Qi Yuan gave a quiet “mm” and then motioned for Baizhi to call Chunsheng in.
Chunsheng was quick and efficient, just one look at the scene and he immediately knew what to do. He swiftly brought people in to dispose of the corpse.
His smooth execution even made Qi Yuan give him an extra glance.
This one seemed a bit more capable than Chun Lin.
Chunsheng had no idea that Qi Yuan thought so highly of him. After finishing the task, he simply listened to a few words from Baizhi, glanced at Qi Yuan, and, seeing her nod, quickly said, “Rest assured, Young Lady. I understand, I’ll take care of it right away.”
He didn’t think he needed to ask his superior, because his superior would definitely approve too.
That very night, the fire incident shook the entire Feilai Temple.
Feng Yuzhang was sound asleep when he suddenly discovered a fire, and when he heard it was in Qi Changting’s quarters, his heart instantly sank.
They’d only just finalized the marriage arrangements!
Was the prize bird he had in his hands about to fly away after all?!
Luckily, when he scrambled into his clothes and rushed out in panic, he found Qi Changting safe and sound.
Surrounded by Old Marquis Qi and Qi Zhen, the second lord, he was completely unharmed, just had a bit of soot on his face, probably from the smoke.
At that moment, Feng Yuzhang was nearly ready to fall to his knees and kowtow to the heavens in gratitude. Thank God this ancestral troublemaker was unharmed!
Wait, wasn’t there another ancestor in the Qi family?!
Was no one going to check on her?!
Feng Yuzhang carefully asked the old Marquis, “Marquis, is the young lady… is she all right?”
The old Marquis still looked grim. When he mentioned his granddaughter, his tone was heavy with sorrow:
“She’s been unconscious for seven or eight days now, not a single sign of waking. Even Master Huineng came, but… what more can we do?”
Feng Yuzhang sighed along with him.
Who could’ve seen this coming?
Back then, Feng Caiwei had been wishing for nothing more than Qi Yuan’s death.
Too bad she died first.
But now Qi Yuan had also ended up in this condition.
Feng Yuzhang’s expression grew more complicated.
Meanwhile, Jinbao’s face was just as dark. He slapped the table and shouted in a shrill voice: “Useless! Didn’t you say you had a secret passage?! How could it still be discovered?!”
Truth be told, Jinbao had never wanted to come to the capital.
But his godfather, Eunuch Xu, forced him to carry out one important task,
To kill Miss Qi.
Just as his godfather said: keeping Qi Yuan alive was a never-ending disaster.
Originally, Qi Wang could have lived quietly in his fiefdom, especially now that his leg had healed. He could govern his domain in peace, and in time, might even rise again.
Even if he didn’t, he could at least live out his days like a local emperor.
But whenever it came to Qi Yuan, he lost his mind.
The court had dispatched an imperial envoy to provide disaster relief in Jiangxi, and instead of cooperating, Qi Wang spent all his time plotting how to assassinate the envoy, who happened to be his romantic rival and nephew, the Imperial Grandson.
If Qi Yuan really were brought to his fief, who knew what kind of chaos would ensue?
The more Jinbao thought about it, the uglier his expression became.
The abbot looked about ashen: “The Embroidered Uniform Guard have noses keener than dogs. You also know they’re stationed at the door around the clock, especially that Lord Lai…”
Indeed, Jinbao was well aware of Lai Chenglong’s capabilities.
He let out a cold snort.
Then, suddenly remembering something, he lowered his voice and asked: “So, you’re saying Lai Chenglong took men to go capture Liu Chao?”
The abbot wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and whispered, “Yes. Right now, Feilai Temple is in turmoil. Lord Lai said the arsonist is surely Liu Chao.”
Jinbao’s expression shifted unpredictably. “How many men did Gao Qing take?”
This question clearly wasn’t directed at the abbot.
One of his guards stepped forward and replied: “He took twenty-six.”
In other words, nearly all of Gao Qing’s loyal men had gone with him.
That left about half of Jinbao’s forces still here.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard were off chasing Liu Chao. Gao Qing, worried they might catch him, had gone to clean up the mess.
That meant Qi Yuan’s place was now wide open.
Jinbao immediately lowered his voice and ordered: “Get everything ready. No need to wait, today’s the day. Let’s finish what godfather assigned us!”
The abbot stood to the side, his expression wooden.
Suddenly he felt that this monk business might actually have some future prospects.
At the very least, with so many people dying, the rituals alone would bring in a lot of incense money.
And at that moment, bam!, the door was kicked open.
Qi Yuan stood there in red robes, her soft sword dragging on the ground, still stained with blood. But her face bore a bright, cheerful smile: “No need. I’ve come myself.”
The abbot immediately choked on his own spit and scurried into a corner to hide.
Mother of god, please don’t let her come for me!
He didn’t want to die!
Jinbao was also startled, watching as Qi Yuan appeared completely unharmed. His first instinct was to glance at the abbot, but the abbot had already disappeared.
That d*mned bald fraud!
Jinbao cursed inwardly. When he looked back at Qi Yuan, he felt a chill run down his spine,
Her red sleeves and long hair fluttered in the breeze, her face radiant and carefree.
As if she hadn’t come to kill anyone, just to enjoy the view.
Jinbao took a deep breath and finally understood why his godfather had been so worried.
This woman was like a ghost, a reincarnation of Daji.
If she were allowed to live, Qi Wang would be utterly bewitched!
He gritted his teeth. Normally cowardly, Jinbao felt a rare surge of boldness, after all, he had twenty-six men on his side, and shouted: “Kill her!”
The men closest to the door immediately rushed toward Qi Yuan.
But she kicked one away with a single strike, and before another could react, her sword had already slashed across his throat.
Her body’s flexibility was almost unreal, someone’s blade was already inches from her leg, yet she twisted her waist, grabbed the attacker’s wrist, and rammed her elbow into his chest with brutal force.
She didn’t even pause.
With a flick of her toe, she hooked her soft sword back into her hand and plunged it into the chest of the next man charging in.
She’s insane.
Absolutely insane.
Jinbao watched, shaking from head to toe, his eyes wide with shock.
And in that moment, he fully understood his master’s fear.
How could anyone not be terrified?
He screamed and stumbled backward while shouting: “Quick! Get her! What are you waiting for?! Move! You worthless fools!”
Under his shouting, the others had no choice but to charge forward, but at that moment, Lai Chenglong’s men arrived just in time.
Chunsheng took one look at the scene and couldn’t stop a tiny gasp.
Miss Qi looked like she was born to kill.
Even her violence had a kind of mad elegance to it.
He couldn’t help glancing at his superior.
Does my lord… like this kind of woman?
Qi Yuan had already looked toward Lai Chenglong. Seeing that he had taken command of her side, she stepped onto a chair and launched herself straight at Jinbao.
