The sound that man let out resembled the dying screech of some kind of bird, sharp, hair-raising, and enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.
Qi Yuan kept her foot on his wrist until the man couldn’t even scream anymore. Only then did she shift her foot to his neck, and pressed down hard.
Crack.
The sound was soft, but to the Master Abbot listening nearby, it felt like it was his own neck being stepped on.
He instinctively clutched his throat.
But sometimes, trying to avoid something is useless, because Qi Yuan had already crouched down and was smiling at him: “Master Abbot, you’ve been very disobedient.”
Disobedient…
Like scolding a naughty child.
But the abbot understood exactly what she meant.
She was saying he hadn’t followed her instructions.
This god of slaughter, this she-demon who seemed to have emerged from the depths of hell, killed people like slicing vegetables. The corpse lay right next to her, and she hadn’t even glanced at it. Terrifying.
Qi Yuan patted the Master Abbot’s shiny bald head. “Master, why are you shaking so much? Don’t tremble. Open your eyes and look.”
Her voice was soft as she began counting: “One… two…”
Who dared not open their eyes?!
The abbot instantly flung his eyes wide open, only to be met with the grisly sight of his companion’s dead body right in front of him.
And at his feet, part of the severed foot.
At that moment, who the h*ll still cared about Buddhist detachment and the four elements?!
To h*ll with detachment!
The abbot let out a wailing scream and began crawling backward.
Until Qi Yuan stepped on his robe. “Master Abbot, for a fake monk, you’re doing a pretty poor job. Look, your head’s burn scars wiped off with just one rub.”
Her tone took a sharp turn, clearly irritated: “If you keep screaming and disobeying, I really won’t be able to hold back.”
What she meant by “hold back” was obvious.
The Master Abbot froze on the spot, as if he’d been dumped into the eighteenth level of h*ll.
Every second was torment.
Trembling, he stammered: “N-no… it wasn’t me… I didn’t disobey the young lady. It’s just that, back then, you… you’d passed out…”
Qi Yuan gave a soft “mm” and finished the rest of the sentence for him: “At first, you didn’t dare disobey me. But then, news spread that I had fallen unconscious and hadn’t woken. So the one who paid you earlier found you again and promised you even more silver, asking you to help bring someone in to kill me. Isn’t that right?”
…
Qi Yuan sounded like she had witnessed it all firsthand.
The Master Abbot didn’t dare lie anymore. Crying, he nodded and said yes.
Qi Yuan yawned and stretched lazily. “Well, that person is dead now.”
The abbot froze.
Of course he knew that guy was dead, very dead.
But…
He hesitated, glancing cautiously at Qi Yuan. “Does the young lady mean…”
Qi Yuan leaned back in her chair. “The ones who contacted you were from the same group, but they didn’t all agree. Some wanted me dead. Others refused to kill me. Isn’t that right?”
The abbot’s eyes shot wide open.
Gods above… is she a ghost?
How did she know everything?
Seriously, this was getting spooky.
Qi Yuan’s smile vanished. She snapped, “I asked you, is that right?!”
Her tone changed faster than she killed, instant and violent.
The abbot flinched and gulped, hurriedly answering: “Yes! It was Lord Jinbao, he wanted to kill the young lady. But… but Gao Qing didn’t agree… In the end, Lord Jinbao could only send that assassin who followed me here.”
They couldn’t bring more men, too risky. Gao Qing might notice.
Qi Yuan chuckled inwardly.
It really is just like the last life… So many things are unfolding the same way.
Jinbao was the adopted son of Eunuch Xu.
Eunuch Xu knew very well that although Qi Wang always ranted about wanting her dead, once she actually arrived at his side, he wouldn’t go through with it.
So he sent Jinbao to take advantage of the situation.
Qi Wang’s own envoy, Gao Qing, was his trusted confidant and would carry out his will without deviation.
Qi Yuan quickly traced the cause and effect in her mind, then raised a brow at the abbot: “Master, tell me, do you want to die now? Or live?”
Who wanted to die?!
The abbot’s tears spilled over.
He had only become a monk to avoid land taxes!
He’d read a few scriptures, could chant a few sutras, and by sheer accident had ended up as the head abbot.
But his heart had never truly left secular life.
He even had his sister and brother-in-law raising his son at the foot of the mountain.
He collapsed before Qi Yuan and sobbed: “Young lady! I’ll listen, I swear I’ll listen! Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it!”
Qi Yuan rested her chin in her palm, looking relaxed. “Find a way to divert Gao Qing and his men, leave only Jinbao’s group behind.”
Huh?
What was she planning?
The abbot blinked in confusion, but Qi Yuan’s voice sharpened again: “What’s wrong? You don’t want to?”
How could he not?!
He scrambled to his feet: “I do! I do! I’ll go right away!”
Qi Yuan gave a small chuckle. “Do you know what to say?”
“I, I do. I’ll say… I’ll say…”
Qi Yuan gazed at him flatly: “Just say, this man tried to assassinate me, but was discovered by Lord Lai. Now Lord Lai is leading men to hunt the rest down. If he finds them, they’ll be sent straight to the Emperor. Wangye will be finished.”
…
The abbot instinctively shrank back.
Could he really say that?
But never mind, his own life was more important.
Whatever the young lady said, that was the truth.
Even if she told him the moon was red, he’d agree.
He took a deep breath and rushed out.
Qi Yuan leaned against the chair and slowly closed her eyes.
Lying for too long had indeed left her a bit weak.
She pulled out a small bottle from her pouch, poured out a pill, and popped it into her mouth.
Then she lit a specially prepared detoxifying incense and began waking up Baizhi, Physician Hu, and the others.
Physician Hu jolted awake, spotted a corpse nearby, and immediately screamed.
Baizhi, on the other hand, just gave him a look: “Physician Hu, you’re a doctor, you save lives. Haven’t you seen plenty of dead bodies? Why are you acting like you’ve never seen one before?”
So uncultured.
Physician Hu had no intention of arguing with a young maid.
The servant of a deranged mistress could hardly be normal.
He grunted and went over to inspect the body. After confirming the person was thoroughly dead, he turned to Qi Yuan: “This guy, he came to kill you?”
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