Gao Qing’s face turned purple with fury. After so many years of manipulating others, he had never been so thoroughly played.
But today, Qi Yuan had made a complete fool of him.
Truly laughable!
All along the journey, he had tested her again and again, yet never once did he detect that Qi Yuan had been faking unconsciousness and sleep.
Especially just now, he and his men had fought to the death trying to protect her from Wang Weiqi’s forces.
But the person they protected turned out to be a rejuvenated killing god who was far more lethal than any of them.
How utterly ridiculous!
Clutching his chest, he let out a few violent coughs, then suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.
Qi Yuan gave a small smirk and, only after watching him close his eyes, finally turned to Chunsheng.
Chunsheng understood at once. He bent down and checked for breath at Gao Qing’s nose. A moment later, he shook his head at Qi Yuan.
“Miss, he’s dead.”
Qi Yuan gave a soft “mm,” then turned to look at the old maids and the young girl.
The moment she looked over, they burst into tears in terror.
They had all just seen it with their own eyes, this woman who had been lying motionless in bed, even being secretly pinched by them for being a lifeless nuisance, turned out to be a cold-blooded killer who slaughtered without blinking.
The little girl dropped to her knees with a loud thump, too scared to form complete words.
The four maids huddled together, trembling. As soon as Qi Yuan stepped toward them, they instantly imagined how they might die.
Qi Yuan approached and bent down to look at one of the women, speaking in a low voice: “Qiu Mama, you’re the steward nanny from Qi Wang’s residence, aren’t you?”
Qiu Mama didn’t want to admit it, but Qi Yuan’s gaze made her blood run cold. Shaking like a leaf, she nodded and cried out: “Miss, please spare us! W-we were only following orders!”
Qi Yuan gave a faint smile and didn’t waste words.
“Do you want to live… or die?”
Despite being scared out of her wits, Qiu Mama was still a seasoned steward. She reacted quickly and answered without hesitation: “Miss, whatever you need this old servant to do, just speak it! I’ll charge through fire and water, no matter the cost!”
“No need to go that far,” Qi Yuan said coolly, pulling up a chair and sitting down. “Who killed Gao Qing? Once Old San and Old Si return, do you know what to say?”
Qiu Mama immediately gulped nervously.
But then she recalled what Qi Yuan had said earlier, thanking Gao Qing for escorting her safely to Hongdu.
She instantly understood Qi Yuan’s intent: She still wanted to enter Qi Wang’s residence!
That’s why she was bothering to speak with them at all.
Understanding that, Qiu Mama didn’t hesitate: “Of course! Miss was unconscious the whole time, but the officers kept pressing in. At midnight they even sent assassins. It was Lord Gao who hid us and Miss away just in time, we narrowly escaped!”
Perhaps out of fear, her words flowed faster and smoother the longer she spoke. She quickly rattled off a full, convincing story.
Qi Yuan studied her for a moment, then extended her hand to Chunsheng and received a packet of pills. She handed it to Qiu Mama: “Take it. It’s poison. Only by taking the antidote I give you on time will you survive. Once the job is done, I’ll give you the final cure.”
Qiu Mama was suspicious.
After all, Qi Yuan showed no hesitation when killing, and didn’t seem like someone who would kindly hand out antidotes.
But they had no other choice.
Just being allowed to live was already more than they could hope for. They had no leverage to bargain with Qi Yuan.
So Qiu Mama did as she was told and passed out the pills, one for each of the four.
Qi Yuan watched them swallow before standing. “You’ll stay here in the post station. I’ll leave someone to watch you. When Old San and Old Si come back, Qiu Mama, I trust you know how to cover for me?”
Qiu Mama forced a smile. “Of course, Miss.”
Once Old Sam and Old Si returned, they would be too focused on avenging Gao Qing and the dead guards to care about Qi Yuan’s whereabouts.
With that distraction, it wouldn’t be hard for her to help cover her absence.
Qi Yuan looked pleased. “Qiu Mama, you truly are a clever woman. And clever people live longer. After all, you still have that newborn grandson at home… and your son who’s studying, right? You went through so much to clear his slave status, didn’t you?”
Qiu Mama felt icy chills flood her body.
Her knees and thighs went numb.
Who was this woman?
How did she know so much about every servant in Qi Wang’s household?
But Qi Yuan obviously wasn’t going to explain.
She turned to Old Zhao: “You stay here and keep an eye on them, in case someone from Qi Wang’s side shows up.”
Old Zhao understood this was not a suggestion, but a direct order.
He instinctively straightened his back and replied loudly, “Yes, Miss!”
Then he immediately felt ashamed of himself.
He was, after all, one of His Highness’s elite guards, how had he let this young woman command him so naturally, like he wasn’t even as composed as her usual servant, Shunzi?
Liujin was already laughing on the side.
But he quickly suppressed it and asked seriously: “Miss, what’s our next task?”
What next?
Qi Yuan curled her lips.
“Kill.”
—
Meanwhile, Wang Weiqi was enjoying dinner at home.
When his brother-in-law and adviser strode in, he gestured toward the banquet spread: “Sit down and eat. Your sister said you’ve been working hard. She was worried about you and even had a pufferfish prepared.”
Liang Jianping, the adviser, plopped down across from him and picked up a piece of fish.
After tasting it, he couldn’t help but exclaim: “No wonder Su Dongpo said pufferfish is worth dying for. Tasting it now, it really is worth dying for!”
Wang Weiqi frowned and dabbed at his mouth with a handkerchief: “Can you not keep talking about death? Haven’t enough people died lately? At least have some sense of taboo!”
Liang Jianping quickly patted his own mouth and chuckled awkwardly: “Yes, yes, you’re right. I misspoke. Spit-spit-spit. May none of us die, leave that to the others!”
“Enough.” Wang Weiqi coughed a few times. “How’s the matter I asked you to take care of? Orders from above can’t afford any slip-ups.”
Liang Jianping grinned: “Brother-in-law, when have I ever let you down? We’ve lured them to Gaojia Town. It’s a living hell there now.”
