yunting never used the royal “this prince” when speaking to her.
Qi Yuan had no time for jokes. She quickly recounted her journey to Jiangxi—the trouble at the Xie family, how she killed Zou Xiaopeng, manipulated the situation to frame Qi Wang as a bandit, shot him, and caused him to fall from his horse.
Then she rubbed her temples. “I rushed all the way back, but I never crossed paths with Qi Wang’s convoy. Seems like they hid their route well. Once he returns to the capital, I’m afraid things won’t be so simple.”
Qi Wang was the type who would rather betray the world than let the world betray him.
He could wrong others, but no one was allowed to wrong him.
Having suffered such a huge loss at her hands this time, he would undoubtedly go mad.
Xiao Yunting raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. “What? Scared?”
He snorted, “I thought you were truly fearless, as if a deity had descended to the mortal world.”
Qi Yuan stopped and looked at him, puzzled. “Your Highness, are you gloating? But if you and I were standing together, isn’t it obvious who Qi Wang would chop down first?”
Why would she be the one afraid?
Logically, Xiao Yunting should be the most worried.
Xiao Yunting: “…”
Fine. He really was worrying for nothing!
How could someone like Qi Yuan know what fear was?
He rubbed his stiff face and snorted before saying, “If things are really as you said, and Qi Wang returns injured, then you do need to be careful. Once he’s back safely, he can easily cover up the fact that he left the capital. But Noble Consort Liu’s hatred for you will only deepen.”
Qi Yuan casually hummed in agreement. “Exactly. That’s why I need to hurry back to the capital. If I’m not there, it’ll be easier for them to target me.”
After all, she was supposed to be a pampered noble lady living in the marquis’ residence.
…
For some reason, conversations with Qi Yuan always ended quickly.
Perhaps because she was just too concise—she always spoke directly, never wasting words.
Xiao Yunting looked at her deeply. “What are you planning to do next? You’re making enemies everywhere now.”
“Take it one step at a time,” Qi Yuan answered matter-of-factly. “Whoever makes the first move, I’ll take them down first.”
Either they die, or she dies. Of course, it was better for them to die.
Xiao Yunting was frustrated: “Is death the only thing you ever think about? There are so many things worth living for!”
This time, Qi Yuan didn’t retort.
She paused for a moment and looked at Xiao Yunting. “But this is my life now.”
Yes, life might offer many possibilities, but for her, survival came first.
Only by killing her enemies could she stay alive.
As for dreams, romance, and all those fleeting pleasures—they were luxuries for people who could sleep peacefully at night.
She would think about those after getting past the Liu family’s hurdle.
Back in the capital, Duke Chu summoned his most trusted aides late at night.
When he saw the package they brought back, he instinctively stepped forward to take it but felt it burning in his hands.
It took him a long time to suppress his emotions, shivering slightly as he gripped the edge of the bundle tightly and rasped, “You’ve worked hard.”
His trusted aide immediately knelt down. “This is our duty. We dare not accept such praise from the Duke!”
These men had fought alongside Duke Chu on the battlefield and were utterly loyal. Of course, he trusted them. Seeing them kneeling, he exhaled and said, “Rise, all of you.”
He then asked, “How did the operation go? Was everything smooth?”
The aide hesitated.
Duke Chu raised his eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”
He had sent them along with the dark guards for two purposes: to retrieve his son’s remains for a proper burial and to kill Qi Yuan for revenge.
Now the remains had been brought back.
Could it be that the attempt on Qi Yuan failed?
The aide frowned in hesitation. “Duke, after we retrieved the young master’s… we separated from the dark guards. Then the dark guards ran into trouble.”
Duke Chu’s blood surged in his chest. “Why do you say that?”
“Not long after we left, we heard the sounds of battle…” The aide lowered his head with difficulty. “When we went back to check, we found they’d fallen into a trap. If we hadn’t left earlier with the remains, we would’ve likely met the same fate…”
Duke Chu’s face changed dramatically.
Just as he was about to erupt in fury, loud knocking suddenly came from the door.
He inhaled deeply and called out sternly, “Enter!”
The steward quickly walked up and whispered, “My Lord, a message has just arrived from Wi Wang’s residence. They request your presence immediately.”
Qi Wang had returned!
Duke Chu was instantly reinvigorated.
