Under the moonlight, Gao Zhan’s face wasn’t very clear. Mingxi stared at the face she had once hated so deeply, the man she had promised herself to forget in this second life.
But even if she wanted to move on, fate clearly had other plans—they were destined to be enemies.
Xiao Muchen had been watching her this whole time. Her expression while looking at Gao Zhan was strange. There was a trace of hatred, but also something more complicated he couldn’t quite decipher.
He pressed his lips together and gave her hand a light tug.
Mingxi came back to her senses and looked at him.
Xiao Muchen gestured as if to cover his face.
Mingxi nodded. They had prepared veils before setting out but hadn’t worn them until now. She quietly took hers out and covered her face.
When she saw Xiao Muchen with his face veiled, she nearly burst out laughing.
His eyes were just too distinctive. Even with his face covered, anyone familiar with him would recognize him instantly.
But it didn’t matter. Even if they were recognized, they could shamelessly deny everything when they met again later.
Just like how the Crown Prince hid Qiao Wan’s younger brother to threaten her—everyone knew it was the Crown Prince’s doing, yet he still played the innocent.
As long as the blade isn’t at your throat and you’re not caught red-handed, you can deny everything to death.
Seeing the suppressed smile in Mingxi’s eyes, Xiao Muchen couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless—was it really that funny?
Soon, the door to the room opened. Zeng Tuo came out, and Gao Zhan stood up and said to him, “Done talking?”
Zeng Tuo nodded. “Yes, let’s go back.”
Gao Zhan nodded slightly and said as they walked, “Qiao Yu is no Qiao Wan. This boy’s full of tricks—on the way back, he nearly escaped several times.”
“So you broke his leg?”
Upon hearing that, Mingxi’s gaze turned sharp.
Gao Zhan replied casually, “What else was I supposed to do? I don’t have the time to play cat-and-mouse games with him.”
Zeng Tuo gave a mocking laugh. “Do as you please. As long as he’s alive.”
These b*stards treat human lives like they’re nothing. Mingxi took a deep breath to suppress her anger.
But that breath gave her away.
“Who’s there?!” Zeng Tuo suddenly shouted.
“Run!” Xiao Muchen leapt down from the roof beam, pushing Mingxi away with force. He drew the short sword from his waist and met Zeng Tuo’s slashing blade head-on.
Xiao Muchen, dressed in white like fresh snow, moved gracefully as his blade flashed silver under the moonlight. With a loud clang, the short sword collided with Zeng Tuo’s long saber, sparks flying from the impact.
Mingxi, flung backward by Xiao Muchen’s push, had barely found her footing when Gao Zhan charged at her with sword drawn. The sharp blade sliced through the air toward her face.
In a flash, Mingxi pulled out her riding whip, flung it backward, and coiled it around the blade. With a flick, she knocked the sword away. She retracted her whip and lashed it back at Gao Zhan.
Gao Zhan dodged quickly, then lunged toward her with a kick. It was only when he got closer that he realized—it was a girl. He froze for a moment in surprise.
Mingxi seized the moment of hesitation, turned, and slammed a kick into him with a whistle of air.
Caught off guard, Gao Zhan blocked with his arm, veins bulging. Even so, he was forced back several steps before regaining his footing.
Mingxi didn’t stay to fight. She turned and ran.
Gao Zhan immediately gave chase. The two exchanged blows as they ran—Mingxi hadn’t fought Gao Zhan in her past life, and now realized that his martial arts were stronger than she’d expected.
Luckily, in her previous life, she had ambushed and killed him with a single blow. If she’d fought him head-on, it might not have been so easy.
The commotion soon alerted others in the manor. Servants holding torches and lanterns swarmed toward them.
Realizing things were getting dangerous, Mingxi suddenly whistled sharply. Then she ran forward, threw her whip upward, grabbed its end, and swung the whip’s heavy handle at Gao Zhan.
Unlike the flexible tail, the whip’s handle was solid. Mingxi had channeled all her strength into it. It clashed hard with Gao Zhan’s sword tip, sending a jolt up his arm and nearly disarming him.
In that brief moment, Mingxi retrieved her whip, grabbed a handful of stones, and flung them at the lanterns.
The lanterns shattered instantly. Flames burst out as one of them was kicked into a pile of clutter.
Fire blazed, and chaos erupted.
Looking up, Mingxi spotted Xiao Muchen escaping from Zeng Tuo’s side and rushing toward her. She flicked her whip around a corridor pillar, grabbed Xiao Muchen mid-run, and flung him forward. Then she pulled her whip back, took a breath, and flicked it again, scaring off those who tried to follow.
Like a flying serpent, the whip tore through the wind. With a leap, she landed on the roof, sprinting across the tiles and disappearing over the manor wall.
What a rush. It had been a long time since she’d fought like this.
Almost slipped up tonight.
She hadn’t expected both Zeng Tuo and Gao Zhan to be so skilled.
“Over here!”
Hearing Xiao Muchen’s voice, Mingxi leapt down from the wall and ran toward him. They hadn’t gone far when Gao Zhan and his men caught up behind them.
But Mingxi had already memorized the terrain. Grabbing Xiao Muchen, she zigzagged toward where they’d hidden their horses. Once in the woods, Xiao Muchen slashed the tether with his sword and helped Mingxi onto the saddle. He jumped up behind her, and the two of them galloped away.
Gao Zhan and his men gave chase, but all they could see were two dark figures speeding off into the distance. He stomped his foot in frustration.
After running for a while and confirming they weren’t being followed, Mingxi pulled her horse to a stop.
Xiao Muchen did the same. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ve alerted them. They’re definitely going to move the hostage. We can’t just leave now,” Mingxi said.
Xiao Muchen gave a helpless laugh. “If you don’t go now, the Marquis Household will really start to worry. Leave this to me—I’ll just follow them. It’s not dangerous.”
Mingxi hesitated, thinking of the old master’s age. If she didn’t return by morning, it would cause real worry.
“Then be careful. Just tail them from afar. Your safety comes first.”
“I know. Go on, quickly.” He handed her a token from his waist. “Take this.”
Mingxi looked down and realized it was a pass to re-enter the city. She frowned. “If I take this, how will you get back?”
“I have my ways. Don’t worry about me.”
She accepted it without argument. “Thank you, Wangye. I’ll head back first—take care.”
Watching her ride off so readily, Xiao Muchen was a little surprised—then laughed.
She really was… well, no surprise. That’s just who she was.
Once she was gone, he quietly circled back to the manor to keep watch.
Meanwhile, Mingxi galloped back toward the city. As expected, the gates were closed, but with the token, she passed through without issue.
Just as she reached Marquis Household, she ran into Duan Yu at the gate.
“Big Brother, where are you going?”
“Mingxi? You’re back! I was just about to go look for you.” Duan Yu let out a breath of relief. “Why so late? Come in quickly—everyone’s been waiting for you.”
Mingxi paused mid-step.
Everyone was waiting for her?
