“You…” Hearing this person admit with her own mouth that she had killed Chunhong and even taken her body, Wanqing wished she could tear her to pieces. Yet her strong restraint and self-control kept her rooted in place, her beautiful eyes brimming with fury as she glared at the woman.
She couldn’t help but wonder: What could possibly be worth killing Chunhong over, and what audacity this woman had to come and question her directly.
“Something? What something?”
“A token. Didn’t Liu Xiuying tell you before she died?”
Seeing Wanqing’s bewildered expression, the woman’s cold eyes darkened slightly, but she still patiently prompted her.
“Before Granny Liu died… there was indeed such a thing. But that item is highly confidential. Why don’t you come closer, and I’ll tell you…”
Though Wanqing didn’t understand what she was referring to, it only strengthened her conviction about the reason behind Sun Fengyu’s sudden change in attitude toward her.
Logically, if this woman wanted to threaten them, why stand so far away? It puzzled her slightly, but she smiled and said,
“Fine. Speak.”
At her words, the woman’s eyes flickered. Steeling herself, she took a few steps forward, stopping about a foot away from them.
“Come even closer. You must understand—this item is extraordinary. If someone is lurking nearby without our knowledge, even if I tell you or even hand it over, you might not be able to take it away. Isn’t that right?”
Seeing her still keeping her distance, Wanqing felt a strange suspicion but maintained a calm expression.
“I’ve come forward. You’d better not try any tricks, or I’ll have him killed on the spot.”
The woman’s eyes flashed intensely, but she slowly took another step. Just as Wanqing thought she might get a chance to strike once the woman came closer, the woman suddenly moved—not toward her, but instead grabbed Liu San beside her, pressing a dagger to his throat while glaring at Wanqing and the red-clad woman beside her.
“Second Miss, save me! Save me, Second Miss…”
“Hongyan.” Liu San’s desperate pleas and sobs reminded Wanqing that he had gotten involved in this danger for her sake. Though she burned with fury and wanted to subdue this woman, tear off her veil, and see who she really was, she turned to Hongyan to stop her.
This move only reinforced Wanqing’s belief that the woman wasn’t particularly skilled—otherwise, she wouldn’t have resorted to using Liu San as a bargaining chip.
“You’d better not harm him, or you won’t leave here alive either. If you stay so far away, how am I supposed to tell you this secret?”
Though they were face to face, Wanqing caught a faint, distinctly feminine scent from the woman, but she didn’t call it out. She simply watched her coolly.
“I’m close enough now. Speak, and you can save him—and even get Chunhong’s body back.”
Despite Wanqing’s repeated insistence for her to come closer, the woman hesitated, visibly wary. Finally, she edged forward slightly, her dagger pressing harder against Liu San’s throat as she spoke.
“I’ll tell you where the token is hidden. It’s in the courtyard where I’m currently staying…”
Wanqing’s lips curled faintly. Noticing the faint purplish tint under the woman’s fingernails as she held the dagger, she understood. As she spoke, she discreetly released a handful of defensive powder from her sleeve.
“You—”
As the woman spoke, Wanqing swiftly stepped back, the powder scattering through the air. It was a concoction she had prepared the night before while gathering herbs in the plum grove—a temporary sedative meant to incapacitate anyone who inhaled it.
The moment she struck, the woman’s eyes widened in shock. She shoved Liu San aside and flung out a cloud of yellow powder in retaliation.
“Cover your noses!”
Wanqing’s expression tightened as she swiftly raised her sleeve to shield herself. Seeing the woman turn to flee, Hongyan moved to chase her, but Wanqing stopped her.
“Just let her escape like that?” Hongyan halted, gritting her teeth in frustration as she watched the woman disappear.
“Enough. Is everyone alright? Liu San, are you hurt? Hongyan-jie, give him the antidote you’re carrying. As for that woman… I think I already have a guess who she is. If she’s the one who hurt Chunhong, I’ll make sure she dies in agony. Wait—what’s this bloodstain?”
As the yellow powder dissipated, Wanqing lowered her sleeve and surveyed Hongyan and Liu San. Seeing Liu San sway unsteadily, she rushed to steady him, her concern deepening when she noticed his ashen, deathly pallor. She looked up at Hongyan urgently.
Hongyan frowned but retrieved a pill from her robes and fed it to Liu San. Then, staring in the direction the woman had fled, she said coldly, “Let’s head to the main road.”
They hadn’t gone far when they spotted bloodstains near the woods lining the road—fresh enough to have been left the night before. Wanqing crouched down, puzzled.
“These are definitely bloodstains, and they look like someone crawled through here. Miss, I think we should leave Liu San in the carriage and follow the trail.”
Hongyan was equally surprised. After settling Liu San in the carriage, she helped Wanqing trace the blood trail through the woods.
“There’s a village ahead, but the blood trail stops here.”
They followed the trail until it ended at a slope overlooking a small village.
“Who would crawl so far while injured? Hongyan, let’s return to where we buried Chunhong. The soil here looks freshly disturbed—as if someone was buried and then dug themselves out. Could it be…? Could Chunhong have…?”
The thought struck Wanqing like lightning. She turned back, carefully inspecting the grave. Sure enough, there were signs of recent tampering—and the blood trail seemed to lead directly from Chunhong’s grave to the woods.
The realization filled Wanqing with a mix of shock and wild hope.
“I think we should return and inform the Marquis first, then get Liu San a physician. If she’s alive, we can search the village for her later.”
Hongyan found the situation equally baffling. Noticing Wanqing’s reopened shoulder wound, she gently suggested they leave. Wanqing nodded, allowing herself to be helped into the carriage.
Back at the Marquis’s estate, Wanqing confronted her father about the events.
“You—all of you! So she wasn’t dead when you buried her? Have you no humanity?!”
According to the men who had helped Liu San bury Chunhong, her hand had still been trembling when they carried her away, though she was drenched in blood and her face was unrecognizable. Assuming she was beyond saving, they reported to the Marquis, who ordered them to dispose of the body.
When they buried her, she showed no movement, but her body hadn’t stiffened. Believing she was as good as dead, they paid it no mind.
Hearing this, Wanqing trembled with rage, her eyes icy.
“Second Miss, spare us! We thought—with such severe wounds—two stabs to the chest, two to the heart, her face slashed beyond recognition—she couldn’t possibly…”
The men kowtowed frantically, begging for mercy as they recounted the scene.
“Enough. All of you, leave. From now on, no one enters my courtyard without my permission. Hongyan, hurry to that village—I suspect Chunhong isn’t dead. She wouldn’t die like this. I refuse to believe it.”
Though Wanqing seethed with the urge to strike them down, she numbly dismissed them before turning to Hongyan with her orders. Even now, she couldn’t accept that Chunhong was truly gone.
“Alright. Whatever the truth, you must take care of yourself. The one who hurt Chunhong is still at large. I’ll inform the master and send someone else to assist before I go.”
Seeing Wanqing’s hollow expression, Hongyan couldn’t bring herself to refuse. She nodded and turned to leave.
“Miss Hongyan, this prince will look after her. Go and find Chunhong quickly. Little one, if you need to cry, cry. I’ll stay with you.”
A voice interrupted—the Prince of Ning, having heard the news, arrived with his attendants. He instructed Hongyan before wheeling closer to Wanqing, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
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