The wind rose in the night. Amid the crowd of thousands, Qi Yuan’s figure looked tiny and insignificant.
How absurd.
Qi Wang stared coldly, the light in his eyes gradually extinguished, replaced by a deep and murderous intent.
With every additional word Qi Yuan spoke, he felt his heart grow colder.
Never before had he seen it so clearly, Qi Yuan would never love him in this life. No, forget love, she thought of nothing but how to kill him.
This woman’s heart could never be warmed.
So in that case, let her die.
Whatever lingering feelings he had from this life or the last, they were all burned to ashes in this moment.
Qi Wang suddenly thought of Princess Baorong again. She had once screamed at him in anguish, warning him that he’d die at Qi Yuan’s hands one day.
Perhaps the man he had been back then really would have. But not anymore.
Maybe Qi Yuan still thought she held some special privilege in his heart, that he wouldn’t dare to truly kill her.
But this time…
She had kicked a steel wall.
He coughed lightly, raised his hand without expression, and gave the command: “Kill her. Kill without mercy!”
Even if she had three heads and six arms, he didn’t believe she could escape again.
If shadow guards were truly so capable, who needed soldiers? Just pay silver to raise an army of shadow guards instead.
But Qi Yuan seemed to anticipate exactly what he was thinking. She didn’t show a trace of fear. Instead, she smiled slightly at Qi Wang and said softly: “Your Highness, I heard that Wanzai County and Pingxiang here in Jiangxi are especially famous for their fireworks and firecrackers. Since arriving in Jiangxi, have you had a chance to admire them?”
The comment came out of nowhere, making no sense. Even Eunuch Feng didn’t understand what she was thinking.
At a time like this, how could she still talk about such nonsense?
But Qi Wang’s eyes suddenly widened, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
No, this woman never speaks without purpose.
His gunpowder depot!
And as if to confirm his fears, an earth-shaking boom erupted from the east. A series of explosions followed in quick succession, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
Eunuch Feng nearly lost his balance, clutching his hat as he looked toward Qi Wang, only to see him staring fixedly toward the east.
Black smoke billowed skyward, with bursts of flame flashing inside.
With one gust of wind, the flames leapt higher, and even from a distance, the heat was tangible.
Everyone looked toward Qi Wang in shock and confusion.
The fire was fierce. If left unchecked, the entire Prince’s Manor might burn to the ground.
Qi Wang, however, stared at Qi Yuan with a deadly gaze. “How did you know?”
How did she know he had brought in craftsmen from Wanzai and Pingxiang to develop cannons and firearms?
Qi Yuan, smelling the scorched scent on the wind, didn’t bother being polite.
“I guessed. Someone like you, how could you be willing to rot in Jiangxi for life?”
She arched her brow. “Your Highness, if you don’t send someone now, I’m afraid your manor won’t last much longer.”
“After all, the amount of gunpowder you’ve got stashed in that storeroom isn’t exactly small, is it?”
She stood leisurely on the veranda, watching the changing expression on his face, and let out a soft laugh.
Qi Wang gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached.
With a sharp wave of his hand, he signaled for Eunuch Feng to take people to fight the fire.
Moonlight spilled down as he fought the dryness in his throat. Then suddenly, he grabbed a guard’s blade and charged straight at Qi Yuan.
The personal guards were startled but quickly followed, over twenty men lunging toward Qi Yuan.
This time, Qi Wang had truly abandoned all mercy.
Just the thought that, while he was begging Divine Physician Xue to treat her brother, Qi Yuan had been mocking him, ridiculing his sincerity, it made him want to kill her on the spot.
He was a fool.
To think he ever dreamed of a future with her.
From the beginning, they had always been mortal enemies. It was his own indecision and hesitation that had allowed Qi Yuan to grow so powerful.
He charged up the stairs like a madman, only to see Qi Yuan smile faintly.
A beat later, he suddenly felt the ground underfoot give way.
He slipped. His balance gone.
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow. “It’s kerosene, by the way.”
As she spoke, she flicked the dagger in her hand, cutting the lantern hanging under the eaves.
As the lantern crashed down onto the stairs, a ball of flame exploded beneath Qi Wang’s feet with a deafening boom.
A ringing filled his ears. Before he could react, he was dragged down by guards, tumbling all the way from the steps to the ground.
The guards responded swiftly. As soon as the fire caught, a team shielded Qi Wang, and after a few rolls on the ground, they managed to put out the flames.
He turned his head in disbelief, only to see flames rising to the sky.
Most of the manor’s buildings were made of wood. Now that the fire had taken hold, it was like a dragon leaping toward the heavens, unstoppable.
“Qi Yuan!”
He clenched his fists and smashed them into the ground, not caring that his hands were already bleeding.
Then, he charged at Qi Yuan in a rage.
The guards were alarmed and grabbed him tightly: “Your Highness! It’s fire, rushing in now is suicide!”
Autumn and winter in Jiangxi were notoriously dry. Now, with the wind feeding the fire, it only burned hotter and faster. No one could predict what would happen next.
His royal headdress had already fallen apart. Standing there, Qi Wang looked completely disheveled, his entire body in pain.
He rubbed at his stinging eyes and gave a hoarse, guttural command: “Search. Lock down the entire city, hunt down the mountain bandits who blew up the manor. Don’t let a single one escape!”
At that moment, Xiong Liangyong had just returned home and lay down, when the door was pounded loudly.
He was startled awake from sleep.
Before he could say anything, the steward outside spoke quickly: “My lord, something’s happened! Qi Wang’s manor, it’s on fire! Flames to the sky!”
The words instantly woke Xiong Liangyong up. He threw on his clothes and flung the door open: “What happened?!”
The steward lowered his voice: “My lord, I’m afraid it has to do with the gunpowder from Wanzai County. In a place like this, things like that aren’t exactly rare…”
True enough, in areas where gunpowder and fireworks were made, fires and explosions weren’t unusual.
Qi Wang had just recently brought over a lot of craftsmen from Wanzai. It must be an explosion.
Xiong Liangyong rubbed his eyes and hurried to Qi Wang’s manor by carriage.
The scene was complete chaos, soldiers in armor everywhere.
His heart pounded with anxiety. Something didn’t sit right.
If this was just a gunpowder accident, why were there so many soldiers scouring the grounds?
Looking around, it seemed… they were searching for someone.
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