After the abbot left, Second Master Qi gripped Second Madam Qi’s arm tightly, both frightened and confused, he had no idea how things had spiraled to this point.
He didn’t even know how things had come to this.
But there was one thing he understood very clearly: Qi Yuan was not someone he could afford to offend.
To offend her was to court death, even her tongue could kill!
Second Madam Qi didn’t even want to bother with him. She snorted impatiently, then turned her head to ask Qi Yuan, “Yuanyuan, is it serious?”
It had to be something major, otherwise, why would the entire Feilai Temple be involved as accomplices?
Just now, Yuanyuan had even mentioned Qi Wang. Had he gone mad?
What was he trying to do?
Qi Yuan’s expression softened considerably once the abbot was gone. She looked at Second Madam Qi with her usual gentle, obedient demeanor. “It’s fine, Second Aunt, no need to worry. As for Changting’s leg, don’t worry I’ll find someone who can treat him.”
Second Master Qi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn’t dare speak again.
At that moment, Changting’s servant came running in from outside, crying, “Second Master, Second Madam! You must come quickly, Young Master Changting has woken up, but he’s trying to kill himself!”
What?!
Second Master and Second Madam Qi were both shocked. Without asking any more questions, they turned and rushed out.
Qi Yuan let out a deep breath.
She nodded toward Lai Chenglong and thanked him. “Thank you, Lord Lai, for cooperating with me and for telling me that bald-headed fraud at the foot of the mountain had someone on the side.”
Lai Chenglong found her way of cursing people incredibly adorable.
Even though this wasn’t a moment to be laughing, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s nothing. Even without that leverage, you still could’ve pissed him to death with something else. He couldn’t escape anyway, so I can’t say I did much.”
Liujin was getting anxious. Why were the two of them still chatting? What was there to talk about?
He rushed to interrupt: “Young Miss, you should go check on Young Master Changting quickly, he’s trying to end his life!”
What the h*ll was going on with Lord Lai?! Hadn’t Miss Qi already clearly rejected him?
Why was he still lingering around like this?
What exactly did he want?
And had His Highness received the letter or not?
Sigh. What a day to worry about everything.
At that very moment, Xiao Yunting sneezed.
Dao soldier Han Ding, who stood nearby, hurriedly brought over a thin silk cloak and draped it over his shoulders, softly saying, “Your Highness, the nights are getting cold.”
“Yes.” Xiao Yunting looked up at the moon and thought of Qi Yuan.
Since he’d left, had she stirred up another storm in the capital?
In Liujin’s last letter, he said she’d already killed Li Changqing and even made a bet with Tian Baoci.
He didn’t know how things were going now.
He sighed.
Sensing his mood, Han Ding smiled and teased, “Don’t worry, Your Highness, Liujin writes more diligently than anyone. You’ll hear everything eventually.”
But as he said this, Han Ding’s expression turned serious again.
The reason they hadn’t been receiving messages promptly from Liujin and the capital was because trouble had erupted within their own envoy team.
The delegation barely reached Hebei when one official sexually assaulted a local girl, causing a scandal.
Thankfully, Xiao Yunting acted swiftly, he executed the official on the spot in front of the angry townsfolk. It not only calmed the people but also scared straight a few others in the delegation with ulterior motives.
But rooting out the internal traitors had taken a lot of effort.
The problem was, as the imperial envoy, Xiao Yunting wasn’t just surrounded by his own men, there were also many court-appointed officials accompanying him.
It was hard to investigate their backgrounds thoroughly.
Even after they reached Yunmeng Marsh, they were ambushed.
Xiao Yunting pulled his thoughts back and looked at the lit lamps in the post station. He asked gravely, “Is everything taken care of?”
Just then, Lin Yu arrived and quickly reported, “Your Highness, I saw several people go out and return but they didn’t do much, only bought some fruit from outside.”
Fruit?
Xiao Yunting sneered.
These high-ranking officials usually acted like they couldn’t even wipe their own *sses. Now they were suddenly humble enough to go buy fruit themselves?
He said coldly, “Stay alert. The weather’s getting colder, but we need to seize this chance and finish it in one blow. We must wipe out the traitors and head for Jiangxi as fast as possible. If we arrive late, Jiangxi will fall into chaos and we don’t even know how many people might die!”
He was truly disappointed in Qi Wang.
The man had grown up in the capital, in the imperial palace.
He’d listened to lectures by the Hanlin scholars, watched how Emperor Yongchang handled state affairs, and interacted with ministers and generals.
Yet he hadn’t learned a single thing about caring for the people.
Such a person deserved to die!
Han Ding and Lin Yu both straightened up and gave solemn nods.
Lin Yu looked at Xiao Yunting’s face and couldn’t help but ask, “Your Highness, I wonder if the Celestial Master has received your letter and rushed to the capital?”
He knew Xiao Yunting cared about Qi Yuan.
Li Changqing had once said Qi Yuan was a “Calamitous Star,” and Xiao Yunting had been determined to help her shed that label.
And who had more authority than Li Changqing?
Only Celestial Master Zhang of Longhu Mountain.
But would he agree to help?
After all, the Celestial Master had been in seclusion for years, rumored to be on the verge of a breakthrough to the Earth-Immortal realm.
They were currently at a critical bottleneck.
He sighed. “Even Babao might not be able to meet the Celestial Master.”
“No, we will see him.” Xiao Yunting touched the tiger fang he wore over his chest and whispered, “Master once told me: if it concerns me, he’ll be able to sense it.”
He missed Qi Yuan deeply but now wasn’t the time for romance.
Just then, he heard a faint creak, the sound of a door opening.
In the darkness, he immediately looked toward Han Ding and Lin Yu.
The two men understood at once and silently melted into the shadows.
The door opened.
A waft of numbing smoke drifted in from outside.
Then—bam! The door slammed shut.
Soon after, Lin Yu and Han Ding crept to the window, pried open a crack, and coldly raised a brow. “Your Highness, they’re pouring oil.”
It smelled like cooking oil.
And they’d started from the second-floor corridor.
This meant, they weren’t just targeting Xiao Yunting.
Xiao Yunting gave a soft laugh. “Of course they can’t only kill me. If they only killed me, it’d be obvious they were assassinating an imperial envoy. No, they want to burn everyone alive, then pretend it was an accident.”
As the assassins finished pouring the oil and pulled out their fire-starters, Xiao Yunting frowned and suddenly let out a sharp whistle.
At that very moment, the man holding the fire-starter flinched in shock. His hand shook, and the fire-starter dropped.
If it hit the oil below, the entire post station would go up in flames and everyone would die.
Lin Yu immediately leapt toward it.
But someone moved even faster.
Xiao Yunting kicked off the railing and soared downstairs like a gust of wind. Before the fire-starter hit the floor, he snatched it mid-air and rolled across the ground to extinguish it.
Then, in one smooth motion, he turned and kicked the fire-starter man straight in the neck, a deadly blow that ended his life instantly.
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