Old Madam Qi waited until all the attendants had cleared the room before gently asking Qi Yuan, “Yuan Jie’er, you’ve only just woken up. Shouldn’t you rest a bit first? You…”
No matter how capable one is, after lying in bed for seven or eight days, the body should be falling apart, how could she talk about going off to kill someone?
Qi Yuan smiled and winked mischievously at her grandmother. “Grandmother, this isn’t difficult for me.”
She was the most elite of deathsworn. As long as she had one breath left, she could still kill.
Besides, she had her medicine.
But there was no need to tell Old Madam Qi all that and burden her with more worry.
Instead, she only softly instructed, “Just have Grandfather and Father take Master Huineng for a walk around the compound. No need to bring him into my room.”
In short, she didn’t want anyone to know she was awake.
Old Madam Qi quickly agreed.
Then she heard Qi Yuan suddenly say: “Also, assign more people to watch over Changting.”
…What?
Old Madam Qi’s hair stood on end.
Was something going to happen to Changting?!
She grabbed Qi Yuan’s hand in alarm: “Yuan Jie’er, tell Grandmother the truth, what’s going on? Nothing bad is going to happen, right?”
“Nothing serious,” Qi Yuan replied lightly. “Just some vermin who’ll definitely try to take advantage of my unconscious state to kill me.”
She raised an eyebrow and smiled, then gently reassured: “Don’t worry about me. Just keep an eye on Changting.”
If her enemies wanted to cause a distraction, the best tactic was to attack from another direction, starting with Changting.
Old Madam Qi never took her granddaughter’s words lightly. She nodded firmly and went to make arrangements.
When Old Marquis Qi and Qi Zhen returned and heard what had been relayed by the old madam, they immediately understood Qi Yuan’s intent. So, with polite manners, they invited Master Huineng to stroll around the courtyard, asking him to check the feng shui, see if anything was amiss.
Master Huineng merely smiled and remained silent.
Old Marquis Qi felt awkward but still forced a sigh: “Ah, apologies, Master. My most beloved grandchild… If she doesn’t wake…”
Even the young monks sweeping the grounds saw Master Huineng shake his head and leave.
Apparently, even he was helpless in this matter.
What a pity.
Just then, Liujin burst out of the inner chambers like a whirlwind: “No! Miss Qi can’t have anything happen to her! I’m going to find His Highness! Or Young Master Xie!”
Old Zhao and Beize also emerged: “Young Master Xie might be a good idea. He grew up on Mao Mountain with His Highness. Maybe he knows something that could help…”
The three of them dragged each other away in a hurry.
The monastery stood quiet and lonely. From within, only the suppressed sobs of women could be faintly heard, along with the soul-calling chants of a spirit medium.
That night, suddenly, a fire broke out in the compound where Qi Changting was staying.
His leg was broken, he couldn’t move. As soon as they heard the news, Old Madam Qi and Second Madam Qi ran there crying in panic.
All the servants followed in chaos.
Compared to a granddaughter, of course a grandson was more important.
From a distance, many watching eyes silently came to a conclusion.
Night fell. Outside the monastery, Lai Chenglong’s men, including Chunsheng, still stood watch.
Inside, Physician Hu was stuffing his face while casting skeptical glances at Qi Yuan: “Miss Qi, even if the old madams have been diverted, there’s still Chunsheng and the others outside. Anyone with half a brain knows Chunsheng is a tough nut to crack.”
Could anyone actually get through him to kill Qi Yuan?
Qi Yuan smiled faintly.
Who said the killer had to come from outside?
She was about to say more when her ears twitched, she had sensed something.
Her eyes snapped to the wall nearby. On it hung an image of a bodhisattva. At that moment, a small hole opened behind the image, and a thin wisp of smoke drifted into the room.
Unaware, Physician Hu’s head lolled to the side and he passed out.
Baizhi and the others collapsed to the ground as well.
Qi Yuan silently closed her eyes.
In the darkness, she felt the wall turning. Someone was entering from behind it, their footsteps light, heading straight toward her bed.
That person didn’t hesitate for a second, not even to check her condition. They simply raised a blade and swung it straight down.
Qi Yuan rolled off the bed, flinging the blanket up to cover their faces.
She hit the ground and quickly blew out the last candle.
Pitch blackness swallowed the room, one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face.
The two intruders were startled. They clearly hadn’t expected the person in bed to move.
Hadn’t she been unconscious for seven whole days and nights?!
They’d seen it with their own eyes, so many physicians had come and gone. Even the old marquis had gone to beg the Emperor to send Master Huineng. All efforts had failed.
From the darkness, Qi Yuan’s voice echoed like a ghost: “Been waiting long?”
The two assassins stood back-to-back in a defensive stance, nerves taut.
In the world of killers, everyone had heard of Qi Yuan.
She was a death goddess.
One of them, a tall man, shouted: “Stop pretending to be a ghost! You’ve been awake for a while, haven’t you?! You knew we were watching you?!”
Qi Yuan chuckled softly. Her soft sword slipped from her waist and in a flash, she sliced off one of the man’s legs, screams rang out inside the room.
Unfortunately, those screams wouldn’t travel far.
Because Chunsheng and the others had sealed this place up like an iron fortress.
Outside, Chunsheng let out a sigh.
Which poor b*stard thought it was a good idea to mess with Miss Qi? This was no different from tricking a dog into a trap to kill it.
Inside, Qi Yuan struck a firestarter and relit a candle.
Light returned, illuminating the now deathly pale Master Huineng, and the tall middle-aged man whose leg had just been severed.
Master Huineng looked like his soul had left his body, especially when he saw Qi Yuan sitting calmly in a chair, smiling at them.
His knees nearly buckled.
Dear heavens… the goddess of death has descended.
The tall man was drenched in cold sweat, unable to stand. His leg had been cut off clean at the thigh. He stumbled, pretending to fall toward Qi Yuan, but in truth, he was drawing a dagger from his waist to stab her.
Qi Yuan scoffed. Her foot snapped forward, kicking the blade from his hand.
Then she stomped down hard on his ankle and ground it mercilessly.
Master Huineng shut his eyes in terror.
