Chapter 733 Murderous Intent

Chapter 773: Murderous Intent

Xingxing stepped back from Wei Shiyan's embrace.

Without another word, Wei Shiyan climbed through the window into the room.

The moment he entered, his eyes locked onto the figure lying on the bed.

Though Xingxing had already tied him up securely, Wei Shiyan had to admit—seeing that man on Xingxing’s bed made his blood rush to his head. His mind raged: *Is this the one who dared to harm Xingxing?!*

Uncontrollably, Wei Shiyan drew his sword in one swift motion and strode toward Pang Jinkang, who was tied up like a hog.

He didn’t even need to ask what Pang Jinkang had done!

Pang Jinkang had long had designs on Xingxing. Late at night, with Qing Shuang absent—undoubtedly lured away—and him appearing in Xingxing’s room? His intentions were plain as day!

A despicable, beastly scum!

Wei Shiyan’s eyes flushed red, his killing intent almost solidifying in the air.

Sensing the sharp murderous aura, Xingxing quickly caught Wei Shiyan’s wrist. "Brother Yan, I’m fine. He’s still useful alive."

Wei Shiyan took a deep breath. Then another.

But the urge to kill still raged in his chest, unbearable.

With a cold expression, Wei Shiyan sent Pang Jinkang tumbling off the bed.

Pang Jinkang groaned in pain but remained unconscious.

At that moment, Qing Shuang also hurriedly returned, dragging the two thieves behind her.

The thieves were beaten within an inch of their lives from Qing Shuang’s beating. Worried about Xingxing being alone, she had rushed back without delay, hauling the two along.

Bruised and bloodied from the dragging, their wounds worsened by Qing Shuang’s slashes, the thieves were now gasping for breath.

Qing Shuang dumped them inside the room and called out, "Milady—" before noticing the tense atmosphere. Wei Shiyan stood there, his expression icy.

And on the floor—Pang Jinkang, bound tightly. Dread washed over her as she realized.

"I... Was I tricked into leaving you alone?" she asked, with a mix of alarm and fear.

Xingxing stepped forward, soothing her gently. "It’s alright, Sister Qing Shuang. I can protect myself too—I’m not helpless. This was teamwork."

But Qing Shuang remained uneasy, her usually composed face now twisted in panic. Her voice trembled slightly. "No, my lady... It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have chased after them. If anything had happened to you, I... I’d have to pay with my life..."

Xingxing quickly covered Qing Shuang’s mouth. "Sister Qing Shuang, I’m fine, which means you did nothing wrong. And don’t talk about life and death. We’re closer than that." After a pause, she added reassuringly, "Actually, I’ve been waiting for them to make a move. Now that we’ve caught them in the act, it’s a good thing."

Qing Shuang pressed her lips together, silent, her face still deathly pale.

"Really. And you capturing these two thieves is crucial—they’re critical evidence." Xingxing approached the thieves, pulling out two pills. She removed the gags from their mouths and shoved a pill down each of their throats.

Already on the brink of death, the thieves’ faces contorted in pain as the pills took effect.

Xingxing stuffed the gags back into their mouths to muffle any noise.

Looking down at them coldly, she said, "What I just fed you is the Three-Day Gut-Rot Poison. As the name suggests, in three days, your intestines will rot, and you’ll die in agony. Today is the first day. You must feel it already—the pain in your stomach, yes? That’s the poison eating away at your organs."

The thieves’ faces turned ashen. If they weren’t already beaten half to death, they would have been on their knees, groveling desperately for the antidote.

"But then again, I'm not someone who enjoys killing. Whether you get the antidote depends on your behavior."

Xingxing gave a small smile at the two thieves.

In their despair, the two thieves couldn't help but grasp at a sliver of hope.

Wei Shiyan watched as Xingxing comforted Qing Shuang and systematically intimidated the two thieves, but the fire in his chest still burned fiercely, with no way to release it.

When Xingxing turned around, she saw Wei Shiyan standing there with a cold expression, deep in thought.

"Brother Yan?" Xingxing tugged at Wei Shiyan's sleeve, attempting to steer the conversation elsewhere. "I haven’t even asked—why did you come here?"

Wei Shiyan lowered his gaze, looking at Xingxing.

Sensing his tension, Xingxing met his eyes and gave him a warm smile.

Wei Shiyan felt the fire in his chest burn even fiercer!

It was Xingxing who had been in danger!

Yet here she was, comforting everyone else!

Wasn’t she afraid?

No—she was!

Wei Shiyan remembered how the young girl had hurriedly thrown herself at him through the window—she had clearly been frightened!

Looking down at her gentle, reassuring smile, Wei Shiyan felt the fire in his chest slowly transform into something else, something that made his entire body tremble slightly.

"I came when I found out you hadn’t returned to the prefect’s residence," Wei Shiyan said quietly. "Your fourth brother is setting things up. We’re about to spring the trap."

Xingxing nodded vigorously. "Mm! I know—Fourth Brother and Brother Yan are both completely dependable!"

Wei Shiyan remained silent.

His sleeve was still in Xingxing's hand.

He made no move.

He simply let her hold onto it.

Qing Shuang had initially been weighed down by guilt, but as she listened to Xingxing and Wei Shiyan’s conversation, she began to feel something felt odd. Unable to resist, she looked up at the two of them.

Her gaze shifted between them.

The atmosphere between them felt... strange.

It seemed like she shouldn’t be here right now.

Should she take Pang Jinkang and the two thieves outside for a moment?

Qing Shuang became lost in thought.

......

By the time Wei Shiyan left, the night had grown later.

Qing Shuang seemed to let out a sigh of relief, edging a little closer to Xingxing.

Xingxing looked at Qing Shuang's relieved expression and explained on Wei Shiyan's behalf: "Qing Shuang-jie, are you afraid of Brother Yan? You don’t need to be. He just doesn’t like interacting with people much, but he’s actually very kind."

Qing Shuang replied solemnly, "I know. I heard from your fourth brother that the Second Prince went down the mountain to rescue the villagers who were being harassed by that Nanman raiding party. He chased them all the way, putting himself in danger. The Second Prince is a good person... it's just..." She paused, groping for words before finally stammering, "It's just that the Second Prince seems... hard to approach. I don’t even know how to talk to him. It’s like he practically radiates ‘do not disturb’..."

Xingxing thought for a moment. "I actually think he’s fine."

Qing Shuang also found it strange.

The Second Prince was aloof with everyone, yet he treated Xingxing very differently.

As for exactly how, Qing Shuang felt the way he acts around her was different.

But she couldn’t quite put it into words.

After agonizing over it for a while, Qing Shuang decided she’d ask Yu Yonggui about it later.

In her eyes now, Yu Yonggui was a very reliable person.

"By the way, Princess, what do you plan to do with... this?"

Qing Shuang prodded the still-unconscious Pang Jinkang on the ground with her toe.

Xingxing thought of Luo Qingrou. She lowered her gaze. Luo Qingrou had dared to drug herself to frame Xingxing, so she must have had an antidote.

She probably wanted to create the illusion that Princess Fusui and she had both been drugged and then defiled by the wandering criminal known for his lustful crimes... With Luo Qingrou involved, even if Xingxing tried to cover up the "loss of virtue," Luo Qingrou would surely make a huge scandal out of it.

Then Pang Jinkang would step forward, declaring that despite the Princess losing her purity, he was still willing to marry her and help conceal the disgrace.

Xingxing considered it and decided that since that was the case, she might as well let Pang Jinkang and Luo Qingrou have each other.

"Truss Pang Jinkang up and dump him in Luo Qingrou’s room," Xingxing said after a moment’s thought. "Neither of them is any good—let them fight like dogs."

Qing Shuang nodded in agreement and dragged the unconscious Pang Jinkang away.

As for Luo Qingrou, though she had taken the antidote for the aphrodisiac beforehand, the drug’s effects still left her in a dead sleep.

Qing Shuang tossed the bound Pang Jinkang by Luo Qingrou’s bedside.

Xingxing slept soundly for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Xingxing woke up early, but An Zhenzhen and Qiu Yuansang were even earlier.

Both had risen at dawn and rushed to Xingxing’s room, insisting on helping the Princess prepare for the day.

Xingxing politely declined.

She had always taken care of herself back at the Yu household.

But no sooner had she refused than An Zhenzhen pushed forward with a steaming washcloth.

Xingxing sighed. "That really isn’t necessary..."

An Zhenzhen said timidly, "Princess, I imposed on you so much yesterday. If you don’t let me do something for you, I’ll feel terribly uneasy... Besides, I’m not doing much."

She didn’t mention Xingxing’s "saving my life," only referring to it as "troubling the Princess." To an unaware listener, it would naturally sound like An Zhenzhen was repaying Xingxing for saving her life.

Reluctantly, Xingxing accepted the warm towel from An Zhenzhen and wiped her face.

Qiu Yuansang curled her lip, thinking to herself that this An Zhenzhen, after being poisoned once, was now grovelling obsequiously over the Princess under the pretense of gratitude—what a calculating snake.

Just as Qiu Yuansang was about to say something, a sudden scream shattered the quiet morning from outside.

Qiu Yuansang whipped her head around toward the sound, covering her mouth in shock. "That sounds like Luo Qingrou's voice—what happened? Did she encounter a mouse again?"

An Zhenzhen's eyes gleamed shrewdly. "It doesn’t sound like that... Should we go and check?"

The two women turned to look at Xingxing, as if waiting for her call.

Xingxing thought for a moment. "Alright, let’s go see."

Barely containing their curiosity, Qiu Yuansang and An Zhenzhen followed closely behind Xingxing, in case she changed her mind.

Xingxing exchanged a glance with Qing Shuang, who gave an almost imperceptible nod in response.

Xingxing headed out with them.

Luo Qingrou’s room was farther off.

On the way there, several Green Hill Poetry Society members, who lived farther away, had also heard the commotion and rushed over.

When they saw Xingxing, they quickly bowed in greeting. "Your Highness, we heard a scream just now and wondered if something had happened. We came to see if there was any way we could help."

"Yes, is everything alright, Your Highness?"

They likely assumed the disturbance had originated from Xingxing’s side.

Xingxing nodded slightly at them. "We appreciate it. But we can handle it ourselves."

The kind-hearted Green Hill Poetry Society members bowed again before taking their leave.

Qiu Yuansang and An Zhenzhen exchanged glances, picking up on something odd.

Luo Qingrou’s scream had stopped dead after just one cry.

What if she was in real danger?

Having those young men around might've helped.

Yet the princess had turned them down flat, as if...

As if she already knew what was happening inside.

For some reason, both Qiu Yuansang and An Zhenzhen got the creeps.

But since Xingxing said nothing, they could only tag along nervously behind her.

Before Xingxing, Qiu Yuansang, and An Zhenzhen could reach the door, Luo Qingrou’s room flew open from within.

Luo Qingrou stumbled out, her clothes askew.

Shock flashed across Qiu Yuansang and An Zhenzhen’s faces.

When Luo Qingrou saw Xingxing approaching unharmed, her face twisted in panic. She was baffled—she had clearly seen Xingxing pass out from the drugged drink, so why hadn't Pang Jinkang succeeded?!

And why had he ended up trussed up in her bed?!

Her aunt’s people had drawn away the bodyguard maid—they were highly skilled, so handling a single maid should have been effortless.

Had the maid returned and caught Pang Jinkang red-handed?!

Luo Qingrou's gaze darted nervously toward Qing Shuang standing behind Xingxing.

Qing Shuang was alive and well, still standing there, staring at her with icy eyes.

Luo Qingrou's face paled as countless thoughts raced through her mind.

She couldn’t admit to this!

She was a victim too—she absolutely couldn’t admit it!

Luo Qingrou, in feigned panic, rushed to Xingxing, crying, "Help me, Your Highness! I don’t know who tied up my cousin and threw him onto my bed!"

—She had to distance herself from this!

Qiu Yuansang and An Zhenzhen’s eyes widened in shock at these words!

Xingxing quirked a half-smile, "Oh? Is that so?"

But Qiu Yuansang and An Zhenzhen couldn’t hold back. Without waiting for Xingxing to move, they made a beeline for the room and barged in.

Seeing Pang Jinkang indeed trussed up like a hog and unconscious on Luo Qingrou’s bed, they clapped hands over their mouths, sucking in a sharp breath.

Who—who would dare do this?!

Who had the gall to mess with the only son of Prefect Pang?!

And even placed him on Luo Qingrou’s bed...

Qiu Yuansang and An Zhenzhen exchanged glances, the same thought flashing through their minds.

Could Luo Qingrou have pulled this stunt herself?!

Everyone knew that the nieces of the Magistrate's Wife, Luo Shi, were all of "special purposes."

The prettiest of the bunch, Luo Qingrou, hadn’t been betrothed to anyone and lived in the prefect’s residence. Everyone figured that Luo Qingrou was being reserved for the prefect’s only son.

But it was also well-known that Prefect Pang’s son was fussy as they come, couldn’t be bothered with just anyone—let alone a poor relation crashing at his place.

So—

Qiu Yuansang and An Zhenzhen exchanged another glance. Had Luo Qingrou taken matters into her own hands and seized a chance while they were away from the estate to just... tied him up?